With the College Football season underway and the NFL season just about ready to kickoff, our MLB coverage will subside after this week. I’ll look to make one last push up the leaderboard, starting with the five-game night slate on Labor Day. With a small slate, I only have two stacks to recommend, one that will be popular and one that should be lower owned. I’ll also make today’s article FREE, enjoy!
Be sure to sign up for our Premium Content so you don’t miss out on any of the content we have here at DailyOverlay.
Let’s mow down the competition 3 Up and 3 Down…
3 Up
Ace
Jacob deGrom (FD-$11,800 / DK-$13,400)
Fitting in Jacob deGrom is no easy feat, especially on DraftKings but he has by far the highest strikeout potential on the Monday night slate. While he’ll face a good Dodgers offense, it doesn’t seem to matter who deGrom faces these days. Over his last six starts which have included outings against the Cubs, Yankees, Phillies and Braves, he has posted a 1.24 ERA and 35.9% strikeout rate. The Dodgers have the fifth highest strikeout rate (24.0%) against righties over the last 30 days and deGrom has been solid against Dodgers hitters over his career allowing just a .286 wOBA with a 21.4% strikeout rate in 131 plate appearances. Get in DeGrom wherever you can.
Value
Alex Wood (FD-$8,700 / DK-$9,200)
It’s not often that I recommend two pitchers facing each other as my top two plays but on a small slate Alex Wood is a viable value option on the mound facing DeGrom and the Mets. Wood has shut down Mets hitters in the past allowing a low .249 wOBA with a strong 25.0% strikeout rate in 68 career plate appearances. He comes in as a small home favorite in a game with the lowest run total on the slate by far. Wood is coming off a strong outing tossing seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts against the Rangers and has allowed one or fewer runs in four of his last five starts. Wood is a viable Cash or GPP option on any site.
Darkhorse
Erasmo Ramirez (FD-$6,100 / DK-$6,200)
Looking at Erasmo Ramirez stats this season in six starts hasn’t been pretty with a 6.28 ERA and low 15.4% strikeout rate. However, he has been better than that during his career and gets a favorable matchup on Monday pitching at home against the Orioles. Ramirez and the Mariners come in as a big Vegas favorite and he has had a lot of success against the current collection of Orioles bats over his career allowing a .276 wOBA with a 26.3% strikeout rate. There is not a lot to like in the bargain bin on the mound on Monday, but Ramirez stands out as a viable option. You’ll probably have to use him on two-pitcher sites along with DeGrom to allow some room for bats.
3 Down
Top Stacks
Diamondbacks vs. Bryan Mitchell
The Diamondbacks come in as the team with the highest implied run total on the slate. Mitchell has served up a .443 wOBA and 2.42 HR/9 to right-handed hitters this season while giving a .368 wOBA to lefties. Get in all the Diamondbacks top five where possible.
Paul Goldschmidt (FD-$4,000 / DK-$5,100) – Goldschmidt has seven hits over his last four games and has posted a .386 wOBA and .238 ISO against righties this season.
AJ Pollock (FD-$2,900 / DK-$4,200) – Pollock has a strong .352 wOBA and .208 ISO at home against righties.
David Peralta (FD-$3,800 / DK-$4,900) – Peralta has smacked around righties at home this year with a .449 wOBA and .293 ISO.
Steven Souza (FD-$2,800 / DK-$4,000) – Souza has worked his way into the leadoff spot for the Diamondbacks the last five games and has been productive with three multi-hit games.
Eduardo Escobar (FD-$3,400 / DK-$4,400) – Escobar is at his best against righties with a .358 wOBA and .266 ISO this season.
Contrarian Stack
Rays vs. Marcus Stroman
Stroman returns to the mound for the Blue Jays after missing a couple of week with a blister. He has been below average this season with a 5.27 ERA, although a 3.80 xFIP suggests he has been better than that. Stroman allows a lot of contact with just a 17.4% strikeout rate and has allowed a 35.1% hard-hit rate to lefties this season. A few of the Rays hitters have been swinging a hot bat recently.
Joey Wendle (FD-$3,000 / DK-$4,100) – Wendle hit in the leadoff spot over the last week and has produced six multi-hit games over his last seven starts and has a .353 wOBA on the road against righties this season.
Tommy Pham (FD-$3,200 / DK-$4,200) – Pham has been on a tear recently batting .417 with five extra-base hits over his last eight games.
Ji-Man Choi (FD-$2,600 / DK-$3,900) – Choi has batted in the third spot of the Rays lineup over the last few days. He has four hits including a pair of doubles over the last two games and has posted a .375 wOBA and .228 ISO against righties this season.
Brandon Lowe (FD-$2,500 / DK-$3,200) – Lowe has homered in back-to-back games while collecting five hits in the two games.
Follow me on Twitter @Rotopilot
