DraftKings MLB Picks August 6: Who's afraid of the Astros?

CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 29: Michael Ynoa #66 of the Chicago White Sox pitches to Bobby Wilson #21 of the Tampa Bay Rays during the eighth inning under rainy conditions at U.S. Cellular Field on September 29, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Picks August 6: Who’s afraid of the Astros?

We have a fairly busy Monday with ten games in our main DraftKings tournament. We have a strong middle tier even if the top is a little light for pitching. However, with Coors Field back in the fray, we may want to go cheap on pitching anyway. Let’s check how to attack this one.

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Rain shouldn’t push back any of the start times, but the chances of an in game delay in Chicago, Cleveland, and Coors are pretty high. I wouldn’t really be on Coors pitching today anyway, and rain shouldn’t hit Cleveland until the late innings. However, SP’s are really risky in Chicago.

The wind is blowing in from right in Arlington again at 12 mph, so watch for that. We have the customary wind out to center in San Francisco as well.

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!

These tips are based mostly on past performance. This is a nice tool for building a lineup, but should not be the only pieces of information you use. We have plenty of writers on here who give you relevant information no matter which site you play on!

For you first time players, if you would like $20 in free DraftKings dollars, use this link for the referral bonus with your first deposit of $5 or more! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn those DraftKings dollars into more!

SEATTLE, WA – JULY 31: Charlie Morton #50 of the Houston Astros sets himself on the mound to pitch in the third inning against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on July 31, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Charlie Morton ($11,100): Morton is expensive, but should be worth it against an average Giants offense that is still without Brandon Belt and Panda. After hitting a rougher patch just before the break, Morton finished July with strong games in Coors and Seattle. Morton will have no problems outscoring most other pitchers on the board tonight, and could end up being the best overall.

Noah Syndergaard ($9,600): The Reds are only hitting .196 against Thor in 46 at bats with just two runs and eight strikeouts. I expect a low scoring game in Flushing today, and Thor will be a big reason why. He went seven innings against the Nationals in his last start, so there seems to be no limit on his pitches anymore.

Cole Hamels ($9,000): The Royals are hitting just .195 with two homers and eight runs in 118 at bats with 30 strikeouts. Hamels will make a likely triumphant return to an A.L. park tonight. Not much in the Royals offense scares anyone right now, and the elevated strikeout potential make this acceptable risk even at this price.

Middle Tier:

Dereck Rodriguez ($8,900): Rodriguez is making a strong push for Rookie of the Year, just like his dad was. Rodriguez carries a 2.59 ERA into a game against Houston. You hear Houston and you automatically think tough matchup, but I’m not so sure with this watered down version of the Astros. Altuve and Correa are still out, and there is a strong chance that George Springer wont play tonight either. There is serious value potential here tonight.

Zack Godley ($8,700): As we saw last week, Godley has the ability to shut teams down. He has a 2.73 ERA over his last five starts after a slow beginning to 2018. Godley has a 3.43 ERA in ten home starts this year, so even against a pretty good Philly team, there is decent upside here. Despite the less than stellar season long numbers, Godley still has more than a strikeout per inning and 12 wins.

Kyle Gibson ($8,600): Kyle Gibson is like my favorite ex today. I love him and I hate him in this situation. Gibson has a 2.94 ERA in 11 road starts, a 3.86 ERA in seven career Progressive Field starts, and 54.6 DraftKings points in three starts against the Indians this year. I hate him because Cleveland has still hit him hard over his career. Despite this year’s great numbers, Cleveland is still hitting .293 with nine homers and 34 runs in 225 at bats with just 32 strikeouts. This suggests a lot of risk, but can we really argue with this year’s stats?

Jake Arrieta ($7,800): The Diamondbacks are only hitting .190 against Arrieta with only one homer and 11 runs in 100 at bats with 27 strikeouts. Arrieta has a solid 3.51 ERA in four career starts at Chase Field, so we shouldn’t have to worry about the park factor too much. We saw Arrieta hold Arizona to one earned run over seven innings earlier this season. Another solid outing is likely here tonight.

Bargain Pitchers:

Wade LeBlanc ($7,300): Well, blow ups are bound to happen from time to time for LeBlanc because he lacks elite stuff. Some would argue that the Texas offense does as well. The only Rangers that are hitting right now are lefties, so I like LeBlanc here, even in Arlington. I don’t expect a clean game or high strikeouts, but he could put up 17.7 DraftKings points like he did in the first meeting with the Rangers this year.

Lance Lynn ($7,100): Sonny Gray‘s last implosion landed him in the bullpen, so Lynn will get a shot in the Yankee rotation. He finds himself in a pretty favorable spot against the strikeout prone White Sox in the city of wind. If it looks like the rain will stay away, there is good potential here. Lynn has 36 DraftKings points in two starts against the White Sox this year in large part to the 15 strikeouts.

Kyle Freeland ($6,600): Freeland has dominated at home this year with a 2.46 ERA in nine starts. The only thing that may chase me off of this is the weather, but wow, at this price, the risk is totally worth it. The only problem is that the better cheap options to move off from start earlier in the night. Watch the weather, and if the chance of pop up storms go down, Freeland is an easy lock for a SP2, and could even be used as an ace with that 3.21 ERA and outstanding home numbers.

