The home stretch of the MLB season has arrived with roughly 14 games remaining. The remaining matchups still have plenty at stake for playoff seedings, and there is a full 15-game slate today. One of the more unique ways to play is with one of the newest features on DraftKings this year in Pick6 Fantasy Baseball!
This article will look at my top Pick6 plays for today’s action. You simply choose whether each set statistic will be more or less than the set number. With the stage set, here are my top four picks on today’s MLB slate.
Christian Yelich More Than 1.5 Total Bases
The Brewers will face the Cardinals today with Miles Mikolas on the mound. The right-hander enters with a 4.84 ERA on the season and has especially struggled against left-handed hitters. Lefties are posting a .498 slugging percentage and 15.3% barrel rate this season, with Mikolas giving up 1.5 home runs per nine innings overall.
Christian Yelich is slashing .264/.344/.460 on the season, with these numbers increasing to .275/.354/.511 against right-handed pitching. He is up to 28 home runs on the season and is 2-for-3 against Mikolas in his career, with a home run tallied. Yelich is posting a 14% barrel rate against right-handed pitching and had a home run as recently as Friday. Mikolas is a great fade target, and Yelich has the bat to capitalize. Count on him getting a hold of a pitch today and driving it for more than 1.5 total bases.
Ivan Herrera More Than 1.5 Total Bases
It has been a bit of a breakout season for Ivan Herrera, who has quietly played himself into the conversation for one of the better catchers in baseball. The 25-year-old is slashing .285/.373/.465 with 16 home runs and 57 RBIs. This all comes while he has missed time due to an injury and has been limited to 340 at-bats this year.
Herrera has been especially strong against left-handed pitching. He is hitting .313 against left-handers this season with a 1.075 OPS. Jose Quintana will get the start for the Brewers, entering with a 3.88 ERA, and his best days of baseball likely behind him. Herrera profiles well against Quintana’s pitch mix, led by his sinker and curveball. The Cardinals’ catcher is hot at the plate with a .364 batting average and 1.245 OPS over the last week. Look for him to continue producing and tally more than 1.5 total bases against Quintana today.
Robbie Ray More Than 2.5 Earned Runs Allowed
The San Francisco Giants will face the Los Angeles Dodgers today and roll out Robbie Ray on the mound. On the season overall, he is posting a 3.32 ERA and 1.175 WHIP. However, over his past seven starts, he has posted a 5.02 ERA and a 4.32 WHIP. Ray has only allowed more than 2.5 earned runs in 10 of his 30 starts on the season, but two of his last four, and he has not escaped without allowing at least one earned run in any of his previous six starts.
This is a problem against a Dodgers team that ranks third in the MLB in runs, second in home runs and fourth in total bases. Enrique Hernandez has five home runs off Ray already in his career, while Teoscar Hernandez and Miguel Rojas have a pair of home runs as well. Ray looks to be losing some steam in the late stages of the season, and Los Angeles is perfectly equipped to capitalize on this. Expect the Dodgers’ lineup to do its job and put at least three runs on the board against the veteran today.
Jackson Merrill More Than 0.5 Runs Batted In
Injuries have plagued a chunk of Jackson Merrill’s season, but he is back on the diamond and performing. He has two home runs in the last three games and three across the past week. Merrill is slashing .257/.313/.432 on the season, but he is batting .296 with a 1.173 OPS over the past week.
Colorado offers little resistance at the pitching position, as evidenced by the 11 runs allowed yesterday and the MLB-worst 5.99 ERA as a staff. German Marquez will get the start today and is posting a 6.31 ERA this year. Left-handers are producing a .516 slugging percentage and 50.7% hard-hit rate against Marquez this season. He leans on a fastball, sinker and knuckle curveball as his primary pitch mix, and Merrill is capable of sending back all three. A home run feels in play for the Padres star, but I am opting to be a bit safer and backing him to record an RBI. Merrill has six over his past seven games, so look for him to add to this in the friendly matchup today.
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!
