This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Sundays for Major League Baseball are usually afternoon-heavy. This week, that is even more true than usual. Because of the All-Star break that starts after today, every game will take place in the afternoon. We've got 30 teams in action, and no game starts later than 4:10 PM ET - so get in those lineups early. Here are some recommendations to try and take you into the All-Star break with some daily fantasy glory.
PITCHING
Patrick Corbin ($47) underwent some struggles to start his lengthy contract with the Nationals, but has gone seven innings and allowed only one run in each of his last three starts. Most of his issues have happened on the road, as he boasts a 2.06 home ERA. Meanwhile, the Royals only have a .309 OPS as a team and rank in the bottom-10 in runs scored.
Dallas Keuchel ($40) has gotten off to a bit of a slow start since signing with the Braves during the season, but he should be able to round himself into form. And this is about as good of a matchup as a pitcher can have, as he's at home against the Marlins and therefore has a great chance to get a win. On top of that, Miami owns a staggeringly bad .355 slugging percentage.
Jack Flaherty ($38) has taken a step back since posting a 3.34 ERA last season while getting his first real action in the majors. However, he's still striking out 10.10 batters per nine innings. The Giants rank 28th in runs scored, putting them on pace to finish in the bottom three in runs scored for the third year in a row. Getting to pitch in San Francisco should also help Flaherty.
Lastly, Ross Stripling ($34) has moved into the starting rotation for the Dodgers with Rich Hill hurt. The odds of him going over five innings seem slim, but he's been great at Chavez Ravine for his entire career bouncing from the bullpen to being a starter and back again. The 29-year-old has a 2.46 ERA at home since 2017. And if the 29-year old does pitch deep enough into the game to earn a victory, pitching for a team like the Dodgers really helps the chances of fulfilling that goal.
KEY VALUES/CHALK
Francisco Lindor's ($18) power had been missing recently, but he helped assuage that fear by hitting two homers Saturday. He's produced at least 33 long balls in each of his last two seasons, and boasts a career .487 slugging percentage. Cincinnati starter Tyler Mahle has experienced issues with the long ball, allowing at least 1.73 homers per nine innings in each of his last two campaigns. Maybe this is where Lindor gets back to hitting homers.
Shohei Ohtani ($21) isn't pitching this year, but he's hitting even better than he did last season. The lefty is also quite adept at hitting righties, with a career 1.010 OPS versus right-handed pitchers since crossing the Pacific. The Astros have had to call up Jose Urquidy to fill in a hole in their rotation, and he's only pitched 3.2 innings in the Majors so far.
Freddy Galvis ($19) is in his first season with the Blue Jays, and it's going well so far. He enters with a personal-best .269 batting average and also has 15 homers on the year. Hey, he once hit 20 home runs in a year. But this recommendation is mostly because the Orioles are starting Gabriel Ynoa, a guy with an 8.87 ERA on the road in 2019.
Kansas City starter Jakob Junis is giving up 1.63 homers per nine innings for the second season in a row. He's also being rocked by lefties, thanks to a .314 BAA versus southpaws. Adam Eaton ($15) is one of the only lefties in Washington's lineup. He hasn't shown a lot of power, but Eaton has never had any issue getting on base. In this matchup, he might actually show some power.
STACKS
Red Sox vs. Gregory Soto (Tigers)
J.D. Martinez (OF - $24), Xander Bogaerts (SS - $23), Michael Chavis (1B - $20)
Soto sports a woeful 8.06 ERA during his rookie campaign. That's not terribly surprising, given that he struggled with a 7.52 ERA in Triple-A. He's a bad pitcher, so much so that you might not even need to be worried about Andrew Benintendi or other Red Sox lefties against the southpaw pitcher. Nevertheless, I've recommended three righties just to be on the safe side.
You know what Martinez does? He hits. All he does is mash, and that's what he's doing this year. He's recorded over 40 homers in each of his last two seasons, and already has 18 in 78 games this year. In 2017, Bogaerts struggled with his bat - especially his power - while dealing with injury. He bounced back last year, and he's taking it to a whole new level this season with a .535 slugging percentage. Then there's the upstart rookie Chavis, who's popped into the lineup and hit 15 homers in 68 games while also boasting an .844 OPS over his last 25 outings.
Cubs vs. Ivan Nova (White Sox)
Kris Bryant (3B - $21), Anthony Rizzo (1B - $17), Kyle Schwarber (OF - $20)
Nova has posted a 5.92 ERA, but he's been even worse at home with an 8.31 ERA. He's also given up 1.81 homers per nine innings. The White Sox's neighbors to the north are visiting, and they should be ready to feast on Nova's pitching.
Bryant's 2018 season has been completely dislodged from our memory with his rebound campaign this year. The one-time MVP is slashing .296/.402/.551, and he's already hit 17 homers after only managing 13 last year.
Rizzo didn't used to be a guy who struggled with his fellow lefties, but that has been the case the last couple of years. However, he owns a .956 OPS against right-handed pitchers this year. Nova is a righty, so there are no worries there. Meanwhile, Schwarber has always been a lefty you had to sit against other lefties. Since 2017, 67 of his 74 homers have come against righties. He also managed a .493 slugging percentage versus right-handed pitchers over that time.
