Tuesday’s action brings about some notable pitching matchups on both ends of the quality spectrum. Adam Wainwright continues his de facto retirement tour while Cy Young candidates Blake Snell and Zac Gallen both take the mound to try and keep their respective teams alive in the NL wild card race. Elsewhere on the west coast, the two teams with the worst records in baseball continue their series in Oakland after the A’s took the first game off the Royals in Monday night’s showdown of bottom feeders.

Thankfully, the wacky weather in Los Angeles has settled down, which means the Dodgers and Angels will be back in action after both clubs had games impacted by Hurricane Hilary. The Dodgers will face off against an old friend, Noah Syndergaard, and the Angels will try to hold on to their slim playoff hopes in a series against the youthful Reds, but they’ll probably have to reach .500 first. The surging Mets are also in this slate, with a winnable matchup ahead of them against Bryce Elder and the first place Braves. All of a sudden, the Mets are quietly back in the wild card race after winning seven of their last nine games.

This is for the 8/22 4:05 PM PST classic slate on Draftkings.

Writer’s Record

43-22-1

Toronto Blue Jays ML (+103) @ Baltimore Orioles

While John Angelos continues to draw headlines away from the AL East leading Orioles, they have managed to shut the noise out and continue to play winning ball. With that said, the pitching matchup here favors the Blue Jays with Yusei Kikuchi on the mound, who has been excellent in August. Kikuchi has allowed only three runs over 19 innings in the month so far. The Orioles may have the second best record in the league, but their run differential ranks only seventh best among all teams.

DFS Pillar Plays

Mike Clevinger

Position: P

Salary: $6,600

While the Mariners have been one of the hottest teams in the league lately, Mike Clevinger has actually been quite serviceable in recent months. The herky-jerky right-hander has made seven starts since June in which he has allowed only seven earned runs combined. He has held the opposing team scoreless in four of those seven starts with one of those coming in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. His latest start was against the ascendent crosstown-rival Cubs, where he pitched seven scoreless innings in a game the White Sox ended up blowing in the ninth inning. He has a 2.00 ERA at home and the Mariners, despite their recent hot streak, have struck out more than any other team over the last month.

Bobby Witt Jr.

Position: SS

Salary: $5,800 

The Royals may have the second-worst record in the league so far this season, but they have something to look forward to in Bobby Witt Jr., who is having a spectacular second season as a big-leaguer. Witt has had an unreal couple of months, with a .380 batting average in August after a .327 average in July. He has five home runs and five stolen bases over the last two weeks and hit his 25th home run of the year in the first game of this series. Oakland will be starting Hogan Harris, who is a makeshift starter that allowed eight runs over just three innings in his last outing. This game has a high potential for offense as these teams both rank in the bottom three in team ERA.

Mookie Betts

Position: 2B/OF

Salary: $6,400

While Ronald Acuna seemed a surefire lock to be crowned NL MVP, there has been a bit of a buzz around the way the Dodgers have been mowing through teams lately and that can be attributed to the steady excellence of Mookie Betts. The contributions of the 2018 AL MVP have come over multiple defensive positions this season and this will be his third consecutive month with an OPS over 1.000. Betts has registered a hit in all but one game in August and has a .408 batting average in the month. Noah Syndergaard takes the mound for the home side and while the Dodgers did their best to give him a fair chance, at a time they were desperate for starting pitching, Thor could just never put it together in LA. This  matchup sets things up nicely for Mookie and the Dodgers to continue their winning ways in August.

DFS Value Plays (<$3500 Salary)

Jack Suwinski

Position: OF

Salary: $3,400

With Adam Wainwright taking the mound for the Cardinals, the Pirates should be able to put some runs on the board. Left-handed Jack Suwinski does not offer much value outside of the long ball, but he should be able to produce against one of the worst starting pitchers going at the moment. Wainwright ranks in the bottom 1% in fastball velocity, xERA, xBA, K% and whiff%, according to baseball savant. Jack Suwinski is one of a few left-handed Pirates bats that should be able to take advantage of Wainwright’s ineffectiveness.   

Freddy Fermin

Position: C

Salary: $3,500

In the event that Fermin is in this starting lineup and Salvador Perez plays at first base, Fermin will be worth a look at the catcher spot going up against Hogan Harris. The Athletics rank DFL in team ERA this season and the Royals can put some runs on the board. Fermin has hit .294 in August and has looked good at the plate for the Royals since June.

Noelvi Marte

Position: 3B

Salary: $2,500

While Cincinnati continues to call up their top prospects, it presents an opportunity to get some good value on these guys right out of the gate. Noelvi Marte is another left-sided infielder with the potential to hit bombs and swipe bags. Where he is going to fit exactly is still uncertain, but if he is in this Reds lineup, he is worth a flier at his current price point. The Reds take on Lucas Giolito and the Angels on Tuesday, who look totally hopeless. Giolito has allowed 19 runs in four starts since arriving in Anaheim.