This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Football Sundays are right around the corner. But since you're reading this, I know you haven't forgotten to keep an eye on baseball. That's smart, because DFS opportunities abound come every day with MLB. There are 10 games for the primary slate of contests on DraftKings. First pitch is at 1:37 p.m. EDT. Here are my recommendations.
Pitching
Cristian Javier, HOU vs. OAK ($8,700): Over his last four starts, Javier has posted a 2.86 ERA. And at home this season, that number drops to 2.60. The Athletics rank 29th in runs scored, but last in team batting average and OBP.
Martin Perez, TEX vs. SEA ($7,900): Perez's last start was brutal, but that was on the road against the Astros. Don't forget he's produced a 2.70 ERA at home in 2022. The Mariners are in the bottom-10 in offense and use a lot of lefties. Perez is a southpaw, so he could shut them down.
Tyler Anderson, LAD at KC ($7,800): Anderson moved to LA and got that Dodgers magic sprinkled on him considering his 2.72 ERA and 13-1 record. The Royals sit 24th in runs scored, so Anderson has a great chance of racking up another victory in Dodger Blue.
Top Targets
Wow, Nolan Arenado ($5,700) is on fire right now with a 1.255 OPS the last three weeks and seven home runs from his most recent 13 games. Meanwhile, Aaron Ashby has struggled to a 5.26 ERA in 11 starts, in part because he's allowed nine homers during that stretch.
The bat of Jose Altuve ($5,500) plays basically everywhere, but at home and against lefties he really stands out with an 1.077 OPS versus southpaws and a .953 at home. Cole Irvin is a lefty with a 2.92 ERA, but his road mark is 4.58.
Bargain Bats
At home this year, Ji-Man Choi ($3,300) has an .815 OPS. The lefty will get to face right-hander Jordan Lyles and a 4.35 ERA, his best since 2019. But on the road, that number skyrockets to 5.70.
He doesn't offer much power, but Harold Castro ($2,200) is batting .286 with a career .289. He's also a lefty, and Lance Lynn has let lefties hit .295 against. That's part of the reason why he's recorded a 5.88 ERA in 2022.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers at Royals (Brady Singer): Freddie Freeman ($5,500), Will Smith ($4,900), Gavin Lux ($4,100)
Singer comes in with a 3.49 ERA, but his career mark is 4.24 and a 4.65 at home. I have two lefties in this stack since Singer is a righty, but righties can also be considered since they've hit .275 against him in MLB.
Since 2020, Freeman has registered an 1.005 OPS versus righties. In his first year as a Dodger, it hasn't always been home sweet home with a .983 OPS on the road compared to an .859 at home. Smith can be your catcher and he's a backstop with a .277/.364/.483 slash line. He also has a .934 road OPS. Lux hasn't displayed as much power, but he's hit .299 with a .375 OBP and has slugged .442 against right-handed pitchers.
Braves at Marlins (Braxton Garrett): Austin Riley ($5,200), Dansby Swanson ($4,900), Vaughn Grissom ($2,000)
Garrett has posted a 4.02 ERA this year with a 4.49 over his career. The reason his numbers have improved this year is mostly because the southpaw has kept lefties in check. Righties have hit .272 against him in 2022 and .277 during his career. So I'm down to stack three righties.
Riley broke out last year, but has been ever better this season with 30 home runs while smashing lefties to the tune of an 1.251 OPS. Swanson has hit .289 this season and has racked up 16 homers and 14 stolen bases to go with a .866 OPS versus southpaws. The 21-year-old Grissom got called up to MLB after producing a .924 OPS in Double-A. The shortstop proceeded to go deep and steal a base in his first game. This is a bet on potential, but one I'm happy to make.
Cubs at Reds (Justin Dunn): Nico Hoerner ($4,600), Ian Happ ($4,200), Rafael Ortega ($2,700)
Dunn just made his first start of the season giving up five hits, two walks, and three runs across 4.2 innings. In his career, he's managed a 5.56 FIP while allowing 1.43 home runs per nine innings. I don't think he's up to the task of shutting down this Cubs trio.
Hoerner, a career .286 hitter, is .297 this year with stolen 12 bases. He's also showing the most power of his career with seven homers. Happ has recorded 10 home runs and six stolen bases after 25 of the former and nine of the latter in 2021. He's also bating .280 with a .356 OBP. The lefty Ortega often leads off for the Cubs. Since joining them last year, he's posted a .782 OPS versus righties and a .794 on the road.
