Monday, Aug. 9, is an outlier day, with Yahoo and FanDuel rolling with a four-game slate at 8 p.m. ET, while DraftKings is going with the early appetizer and including the 6:10 p.m. ET game between Cincinnati and Cleveland. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks for pitchers and stacks for Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy baseball lineups.
MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks, Monday, Aug. 9
Yahoo Stack of the Day: Chicago White Sox at RHP Beau Burrows — 5.9 implied runs
The Twins will be using a righty/lefty combination today with Beau Burrows as the starter with southpaw Charlie Barnes as the next man up. Neither pitcher is particularly talented, which makes the White Sox an enticing target tonight.
Luis Robert ($18) has missed most of the season with a hip injury, though he is on track to start on Monday. While it may be wise to hold off on him for DFS purposes, there is no doubt that he makes the overall Chicago lineup that much tougher. Eloy Jimenez ($14) is fresh off of a phenomenal performance on Sunday Night Baseball where he went 3-for-4 with a double and two home runs, accounting for five RBIs. Jose Abreu ($21) commands a lofty salary tonight, but he is second in MLB with 83 RBIs. Switch-hitters Yoan Moncada ($14) and Cesar Hernandez ($21) are well equipped tonight for the righty/lefty pitching tandem.
Tim Anderson ($18) leading off should get five plate appearances, and he has really stepped up his performance this season. Finally, for differentiation, look at the bottom of the order with outfielders Brian Goodwin ($12) and Andrew Vaughn ($18). Game-time temperatures are going to be in the mid-80s with 60% humidity, which is nice for the offenses.
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While Carlos Hernandez is a perfectly adequate pitcher, he is facing a buzz saw in the Yankees tonight. Game-time temperatures will be around 90 degrees with a 10 mph breeze out to left field. Anthony Rizzo is the latest New York player to be put on the COVID-19 list, but Luke Voit is available and slotting into his spot. Hernandez’s main weakness is walks, and he has an unsightly 12.9% rate over his last 224 batter faced. This plays right into Joey Gallo’s strength. Despite his 31.1% strikeout rate against opposite-handed pitchers, he has a discerning eye with an 18.8% walk rate.
Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and D.J. LeMahieu are the three to target. For differentiation, look to the bottom of the order with the all-or-nothing approach of Rougned Odor and Brett Gardner. Let other gamers take a chance on Gleyber Torres, who has been downright awful this season — he is a trap with his .091 ISO.
Spotlight Pitchers
Top Target: RHP Joe Musgrove vs. Miami Marlins — 2.8 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $47 | FanDuel $9,800 | DraftKings $10,000
After a mid-summer hiccup, Joe Musgrove is back on track, having allowed just eight runs in his last five starts for a 2.51 ERA. In this stretch, he has ceded only two home runs while striking out a batter per inning. The Marlins are one of the worst offenses in baseball, with an 81 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers, which is a bottom-five figure.
Wild Card: RHP Jameson Taillon at Kansas City Royals — 4.4 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $43 | FanDuel $8,100 | DraftKings $7,800
On slates with the Cincinnati – Cleveland game, Luis Castillo is definitely a pitcher to target. The weather is looking pretty dicey in Chicago, and there is a good chance that game will be postponed, which will remove Freddy Peralta, who is the best pitcher on the slate. Gamers will be talking themselves into Lucas Giolito, and rolling with the Twins gains some leverage on the field. By process of elimination, that leaves Jameson Taillon as the wild card.
Though this is a hitter-friendly environment tonight, the Kansas City lineup falls off dramatically after their first couple of hitters. In his last six starts Taillon has been lights out, allowing only six runs in 37.1 innings and striking out 35. As long as he can keep the bases clean tonight, he should be in line for a victory with the powerful New York offense behind him.
Final Thoughts for the Monday, Aug. 9 MLB DFS Picks Slate
There is a good chance that the Milwaukee – Chicago game will be postponed by stormy weather into the late evening. If that happens, the player pool is going to get even smaller. Tonight is lining up as a reminder that baseball has wildly variant outcomes, and if willing to increase risk tolerance there is serious leverage to be had.
