This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
There are some intriguing playoff races - including the NL West - and some individual battles - like Matt Olson versus Shohei Ohtani for the most homers - that have excited us of late. But don't forget about DFS baseball. There are nine MLB games Sunday night starting at 7:05 p.m. EDT or later, which omits the second leg of a doubleheader between Atlanta and the Mets. Here are my DFS commendations.
Pitching
Brandon Woodruff, MIL at CWS ($57): It's a rough slate of starting pitchers to choose from. Woodruff's talent stands out, with the only concern being his health. After all, he's made one start since April and only went 5.0 innings. That's good enough to get a win and Woodruff fared decently in that outing, so that's enough for me along with his career 3.15 ERA. A matchup with a White Sox squad sitting last in team OBP also helps.
Andrew Heaney, TEX at SF ($38): Heaney has posted a 2.33 ERA from his last five starts and hasn't allowed a run in his last two. The lefty has also held southpaws to a .193 average. San Francisco has several lefty regulars in their lineup who might be stuck on the bench on Saturday to lower the offensive upside for a team already in the bottom-half in runs scored.
Jake Irvin, WAS vs. OAK ($27): On an iffy day for pitching, I'll take a shot on a matchup. The Athletics will likely finish with the worst record in the majors and are effectively locked into last in offense and team OPS. If there's any matchup to roster a player like Irvin, this is the one.
Top Targets
When available, Corey Seager ($26) has been an MVP-level player. If only he had been able to stay healthy. The southpaw has slashed .348/.407/.648 with 19 homers in only 73 games. Alex Cobb is much better at home, but on the other hand lefties have hit .280 against. I won't stack this matchup, though I will roster Seager against basically any righty.
Two seasons into his career, Bobby Witt ($20) has compiled two 20/30 campaigns. This year, he's slugged over .500 against lefties and over .500 at home. Steven Matz doesn't allow a lot of homers, but does have a 4.79 road ERA while righties have gone .283 against. Doubles and triples aren't quite as good as home runs, but they still count for something.
Bargain Bats
His OPS won't wow you as he doesn't walk and his power is decent but not remarkable, yet CJ Abrams ($19) has produced 11 homers and 22 stolen bases as a shortstop. He's also slugged .457 against righties. Luis Medina has endured a tough rookie season with a 6.63 road ERA while allowing a .286 versus lefties like Abrams.
Nobody is going to confuse Ke'Bryan Hayes ($18) for an elite slugger, but he's managed eight homers, six triples, and nine stolen bases across 83 appearances. The righty has slugged .473 against lefties and .539 at home. Brandon Williamson hasn't helped out the Reds as a rookie with a 5.00 FIP. And 13 of the homers he's given uo across his 14 starts have been hit by left-handers.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers vs. Rockies (Peter Lambert): Freddie Freeman ($29), Max Muncy ($21), James Outman ($20)
Lambert has spent his entire career pitching home games at Coors, where he's registered a 6.80 ERA while allowing 1.92 homers per nine innings and only striking out 6.49 batters over his career. You can't blame all that on Denver's thin air, though you can definitely focus on lefties as they've batted .363 against Lambert since 2021. And that's why I have three southpaws in this stack.
Freeman's hit as well as anybody this year by slashing .344/.421/.597 with 23 homers and 16 steals. The lefty's getting primed for a playoff run as well with a 1.347 OPS the last three weeks. Muncy is doing his best Kyle Schwarber impression, in that he's posted a sub-.200 average while crushing 28 homers. He's also maintained an .892 OPS versus righties and an .899 at home. Outman has 13 homers and 14 stolen bases, and don't worry if a lefty comes out of the bullpen for the Dodgers as the southpaw has a .750 OPS against them.
Mariners vs. Orioles (Cole Irvin): Julio Rodriguez ($19), Teoscar Hernandez ($9), Ty France ($9)
Philly and Oakland have given up on Irvin, and the Orioles seem hesitant to use him in the rotation. That makes sense given his 5.44 ERA with Baltimore this year. Irvin is a lefty who other southpaws can hit, but righties have also gone .281 against. So here's an all-righty stack.
Rodriguez has taken a step back as a sophomore, but only a slight one with 19 homers and 27 steals. He's also picked it up of late with a .961 OPS the last three weeks. Hernandez's first season with the Mariners has been tough, yet he's continued to excel against left-handed pitching with a 1.024 OPS against since 2021. France has also been a bit disappointing, though has an .811 OPS against lefties and a .752 at home.
Diamondbacks vs. Padres (Rich Hill): Christian Walker ($17), Ketel Marte ($16), Lourdes Gurriel ($11)
Hill's first start with the Padres went terribly, but that's no surprise considering his 5.09 ERA. The 43-year-old lefty can't really cut it on the mound, especially when he has to face righties as they've gone .278 against in 2023.
Walker has 23 homers after 36 last season. He also lists a .918 OPS against lefties and a .905 at home. Marte has hit .285 with 19 homers and six stolen bases. While a switch-hitter, he's produced a .932 OPS versus lefties the last couple seasons. Gurriel has recently done well with a .973 OPS the last two weeks and hitting 18 homers while slugging .487 at home.
