This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We're halfway through September. The playoffs loom. Will Shohei Ohtani go 50/50? Will the White Sox lose 121 games? Also, what will you do with your MLB DFS lineups Sunday? You know, based on the seven-game main slate starting at 1:35 p.m. ET or later? Well, I have some ideas, so here are my recommendations.
Pitching
JP Sears, OAK at CWS ($7,800): At this point, it feels like overthinking it not to go with a pitcher facing the White Sox. It is not hyperbolic to call this the worst offense in the history of modern MLB. They have a .615 OPS as a team. Sears' home park tends to be pitcher-friendly, but he has a 4.92 ERA at home and a 3.55 ERA on the road. Fortunately, this game is in Chicago.
Ben Lively, CLE vs. TAM ($7,300): Unfortunately for Lively, he missed a chance to bolster his numbers in a start against the White Sox thanks to a liner that hit him in the thigh in the second inning. Fortunately, he's good to go for this one, and the Rays are still a fine matchup. Lively, who has a 3.93 ERA at home, is facing a team that ranks 28th in runs scored.
Top Targets
By becoming a guy who hits screaming line drives, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($5,400) has 41 doubles and has posted a .320 average. This approach works well in Toronto, where he has a 1.003 OPS. Now he faces Miles Mikolas, who is as hittable as anybody. He has a 5.55 ERA, and righties have hit .291 against him in 2024.
For the second time in his career, Tyler O'Neill ($5,100) has played in over 100 games. Also, for the second time, he's hit at least 30 home runs. The righty has a whopping 1.194 OPS against southpaws for good measure. Carlos Rodon is a lefty, and while he has a 3.20 ERA at home, he's also allowed 1.5 homers per nine innings there.
Bargain Bats
There is not an abundance of hitters with 20 homers and 40 doubles, but JJ Bleday ($3,600) is one of them. He's hit .250 against righties and .271 on the road. Sean Burke (not the old NHL goalie) pitched three innings of relief for the White Sox in his MLB debut. He will be making his first start Sunday. In Triple-A, he had a 4.68 FIP in 16 starts.
While 23-year-old Jose Tena ($3,300) couldn't crack Cleveland's lineup, he was moved to the Nationals and now starts at third base for the big-league club when a righty is on the mound. In his career, Tena has a .783 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. Adam Oller has a 5.40 ERA this season, which has lowered his career ERA to 6.71. On the other hand, his 5.40 BB/9 rate has raised his career number to 5.00.
Stack to Consider
Yankees vs. Red Sox (Kutter Crawford): Juan Soto ($6,500), Jazz Chisholm ($5,200), Giancarlo Stanton ($4,700)
At home, Crawford has a 4.08 ERA with a 1.2 HR/9 rate. On the road, he has a 4.10 ERA… but a 2.2 HR/9 rate. Against New York's lineup, that last number catches my eye. Also, the ball has been flying out of the park when Crawford is on the mound recently. He has a 6.41 ERA over his last 10 outings thanks in part to a 2.9 HR/9 rate. I don't know if that's going to go well at Yankee Stadium.
Soto has over 100 RBI and runs scored. With 39 homers he seems primed to hit 40 for the first time in his career. While lefties have only batted .202 against Crawford, 20 of the 31 home runs he's allowed have come from those left-handed hitters. When healthy, Chisholm has been a star for the Yankees, tallying nine homers and 13 stolen bases in 35 games. Since 2022, he has a .842 OPS versus righties. Stanton has notched 25 homers in 104 games. He's slugged .513 against right-handers, but also a whopping .570 at home.
