Early DraftKings MLB Picks August 26: Where Are The Bargains At Pitcher?

ARLINGTON, TX – AUGUST 20: Miguel Gonzalez #58 of the Chicago White Sox pitches against the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the first inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on August 20, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks For August 26

We have five games in the early DraftKings tournament, which leaves it a little more populated than normal. There are two pitchers priced like aces, but are either one of them worth it? Can we find value at a lower tier? Let’s find out!

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The money line last night down to 115.1 last night. I just missed out at 114.6. Thanks Wacha!

The winning lineup was also down a bit to 218.45. He used Jacob deGrom and won a huge gamble with Miguel Gonzalez to go with his Phillies stack and Giancarlo Stanton.

We will provide you with several options to build your lineup here. Want to spend all your money on pitchers and play bargain bats? We will highlight who is worth the money. Want to punt arms and pay up for the big boppers? We can help you with that as well, and everything in between!

For you first time players, if you would like a bonus of 25% of your first deposit, use this link for the referral bonus! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn those DraftKings dollars into more!

Next: DraftKings Pitcher Plays

NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 15: Sonny Gray #55 of the New York Yankees delivers a pitch in the first inning against the New York Mets during interleague play on August 15, 2017 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

There are three pitchers over $9,000, and all of them are risks for one reason or another. My personal favorite is Sonny Gray, and it is mostly because Robinson Cano is not a sure thing to be in the Seattle lineup. If he is, I may rethink this. The Mariners are only hitting .250 off of Gray, the best batting average against in this tier, with four homers and seven runs in 84 at bats. Cano has two of those homers and four of the RBI.

Next up is obviously Gio Gonzalez, and mostly because the Mets have struggled. The Mets have not scored more than four runs in a game since last Saturday. It likely wont happen against Gonzalez either, but the .272 past average with three homers and 12 runs in 125 at bats makes me nervous. However, if Yoenis Cespedes is out, even I will pay up for Gio.

I am staying far away from Cole Hamels here. The A’s are hitting .353 off of him in 34 at bats, and though the damage was mostly done by one player, said player had a night for the ages last night. That’s a big pass with solid options in the middle.

Middle Tier:

The Orioles ran up the score on Rick Porcello last night, but don’t count on them doing the same to Eduardo Rodriguez. The O’s are only hitting .217 against him in 120 at bats, but they have homered six times. Baltimore has scored seven runs in only 11.2 innings against the Orioles this year, so I’ll pass here as well.

Not surprisingly, Boston has hit Kevin Gausman well. Even though Gausman has done well lately, I don’t trust this series. There will likely be a lot of runs scored again. I would rather track hitters than worry about how big of an inning my pitcher just gave up.

Marco Estrada has a solid matchup with the Twins, and is the safest of the three pitchers here. However, he has a 5.07 ERA, and the Twins seem to be rolling right now. If I had to pick one pitcher from this tier it would definitely be Estrada, but who says I have to? You have the same freedoms unless you are playing Pick Em!

Bargain Pitchers:

Dillon Gee just might be my favorite pitcher of the afternoon slate. Why? He is about half the price of Gio and Hamels, and he has dominated in August. Since joining the Twins, he has a 1.93 ERA and 0.80 WHIP. I realize that this is not going to last, but the Blue Jays have only scored one run in the last two games. Every pitcher on this slate is a risk, so why not take this one as save a ton of money?

You couldn’t pay me to use Yovani Gallardo at Yankee Stadium, and it’s not just because the Yankees have hit .306 with five homers and 19 runs in 186 at bats. It’s not just the 6.20 career ERA in Yankee Stadium either. You can say those are pretty convincing reasons though.

Sean Manaea has allowed the Rangers to hit .301 off of him in 73 at bats, but they only have one homer and three RBI. Manaea’s 4.58 ERA tells you all you need to know about the risk factor here though. And he did allow six runs (five earned) in his only start against Texas this season.

If you are thinking about using Robert Gsellman against the Nats, I can’t help you.

BALTIMORE, MD – AUGUST 23: Manny Machado #13 of the Baltimore Orioles hits the game-winning home run in the 12th inning against the Oakland Athletics at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 23, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. Baltimore won the game 8-7. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Gary Sanchez is the obvious choice at catcher, but will he be in the lineup for the day game after a night game? For that money, I’m taking Manny Machado against Eduardo Rodriguez. Machado has 19 hits in 48 at bats with seven homers and 17 RBI in his last 11 games. He is easily the top option here.

