It'll soon be Labor Day and the beginning of September. But first, Sunday's the final day of August featuring 10 MLB games on the DFS slate with the first pitch at 12:10 p.m. EDT. I'm here to try and help you end the month feeling positive, so here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Hunter Brown, HOU vs. LAA ($10,800): It's been steady progress for Brown throughout his career. This season, he has a 2.37 ERA, 3.85 K/BB rate, and 0.75 HR/9 rate. And Brown isn't slowing down with a 1.72 ERA over his last six starts. The Angels are outside the bottom-10 in runs scored, though are decidedly below average.
Lucas Giolito, BOS vs. PIT ($9,200): Even if Giolito were still dealing with early-season struggles, I would have considered rostering him in this matchup. The Pirates are last in runs and team OPS with only the Rockies being a worse offense. Giolito has also performed much better of late having recorded a 2.31 ERA from his last 14 starts.
Jose Soriano, LAA at HOU ($8,300): It might be hard for Soriano to notch a win against Brown, but you never know as the Astros are actually just below the Angels in terms of runs scored. He's always been solid at keeping the ball in the park to go with a current 65.6-percent groundball rate. And while Soriano's home ERA is subpar, he's managed a 2.69 ERA on the road.
Find out which projected starters are going and when with RotoWire's Probable Pitchers page!
Top Targets
Jose Ramirez ($3,800) has been cold, though he rarely struggles to hit. Otherwise, he wouldn't have a career .857 OPS with 26 homers and 36 stolen bases in 2025. I also trust the matchup against Bryce Miller, who claims a 6.52 road ERA and an 8.68 across his last six outings.
Since returning from a lengthy injury, Giancarlo Stanton ($3,700) has been knocking the cover off the ball by producing a 1.412 OPS the last three weeks. He's also slugged .494 against lefties the last three seasons and .530 at Yankee Stadium. Martin Perez, a lefty, has registered a 2.02 ERA through seven outings, but I don't believe he can sustain that as he only finished with an ERA under 4.39 once in the last decade while going over 5.00 twice.
Bargain Bats
Expectations are that with Michael King on IL, the Padres will recall Randy Vasquez to get a spot start. Assuming that's the case or that another righty starts, I recommend rostering Matt Wallner ($3,000). Since 2023, he's slugged .543 against righties and .527 at home. Before Vasquez was sent down to Triple-A, he had a 5.20 FIP and 4.77 HR/9 rate in during 100 MLB innings.
Though J.P. Crawford ($2,600) hasn't done much in the way of counting stats, he's managed a .349 OBP to go with 20 doubles. Given he's a shortstop, the offensive requirements for consideration are lower. Crawford has also batted .285 against righties. Tanner Bibee has struggled to a 5.85 ERA in his last 12 starts, so maybe the lefty Crawford could grab a hit or two.
Stacks to Consider
Mets vs. Marlins (Sandy Alcantara): Pete Alonso ($3,900), Francisco Lindor ($3,800), Jeff McNeil ($2,900)
A few decents starts has gotten Alcantara under a 6.00 ERA, but nobody is excited about a 5.87. He also lists an 8.03 on the road. I've included a hitting mixture here as the right-hander has allowed righties to go .275 against him this year.
Alonso is in fine form having slugged .607 the last three weeks. While he's hit for power against lefties, the Mets' all-time home run leader can claim a .905 OPS versus righties. What cold stretch? Lindor has an 1.066 OPS the last three weeks and an overall .918 mark at home. McNeil, a left-handed second baseman, has posted an .810 OPS the last 21 days. And for when the bullpen comes into play, he's gone .274 against his fellow southpaws the last couple campaigns.
Reds at Cardinals (Andre Pallante): Elly De La Cruz ($3,900), Noelvi Marte ($3,200), Spencer Steer ($2,800)
When a pitcher gets the "He's staying in the rotation for now" update from his manager, it's not a good sign. Pallante has slumped to an 8.26 ERA from his last nine starts and an 11.65 in four. I'm offering two righties and a switch-hitter) in this stack. While Pallante is right-handed and while lefties have hit .261 against this season, righties have batted .290 against since 2023.
De La Cruz has taken a slight step back in his counting stats, yet still has 19 homers and 32 steals. He has set a new personal-best with 77 RBI and is up to 93 runs. Though the shortstop is a switch-hitter, he can claim an .879 OPS versus righties while still struggling facing lefties. Marte has surged the last three weeks with a 1.059 OPS. And fittingly for this matchup, he has a .935 OPS against his fellow righties. Steer has run a lot less this year, but is at 17 homers while swiping six bags and slugging .445 at home.
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