This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Sunday is the last day before the All-Star break. There are 10 games on the slate for the main selection of DFS contests on DraftKings, with the first ones starting at 1:35 p.m. EDT. Here are some recommendations to try to end the weekend on a high note.
Pitching
Shane Bieber, CLE vs. DET ($9,400): Bieber is a onetime Cy Young winner and has posted a 2.73 FIP this season. He may have a 4-5 record, but I think Sunday he's going to add a fifth win with the Tigers possibly not reaching 300 team runs by the All-Star break.
Spencer Strider, ATL at WAS ($9,200): It's important to know that Strider began the year in the bullpen when noting his 1.81 FIP and 14.08 strikeouts per nine innings. That being said, he's made nine starts so far. And the Nationals are mired in the bottom-five when it comes to offense.
Jake Odorizzi, HOU vs. OAK ($8,000): The Tigers may be last in runs scored, but the Athletics are bottom in average, OBP, and slugging. Odorizzi has produced a 3.38 ERA, and in his last start he went seven innings of shutout ball. His opponent? Oakland, naturally.
Top Targets
The Tigers are going with a bullpen game Sunday, but that won't deter Jose Ramirez ($5,500). First off, Detroit's bullpen isn't great. And since 2020, Ramirez has a .934 OPS against lefties and a .913 against righties.
With a .261 average and .461 slugging percentage, Travis d'Arnaud ($5,200) offers a fine profile for a catcher. He's also managed a .904 OPS against lefties. We have the southpaw Josh Rogers returning from the IL to start Sunday and he enters with a career 6.70 FIP.
Bargain Bats
Over his career, Rhys Hoskins ($4,800) has shown a propensity to dominate against lefties. In fact, he's registered a 1.007 OPS in those matchups the last two years. The lefty Trevor Rogers looked like an ace in the making in 2021, but this year he's sitting with a 5.42 ERA and a 7.27 mark at home.
He's freshly back from the long-term IL, but Brandon Lowe ($4,300) steps into a nice spot. Don't forget the lefty brings a lot of power with a career .508 slugging percentage. Jordan Lyles has enjoyed a few decent starts, but he still maintains a 4.37 ERA this season and a lifetime 5.14.
Stacks to Consider
Cardinals vs. Reds (Graham Ashcraft): Paul Goldschmidt ($4,900), Tyler O'Neill ($3,500), Albert Pujols ($2,100)
Through the first 10 starts of his career, Ashcraft has posted a 4.45 ERA. He's also only struck out 5.27 batters per nine innings. As a righty, Ashcraft has held lefties to a .209 average but let righties hit .349 against. As such, I decided to forego any southpaws and select three righties.
Goldschmidt has wielded one of the best bats in the majors by slashing .330/.414/.590. He's also excelled with an 1.126 home OPS this year. O'Neill has spent a lot of time hurt, but has still produced four home runs and six stolen bases after 34 and 15 last season. Granted, that was the outlier, but he's a righty and faces a favorable matchup here along with proven upside. Pujols is obviously not the hitter he used to be, but he's recorded an .821 OPS the last three weeks and a .768 at home.
Astros vs. Athletics (James Kaprielian): Kyle Tucker ($5,300), Alex Bregman ($4,900), Jeremy Pena ($4,900)
Kaprielian has struggled to a 5.09 ERA in addition to a 5.77 FIP. That's in part because he's allowed 1.70 home runs per nine innings. Two of Houston's top lefty batters, Yordan Alvarez and Michael Brantley, are hurt. It'd be nice to have a couple more lefties involved, but I like this stack anyway.
Tucker is a southpaw, one with 17 homers and 15 steals. And since 2020, he's managed an .893 OPS against righties. Bregman has a .357 OBP, including a .380 over three weeks supplemented by an .894 home OPS. The rookie Pena has hit .260 with 12 home runs and six stolen bases along with an .825 home OPS.
Mariners at Rangers (Glenn Otto): Eugenio Suarez ($4,700), Ty France ($4,500), Jesse Winker ($4,200)
Otto has posted a 5.50 ERA, which has dropped his career number to 6.61. And at home during his career, that skyrockets to 8.75. Lefties and righties have both hit him quite well, so grabbing three Mariners isn't difficult for this stack.
Suarez has produced 16 home runs, and last year hit 31 though he only hit .198. He's also recorded an .834 OPS over the last 21 days. France has slashed .306/.376/.461 this year, and has batted .296 with a .369 OBP the last three seasons. It's been a rough season at times for Winker, but he's managed a .913 OPS against right-handed pitchers since 2020. A lot of his issues have been at his new home while his road OPS sits at .779.
