Early DraftKings MLB Picks August 4: Who Is The Best Mediocre Pitcher?

CHICAGO, IL – AUGUST 03: Paul Goldschmidt #44 of the Arizona Diamondbacks hits a three run home run in the 1st inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on August 3, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks For August 4

We are down to two afternoon games today, and the pitching options are very slim. Not one of them ranks in the top 15 on the all day slate. Who will hurt us the least? It’s hard to tell, but we have to try, right? The good thing is that pitching is so cheap that we can take just about any hitters we want!

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The money line yesterday afternoon was up to 121.55 due to the wild slugfest at Wrigley. My lineup still hit triple digits, but failed in large part because of Jose Quintana and Matt Carpenter.

The winning lineup was all the way up to 226.35 DraftKings points. He used Garza and Wacha, and had Paul Goldschimdt’s huge day. Along with that of Willson Contreras and Charlie Blackmon.

These picks are based mostly on statistical analysis . 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. Check out this post from Matt McGarvey for great tips about whether to use a hot player in DFS or not.

For you first time players, if you would like $10 worth of free entry tickets, use this link for the referral bonus! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn that $10 into more!

Next: DraftKings Early Lineup

CHICAGO, IL – JULY 24: Kyle Hendricks #28 of the Chicago Cubs pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning on July 24, 2017 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /

P: Asher Wojciechowski ($4,800): It’s not often that I forego pitching all together. I kind of did today, but there is a method to my madness. I don’t trust Roark at all, and Mike Leake has a 4.43 career ERA in 89 starts at Great American Launching Pad. You know exactly what you are getting from him. Since we are going with GPP formats, Wojciechowski is the wild card. Most will avoid him due to his 7.79 ERA as a starter. However, he has pitched well in relief, lowering his season ERA to 4.50. His home ERA is even better at 3.43 in 21 innings pitched with 25 strikeouts. The Cardinals have not scored more than five runs since July 26th, and that was against the Rockies. If you are aiming to take down a GPP today, Wojciechowski could give you the separation you need.

P: Kyle Hendricks ($7,600): I feel the need to explain why Tanner Roark isn’t on here, as if his 6.24 ERA over his last ten starts isn’t enough. Wrigley Field on a windy day is tough for anyone, but especially for a pitcher that is struggling. He simply isn’t worth the premium put on him today. I would much rather load up on bats and hope for the best. Hendricks has held the Nats to a .176 average in 51 at bats with only one homer and two RBI. He wont strike out a lot of batters, but he is still easily the safest option of the day.

C: Tucker Barnhart ($3,400): Barnhart should still be behind the plate since this isn’t really a day game. It starts at 6:40 eastern. Barnhart is 5-10 with two walks, a double, and a RBI off of Leake. Add him to my stack!

1B: Anthony Rizzo ($5,400): Rizzo is 4-15 with two homers and four RBI in his career against Roark. I may change this up a little if the wind is blowing in at Wrigley, but then again, maybe not. I don’t trust Roark right now

2B: Scooter Gennett ($4,900): Gennett is 9-32(.281) with a walk, two doubles, a homer, and four RBI in his career against Mike Leake. He has also been a significantly better hitter at home, hitting .320 with half of his homers there in 27 less at bats than road games. He also has ten more RBI at home.

3B: Kris Bryant ($4,700): Bryant is 4-8 with a solo homer against Tanner Roark. The Cubs may be low hanging fruit today, but there is nothing wrong with gorging on that once in a while.

SS: Javier Baez ($3,800): Baez may be struggling a bit lately, but he still has three homers and seven RBI in his last ten games. The power is still there, and with the wind blowing at Wrigley, that can only amplify it.

OF: Adam Duvall ($5,200): Duvall is about the only hitter that I would categorize as a must-play today. He is 11-22 with two walks, three doubles, two homers, five runs scored, and nine RBI in his career against Mike Leake. Balls could be flying all over in Cincinnati tonight. I definitely want a large piece of the Reds’ pie!

OF: Billy Hamilton ($5,300): Hamilton is really expensive, but he may just be worth it. He is 7-17(.412) with a three runs scored, a solo homer, and three steals in his career against Mike Leake. Those steals can add up quickly, as can the runs if the Reds offense does what they are capable of.

OF: Bryce Harper ($4,600): How in the world is Harper this cheap? He is 3-10 with two walks and a solo homer against Kyle Hendricks. To put this in perspective, he is only $300 more than all-or-nothing Kyle Schwarber and $400 more than the struggling Brian Goodwin. Play Harper and don’t look back!

Next: FanDuel MLB Picks and Pivots

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball, along with our PGA picks. We also have plenty of NFL stuff to get you ready for football!