MLB

FanDuel MLB Sunday Night Baseball Single-Game Helper: 8/25/19

Austan Kas  —  @AustanKas Aug 25th, 2019
We've got a pretty solid pitching battle tonight as Clayton Kershaw and Domingo German take the hill. Which hitters can deliver in spite of the tough matchup?

FanDuel's single-game slates are a great way to make any MLB matchup more exciting, and FanDuel is offering single-game contests for the Sunday Night Baseball clash each week. What better way to wrap up the MLB week than to play a little DFS on Sunday night?

Single-game contests are a different beast. You have $35,000 to fill out a five-man lineup. There are no positional requirements, but there are three utility spots, one All-Star slot, and an MVP position. The player you put in the MVP spot has his points multiplied by two while the All-Star position gets his points multiplied by 1.5. The three utility places are scored like normal.

This Sunday's game features the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers in one of this season's showcase matchups. It'll be Domingo German and Clayton Kershaw on the bump, which doesn't bode well for either offense as both guys have been good in 2019. Our models project a low-scoring win for LA by a total of 4.35-3.72. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EST.

Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers ($10,000)

This is a pretty fun slate with a bunch of top-shelf bats. The only problem is the pitchers are good, too, and our models project just a shade more than eight runs to be scored in this one. We do, however, favor the Dodgers, pegging them to plate 4.35 runs, and German has been worse against lefties, allowing a .314 wOBA and 42.9% fly-ball rate in the split, compared to a .293 wOBA and 34.5% fly-ball rate to right-handed hitters.

When targeting lefties on LA, Cody Bellinger has to be at the forefront of our mind. Dude has been incredible this year, and he's crushed righties for a .431 wOBA, 50.6% hard-hit rate and 43.0% fly-ball rate. He's been lights out at home, logging a .437 wOBA, 54.5% hard-hit rate and 44.7% fly-ball rate at Dodger Stadium. His ceiling is through the roof.

Max Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers ($9,000)

Max Muncy is another lefty bat for the Dodgers, and he owns a .374 wOBA, 44.6% hard-hit rate and 40.1% fly-ball rate with the platoon advantage. He's also been outstanding in lefty-lefty matchups, holding a .379 wOBA in the split, so he isn't at risk for an in-game removal, something we can say for only a few Dodgers.

Aaron Judge, New York Yankees ($8,000)

Aaron Judge is starting to find his power stroke, going deep three times in his last five games. Kershaw is having a great season, but Judge has mauled lefties this year for a .459 wOBA and 65.3% hard-hit rate. Like Bellinger, Judge offers monster upside.

Cameron Maybin, New York Yankees ($6,000)

We're going to have to plug in a value play or two on this slate, and Cameron Maybin has been playing regularly against lefties. He's got a 48.8% fly-ball rate in the split and hit eighth the last time the Yanks faced a southpaw.

Matt Beaty, Los Angeles Dodgers ($5,000)

Matt Beaty is far from a lock to be in the lineup, but there's a chance he fills in for someone with a righty on the bump. Beaty has been pretty great over his first 192 MLB plate appearances, putting up a .354 wOBA and 43.2% hard-hit rate while striking out just 13.0% of the time. Beaty not playing in an everyday role is more about the Dodgers' superb depth than it is anything negative on Beaty's end. Beaty has played almost exclusively against righties, posting a .383 wOBA in the split, so if he does start, he'd be at risk of being pinch-hit for if he came up against a southpaw later in the game.