It’s another sunny summer MLB Saturday and DraftKings Sportsbook offers plenty of ways to play. There are Money Lines, Run Lines and Player Props. Check out the best bets for the Saturday, August 17 MLB betting card.
Here are my favorite DraftKings Sportsbook picks for Saturday’s slate of MLB games.
Follow along on Twitter (@Race4thePrize) for updates.
Oakland Athletics vs. San Francisco Giants
The Pick: Athletics Moneyline (+114)
Who is for biting on Bido? Is it too risky to go back to the Bido well? The book didn’t believe in Bido? The DK Network MLB Best Bets article believed. Bido shut out the Blue Jays. They managed two hits and a walk in six innings. The Dodgers scored two earned runs through six innings in his Aug 4 start. Bido limited the Dodgers to a 5.9% Hard Contact Rate. The Blue Jays didn’t hit one — 0.0% Hard Contact Rate.
Something has clicked for Bido. The Pirates called Bido up in 2023 after seven seasons in the minors. The rookie suffered through the usual growing pains. The Pirates were impatient. They had better young arms. Bido was cut and the A’s swooped in. After a successful stint as a reliever, Bido moved to the rotation. The success has continued. The success should continue against San Francisco. The Giants have a 22% K-Rate, .146 ISO, .299 wOBA and 94 wRC+ against right-handed pitching. Over the last seven games, they’ve been ice cold — 24% K-Rate, .086 ISO, .234 wOBA and 50 wRC+.
Minnesota Twins at Texas Rangers
The Pick: Twins Moneyline (+110)
Forget about Festa-vus. We all now live in the Festa-verse. The rookie was on a role until he wasn’t. His last start stands out. Festa lasted 3.1 innings against the Guardians. It wasn’t a bad start. The Guardians managed one hit and one walk through the first three innings. Jose Ramirez opened the fourth frame with a solo home run. The quick hook came a single and two walks later. It wasn’t his best outing, but it was a tough matchup. Texas is hitting better, but they’re not Cleveland.
Who’s David Festa? The regular readers are very familiar with Festa and how profitable of a pick he’s been this season. For those new, Festa is Minnesota’s No. 4 Prospect (No. 56 MLB Prospect). He started the season at Triple-A and posted a 13.3 K/9 and 3.13 xFIP. His MLB career got off to a rough start due to BABIP and home runs. Positive regression towards the mean occurred. His last four starts have been great. Festa has a 2.04 ERA and 12.7 K/9. Three of those matchups were tough — Phillies, Mets and Guardians. Walks and home runs are still an issue. It was an issue in the minors. But it is his only problem. He doesn’t allow hits and strikes out hitters. He can’t control where the ball goes when it’s hit. He can control the pitches he throws. When he masters his control and limits the walks, he’ll be an ace.
Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox
The Pick: Hunter Brown to Record a Win (-120)
The Astros No. 1 Prospect posted a 3.53 xFIP as a rookie in 2023. His ERA wasn’t as nice — 5.09. A .330 BABIP in 155.2 innings didn’t help. His BABIP hasn’t budged this season (.330), but his ERA is 3.96. His ERA was 6.18 in his first eleven starts. His season turned around in June. He didn’t turn it around. It turned around. Brown posted a 3.77 xFIP in those first eleven starts, but his BABIP was .342 and his strand rate was 67.9%. The home runs (1.8 HR/9) and walks (4.1 BB/9) didn’t help. That was then. This is now. Since the beginning of June, Brown has earned the results he deserves.
Brown is 9-2 in his last 12 starts. Wins aren’t the greatest measure of ability. His ERA is 2.25 since June. ERA isn’t the best indicator. The advanced stats are the best predictors of performance and his advanced stats are terrific. Brown has a 0.5 HR/9, 2.9 BB/9, 84.1% Strand Rate, 45.8% Ground Ball Rate and 3.26 xFIP since the beginning of June. If not for bad luck to start the season, Brown would be a Cy Young contender. Bad luck won’t matter on Saturday. Brown gets the White Sox — 24% K-Rate, .130 ISO, .274 wOBA and 74 wRC+ vs. right-handed pitchers.
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and I may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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