This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
All 30 teams are in action Sunday, but the Marlins and Nationals aren't available for DFS purposes because they are playing a doubleheader. You might be thinking: "Didn't they just play a doubleheader Friday?" Indeed they did. That's what happens when your team misses a lot of games earlier in the year. The schedule is compressed down the stretch and pitching matchups sometimes seem to change on a whim. Nevertheless, here are my recommendations.
PITCHING
Jack Flaherty's ($47) last start went truly terribly. Like, "raising your ERA from 3.08 to 5.52" terrible. However, I fully expect a bounce-back game Sunday as he posted a 2.75 ERA in 33 starts last season and faces the Pirates today with the majors' lowest OPS.
Last season was a lost one for Carlos Carrasco ($42) and for good reason given how much he has gone through, but this year looks more like the pitcher from previous seasons with a 3.27 ERA over 10 starts. The Tigers have fared better than expected on offense, but it's recently taken a dip and they're now in the bottom-10 in runs scored with a team OBP hovering around .300.
I'm going to take a little risk here and suggest you might want to consider the other side of that Cleveland-Detroit matchup in Matthew Boyd ($33). Yes, he comes in with a 6.75 ERA. But over his last five starts, the ERA is 4.15 and that's mostly due to one poor start. He's capable of completely shutting down lefties, and Cleveland's offense has looked worse than Detroit's this season. This could be a low-scoring game, and the Tigers might sneak out a win at home for Boyd.
TOP PICKS
The Dodgers have spent the weekend at Coors Field, which has led me to recommend stacking them Friday and Saturday. However, Antonio Senzatela is on the mound Sunday, and he's actually been solid this year. His 3.30 ERA is impressive, and even his 4.42 FIP is respectable given his home park. That being said, I'm not completely shirking the Dodgers. This is still Denver, after all. I'll take the lefty Corey Seager ($25), given his 13 homers and an 1.023 OPS versus righties this season.
Manny Machado ($26) has been around for a while, so it's easy to forget he's only 28. He's got plenty of his prime left, and the former Oriole is enjoying a career campaign with a career-high .322 batting average along with 16 homers and six stolen bases. Justin Dunn has been lucky so far in his brief career and I wonder how long that luck can continue, as he's managed a career 3.89 ERA that comes with a 6.23 FIP.
VALUE PLAYS
Joey Votto's ($13) batting average has dipped, but he can still get on base and his .463 slugging percentage marks his best since 2017. The lefty also mostly has issues with fellow southpaws. Meanwhile, the White Sox's Dylan Cease has issues with lefties as well by allowing a .279 average to them over his career.
Since Salvador Perez ($21) returned from injury, he's been as hot as any hitter and it's helped him put up a .364/.382/.636 slash line in 2020. Josh Lindblom is returning from the bereavement list to start this game, and carries a 5.26 ERA this season.
STACKS
Braves vs. Rick Porcello: Freddie Freeman ($28), Dansby Swanson ($19), Nick Markakis ($11)
Porcello put up a 5.52 ERA during his final season in Boston, but his move to New York has not paid off as the one-time Cy Young winner (no, really) has produced a 6.06 ERA with the Mets that rises to 8.14 at home. Obviously, you can also consider Ronald Acuna for your lineup, but I didn't include him in my three-player stack. Freeman has been one of the best hitters in baseball this season, which isn't surprising given his track record. Still, he's going to have an OPS over 1.000 for the first time in his career. Swanson has gone cold, but has compiled a .271 average with seven homers and five stolen bases. Lastly, I wanted to get the lefty Markakis in the article. He's posted an .811 OPS versus righties since 2018 and poses a threat when a right-handed pitcher is on the mound while coming in at a low salary.
Athletics vs. Johnny Cueto: Matt Olson ($18), Tommy La Stella ($17), Robbie Grossman ($12)
Cueto has barely pitched the last few years, but he's allowed at least 1.20 homers per nine innings in each of his last four seasons. That's while pitching with the Giants, who don't have a homer-happy ballpark. That's also true of Oakland's park, but the 34-year-old has managed a 4.78 ERA this season. Olson is hitting below the Mendoza line, but still has a .918 OPS at home and has hit 14 homers. La Stella has been hot recently with a .364 average over his last 10 games and a .376 OBP. Grossman hasn't shown much power in the past, but has recorded five homers and eight stolen bases this year and his .435 slugging percentage ranks as the second best of his career.
Rays vs. John Means: Brandon Lowe ($17), Willy Adames ($15), Manuel Margot ($14)
Means' 5.63 ERA is not good, but his 6.69 FIP looks even worse. The problem? Means has allowed a staggering 2.81 homers per nine innings. The only minor issue here for stacking Rays is all their left-handed batters, and Means is a southpaw. However, I think you can still make it work. Lowe is a lefty, but he doesn't really struggle against fellow left handers. In fact, he's produced an .827 OPS versus lefties since 2018. Adames really struggles at his home ballpark, but has still posted an .889 OPS on the road since 2018. Margot brings a lot of speed with 20 stolen bases (and 12 homers) from last season and 12 swipes in only 42 games this year.
