In today’s slate, we get a few aces on the mound as Framber Valdez takes on the first-placed Orioles and Max Scherzer makes his road debut for the Rangers in Oakland. In yesterday’s matchup between the Braves and the Pirates, Spencer Strider was pulled early after a brutal third inning. Today the Pirates will be starting Mitch Keller, who has been downright bad since the All-Star break. That means the Braves could be primed for a big day at PNC Park. They will be a popular DFS target, as they have been all season long. The Cubs continue their series in Queens against veteran, Carlos Carrasco, who has a 6.60 ERA this season. The Rangers will be another popular play as they continue their series against the worst team in the league.

This is for the 8/8 4:05 PM PST classic slate on Draftkings.

Writer’s Record

42-22-1

Los Angeles Angels ML (-117) vs San Francisco Giants

The Angels have not won a game since the trade deadline. They have blown multiple saves and have just been outexecuted. They will have a decent chance tonight against the Giants who are opting to go with another bullpen game. The home team will be starting one of their deadline acquisitions in Lucas Giolito. Despite his poor performances so far for the Angels, he did have tough matchups in Toronto and against the Braves. He should have an easier time of it in his debut at Angels Stadium.

DFS Pillar Plays

Yusei Kikuchi

Position: P

Salary: $8,200

Over his last four outings, Yusei Kikuchi has allowed only three runs combined. The matchup on Tuesday pits him against the Cleveland Guardians, a team that ranks second to last in BABIP and dead last in OPS against left-handed pitching this season. The Guardians have scored 14 runs over the past week. Only the Diamondbacks have scored fewer runs over that stretch. The Blue Jays have won four in a row and Kikuchi should put them in a decent position to continue that streak and register the W. He is averaging 19.88 FPPG over his past four starts.

Matt Olson

Position: 1B

Salary: $5,900 

The Braves continue their series at PNC Park with Mitch Keller getting the start for the Pirates. Keller had a fantastic few months to begin the season, but he has really struggled since the All-Star break. In his four starts since then, Keller has given up seven home runs and 24 total runs in 21.2 innings, which is good for a 9.97 ERA. Matt Olson leads the league with 99 RBIs and sits only behind Shohei Ohtani with 39 home runs, 33 of those coming against right-handed pitching. Olson also has the second highest OPS against right-handed pitchers this year. Keller’s last start came in Milwaukee when he gave up eight runs on nine hits in five innings.

Cody Bellinger

Position: 1B/OF

Salary: $5,300

If anyone thought Cody Bellinger’s July was an anomaly, that does not seem to be the case. Belli continued his torrid form on Monday in Queens, going 3-for-3 with two RBIs. That puts his RBI total in August at nine, which is over only seven games. He is hitting .538 in August and has five stolen bases in the month on top of that. The matchup will be against Carlos Carrasco who has not been good this season. Carrasco ranks in the bottom 2% of the league in xERA and is in the bottom 5% in strikeout percentage. The Mets don’t have a ton of options when it comes to their rotation, which leaves them having to ride the 36-year-old Carrasco longer than they may prefer. His has an 8.51 ERA in seven starts at Citi Field this year.

DFS Value Plays (<$3500 Salary)

James Outman

Position: OF

Salary: $3,200

The rookie outfielder for the Dodgers had a marquee series against the Padres, highlighted by a sensational home run robbery to start the series and a 4-for-4 day in the series finale. Outman improved his production in July compared to his previous few months with a .309 batting average and .905 OPS over the month. That hot play has continued into August and he will certainly be a part of Dave Roberts’ left-handed platoon against right-handed rookie for the Diamondbacks, Brandon Pfaadt. Pfaadt might have been excellent in his last start, but that was against a banged up Giants team. The Dodgers are coming off a confidence building series win against their division rival, San Diego Padres, and the Diamondbacks are reeling at the moment as losers of six straight. 

Mitch Garver

Position: C

Salary: $3,400

With Jonah Heim injured, Mitch Garver has been getting as much action as he can handle. He has performed quite well with the increased opportunity and has a .455 batting average in August so far. He has registered a hit in every August game and had a three hit showing on Monday against the Oakland A’s. The Rangers continue their series in Oakland, which makes them an attractive DFS stack. Garver has a .371 batting average against lefties this season and left-handed JP Sears gets the start for Oakland on Tuesday night.

Ian Happ

Position: OF

Salary: $3,400

While Cody Bellinger has been stealing the headlines, there are a number of other Cubs in this lineup that have propelled them into being the top scoring offense over the past month. Ian Happ is one of those contributors who has really improved since the break. Since then, Happ has scored 24 runs with 11 extra base hits and 14 RBIs. The matchup against Carrasco sets things up nicely for the Cubs, who lost 11-2 on Monday, but in a weird game that was impacted by a long rain delay. The Cubbies should get back to winning ways against one of the worst starters in the league and there will most likely be a few members of this lineup that will produce some big point totals.