Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for 07/02/2017

*Mike Barner*

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks – Sunday, July 2

Sunday is loaded with elite starting pitchers, so don’t be afraid to invest big money at the position. Put your favorite daily fantasy baseball stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

Max Scherzer vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Park – Busch Stadium

Scherzer has been lights out this season as he enters Sunday 9-4 with a 2.06 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 151 strikeouts in 113.2 innings. His current 12.0 K/9 would be the highest mark of his career. Not only are his strikeouts impressive, but he has only issued 24 walks this season. Scherzer faced the Cardinals earlier this season and allowed one run while recording 10 strikeouts over six innings. Look for him to be dominant again in this outing.

Justin Verlander vs. Cleveland Indians
Park – Comerica Park

Verlander is not having the best of seasons as he enters Sunday 5-4 with a 4.47 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. His control has been a problem as he has already walked 44 batters in 94.2 innings. By comparison, he walked 57 batters over 227.2 innings in 2016.  He did face Cleveland earlier this season and allowed two runs to go along with five strikeouts over seven innings. The key to this game is that Verlandar is a much better pitcher at home than on the road. He has a very ugly 6.22 ERA and 1.62 WHIP on the road, but a sparkling 2.45 ERA and 1.25 WHIP at home. In a day full of stud starting pitchers, Verlander looks primed for a big performance.

**OFFENSIVE STACKS**

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Kevin Gausman (Baltimore Orioles)
Park – Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Although Gausman finished 2016 with a 9-12 record, he showed plenty of promise as he had a 3.61 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 174 strikeouts in 179.2 innings. However, he has taken a big step backwards this season as the Orioles starting staff has struggled as a group. Gausman has an unsightly 6.07 ERA and 1.84 WHIP. His strikeouts are also down as he only has 67 in 86 innings. He walked only 47 batters last season, but has already walked 41 this year. Look for the Rays to take advantage of his poor performance Sunday.

Players to consider stacking: Evan Longoria, Logan Morrison and Mallex Smith

Minnesota Twins vs. Travis Wood (Kansas City Royals)
Park – Kauffman Stadium

The move to the American League has not been kind to Wood. After posting a 2.95 ERA and 1.13 WHIP for the Chicago Cubs last year, Wood has a 6.28 ERA and 1.81 WHIP this season. This will be Wood’s first start of the season and he’s not really stretched out, so don’t expect him to pitch deep into the game. Look for the Twins to feast on him early, then continue their assault on the underbelly of the Royals’ bullpen.

Players to consider stacking: Miguel Sano, Brian Dozier and Robbie Grossman