This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Let's make the most of Sunday's MLB contests. After all, the league is on a break for a few days after this. We have 10 games on the DFS docket, with the first pitch at 1:35 p.m. EDT. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Mitch Keller, PIT at CWS ($10,400): Paul Skenes is a star. Jared Jones has been a promising rookie. And even Keller gets to be what he was always best suited to be: a mid-rotation pitcher. He's recorded a 3.40 ERA through 18 starts and gets to head into the break with a fantastic matchup. The White Sox are comfortably last in runs scored and are primed to challenge some of the worst offenses in MLB history.
Ronel Blanco, HOU vs. TEX ($9,600): No-hitters are not necessarily predictive - never forget that Phil Humber pitched a perfect game - though Blanco has proven a legitimate big-league pitcher after opening the campaign with a no-no. He's now made 17 starts carrying a 2.54 ERA with both righties and lefties hitting below the Mendoza line against. The Rangers' offense has proven middling this year, no longer making them all that imposing.
Jose Quintana, NYM vs. COL ($8,700): Quintana has posted an 0.89 ERA over his last five starts. The competition wasn't easy with the Astros and Padres in the mix. Colorado's offense is worse than any of the four teams Quintana faced during that stretch (there were two against the Nationals). The Rockies are on the cusp of the bottom-10 in runs scored, but that's with Coors Field bolstering their numbers. And Citi Field is a pitcher's park.
Top Targets
Monday is the Home Run Derby, so it feels fitting to have Kyle Schwarber ($3,800) in your lineup Sunday. He's synonymous with power having hit over 45 homers in each of his last two seasons and currently at 19. Joey Estes has let lefties hit .289 against during his career while allowing 1.9 homers per nine innings on the road.
The Tigers seem primed to go with a bullpen game Sunday, so Freddie Freeman ($3,700) is just the kind of hitter you want to trust in such a scenario. He's notched a .990 OPS versus righties this year and an .872 against his fellow southpaws and a .982 on the road since 2022. Whoever the Tigers throw at Freeman, he'll be capable of handling them.
Bargain Bats
You generally want more hitting skill from a first baseman, but Vinnie Pasquantino ($3,100) offers a potential bargain in Sunday's circumstances. He's recorded 22 doubles this year and has slugged .452 against righties the last couple campaigns. While Pasquantino has been better at home this season, a lot of lefties hit well at Fenway Park. And Brayan Bello has a 6.55 ERA at Fenway Park this season, so that also helps.
Pete Crow-Armstrong ($2,400) isn't able to hold his own at the MLB level, yet he's really fast with three triples and 16 stolen bases in 58 games - even though he holds a sub-.300 OBP. Miles Mikolas has a career 6.53 K/9 rate, so Crow-Armstrong will have a decent chance to get his bat on the ball. And Mikolas has produced a 4.82 ERA the last two seasons, so clearly plenty of bats have gotten onto balls against him.
Stacks to Consider
Guardians at Rays (Ryan Pepiot): Jose Ramirez ($4,300), Josh Naylor ($3,700), Will Brennan ($2,500)
Pepiot went from one team known for developing pitchers in the Dodgers to another known for the same thing, but he's still not good. And if LA and Tampa can't make a league-average pitcher out of you, who can? Pepiot has posted a 4.20 ERA while allowing 1.22 homers per nine innings and only managing a 33.8 groundball percentage. That means a lot of balls in the air one way or another, and that's not ideal. Since Pepiot is a righty, I have three Guardians who can hit left-handed.
Ramirez is two stolen bases away from yet-another 20-homer, 20-double, 20-steal campaign. While he's obliterated lefties this year, he's registered an .860 OPS versus righties since 2022 and an .870 on the road. Naylor's .497 slugging percentage would be a career-high along with his 22 homers. He's also slugged .511 against righties the last two years. Brennan just returned to the lineup with eight home runs and three steals from 70 games. While he's by no means a power hitter, the outfielder lists a .282 average versus righties.
Reds vs. Marlins (Trevor Rogers): Spencer Steer ($3,900), Jonathan India ($3,300), Rece Hinds ($3,200)
Rogers has been healthy this season. And with 18 starts to his name, it's now clear his four starts in 2023 prior to his injury didn't show him turning a corner. The lefty has recorded a 4.82 ERA with a 1.83 K/BB rate. And over the last three years, righties have gone .288 against Rogers with a .285 this season, so this stack is right handed. Steer has racked up 15 home runs and 14 stolen bases after 23 and 15 of each as a rookie. He's also produced a .979 OPS the last three weeks. India has a .373 OBP with eight homers and eight steals. The second baseman has notched an .848 OPS versus lefties and an .834 at home. In only six big-league appearances, Hinds has already produced five home runs and two stolen bases. While he's not likely to remain one of the hottest hitters, he did produce 13 and 12 in those categories at Triple-A.
