This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Fan Duel has a full 15-game slate for Major League Baseball on Sunday. There are a few interesting places to look, including the seven pitchers who are -150 favorites or better according to Vegas. That means there is clear chalk in almost half of the scheduled games. We also have only two games with a run total under eight and one large favorite. That double-play honor goes to Felix Hernandez and Jordan Zimmerman. Only five games have run lines of 7.5 or less. This means Vegas is expecting a few big run numbers and lopsided victories. Here are some of the plays I have my eye on for Sunday:
Starting Pitcher
Danny Salazar ($7,800)
Salazar is a -150 favorite pitching at home against a Minnesota team that has already allowed some huge games to starting pitchers, including Salazar. So far in 2015, he is averaging 6.5 innings per start, seven base runners and just over nine strikeouts. In fact, he has 37 strikeouts in 26 innings. Salazar will likely not go more than seven innings, but he should get at least one strikeout per inning and the win, considering he is a huge favorite. If he can limit the Twins to two runs or fewer, he will return over two points per $1,000 of cost and be one of the best values on the day.
Catcher
Wilson Ramos ($2,800)
Ramos has a hit in each of his last 12 starts. He was rested Saturday, so he could start the day game Sunday. Ramos goes up against left-hander Alex Wood, who has been disappointing to start the year. Ramos is 56-for-174 (.322) against lefties since 2013. Ramos is hot, has his preferred splits matchup, and is relatively cheap for a guy who can drive in runs and rack up multiple hits.
First Base
Lucas Duda ($3,100)
First base has some really nice options if you choose to pay up, but if you want to save and find value, I suggest looking at Duda. The Mets get a matchup with the still recovering Chad Billingsley, who was out of the majors for over a year while dealing with injuries. He struggled in his first start and has always had trouble with allowing home runs and facing left-handed batters. Duda is a salary saver at first base with as much upside as anyone. He bats third for the Mets, will be facing a pitcher who gives up home runs and is playing in a hitters' park (Citizens Bank). That puts a lot of positives on his side.
Second Base
David Murphy ($2,800)
Duda's teammate, Murphy, is another left-handed batter in the middle of the Mets' order to target today. Murphy hits fifth, behind Duda and Michael Cuddyer, which makes him one of the few second basemen in the league that are in a good lineup spot. All the matchup and ballpark factors discussed with Duda exist here with Murphy also being a left-handed batter. Most people will look to Scooter Gennett, if he plays, at $2,200, but Murphy has a chance for more RBI because of his lineup placement and also has a better chance for multiple hits in a much stronger matchup.
Shortstop
Starlin Castro ($3,200)
Castro is one of the few shortstops with some big upside Sunday. He hits in a solid order that has a lot of depth and gets a good matchup against Matt Garza, who has been blowing up lately, allowing six home runs in his last four starts. He has been an equal opportunity home-run allower over the last few years, so right and left-handed batters can and have taken him yard. Castro had a few hits last season against Garza as well, so while I am not a slave to BvP, it does help you feel confident that the profile is correct. Castro should hit fifth or sixth in the order Sunday with some big bats in front of him, He should have a chance for a few RBI in what should be a high scoring game in a good hitter's park.
Third Base
Kris Bryant ($3,500)
Bryant finally broke the seal and hit his first major-league regular season home run Saturday. It marked the third time in his last six games he recorded at least 5.5 points on FanDuel. For an encore, he gets to face a guy who has allowed six home runs in his last four games, and he gets to face him in a home run hitter's ballpark at Miller Field. Home run hitters are streaky and they tend to hit them in bunches. Bryant profiles as a guy who should do well against a struggling Garza, so homer No. 2 could be in his not-too-distant future.
Outfield
Avisail Garcia ($2,800)
Garcia is 15-for-37 (.405) over his last 10 games. He has hits in nine of those games and multiple hits in half of them. Yet his price tag remains stubbornly low. He is hitting fourth or fifth in the order and gets to face a rookie in Mark Lorenzen who has allowed four home runs over his first two big league starts. Garcia hit a homer Saturday, which only further confirms he is locked in at the plate. He has a good matchup against a home-run-prone pitcher, in a hitter's ballpark and at a cheap price. It all adds up to a solid value play.
Gerardo Parra ($2,400)
If you need another salary saver to fit in a Felix Hernandez, than Parra deserves a long look. He has hits in eight of his last nine games and has dominated right-handed pitching, and he will see a weak one in Kyle Hendricks on Sunday. Parra is 10 for his last 22, with two doubles, one triple, one home run, four runs scored and seven RBI. Those numbers make him one of the hottest hitters in the show. He may even creep up the order into the two hole to split up the righties, which could give him an extra at-bat. If Parra is indeed batting second or fifth, than he is definitely in play at this price.
Marlon Byrd ($3,000)
Byrd was one of the best players to roster over the last week. His scores since May 2 are: 7.75, 10.25, 8.5, 5.75, 9.25 and 2.75. That is 44.25 points over his last six games for an average of 7.4 fantasy points per contest. He gets a matchup with John Danks, a left-handed pitcher who has given up over 20 home runs to right-handed batters in both of the last two seasons. The game is in homer-friendly U.S. Cellular Field, and Byrd has been batting in the two hole. He has been far exceeding expectations consistently and this is as good a matchup as anyone has today.
