This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
It may be a four-day weekend for many in the United States, but Sunday is still loaded with baseball with eight games in the early-afternoon slate beginning at 1:35 p.m. EDT. To try and make this a holiday weekend to remember, here are my DFS lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Gerrit Cole, NYY vs. SD ($11,500): The Padres aren't likely to be deep in the bottom-10 in runs scored when all is said and done, but they're there now and Cole is likely to help keep them there a bit longer. Even with his strikeouts down, Cole has posted a 2.53 ERA through 11 starts - including a 2.09 at home, where he's managed a 2.96 since 2021.
Eduardo Rodriguez, DET vs. CWS ($8,800): This is the E-Rod the Tigers were hoping for when they signed him prior to the 2022 campaign. He's excelled with a 2.19 ERA, and even his 3.04 FIP through 10 outings is quite impressive. The White Sox are just fighting to keep their OBP above .300, so they aren't that threatening.
Top Targets
Byron Buxton ($5,600) has already racked up 10 homers and six stolen bases, even though he's hitting a little lower than usual. His issues have come against lefties as he's produced an .871 OPS versus righties. Jose Berrios is coming off a solid start, but has still allowed a homer in five consecutive appearances. He's also struggled with a 5.60 road ERA after a 6.36 in away games during his first season with the Jays.
It's easy to miss because you're probably not paying too much attention for the Tigers, but it seems like Riley Greene ($5,100) is building off a lackluster rookie campaign. Once a vaunted prospect, the lefty has hit .292 with five homers and five stolen bases. Dylan Cease was great in 2022, but prior to that carried a career 4.39 ERA and is currently at 4.60. Maybe last season was an anomaly, and not the start of something new.
Bargain Bats
Last season, Anthony Rizzo ($4,900) only brought the power. This season, he's continued deliver there with 11 home runs, but also maintains a .303 average. The southpaw has loved it at home with an .878 OPS at home since 2021, though some of that is still from his time at Wrigley Field. Yu Darvish has posted a 4.25 road ERA during that same time frame, and this year lefties have gone .259 against.
Joey Meneses ($3,300) hasn't continued to display the pop from 2022's surprising campaign, but he's batting .300. His power outage has happened primarily at home since he's slugged .465 and dispatched both of his homers on the road. Daniel Lynch is expected to make his 2023 MLB debut and comes in with a career 6.32 home ERA while having righties hit .296 against.
Stacks to Consider
Rangers at Orioles (Kyle Bradish): Marcus Semien ($5,800), Corey Seager ($5,400), Nathaniel Lowe ($4,300)
Bradish is the same pitcher he was as a rookie, but that's not a good thing since he registered a 4.45 FIP and is at 4.51 this season with a lot of walks and home runs still in the mix. The Rangers boast one of baseball's best offenses to make a stack easy to suggest against any below-average pitcher.
Semien accumulated 28 homers and 25 steals last year, and has eight and seven of each in 2023 even with his newish home ballpark tamping down his numbers. He's also slugged over .500 on the road since joining the Rangers. Seager has been scorching after returning from injury, which has boosted his numbers to a .333/.404/.587 slash line. He did have a .645 OPS on the road in 2022, but prior to last season carried a career .870 OPS and that's with playing effectively zero games at Texas's home park. Since leaving Tampa, Lowe has been a different hitter slashing .289/.359/.455 over three season and an .821 OPS against his fellow lefties during that time.
Cardinals at Guardians (Hunter Gaddis): Paul Goldschmidt ($5,500), Nolan Gorman ($4,700), Lars Nootbaar ($3,900)
After Gaddis put up an 18.41 ERA over two starts in 2022, it wasn't a surprise when he started this season in Triple-A. His 5.12 mark in the minors didn't scream "call up". But in a pinch, the Guardians did just that. And Gaddis has since proudced a 5.26 ERA through 25.2 innings. This feels like his last start based on Cleveland's pitching health, so let's make the most of it by stacking three Cardinals.
Unsurprisingly, Goldschmidt has slashed .290/.398/.505 with nine home runs. On top of that, he's at seven steals and don't forget he once swiped 32 bags for the Diamondbacks. Gorman's game is power with 14 homers in 89 games last season and already at 13 in 2023 after adjusting to MLB pitching. Case in point, he's hitting .289 this year and mainly keeping him away from lefties has helped. Nootbaar has been succeeding on the road with a .943 OPS in away games.
