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DraftKings MLB Picks August 14: The Pitchers Aren’t Worth It, Pay For Hitting!

By Mike Marteny

MIAMI, FL - AUGUST 13: Giancarlo Stanton
MIAMI, FL - AUGUST 13: Giancarlo Stanton /
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DraftKings
KANSAS CITY, MO – AUGUST 6: Whit Merrifield #15 of the Kansas City Royals slides into third for a steal in the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners in game two of a doubleheader at Kauffman Stadium on August 6, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Picks For August 14

We have ten games tonight. With the Cleveland-Boston game starting an hour earlier than everyone else, it is omitted from the main DraftKings tournament. Too bad! There were some good options in there! At any rate, we have one ace and one that sometimes acts like one. We have one scratch (Tanaka) and a couple making their returns. Who can we trust?

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The money line was down a bit to 112.85. That means it is down about one point total over the last three days. My Corey Kluber lineup with the Phillies stack made it, but it was mostly because of the players I had that weren’t Phillies (Altuve, Sano, and Buxton). The other lineup nearly reached 100, but a bad outing from German Marquez was too much to overcome.

The winning lineup was up down a little to 206.9 DraftKings points. He went off Kluber all together, instead using Keuchel and Happ. His Mets stack with a huge day from Whit Merrifield put him over the top.

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 Lineup 1

DraftKings
ATLANTA, GA – AUGUST 09: Jerad Eickhoff #48 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on August 9, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

P: Jerad Eickhoff ($8,000): The Padres are hitting just .172 in 29 at bats against Eickhoff with no runs and 11 strikeouts. Add to that the upgrade that he gets heading to Petco Park, and I will disagree with ESPN. Eickhoff is my favorite starter of the night.

P: Ty Blach ($6,900): This is a tough pitching slate tonight, which is the only reason that I would even consider Blach. He has a 5.03 road ERA, but he is going to a place that is nearly as friendly as his home park. The Marlins aren’t a great offense, but they have enough pop to hurt him if he doesn’t pitch well.

C: Welington Castillo ($3,400): Castillo is 7-22(.318) with a double, two runs scored, and a RBI in his career agaisnt Yovani Gallardo. Gallardo has been up and down a lot this year, so that makes stacking against him in any given start risky. However, I do want a little bit of exposure to him just in case.

1B: Anthony Rizzo ($4,700): Asher Wojciechowski surrendered two homers in his last start, breaking a streak of four straight homerless starts. Wrigley Field is a good hitter’s park, and Rizzo is the best hitter there. I will take him at a reasonable price.

2B: Jose Altuve ($5,600): I was hoping that Altuve would get some kind of price reduction facing Zack Greinke, but no such luck. Maybe it has something to do with Altuve hitting 9-18 with a double, a triple, a homer, two steals, three runs scored, and four RBI against Greinke in his career. The Astros have two homers and seven RBI in only 53 at bats against Greinke. I don’t trust this enough for a stack, but I definitely want Altuve.

3B: Maikel Franco ($3,000): Travis Wood has struggled even with his switch to the National League. However, Petco Park has been solid for him. He allowed two runs in 6.1 innings in his debut in his new home. He did allow a home run in that game, so I will take a shot with the Phillie with the most power from the right side. Of course, his low price doesn’t hurt either.

SS: Zack Cozart ($4,600): Jose Quintana is the highest priced pitcher out there tonight, but perhaps he shouldn’t be. The dirty little secret on the North Side is that Quintana has a 7.36 ERA at Wrigley Field so far. That puts all Reds righties in play at Wrigley today.

OF: Michael Conforto ($5,300): Yankee Stadium isn’t just good for the home team. The players that the Mets have left are mostly left handed power. I definitely want a piece of this against Luis Cessa. Playing any Met carries more risk because of that dominant bullpen, but Conforto has a great chance to get one against the starter. Curtis Granderson does too.

OF: David Peralta ($4,300): Collin McHugh got lit up by the White Sox his last time around. Tonight he faces a much more potent offense in another great hitter’s park.

OF: Billy Hamilton ($4,100): Hamilton isn’t much of a power play, but he is in here because he can, and does, run on the Cubs. He has 14 steals in just 88 at bats at Wrigley Field. With as much as Quintana has struggled at Wrigley so far, Hamilton could tack on a few runs as well.

Next: DraftKings Lineup 2

DraftKings
BALTIMORE, MD – AUGUST 04: Starting pitcher Kevin Gausman #39 of the Baltimore Orioles throws a pitch to a Detroit Tigers batter in the first inning during a game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 4, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

P: Kevin Gausman ($8,500): Gausman is actually the highest rated starter on ESPN for tonight. I am buying into the hype. Gausman has a 3.41 ERA over his last ten starts after a brutal start to the season. The Mariners are a solid offense, but they have been held to three runs or fewer in three of the last four games. Gausman looks to be catching them at the right time.

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P: Jake Junis ($5,600): Junis was outstanding in his August 6th spot start against Seattle. This time he gets summoned for a date in a cavernous park against a young team that strikes out a lot. Junis looks like a great value at this price.

C: Tyler Flowers ($3,500): Some are going to stack against Teheran. I am choosing to stack against Chad Bettis and his 5.57 career ERA at Coors Field. Besides, the Braves are cheaper.

1B: Freddie Freeman ($5,600): Freeman is hitting .280 with five doubles, three triples, five homers, and 15 RBI in only 75 Coors Field at bats. He is a great fit in a Braves stack if you have the cash.

2B: Brad Miller ($3,100): Milller has a ton of power against right handed pitchers. He will draw Nick Tepesch tonight, who is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in his two starts on the season. Stacking Rays is likely not a bad idea. I chose Coors instead, but I still want a piece of the Rays against Tepesch.

3B: Josh Donaldson ($4,500): Donaldson is only 5-22 in his career against Jake Odorizzi, but four of those hits are home runs and he has walked five times. It may be all or nothing, but at home against a guy fresh off the DL points more towards all than nothing.

SS: Tim Beckham ($3,700): Dear DraftKings: Please keep Tim Beckham this cheap. Thank you! Your loyal DFS players. They must have felt some sort of vindication since Beckham went hitless for his first time as an Oriole yesterday. All at 34% ownership. I am guessing that it was an anomaly. I don’t see Oakland keeping him off the board again.

OF: Charlie Blackmon ($5,800): Believe it or not, Julio Teheran has actually done well against the Rockies in his career. In fact, Blackmon is the only one that has hit a home run off of him. For those of you real savvy GPP players, here is a stat to consider: Teheran has a 4.15 ERA in three career starts at Coors Field.

OF: Giancarlo Stanton ($5,700): Stanton has tied the franchise record with 42 homers in a season. Half of those have come in the last 33 games. Honestly, it shouldn’t matter who he faces at this point. For those of you that care, he is facing a rookie lefthander with a 5.06 ERA in Ty Blach. Pay up for Stanton. He may even end up being better than Blackmon.

OF: Ender Inciarte ($3,800): Gerardo Parra is going to be a popular choice, but he is just 3-17 in his career against Teheran. I will go with Inciarte instead, who is 4-8 with two walks, a double, four runs scored, and a RBI in his career against Chad Bettis.

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!