Sunday, Aug. 8, brings a slate loaded with amazing offensive matchups. 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, Sunday, Aug. 8
Yahoo Stack of the Day: New York Yankees vs. LHP Yusei Kikuchi — 4.9 implied runs
Though it is not an eye-popping implied run total for the Yankees, their salaries are too enticing to pass up on Yahoo. The matchup against Yusei Kikuchi is by no means a walk in the park, but he allowed home runs in his last seven starts, including two multi-homer games.
New York presents a chance to gain some salary cap relief with two- and three-man stacks. Giancarlo Stanton ($13) and Aaron Judge ($15) lead the way with their power. After that look to Joey Gallo ($16), who has a .256 ISO in his last 234 lefty/lefty matchups, or D.J. LeMahieu ($11). There is some early morning precipitation in the Bronx, but things should be cleared out by first pitch. While this will keep the temperatures down, Yankee Stadium is still a great offensive environment.
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St. Louis Cardinals vs. LHP Kris Bubic — 5.3 implied runs
Game-time temperatures will be in the low-90s with 60% humidity, which means home run weather. A 12 to 15 mph wind out to left field should help the righty-heavy Cardinals against southpaw Kris Bubic. While Bubic has been better after a disastrous June when he had a 9.16 ERA and eight home runs allowed in just 18.2 innings, he still surrenders home runs in bunches. In his last start the White Sox got to him for two homers, and he has three other games where he allowed at least three.
Switch-hitting Tommy Edman should be leading off today, and he has a robust .240 ISO in his last 132 plate appearances against lefties. Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado are two of the best in the game against southpaws. On the short slate look to the back half of the order with Tyler O’Neill and Harrison Bader for differentiation. While they tend to have an all-or-nothing approach, they both profile well against Bubic. Finally, if Yadier Molina is in the lineup, he is very much in play on sites that require a catcher, and Paul DeJong offers home run upside in the No. 8 spot in the order.
Afternoon Slate
Oakland Athletics vs. RHP Jordan Lyles — 5.4 implied runs
This has been a rough season for Jordan Lyles, who has allowed the second-most home runs in the league. It has been so bad that he has allowed four home runs in a game twice and three in another start. Over the last two seasons he has a pedestrian 16.9% strikeout rate while allowing nearly an 80% contact rate. Once Lyles cedes the mound to the bullpen, it is going to be like putting gasoline on a fire.
Matt Olson has a .356 wOBA and .249 ISO in lefty/righty matchups over the last two seasons. In tournaments his direct pivot is designated hitter Mitch Moreland, who has a .353 wOBA and a .230 ISO in the same timeframe. Mark Canha and Starling Marte should thrive in this matchup and being at the top of the order they are all but assured of five plate appearances. Jed Lowrie, Sean Murphy and Josh Harrison can be used to round out full stacks or as one-off discount dandies.
Spotlight Pitchers
Top Target: RHP Lance McCullers Jr. vs. Minnesota Twins — 3.6 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $47 | FanDuel $9,800 | DraftKings $10,000
This is a nice matchup for Lance McCullers Jr., who has an excellent mix of groundballs and above-average strikeouts stuff. Across his last 650 batters faced he has a 28% strikeout rate while inducing ground balls just over half the time batters put the ball in play. This iteration of the Twins has a .215 ISO over the last two seasons with today’s projected lineup, but they also strike out at a 27.2% rate in the same period.
Secondary Target: LHP Max Fried vs. Washington Nationals — 3.4 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $39 | FanDuel $8,000| DraftKings $8,800
Today will mark the fourth time that Max Fried has drawn a start against the Nationals. While the prior three outings were disappointing, this is a watered-down version of the team he faced earlier this season. Fried has picked things up over his last 10 appearances, with a 3.45 ERA and 1.17 WHIP that is significantly better than his season-long numbers. Aside from Josh Bell and Juan Soto, the rest of the Nationals bats are replacement level at best.
Wild Card: RHP Luis Gil vs. Seattle Mariners — 4.4 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $34 | FanDuel $7,100 | DraftKings $6,500
Luis Gil is an interesting option as a second pitcher on Yahoo and DraftKings. He has excellent strikeout stuff, though his secondary pitches are still below average. In his MLB debut on Tuesday Gil held the Orioles scoreless through six innings, striking out six and allowing only four base runners. The Seattle offense is not particularly imposing, and they have been getting by this season with timely hitting rather than overwhelming volume.
Final Thoughts for the Sunday, Aug. 8 MLB DFS Picks Slate
Keep an eye on the weather in the Midwest, with potential late-afternoon precipitation in St. Louis and Chicago. Today’s afternoon slate should be particularly fun with three gas cans taking the mound against three powerful offenses.
