Dave Gloeckner 
Welcome to a Sunday Funday edition of the Sweet Spot here at WinDaily Sports. While most of the year eyes have been on the AL East, the AL West is now the race to watch. Texas, Seattle and Houston are all within 1 game of each other. And if the season ended today, all 3 teams would make the playoffs. It’s surprising to see Texas fade as they are now 2-8 in their last 10 games which has allowed Seattle to catch them. Either way, this race is going to be one to watch. But let’s stay hot in DFS as we roll out the pitchers and hitters we like below.
As a reminder, this article will focus on Pitchers, from aces to value, and Hitters, from team stacks to studs to value plays. Prop bets are provided in the Gophers and Gas article.
There are many tools available, but I hope you’re using the Win Daily Projection Model as that has been very helpful in rostering key players each night.
For DFS, the featured card today begins at 1:35 pm with 11 games on the slate. All DFS plays below will come from those 11 games and any later games will be captured in Discord.
PITCHERS – DRAFTKINGS
CLASSIC SLATE – 1:35 PM Start
MICHAEL WACHA ($10,100 DK)
Michael Wacha has returned from the IL with a bang. In those 2 starts, he has gone 10.1 innings and allowed just 1 ER while striking out 12. He’s won both those starts and improved to 10-2 overall on the season. His 2.63 ERA would be 1st in the majors but he doesn’t have enough innings to qualify.
His opponent, the Brewers, have won the 1st two games of their series with the Padres. And they faced Wacha earlier this season and touched him up for 7 runs. The Brewers are also one of the hottest hitting teams in the MLB as they have a 0.291 batting average over the past 10 games. So while this Wacha is rolling in hot, I’m more likely to pass on him based on the Brewers recent hitting prowess and past success they’ve had against Wacha. I’m actually passing on all pitchers above $10K today.
JORDAN MONTGOMERY ($9400 DK)
Montgomery comes into today’s start against the Twins with some serious momentum. He has 4 consecutive quality starts totaling 26 K’s in those outings. He now has a 1.73 ERA since joining the Rangers at the trade deadline.
Today he gets the Twins who lead the league in strikeouts and are coming off a game last night where they struck out 12 times. Their K rate over the past 10 days is 30.1% which is also leading the MLB. Looks like a great spot for Montgomery to continue his excellent pitching and rack up K’s along the way.
YUSIE KIKUCHI ($8900 DK)
The Jays SP had his streak of six consecutive games with 1 ER’s or less snapped in his last outing versus Baltimore. However, since the All Star break, he still leads the MLB with a 1.83 ERA. And he’s flashing a solid 26.3% K rate. So even though he hit a speed bump against the O’s, I’m trusting it was a minor one.
And part of that trust is that he’s facing a Guardians team that is batting just 0.216 over the past 2 weeks. They’ve also increased their K rate in that span to 23% which is up 5% from their season average of 18.5% (lowest in the majors).
PAUL BLACKBURN ($8300 DK)
The A’s RHP has been pitching well of late, lowering his ERA to 4.00 along the way. In his last 6 starts, he has a 2.25 ERA and has pitched at least 5.1 innings. He’s also averaged 6 K’s per outing in that span. The performances and the strikeout totals are in a Sweet Spot and make him a valuable target on today’s slate.
Additionally, he faces the White Sox who are striking out at a 25.5% rate over the past 10 games. They have lost 2 of 3 in their series with the A’s and are 3-7 in their last 10. It’s a team that’s already looking towards 2024 and one we can freely attack.
KOOL-AIDE MAN (SWEET SPOT VALUE PITCHER UNDER $7K)
ZACK LITTELL ($6000 DK)
Littell has been forced into a more prevalent role in the rotation since Shane McClanahan went down with an injury. In those 5 starts, he’s been able to throw at least 5 innings and registered 2 quality starts. The Rays are also fresh off a shut out of the NYY where Tyler Glasnow pitched 6 innings of 1 hit ball. The Yankees have totally capsized their season and it shows most prominently at the plate. Over the past 10 games they have a 30% K rate (2nd highest) and 0.208 batting average (2nd lowest). It’s a team with all bark and no bite of late.
BONUS PICKS
I also like JACK FLAHERTY ($8400 DK) and MIKE CLEVINGER ($7500 DK) today.
HITTERS – DRAFTKINGS
CLASSIC SLATE – 1:35 PM
SWEET SPOT STACK ATTACK: The stacks I like today are the BLUE JAYS (vs. Cleveland), the NATIONALS (vs Miami), the PHILLIES (vs. STL), the DODGERS (vs. Boston), and the ASTROS (vs. Detroit).
CORE BATTERS
MOOKIE BETTS ($6300 DK)
The Dodgers OF/2B is on an absolute tear this month. Over the past week alone he is batting 0.619. And if we roll it back to the past two weeks he’s batting 0.558 in the last 11 games. And he’s playing in the park where he started his MLB career and the Boston fans have been spreading their love to him this weekend. He’s got the swag, the confidence, and the audience to keep his streak going today in Beantown. Plus the weather is warm in the northeast and he’s facing a pitcher with a 5.08 ERA.
For stacking, I like FREDDIE FREEMAN, WILL SMITH, JD MARTINEZ, MAX MUNCY, and CHRIS TAYLOR.
TREA TURNER ($5400 DK)
The Phillies SS has turned his season around in just one short stretch. He has hits in 18 of his last 20 games and is batting 0.310 in that stretch with 5 home runs. The Phillies as a team have 48 home runs in August which not only leads the majors but is a new franchise record for one month. They’ve scored 19 runs in the first 2 games of their series with the Cardinals and face a minor leaguer in Drew Rom.
For stacking, I like KYLE SCHWARBER, BRYCE HARPER, NICK CASTELLANOS, BRYSON STOTT and BRANDON MARSH.
SLAP HITTER (SWEET SPOT VALUE BATTER) – LESS THAN $3K
MARTIN MALDANADO ($2400 DK)
I’m looking to get some pieces of the Astros today and if so, I’ll likely look at a wraparound stack with the bottom of their order and Altuve/Bregman. Maldanado will be a player in that stack as he comes into today’s game with 4 hits in his last 12 at-bats including one home run. A cheap catcher that often outperforms his price tag. Count me in.
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