MLB DFS Picks: Yahoo Plays and Strategy for Sunday, August 13

MLB DFS Picks: Yahoo Plays and Strategy for Sunday, August 13

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

There are 13 games on the DFS docket Sunday. In addition to the Peacock game between the Red Sox and Tigers not being included, the Cardinals and Royals have a rare Sunday off day. However, you still have a litany of DFS options to pick from. First pitch is at 1:35 p.m. ET. Here are my lineup recommendations.

Pitching

Zach Eflin, TAM vs. CLE ($43): A pitcher joining the Rays and turning into a top-level pitcher? How novel! Eflin has made 22 starts and posted a 2.91 FIP. The Guardians are in the bottom five in runs scored, and the reason why is glaringly obvious. They are comfortably last in home runs, having hit a mere 85 in 118 games.

Julio Urias, LAD vs. COL ($41): Urias has always pitched well at home, but usually he's also pitched well on the road. This year he's struggled in away starts but has a 2.22 ERA in home outings. The Rockies are in the bottom 10 in runs scored, even though they play home games at Coors Field. Colorado also dealt away C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk at the deadline, making their lineup even worse.

Dane Dunning, TEX at SF ($38): Strikeouts aren't Dunning's forte, but he also doesn't allow home runs, and all in all he has a 3.21 ERA. Pitching for the Rangers, Dunning has baseball's top lineup in terms of runs scored behind him. Meanwhile, the Giants are below average in terms of runs scored.

Top Targets

It's been a dynamic, stat-stuffing campaign for Kyle Tucker ($26), who has slashed .297/.379/.519 with 22 homers and 24 stolen bases. Righty Chase Silseth hasn't allowed a ton of contact, but he has a 4.83 FIP and has allowed 1.73 homers per nine innings. Plus, if you bring in a lefty to face Tucker, good luck with that. Since 2021 he has an .863 OPS in those matchups.

Catcher Will Smith ($15) has an .864 OPS at home, but more pressingly a .933 OPS versus lefties. Kyle Freeland is a southpaw, and righties have hit .309 against him. It's not about Coors, either, as he has a 5.24 ERA on the road.

Bargain Bats

It's been a down year for Carlos Correa ($12), but he does have 15 home runs. Plus, the shortstop has an .804 OPS against lefties, so that's encouraging. Ranger Suarez has a 2.76 ERA on the road, but a 5.36 ERA at home. On top of that, righties have hit .293 against him.

The Nationals are trotting out a lineup these days that is a who's who of "Who's that?" However, there is some potential for back for your buck. Take Ildemaro Vargas ($7) for example. The journeyman has an .867 OPS versus lefties, and an .807 OPS at home. Now it's not the biggest sample size, but it's something. Ken Waldichuk has a career 7.43 ERA on the road and has allowed righties to hit .284 against him.

Stacks to Consider

Padres at Diamondbacks (Brandon Pfaadt): Juan Soto ($26), Jake Cronenworth ($18), Xander Bogaerts ($16)

It's been a brutal rookie campaign for Pfaadt. He's made 10 starts and posted a 7.16 ERA while allowing 2.57 homers per nine innings. In fact, at home he has an 8.65 ERA. Righties have hit .286 against Pfaadt, but lefties have hit .305, so I have two southpaws in this stack.

Soto remains an elite hitter, and unsurprisingly he has a .995 OPS against right-handed pitchers. However, he also notably has an 1.019 OPS on the road. Cronenworth has had a tough season, but has 10 homers, seven triples, and six stolen bases. On top of that, he's been hot recently, posting a .935 OPS over the last three weeks. Bogaerts has not had the best first campaign with the Padres, but he does have 12 homers and 13 stolen bases. Unexpectedly, he's really struggled with lefties, but has a .774 OPS against righties.

Orioles at Mariners (Bryce Miller): Cedric Mullins ($16), Gunnar Henderson ($16), Anthony Santander ($14)

Miller started his rookie campaign well, but over his last 11 starts he has a 5.96 ERA. His strength is clear, as righties have hit .186 against him. However, lefties have hit .265 versus Miller, which is why I have three guys who can hit left handed in this stack.

Mullins just returned from injury, and he has nine homers and 15 stolen bases in 71 games. Since 2021, he has an .840 OPS against righties. Henderson doesn't make a ton of contact, but in terms of counting stats, he has 19 homers, five triples and six stolen bases. That being said, his issue is he still really struggles with lefties, whereas he has an .847 OPS against righties in his career. While Santander is a switch hitter, he has an .806 OPS versus righties, including a .491 slugging percentage. He has plenty of power in general, having hit 21 homers after hitting 33 last season.

Brewers at White Sox (Dylan Cease): Christian Yelich ($19), Sal Frelick ($19), Brice Turang ($13)

Cease doesn't allow many home runs, but he still has a 4.42 ERA through 24 starts. A big part of that is the fact he's issued 4.2 walks per nine innings. He's also allowed lefties to hit .269 against him, so I am stacking three left-handed hitters from the Brewers against Cease.

Yelich has posted a .376 OBP with 16 homers and 24 stolen bases. He still scuffles against lefties, but has a .917 OPS versus righties like Cease. Frelick, a top prospect, was called up and has hit the ground running. He's slashed .263/.416/.491 with three homers and two stolen bases in 20 games. He sits against lefties but should hit in the heart of the order against Cease. Turang has recorded six homers, three triples and 14 stolen bases in 95 games. The second baseman has also picked it up recently, posting an .852 OPS over the last three weeks.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Morgan plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: cmorgan3, DraftKings: cmorgan3.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Morgan
Chris Morgan is a writer of sports, pop culture, and humor articles, a book author, a podcaster, and a fan of all Detroit sports teams.
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