26 teams will be taking to the baseball diamond today, making up 13 games of MLB action. The first pitch of the day will begin at 6:40 p.m. ET, building out to the final game, starting at 10:10 p.m. ET, between the Dodgers and Cardinals. The dust has settled from the MLB trade deadline, and each team is settling in with its full postseason roster for the home stretch of the season. One of the more unique ways to get in on the action, and one of the newest features on DraftKings this year is Pick6 Fantasy Baseball!
This article will look at my top Pick6 plays for today’s action, 8/04/25. You simply choose whether each set statistic will be more or less than the set number. With the stage set, here are my favorite picks on tonight’s MLB slate.
Kyle Schwarber More Than 0.5 Walks
Kyle Schwarber is tied with Shohei Ohtani for the second-most home runs in all baseball with 38. The two trail only Cal Raleigh for the most in the MLB. Schwarber is in a contract year and is maximizing his future earnings by playing his way into the National League MVP conversation. The 32-year-old is slashing .254/.379/.578 with 104 hits and 88 RBIs to go with the home run production.
Opposing pitchers are well aware of the production Schwarber brings to the table and have avoided him at a more regular rate. He has walked 74 times this season, after leading the National League with 106 walks last year and recording 126 the season prior. He has tallied a walk in 60 of the 111 games overall, including 18 of his last 26 games. The Phillies are still tinkering with their lineup, with the changing outfield picture also a factor after the trade deadline. Schwarber is no longer the everyday leadoff man for this Phillies team, and has hit second and fourth at a regular rate.
Cade Povich is scheduled to get the start for the Orioles tonight. The 25-year-old enters with a 5.15 ERA and is averaging 3.2 walks per nine innings. With Schwarber performing at a high level and showing good plate discipline, look for Povich to pick his battles and give the Phillies star a free pass to first base at least once tonight.
Nick Castellanos More Than 0.5 RBIs
Shortly behind Schwarber in the lineup will be Nick Castellanos, who falls on the opposite end of the spectrum of plate approach. The Phillies’ right fielder has swung at the first pitch 55.3% of his at-bats this season, but gotten some solid results in these opportunities. On the season overall, Castellanos is slashing .269/.309/.436 with 15 home runs and 60 RBIs. He also matches up well with left-handed pitching, tallying a .289 batting average and .804 OPS against lefties this year.
Cade Povich will be making his first appearance since June 15th, as he has been bothered by a hip injury. The Phillies’ lineup is a tough first matchup for the second-year pitcher. By default, Castellanos will be one of the matchups he will need to attack. But Popvich has given up 10 home runs this season and has allowed at least five earned runs in four of his 12 starts. Castellanos enters tonight on a four-game hitting streak and has tallied eight RBIs across his past 11 games. Look for this hot streak to maintain and for the 33-year-old to benefit from the youthful left-handed matchup by driving in a run again tonight.
Sean Manaea More Than 4.5 Strikeouts Thrown
The New York Mets are still working Sean Manaea back up to speed after missing time with elbow and oblique issues to start the year. He has gradually seen his pitch count grow, and this will make his fifth start of the season tonight. After throwing just 65 pitches across 3.1 innings in his first game back, Manaea is coming off back-to-back games with 5.0 innings pitched and has thrown as many as 86 pitches to this point. Across the 17.1 innings he has pitched, Manaea has allowed four earned runs, 11 hits, and struck out 22.
Even with the small sample size of pitching opportunities on the season, Manaea’s 32.4% strikeout rate is impressive. He has been a high strikeout pitcher throughout his career, averaging as many as 9.7 per nine innings throughout a season. The 33-year-old will look to add to the 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings he is currently averaging against the Cleveland Guardians tonight. Cleveland has struggled against left-handed pitchers this year, posting an 87 wRC+ and an average of 8.14 strikeouts per game overall. Meanaea has tallied more than 4.5 strikeouts in three of his four starts despite the limited pitch count. With a chance to throw as deep into the game as he has to this point and a fairly friendly matchup, look for him to eclipse this total again tonight.
