Early DraftKings MLB Picks August 5: Stack Nationals Against John Lackey!

CHICAGO, IL – AUGUST 04: Daniel Murphy #20 of the Washington Nationals rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning at Wrigley Field on August 4, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks For August 5

We are back up to three afternoon games today. Yesterday’s early slate makes this one look like the All Star game. Is it another day to stack bats and hope for the best, or should we pay up for a couple of arms? Let’s check out some stats!

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The money line yesterday afternoon was down to 92.95 DraftKings points. I hit on my pitchers, but my Cubs stack failed.

The winning lineup was at a very modest 143.7 DraftKings points The two homer game by Daniel Murphy gave enough separation, as did a nice game from Kendrick again.

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

LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 06: Rich Hill #44 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches to the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Dodger Stadium on July 6, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

P: Rich Hill ($12,000): Hill is not only the best starter of the afternoon, he is likely the best starter of the entire day. He did not allow more than two runs in a game in the month of July, and has a nice matchup with the Mets to kick off his August. The blister issues seem to be behind him, but the Dodgers also are not pushing him deep into games. With that bullpen, they don’t need to. He struck out 40 in 31 innings in the month of July, so he can still rack up points in a hurry.

P: Alex Cobb ($7,100): Don’t let the prices fool you. Cobb is only this cheap because he got thumped by Houston in his last start. Look a little closer and you will see that he has a stellar 2.59 ERA in nine home starts. Cobb wont rack up the strikeouts, but he could see a few extra today against the free-swinging Brewers.

C: Matt Wieters ($2,300): It still feels stranger seeing Wieters this cheap. Sure, he is slumping a little, but .212 over the last ten games is hardly worthy of panicking. John Lackey has a 4.87 ERA, and the ERA is within 0.05 between the home and road splits. It doesn’t matter where Lackey is, he has been hittable. And the Nationals are one of the most potent teams in the league. This could be a big game for Nats bats, and Wieters is priced to buy.

1B: Cody Bellinger ($5,000): The whole Dodger team has a great matchup today. Seth Lugo has been serviceable at home, but facing a team like the Dodgers is tough on anyone. CitiField is not what you would call small, but 30 homers is not a fluke. Can you imagine what his numbers would look like if he had been in the majors from the start of the season? Bellinger’s quest for 40 will continue against Lugo, and there is a pretty good chance that he gets one here.

2B: Javier Baez ($4,400): Edwin Jackson has actually been solid for the Nationals so far this year. I will counteract that by taking cheap Cubs instead of stacking the expensive ones. Baez has three homers in his last six games, and a clear path to playing time now that Addison Russell is on the DL. I would much rather pay for Nats against Lackey.

3B: Anthony Rendon ($4,800): Rendon is 3-9 with two walks, a double, two solo homers, and three RBI in his career against John Lackey. When you add that to the fact that Lackey is having arguably the worst season of his career, Rendon looks like a very strong play regardless of what the wind is doing.

SS: Adeiny Hechavarria ($2,500): This is punt play, pure and simple. If someone else in my price range gets a spot start tomorrow, I will pivot to him without thinking twice.

OF: Bryce Harper ($4,800): I asked this yesterday, and it holds true again today. How is Harper this cheap? He was $5,400 or more for all three games in Miami, a noted pitcher’s park. He is $600 less at Wrigley, a stadium that Paul Goldschmidt reiterated just how small it is on Thursday. Harper had two hits yesterday against a solid pitcher. What will he do against a struggling one?

OF: Howie Kendrick ($4,000): Kendrick is 10-21 with a homer, a steal, four runs scored, and two RBI since his arrival in Washington. He should have no issues keeping that hot streak going against Lackey this afternoon.

OF: Jon Jay ($3,000): Jon Jay is quietly hitting .300 on the season while playing almost exclusively against right handed pitching. He really has little power potential, but I am looking for cheap points this afternoon. He is in a good spot to provide that.

Next: DraftKings MLB Main Slate Picks

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!