This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
It's the Sunday of Fourth of July weekend, as "baseball" a day as you can find on the calendar. There are nine games on the primary DraftKings slate, with the first starting at 1:35 p.m. EDT. Here are my recommendations to try and add some pizzazz to this US holiday weekend.
Pitching
Brandon Woodruff, MIL at PIT ($9,500): Woodruff followed a strong 2021 with a slow start to this season. However, he's posted a 2.25 ERA over his last four starts and continues to strike out plenty of batters with 11.65 per nine innings. The Pirates, meanwhile, rank 28th in runs scored.
Pablo Lopez, MIA at WAS ($9,300): Lopez managed a 3.07 ERA in his breakout campaign last year and a 2.98 ERA through 15 starts this season. Given that the Nationals are in the bottom-10 in offense, Lopez has the opportunity for another quality start and perhaps a win if his teammates can help out.
Devin Smeltzer, MIN vs. BAL ($6,000): In his first real opportunity in a starting rotation, Smeltzer has produced a 2.86 ERA. And at home, the southpaw boasts a sterling 1.50 ERA. The Orioles sit bottom-10 in runs scored and come in with a sub-.300 team OBP.
Top Targets
A lefty-versus-lefty matchup is usually not ideal for a hitter, but I would still recommend Kyle Tucker ($5,200) on Sunday considering he's recorded 16 home runs and 14 stolen bases. And he's excelled with an .855 OPS versus southpaws since 2020, so he's not a hitter with significant splits. In the last two years, lefties have hit .320 against the left-handed Jose Suarez.
There have been some free-agent disappointments this year, but Carlos Correa ($4,500) isn't among them slashing .298/.360/.471 with nine homers in his first season with the Twins. He's also enjoyed his new ballpark with a .900 OPS at home. In his first year as a starter, Tyler Wells maintains a 4.34 FIP and has struck out a paltry 5.56 batters per nine innings.
Bargain Bats
Since joining the Rangers, Nathaniel Lowe ($3,400) has hit .269 to go with a .348 OBP. The southpaw also doesn't mind being on the road with an .863 OPS in away games. Carlos Carrasco is having a rough stretch with a 9.68 ERA from his last four outings where he's given up a total of seven home runs.
After a tough patch, Luis Urias ($3,000) has posted a .910 OPS the last two weeks. And his issues have never been against lefties with an .817 OPS in those matchups. Jose Quintana is a lefty, and one who has allowed righties to hit .290 against since 2020.
Stacks to Consider
Mets vs. Rangers (Jon Gray): Francisco Lindor ($5,400), Starling Marte ($4,900), Brandon Nimmo ($4,500)
Gray has given up fewer home runs this year after leaving the Rockies and Coors Field, but he still enters with a 3.89 ERA. And on the road, that number increases to 4.05. Even away from Colorado, I still think Gray is worth targeting.
Lindor has produced 12 homers and nine stolen bases. The switch hitter also has a .765 OPS against righties and a .792 at home. Marte has gone deep eight times while swiping nine bags, with 47 in the latter category last year. He's also a career .289 hitter who's gone .282 this season. Nimmo lists a career .388 OBP to go with an .849 OPS versus righties since 2020.
Cubs vs. Red Sox (Connor Seabold): Patrick Wisdom ($4,500), Ian Happ ($4,300), Rafael Ortega ($3,300)
The Red Sox are pretty desperate for starting pitchers due to injuries. As such, Seabold is expected to make the start Sunday. You can't take much from the fact he's pitched all of 7.1 innings in MLB, even though he's struggled to a 10.37 ERA during that time. Assuming Seabold gets the call, it bodes well for the Cubs.
Wisdom is a swing-for-the-fences kind of hitter going .230 the last two seasons along with a .497 slugging percentage and 44 home runs across 180 games. Happ has slashed .285/.384/.464 with eight homers, five stolen bases and a .947 home OPS. Ortega is the one lefty I'm including against the righty Seabold having produced a .279/.356/.435 slash line since joining the Cubs last season.
Marlins at Nationals (Erick Fedde): Jon Berti ($4,500), Joey Wendle ($4,300), Garrett Cooper ($3,100)
Fedde's 4.40 ERA is actually better than his career 5.09 mark. He's only allowed 0.98 home runs per nine innings, well below his career 1.46 average. I expect Fedde to start allowing more homers, though this stack may not be built for that. But it's constructed to rough him up.
It's surprising Berti is breaking out at 32, but he's got a .368 OBP as a leadoff hitter and has stolen 25 bases in only 48 games. Wendle has missed time this season, but he's batting .293 with two home runs and four stolen bases when available. The lefty also has a .784 OPS against righties since 2020. Cooper is impressing with a .320 average and .386 OBP. He's a career .291 hitter, so we know he offers a legitimate hit tool.
