DraftKings MLB Picks For August 2

Jul 27, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers (43) delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees during the third inning at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

DraftKings MLB Picks For August 2

We have a full slate for the first time in a few days in the main tournament. A full 1/3rd of the pitchers are $9,000 or more. Who should be pay for? Let’s check out the past stats!

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NOTE: these picks are based solely on statistics. Some players have never faced their opponents, or have very little experience against them. I am not saying that none of those are good picks. The highest scorer of the day could be someone with no experience against his opponent. This is based on statistical analysis only. If you have a gut feeling, then by all means, follow that. This is not an exact science. The best lineups usually have a mix of proven stats and hot players.

Yu Darvish has only faced two current Orioles, Pedro Alvarez and Mark Trumbo. They are a combined 5-28(.179) against him with no homers and four RBI.

Lance McCullers has never faced the Blue Jays, but his high strikeout potential always makes him an enticing option. Even against an offense like the Jays. His strikeouts should counteract any runs he gives up.

Sean Manaea has never faced the Angels, but he has turned in four straight quality starts. Can he make it five?

Dylan Bundy dominated the Rangers in three innings of relief back on June 20th, allowing just one hit. Can he continue that dominance as a starter?

Robbie Ray has never faced the Nationals, but right handers have hit 13 homers against him with a .280 average and .805 OPS. The bad news for Ray is that the Nationals have right handed power.

The Cardinals are 1-10 career against Dan Straily. The one hit is a homer by Matt Holliday.

Zach Eflin pitched well against the Giants back on June 24, giving up one unearned run on five hits in six innings, but he only struck out one. That gives him no room for error.

For you first time players, if you would like $25 worth of free entry tickets, use this link for the referral bonus! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn that $25 into more!

Next: Pitcher Picks

Jul 22, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) delivers a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Best Bets:

Jose Fernandez ($12,700): Fernandez was hit hard by the Cardinals in his last start, but it’t hard to ignore his history against the Cubs. The Cubbies are hitting just .154 against Fernandez in 39 at bats with only one extra base hit (a Jason Heyward double) and one run while striking out a staggering 18 times. An innings limit has come up, so if this game gets out of hand either way, don’t expect to see Fernandez out there late in the game. These stats suggest that he will be dominant while he is in there though.

Gerrit Cole ($9,000): Cole was brilliant in his last outing. giving up just three hits and a run (on 93 pitches!) in a complete game against Seattle. The Braves have a worse offense that that. Atlanta is hitting just .163 against Cole in 43 at bats with just one run, but they have struck out just eight times. Cole never has elite strikeout totals, but he may look elite against this offense. At this price, he is a great investment.

Zach Davies ($9,900): This is a small sample size, but the Padres are just 4-26(.154) with a homer (by Brett Wallace) and two runs with an impressive eight strikeouts. An already below average offense got weaker at the deadline. Davies looks like a really good option at that price.

Honorable Mention:

Madison Bumgarner ($13,000): It’s easy to forget just how good MadBum is with Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer dominating the conversation. Bumgarner is 10-6 with a 2.09 ERA and is facing the Phillies. The same team that is hitting just .217 off of him in 92 at bats with three homers and seven runs. He has also racked up 29 strikeouts. He is likely worth the premium price tonight.

Masahiro Tanaka ($9,700): The Mets are hitting just .206 against Tanaka in 68 at bats with two homers and six runs to go with 17 strikeouts. However, both of the homers are from players currently on the DL (Jose Reyes and Lucas Duda). The Mets have had problems scoring runs lately. Will new acquisition Jay Bruce, who has never faced Tanaka, help jump-start them? I still trust Tanaka here.

Adam Wainwright ($8,100): Wainwright is no stranger to the Reds. The are hitting a modest .231 against him, but they have just two homers and 12 RBI in 173 at bats. The 42 strikeouts are a solid total, and Wainwright has bordered on dominant lately. He is one of the safer plays of the day, albeit with a little less upside.

Dark Horses:

Matt Andriese ($7,900): The Royals are just 9-51(.176) lifetime against Andriese with only one extra base hit (a Paulo Orlando double) and two runs to go with ten strikeouts. The Royals offense is still rather beat up. Andriese is a strong candidate for a good game, but he has not thrown more than 50 pitches in a game since late June. He likely wont be able to go very deep in this one, which really limits his upside.

Yordano Ventura ($7,700): The Rays were dominated by his teammate Danny Duffy last night. It may happen again tonight. The Rays are just 6-37(.162) with a homer, four RBI, and 16 strikeouts against Ventura. His 4.88 ERA on the season will scare some off, but this is one of the few instances that I would consider using Ventura. Especially after the events of last night.

Next: Who Are The Best Stacks?

Jul 24, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) rounds the bases after hitting a three run home run in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

You have heard our FanDuel experts Matt Rogers and Brian Tulloch talk about “stacking” pieces of a lineup against certain pitchers. Here are the stacks that could work well on DraftKings today, based on past statistics.

Jason Hammel‘s ERA has been rising steadily, and the Marlins have hit him pretty well. You may want to consider a stack here. Chris Johnson ($2,200) is 3-5 with a double and two RBI. Martin Prado ($3,800) is 7-22(.318) with a walk, a double, a homer, and three RBI against Hammel. Giancarlo Stanton ($4,400) is 7-18(.389) with two doubles, a homer, and two RBI. Ichiro Suzuki ($3,600) is 8-26(.308) with two walks and two RBI against Hammel. He is also just two hits shy of 3,000. Can he get it here? Christian Yelich ($4,700) is 4-12 with a double and a solo homer against Hammel.

