This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
A busy week of MLB action (thanks to a full slate on a Thursday due to the holiday) concludes. We'll have to deal with limited matchups again on Monday, but there are nine games on Sunday's DFS slate. The first pitch is at 1:35 p.m. EDT. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Nathan Eovaldi, TEX vs. TAM ($9,000): Eovaldi's having a split experience this season. On the road, he's struggled to a 5.40 ERA. But at home, that number shrinks to 1.92. Meanwhile, Tampa's in the bottom-10 in runs scored and probably won't do much against Eovaldi at his favorite stadium.
Sean Manaea, NYM at PIT ($8,200): Manaea has produced an up-and-down campaign in his first season as a Met, though he's managed a 1.99 ERA over his last four outings. He's also posted a 2.82 on the road. The Pirates are exciting with Paul Skenes, yet they also enlist an offense in the bottom-10 for scoring and a team OBP settling in around .300. And Skenes isn't starting this Sunday, which improves Manaea's chances of earning a win.
Jonathan Cannon, CWS at MIA ($6,700): This series is about as bleak as it gets offensively. The White Sox and Marlins are both on pace to have all-time bad offenses. Chicago is worse in terms of runs scored, but Miami actually holds the lowest OPS. Cannon has been all over the place as an MLB starter with a couple good starts in the mix combined with a couple disasters. Taking a shot on a pitcher in this matchup makes sense, and I'll go with Cannon over Miami's projected starter Edward Cabrera.
Top Targets
Though there are a few missed appearances in the mix, Corey Seager ($5,000) has an 11-game hitting streak going while registering an .886 OPS against righties. And while he's been mediocre at home this year, he's notched a .952 home OPS since joining the Rangers. In his first full season as a starter, Zack Littell has posted a 3.94 ERA and his line-drive percentage is an alarming 24.4. Seager could be spraying some doubles around the park.
A red-hot Riley Greene ($5,000) is making a push for the All-Star Game, and the southpaw is largely doing that by beating up on righties with a .935 OPS. Graham Ashcraft doesn't enjoy his home park, as he has a 5.70 ERA there in his career. He's also let lefties hit .295 against this season.
Bargain Bats
As a second baseman, Luis Garcia ($4,600) has hit .277 with 10 homers and 12 stolen bases. Given his position, that's quite good. He's been strikingly poor on the road, though has a .937 OPS at home in 2024. While Kyle Gibson doesn't give up a lot of homers, he's only managed to post an FIP below 4.00 once since 2015 and it's at 4.26 heading into Sunday.
LaMonte Wade ($3,500) has missed time with injury and the Giants like to platoon as much as anybody, but the lefty has a .458 OBP through 58 games after a .373 last year. With a righty on the mound for the opposition, he should be in the lineup. And that righty is Carlos Carrasco, no longer a viable MLB pitcher. Now in his age-37 season, he's primed to finished with an ERA over 5.00 for the fourth time in six campaigns.
Stacks to Consider
Twins vs. Astros (Spencer Arrighetti): Carlos Correa ($5,400), Jose Miranda ($4,200), Trevor Larnach ($4,000)
The Astros are surging toward taking over the top of the AL West, yet they're doing it even though the starting rotation is rather sparse in terms of talent. Arrighetti has made 15 starts this season, and the rookie hasn't pitched well. He does have a clear acumen for racking up strikeouts, but his woeful 5.09 BB/9 rate puts plenty of players on base, and that's a big reason why he's produced a 6.13 ERA. Both lefties and righties have hit him well, so I don't mind having two of the latter in this stack.
Correa has been on fire posting a 1.035 OPS the last three weeks. He's particularly enjoyed the Twin Cities this year with a .945. After a disastrous 2023, Miranda has bounced back in a major way having slashed .328/.370/.531 while performing particularly well against his fellow righties with a 1.003 OPS. Larnach is my one lefty with a .741 OPS against righties since 2022 and an .843 at home across the same stretch. Though righties have hit Arrighetti well, lefties have also gone .286 against.
Guardians vs. Giants (Hayden Birdsong): Jose Ramirez ($6,500), Josh Naylor ($5,400), Brayan Rocchio ($3,200)
Hayden Birdsong is an awesome name, though a cool moniker doesn't help you on the mound. The 22-year-old righty started the season at Double-A, and his two MLB starts have gone poorly with a 6.67 FIP while allowing three homers in 9.2 innings. Lefties have batted .176 against Birdsong while righties are at .368. He's right-handed, and that's over 42 batters faced, so I wanted to get one in this combo.
Ramirez is a switch-hitter, so he can do as he pleases at the plate. He often does as he's slashed .271/.323/.531 with 23 homers and 16 stolen bases and another apparent 30/20 campaign. Naylor's 21 home runs already marks a career-high. He has an .856 OPS against righties, but also a .960 at home. Rocchio hasn't been much of a hitter, though he's produced 13 doubles and seven steals. He's also been better against his fellow righties, so I'll take a shot on him against Birdsong.
