Sunday, June 27, is a front-loaded schedule with 11 games on the main slate and only two afternoon games taking place on the West Coast. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks for pitchers and stacks for Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy baseball lineups.
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MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks, Sunday, June 27
Yahoo Stack of the Day: San Francisco Giants vs. LHP Cole Irvin — 4.6 implied runs
In a unique twist as of Sunday morning, it looks like Yahoo is going to focus on the afternoon games and Sunday Night Baseball for their main slate. It continues to be a cool early summer in San Francisco, with game-time temperatures barely touching 60 degrees for this 1 o’clock local start. Cole Irvin has been solid but unspectacular this season, and he is worth targeting given there are just six teams in the player pool. Today will mark his 35th MLB appearance, and he has become a low-strikeout southpaw who limits power and pitches to contact. The main vulnerability of Irvin is that he has nearly an 80% contact rate and just a 37% groundball rate. If he can keep the opposition from stringing together hits, he is just fine. If not, in six of his 15 starts he has allowed at least four runs.
The Giants will be loading up the top of their order with righties. Wilmer Flores is the most notable name, though the stats for Austin Slater and Darin Ruff are excellent against opposite-handed pitchers. Additionally, though it is a lefty/lefty matchup, Mike Yastrzemski has tallied a .227 ISO when facing lefties for his career. Though they will likely be at the bottom of the order, Donovan Solano and Mauricio Dubon are solid differentiation plays with the platoon advantage.
Main Slate
Cincinnati Reds vs. LHP Kyle Muller — 5.4 implied runs
Absolutely look to the Blue Jays in yet another cherry matchup against a subpar Baltimore pitcher and a beleaguered bullpen. However, they do not need their own section. Instead, this column will focus on the Reds, who have an intriguing matchup against rookie Kyle Muller making his second career start. Muller was a second-round selection out of high school in the 2016 MLB Draft. With the pandemic last year, he did not have the opportunity to get any live action under his belt. This year he was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett, and while he had 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings, the lack of seasoning is not going to do him any favors against the Reds.
It is going to be warm in Cincinnati this afternoon, with game-time temperatures approaching 90 degrees. The Reds are likely to roll out a right-heavy lineup, which will provide DFS options at a variety of salary levels. The priority plays are Nick Castellanos, who will be in the heart of the order, and Tyler Stephenson, who will help on sites requiring a catcher. Though this has been a dreadful season for Eugenio Suarez, it is hard to ignore his 49 home runs back in 2019. While Aristides Aquino is a disaster in the field and a veritable wind machine in the batter’s box, he can pay off his salary with one swing of the bat.
Mid-Afternoon Slate
Kansas City Royals at RHP Jordan Lyles — 4.6 implied runs
Last night Kyle Gibson allowed just two hits and had 10 strikeouts across seven innings. Today the Royals will be facing Jordan Lyles, who throws beachballs by comparison. On a positive note, Lyles did not allow a home run in his last start. However, his 16 home runs are the fourth most in MLB. Through four June starts he has been mediocre at best, with a 4.64 ERA being incredibly lucky considering he is allowing two baserunners per inning and striking out a hitter every other inning.
This is a terrific matchup for both Jorge Soler and Hunter Dozier, who are free-swingers with light-tower power when they actually connect. The funny thing about Lyles is that he does not pitch to contact; he is just incapable of missing bats. Looking to the top of the order, Carlos Santana, Salvador Perez and Ryan O’Hearn are the trio to target ,and their collective salary cap hit can be mitigated with Soler or Dozier.
Whit Merrifield leads the league in stolen bases, and Lyles’ eight allowed on the season is among the worst for starting pitchers. The Texas catchers are doing their battery mates no favors, as they are among the least effective in the league at throwing out base stealers.
Spotlight Pitchers
Top Target: RHP: Max Scherzer at Miami Marlins — 2.8 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo N/A | FanDuel $11,200 | DraftKings $10,700
There is no shortage of top-tier pitching on Sunday and we have plenty of options to choose from. Max Scherzer returned from a brief stay on the injured list for a sore groin, though he had a 106-pitch outing against Philadelphia, striking out eight and holding them to one run across five frames. The Marlins are not a daunting offense, and while Jesus Aguilar or Adam Duvall could run into one, this is a favorable matchup for Scherzer.
Secondary Target: RHP Sandy Alcantara vs. Washington Nationals — 3.2 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo N/A | FanDuel $9,600 | DraftKings $8,600
Other than Kyle Schwarber, who is in supernova mode right now with a .491 ISO and 13 home runs over his last 61 plate appearances, the Nationals lineup is not particularly threatening this season. Trea Turner has been solid and Josh Bell was a nice offseason acquisition, but Juan Soto has taken three steps back. After those four, the remainder of the lineup is replacement-level at best.
Sandy Alcantara is putting everything together this season. Across 16 appearances he has a 2.93 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP, which are both top 25 marks, and he is second in MLB with six starts. Only twice this season has Alcantara failed to close out the sixth inning, and he is regularly throwing 95 to 100 pitches per game. While the eight strikeouts per nine innings are not earthshattering, when combined with his ability to rack up outs, they make for a nice fantasy baseline.
Wild Card Option: RHP Ross Stripling vs. Baltimore Orioles — 4.3 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo N/A | FanDuel $8,000 | DraftKings $6,800
When looking for a discounted secondary pitcher on DraftKings, it is going to come down to Jake Odorizzi and Ross Stripling this afternoon. There is some weather risk in Detroit, so that points to Stripling. Through four June starts Stripling has a 3.09 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 10 strikeouts per nine innings. Although he has allowed three home runs, this has been mitigated by just six walks, which generally keeps him operating with empty bases. The Orioles have an 83 wRC+ (second worst), although they have league-average power. If Stripling can keep the bases clean, he should have a productive afternoon.
Final Thoughts for the Sunday, June 27, MLB DFS Slate
Keep an eye on the weather forecasts leading up to first pitch in the Midwest. Detroit, Minnesota and St. Louis all have precipitation risk to varying degrees. 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.
