The final push for the MLB playoffs is on, with roughly 12 games remaining in the regular season for each team. The Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers have each clinched a postseason opportunity already, becoming the first two teams to do so. On the other side of things, the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, and Washington Nationals have each been eliminated from playoff contention. Nine games will be taking place across today’s MLB slate as we inch closer to the regular season’s finish line. There are plenty of ways to get involved in the action. One of the more unique ways is with one of the newest features on DraftKings this year, 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 favorite picks on today’s MLB slate.
Ronald Acuna Jr. More Than 1.5 Total Bases
The Atlanta Braves will open a series with the Washington Nationals with neither having much to play for at this stage of the season. But Washington is rolling with Mitchell Parker on the mound today, which leaves some high offensive potential for Atlanta. Parker will be making his 30th start of the season and enters with an 8-15 record and 5.69 ERA, and he has given up 24 home runs. The 25-year-old has not escaped without allowing at least two earned runs in his past 13 starts and has allowed at least four earned runs in 13 of his 29 starts.
Injuries have limited Ronald Acuna Jr.’s opportunities this season, but the Braves standout is slashing .271/.393/.485 with 16 home runs across his 82 games played. He is seeing the ball well with six hits over his past six games. Parker has allowed 19 of his 24 home runs to right-handed hitters this season, with a .476% slugging percentage and 51% hard-hit rate to righties. He is not a major threat to rack up strikeouts with just 5.9 per nine innings on the season as well. Look for Parker to unwind once again today and for Acuna Jr. to capitalize by tallying more than 1.5 total bases.
Kyle Bradish More Than 4.5 Strikeouts Thrown
Kyle Bradish is making just his fourth start of the season after recovering from Tommy John surgery for most of the year. The 29-year-old has impressed since returning, posting a 2.65 ERA with 21 strikeouts across his first 17.0 innings. Bradish has tallied more than 4.5 strikeouts in all three starts, including 10 punchouts in his season debut.
This is a perfect matchup to add to this strong stretch as he faces the Chicago White Sox tonight. Chicago has struck out the 17th-most times in the MLB this season, averaging 8.4 strikeouts per game. Things have not gotten better as the season progressed, with the White Sox averaging 10 strikeouts per game while being swept by the Guardians in their last series. Bradish has one career start against the White Sox and struck out 11 during this appearance. Count on Bradish to keep mowing down hitters and comfortably tally more than 4.5 strikeouts tonight.
Giancarlo Stanton More Than 0.5 Home Runs
He has been limited to just 65 games so far this season, but Giancarlo Stanton has made up for lost time. The former MVP is up to 20 home runs and is slashing .271/.346/.586 with a .932 OPS. Stanton leads the Yankees with a 30.3% barrel rate and will have the advantage in tonight’s pitching matchup as a right-hander.
Simeon Woods Richardson is getting the start for the Twins. He is posting a 4.58 ERA and 1.39 WHIP and has given up 16 home runs across his 20 starts. Nine of the home runs have come against right-handed hitters, and he is allowing righties to post a .428 slugging percentage, a .194 ISO, and a 15.4% barrel rate. 17 of the 20 home runs that Stanton has tallied have come against right-handed pitching this season. Richardson leans on a four-seam fastball and slider as his two most frequently thrown pitches, making up about 67% of his pitch selection. 13 of Stanton’s home runs have come on these two pitches, and he is posting a .796 slugging percentage against four-seamers and .813 slugging percentage against sliders. This feels like a perfect matchup for Stanton’s success, and I like his chances of going deep again today.
Alec Burleson More Than 1.5 Total Bases
Another friendly pitching matchup is taking place in the Reds vs. Cardinals game with Zack Littell on the mound. He started the year with the Rays and was traded to the Reds midseason. He is posting a 3.78 ERA but has given up the most home runs of any pitcher in baseball with 34.
Alec Burleson is slashing .281/.332/.450 with 17 home runs, 22 doubles, a pair of triples, and 63 total RBIs. 14 of his home runs have come against right-handed pitching, and he is posting a .466 slugging percentage and .179 ISO in these matchups. Burleson has faced Littell three times in their careers, with one hit and one RBI tallied. The Cardinals’ first baseman and outfielder has tallied more than 1.5 total bases in three of his past six games while facing tougher pitching. Look for him to have success against Littell tonight and tally more than 1.5 total bases.
Yainer Diaz More Than 1.5 Total Bases
The Houston Astros open up a notable series against the Texas Rangers tonight as the two battle it out in the playoff race. Yainer Diaz has grown into a key part of this Astros team and is putting together a solid season. He is slashing .259/.288/.421 with 19 home runs, 22 doubles, and 65 RBIs. Diaz is batting .318 in September and has 11 hits across his past seven games, including one home run and a pair of three-hit games.
Jack Leiter will get the start for the Rangers and enters with a 3.81 ERA and 14 home runs allowed. Diaz is 2-for-6 against him in their careers. He has also tallied 14 of his 19 home runs against right-handed pitching this season. While a home run feels in play, I am backing Diaz to record more than 1.5 total bases for the fifth time in the past eight games.
Ranger Suarez More Than 4.5 Strikeouts Thrown
The Philadelphia Phillies’ pitching staff has collectively stepped up since the news of Zack Wheeler’s season-ending blood clot. Ranger Suarez has been a key part of this effort and is pitching his best at the right time. On the season overall, Suarez holds a 12-6 record, a 2.77 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Since Wheeler went down, Suarez is 5-0 with a 0.88 ERA and has struck out 39 across his 30.2 innings pitched. He has tallied double-digit strikeouts in three of his last five games and more than 4.5 strikeouts in 17 of his 23 starts this year.
Tonight brings a tough matchup against the Dodgers, but these are the types of games Suarez tends to thrive in. He has a career 1.43 ERA in the playoffs, and tonight’s game will have the feel of a postseason matchup as Los Angeles fights to officially punch their ticket. The Dodgers’ lineup is intimidating, but they are averaging 8.3 strikeouts per game collectively. Suarez has not faced this team since 2023, but has 25 strikeouts across 23.2 innings against them in his career. Count on this strong stretch of play continuing from the Phillies’ left-hander and for Suarez to record more than 4.5 strikeouts again 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 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!
