Speed fueled the Yankees’ 8-4 win at Busch Stadium, with José Caballero igniting a decisive ninth-inning rally that turned a 4-4 deadlock into a four-run burst. A leadoff grounder, a rushed throw, and a passed ball set Caballero up for a go-ahead score, then teammates delivered unearned insurance as the Yankees swept the Cardinals. The late surge trimmed ground in the AL East and wild-card races, and New York now looks ahead to a two-game series with Tampa Bay at Steinbrenner Field, with Rodón slated to start.

Fantasy takeaway centers on Caballero’s speed and multi-position viability, plus Goldschmidt’s hot-as-ever two-way impact for St. Louis, Domínguez’s growing RBI presence for New York, and Bellinger’s continued power-and-average contribution. While Cardinals miscues plagued them, the afternoon also highlighted depth pieces like Iván Herrera and Lars Nootbaar and the evolving Yankees’ lineup that leans on speed, defense, and timely hitting to generate run-scoring opportunities.

Sunday’s nine-game MLB DFS slate centers a Cleveland Guardians stack in a favorable spot against Erick Fedde, with top-priced ace Garrett Crochet drawing heavy ownership for DraftKings and FanDuel. Will Warren provides a solid value option for NYY, while Cristian Javier and Ryan Bergert offer mid-priced upside in cash and GPP formats. Key Guardians bats—Salvador Perez, Daniel Schneemann, Josh Naylor, and José Ramírez—anchor the lineup with strong hot-streak potential and elite matchup upside. In the Yankees’ camp, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Giancarlo Stanton join Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. in a dual-threat stack against Mikolas and a struggling St. Louis bullpen. Kansas City’s Perez and Witt Jr. pace a Royals’ mini-stack against Davis Martin, with Noelvi Marte and Daniel Schneemann reinforcing the guardrails in the OF/utility spots. Stacks across Cleveland, New York, and Kansas City aim to maximize power and speed in a slate that rewards multi-position versatility and price discipline.

Chris Paddack is laser-focused on throwing first-pitch strikes, a habit he has sharpened since joining the Tigers. In three starts after the deadline deal, he’s posted an 83.1% first-pitch strike rate, anchoring Detroit’s plan to chase 0-1 counts and widen the two-strike window. His 76-pitch, one-run gem against Chicago illustrated the upside when he hits the zone with authority and executes with two strikes. Yet the profile also carries risk: high exit velocities on balls in play suggest occasional hard contact as aggressiveness invites loud contact.

Paddack’s 2025 line sits at a 4.76 ERA with 28 walks and 92 strikeouts over 126⅔ innings across 24 starts ( Twins and Tigers ). While eight starts have featured zero walks and a 3.74 ERA, 16 starts with at least one walk temper expectations. Tigers ESPN-favored approach centers on being ahead 0-1, then expanding the zone to pressure hitters. The blend of contact-orientation and strike-zone attack defines his fantasy trajectory: steady innings with favorable ratios when the command holds, tempered by the volatility of contact-heavy outings.

Chase Dollander returned from Triple-A Albuquerque to face the St. Louis Cardinals, delivering five innings of one-run ball with a four-pitch mix and sharp fastball command. He exited with Colorado trailing 1-0, but the Rockies finally tied it in the seventh, only to watch Miles Mikolas silences them for five frames before the bullpen implodes in a 3-2 defeat. Brendan Donovan delivered the pivotal eighth-inning two-run double for St. Louis, followed by Brenton Doyle’s two-out RBI single to push the lead. Colorado’s offense went quiet with runners in scoring position all night, extending what could become a historically painful stretch for the season.

The Rockies entered a brutal stretch, sitting at 30-88 and threatening the modern-era mark for losses. Dollander demonstrated enough command to warrant continued spot starts, but Mikolas, Donovan, and the late-game bullpen performance underscored the Cardinals’ ability to seize a game even when heavy traffic is limited. Colorado will attempt to rebound in Game 2 as the Cardinals look to capitalize on the momentum from a hard-fought series opener.

Three MLB bets headline Monday’s slate: Cardinals host Colorado with Miles Mikolas on the mound, while Chase Dollander faces the Red Birds in a card that skews toward STL’s run-line appeal. In the Boston-Houston matchup, Cristian Javier returns from Tommy John rehab for a playoff-hunting Astros squad, but Garrett Crochet has been a snapback, giving Boston a chance to keep things tight. The Pirates-Brewers clash projects more runs than a sleepy night would suggest, setting up three distinct fantasy angles: pitcher reliability, bullpen leverage, and timely offense.

Cardinals minus 1.5 looks solid given Colorado’s road woes and Mikolas’ recent form against a rebuilding lineup. Under 7.5 in Boston-Houston hinges on Javier’s readiness and Crochet’s bullpen dominance, while Over 8.5 in Milwaukee-Pittsburgh leans on Brewers’ recent scoring surge. These bets shape daily fantasy contours: target locked-in starters, hunt for cheap Cubs-like stacks in favorable matchups, and monitor bullpen setup for saves or holds.

Fantasy takeaway: lean Cardinals bats against Dollander’s early struggles, pick Astros power against a tempered Rockies lineup, and exploit Brewers’ bullpen depth for late innings. The slate rewards pitchers who command soft contact, catchers with runners, and versatile outfield stacks lighting up the scoreboard when leveraged correctly.