This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
The final weekend of August kicks off Friday. Let's make the most of it. It's a great night for DFS MLB action, with 14 games on the docket starting at 7:05 p.m. ET or later. Options abound, but I want to make things easier for you. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Gerrit Cole, NYY at OAK ($10,700): When Cole isn't pitching at a Cy Young level, it can be easy to take him for granted. However, he still has a 3.20 FIP and has struck out 11.31 batters per nine innings. Facing the Athletics, who are 29th in runs scored and team OPS, likely will lead to some Cy Young-style numbers Friday.
Justin Steele, CHC at MIL ($7,600): In his last two starts, Steele has gone six innings and not allowed an earned run. That's dropped his ERA to 3.25. Steele is also a lefty. The Brewers rely on a few lefties in their usual lineup, such as Christian Yelich and Kolten Wong. As such, they are not necessarily built for a matchup like this.
Bailey Falter, PHI vs. PIT ($6,700): I was all geared up to jump on Zach Wheeler in this matchup…and then Wheeler hit the IL with a forearm issue. The Pirates remain a team that ranks 28th in runs scored and team OPS. Falter is not Wheeler, but is he a potential value? Well, in his return to the rotation he went six innings and only allowed one run. His previous start – admittedly almost a month earlier – he only allowed two runs in six innings to these same Pirates. With this matchup, I will stick with a Phillies pitcher.
Top Targets
With a lefty on the mound, it's a great time to turn to Teoscar Hernandez ($5,000). Since 2020, he's posted an 1.047 OPS against southpaws. Reid Detmers' 4.21 FIP is not terrible, but he's a left-handed pitcher, and that's enough for me.
A key piece of the Francisco Lindor trade, Andres Gimenez ($4,900), is already one of the best second basemen in MLB, arguably even the best. He's slashed .306/.371/.496 with 15 homers and 15 stolen bases. Logan Gilbert's ERA has dropped by more than a run, but his FIP has risen from 3.72 to 3.77. He also has a 7.97 ERA over his last four starts.
Bargain Bats
With all the big names in San Diego, you can overlook Ha-Seong Kim ($4,300). However, versus lefties, he has an .830 OPS, and on the road he has a .778 OPS as well. He benefits from being away from Petco. The lefty Brady Singer has a 5.36 ERA at home, so Kim will be in his element.
The lack of power for Harold Castro ($2,000) is a concern at his position, but he's hit .280 and has a career .288 average. He is a lefty as well, and will face right-hander Glenn Otto on Friday. In his MLB career, Otto has posted a 6.83 ERA at home, and he's only struck out 6.75 batters per nine innings as well.
Stacks to Consider
Mets vs. Rockies (Chad Kuhl): Pete Alonso ($5,300), Jeff McNeil ($4,300), Daniel Vogelbach ($3,800)
Perhaps you aren't surprised that after joining the Rockies, Kuhl has a 5.16 ERA and has allowed 1.49 homers per nine innings. However, on the road he has a 6.08 ERA and has given up 1.7 home runs per nine innings. It's not about Coors, it's about bad pitching. That means this is a great stack, even in the Big Apple.
Alonso has suffered a bit of a power outage recently, but he still has 31 homers and has slugged .520. Plus, he has a .902 OPS at home. On the flip side of Alonso, McNeil isn't necessarily known for power, but he's slugged .613 over the last three weeks. The lefty also has an .851 OPS against righties this season. Vogelbach is purely for matchups with righties, but against a homer-prone right-hander, he provides upside on the value front. This year he's slashed .268/.380/.537 against righties, and all 16 of his homers have come in those matchups.
Astros vs. Orioles (Kyle Bradish): Yordan Alvarez ($5,600), Alex Bregman ($4,800), Kyle Tucker ($4,600)
The Astros provide a high-salary stack, but there were really no options otherwise. Houston is currently quite top heavy, with several lower-salary options cold, injured or struggling at home on the season. Hey, Bradish has a 6.25 ERA and has allowed 1.88 home runs per nine innings. Sometimes, even a high-salary stack can provide value.
Alvarez has not hit a home run in a while, but he's hit 31 this season anyway. On top of that, he has an 1.053 OPS versus righties. Bregman has a .997 OPS at home. Also, Bradish has allowed righties to hit a whopping .357 against him, which would win you a batting title. Tucker brings you 22 home runs but also 19 stolen bases. Additionally, since 2020 he has a .908 OPS against right-handed pitchers.
Phillies vs. Pirates (Bryse Wilson): Kyle Schwarber ($5,800), J.T. Realmuto ($5,700), Bryson Stott ($4,000)
For the second season in a row, Wilson is going to finish with a FIP over 5.00. In fact, he has a career 5.35 FIP. I had to get two lefties in this stack, because since 2020, southpaws have hit .308 against Wilson.
Schwarber is one of my two southpaws, and he's cranked 35 home runs this year. Wilson has allowed 1.71 homers per nine innings in his career, so when these two meet, it could lead to a ball soaring over the fence. Realmuto is a righty, but he's also a catcher who has hit .273 with 14 home runs and 15 stolen bases. If that wasn't enough, he has an 1.101 OPS over the last three weeks. The rookie Stott took some time to get going, but over the last three weeks he has a .916 OPS. He also seems to prefer his home park, where he has a .784 OPS.
