This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
The players featured in this piece will be building blocks that can work in several lineup configurations (cash and GPP). There are nine games Sunday that make up the main afternoon slate on DraftKings, but poor weather might be an issue once again.
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STARTING PITCHER
Chris Sale, BOS at DET ($13,400): You can go on for days talking about Sale's excellent stats. He's been one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball once again this season with a 2.23 ERA that is supported by a 2.18 FIP. His 0.90 WHIP would be the lowest mark of his career, and he's only allowed 10 home runs across 129 innings. He also has a 13.1 K/9 and looks to be well on his way to leading the league in strikeouts once again. The Tigers are in the bottom third of baseball in runs scored, setting Sale up for another monster performance.
GPP Fade: Alex Wood, LAD at MIL ($8,900): Wood has been reliable for the Dodgers this season, allowing more than three earned runs in just four of his 19 starts. His 3.92 ERA could be slightly better considering he has a 3.48 FIP and he's done a great job keeping runners off base with a 1.17 WHIP. The problem is he doesn't have consistently great strikeout upside with 8.0 K/9. He's actually been even worse with a 6.9 K/9 over his last six outings. He's the fourth-most expensive pitcher on the slate, so it would be risky counting on him based on his strikeout deficiencies.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Chris Archer, TB vs. MIA ($8,100):Matt Harvey ($6,900) could be a viable cheap option, but the weather might not cooperate in Cincinnati. A safer bet might be Archer, who gets the benefit of playing inside the dome at Tropicana Field. He has been shaky in two starts since returning from the disabled list, allowing five runs (four earned) and 14 baserunners in 7.2 innings. He did record 10 strikeouts, though, and has a 9.2 K/9 on the season overall. The Marlins entered Saturday with the third-fewest home runs in baseball and don't score a lot of runs in general, so Archer has some upside.
CATCHER
Salvador Perez, KC vs. MIN ($3,800): Perez entered Saturday batting only .222, but some of that is due to his abnormally low .237 BABIP. He's on a seven-game hitting streak that has seen him slug two doubles and two home runs. He doesn't get a platoon advantage against right-hander Jake Odorizzi, but Odo has put plenty of men on base with a 1.45 WHIP.
FIRST BASE
Steve Pearce, BOS at DET ($4,100): Although the Red Sox certainly weren't hurting for offense, the addition of Pearce could turn out to be an important move. He's someone to target whenever a lefty is on the mound as he has a .365 wOBA against them for his career. The Tigers will start Blaine Hardy, who doesn't exactly have an overpowering arsenal with a 6.8 K/9 this year.
SECOND BASE
Joey Wendle, TB vs. MIA ($3,800): With two more hits Saturday, Wendle now has a multi-hit performance in four of his last five games. Although he's not known for his power, he does have two home runs and two doubles across those five contests. He'll face right-hander Trevor Richards, who has an unsightly 1.55 WHIP.
THIRD BASE
Jedd Gyorko, STL at CHC ($3,600): If he's healed from the illness that kept him out of Saturday's doubleheader, Gyorko is another one to target against left-handed pitchers. He's only batting .244 with a .320 OBP entering Saturday, but he has a .423 wOBA against lefties. He had a .402 wOBA against them last year as well, leaving him with plenty of upside against Jose Quintana.
SHORTSTOP
Francisco Lindor, CLE at TEX ($5,600): What can't Lindor do at this point? He stole two bases Friday to bring his total to 15 for the season entering Saturday, putting him in the driver's seat to surpass his previous career high of 19. He's batting .292 with 25 home runs as well, but his craziest stat might be that he has already scored 85 runs. He gets a major mismatch against Yovani Gallardo, who hasn't finished with an ERA under 5.42 since 2015.
OUTFIELD
Eddie Rosario, MIN at KC ($5,000): Rosario entered Saturday 14-for-36 (.389) during his current eight-game hitting streak. He's been one of the best surprises in all of baseball and he is on pace to set new personal bests in multiple categories. Brad Keller will start for the Royals, and while his 3.13 ERA is nice, his 1.37 WHIP and 5.1 K/9 don't exactly instill a lot of confidence. Rosario also has a .396 wOBA against righties.
Matt Kemp, LAD at MIL ($4,200): Kemp made the All-Star team this season for the first time since 2012 during his first stint with the Dodgers. He certainly earned the honors by entering Saturday batting .309 with a .871 OPS that would be his highest mark since that same 2012 campaign. He has a .391 wOBA against lefties this year, making him a viable option against Brent Suter.
Tyler Naquin, CLE at TEX ($3,500): With Gallardo on the mound, the Indians could be a popular stack. High-priced players like Lindor and Jose Ramirez could put up big numbers, but you may also want to take a chance on one of their cheap bats. Naquin doesn't play much against lefties, but he will likely be in the lineup against Gallardo since he has a .342 wOBA against righties for his career.