Homer Bailey ($5,500): Bailey was thumped by the Mets in his first start against them this year, but in two starts since his return from the DL, Bailey has only allowed four runs. The Mets are in a funk right now. They have only scored 20 runs in the last eight games. Bailey isn’t going to put up big strikeout numbers, and the chance of a blowup is always there. However, with the way Bailey has pitched since his return and the struggles of the Mets to score, this look like a good spot for Bailey.

Wei-Yin Chen ($4,300): Welcome to your cheap chalk of the day. Chen has a sparkling 2.18 ERA in eight home starts compared with a 10.27 ERA on the road. Chen held Atlanta to just three runs in his last home start, so he would appear to be good to go against any team at home. And he is still just $4,300!

SEATTLE, WA – AUGUST 05: Nelson Cruz #23 of the Seattle Mariners hits a two-run home run in the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Safeco Field on August 5, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images) /

New York Yankees vs. Dylan Covey:

Even if the rain hits, I still find the bats in this game safe. Gregorius and Stanton are elite picks. I’m also pretty high on Greg Bird here for a reasonable price. You can’t really go wrong with Gleyber Torres or Brett Gardner here either. Mix and match Yankees. It could be a big night for them.

Cleveland Indians vs. Kyle Gibson:

If you want to attack Kyle Gibson in Cleveland, I understand. The place to start is with Edwin. He is 7-25(.280) with four homers and nine RBI off of Gibson. Yan Gomes has two homers and five RBI and is cheap. Kipnis, Brantley, and Ramirez have also homered off of Gibson in the past. Lindor is also 10-29(.345) off of him. You could do a full stack or a one off here, or anything in between. This is tough because of the enigmatic stats of Gibson against Cleveland.

Seattle Mariners vs. Martin Perez:

Perez has a 7.53 ERA in four home starts this year, and it wont get better here with Nelson Cruz coming to town. Haniger and Segura are a notch below elite, and the power potential of Mike Zunino looks pretty good against Perez as well. Cameron Maybin is worth a look on the cheap here too.

Chicago Cubs vs. Jake Junis:

Junis has a 5.37 ERA in 11 home starts. That’s only slightly worse than his road numbers. Since a hot start, Junis has struggled, especially at home. Junis has allowed 16 homers at Kauffman Stadium. With Baez and the suddenly hot Anthony Rizzo coming to town, that total is likely to increase. I think I want in on the left handed power of Schwarber and Heyward as well. To complete the stack, Ben Zobrist or Ian Happ look to be the best options.

Colorado Rockies vs. Joe Musgrove:

Musgrove is a ground ball pitcher that has been impressive on the road, but Coors is an entirely different animal. Arenado and Blackmon are glad to be home, and I think we will see that here. Trevor Story had a nice road trip as well, and should keep that going here. I like LeMahieu leading off and CarGo to complete this stack.

ST PETERSBURG, FL – AUGUST 4: Jose Abreu #79 of the Chicago White Sox hits a homer in the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on August 4, 2018 at Tropicana Field in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Jose Abreu‘s price keeps rising, but I’m still not sold on Lynn. I’m okay with paying for Abreu here and possibly someone like Delmonico or Moncada as well.

I wouldn’t hesitate to use Alex Bregman, but I’m not sure any of the rest of the Houston offense is worth it here.

Paul Goldschmidt is the only current Diamondback to homer off of Jake Arrieta so far. David Peralta does have six RBI in 19 at bats though.

I wouldn’t go nuts against Godley tonight, but the power of Rhys Hoskins and Odubel Herrera transfer well to the Arizona desert.

I do like what Matthew Boyd has done lately, but he still has struggled on the road. I’m on Trout and Upton here, but guys like Andrelton Simmons could be worth a look for a lower price. I don’t expect Boyd to get pounded, but a quality start seems unlikely as well.

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Middle Tier:

Robinson Chirinos and Elvis Andrus look good from the right side for Texas, but no one else really excites me here. There should be better options here.

Conforto is about the only Met I would use, even against Homer Bailey. That is the state of this offense right now. Amed Rosario is worth a look on the cheap, I guess. I’m inclined to stay away from all batters in this game.

It’s really hard to trust Luke Weaver right now. I’m more inclined to attack him with Dietrich and Justin Bour here.

Chen isn’t going to pitch a shutout, so taking a shot at him with a power bat like DeJong or Marcell Ozuna could be a decent option.

I don’t mind taking a shot with Salvador Perez or Jorge Bonifacio to see if they can take Hamels deep tonight, but I wouldn’t go crazy here. I don’t see much upside with the Royals offense.

The price in the Pirates’ bats is really inflated to the point where the only one that I’m really thinking about against Freeland is Josh Harrison. Freeland’s home numbers speak for themselves.

Bargain Shoppers:

You aren’t going to get the point total that you are looking for with Bauer tonight. He has allowed nine runs (five earned) over two starts against the Twins this year. This is the time to take advantage of a couple of cheap Twins bats. Jorge Polanco has three homers and five RBI against Bauer already. LoMo and Mauer have both homered off of Bauer as well. Eddie Rosario is 12-33(.364) with two homers and nine RBI against Bauer if you are willing to spend a little more money.

I’m not going to stack Tigers against Nick Tropeano, but I do think I want some exposure here against a struggling pitcher. JaCoby Jones hits leadoff and is just $3,000. He has also homered off of Tropeano before. So has Jeimer Candelario, and he is just $700 more.

Next. MLB Game by Game breakdown August 6. dark

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