After another successful day on Saturday, we’re excited to keep rolling on this Sunday card. We’re fortunate to have all but two games between 11ET and 4ET, and it should leave us with a massive player pool. Getting to pick between 26 teams is huge and it’s really nice since we’ll have all the lineups available well before lock. With that in mind, let’s kick things off with the pitchers!

Starting Pitcher Rankings

Starting Pitcher Strategy

Man, this is an amazing slate for pitching. There are three high-priced studs all facing some of the worst lineups in baseball and all of those guys are going to find their way into this article. We have one other pitcher that’s a good value and it should be easy to pair two of these four and save some salary for our bats. With that in mind, let’s start with one of the frontrunners for AL Cy Young!

Cash Game Recommendations:

Shane McClanahan (TB) vs. PIT

I’m not sure there’s been a safer spot for a pitcher all season. McClanahan has been magnificent for the Rays, registering a 1.81 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 11.9 K/9 rate. All of those are some of the best marks in baseball, with Shane scoring at least 23 DraftKings points in 12 of his last 13 starts. Pittsburgh is a brilliant matchup too, with the Pirates ranked 28th in wOBA, OBP and runs scored. That’s why he’s a -230 favorite, with the Pirates projected for just three runs.

Zac Gallen (ARI) vs. DET

If you thought Pittsburgh was a good matchup, wait until you hear about Detroit. The Motor City Kitties are averaging fewer than three runs per game, the lowest total in baseball by a significant margin. That certainly won’t go over well against a stud like Gallen, tallying a 2.92 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in what’s been a breakout season. He’s also allowed two runs or fewer in 11 of his 13 starts and should keep that going as a -200 favorite.

GPP Recommendations:

Dylan Cease (CWS) vs. BAL

It’s amazing that we have three breakout pitchers all facing some of the worst offenses in baseball. Baltimore ranks 26th in K rate, 24th in runs scored, 23rd in OBP and 25th in wOBA. Cease is in the middle of a fantastic campaign too, allowing two runs or fewer in 11 of his 14 starts. His swing-and-miss stuff is what’s most important, with Dylan donning a ridiculous 13.0 K/9 rate this year.

Brady Singer (KC) vs. OAK

We unsuccessfully used Keller in this same matchup on Saturday and we’re going right back to the well. We’ve discussed some of the worst offenses in baseball but Oakland tops the list. In fact, they rank bottom-three in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA and xwOBA. Singer has been in tune recently too, tallying a 3.80 ERA and 1.10 WHIP since the opener. We also don’t mind that he’s a -180 favorite in this magical matchup.

Top Lineup Stacks

New York Yankees (vs. Jose Urquidy)

• Home (Yankee Stadium)
• Value: Low
• Risk: Low
• Game Type: Both
• Game Total/Moneyline: 9 Runs/NYY -150

We could have the Yankees in here every day. This is simply one of the best offenses in baseball, ranked top-3 in runs scored, home runs and OBP. We used to like Jose Urquidy but the right-hander has a 4.68 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in what’s been the worst season of his career. His lack of strikeout stuff in a place like Yankee Stadium is a disaster too.

Chicago White Sox (vs. Jordan Lyles)

• Home (Guaranteed Rate)
• Value: Low
• Risk: Low
• Game Type: Both
• Game Total/Moneyline: 9 Runs/CWS -230

We’ve been stacking against Lyles for years now. It’s hard to understand how he still has a job, providing a 4.92 ERA and 1.50 WHIP this season. That’s no surprise since he has a 5.19 ERA and 1.44 WHIP for his career. The White Sox have been far from scary but this offense has too much talent to fade against a pitcher like this.

Boston Red Sox (vs. Aaron Civale)

• Road (Progressive Field)
• Value: Low
• Risk: Medium
• Game Type: Both
• Game Total/Moneyline: 9 Runs/BOS -120

Many fantasy experts had high hopes for Civale coming into the season but his season has been a nightmare. The right-hander has a 7.25 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. That would make him a worthy target against anyone but the Red Sox rank third in BA and ninth in runs scored. They’re hot right now too, posting a 16-4 record this month, thanks to their 4.9 runs per game.

Core Studs

• We could have Judge in here every day. This behemoth of a man is the frontrunner for MVP, leading the league with 27 homers. That’s almost as much as the Tigers have as a team and he should do well against a struggling Urquidy.
• Goldy is the frontrunner for NL MVP and he’s simply the hottest hitter in baseball right now. Over his last 10 games, Goldy has a .489 OBP, .897 SLG and 1.386 OPS. That’s bad news for Matt Swarmer, who’s got a 5.84 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in his rookie season.
• Trout just homered again on Friday and he continues to abuse the Mariners. The former MVP has six homers in his seven games against Seattle this year and has always done well against Marco Gonzales. In fact, Mike has a .371 AVG, .450 OBP, .714 SLG and 1.164 OPS in 40 at-bats against Marco.
• Martinez is quietly having a monster season in Boston, ranked Top-10 with a .326 AVG. The reason we love him here is that he gets to face a pitcher with a 7.25 ERA. That won’t go over well with how J.D. is swinging the bat, posting a .350 AVG, .431 OBP and .977 OPS over his last 38 games played.
• We’ve been waiting for Vaughn to break out and it looks like we’re finally getting it. The top prospect has a .402 AVG and .989 OPS over his last 21 games played. If we’re going to stack the Sox, Vaughn needs to be a major piece of it.

Value Plays/Punts

• Seager has struggled with his batting average in his first season with Texas but the power stroke seems to be there. He’s got 15 dingers and is well on his way to setting a career-high. Almost all of that damage has come at home, with Corey compiling a .544 SLG and .894 OPS in Texas so far this season.
• Ward is quietly having an All-Star season in Los Angeles and we love him from the right side. The leadoff hitter has a .310 AVG, .409 OBP, .569 SLG and .978 OPS in what’s been a breakout season. That looks even better since he has the platoon advantage against Gonzales, with Marco maintaining a 3.99 career WHIP and 1.30 WHIP this year.
• Gorman is one of the best rookies in the NL. The Cardinals prospect had a 1.055 OPS at Triple-A this season and has backed it with a .989 OPS over his last nine games played. All of his work has come against right-handers, and we’re certainly not scared of Swarmer’s 5.84 ERA.
• Winker has been moved to the leadoff spot and then the three-hole in Seattle and it’s finally gotten him going. The slugging outfielder has a .407 OBP and .870 OPS over his last 20 games played. His superb splits are the main reason we like him though, with Jesse generating a .394 OBP and .918 OPS against right-handers since 2020.
• Gallo has been a disaster this season but he can go yard in a matchup like this. He is flirting with a .550 SLG and .300 ISO against righties throughout his career and should benefit here since Urquidy lacks strikeout stuff. If he goes yard at this price, Gallo will be one of the best values of the day.

Hitter Strategy

We want to pay up for pitching with all of those guys in such great spots, so, mixing them with some of these value bats will be key. I love taking a punt on guys like Winker and Gallo and pairing them up with the pitching studs mentioned above. That way you can stack offenses like the White Sox or Red Sox. You also shouldn’t forget about teams like the Angels, Rangers, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Padres and Twins because all of those teams are in great spots too!

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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.