Erick Fedde More Than 4.5 Hits Allowed
Erick Fedde was traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Atlanta Braves at the trade deadline, and he will be making his second start with his new team tonight. In his Atlanta debut, Fedder allowed four earned runs and five hits in just 4.2 innings pitched. Fedde has allowed more than 4.5 hits in 14 of his 21 starts overall this season.
The Milwaukee Brewers enter with a high-level team offense and have looked like one of the best teams in baseball of late. They rank fifth in the MLB in runs, seventh in hits, second in batting average, and third in OBP. Fedde faced the Brewers twice already this season while still suiting up for the Cardinals. He limited Milwaukee to four hits and three earned runs in one appearance, but was lit up for a season-worst 10 hits and seven earned runs allowed in the other appearance against the Brewers. The 32-year-old has not been convincing in his performances of late and allowed more than 4.5 hits in six of his last seven starts, with Fedde being pulled after just 1.1 innings in the lone matchup he did keep opponents under this total. The same problems that plagued Fedde in St. Louis are showing up in Atlanta, and look for the Brewers to be ready to capitalize tonight and maintain their hot offensive streak.
Quinn Priester More Than 4.5 Strikeouts
On the other side of this pitching matchup is Quinn Priester. The right-hander is set to make his 16th start and 21st appearance this year. He has thrown some nice innings for this Brewers team, posting a 3.27 ERA and a 10-2 record. Priester has struck out 89 total batters across his 107.1 innings pitched this season.
Priester has relied on his cutter more frequently of late, which has been an effective put-out pitch. Across his last nine outings, the 24-year-old is posting a 22.2% usage rate on the pitch and a 25.1% strikeout rate. Preister has tallied double-digit strikeouts in two of his past six starts, and more than 4.5 strikeouts in four of these games. Atlanta is averaging 8.71 strikeouts per game on the season, which ranks 24th in the MLB. Count on Preiester to continue to have success against a Braves team with a bleak outlook for the remainder of the season. Look for the young Brewers standout to continue building off of his recent stretch and effectively put away the Braves at a high rate tonight.
Giancarlo Stanton More Than 0.5 RBIs
Giancarlo Stanton should be licking his chops ahead of the matchup with Patrick Corbin and the Texas Rangers tonight. Corbin has been prone to giving up home runs in recent years, and this is a matchup Stanton has had success in. Across his career, he is 9-for-27 with two home runs, three doubles, and a 1.046 OPS when facing the Rangers starter.
Stanton missed the beginning of the season due to injury, but has been solid since returning. His impact will prove to be especially valuable following the recent injury to Aaron Judge. Stanton is slashing .268/.333/.512 with nine home runs and 26 RBIs across his first 35 games played this season. Corbin has given up 14 home runs in 20 appearances this year, and this feels well in play for Stanton to add to his home run total. But to be a bit safer, I am backing the Yankees star to record an RBI in the matchup. New York will be counting on Stanton with Judge remaining sidelined, and look for him to deliver in what has been a favorable matchup throughout his career.
What is DraftKings Pick6?
Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of 2+ players and select whether you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Enter your Pick Set in Pick6 contests to compete against other users. Get enough picks correct and win a share of cash prizes.
How to Play
Create a Pick Set
Create a Pick Set by choosing 2+ players from the same sport and Pick Group (a set of picks available from a group of set competitions). For each player, simply select if you think they’ll have more or less than their listed stat projection. In each Pick Set, you can not pick the same player twice and you must pick players from at least two different teams.
Enter an Amount
Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.
Sweat Your Picks
When the games go live, use the My Picks tab to follow your picks in real time to track how your players are performing against their projections and how they stack up against other users.
Compete for Prizes
Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ guaranteed prizes. Any prizes won will be credited to your DraftKings account after contests are finalized.
Play at DraftKings Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!
