Sunday Night Baseball this week features the St. Louis Cardinals visiting the Boston Red Sox to conclude their three-game set at Fenway Park. A postponement due to rain on Saturday set up a doubleheader for the teams on Sunday, and Game 2 of that doubleheader is the Sunday Night Baseball showdown contest on DraftKings. Let’s look at some overall strategy for the Cardinals vs. Red Sox MLB DFS.
The pitching matchup for Sunday Night Baseball is veteran Miles Mikolas ($10,800) against rookie Hunter Dobbins ($10,600), who will be making his MLB debut for the Red Sox. Who is Hunter Dobbins? Dobbins is a 25-year-old righty who MLB Pipeline ranked as the No. 13 overall prospect in Boston’s system. He had impressive velocity in spring training and gave up two runs in four innings with three strikeouts. He gave up three home runs and five runs in 3 2/3 innings in his first start at Triple-A this season, so there should be offense available on both sides of this showdown.
Let’s take a look at what to expect and how to attack this Cardinals vs. Red Sox MLB DFS matchup from a DraftKings Showdown perspective. Since this post is going live before Game 1 concludes, those stats are not included in the numbers listed below
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $75K Relay Throw [$20K to 1st] (STL @ BOS).
Cardinals vs. Red Sox DFS Showdown Strategy
Captain’s Pick
Lars Nootbaar ($13,200): Nootbaar has two hits in four straight games coming into Sunday’s action and is 12-for-29 (.414) to start the year with a double, two home runs and a .501 wOBA. He has typically hit leadoff for St. Louis and should be in that premium lineup spot against Hunter Dobbins in the nightcap.
Nootbaar has had trouble staying healthy for the Cards the last few seasons, but when he’s in the lineup he usually finds a way to make an impact. If we’re looking to stack bats on Sunday night, his is one of the ones with both the highest ceiling and the highest floor, and getting the extra at-bats from hitting leadoff in this Cardinals vs. Red Sox DFS Showdown doesn’t hurt at all either.
Wilyer Abreu ($12,600): Abreu is off to a scalding start for the Sox but he was scratched on Saturday and not in the lineup for Game 1 on Sunday. However, reports are that the 25-year-old lefty isn’t dealing with an injury and should be ready to roll for Game 2 on Sunday night. Abreu is a strong Captain’s Pick play to consider since he is hitting .500 (11-for-22) this season with two doubles, three home runs, a .649 wOBA and an average of 13.9 fantasy points per game. Mikolas’ splits have been pretty even the last few seassons, but lefties have had a slight advantage against him over the course of his career.
UTIL Plays
Nolan Arenado ($8,600): After rumors that the Cardinals were shopping him this offseason (including to the Red Sox), Arenado has shown he still has plenty of fuel left in the tank with a good start to the season. He went 10-for-28 (.357) in his first 28 games this season with three doubles, a home run, and six runs scored. He has at least five fantasy points in every one of his games this season and should be able to show the Red Sox young starter just how things work in the majors on Sunday night. Despite his excellent production he’s still relatively affordable.
Kristian Campbell ($6,800): Campbell has been sensational this season for the Red Sox and has become the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year Award while also securing a long-term extension. The 22-year-old wasn’t a very high draft pick but shot through the minors last season and earned a spot on the Opening Day roster with a big spring. Since the season started, he is 11-for-26 (.423) with four doubles, two home runs, a stolen base and an impressive .538 wOBA. He’s still very underpriced after delivering 12.5 fantasy points per game over his first eight games in the majors.
Pedro Pages ($5,800): With Ivan Herrera suffering an injury in Game 1, Pages could be stepping into a much more regular role or the Cardinals in the short term. The backstop has gone 4-for-10 (.400) with a double and a home run in his limited opportunities this season. He showed some solid pop with seven homers in 68 games last season, and he’s a good affordable bat to blend into your rosters on Sunday night.
Fades
Miles Mikolas ($10,800): I’m staying far away from both starting pitchers in this matchup on Sunday night. Mikolas was good in his first start of the season, giving up two runs on two hits in 5 1/3 innings against the Angels, but he only had three strikeouts to finish with 11.6 fantasy points in the no-decision. Mikolas doesn’t have a lot of strikeout upside and pitches to way too much contact to be a strong fantasy option. The Red Sox bats have been inconsistent this season but woke up to score 21 runs in their last two games before Sunday’s action. This definitely feels like a place to bulk up on big bats and fade both Mikolas and Hunter Dobbins as pay-up options on Sunday Night Baseball.
THE OUTCOME
Both teams will be playing their second game of the day which could lead to stretched-thin bullpens and more work for the starters, both of whom have been shaky. I expect plenty of offense even though it will be a little cold at Fenway and not quite the hitters’ haven that it can be in the summer.
The Cardinals’ offense has been good this season, and I don’t have much faith in Hunder Dobbins going deep into this game. While there should be good fantasy production on both sides, I think the Cardinals take Sunday night’s win on the road.
Final Score: Cardinals 9, Red Sox 5
