Early DraftKings MLB Picks August 13: Pay For Kluber Over Scherzer

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – AUGUST 9: Andrew Benintendi #16 of the Boston Red Sox hits a single off of pitcher Jake Odorizzi of the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a game on August 9, 2017 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks For August 13

10 of the 15 games are in the early DraftKings tournament today. There are two aces and a lot of good pitching options out there tonight, but there may be better ones in the middle of the pack. Let’s check out some stats to see where we should spend our $60,000 cap!

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The money line yesterday afternoon was at 118.85. Paying for pitching didn’t pay off as Severino was roughed up by the Red Sox, and I stacked the Rays, who got shut out.

The winning lineup was up to 236.35 DraftKings points. He used both pitchers from the Rays/Indians game and has huge games from Andrew Benintendi, Joe Mauer, James McCann, and Justin Upton.

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

ATLANTA, GA – AUGUST 09: Odubel Herrera #37 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts after hitting a triple and scoring on a throwing error by Ozzie Albies #1 of the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at SunTrust Park on August 9, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

P: Corey Kluber ($13,500): Kluber is in the pitcher’s haven known as Tropicana Field, where he has a 3.22 career ERA in three starts. The Rays are hitting .246 against him in 122 at bats, but most of the damage was done by Trevor Plouffe in a different uniform. It may as well have been in a different universe. Plouffe is hitting just .209 this year, and .200 over the last ten games. Kluber is the best play of the day. As if the 37.1 DraftKings points per game that he has averaged over the last ten games isn’t enough to convince you. And if that still isn’t enough, the Rays have been shut out in both games of the series and five times in the last eight games.

P: Zach Eflin ($4,800): Eflin has held the Mets to a .161 average in 31 at bats with only a solo homer by Curtis Granderson to show for it. Eflin wont strike out many, but against a Mets lineup that gets weaker by the day (no really….it does. Neil Walker was dealt to the Brewers), he is too cheap not to notice. Eflin was strong in a great hitter’s park against Atlanta his last time out. They have more power than the Mets do.

C: Jorge Alfaro ($2,800): Chris Flexen has an abysmal 8.49 ERA in his first three major league starts, and he gets to go to a very hitter-friendly venue. Alfaro is likely to give Cameron Rupp a breather today. You know my favorite afternoon catcher is the backup against the worst pitcher on the last. That wheel lands on Alfaro today.

1B: Rhys Hoskins ($3,400): Hoskins has reached base in two of three games so far, but the power that was on display in AAA all year has yet to appear. That said, The Phillies believe it’s there because they have been using him in the cleanup slot. A date with Flexen could kick-start his power at the major league level.

2B: Jose Altuve ($5,700): Do I really need a reason to use Altuve? Okay, if you insist. He is 6-12 with two doubles, four runs scored, a steal, and a RBI in his career against Andrew Cashner. Expect him to add to those stats this afternoon.

3B: Miguel Sano ($4,700): Sano is hitting .309 against left handed pitching this season with six homers and 17 RBI in 94 at bats. Matt Boyd has the misfortune of pitching from the left side. Sano has as much raw power as anyone. That makes him worth taking a shot on in this position.

SS: Tim Anderson ($4,100): This isn’t based off of much more than the White Sox pounding lefties this season. Anderson usually leads off against left handed pitchers, and is hitting .295 with three homers and eight RBI in his last ten games. He is heating up at the right time as this young team starts to grow together. Oh, he is 4-8 with three runs scored and a steal in his career against Jason Vargas. That doesn’t hurt.

OF: Odubel Herrera ($4,300): My go-to Phillies lefties against a struggling righty are in there again. Herrera is putting a up a slew of crooked numbers over the last ten games with a .359 average, three doubles, two triples, a homer, four RBI, and two steals to go with five runs scored.

OF: Nick Williams ($3,700): Williams continues to hit consistently at the major league level, which makes him tempting no matter who the pitcher is. However, with a guy like Flexen on the mound, Williams becomes even more valuable.

OF: Byron Buxton ($3,100): Buxton continues his hot play of late. He has 51 DraftKings points over the last five games, and will hold the platoon advantage over Matthew Boyd tonight. He is a punt play with a lot of upside. Buxton finished strong last season as well, but no one remembered because he was so terrible over the first four months.

Next: DraftKings Early Lineup 2

CHICAGO, IL – AUGUST 02: J.A. Happ #33 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field on August 2, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /

P: J.A. Happ ($8,000): The Pirates have actually hit Happ pretty well in his career. So why is he in here? Because the two players that have done nearly all of the damage may not be in the lineup. Francisco Cervelli is hitting .159 over the last dozen games, so even if he is in the lineup again, his 3-7 mark with a homer against Happ rings hollow. Andrew McCutchen, who has four of the Pirates’ five career homers against Happ, is still nursing a sore knee. I may change this if McCutchen plays, but the rest of the Pirates are only 7-37 with one run and 12 strikeouts. This is a strong play if he avoids McCutchen.

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P: German Marquez ($7,400): Marquez has a solid 3.42 ERA on the road this year, and will visit a great park for pitchers. However, what really stands out is his 3.43 ERA over his last ten games regardless of location. That includes a game in Cleveland last week in which he arguably outpitched Corey Kluber for six innings. Marquez is trending in the right direction anyway. A trip to Marlins Park can’t hurt.

C: Kevan Smith ($2,900): Smith still starts against lefties even though he has better numbers against righties. Don’t let that fool you. Smith will be batting in the middle of the order, and he hits lefties just fine.

1B: Joey Votto ($5,500): Votto’s hit streak now stands at 16. He has always been a second half player, but this year he is really tearing it up so far. Play him until he cools off. That likely wont be against the Brewers considering he has five homers in only 36 at bats against Brewers pitching this season.

2B: Brian Dozier ($5,100): Dozier is 7-21 with three walks, two doubles, a steal, a solo homer, and six runs scored in his career against Matt Boyd. These two teams combined for 23 runs yesterday. While expecting that many may be off base, this could still be a pretty high scoring game.

3B: Travis Shaw ($4,600): Two of his teammates have actually hit the Reds better than Shaw’s 14-41 with four homers and eight RBI. I don’t care who is on the mound in a Reds uniform. The Brewers see nothing but red against the Reds. They have put up numbers that you can’t even do on a video game anymore against Cincinnati this year.

UPDATE: Shaw was seen wearing a walking boot after the game, and is likely out for today’s game. I cleared enough space to go with the hot-hitting Alex Bregman against Cashner.

SS: Paul DeJong ($4,100): DeJong sure does love him some home cookin! He is hitting .356 in Busch Stadium compared to .234 on the road. If he can figure out R.A. Dickey‘s knuckler, he could pad his stats this afternoon.

OF: Ryan Braun ($4,700): Braun has only faced Sal Romano twice. He walked and hit a two run homer off of him. While Braun’s numbers are overshadowed by that of Thames, he has feasted off of the Reds this year as well. Braun has slugged five homers in 49 at bats against Reds pitching this season.

OF: Eric Thames ($4,200): The Reds must have done something to one of Eric Thames’ past lives to upset him this much. Thames has a staggering ten homers in just 44 at bats against the Reds this season. Let that set in for a minute. Then go add him to your roster.

OF: Robbie Grossman ($3,300): Grossman is 5-12 with five walks, a double, two homers, three runs scored, and four RBI in his career against Matt Boyd. He also provides a great way to save some cash and not lose any production.

Next: Early Slate DraftKings MLB 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!