Anthony Rendon and Josh Donaldson look like good matchups against Gsellman and Dillon Gee respectively. While they will gain you separation, I highly doubt they outscore Machado.

Middle Tier:

Chase Headley and Todd Frazier are a combined 24-58 with two homers, five RBI and 11 runs scored against Yovani Gallardo. Combined, they will set you back only $7,600. They are a great way to get exposure to Gallardo without breaking the bank.

I wont bet against Rafael Devers against anyone, and definitely not Kevin Gausman.

Mike Napoli totally destroys left handed pitching, especially on the road. Sean Manaea has a 6.96 ERA since the All Star Break. This is an easy pick, and so is teammate Robinson Chirinos if he plays. I kind of doubt he does though.

Bargain Shoppers:

Ryon Healy is already 2-3 against Cole Hamels, and he is hitting .347 against lefties this year with a .413 wOBA. Those are monster numbers, and even against Hamels, Healy is way, way too cheap. I’m not one to load up on a guy with Hamels’ ability, but Matt Chapman has great power, the platoon advantage, and is super cheap.

Wilmer Flores hits lefties hard as well, but Gio Gonzalez isn’t your average lefty. There is risk involved for him and teammate and fellow lefty basher Amed Rosario.

Kennys Vargas is a decent power play against Marco Estrada since he has two homers since he was summoned from AAA again. However, his price is low because he isn’t doing anything else at the plate. This is a big risk/reward scenario.

If you are looking for a clear punt, Raffy Lopez is the bare minimum, and he will likely start behind the plate for the Jays. I would much rather pay a little more for Caleb Joseph against Boston though.

BALTIMORE, MD – AUGUST 21: Tim Beckham #1 of the Baltimore Orioles signs autographs before the game against the Oakland Athletics at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 21, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Brian Dozier has six homers, 12 RBI, and two steals in the last 11 games. You bet I trust him against Marco Estrada. Any other Twin is in play as well, honestly.

Daniel Murphy has been struggling of late, but he is always a good play against a pitcher like Robert Gsellman. I’m a fan of Howie Kendrick and Wilmer Difo as well.

Middle Tier:

Tim Beckham and Elvis Andrus are only $4,400? For real? Seriously, you can go wrong with either of them. Didi Gregorius is the same price as well for those of you stacking Yankees.

Bargain Shoppers:

Starlin Castro is back and he is just $3,500. He is 16-45(.356) with two walks, three doubles, five runs scored, and a RBI against Yovani Gallardo in his career. Castro is a nice play as part of a Yankee stack or as a standalone.

Marcus Semien at $3,100 could be a bargain against Hamels. Hamels has struggles agaist righties more so this year. He is a solid punt play.

Next: Top Outfield Plays

CLEVELAND, OH – AUGUST 21: Andrew Benintendi #16 celebrates with Mookie Betts #50 of the Boston Red Sox after both scored on Benintendi’s home run during the first inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on August 21, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Aaron Judge facing a righty – a weak righty – at home automatically makes him a solid play.

Mookie Betts is 10-23(.435) with three walks, three homers, eight runs scored, and seven RBI in his career against Kevin Gausman. Andrew Benintendi has three singles in four at bats in his career against Gausman and is a good play as well.

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Middle Tier:

Dillon Gee has good numbers against the Jays, but Jose Bautista is 3-7 with a homer and two RBI off of him, and wont cost you much at all.

If Yoenis Cespedes is in the lineup for the Mets, he should be in yours. He is 7-13(.538) with two walks,a double, two solo homers, and six runs scored in his career against Gio Gonzalez. If you need to save money, Juan Lagares is dirt cheap, and he is 15-40(.375) with a walk, a steal, three doubles, a triple, a homer, four RBI and five runs scored.

Bargain Shoppers:

Khris Davis is just $3,500! Good grief! Davis has all three homers for the A’s off of Cole Hamels, and he hit four homers last night. If you want to bet against him, be my guest. I’m not!

If you are worried about the high ownership attached to Khris Davis, Michael Taylor is the same price, annd he is 1-3 with a two run homerin his career against Robert Gsellman. d he is 1-3 with a two run homers off of Robert Gsellman.

Ryan Rua usually starts against lefties, and he is 6-13 in his career against Sean Manaea. He could be a huge bargain tonight.

Next: Main 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!