Adam Strangis MLB DFS Starting Rotation 8.19
It’s another split slate on the diamond today and the pitching is honestly not that bad. It would be great if we had a full 10 game slate instead of a six and four-game split, but what can you do? Let’s jump right in and talk about it in the MLB DFS Starting Rotation 8.19 and identify targets for the early slate to set our foundation for green!
MLB DFS Starting Rotation 8.19 – Early
The Ace Tier
I’m really only looking at two pitchers in this range in Zack Wheeler and Shane McClanahan. Wheeler has been a nightmare to get right lately as three of his last 10 starts have been over 30 DK points but seven have been under 20. The splits really don’t give us a lean with Wheeler as both sides of the plate are under a .255 wOBA. The good news is his K rate against lefties is up to 30.7% and Arizona should roll out six plus the pitcher spot. The D-Backs are sitting just under a 25% K rate as a team and are 23rd against the fastball, which Wheeler is using 41.6%. That has also been his strikeout pitch with 82 on the year so there is a definite pathway to a ceiling game.
McClanahan gets the more difficult spot on paper since Baltimore is sixth in wRC+, 9th in wOBA, and only whiffs 22% of the time against southpaw pitching. They are two different offenses but it’s not like it mattered the last time he tangled with the Orioles when he put up 26 DK in Baltimore. The park is a better pitcher’s park today and McClanahan just flat out has some nasty stuff. His slider and curve make up around 50% of his pitch mix and they both have a whiff rate over 41%. He has been slightly fastball-heavy lately but the talented lefty is well in play. It does help that Baltimore is 25th against the fastball as well.
The Mid-Range and Punt Tier
We’re merging these two tiers on a short slate and I believe there are two options. We can start with Luis Garcia now that he’s not flirting with a $10,000 salary. The Royals are 25th against the fastball which is the Achilles heel for Garcia, giving up a .386 wOBA and a .302 average. The rest of his pitch mix is excellent with whiff rates over 41.5% and wOBA’s under .285. His K rate is over 29% and he’s holding righties to just a .245 wOBA. Lefties do have a .335 mark but the xFIP against both sides is under 3.85. KC isn’t the offense we target for strikeouts but the ceiling needed is lower than normal with Garcia.
After that, we get into the risky potion but Chris Flexen stands out as a (maybe) very popular option. Considering the opponents, he’s pitched well in the past three starts and now he gets whatever this Texas Rangers lineup looks like. His K rate is only 16.3% and he’s fared better at home so far this season with wOBA’s under .295 against each side of the plate in Seattle. That’s never what we want to hang our hat on but Flexen does generate a 45.1% ground ball rate. Just as they are against lefty pitching, Texas is dead last in all of our offensive categories except for ISO, where they are 26th. He would help afford anyone we wanted as far as hitters go.
MLB DFS Starting Rotation 8.19 Honorable Mention
Both Dylan Cease and Spencer Howard are in play but they aren’t really my favorites. Howard is super cheap but I’m not sure he can make it past around 60 pitches since he’s only thrown 45 and 44 in the past three starts. Now, he has been better against lefties with a .284 wOBA and 3.36 FIP o go with a 28.6% K rate. With the salary involved, he could get to 15 DK points but things would have to go almost exactly right and that’s a big risk.
Cease carries a 30.8% K rate and that stays true against both sides of the plate. Oakland is about average in K rate against righty pitching at around 23% but he does feel pricey at $9,100. His .298 wOBA against the right side of the plate is a concern as well even though it’s not egregious. It’s just the fact that Oakland should have six or so in their lineup. The A’s are just average against the fastball and that makes up around 55% of the mix for Cease. I do prefer McClanahan at this range, however.
MLB DFS Starting Rotation 8.19 Stacks
I know Brian is going to go with the Rays again and I fully support that. I also know where he’s going to go in the four-game evening slate, so I’m not going to repeat what he says. Instead, I’m heading to Chicago and using some cheaper White Sox hitters against Cole Irvin. Andrew Vaughn and Luis Robert are super underpriced considering they both have a wOBA of at least .442 and an ISO of at least .226 against lefty pitching. Robert has been scorching since he came back from the IL and his price is non-sensical. We can fit those two, Jose Abreu and his .324 ISO against lefties alongside Rays’ hitters with an ace tier pitcher and someone like Chris Flexen.
- Angels/Tigers stacks
- Astros against Mike Minor
Thank you for reading my MLB DFS Starting Rotation 8.19 and make sure you follow me on Twitter at @bucn4life! Be sure to sign up for an ALL ACCESS GOLD ACCOUNT account here at Win Daily Sports. Gain access to our Projection Models and jump into our Discord where we will have our experts talking plays across every sport and slate!
