This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
This is it. No, I meant that literally. This is the final day of the MLB regular season. I've been making these Sunday recommendations for you for almost half the year. So let's do it once more. Every team is in action, but also every game starts between 3:05 PM ET and 3:15 PM ET. There's not a lot to play for on the field, but daily fantasy is another story. Here are my recommendations.
PITCHING
This is a less than ideal day for pitching choices. There aren't many aces on the mound, and the ones that are like Gerrit Cole might not be used to much. Why would the Astros want to risk Cole's health? Then, the usual easiest matchups on any given day, the Marlins and the Tigers, also provide complications. The White Sox are starting Ross Detwiler, while the Phillies haven't officially named a starter yet. So yeah, I don't feel super strongly about any of these matchups.
Jack Flaherty ($46) has been truly stunning since the All-Star break. In fact, over the last two months, he has posted an 0.84 ERA. The Cubs excelled offensively this season, but they are a team that couldn't live up to their playoff hopes. I don't like to play armchair psychologist, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Cubs less than enthused for this game.
Mike Soroka ($38) enjoyed a stellar rookie season after posting a 2.60 ERA. And on the road, he registered a sparkling 1.35 mark. He's making his final regular-season start on the road against the Mets. New York fared decently on offense this year, but I'm betting on Soroka's pitching skills. Like I said, it's not the best day for pitching options. I'm betting on talent.
Tanner Roark ($35) didn't take off when he was dealt to the Athletics, but remained a reliable, mid-rotation pitcher while setting a personal best K/9 rate of 8.59. The Mariners' overall offensive numbers are impressive, but they are bolstered by the beginning of the year. Since the All-Star break, Seattle ranks 28th in runs scored.
If you want to save some money, go with Spencer Turnbull ($26). He was looking pretty impressive early in the year, and even now enters with a 4.05 FIP. Turnbull has also looked good in his last couple of starts by allowing only three runs over his last 11 innings. The White Sox sit just outside the bottom five in runs scored and neither of these teams have anything to play for, so I could envision a low-scoring game.
KEY VALUES/CHALK
Charlie Blackmon ($20) endured a real Jekyll-and-Hyde thing all year. On the road, he recorded a .731 OPS while posting a 1.196 OPS at home. Three cheers for Coors Field. Blackmon gets to end his season at home, sweet home. Adrian Houser comes in with a 3.97 FIP, which isn't bad but not enough to make me see him shutting the Rockies down at Coors.
Jose Altuve ($19) may not reach .300 for the sixth-straight year, but his .298 batting average isn't going to shake anybody to their core. But he did take advantage of the homer-happy environment and hit 30 homers for the first time. Altuve also boasts a 1.020 OPS against lefties, and Angels southpaw Dillon Peters has slumped to a 5.78 FIP.
The Pirates have turned to a lot of unexpected names as they head down the stretch, meaning the names you know may not be in the lineup to end the season. However, Adam Frazier ($15) will likely be there. He didn't have a great year, but he did manage an .849 home OPS. The Reds are giving Tyler Mahle another start on short rest. He's allowed a .291 batting average against lefties since 2017, and Frazier just happens to be a southpaw.
Christian Walker ($13) had quite the penultimate game of the season by hitting two homers and driving in five runs. He now has 29 homers, giving him a chance to hit 30. Since Walker is at home, I like his odds. I also like his cheap price against the Padres.
STACKS
Red Sox at Chandler Shepherd (Orioles)
Xander Bogaerts (SS - $18), Rafael Devers (3B - $17), Brock Holt (2B - $9)
Shepherd has only pitched in four games this season, so we can't take too much from his 7.71 ERA. On the other hand, he has posted a 7.71 ERA and a 10.01 ERA in Triple-A. The Red Sox aren't going to make the playoffs, but they can end the year with a bang - and probably with a ton of runs.
Bogaerts put up some truly amazing numbers this year that somehow feel like they went under the radar. He's slashed .309/.383/.556 with 33 homers and over 100 RBI and runs. Hey, the offense wasn't the issue in Boston this year. Bogaerts also managed a .985 OPS at home, and luckily for him this game is at Fenway.
Devers' numbers were only slightly lower than Bogaerts, as he slashed .308/.359/.553. He's finally lived up to the prospect hype and is also a lefty. Shepherd is a righty, so that should also help.
Boston needed somebody to man second base due to injuries, and that job has recently fallen to Holt. The southpaw hasn't hit lefties at all, but he does boast an .846 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. At this price, Holt could pay off big time.
Brewers vs. Jeff Hoffman (Rockies)
Keston Hiura (2B- $24), Eric Thames (1B - $19), Mike Moustakas (3B - $18)
Remember when I said this game was in Coors Field? That's good news for the Brewers' bats too! That's especially true with Hoffman on the mound. He's posted a 6.78 ERA, thanks largely to giving up 2.77 homers per nine innings.
Hiura has spent half the year in the majors, and he's shown he belongs. That's especially true recently with a 1.103 OPS since returning from an injury earlier this month. Interestingly, Hiura also has a reverse split, so it's actually good there's a righty on the mound.
Thames, on the other hand, owns the splits you would expect from a lefty. He hits righties quite well and possesses plenty of power. Thames just hit his 25th homer in 148 games on Saturday night.
Then there's Moustakas, who's got even more power. He doesn't walk a lot and his batting average is .255, but he's hit 35 homers so it's all good. Moose has also looked better on the road with a .929 road OPS. Now, there's hitting on the road, and there's visiting Coors Field. That takes things to another level.
