This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
It's the first Sunday in June. Summer is right around the corner, and that's the perfect time for baseball. It also usually means less rainouts, and also more homers...as if more homers are even possible. As per usual, there are 15 MLB games Sunday and almost all of them are in the afternoon. Here are some recommendations to start June off right from a daily fantasy standpoint.
PITCHERS
The Sunday Night Baseball battle between David Price and CC Sabathia would have been really exciting a few years ago, but now it feels like a matchup to steer clear of. Personally, I'm willing to believe in Lucas Giolito ($45). The one-time elite prospect has struggled at times but he seems to have finally found his footing with a 2.85 ERA and 2.86 FIP, so he's not even getting unusually good luck. Speaking of luck, Cleveland hasn't found much of that offensively, as they are languishing in the bottom-10 in runs scored.
If you're looking for guys to buy into, the Tigers aren't a very good team, but Matthew Boyd ($48) is doing his best. Like Giolito, Boyd sports a 2.85 ERA but his FIP is actually 2.80. He's also picked up 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings. The Braves are fine offensively, but Boyd has just been so good I still have faith.
Now we get to the part of the article where I recommend the pitcher going up against the Marlins. Today, that honor goes to San Diego's Matt Strahm ($45). The Padres hurler comes in with a 3.21 ERA, and pitching in Petco Park certainly helps.
KEY VALUES/CHALK
Michael Conforto ($17) has hit 27 and 28 homers over the last two seasons, and he already has 10 this year. He's also a lefty bat that has made a living by crushing righties, as he has an .899 OPS against right-handed pitchers since 2017. Arizona's rookie starter Merrill Kelly enters with a 4.83 ERA and has allowed 1.36 homers per nine innings. Also, pitching in Arizona is not easy.
Domingo Santana ($16) hit 30 homers and stole 15 bases in 2017, his last full season. That was in Milwaukee, and this is his first year with the Mariners. So far, it's going well with 10 homers and five stolen bases through 57 games. Now he's facing Jose Suarez, a pitcher for the Angels making his MLB debut. Obviously, we don't know what he can do at this level. What we do know is that he's a lefty, which could benefit a righty like Santana.
Gary Sanchez ($24) has shown just a smidge of power this year. Another way to say that is that he boasts a .655 slugging percentage and has hit 17 home runs in only 39 games. David Price has a 2.83 ERA, which is good, but that's with a 0.98 ERA at home. On the road, the ERA jumps to 4.08, and it's been 4.21 since 2017.
Brandon Belt ($17) may have a .241 batting average, but that's with a .262 BABIP. Some more luck should help him out, and he still has a .351 OBP thanks to his plate discipline. Luck does seem to be on Belt's side Sunday, as he gets to face Gabriel Ynoa of the Orioles and his career 5.06 ERA.
STACKS
Rangers vs. Brad Keller (Royals)
Joey Gallo (OF - $21), Shin-Soo Choo (OF - $19), Elvis Andrus (SS)
Keller has struggled with a 4.56 ERA this year, including a 4.79 ERA on the road. He still does a good job of not allowing home runs, but he also doesn't strike anybody out. The Texas ballpark has also proven tough for any pitcher to succeed in, especially with the solid Rangers' bats.
You know Gallo's deal. He boasts as much power as anybody, posting at least 40 homers in his two full MLB seasons and 17 so far this year. On top of that, he has a 1.247 home OPS. The only issue is that he pulled his oblique Saturday, so he may be a risk. Choo still wields a really good bat, as he's slashed .300/.385/.547. He also has a 1.007 OPS against righties this year, and Keller is a righty. As for Andrus, he comes in with a .302 batting average and has also stolen 10 bases through 45 games.
Cubs vs. Adam Wainwright (Cardinals)
Kris Bryant (3B - $27), Anthony Rizzo (1B - $27), Kyle Schwarber (OF - $18)
Wainwright's best days are behind him. He's 37, and he hasn't seen an ERA under 4.46 since 2015. Wainwright has also gotten decidedly worse at allowing homers since he lost his metaphorical fastball, although his fastball is also slower than it used to be. This year, he's allowed 1.39 homers per nine innings.
Bryant hit 13 homers in a down year last season, and he's already equaled that total. He's also slashed .276/.393/.558. Rizzo is doing even better at getting on base with a .409 OBP and also has a 1.055 OPS against righties this year. Schwarber has had issues versus his fellow southpaws, but he has a .483 slugging percentage against righties since 2017. And even with a .213 batting average, he still has struck for 10 homers in 52 games.
