This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
There are 14 games on the DFS docket for Sunday. Now, all 30 teams are in action, but Atlanta and Washington are playing a doubleheader, so they get nixed from the selections. Still, you are left with plenty of choices, and here are my DFS recommendations. First pitch is at 1:05 p.m. ET. Good luck!
Pitching
Jordan Wicks, CHC vs. COL ($41): Can Wicks help push the Cubs into the playoffs? His 2.67 ERA over his first five MLB starts is encouraging. He already handled the Rockies at Coors Field, and it is much easier to pitch at Wrigley. Speaking of the Rockies, a team with their home-field advantage shouldn't be below average in runs scored, but they very much are.
Eduardo Rodriguez, DET at OAK ($38): Rodriguez's back flared up on him, but he's good to go to face the Athletics on Sunday. That's good for him, as it gives him a chance to improve his overall numbers on the season with some easy completion. The Athletics will finish last in runs scored and team OPS.
Edward Cabrera, MIA vs. MIL ($34): Cabrera has a major problem with walks, but otherwise, he's been a good pitcher, especially at home. He has a 2.49 ERA in Miami in 2023. The Brewers have a .319 OBP as a team, and with their playoff spot locked up, they may give some guys like Christian Yelich rest down the stretch, making for an easier matchup for Cabrera.
Top Targets
Even though it's been a tough season for the Padres, including Manny Machado ($21), Machado still has hit 30 home runs. All he's needed, really, is the chance to face as many lefties as possible. The 31-year-old has an .878 OPS versus southpaws. Drew Rom is the ideal matchup for Machado. The lefty has a 6.92 ERA, has allowed 1.73 homers per nine innings and has let righties hit .312 against him.
Across his time with the Mets and the Diamondbacks, Tommy Pham ($16) has notched 16 homers and 21 stolen bases. Part of that has been his .801 OPS versus lefties. Carlos Rodon has run out of time to figure things out in 2023. In 12 starts, he has a 5.83 ERA and has allowed 2.17 homers per nine innings.
Bargain Bats
With the White Sox putting together a woeful campaign, it feels like Luis Robert ($15) has been somewhat forgotten. It doesn't help he went cold, but with three homers in his last five games, perhaps he's picking it back up. On the year he has 38 home runs, 36 doubles and 19 stolen bases. Kutter Crawford has allowed righties to hit .258 against him in his career, and this season he's struggled to the tune of a 6.10 ERA at home.
Kerry Carpenter ($13) has slashed .288/.346/.492 with 20 homers. He also has a .705 OPS versus his fellow lefties, which comes into play here. JP Sears is unusual for an Athletics pitcher, and for a lefty. First, he has a 4.88 ERA and has allowed 2.0 homers per nine innings at home in what is usually a pitcher's park. Second, lefties have hit .317 against the southpaw.
Stacks to Consider
Cubs vs. Rockies (Ty Blach): Seiya Suzuki ($23), Cody Bellinger ($20), Nico Hoerner ($18)
Blach has allowed three homers in two of his last three starts, but those games were at San Diego and San Francisco. In fact, though he pitches his home games at Coors Field, the lefty has a 6.14 ERA on the road in his time with the team. He's also allowed righties to hit .353 against him in that time, another reason for this stack.
In his second season in MLB, Suzuki has posted a .351 OBP and hit 20 home runs. The 29-year-old is doing his best to get the Cubs into the playoffs, as he has an 1.179 OPS over the last three weeks. Bellinger is a lefty, but he actually has an 1.002 OPS versus his fellow southpaws this year. The one-time MVP has a .923 OPS at home as well, so I will take a shot on him against Blach, who doesn't exactly have wipeout stuff against southpaws. Hoerner has batted .287 and swiped 42 bags. Though he isn't a power hitter by trade, he has slugged .422 at home since 2021.
Blue Jays at Rays (Taj Bradley): Davis Schneider ($19), Vladimir Guerrero ($18), George Springer ($17)
Bradley has a big fastball. It's helped him tally 11.67 strikeouts per nine innings. On the other hand, when he's hit, it does damage. Bradley has a 5.36 ERA, and he's given up 1.88 home runs per nine innings. While his pitching profile has largely fooled lefties, righties have hit .279 against him and tallied 15 homers across 202 plate appearances.
Emerging in Triple-A this year, Schneider has grabbed a starting role with the Blue Jays at second base and held onto it. He's slashed .270/.400/.595 with eight homers in 33 games. At home, Guerrero has struggled, but on the road, he's looked as many expected. He has an .830 OPS in away games. Additionally, since 2021 "Vladito" has an .878 OPS versus righties. Springer has hit 20 homers before, in fact he once hit 39, but this is the first 20/20 season of his career. Since 2021 he has an .803 OPS versus righties, and it tends to be easier to steal on right-handers as well.
Angels at Twins (Joe Ryan): Brandon Drury ($18), Randal Grichuk ($14), Logan O'Hoppe ($12)
Atlanta broke Ryan. He had a 2.98 ERA and was coming off a complete-game shutout when he went to Atlanta on June 27. Ryan proceeded to give up five homers in 3.0 innings, and he's never recovered. In the 11 starts since that day in June — and this does not include that nightmarish outing — the righty has a 5.83 ERA and has given up 2.7 homers per nine innings. Since Ryan has held lefties in check, but has allowed righties to hit .261 against him, I am stacking three right-handers.
Drury has bounced around in his career, but he tends to deliver power. He's slugged .486 over the last three seasons. This year, he's actually slugged .510 against his fellow righties. Grichuk is basically only hitting homers for the Angels, he has seven with the team since being dealt there, but that's not a bad thing for this matchup. He's also been hot, as he has an .899 OPS over the last three weeks. O'Hoppe is a right-handed catcher, and that combined with his salary was enough for me. He's considered the Angels' best prospect, and he has slugged .478.