Jose Abreu ($3,600) is 8-14(.571) with two walks, two doubles, two homers, and seven RBI against Anibal Sanchez. Melky Cabrera ($3,800) is 15-34(.441) with a double, a triple, and five RBI. Adam Eaton ($4,300) is 6-14(.429) with a walk, two homers, and five RBI. Avisail Garcia ($3,000) is 3-12 with a pair of RBI. Justin Morneau ($3,200) is 7-25(.280) with a walk, two doubles, and two RBI. Stacking against Sanchez looks like a great idea right now.

You may want to roll out a few Rockies at Coors Field, even against someone like Brandon McCarthy. They are hitting .329 against him as a team. Nolan Arenado ($5,300) is 3-10 with two solo homers against McCarthy. Charlie Blackmon ($5,000) is 5-10 with a walk, but has no counting stats. Carlos Gonzalez ($5,200) is 4-13(.308) with a walk and three RBI. Nick Hundley ($3,300) is 6-15 with a walk, a homer, and three RBI. Mark Reynolds ($3,800) is 2-6 with three walks and a double, but no counting stats.

You may want to stack Tigers against James Shields despite his recent resurgence. MIguel Cabrera ($5,400) is 22-60(.367) with six walks, nine doubles, three homers, and nine RBI. Victor Martinez ($3,600) is 14-49(.286) with a walk, four doubles, a homer, and six RBI. Ian Kinsler ($4,300) is only 14-56(.250) but he has four walks, two doubles, four homers, and six RBI against Shields. Cameron Maybin ($3,900) is 5-15 with a walk and two RBI against Shields. Mike Aviles ($2,500) is worth using if he plays. Aviles is 10-39(.256) with a walk, a double, two homers, and three RBI off Shields. Stay away from Nick Castellanos. He is just 1-16(.063) off of James Shields.

Yes! Stack Astros against R.A. Dickey. Carlos Gomez ($3,200) is 7-13(.538) with a homer and two RBI against Dickey. Jake Marisnick ($3,500) is 3-7 with a homer and two RBI against Dickey. George Springer ($5,000) is 2-4 with a walk and a solo homer. Jose Altuve ($5,600) is only 4-20, but he has a double, a homer, and three RBI. And he crushes right handed pitching. Just ask Allan Morancie

Next: More Notes For 8-2

Jul 31, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager (5) run in a three run home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

Whomever the Philles go with at catcher, you can too. Carlos Ruiz is 6-17 against Madison Bumgarner with two doubles, a homer, and two RBI. Cameron Rupp is 1-3 with a two run homer off MadBum.

Gregory Polanco ($5,100) is 1-2 with a two run homer against Mike Foltynewicz. Starling Marte ($5,300) is 1-2 with a pair of RBI.

Mark Teixeira ($3,000) is 2-5 with a walk, two homers, and four RBI against Jacob deGrom, and he is super cheap. Jacoby Ellsbury ($3,200) is 2-6 with a double and a solo homer against deGrom.

Robinson Cano ($4,200) is 21-74(.284) with three walks, three doubles, a triple, a homer, and 11 RBI against David Price. Nelson Cruz ($4,700) is 9-25(.360) with two walks, two homers, and four RBI against Price.

Adrian Gonzalez ($4,600) is 4-9 with a homer and three RBI against Jon Gray. Corey Seager ($5,400) is 5-6 with a walk, a double, and two RBI against Gray. Justin Turner ($5,000) is 3-9 with a double and two RBI against Gray.

Brandon Phillips ($3,000) is 18-59(.305) with four walks, three doubles, a homer, and five RBI against Adam Wainwright.

Lonnie Chisenhall ($3,600) is 5-15 with a double and three RBI against Kyle Gibson. Jason Kipnis ($5,200) is 7-13(.538) with six walks, two doubles, and a solo homer. Carlos Santana ($4,600) is only 3-19(.158) against Gibson, but he has two walks, two homers and five RBI.

The still struggling Billy Butler ($2,700) is 5-14(.357) with three walks, a double, and two RBI against Matt Shoemaker. Khris Davis ($3,600) is 2-3 with a solo homer against Shoemaker. Marcus Semien ($2,700) is 5-15 with two walks, two doubles, and a solo homer.

While most of the league has had a problem with Carlos Carrasco this year, Joe Mauer ($3,800) continues to hit him well. Mauer is 9-19(.474) with two walks, two doubles, a homer, and two RBI. Brian Dozier ($4,200) is only 3-18*.167), but he has a walk, two homers, and four RBI.

Kevin Kiermaier ($3,300) is 2-3 with a walk, a homer, and four RBI against Yordano Ventura. He is the only current Ray to drive in a run against Ventura!

David Ortiz ($4,900) is 2-2 with a double and a pair of RBI against Wade LeBlanc. Aaron Hill ($2,400) is only 2-10 against LeBlanc, but he has a double, a homer, and two RBI.

Be sure to check out the FanDuel picks from out experts in that area! Brian Tulloch provides the picks, while Matt Rogers tells you where to save in his FanDuel Economics articles. Don’t play FanDuel without them!

Next: DFS Strategy - Take Your Game to the Next Level

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball!