Main DraftKings MLB picks August 29: Bye bye Berti

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BOSTON – JULY 14: Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu throws during the first inning. The Boston Red Sox host the Los Angeles Dodgers in a regular season MLB baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston on July 14, 2019. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Pitcher Plays:

Top Tier:

Jacob deGrom ($12,000): deGrom’s numbers against the Cubs aren’t great, but just look at what deGrom has done since the beginning of July. deGrom has averaged 28.6 DraftKings points per start, not coming in under 20 in any of them. Earlier this year deGrom also slapped 22.7 on the Cubs. That’s a little under what we need, but considering the way he’s rolling now, I expect deGrom to be closer to his average since the end of June than his first start against the Cubs.

Hyun-Jin Ryu ($10,500): Ryu has made three starts against Arizona already this year. He has allowed just one run and 12 hits in 20 innings. I’ll take those odds. Ryu doesn’t have the upside of deGrom, but he isn’t facing as dangerous of an opponent either. I would argue that Ryu is the safer play in cash games, and both are suitable for GPP usage.

Middle Tier:

Lance Lynn ($10,000): It’s a bit difficult to ignore Seattle’s BAA vs. Lynn, but it is worth noting that Lynn has still averaged 28.9 DraftKings points per start in three games against Seattle this year. The Mariners hit righties better, but it would take extraordinary bouts of bad luck for Lynn to get hit like he did last week. This Mariners offense isn’t that exciting.

Chris Paddack ($9,000): This is more a way to get into the middle tier than anything else. Paddack hasn’t topped 20 DraftKings points since July 29. The Padres are limiting him whenever they have the chance. So why use him here? Because the Giants are terrible at home. Paddack actually pitched better against the Giants in San Diego than San Francisco. The upside here is enough, but the price makes me nervous.

Bargain Pitchers:

Dereck Rodriguez ($4,600): The Padres are hitting just .182 against Rodriguez in 55 at bats with two homers, four runs, and 11 strikeouts. Those are arguably the best numbers Rodriguez has against any team. Rodriguez has managed 31 DraftKings points in two starts against the Padres this year. That’s a great return on this price.

Chi Chi Gonzalez ($4,300): Want all of the Rockies bats? Go to ChiChi’s! Inexplicably, Rodriguez has been better at home, only posting a 5.00 ERA there. We saw Gonzalez pitch reasonably well against Arizona and Houston, so there is enough talent there. He just hasn’t been consistent at all. The Pirates offense is just weak enough to take a shot at this, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

My picks: Ryu, Rodriguez; deGrom, Rodriguez; Rodriguez, Gonzalez, because, you know, screw pitching.