Pitchers
For the Pitcher Chart as well as Hitter picks and analysis, click NEXT!
Gerrit Cole
Cole will face the Mariners in Safeco Field. He is a big favorite, is tied for the lowest OTT (see pitcher chart) on the slate, and has the highest strikeout rate this year by a wide margin. While he costs $13,300, and may be slightly overpriced, he’s the clear top option with Corey Kluber pitching against the Red Sox. I haven’t decided whether to pay for Cole in cash games, but he’ll have the highest pitcher projection on the slate by 3-5 DK points on Monday.
Zack Wheeler
Wheeler will face the Giants in Citi Field. He’s tied with Cole for the lowest OTT at 3.5. Wheeler has pitched well recently, recording double-digit DK points in each of his last ten games while averaging 22 DK points. The Giants rank 10th in strikeout rate this season and rank 24th in wRC+. It’s a good, not great matchup for Wheeler, but at a $4,000 discount from Cole, I’m very interested in him for cash games.
Marco Estrada
Estrada will face the Orioles in the Rogers Centre. He’s also a big favorite and has an OTT of four. It’s an exploitable matchup against the Orioles who traded away their top bats at the deadline. For $6,800, Estrada is a boom/bust tournament option, but one I can see putting up a solid stat line that exceeds value.
Chris Archer
It’s not the best matchup or park, and Archer has struggled since joining the Pirates, but I’ll have tournament exposure to him on Monday. I still believe in the talent and he’s $7,800 in the National League.
For the Pitcher Chart as well as Hitter picks and analysis, click NEXT!
Pitcher Chart
To see my favorite hitters for today’s slate, click NEXT!
The pitching chart will be updated often. Make sure to check back for the newest information, especially if a column is currently incomplete!
Last Updated: 8/20/2018 – 9:07 AM CT
| Pitcher | Team | L/R | $Line | OTT | K | +/- | K% | IP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K. Gausman | ATL | R | +108 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 19 | 6 1/3 |
| C. Archer | PIT | R | -117 | 4 | 6.5 | 2.5 | 24.5 | 6 |
| D. Holland | SFG | L | +109 | 4 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 24.1 | 5 1/3 |
| Z. Wheeler | NYM | R | -118 | 3.5 | 7 | 3.5 | 23.4 | 6 1/3 |
| H. Bailey | CIN | R | +170 | 5 | 3.5 | -1.5 | 14.9 | 5 |
| C. Anderson | MIL | R | -185 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 1 | 19.7 | 5 1/3 |
| A. Gomber | STL | L | +144 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 20.3 | 5 |
| A. Wood | LAD | L | -156 | 3.5 | 5 | 1.5 | 21.2 | 5 2/3 |
| A. Cashner | BAL | R | +150 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 0 | 16.3 | 5 1/3 |
| M. Estrada | TOR | R | -163 | 4 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 17.7 | 6 1/3 |
| C. Kluber | CLE | R | -100 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 24.8 | 6 1/3 |
| R. Porcello | BOS | R | -108 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 23.6 | 6 1/3 |
| L. Giolito | CHW | R | +143 | 5 | 4 | -1 | 15.4 | 5 |
| S. Gonsalves | MIN | L | -159 | 4 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 23.1 | 4 2/3 |
| G. Cole | HOU | R | -171 | 3.5 | 7 | 3.5 | 34.9 | 6 2/3 |
| F. Hernandez | SEA | R | +157 | 4.5 | 4 | -0.5 | 17.5 | 5 1/3 |
Key
L/R = Lefty or Righty
$Line = Money Line
OTT = Opposing team’s run total
K = Projected Strikeouts
+/- = K-OTT
K% = Strikeout Percentage
IP = Innings Projection
Many factors can change between the time I write this article and the time lineups lock. I’ll do my best to update the article, so checking back frequently is encouraged. You can also ask questions on Twitter or Facebook. I’ll do my best to get to all of them!
To see my favorite hitters for today’s slate, click NEXT!
Hitters
Brewers Bats
The Brewers will face Homer Bailey in Miller Park. It’s one of the best parks for lefty power and Bailey has allowed 1.90 HR/9 this season. He also has a low strikeout rate, allowing the Brewers to put the ball in play. The Brewers have some key injuries worth monitoring (Eric Thames, Ryan Braun, Manny Pina), but even if all three miss the game, the Brewers are still my top offense on the slate. Mike Moustakas is the top overall play on the slate with Christian Yelich in the top five. Travis Shaw is also in play for cash games and is available at second base. If he makes the lineup Eric Thames will be one of the top tournament plays today. He’s slightly overpriced for cash games, but will be one of my highest owned tournament plays. While creating Brewers stacks for tournaments, Jesus Aguilar is a player I may avoid. While he has as much power as anyone on the Brewers, his $5,500 price tag makes it difficult to prioritize him. That being said, he’ll probably be one of the lower owned Brewers players. There are at least seven Brewers bats worth paying for in tournaments, so I’ll be watching the lineup and creating multiple variations tonight.
Brian Dozier
Dozier is priced at $4,100 against Austin Gomber. He’ll have the platoon advantage and is projected to bat first in the order. There are five Dodgers bats priced higher than Dozier, but only Manny Machado ($4,600) projects higher. At a weak second base position, Dozier is one of the top options tonight at a discount from Travis Shaw.
Twins Bats
The Twins will face Lucas Giolito in Target Field. They are tied with the Brewers for the highest team run total today. Giolito has a SIERA of 5.58 this season, has a 1.44 HR/9, and has allowed a league-leading 21 stolen bases. Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano, Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler are in play for cash games and make for a high-upside tournament stack as well. It’s unfortunate the Twins don’t have any true base stealers to fully take advantage of this matchup, but they are still my second favorite stack of the night.
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