Sunday, June 13, has a frontloaded 11-game slate with nine tilts in the 1 p.m. time slot. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks for pitchers and stacks for Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel.
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MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks, Sunday, June 13
Yahoo Stack of the Day: Washington Nationals vs. Johnny Cueto — 4.0 implied runs
In his 14th MLB campaign, 35-year-old Johnny Cueto keeps chugging along and eating the innings. So far this season, he has avoided the longball and is seeing the lowest power numbers of his career. It seems as though he has abandoned the curveball for a cutter, and his fastball is actually averaging 92 mph, which is the best it has been since the 2015 season.
The key Washington MLB DFS picks are coming in at very favorable salaries on Yahoo today. Our focus should be on the top four hitters with Juan Soto ($20), Kyle Schwarber ($16), Trea Turner ($16) and switch-hitting Josh Bell ($11). While the rest of the Nationals’ lineup is not particularly enthralling, this quartet is quite the gauntlet for Cueto to have to deal with on a warm and humid afternoon.
Afternoon Slate
Houston Astros at RHP Michael Pineda — 5.2 implied runs
Although Michael Pineda has solid season-long statistics with a 3.46 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 50 strikeouts across 52 innings, he has been a disaster in his two most recent starts. Facing the Orioles in Camden Yards and the Yankees at home, Pineda has lasted just 7.1 innings, and while he did not cede any round-trippers, he allowed seven runs with just three strikeouts. The Twin Cities are still in a heatwave and it is going to be in the mid- to upper-80s with a 10- to 12-mph breeze out to left field this afternoon.
Now that the Astros are fully healthy, they are a dangerous and deep lineup. Michael Brantley was overlooked by the FanDuel ($3,000) and DraftKings ($3,200) salary algorithms, and he has been in the zone since returning from the injured list. Across his most recent four games he is 8-for-15, including two doubles and two multi-hit games. Yordan Alvarez has only one home run in his last 15 games and he is an absolute steal across the DFS sites today with his depressed salary.
Alex Bregman, Yulieski Gurriel and Carlos Correa provide excellent power potential from the right side of the plate and, of course, Jose Altuve is in the groove as the table-setter. All but two members of the Minnesota bullpen have pitched in the last 72 hours, with four having multiple appearances and Matt Shoemaker unlikely to be ready today after being demoted from the rotation, though still pitching in his regular slot on Friday.
Late Slate
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at RHP Jon Duplantier — 5.1 implied runs
The Chase Field roof is scheduled to be closed for Sunday’s game between the Angels and Diamondbacks. Even without the designated hitter, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani in the lineup today, the Angels still have a 5.1 implied run total. Today will be the fourth start of the season for 26-year-old Jon Duplantier and the first three have been comically awful. Even if we bring in his 2019 MLB results, he still has a 5.77 ERA and 1.61 WHIP. Though he has avoided the longball, allowing just six homers, the combination of extra-base hits and walks make for a fantasy goldmine.
After struggling with endless slumps and cold streaks, suddenly Justin Upton is mashing the ball. In his last 60 plate-appearances this season against right-handed hurlers, the 15-year veteran has a .315 ISO with a .380 wOBA. Anthony Rendon and Jared Walsh are solid choices against most pitchers and Jose Iglesias and Juan Lagares are at near-minimum salaries across the DFS sites. On the late slate, most gamers will be rightfully flocking to the Dodgers and Athletics, so we may have found our divergent path with the Angels.
Spotlight Pitchers
Top Target: RHP Shane Bieber vs. Seattle Mariners — 3.0 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $54| FanDuel $12,000 | DraftKings $11,000
The Mariners are not a particularly daunting lineup without Evan White and Kyle Lewis, who are on the injured list and rookie Jarred Kelenic sent back down to the minors to work things out. Over his last 1,500 batters faced, Shane Bieber has a wicked 33.2% strikeout rate and a miniscule 6.1% walk rate. We are paying top dollar, but this recommendation is a no-brainer.
Secondary Option: RHP Adrian Houser vs. Pittsburgh Pirates — 3.7 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $33| FanDuel $7,400 | DraftKings $8,300
The roof is scheduled to be open at American Family Field this afternoon, so the fans of the Brewers can enjoy the mid-80s early summer weather. That is really the only knock against Adrian Houser today, who has a fine matchup against an anemic Pittsburgh squad. The reasonable salary on FanDuel mitigates the fact that it is hard to project Houser to reach six innings in order to meet the base requirement for a quality start and at just $33 on Yahoo it is hard to make lineups without him.
Wild Card: RHP Tony Santillan vs. Colorado Rockies — 4.3 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $28 | FanDuel N/A | DraftKings $5,500
Cincinnati is calling up 24-year-old Tony Santillan to make his MLB debut this afternoon against the Rockies. Santillan was selected in the second round of the 2015 MLB Draft as a top high school prospect. Standing 6’3″ and 240 pounds, Santillan is an imposing figure on the mound. One drawback of his build is that he has dealt with a variety of injuries throughout his time in the minors. Through six starts for Louisville this season, he has an eye-popping 45 strikeouts across 131 batters faced with just five home runs and seven other assorted extra-base hits allowed while being fully stretched out. It is always challenging trying to project how pitchers will react in their first start, but we should see 75 or 80 pitches this afternoon from the Reds No. 9 prospect.
Final Thoughts for the Sunday, June 13 MLB DFS Slate
The weather is warm across most games today and the only precipitation risk are some early-afternoon showers in Cincinnati, though they are not projected near the stadium at this time. As always, be mindful that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a home run play on Yahoo may be a below-average MLB DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.
