This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Yahoo gave the option of playing a four-game slate at 4:07 p.m. EDT or a full-day slate, which starts at 11:35 a.m. EDT. Four games for baseball? That's hardly anything. You'll have to get your lineup in early, but here are my recommendations for DFS purposes Sunday.
Pitching
Nestor Cortes, NYY at CWS ($49): This is an early season surprise versus an early season disappointment. Cortes has a 1.41 ERA through six starts and has struck out 11.81 batters per nine innings. Meanwhile, the White Sox are buried in the bottom 10 in runs scored and hovering around .500.
Triston McKenzie, CLE at MIN ($41): I had high expectations for McKenzie this season, and so far he's lived up to them. He has a 2.76 ERA to go with a 2.75 FIP, so what you see is what you get. That includes his one rough start, a road game against an Angels team at the top of the league in runs scored. The Twins, meanwhile, are in the middle of the league in that category.
Tyler Wells, BAL at DET ($34): Recommending an Orioles pitcher? Hey, the Tigers are comfortably last in the majors in runs scored. This matchup is quite favorable. Plus, after a brutal first start, Wells has a 2.42 ERA in five outings.
Top Targets
Maybe Alex Bregman ($20) never has another season like 2019 when he had an 1.015 OPS. He's had trouble staying healthy the last few years, but he has a .353 OBP since 2020 and has hit 23 homers in 166 games in that time. Patrick Corbin, meanwhile, has been brutal since 2020, posting a 5.57 ERA.
You need a catcher for your lineup, and Tyler Stephenson ($19) is quietly one of the best hitting catchers in baseball. Maybe that's because he plays in Cincinnati? All I know is that he has a career .293/.371/.463 batting line. Jose Quintana may have a 2.70 ERA through six starts, but the lefty has a 4.42 ERA in the last six seasons.
Bargain Bats
Starling Marte ($15) hits for average and has elite base-running skills. He's a career .288 hitter who stole 47 bases last year. This year he has five swiped bags, but also three home runs. Reigning Cy Young winner Robbie Ray only has a 4.22 ERA, and even when he won the Cy he allowed 1.54 home runs per nine innings.
Raimel Tapia ($8) has the vibes of a poor man's Marte, though from the left side of the plate. He's a career .277 hitter who stole 20 bases last year and has three swiped bags this season. The Blue Jays don't really employ many lefty hitters, so I turned to Tapia with Corey Kluber on the mound for the Rays. The righty has a 4.55 ERA this season.
Stacks to Consider
Brewers vs. Elieser Hernandez: Christian Yelich ($23), Luis Urias ($19), Hunter Renfroe ($20)
It's interesting the Marlins are still devoted to trotting Hernandez out there. He has a 5.86 ERA, and in three of his four previous seasons he finished the year with a FIP higher than 5.00. Hernandez has also allowed 2.02 home runs per nine innings in his career. I don't get why the Marlins do it, but I'm happy they do.
I'm also happy that Yelich is looking more like his old self, even if he isn't posting a 1.000 OPS or anything like that. He has slashed .258/.350/.467 with five homers and three stolen bases, though. Urias has shown some real leadoff man skills, hitting .278 with a .409 OBP. He also hit 25 homers last year. Renfroe is here entirely because in any given at bat he could go yard, even if three out of four times he goes to the plate he's making an out. The slugger has hit nine home runs in 2022 and has, fittingly, slugged .489 in his career.
Pirates vs. Hunter Greene: Ke'Bryan Hayes ($18), Ben Gamel ($19), Daniel Vogelbach ($17)
Look, I was excited about Greene's debut too. That fastball is so fast! However, you could make the argument he's been the worst pitcher in the majors in 2022. Yes, he strikes out a ton of guys, but he also has a 7.78 ERA and has allowed 3.81 home runs per nine innings. Righties have hit .305 against him, while lefties have hit .275. Basically, when Greene is on the mound, something notable is bound to happen. Oftentimes, it's not good for him.
The lefty Gamel is having the best season of his career, as he's slashed .298/.371/.462 with three home runs and two stolen bases. Hayes isn't really a power hitter – though Greene may help him on that front – but he's hit .312 with a .411 OPS in 2022. Vogelbach really struggles with lefties, but he has an .801 OPS against righties since 2020, and in his last full season (2019) he hit 30 homers.
