This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Wednesday's DFS docket is a little unusual. There are only six evening games on the slate, which is not uncommon, but three of them start at 6:40 p.m. EDT. Looking for a few lineup recommendations? Want to bring August to a close with a bang? Here are my DFS picks.
Pitching
Gerrit Cole, NYY at DET ($11,100): Sometimes, there's no need to overthink it. With a 2.95 ERA and an 11-4 record, Cole is in the running to win the AL Cy Young. Plus, he has a 2.48 ERA on the road. Not only that, but the Tigers are 29th in runs scored and team OPS. That bodes well for Cole.
Dane Dunning, TEX at NYM ($7,700): With the Tigers pushing Matt Manning a day – at least – I needed a second option. Due to salary-related bang for your buck, I'm going with Dunning. He has offensive support from the Rangers, and the Mets are below average in terms of runs scored. Citi Field also tends to be good for pitchers.
Top Target
It's not surprising that Ryan McMahon ($3,700) has an .882 OPS at home. It is Coors Field, after all. On top of that, though, the southpaw has a .904 OPS against righties. Atlanta's starter is unknown, though it seems like it might be rookie Darius Vines making his MLB debut. It won't be lefty Max Fried, and so I'm good with McMahon.
Bargain Bat
The switch-hitting Bryan Reynolds ($3,500) has 18 homers and 10 stolen bases. This season, he's been struggling against lefties, but since 2021 he has an .806 OPS against lefties, and an .851 OPS against righties. On top of that, his .856 OPS on the road in 2023 works for me. It has been announced Brady Singer is having his start skipped. The RotoWire pitching grid has Angel Zerpa getting the start, but this feels like a bullpen game. Thus, I went with a switch hitter.
Stacks to Consider
Atlanta at Rockies (Kyle Freeland): Austin Riley ($4,200), Ozzie Albies ($3,800), Orlando Arcia ($3,300)
Speaking of Coors Field, and basically every time a series is happening there you can count on me speaking of it, Atlanta's lineup leaves us spoiled for choice against Freeland. Never one to rack up many strikeouts, the lefty has a 5.25 FIP and has allowed 1.67 homers per nine innings. Additionally, righties have hit .312 against Freeland, so I am going that route.
Riley's power should play well at Coors, given his career .506 slugging percentage and the fact he's hit over 30 homers three seasons in a row. Albies, fresh from the IL, is a switch hitter, but he has a .907 OPS against southpaws since 2021, so clearly he has a preference. On top of that, he has a .904 OPS on the road this season. Arcia has hit 15 homers with a .281 average, and he'd likely be doing even better with more appearances against lefties. The shortstop has an 1.079 OPS versus southpaws.
Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks (Brandon Pfaadt): Mookie Betts ($4,500), Max Muncy ($3,600), James Outman ($2,800)
Rookie righty Pfaadt has a 5.91 ERA and has allowed 2.01 homers per nine innings. Now, he has a 4.20 ERA in away starts, but has actually allowed 2.4 homers per nine in those outings. With lefties hitting .285 against Pfaadt, I have two southpaws in this stack. Also, baseball's best (healthy) player.
That's Betts, of course, who would be my NL MVP at the moment. He's stuffed the stat sheet so much I don't know where to begin, so I'll just say that on the season he has an 1.035 OPS at home, and over the last three weeks he has an 1.284 OPS overall. Muncy's skill set is more limited than Betts', but we know what he does. Namely, he swings for the fences and hits homers. Indeed, he's notched 31 home runs, with an .892 OPS against righties. Outman has a .358 OBP with 17 homers and 14 stolen bases. Notably, the southpaw has hit .297 against lefties (with less power), which is encouraging in modern bullpen-heavy baseball.
