Monday’s MLB slate is a small one. For continuity’s sake, I will be looking at FanDuel’s All Day slate, which is also DraftKings’ main slate. It features five games and locks at 6:10 p.m. ET.
» LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Football is back! Get six months of access to FantasyLabs PRO for only $199.95 – 45% OFF!
Pitchers
The small slate offers a four-pack of top priced pitchers on FanDuel:
- Freddy Peralta (R) $10,200, MIL @ CHC
- Lucas Giolito (R) $9,500, CHW @ MIN
- Luis Castillo (R) $9,200, CIN @ CLE
- Joe Musgrove (R) $9,000, SD vs MIA
Freddy Peralta is 1-0 with 15 strikeouts in nine innings against the Cubs at Wrigley Field in 2021. And a lot has changed for the two teams in the three-plus months since he last toes the rubber in Chicago, including a Cubs fire sale and the Brewers’ ongoing battle with COVID-19. The Brewers went 3-3 during last week’s home stand as they played shorthanded against the Pirates and Giants. Peralta should have few issues with the Cubs lineup in a similar fashion as the Pirates lineup he posted consecutive 43-point efforts against in his past two starts. The Cubs have the second-highest strikeout rate at home against right-handed pitching.
This is also the only game that could be affected by rain. There is a 42 percent chance of rain and winds are expected to blow out towards centerfield at 11 mph.
Home runs have been an issue for Lucas Giolito in 2021 and despite a favorable matchup against the Minnesota Twins, he rates as the third-best option using the Bales Model behind Joe Musgrove and Peralta. Despite trading away slugger Nelson Cruz, the Twins have gotten power from Miguel Sano and Jorge Polanco. The Twins took three of four in their first home series since the trade deadline. Giolito has had success against the Twins this season, including an eight inning, 11-strikeout gem in May. He is 2-0 against Minnesota in 2021.
Luis Castillo may be the lowest-rated pitcher over $9,000 but has been the most consistent of the foursome. Castillo has met or exceeded FantasyLabs projections in every start dating back to June 4. Cleveland is an average home offense that has power upside against right-handed pitching. If Castillo can continue to limit stolen bases, he can take away one of Cleveland’s strengths. Their offense is fifth in BsR while Castillo and the Reds catchers have four Catcher/Pitcher stolen bases.
Joe Musgrove is the top-rated pitcher on FanDuel and DraftKings. The Marlins continue to head west after a series loss against the Rockies. Miami is a bottom 10 road offense with a top 10 strikeout rate and Soft Hit percentage on the road against righties. Musgrove also has the advantage of being the only expensive option pitching at home. He has a 2.52 home ERA and has allowed a .572 OPS. Musgrove leads the position with eight Pro Trends.
Value
I do not recommend paying down, but the dart throw is the Cubs’ Alec Mills. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in a start since entering the Chicago rotation, but is not a high strikeout pitcher.
Fastballs
Sam Hentges and Beau Burrows are openers today and will not pitch long enough to qualify for wins.
Notable Stack
We head to Kansas City for FanDuel’s notable stack:
- Luke Voit (R)
- D.J. LeMahieu (R)
- Joey Gallo (L)
- Aaron Judge (R)
Total Salary: $14,500
The Yankees as a whole have the second-best Team Value Rating on both platforms. LeMahieu is the top-rated player on both sites as well. The Yankees are projected to score 6.1 runs against Carlos Hernandez and the Kansas City Royals.
Other Hitters
Despite the Twins failing to produce against Lucas Giolito, Max Kepler is slashing .276/.344/.655 against him in 29 at-bats.
Jesse Winker has strung together three straight multi-hit games but is hitting .152 with one RBI on the road against left-handed pitchers (46 at-bats). Cleveland will open with lefty Sam Hentges, who may only go 1-2 innings.
Eloy Jimenez has hits in four consecutive games, including last night’s three-hit, two-homer effort against the Cubs.
Aug. 8 was only the second game Carlos Hernandez has not reached base since joining the White Sox at the trade deadline.
Myles Straw has hits in eight of 10 games since joining the Indians, including two home runs, four RBI’s and two stolen bases. He is priced under $3,000 on FanDuel and has not topped that salary since July 28.
