This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Sunday is not usual for MLB as a few teams in Southern California had to dip out to avoid a hurricane. Stay safe, everyone! There are nine games on the DFS slate, with the first starting at 1:05 p.m. EDT. Here are my DFS recommendations.
Pitching
Eduardo Rodriguez, DET at CLE ($10,400): Rodriguez's last start went poorly against his former team (Boston), though he still lists a 3.13 ERA. The lefty has also held southpaws to a .152 average this season. Cleveland ranks last in home runs by a wide margin and also has a few lefties who are going to be in trouble Sunday.
Logan Allen, CLE vs. DET ($8,800): Well, these are two of the worst offenses in baseball. There's a good chance both Rodriguez and Allen will produce decent outings. Allen enters with a 3.33 ERA, and the Tigers sit 29th in runs scored and OPS. Both pitchers can't win, but they could both easily compile quality starts.
Nick Pivetta, BOS at NYY ($8,200): Pivetta hasn't had the best season with a 4.05 road ERA, yet he's held righties to an .194. The Yankees, meanwhile, have fallen apart at 23rd in runs scored and a .231 team average.
Top Targets
Other than not walking, Bobby Witt ($5,900) has actually enjoyed a solid season at the plate. He's hitting .281, slugging . 502, and has racked up 24 homers and 36 stolen bases. The righty Kyle Hendricks is quite hittable having allowed righties to hit .260 against since 2021 while posting a 5.18 ERA at Wrigley Field during that stretch.
With one more home run, Austin Riley ($5,900) will have his third straight season of at least 30. In addition to having a .998 OPS the last three weeks, he's managed a .939 at home this season. Lefty Alex Wood has struggled to a 4.85 ERA, and righties have gone .279 against.
Bargain Bats
Switch-hitting Bryan Reynolds ($4,900) has been much better against righties than lefties this year, but has still recorded an .809 OPS against southpaws the last couple seasons. He's also managed an .868 on the road and a 1.036 the last three weeks. Dallas Keuchel is slated to start for the Twins, and he's been disastrous through two starts as expected considering his 6.44 ERA across the last three campaigns.
As a rookie, Edouard Julien ($3,700) has registered a .948 OPS against righties and a 1.025 at home. Osvaldo Bido is also in his first year, and he comes in with a 5.05 ERA. What stands out is the fact lefties have batted .300 against.
Stacks to Consider
Cubs vs. Royals (Jordan Lyles): Cody Bellinger ($5,800), Christopher Morel ($5,100), Mike Tauchman ($3,900)
Lyles carries a career 5.21 ERA, and this season he's at a 6.30 with the Royals. In his last start, he allowed four homers to the Mariners, which isn't surprising given the 1.92 homers per nine innings mark in 2023. Lyles also lists a 7.19 road ERA while both lefties and righties hit him quite well.
Bellinger has truly had a bounce-back campaign going .326 with 20 homers and 17 stolen bases. He also hasn't slowed down with a .936 OPS the last three weeks. Morel has also gone deep 19 times in 79 games. While a righty, his .869 OPS versus right-handed pitchers is better than his performance against lefties. Tauchman has found a surprising role for the Cubs, and he's produced to the tune of a .370 OBP with seven home runs and five steals. The lefty has an .800 OPS against righties with an .880 at home.
Red Sox at Yankees (Clarke Schmidt): Rafael Devers ($5,500), Masataka Yoshida ($4,800), Jarren Duran ($4,400)
Three lefties getting to tee off on Schmidt at Yankee Stadium? Sounds good to me! While his 3.97 home ERA is better than his 5.75 on the road, he's given up 1.6 homers per nine innings at home compared to 1.0 away. And lefties have hit .303 against Schmidt this season, making stacking Boston lefties a wise move.
Devers has notched 28 homers and has slugged .519, putting him on pace to slug over .500 for the fourth consecutive full season. And since 2021, he's slugged .564 against rightiesl. Yoshida has slashed .301/.356/.470 with 13 homers and eight stolen bases. A lot of that is built on his .845 OPS against righties. Duran's speed is clear with 23 swipes. But he also offers some power as he's slugged .486, mostly on the strength of 34 doubles.
Cardinals vs. Mets (Carlos Carrasco): Paul Goldschmidt ($5,700), Nolan Arenado ($5,600), Alec Burleson ($3,000)
The Mets' season has been a disappointment and they dealt two of their viable pitchers, but Carrasco is still around - and still part of the problem. He's posted a 6.40 ERA, has allowed 1.72 homers per nine innings, and has averaged almost as many walks as strikeouts. While a righty, his fellow righties have gone .316 against, so I've listed two right-handed hitters in this stack.
It has been kind of a down year for Goldschmidt, yet he's still at .273 with 19 homers and 10 stolen bases. And his issues have weirdly been more with lefties considering an .826 OPS versus righties. Arenado has hit .283 with 26 homers and 85 RBI. He's produced an .852 OPS against righties with an .856 at home. Burleson has struggled, yet has a .717 OPS against right-handers and a .790 at home. While Carrasco is worse against righties, he's allowed southpaws to bat .264 against.
