Saturday’s slate went well, and we’re ready to keep rolling for this Sunday card. It was challenging to pick pitchers on Saturday’s slate, but that will certainly not be an issue here. We have so many great arms taking the mound today that it was tough to pick just four. With that in mind, let’s kick things off with those arms!

Starting Pitcher Rankings

Starting Pitcher Strategy

This slate is stacked with elite arms. There are three aces in brilliant spots and numerous top-notch pitchers that didn’t make it into the article. Sandy Alcantara didn’t even find a spot in this piece but a matchup against the Dodgers makes him impossible to trust. We also have Alek Manoah, Nestor Cortes, Charlie Morton, Jose Urquidy, Joe Ryan, Merrill Kelly, and Jose Quintana toeing the rubber, but none of them made it in here either. Many of those pitchers have tough matchups, making these four recommendations even better!

Cash Game Recommendations:

Shohei Ohtani (LAA) at DET

It’s hard to believe that Shohei is a better pitcher than hitter, but that shows just how special this kid is. The right-hander has been one of the best arms in baseball for two months, tallying a 1.81 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 12.9 K/9 rate across his last 11 outings. Those numbers should be easy to duplicate against Detroit, with the Tigers ranked bottom-three in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA.

Luis Castillo (SEA) at OAK

Castillo earned a trade to Seattle, and he’s genuinely becoming their go-to ace. The former Reds righty has scored at least 40 FanDuel points in eight straight starts, amassing a 1.81 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 10.7 K/9 rate in that span. That would make him a worthy option against anyone, but Oakland ranks 29th or 30th in OBP, OPS, runs scored, wOBA and xwOBA. That’s why they’re only projected for three runs in this spot.

GPP Recommendations:

Brandon Woodruff (MIL) at CHC

Woodruff got off to a slow start this season, but this is one of the best pitchers in our sport. He’s got a 2.93 ERA and 1.02 WHIP since 2020 and has looked like that guy recently. In fact, Woodruff has a 2.3 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 10.8 K/9 rate across his last eight starts. We’re certainly not concerned about him facing Chicago, with the Cubs sitting 21st in runs scored, 20th in xwOBA, and 24th in K rate. In five appearances against the Cubbies last year, Woodruff compiled a 0.64 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 10.6 K/9 rate.

Jeffrey Springs (TB) vs. KC

Springs has quietly been a beast in Tampa all year. The left-hander has a 2.52 ERA and 1.06 WHIP, surrendering four runs or fewer in every outing. That floor is impossible to overlook from a player in this price range, especially against a 25th-ranked Royals offense. The oddsmakers agree, projecting KC for just 3.5 runs, with Springs entering this matchup as a -250 favorite.

Top Lineup Stacks

San Diego Padres (vs. Patrick Corbin)

• Home (Petco Park)
• Value: Medium
• Risk: Low
• Game Type: Both
• Game Total/Moneyline: 9 Runs/SD -300

We’ve been stacking against Patrick Corbin all season, and it works like clockwork every time out. The left-hander has been the worst pitcher in baseball, providing a 6.96 ERA and 1.80 WHIP this year. That won’t get it done against anyone, particularly a revamped lineup that has completely changed since the trade deadline.

Minnesota Twins (vs. Kohei Arihara)

• Home (Target Center)
• Value: Medium
• Risk: Low
• Game Type: Both
• Game Total/Moneyline: 9 Runs/MIN -180

Arihara has only made one start for Texas this year, and this could be his final one if he struggles again. The righty allowed 11 baserunners in his season debut and now has a 6.41 ERA and 1.49 WHIP throughout his career. Posting numbers like that won’t go over well against anyone, particularly an offense that sits Top-10 in runs scored and OBP.

San Francisco Giants (vs. Kyle Freeland)

• Road (Coors Field)
• Value: Medium
• Risk: Medium
• Game Type: Both
• Game Total/Moneyline: 9 Runs/SF -140

The Giants don’t have the most talented offense, but they’re in a fantastic spot here. Every team sees a massive boost when they hit in Coors Field, with San Fran projected for six runs in this spot. They always do that in Coors, and it should be even easier against a pitcher with a 4.82 ERA and 1.41 WHIP.

Core Studs

• It looks like Paul Goldschmidt will take down NL MVP honors, but Manny will finish right at the top next to him. The third baseman has a .305 AVG, .376 OBP, .537 SLG, and .913 OPS this year. That’s scary since he has the platoon advantage against Corbin, collecting a .442 AVG and 1.327 OPS across his last 10 games.
• It’s so exciting that Trout is back and playing baseball. The perennial All-Star has been out for months because of a back issue, but he’s been a monster when healthy. The former MVP has a .416 career OBP and a 1.000 OPS. His splits are even more superb, generating a .459 OBP and 1.051 OPS against left-handers this season.
• Stacking San Fran can be challenging with the lack of talent in this lineup, but Wilmer has quietly been their best bat this season. The utility man has a .782 OPS or higher in four straight years and should benefit in a place like Coors Field. He also gets the platoon advantage against Freeland, with Flores posting a .833 OPS against southpaws since 2020.
• Charlie is always a great option when two things are to his advantage. We need him at home, and we need him squaring off with a righty. Both of those boxes are checked here, with Charlie flirting with a 1.000 OPS in both of those circumstances throughout his career.
• Correa hasn’t quite lived up to his lofty contract, but this is still one of the best shortstops in our sport. The slugging SS has a .354 OBP and .795 OPS so far this year. We love that since he faces one of the worst starters on this slate, particularly since Carlos has a .519 OBP and 1.056 OPS across his last six outings.

Value Plays/Punts

• Cutch is not the MVP candidate we saw in Pittsburgh, but this dude has been doing damage in the heart of Milwaukee’s lineup all season. He’s got three homers over the last two games, totaling a .374 OBP and .923 OPS against left-handers since 2020.
• Slater is the best punt play in this Giants stack. He’s one of the few righties in this build, accruing a .388 OBP and .888 OPS against southpaws since 2020. That will earn him a prominent spot in this lineup, making him about $1,000 too cheap on both sites.
• Vogelbach was a sneaky acquisition by the Mets at the trade deadline, and it appears he’ll be an everyday player against right-handers. It’s easy to understand why when peeking at his splits, providing a .379 OBP and .913 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor this season.
• Choi is a platoon player for the Rays, but he’s always a dangerous option when facing right-handers. He’s just shy of a .400 OBP and .850 OPS against righties since joining this club, and he shouldn’t have any issues with a soft-tosser like Zack Greinke.
• We never have catchers in this section, but Raleigh is a ravishing option if you need to fill that position on DraftKings. He’s actually leading all catchers with 18 dingers this year, accumulating a .347 OBP and .855 OPS against left-handers.

Hitter Strategy

The construction on this slate is simple. We’re going to pay up for a premium at pitching and then ride all of these value hitters. There are so many good hitters in great spots, and many of them are way too cheap. We can go back to the well with the Coors Field stack and use whatever pitchers we want mentioned above. We also don’t mind stacking teams like the Rays, Brewers, Mets, Reds, or Pirates because these offenses have many cheap bats in fantastic spots as well.

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