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DraftKings MLB picks August 19: Great Miley’s per Gallen

By Mike Marteny

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - MARCH 31: Wade Miley #20 of the Houston Astros throws in the first inning of a baseball game at Tropicana Field on March 31, 2019 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - MARCH 31: Wade Miley #20 of the Houston Astros throws in the first inning of a baseball game at Tropicana Field on March 31, 2019 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) /
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DraftKings MLB
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 13: Ivan Nova #46 of the Chicago White Sox pitches against the Houston Astros during the first inning of game two of a doubleheader at Guaranteed Rate Field on August 13, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Pitcher Plays:

Top Tier:

Wade Miley ($11,200): Miley has been brilliant at home, posting a 2.00 ERA in ten starts. The Tigers got to Miley a bit in Detroit, but not enough to chase me off of this. Miley’s lack of strikeouts limits the upside and makes it hard to pay this price. That said, Miley is the only one I’m willing to pay five figures for. Pricing on this slate is rough.

Zac Gallen ($9,300): Gallen held his own at Coors last week, but still only mustered five DraftKings points. How often does a guy give up nine hits and only two runs at Coors? Not often. Gallen got himself out of a lot of trouble, but if we are paying this price for Gallen, we hope he stays out of trouble the whole game. Still, Gallen hasn’t given up more than three runs in any start this year. That nice floor makes it much easier to pay this price.

Dillon Peters ($9,000): Peters has pitched well as a starter. He hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any start, and only the Orioles have kept him from hitting double digits. Texas has struggled against left handed pitching over much of the last two months. I guess this is as good a place to go after them as any. The hot weather does worry me a little though.

Middle Tier:

Ivan Nova ($8,300): Nova hasn’t allowed more than one earned run in any of his last five starts. Nova completed two of those games, and held tonight’s opponent to an unearned run over six innings in the middle of this stretch. I don’t know what clicked for Nova, but he has been arguably the most effective pitcher in the league over the last month. I see no reason why that changes tonight. Nova has 30.8 DraftKings points in two starts against Minnesota this year.

Brendan McKay ($7,500): It’s nice to see McKay not priced on potential alone. The fact is McKay doesn’t go deep enough into games to ever make him a really strong play, but the strikeouts are there. That gives McKay a really good floor. Based on pitching yesterday, a good floor is probably worth paying for.

Bargain Pitchers:

Joe Ross ($6,900): Ross has only allowed one run over his three August starts, so something has clicked for him. This is a good place for him to keep clicking. The Pirates are coming off a series against the Cubs in which they scored just four runs over three games. With the way Ross is pitching right now, I’m inclined to think the Pirates keep struggling.

John Means ($6,400): Means has seen a nice price decrease due to being knocked around by the Yankees the last couple of starts. That’s good for us! Means has a 3.00 ERA in 11 home starts this year and gets to face the Royals. Sure, the good hitting conditions will help Kansas City’s power, but they also strike out quite a bit. Means hasn’t really been plagued by the long ball this year. He has a puncher’s chance at 20 DraftKings points.

Zach Davies ($4,200): Davies is coming off the IL tonight. That in itself is scary. Davies was having a rough run in the second half anyway. Was it because of his balky back? Davies was solid against the Cardinals the first time around and has a 2.97 ERA on the road. That’s enough to give him a run at this low of a price. I wouldn’t use him as an anchor though. There’s a good chance that he winds up anchoring you to the bottom of the standings.

My picks: Miley, Means; Miley, Nova; Miley, Gallen; Gallen, Nova; Nova, Means