DraftKings Early MLB Picks August 22: Pay up for Morton?

MILWAUKEE, WI – OCTOBER 10: General view of Miller Park before Game Two of the National League Championship Series between the St. Louis Cardinals of the Milwaukee Brewers on October 10, 2011 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Cardinals defeated the Brewers 12-3. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Early MLB Picks August 22: Pay up for Morton?

We only have four games in the early DraftKings tournament today since the Orioles and Jays are facing off two hours earlier than everyone else. You can find this game in showdown mode or in the all day tournament. As for the four games here, we don’t have a true ace on the board, but there are several intriguing options. Will we still feel that way once we sift through them? Let’s check it out!

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The afternoon games are all clear of rain, and the only wind to speak of is a 12 mph breeze out to right in Milwaukee. As if the Brewers and Reds need help on offense….

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!

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CHICAGO, IL – AUGUST 10: Carlos Rodon #55 of the Chicago White Sox pitches against the Cleveland Indians during the second inning at Guaranteed Rate Field on August 10, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Charlie Morton ($10,000): At first glance, Morton’s stats against Seattle don’t look that great. The Mariners are hitting .263 with three homers and 15 runs in 179 at bats with 40 strikeouts. Those numbers are painfully average. We don’t want average for $10,000. However, Morton has a 2.50 ERA in three career starts at Safeco Field. In three starts against Seattle this year, Morton has amassed 69.3 DraftKings points. Those are the kind of numbers worth paying for. Have you decided if you’re using Morton or not? Well, here’s another little tidbit. Morton faced Seattle on August 11th in Houston and only picked up 10.1 DraftKings points. Will the change of venue be enough for Morton to turn in a dominant performance?

Middle Tier:

Carlos Rodon ($9,300): Rodon has been brilliant on a bad team this year, so most people just ignore him. Rodon has a 1.50 ERA in five home starts, and the Twins are hitting a pathetic .175 against him in 63 at bats with two homers, six runs, and a staggering 25 strikeouts. I believe Rodon will be the highest scoring pitcher on the slate this afternoon, so he is absolutely worth the price.

Kyle Gibson ($9,000): Gibson is the exact opposite of Berrios. His ERA is over a run lower on the road. The White Sox got to Gibson earlier this year in Minneapolis and Chicago, but they are still only hitting .235 in 115 at bats off of Gibson with only two homers and nine runs to go with 28 strikeouts. Those are solid totals. Don’t expect miracles, but I expect Gibson to be lower owned than the other top arms, and his strikeout upside may be the highest just because of who he’s facing.

Bargain Pitchers:

Edwin Jackson ($8,000): Jackson is a nice litmus test for whether home/road splits are a thing. Jackson has a brilliant 2.10 ERA in five home starts, yet was thrashed by the Rangers in Arlington a couple of weeks ago. It was easily his worst start of the season. After that dreadful start, the current Rangers are hitting .388 with a homer and nine runs in only 67 at bats against Jackson. The real question here is whether you believe in the power of the Coliseum.

Freddy Peralta ($7,500): Peralta has a solid 3.60 ERA at home still, but the league seems to be figuring the rookie out a little. Peralta has given up seven runs twice in his last five starts. In the other three games he has allowed six runs combined. That is the risk you are dealing with. However, Cincinnati’s offense has scuffled some with Votto out of the mix. I expect the Reds to come up with a few runs today, but not enough to knock Peralta off a quality start. There is still decent strikeout upside here as well.

Marco Gonzales ($6,600): If you find that you have a ton of money wrapped up in bats, you have to go cheap somewhere. Gonzales could be where. He still has a 3.12 ERA in 11 home starts. On top of that, Gonzales racked up 16.9 DraftKings points in a loss to the Astros earlier this year. That’s what us DFS players call a quality loss. I don’t think any of us are going to complain if he gets us 17 this afternoon.

MILWAUKEE, WI – AUGUST 03: Eric Thames #7 of the Milwaukee Brewers celebrates a three run walk off home run against the Colorado Rockies during the ninth inning of a game at Miller Park on August 3, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

If you are stacking today, it should be with Brewers. The author of Treasure Island could have you rolling in dough if you stack against him. Okay, I’m fairly sure that this Robert Stephenson didn’t write the famous 19th century novel, but he can make you rich. The Brewers are hitting .375 against him with three homers in just 24 at bats. Eric Thames has two of them, but it’s not like he crushes the Reds or anything. It’s like a bull seeing red. Play Thames against Cincinnati. Rinse. Repeat. Hernan Perez has the other homer off of Stephenson, but I’m more after Travis Shaw, Christian Yelich, and Ryan Braun to polish off the stack. All of them are hitting .250 or better despite not having counting stats yet.

Mike Minor has a 4.61 ERA and a stiff back. I’ll take Khris Davis please, with a side of Lowrie and Piscotty. Marcus Semien is a strong play as well. Minor has a 6.48 road ERA, and the A’s have a load of right handed power. I doubt this ends well, and the A’s stack is still cheap enough where you don’t have to light the fuse and pray for a dud with a bargain pitcher. For instance, Mark Canha is just $3,400 and he crushes lefties. He has a homer off of Minor in two at bats.

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Middle Tier:

Even if you play Kyle Gibson, lock in Jose Abreu. Abreu has both White Sox homers off of Gibson. Yoan Moncada is 3-7 against Gibson so far with a pair of doubles, but no counting stats.

The Astros have been on base a lot against Marco Gonzales. That in itself is dangerous. Now that Altuve and Correa are both back, that could spell doom for Gonzales, and they are both still reasonably priced.

My main Reds interests are in Billy Hamilton and Phillip Ervin. Those two are starting to get going. I think there are better options than Suarez at 3B today, and Peraza is a little too rich for my blood since Hamilton has more upside.

Robinson Chirinos has the homer against Edwin Jackson, but he may not be in the lineup with a day game after a night game. Fret not, Choo, Elvis, and Adrian Beltre are all hitting .355 or better with double digit at bats against Jackson. Joey Gallo looks particularly dangerous as well.

Bargain Shoppers:

Ben Gamel is cheap, and he has a homer off of Charlie Morton. Jean Segura has the other two, but he is only hitting .238 in 42 at bats. The Mariner to go after may be Denard Span. Span is 6-13(.462) against Morton, but has no counting stats besides a steal.

Robbie Grossman has a homer and two RBI against Carlos Rodon, but it still only 2-7. Sano has homered as well, but it is his only hit in 11 at bats. Logan Forsythe has the most success against Rodon as he is 2-5 with a pair of doubles. I’m not sure I want any Twins today, honestly.

Next. MLB game by game breakdown August 22. dark

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