MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks | Aug. 29
MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers
The Birthday Boy (shout out to Sean V) has more than held his own in four August starts against an impressive gauntlet of road matchups. Across 24.1 innings this month, Brown has allowed a scant five earned runs and only one round-tripper. He also has 25 strikeouts during this timeframe, and most impressive is that this stretch includes tilts in Baltimore, Boston and Texas, with a matchup against the White Sox in Houston being the only respite.
The Royals have plated the fourth-most runs in the league this season and the third most over the last 30 days. This is a team that is not afraid to swipe bases while also having ample power when everyone is healthy. Hunter Renfroe is on the injured reserve, which takes a key power bat out of the lineup. That means a promotion up the order for MJ Melendez, who actually has been thriving over the last 30 days with a .440 wOBA and a .340 ISO, despite spending most of the season with a batting average well below his weight.
Houston has a slim 3.5-game lead over the Mariners in the American League West, while Kansas City trails the Cleveland Guardians by one game. Though these two teams are not currently in direct competition with each other in the standings, each installment of this four-game weekend series is going to be crucial for the postseason rankings of each squad.
Sanchez had a breakout campaign last year, and while he has seen his strikeout rate fall from 8.7 per nine innings to a career-low 7.1, he also has 14 of his 22 quality starts this season. The first-time All-Star has failed to close out the fifth inning only twice this season, and 12 days ago he had a one-run shutout against the Washington Nationals, giving up a solo shot to Alex Call. The 27-year-old southpaw also had a complete-game shutout against Miami at the end of June. He is at a career-high 146.1 innings, but for tonight we can set that worry aside and roll with him as one of the few enticing options on Thursday’s short slate.
MLB DFS Picks: Top Stacks
Main Slate Primary Target: Baltimore Orioles
After a solid rookie season that saw RHP Bobby Miller make 22 starts, culminating in an 11-4 record, 3.76 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and nine quality starts, things have taken a definite turn for the worse. Though he broke camp with a slot in the rotation, Miller has been dropped back to the minors two different times this season in order to figure out some things. That has not gone so well, with 23 runs in 28 innings across five appearances. He also has a disastrous 19 walks and a pedestrian 21 strikeouts against MiLB hitters.
The main reason he is back with the parent club is that Los Angeles has had nearly a full starting rotation on the injured reserve all season. While Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw are back, Tyler Glasnow is the latest to be placed on the shelf, joining Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin.
Last season Miller allowed a .136 ISO with a scant 2.67 extra-base hits per nine innings. This year he is up to 3.85 per nine, including 11 home runs, which is one shy of last season’s total. Hitters from both sides of the plate have hammered him, combining for a .250 ISO, with each side finding a similar level of success.
Once again we will want to flock to Gunnar Henderson, Anthony Santander and young leadoff hitter Colton Cowser as the trio to target. On the late slate, differentiation can be found with Cedric Mullins, Jackson Holliday and Ramon Urias, who tends to thrive as the forgotten man with a little pop and the occasional stolen base.
The more conventional second wave, of course, would be switch-hitter catcher, Adley Rutschman and Ryan O’Hearn, who should be in the heart of the order as long as he holds the platoon advantage.
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Main Slate Secondary Target: Los Angeles Dodgers
There is still time for Povich to turn things around, especially considering he is the sixth-best prospect for the Orioles while also sliding inside the top 100 on industry lists. It just may take the former third-round selection from the 2021 MLB Draft more time in the minors. He has looked good in his 123 Triple-A innings between the last two years but may need just a little more polish.
Freddie Freeman is dealing with a hairline fracture of his right middle finger, which seems to be hampering his effectiveness at the plate and got him the night off on Tuesday and Wednesday. There is a chance the team will put him on the injured reserve for the minimum stay so they are not tempted to play him while he continues to heal.
Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts still give the Dodgers two former MVPs at the top of the lineup card, and Teoscar Hernandez certainly produces like an MVP when he faces southpaws. Max Muncy should be in the lineup with Freeman ailing, even against a lefty, and he does have light-tower power against same-handed hurlers when he is able to get the bat on the ball.
Catcher Will Smith is always a phenomenal option, plus former St. Louis switch-hitter Tommy Edman will likely move up in the order with a lefty on the mound, with infielder Miguel Rojas or Kike Hernandez landing in the lineup over Gavin Lux.
