Covering The Bases: MLB DFS Picks Today for Sunday 6/8

by Justin Van Zuiden (stlcardinals84) Last Updated 2025-06-08 16:01:58 Premium Content Part of the product MLB DFS

Long-time grinder, Justin Van Zuiden (aka stlcardinals84), is here to cover the bases for the upcoming MLB DFS slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Whether you are looking for the top pitchers or the best stacks, Cards has you covered with an extensive deep dive into his favorite MLB DFS picks.

Happy Sunday, Grinders! This Sunday brings us a 9-game main slate on DraftKings, while FanDuel has added the NYM/COL game to their slate. That gives us a 10-game slate over there. At first glance, this is a difficult slate to break down. It’s not necessarily a “bad” slate, but we don’t have a deep slate for pitching, and we have weather concerns to monitor.

We definitely need to keep an eye on the weather this afternoon, as both the PHI/PIT and TEX/WSH games have “ORANGE” ratings as of the early morning hours. I am going to write the article as though both games play cleanly, but this needs to be monitored closely, especially with Paul Skenes pitching. Be sure to keep tabs on any updates by using our MLB weather page to make sure you are up to date before lineups lock.

Let’s dig in and see what this Sunday has to offer!

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Sunday Pitching: MLB DFS Picks on FanDuel & DraftKings

TOP TIER PITCHING

Paul Skenes vs. Phillies (weather pending)
Joe Ryan vs. Blue Jays
Jack Flaherty vs. Cubs
Cristopher Sanchez vs. Pirates (weather pending)

This is not a deep pitching slate, and it becomes even more difficult if the PHI/PIT game gets washed away due to rain. Before I get into the analysis, let’s start with a look at the 2025 data for this quartet:

Skenes – 2.05 ERA, 3.03 xFIP, 26.6% K, 5.9% BB
Ryan – 2.91 ERA, 3.69 xFIP, 28.4% K, 4.5% BB
Flaherty – 3.72 ERA, 3.41 xFIP, 28.8% K, 7.6% BB
Sanchez – 3.15 ERA, 3.13 xFIP, 26.4% K, 9.3% BB

All of these pitchers have solid numbers on the season, and Paul Skenes has looked sharper in his last couple of starts. He has a 15/1 K/BB ratio in those outings, and he draws a matchup against a Phillies team that has lost 8 of their last 9 games and is staring down a potential sweep at the hands of the Pirates. That’s not where you want to be with Skenes as the opposing pitcher. While the Phillies have a reputation as a dangerous offense, they have really scuffled of late. The bottom part of the order does not put much fear into an opposing pitcher, and Skenes is as matchup-proof as they come. Bryce Harper is on the injured list again, making the lineup even worse as a whole. The biggest concern is the weather. If that holds off, he’s my SP1 today.

Cristopher Sanchez isn’t too far behind Skenes. The Pirates rank 26th in team wOBA and ISO and have the 3rd-highest strikeout rate against LHP this season, so the matchup is great for Sanchez. He has the 2nd-best xFIP of these starters behind only Skenes, and he comes at a cheaper salary tag. Once again, the biggest concern is mother nature.

If all matchups were created equally, we would also have Joe Ryan and Jack Flaherty in the same mix. However, Ryan has to face a hot Blue Jays team that has won 9 of their last 10 games and ranks 2nd in the league in team wOBA and 3rd in team ISO over the last couple weeks. Flaherty has to face a Cubs team that has one of the best offenses in baseball. These pitchers do have higher strikeout rates than both Skenes and Sanchez, and I am happy to pivot this way in some GPP builds- and perhaps even in some cash game builds should weather impact the game in Pittsburgh. I’ll give the edge to Ryan with his strong command, and I’ll take a pitcher against the Blue Jays over one against the Cubs even though the Blue Jays have been rolling of late.

In short, we need to keep a close eye on the weather in Pittsburgh before we make any final decisions with the ace tier.

SECONDARY PITCHING OPTIONS

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