This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Sunday is a great day if you are a fan of afternoon baseball. However, later in the day, the schedule gets a little paltry and that can limit your options for your daily fantasy lineup. For example, the late slate on FanDuel today features only three games. Here are some recommendations if you are looking to play the late-afternoon contests.
PITCHING
Mike Soroka ($8,300) would be a fine choice, but he's also the most-expensive pitcher. If you want to try and save a few bucks - and, in this case, it will only be a few bucks - I recommend Brett Anderson ($7,900). The Oakland Athletics starter has a 3.86 ERA and only has given up 0.88 homers per nine innings probably due to pitching his home games in Oakland's spacious ballpark. In fact, he excelled with a 2.01 ERA at home last year. The Chicago White Sox rank 28th in runs scored, which is worst among the real baseball offenses (i.e. the teams that aren't the Marlins or Tigers). Put together a great pitcher's park and a favorable matchup, and things are looking promising for Anderson.
KEY VALUES/CHALK
What Home Run Derby curse? Ronald Acuna ($4,200) has hit a home run in both games since the end of the All-Star break, giving him 23 on the season. He's also recorded 13 stolen bases, and he's one of the few players left in the majors with 20-homer, 20-stolen base potential. Padres pitcher Cal Quantrill has actually been worse at home than on the road, which is rare for a San Diego player. He has posted a 4.98 ERA at Petco Park, and has somehow allowed 1.7 homers per nine innings at home.
Marcus Semien ($3,400) once hit 27 homers in a season, but this has arguably been his best year at the plate. He boasts a career-best .456 slugging percentage and a personal-best .351 OBP. Granted, heavy-hitting shortstops are no longer rare, but Semien is still having a fine season compared to his brethren. Meanwhile, Reynaldo Lopez sports a 6.34 ERA while giving up a whopping 2.11 home runs per nine innings.
Khris Davis ($3,200) has experienced some puzzling power issues this year. Home runs are flying, but a guy who has hit over 40 homers in each of his last three seasons has only notched a mere 16 in 76 games. However, I still believe in his track record as a power hitter and his struggles have dropped his price a bit, which gives him the potential to be a real steal. That's especially true in this matchup, as I just noted Reynaldo Lopez is giving up 2.11 homers per nine innings.
Tim Beckham ($2,900) doesn't get on base much, but things have gone well when he makes contact. The 29-year-old has a .464 slugging percentage and has notched 14 homers in 73 games. In addition to being cheap, the righty is facing a left-handed pitcher in Jose Suarez. Suarez owns a .303 BAA versus righties, which goes a long way toward explaining his 6.33 FIP.
STACKS
Angels vs. Yusei Kikuchi (Mariners)
Justin Upton (OF - $3,700), Andrelton Simmons (SS, $2,900), David Fletcher (2B, $2,700)
Kikuchi's first year pitching in America has not been what he, or the Mariners, had hoped. The Japanese hurler has struggled with a 5.35 FIP and he's given up 1.74 home runs per nine innings, which both bode well for the Angels. While I didn't include Mike Trout ($5,000) in my stack options, obviously he's always a good bet. However, he's also $700 more expensive than any other non-pitcher, so opting for him is really based on how much you want to spend on one player. If Trout is too rich for your blood, here are a few other options.
Upton has had a season marred by injury, but he's healthy at the moment. He enters with a .343 OBP and a .483 slugging percentage with four home runs in only 16 games. He's also been better at home with the Angels, sporting a .933 OPS at home since 2017. Simmons is primarily known for his amazing fielding, but he can also do a bit of damage with his bat. The shortstop owns a .293 batting average, which is right in line with his .292 batting average from 2018. He's also managed double-digit homers and stolen bases in each of his last two seasons. Then there is the promising, frankly underrated, rookie Fletcher. The guy just knows how to get on base, as his .365 OBP proves. He's also been hot recently, with a .964 OPS over the last 21 days.
