This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Hey, there's already been two NFL games on nationally in the last few days. Why not give some of your Sunday over to MLB? There are 10 games on the slate for DFS purposes, with the first pitches arriving at 1:35 p.m. ET. Plus, that slate will be done before the Lions-Rams game Sunday night which, yeah, you should watch that one. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Jared Jones, PIT vs. WAS ($8,400): Whereas Paul Skenes has cruised through the campaign, Jones' wonderful rookie ride did careen into the ditch. Injuries did play a part in that, though, and there is a striking number to note. While Jones' road ERA has ballooned to 5.40, his home ERA remains an encouraging 2.79. Plus, with a pitcher that has allowed 1.33 homers per nine innings, it's good to know the opposition ranks 29th in home runs.
Brayan Bello, BOS vs. CWS ($7,900): Oftentimes, if Bello comes up in one of my articles it's because I'm recommending a hitter, or even a stack, against him. Not this time. Yes, his 4.32 FIP does not inspire enthusiasm, but the White Sox are just so bad offensively. Legitimately, they might not get to 500 runs scored this season. There's a good chance they finish 100 runs behind 29th. This is when you want Bello on your rosters.
Andrew Heaney, TEX vs. LAA ($7,600): It's not reflective of his season-long performance, but Heaney has gone 5.0 innings in each of his last three starts, and he's allowed a single earned run. Sustainable? Probably not, but the Angels are locked into the bottom four in runs scored so Heaney should be able to handle them.
Top Targets
There's no need for a lefty to be on the mound for Marcell Ozuna ($5,600) to excel. He's slugged .539 against his fellow righties since 2022. That's good because rookie righty Yariel Rodriguez has a 4.61 ERA. While he's held lefties in check, right-handers have hit .261 against him.
He already had 100 RBI and double-digit stolen bases for the first time in his career. Willy Adames ($4,700) just secured his second 30-homer season. For a shortstop, that's still significant. Kyle Freeland hasn't exactly been an ace at Coors Field, but, remarkably, he's been worse on the road the last two seasons. His road ERA is up over 5.00 in that time, and he's allowed a whopping 1.8 homers per nine innings.
Bargain Bats
The overall numbers for Michael Massey ($4,300) don't look impressive because… well, for starters, he's allergic to walks, which cuts into his on-base percentage (OBP), and, therefore, OPS. Second, he's struggled on the road but has a .866 OPS at home. He'll be at home Sunday facing Simeon Woods Richardson, who has finally managed to stay in the rotation, while only delivering a 4.03 FIP.
While Josh Rojas ($2,900) is glued to the bench when a lefty is starting, he has a .705 OPS versus righties. I'm not about to set up a parade route to celebrate that, but for a bargain bat, that works for me against Miles Mikolas. Mikolas doesn't issue walks and he doesn't strike anybody out, so he allows a lot of contact. That contact has yielded an ERA over 5.50 at home across the last two seasons. Lefties have hit .286 against him over those two seasons as well.
Stacks to Consider
Red Sox vs. White Sox (Chris Flexen): Jarren Duran ($6,300), Triston Casas ($4,500), Connor Wong ($4,000)
As a Tigers fan, I recall when Mike Maroth became the pitching face of futility for the 2003 team. Flexen is that pitcher for the White Sox. Yes, Chicago's offensive futility has played a role in Flexen's 2-14 record, but the righty has been outright terrible himself. He has a 1.74 K/BB rate and a 6.99 ERA on the road. Fenway Park is tough on righties at times because left-handed hitters tend to perform well there. Thus, I have two lefties in this stack.
Duran has racked up counting stats across the board. He's hit the marks of 40 doubles, 10 triples, 20 homers and 30 stolen bases. If only his average was a smidge higher than .292; he could hit .300 for good measure. Now, Duran has had his issues versus lefties, but he has a .955 OPS against right-handers. Casas has only played in 44 games this year due to injury, but he still has eight homers. He has an .871 OPS at home this year and a .884 OPS at Fenway since 2022. Wong is a righty, but you need a catcher. He has a .726 career OPS against righties and a .768 OPS at home. Also, Flexen's fellow right-handers have hit .300 against him since 2022.
Pirates vs. Nationals (Patrick Corbin): Bryan Reynolds ($5,200), Nick Gonzales ($3,700), Connor Joe ($3,200)
Credit where it's due: Corbin has been legitimately good against lefties this season, holding them to a .233 average. Of course, he still has a 5.41 ERA, because he's still Patrick Corbin. He has a 6.26 ERA on the road. Righties have hit .316 against him, naturally, so I have three guys who hit right-handed for this stack.
Once again, Reynolds has 20 homers and double-digit steals, but he's also gotten his average up to .278. While the switch hitter is better against righties, his .864 OPS at home and the Patrick Corbin of it all balance that out for me. Gonzales is not a formidable hitter, but he has five homers, four steals and three triple in 75 games. He's also slugged .447 against lefties, and that'll work for a second baseman. Joe is not a regular in the Pirates lineup, but he will draw in with a lefty like Corbin on the mound. It helps he has a .881 OPS over the last three weeks, plus a .767 OPS versus lefties since 2022.
