The featured slate over at DraftKings consists of 13 of the 15 games on tap for the day. So, the main focus of this article will be on those games. Best of luck whatever way you construct your lineup today!
Starting Pitchers
Somehow it’s Aaron Nola ($10,400) at the top of the board among the starting options today. He has been incredibly inconsistent all season long but does have a track record of shutting down the Cardinals. They own a .242 xwOBA and 25.2% K% in 103 plate appearances against him. He fired seven innings of one-hit, scoreless ball with nine strikeouts against them on 8/27.
Justin Steele ($10,100) also recently faced his opponent and shut down Arizona across his seven frames allowing just one run while striking out six. He should be able to keep them in check once again considering they have an 84 wRC+ (23rd) against lefties dating back to the start of August. For as good as George Kirby ($9,500) has been this season, pitching on the road at Dodger Stadium is not a spot I want to be backing him in.
Facing the Orioles isn’t necessarily a good spot either, but I would risk it with Zach Eflin ($9,300) who has found success against Baltimore’s roster in the past. They have a .254 xwOBA in 69 plate appearances against him. Whenever Hunter Greene ($9,100) is on the mound, plenty of strikeouts are on the horizon. He faces the Mets who have the t-7th highest K% (25.1%) against righties over the past 30 days. Greene makes for an interesting high-upside play per usual if he commands his stuff well the way he did last start against St. Louis.
Far and away the best play on the board, though, has to be Tarik Skubal ($9,000) taking on this anemic Angels offense. They own a 73 wRC+ (4th worst) against lefties since the start of August. Skubal and his heater have been elite, and in his 12 starts, he ranks in the 99th percentile in xFIP & xERA, and 95th percentile in K% & CSW%.
In the opposite dugout to Skubal is another solid option in Griffin Canning ($8,200). The Tigers have the 2nd worst K% (27.4%) against righties since 8/1 and Canning has been a punchout machine. He struck out eight Detroit batters in five innings on 7/25 and ranks in the 94th percentile in CSW% on the year.
Logan Webb ($8,600) is an interesting play considering how bad the Rockies always are, but it is Coors Field so proceed with caution if you do start him. One value starter that could definitely come through is Wade Miley ($7,000) squaring off against the Nationals. They refuse to hit lefties and own a 55 wRC+ (dead-last) over the past 30 days. Washington is also hyper-aggressive at the dish and averages the fewest pitches per plate appearance, so Miley could potentially work deep into this game.
Bats
Picking what bats to target is always a struggle in my opinion. There’s so much variance around batters. They can hit one on the screws and it will lead to nothing, and that’s why I tend to stay away from wagering on batters props. Let’s find a few offenses worth stacking today.
Anybody in the Astros lineup is worth playing as they square up against Zack Greinke and the Royals. They have the best wRC+ (139) against right-handed pitching over the past 30 days and should have no problems generating runs against Greinke. José Abreu ($3,900) and Michael Brantley ($4,200) are the best bargain bats in their lineup with familiarity facing Greinke in the past.
Philadelphia has been mashing lefties for a while now, which does not bode well for Zack Thompson. They have the 3rd best wRC+ (129) over the last 30 days against Southpaws and no one has been hotter at the plate than Trea Turner ($6,200) as of late. Nick Castellanos ($4,800) always hits lefties well and is a solid look to add with Turner if you have the capital to do so.
The Twins continue to rake as well and face Jesse Scholtens and the White Sox bullpen. Royce Lewis ($4,900) has been the hottest hitter in their lineup lately, and you can pair him with some inexpensive options like Willi Castro ($3,100), Max Kepler ($3,800), and various other names depending if they are in the lineup or not.
Lastly, the Padres squaring off against the lefty Sean Newcomb who was just recalled from AAA looks like a solid look. He likely won’t work very deep into the game and the Oakland bullpen has been atrocious all season long. Xander Bogaerts ($4,600) is at a palatable price for the kind of production he has put up over the past 15 days. Garrett Cooper ($2,600) is interesting if he’s in the lineup, due to his splits against Southpaws, and Luis Campusano ($3,200) has been hitting well for a catcher as of late as well.