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Scott Cullen provides his MLB DFS prop picks for August 25th, 2020 on Monkey Knife Fight. Make your DFS picks with his fantasy baseball advice.
Tuesday’s MLB schedule is stuffed full, with all teams in action and a couple of double-headers thrown in for good measure. The means tons of chances to play props and win with Monkey Knife Fight.
With 17 games in one day, the schedule is busy and there are enough mismatches to find potential value. One way to do it is to use the Star Shootout option on Monkey Knife Fight in order to find favorable matchups for the best players in the game. That goes for ace pitchers as well as sluggers who might have a match-up against a shaky starting pitcher.
Here are some Star Shootout prop angles to consider for Tuesday’s Monkey Knife Fight MLB schedule:
STAR SHOOTOUT - MAIN GAMES
MORE OR LESS
Gerrit Cole MORE THAN 8.5 STRIKEOUTS
Although the Yankees ace has 44 strikeouts in six starts this season (7.3 per game), there are some factors that might tilt his total higher. For one thing, he has 28 in his past three starts and, for another, the Braves have a strikeout rate of 26.5%, one of the highest rates in the National League.
Shane Bieber MORE THAN 8.5 STRIKEOUTS
Cleveland’s ace has been consistently great this season, striking out 65 in six starts (10.8 per game) and he matches up against a Minnesota Twins team that has a potent lineup but one that can swing and miss, with a 27.1% strikeout rate.
Nelson Cruz LESS THAN 1.5 TOTAL BASES
Minnesota’s 40-year-old designated hitter can still rake. He leads the American League with 11 home runs and a .699 slugging percentage, with a 1.128 OPS. On average, the expectation should be that Cruz is going to put up a couple of bases per game, but the Twins are taking on Bieber, who is anything but average.
Freddie Freeman LESS THAN 1.5 HITS + WALKS
Atlanta’s star first baseman is rocking a .427 on-base percentage, which would be the highest of his career. Under normal circumstances, he should be able to get on base a couple of times but with a matchup against Cole, maybe it will be a little more difficult to reach base tonight.
RAPID FIRE
Lucas Giolito -0.5 fantasy points vs. Tyler Chatwood
Although Chatwood has suddenly emerged as a small-sample high-strikeout-rate pitcher (13.8 K/9 this season), his overall performance is not really comparable to Giolito. Giolito goes against the Pirates, too, which is even more favorable than Chatwood taking on the Tigers.
STAR SHOOTOUT - LATE GAMES
MORE OR LESS
Fernando Tatis Jr. MORE THAN 1.5 HITS + WALKS
The Padres star shortstop has a .396 on-base percentage this season and is a little better than that against left-handed pitching. He faces Seattle’s ace, Marco Gonzales, which is not enough reason to think that Tatis will be held under a couple of times on base.
Trevor Story MORE THAN 1.5 TOTAL BASES
One of the most productive hitting shortstops in the game, Story is slugging .602 this season and .688 against left-handed pitching, a good situation when facing Arizona lefty Alex Young. Of course, the big issue for Rockies hitters is when they go on the road, and Story is still slugging .545 away from Coors, so he should still be good for a couple of bases.
Chris Paddack LESS THAN 5.5 STRIKEOUTS
San Diego’s second-year staff ace has seen his strikeout rate decline this season and he has recorded six or more strikeouts just twice in six starts this season. The Mariners strike out a little more than average but not by enough to count on Paddack for at least six strikeouts.
RAPID FIRE
German Marquez -0.5 fantasy points vs. Matt Harvey
Marquez has some ups and downs but in a matchup against Harvey? He’s steady as they come by comparison. In 13 starts since the beginning of last season, Harvey has a 7.18 ERA and 1.56 WHIP, going at least five innings in just six of 13 starts.
Christian Yelich +0.5 fantasy points vs. Nolan Arenado
Yelich got off to a terrible start this season but has started to turn it around. In his past 15 games, he has hit four home runs, stolen two bases, and has a .993 OPS to go with his .269 batting average. That’s enough to like him as a lively underdog in this matchup with Arenado, who is nowhere near his typical production this season.
STAR SHOOTOUT - NIGHT GAMES
MORE OR LESS
Mookie Betts MORE THAN 1.5 HITS + WALKS
As great as Betts has been for the Dodgers, his .369 on-base percentage does make this a competitive line…until he gets up five times and then it seems much more likely that he should reach base more than once.
Ketel Marte LESS THAN 1.5 TOTAL BASES
Even though Marte is hitting .328, last season’s power surge seems to have completely disappeared. He’s slugging .431 and has one home run in 124 plate appearances. Marte could get loose against German Marquez and the Rockies but this season’s numbers suggest it’s not as likely.
RAPID FIRE
Trevor Story. +0.5 fantasy points vs. Will Smith
Smith is a productive catcher, which is a rare gem, but he doesn’t have the straight-up production to match Story, who has nine home runs, five stolen bases, and a .963 OPS, so getting Story in the underdog slot here is sweet value.
Marco Gonzales – 0.5 strikeouts vs. Julio Urias
Urias has been an effective addition to the Dodgers rotation but his strikeout rate is low (7.0 K/9, 3.6 strikeouts per start) and Gonzales is quietly effective, with 7.9 K/9. Gonzales faces the Padres and Urias faces the Giants, both teams strike out less than average, which might level the playing field but maybe not quite enough to prefer Urias.
