This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
The last weekend of June ends with 11 games on the MLB DFS docket with the first pitches at 1:35 p.m. EDT, so get your Sunday lineups in early. Here are a few lineup recommendations to help you end the month on a high note.
Pitching
Framber Valdez, HOU vs. CHC ($10,000): The Cubs have been a top offense, though Valdez has also been a top pitcher. He's truly elite at avoiding homers having allowed 0.71 per nine innings over almost 1,000 big-league innings. Valdez has also posted a 2.04 home ERA this season and an 1.89 from his last nine starts. Sometimes you just go with the ace in form even if the matchup isn't exactly easy.
Chad Patrick, MIL vs. COL ($9,100): This is the inverse of my Valdez recommendation in that it is about the opponents. Patrick does have a 3.33 ERA at home in his rookie season compared to 4.40 on the road. The Rockies rank 27th in runs scored with a .671 OPS even with the advantages of their home ballpark.
Frankie Montas, NYM at PIT ($8,400): Things went reasonably well for Montas during his first outing as he compiled five shutout innings against Atlanta with five strikeouts while allowing three hits and three walks. Sunday will be his first road start of the year, but the matchup is beneficial as the Pirates are 29th in scoring while mostly lacking in power sitting last in home runs and slugging percentage.
Find out which projected starters are going and when with RotoWire's Probable Pitchers page!
Top Targets
Juan Soto ($5,700) has been hot the last three weeks with a 1.269 OPS to go with nine homers. The lefty's OBP isn't over .400 yet, yet he's never finished a season under .400. Mike Burrows was pitching well in Triple-A, so it's not surprising he got the chance to join the Pittsburgh rotation. However, he's so far produced a 4.76 FIP and 1.78 HR/9 rate.
This hasn't been a peak Manny Machado ($5,200) campaign, though he's recorded a .928 OPS versus lefties and a .908 on the road. Nick Lodolo is left-handed, and for some reason the Reds keep giving him starts at home. Since 2023, he's managed a 2.94 ERA away with a 6.17 in Cincy. The main reason is that the Reds' ballpark is homer-friendly by reputation and Lodolo's HR/9 rate there is 2.0.
Bargain Bats
This may only be the age-24 season, it does feel like Anthony Volpe ($4,100) is plateauing. Even if that is the case, he's a shortstop with nine home runs, three triples, and eight steals while slugging .473 at home this year. Luis Severino has allowed five homers across his last four starts and we have a good idea how he pitches at Yankee Stadium since he used to regular pitch there. And in his last campaign in pinstripes during 2023, he registered a 4.87 ERA and 2.2 HR/9 rate at home.
There's a decent chance Ryan O'Hearn ($4,100) will get dealt, but he's making a case to provide the Orioles a solid return. He's fully a platoon bat, though the lefty has a .921 OPS versus right-handers. Homers have been the big issue for Taj Bradley over his career having conceded 1.56 per nine innings. And even if he has a big fastball, O'Hearn clearly has shown he can do well against righties.
Stacks to Consider
Athletics at Yankees (Marcus Stroman): Brent Rooker ($4,800), Lawrence Butler ($4,700), Nick Kurtz ($3,900)
Stroman will be making his return from the IL. He had posted an 11.57 ERA through three starts. In his first year as a Yankee, he struggled to a 5.31 at home. Stroman is a righty, and Yankee Stadium is kind to lefties. I have also included one righty in this stack as righties have gone .266 against Stroman the last couple campaigns.
The righty in question, Rooker, also boasts big-time power by reaching the 30-homer mark in each of the previous two seasons even when the Athletics were still in Oakland. Rooker is currently on 17, with 10 of them on the road. Butler has been cold, but I'm not too worried as he's notched 11 home runs and 13 stolen bases with a career .452 slugging against righties. Kurtz has the massive power that works well in Yankee Stadium and he's already dispatched 12 homers across only 45 ML games bolstered by a .596 slugging percentage against right-handed pitchers like Stroman.
Blue Jays at Red Sox (Walker Buehler): Vladimir Guerrero ($5,600), Addison Barger ($4,400), Andres Gimenez ($3,600)
A change of scenery hasn't salvaged Buehler's career. He's careening toward the end of the line in his age-30 season. Now with Boston, Buehler has produced a 6.29 ERA after a 5.38 during 2024 after missing all of the previous year due to injury. Things are getting worse as well as the former Dodger lists a 10.64 ERA and 2.27 WHIP in his last five outings. I have two Toronto lefties below as Buehler has allowed southpaws to bat .310 against since returning.
Guerrero is a righty, yet he's hot. And do you remember when he went on a sizzling run last year? He ended up with 30 homers, 44 doubles, and a .940 OPS. Guerrero has produced a .973 OPS the last three weeks and an 1.119 the last 14 days. In only 57 appearances, Barger has tallied eight homers and 18 doubles. He's been lucky and still struggles with lefties, but he's slugged .497 against righties. Gimenez isn't much of a hitter, though has four homers and nine steals and swiped 30 during the previous two seasons. He's also a lefty who plays second base, so he's worth adding to your lineups.
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