12 games are scheduled across today’s MLB slate following a loaded weekend of rivalry baseball. The action will kick off at 6:40 p.m. ET as the Cubs play the Marlins and the Reds face the Pirates. Games will be beginning every few minutes, building out to the final matchup at 10:10 p.m. ET between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks. One of the more unique features on DraftKings this year is Pick6 Fantasy Baseball!
This article will look at my top Pick6 plays for today’s action, 5/19/25. 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 the MLB slate.
Nick Lodolo More Than 5.5 Strikeouts
It has been an up-and-down start to the season for Nick Lodolo, but he faces a prime opportunity to get on track against the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight. Across his opening nine starts, Lodolo is 3-4 with a 3.42 ERA. He has allowed 48 hits and 20 earned runs across his first 52.2 innings pitched, striking out 42 batters thus far.
Lodolo has struck out more than 5.5 batters in three of his starts thus far and is seeing his metrics move in the right direction. He is posting a 19.7% strikeout rate on the season, below the 25.9% rate he has produced in his career. Across his past six starts, this number has grown to 22.7%. The 27-year-old has a great chance to continue building off this against the 15-32 Pirates. Pittsburgh ranks dead last in batting average and OPS, 29th in wRC+, and has the third-highest strikeout rate against left-handed pitchers this season.
This Pirates lineup has also struggled against Lodolo collectively. This current Pirates lineup has a combined .145 expected batting average and .238 expected slugging percentage across their 58 plate appearances when facing Lodolo. They have struck out at a 36.2% and he has tallied at least eight strikeouts in his past three matchups against Pittsburgh. Expect a strong outing tonight and for Lodolo to tally more than 5.5 strikeouts for the fourth time this year and fourth straight appearance against the Pirates.
Randy Arozarena More Than 0.5 Home Runs
Randy Arozarena enters tonight’s matchup with the White Sox with just six home runs on the season, but this is a spot where I like his output. He is slashing .242/.380/.425 across his opening 187 plate appearances with a 9.8% barrel rate and 49.0% pull rate. He hit a home run last night against Michael King of the Padres, who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season.
Arozarena and the Mariners will now face Davis Martin on the mound in a much more favorable matchup. The White Sox right-hander has tallied a 5.97 expected ERA and is giving up 1.09 home runs per nine innings so far this season. He ranks in the 23rd percentile in barrel rate, with opponents producing at 10.5%. Arozarena has already hit a home run off Martin in his career in just five plate appearances. With the former All-Star hitting the ball harder of late, and Martin’s hard contact allowed in mind, look for Arozarena to have success and tally his seventh home run of the season.
Gunnar Henderson More Than 0.5 Home Runs
The Baltimore Orioles have been the biggest disappointment across the MLB so far this season. Entering the season as a popular dark horse World Series pick. Baltimore is off to a 15-30 start to the season and has made a managerial change to create a spark. Gunnar Henderson is not excluded from the underwhelming start, slashing .258/.303/.471. This .303 OBP is a career low, and his free-swinging approach has been frustrating.
Even with this considered, Henderson is in the 99th percentile in average exit velocity and hard-hit rate. The Orioles star still has seven home runs on the season, even with the career-high 29.1% strikeout rate. When he has made contact, the ball has flown, but generating contact has been the root of his issues.
Henderson looked to be on the pathway to becoming one of the MLB’s brightest young stars. He is showing signs of getting back on track with four home runs in his past nine games. Quinn Priester will be on the mound for the Brewers, and Henderson has had much more success against right-handers. He is hitting .310 with a .955 OPS against right-handed pitchers, while Priester is allowing a .909 OPS to left-handed hitters compared to .650 against righties. Look for him to continue getting back to playing to his potential and put a home run over the fence for the fifth time in the past 10 games in this favorable matchup.
Cristopher Sanchez More Than 5.5 Strikeouts
Cristopher Sanchez has been a bit overshadowed due to the impressive overall Phillies pitching staff, but has picked up right where he left off from last year’s All-Star breakout. Sanchez has a 4-1 win/loss record with a 2.91 ERA thus far. He has struck out 52 batters across his first 43.1 innings pitched.
The 28-year-old has only allowed more than two earned runs in one outing this season. He has tallied more than 5.5 strikeouts in five of his eight starts, with as many as 12 K’s in a game, and is averaging 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Sanchez will be licking his chops at the opportunity to face this Rockies team, which leads the MLB in strikeouts. Their 9.85 strikeouts per game rank dead last, and Sanchez has also tallied 24 strikeouts in his four starts against the Rockies in his career.
Look for the left-hander to continue having success against this struggling Colorado offense and tally more than 5.5 strikeouts tonight.
Kyle Schwarber More Than 0.5 Home Runs
It has been a dominant start for the 2025 MLB season for Kyle Schwarber, who is currently just one home run behind Shohei Ohtani for the most in baseball. The 32-year-old snapped his 47-game on-base streak last week against the Cardinals, but is still slashing .257/.389/.563 on the season and .279/.371/.607 across May. Six of his 15 home runs have come in May across just 61 at-bats.
Kyle Freeland will be on the mound for the Rockies and is posting a 6.15 ERA on the season. He has allowed a home run in three of his last four appearances and pitches in one of the most home run-friendly parks in baseball. Schwarber has hit seven of his 15 home runs off left-handers this season, and Freeland has given up 21 total runs in his last four starts. Schwarber currently has 299 total home runs in his career, and this matchup holds all the conditions for him to get over this milestone. Count on the Phillies’ star to capitalize on a missed pitch against Freeland and put one over the fence in this home run-friendly ballpark tonight.
Brent Rooker More Than 1.5 Total Bases
Brent Rooker is currently slashing .238/.301/.444 to start the season with 10 home runs and eight RBIs across his first 206 plate appearances. He has been in a bit of a rut of late, with just one hit over his past five games. However, Rooker had 10 hits over the previous seven games and will be returning from a six-game road trip tonight.
This is also a favorable matchup as the Athletics face the Angels with Jose Soriano on the mound. The 26-year-old will be making his 10th start of the season and has a 4.31 xERA on the season. He ranks in the 34th percentile in barrel rate allowed, and Rooker has had success in this matchup. Soriano has faced Rooker six times, which has resulted in one home run and a .762 xwOBA. This is a great spot for Rooker to get back on track and tally more than 1.5 total bases tonight. He is on the heels of 39 home runs and 28 extra base hits last season and will be looking to return to this level of output as the season continues. Look for him to tally more than 1.5 total bases tonight.
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 or not 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!
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