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Top Play SP: Lucas Giolito, CHW ($11,000) at DET
What happens when you remove the best player from an already terrible team? Well, for our purposes, it means we pick on that team, and that’s exactly what we’re doing here with the Tigers. After trading Nick Castellanos at the deadline, there are now zero bats in this lineup that scare me. As if we needed an extra bonus, it’s stud Lucas Giolito on the mound for the White Sox. Giolito has a 29.9% strikeout rate on the year, and the Tigers have the second-highest strikeout rate against right-handed pitching. That’s a combo that should lead to a lot of points today.
Honorable mention: Charlie Morton, TBR ($10,700) vs. TOR.
Value SP: Tony Gonsolin, LAD ($7,000) vs. STL
This pick may have some Dodgeritis in that I’m not sure how long Tony Gonsolin’s leash will be, but there’s at least a decent floor here. Gonsolin has only gone four innings in each of his previous two appearances and hasn’t thrown more than 80 pitches. The Cardinals have just an 89 wRC+ against right-handed pitching this year and strike out at a 22.9% clip. For the record, this is purely a cash play.
Honorable mention: Spencer Turnbull, DET ($7,000) vs. CHW.
Top Play: OF J.D. Martinez, BOS ($5,100) vs. KC
The Red Sox are one of my favorite stacks today, but their price will certainly limit how many we fit into a lineup. Because it’s most likely that I’ll play one-offs, let’s talk about my favorite, J.D. Martinez. Martinez has destroyed southpaws this year, putting up a .505 ISO with a .554 wOBA. He and the Red Sox get a matchup with Cubs castoff Mike Montgomery, who has struck out just 13.2% of batters this year, while allowing a 39.3% hard-hit rate. Martinez will be the first bat I lock into my lineup.
Honorable mention: OF Aaron Judge, NYY ($4,600) at BAL.
Top Play: 1B Josh Bell, PIT ($4,600) vs. MIL
Josh Bell has cooled off some in the second half, but thankfully for us, that means his price has also come back down to earth. Despite the dry spell, Bell still has turned in a .317 ISO and .420 wOBA against righties this year. Bell faces former teammate Jordan Lyles, who has been crushed by lefties this year. In 159 plate appearances, left-handed batters have put up a .266 ISO and .412 wOBA.
Honorable mention: SS Xander Bogaerts, BOS ($5,300) vs. KC.
Value: OF Josh VanMeter, CIN ($3,900) vs. LAA
Thanks to Yasiel Puig’s departure at the trade deadline, Josh VanMeter has finally gotten plenty of playing time, and boy, has he taken advantage. VanMeter’s put up a .395 wOBA against righties in 85 plate appearances and is projected to hit cleanup today.
Honorable mention: OF Lorenzo Cain, MIL ($3,900) at PIT.
Top Stack: Yankees at Orioles (RHP Gabriel Ynoa)
You’ll have to keep an eye on the Orioles starting pitcher as it’s already changed during the writing of this article. Originally, sites had lefty John Means starting, but that has since switched to righty Gabriel Ynoa. Ynoa has been OK as an opener/reliever recently, going 14.1 innings pitched since July 17, allowing just two earned runs. However, even if Ynoa can shut down the Yankees for two innings, he’ll be turning it over to the worst bullpen in the league. Like the Red Sox, the Yankees bats are pretty expensive, but I really like their 1 through 4 of DJ LeMahieu ($5,600), Judge ($4,600), Didi Gregorius ($5,000), and Gleyber Torres ($5,100). Good luck today!
Honorable mention: Red Sox vs. Royals (LHP Montgomery).
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is RMoss1983) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games on which I offer advice. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings, and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any nonpublic information.