This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Rain loomed Saturday, but we got through the day without any matchups being postponed. That leaves us with the 10 anticipated games for Sunday's DFS slate. First pitch is at 1:35 p.m. EDT. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Zach Eflin, TAM at KC ($10,000): The Athletics and Tigers play outside the parameters of this slate, but the Royals are still here to deliver a great matchup as the second-worst offense next to the Oakland. Injuries have affected the Tampa rotation, but Eflin has still been able to post a 3.11 FIP through 17 starts.
Jack Flaherty, STL vs. WAS ($6,900): Want to see some Jekyll-and-Hyde production? Here's the number of runs Flaherty has allowed over his last seven starts: One, one, zero, six, six, zero, and zero. You would have loved to roster the him in five of those instances and hated the other two. However, the Nationals are bottom-five in runs scored, so I'll take a shot on a Jekyll performance Sunday. (Jekyll is the good one, right?)
Martin Perez, TEX vs. CLE ($6,000): Perez has endured a tough campaign after enjoying a career campaign in 2022, though he's recorded a 3.23 home ERA compared to 5.98 on the road. And the lefty's issue has been allowing homers, and the Guardians rank last in that category.
Top Targets
While Freddie Freeman ($5,800) has unexpectedly smashed lefties this year, what matters here is his .946 OPS versus righties since 2021. Not to mention his .968 road OPS in his first season as a Dodger and his .981 in away games this year. Back in the day, Max Scherzer would have been a pitcher you avoided. But in his age-38 season, he's struggled to a 4.53 FIP and has given up 1.85 home runs per nine innings.
Luis Robert ($5,700) fortunately didn't hurt himself seriously in the Home Run Derby, and his 1.046 OPS versus lefties the last couple seasons should be in the batter's box Sunday. Kolby Allard is a southpaw who's only made a few appearances for Atlanta, but his track record suggests he's only being slotted into the fifth spot due to a lack of other options considering his career 5.99 ERA.
Bargain Bats
Though Matt Chapman ($4,800) has infrequently faced lefties this year, he's still managed an 1.032 OPS against them. He's also hit 30 doubles in only 90 games, so I'll trust his bat. I don't trust Tommy Henry's 3.75 ERA as much given his 5.25 FIP after a 5.87 in 2022.
After a promising rookie campaign, Michael Harris ($4,000) has nine homers, 11 stolen bases and an .834 home OPS. Dylan Cease, meanwhile, has a 4.60 ERA on the road and lefties have gone .257 against.
Stacks to Consider
Rays at Royals (Brady Singer): Randy Arozarena ($5,600), Josh Lowe ($4,900), Brandon Lowe ($4,200)
Singer doesn't allow many home runs, but still has a 5.80 ERA through 18 starts. He gets hit around time and time again. The righty lists a 23.4 line-drive percentage, with right-handers hitting .296 against and lefties at .292. I ended up going with one righty and two lefties in this stack.
Arozarena has produced double-digit homers and stolen bases for the third straight season and is primed for his third career 20/20 campaign. While a righty, he's registered an .868 OPS against right-handed pitchers. Josh Lowe also has double-digit steals and home runs along with an .821 OPS against righties and an .879 on the road. Brandon Lowe has once again struggled to stay healthy, but he hit 39 homers the last time he was healthy. He's doing OK so far with nine homers and four stolen bases through 56 games.
Diamondbacks at Blue Jays (Yusei Kikuchi): Ketel Marte ($5,500), Christian Walker ($5,300), Lourdes Gurriel ($4,600)
Since joining the Blue Jays, Kikuchi has a FIP over 5.00 and has given up over two home runs per nine innings. The lefty has also allowed righties to bat .264 against him over the last two years, which is why I've selected three players who can hit right-handed.
Marte has produced 15 homers and six stolen bases. He's a switch-hitter, but he's posted a .956 OPS against lefties since 2021. And after belting 36 homers last season, he's currently at 18 plus a career-high 27 doubles while surprisingly adding six steals. Gurriel picked up two hits Saturday and moved up his slugging percentage to .490. And in his first season with the Diamondbacks, he's posted an .850 OPS against lefties.
