This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Next Sunday, it will be October. The Fall Classic will be around the corner. For now, it's all about this Sunday with 10 MLB games for your DFS lineups and the first matchups starting at 1:05 p.m. EDT. Here are my recommendations.
Pitching
Dylan Cease, CWS vs. DET ($10,500): If you just want to throw down some salary on an easy decision, Cease is your man. Sometimes, you want those ace plays at pitcher as an anxiety reducer. Cease comes in with a 2.13 ERA and has struck out 11.29 batters per nine innings. The Tigers rank last in runs scored and maintain a .627 team OPS. Surprises happen, but anything less from a quality start and a win for Cease would truly be surprising.
Ross Stripling, TOR at TAM ($8,900): Even with Stripling's last start on the road in Philly going poorly, he's still posted a 3.10 ERA across 11 outings. And that previous outing was his first time allowing more than three earned runs since May 7. Tampa has compiled a couple impressive offensive games of late, but still sits 19th in offense.
Luis Ortiz, PIT vs. CHC ($7,300): This is a roll of the dice, but Ortiz has produced a 0.84 ERA from his first two MLB starts. Both of those have been on the road, and they were visits to face the Yankees and Reds - both homer-friendly ballparks. The Cubs are 23rd in runs scored, so this is a battle of paltry attacks and that could benefit the pitchers.
Top Targets
Oh, you know, Shohei Ohtani ($4,100) is just casually slashing .270/.357/.531 with 34 homers and 11 stolen bases. He also has a .933 OPS versus righties. Dylan Bundy has been better at home, but his 3.86 ERA in Minnesota isn't exactly great and recently allowed seven runs over 4.2 innings to the Guardians.
It would be better if Rhys Hoskins ($3,000) was facing a righty, but he's still produced an .881 home OPS with 29 home runs to his name. Charlie Morton has consistently done better versus lefties than his fellow righties. What he's also done in 2022 is struggle on the road with a 5.38 ERA while giving up 1.6 home runs per nine innings.
Bargain Bats
Matt Olson ($2,800) has been cold for a couple weeks, but there may be a bargain to be found on the salary front if he picks things up to normal levels. Even after these struggles, he's at a .771 OPS versus righties and a .799 on the road. Olson has also crushed 28 home runs for good measure. In two of his last four starts, Kyle Gibson has allowed seven runs and lefties have hit .259 against since 2020.
Though he's right-handed, Luke Voit ($2,700) has scuffled against lefties but has excelled with an .824 OPS versus righties. He's hit 21 homers, including eight since moving to Washington at the deadline. Edward Cabrera isn't being hit for average this year, but still has slumped to a 4.78 FIP in part because he's allowed 2.0 home runs per nine innings at home.
Stacks to Consider
White Sox vs. Tigers (Tyler Alexander): Eloy Jimenez ($3,800), Elvis Andrus ($2,800), AJ Pollock ($2,400)
A 4.91 ERA isn't great, but a 6.14 on the road is worse and both numbers belong to Alexander. He's also a lefty, and righties have gone .282 against the last couple campaigns. This is a stack where Alexander is away from home and facing three right-handed batters.
Jimenez has produced a .935 OPS at home this season. Those numbers have been slightly boosted the last 21 days with a 1.043 mark. Andrus has really taken off since joining the White Sox with a .953 OPS the last three weeks and is now up to 14 homers and 15 steals on the year. Pollock has shown the kind of splits you usually see in southpaws with a .586 OPS against fellow righties and a .963 versus lefties. And since 2020, his OPS against southpaws is .966.
Astros at Orioles (Austin Voth): Yordan Alvarez ($4,400), Kyle Tucker ($3,900), Trey Mancini ($2,400)
The numbers have been better for Voth after moving from the Nationals to the Orioles, but he's allowed lefties to hit .298 against this year and a .284 the last two seasons. His career ERA sits at 4.88 and his career FIP at 4.71. I don't think he's a completely-different pitcher just because he moved a few miles north, and I do believe the Astros can take advantage.
Alvarez has posted a career .973 OPS, speaking to how consistent he's been at the plate and how much power he boasts. That's been on display the last three weeks with a 1.188 OPS and six homers. Tucker is no slouch on the power front as he's one home run short of his second consecutive campaign of at least 30. On top of that, he's accumulated 23 stolen bases after 14 last season. Mancini hasn't bolstered the Astros' lineup quite like they hoped, but has a .751 OPS versus righties this year and 18 homers overall.
Brewers at Reds (Nick Lodolo): Willy Adames ($3,600), Andrew McCutchen ($2,600), Hunter Renfroe ($2,400)
As a rookie, Lodolo has struck out plenty of batters and has kept lefties in check. Righties have hit .262 against and his ERA currently stands at 3.90. Lodolo has also been better at home - especially when it comes to allowing home runs - but hasn't even pitched 100 innings yet and Cincinnati has a reputation for being a "bandbox" of a ballpark. I've gone ahead and stacked three righties here.
Adames offers power with 31 homers in 2022 and a .481 slugging percentage the last three seasons and a 1.009 OPS the last three weeks. McCutchen has compiled 17 home runs and eight stolen bases. He's also recorded a .748 OPS versus left-handed pitchers this season, but that mark since 2020 is .914. Renfroe has sent 27 balls over the fence and slugged .490 in his first season as a Brewer. He's also been slightly better versus righties this year, but also maintains an .838 OPS against southpaws since 2020.
