DraftKings Early MLB Picks August 2: Mikolas or Heaney?

DETROIT, MI – APRIL 30: Geovany Soto #18 of the Chicago White Sox wipes the rain off the bill of his helmet while batting against the Detroit Tigers during the second inning at Comerica Park on April 30, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks August 2: Mikolas or Heaney?

We have a busy Thursday with 12 games on tap, but only three are day games. That leaves this lacking some star power on DraftKings, but there is an all day tournament today at least. We have two good pitchers, a bullpen day, and three question marks for the pitching on this slate. What is the best combination? Let’s check it out!

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The only real chance of rain is in Chicago, but there is virtually no postponement threat. starting pitchers could be an adventure though. Keep an eye on it.

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ANAHEIM, CA – JULY 27: Andrew Heaney #28 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitches in the second inning against the Seattle Mariners at Angel Stadium on July 27, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Andrew Heaney ($9,600): The Rays clobber lefties at home most of the time. That gives me a huge pause before just throwing Heaney out there. So does his 5.22 road ERA in nine road starts Heaney gave up four unearned runs against the Rays earlier this year. That salvaged the game even though he gave up five walks in six innings. The strikeout potential is still one of the best on the slate, but there are plenty of reasons to pass on Heaney today. I expected a high teens total from Heaney today, but that may not be enough for the price. You could get that from at least one other pitcher on this slate, but the strikeout potential will still have plenty on Heaney this afternoon.

Miles Mikolas ($9,100): Mikolas has dominated at home with a 2.09 ERA in ten home starts this season. When you add in the strikeout potential of the Rockies on the road, well, you have today’s ace. There is less risk with Mikolas than Heaney here. I prefer Mikolas in cash games, but you can make a case for Heaney because of the strikeouts. That said, as free swinging as the Rockies have been in this series, I’m fine using Mikolas for GPP’s as well.

Middle Tier:

Brad Keller ($6,800): Those who took the plunge with Junis last night got a solid game out of him. That alone should tell you just how much the White Sox are struggling right now. The Sox beat up on Keller earlier this year though, so I’m not sure I really want in on this. That said, Keller has a 3.43 ERA in ten starts. It is more likely that the Sox just got lucky, but that game was in New Comiskey U.S. Cellular Guaranteed Rate Field Park as well.

Bargain Pitchers:

Antonio Senzatela ($6,600): Senzatela’s road numbers are awful, but a lot of that damage was done in relief. His two road starts haven’t been horrible, but Senzatela has still been much better at home. That should make all of us take a note of caution here. However, I am a firm believer in the fact that if someone pitches well at Coors, they should be able to carry that on the road. We have seen that in this series with both Gray and Freeland. That’s enough to give Senzatela a chance here on a short slate.

Reynaldo Lopez ($6,300): You may see Royals and automatically put Lopez in there. That may not be a great idea. The Royals are hitting .293 in 75 at bats with three homers and ten runs. Those numbers really aren’t that great. Lopez is the cheapest option out there, but he also has the worst past history. There is enough risk here to chase us off of it, especially since the Royals got to Covey last night.

ST. LOUIS, MO – JULY 9: Matt Carpenter #13 of the St. Louis Cardinals congratulates Paul DeJong #11 of the St. Louis Cardinals after DeJong hit a home run against the New York Mets in the fourth inning at Busch Stadium on July 9, 2017 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Matt Carpenter and Paul DeJong are on my radar today against Senzatela, but this whole offense has been so cold that I find it hard to put much stock in any of them. Ozuna’s power potential plays well if Senzatela is to struggle again.

Nolan Arenado and Charlie Blackmon are the only Rockies to ever consider in road games unless it’s a lefty opposing them. Even then, I’m not sure I want either with as good as Mikolas has been at home.

The same thing holds true as it has throughout the series. The Rays do not have any single pitcher that can get Trout out four times. Upton and Simmons hit righties well enough to have in there no matter what. You can even trot out Kole Calhoun since he hasn’t really been worse against lefties. This situation will clear up more when the lineups come out, but any Angels 1-6 are in play here.

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Middle Tier:

Daniel Robertson hit a grand slam off of Heaney in that first game. Even though all the runs were unearned, it still counted for Robertson. Cron and Matt Duffy could be worth a look as well, but I wouldn’t go too crazy here. Despite the horrid defense in that first game, Heaney only gave up three hits.

Moncada and Jose Abreu look like elite plays today against Keller. Leury Garcia drove in two runs in that game a few weeks ago. Palka and Delmonico got in on the action too, so if you expect another blow up from Keller, the Sox are a cheap stack.

Bargain Shoppers:

Alcides Escobar is just $2,800, and he is 4-14 with a homer against Reynaldo Lopez. Jorge Bonifacio and Salvador Perez have homered off of Lopez as well, but they will cost you a little more. Whit Merrifield is worth a look as well.

Next. Game by game MLB breakdown August 2nd. dark

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