This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
After days with 20 and 17 games scheduled, Sunday will see the standard number of 15. A relatively small number will be part of FanDuel's main slate, which only includes nine contests. Every game that starts from 1:05 p.m. to 2:10 p.m. EDT will be included, leaving six games at 4:05 p.m. EDT or later off the slate. Weather does not appear to be a factor for any of the contests.
Pitchers
Shane Bieber, CLE vs. MIL ($11,800): Bieber looks like the top choice among those looking to pay up for a true ace, as he offers a very strong case as the league's best pitcher this season. A straightforward metric like ERA backs that up with Bieber leading at 1.20. He also tops the majors with a remarkable 42.4 percent strikeout rate, over six points better than Jacob deGrom's second-place mark of 42.4 percent. Bieber gets to face a Brewers' lineup which ranked 26th in the league with a team wRC+ of 84 heading into Saturday's games, which further helps his case over deGrom, who faces a Phillies team that ranks eighth in that category with a wRC+ of 111.
Tyler Glasnow, TBR vs. MIA ($10,100): Glasnow had experienced some brief and unimpressive starts early in the campaign and posted a 7.04 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP through his first four outings. The switch flipped over his last three starts with a 1.93 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP while striking out 30 and walking just five in 18.2 frames. Zoom in on Glasnow's last two starts and you'll see an incredible 22:2 K:BB in 12 innings. He seems to be firmly past his early-season struggles and looking like one of the premier pitchers.
Masahiro Tanaka, NYY at BAL ($8,400): Tanaka's start this year was slightly delayed due to a concussion he suffered during summer camp, but he's settled in and enjoying a solid season. He's posted a 3.38 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP and has seen his strikeout rate jump from 19.6 percent last season to 22.6 percent this year, while his walk rate has fallen from 5.3 percent to 3.8 percent. Tanaka's last two outings have looked particularly strong by only allowing two runs in 11 innings of work while striking out 11 and walking just one. That all adds up to a pitcher who should be a solid mid-tier option against an Orioles' lineup which has been surprisingly decent but doesn't need to be feared.
Trevor Rogers, MIA at TBR ($7,200): The Rays are by no means an easy opponent, and Rogers won't be favored for a win with the aforementioned Glasnow on the mound for the hosts. Still, the young lefty offers enough as an interesting option in his third career major-league start. Rogers' first two outings have generally gone well as he's only allowed two runs in nine innings while striking out 11 batters, although his seven walks are somewhat concerning. In 209 career innings in the minors, he produced a 3.92 ERA that was backed up by a strong combination of a 26.3 percent strikeout rate and a 6.7 percent walk rate. The Rays are certainly solid enough to give Rogers trouble, but he's more interesting as a risky tournament play than the other cheaper arms on this slate.
Top Targets
Trea Turner, WAS at ATL ($4,200): If the Nationals weren't so beat up with Juan Soto (elbow) and Adam Eaton (knee) both missing the past few games, they may have been a stack recommendation against Atlanta starter Josh Tomlin and his decent-but-not-particularly-intimidating 4.37 ERA. However, Turner is worth including even without his teammates. He's enjoying a fantastic season by hitting .368/.421/.632. And while that does come with a .393 BABIP, a high number in that category is possible for someone with Turner's speed and quality of contact. Statcast doesn't think he's overachieved by all that much, giving him a .326 xBA.
Jose Ramirez, CLE vs. MIL ($3,800): You never know which version of Ramirez will show up over a given stretch, though Cleveland has generally gotten the good version this year. His .250/.347/.487 slash line on the season is decent for a 122 wRC+, well below the 146 mark he posted in 2017 and 2018 but significantly above his 104 wRC+ from last season. While that batting average would be Ramirez's lowest mark since 2015, he's still contributed significantly and hit his ninth homer and stole his ninth base of the year on Saturday that moved him into a tie for second in the league in the latter category.
Bargain Bats
Josh Donaldson, MIN vs. DET ($2,800): Donaldson comes far too cheap for a man of his reputation. While he's only appeared in 11 games due to a battle with calf issues, he hasn't done anything wrong in that limited sample by hitting .226/.375/.452 that translates to a 127 wRC+. Donaldson is capable of more than that, as he hit .259/.379/.521 for the Braves last season. Even at 34, he's far from over the hill despite what his FanDuel salary suggests and should be a strong budget play against Tigers' rookie Casey Mize, who hasn't done much through his first three starts with a 6.75 ERA.
Jeimer Candelario, DET at MIN ($2,700): Candelario hasn't done much at the plate so far over his five-year big-league career, hitting a modest .231/.321/.388. He's fared considerably better this season having produced a .293/.351/.488 line. While that does come with a .369 BABIP, Statcast generally likes what Candelario doing and gives him a .290 xBA and a .473 xSLG. He's also been far better against lefties than against righties over the course of his career by posting a 112 wRC+ against the former and an 86 wRC+ against the latter. Candelario will face a southpaw Sunday in 40-year-old Rich Hill, who comes in with a 5.73 ERA and an 8:9 K:BB in three starts since returning from a shoulder injury.
Stacks to Consider
Red Sox vs. Robbie Ray: Xander Bogaerts ($3,600), J.D. Martinez ($3,200), Christian Vazquez ($2,300)
Ray looked fine in his debut for the Blue Jays on Tuesday by striking out four and walking just one while allowing two runs - including one earned - over 3.1 innings, but the magnitude of his struggles in Arizona before the trade means it'll take more than just one good outing to view him as an intimidating arm again. His strikeout rate had fallen a bit to 27.8 percent with the Diamondbacks after coming in above 31 percent in three straight seasons, though that was in many ways the least of his issues. Ray's walk rate was always an issue, but his 20.1 percent walk rate prior to the move proved a bigger red flag than his 11.2 percent mark from 2019. He'd also seen his groundball rate collapse from 37.0 percent to just 19.2 percent. Unless the move truly did suddenly solve all his troubles, the Red Sox should have an easy time with him Sunday. The stack listed here features a trio of righties who should follow each other in the heart of Boston's order, with Martinez looking like he's pulled out of his slump and is again worthy of consideration.
Reds vs. Chad Kuhl: Nick Castellanos ($3,500), Eugenio Suarez ($3,400), Jesse Winker ($2,900)
Kuhl may enter with a strong 3.10 ERA in five starts and two relief appearances, but his underlying numbers suggest major regression is coming. It's taken a .213 BABIP and a 90.2 percent strand rate to get him to that ERA, while both his 19.7 percent strikeout rate and 11.1 percent walk rate are noticeably worse than league average. They're also both at least percentage worse than his numbers from 2018 - Kuhl's final season before Tommy John surgery - while he's also lost more than a tick from his pre-injury fastball. The Reds' hitters shouldn't experience much trouble with him Sunday, even in Pittsburgh's pitcher-friendly park. The stack listed here features a trio which should cover spots two through four in the batting order.
