Of the eight games scheduled to be played across baseball on Thursday, five of them have early start times — setting us up for a solid early MLB DFS slate.
Despite the limited schedule, there is no shortage of elite pitching options on Thursday afternoon. Red Sox SP Garrett Crochet will start against the Orioles, while Cubs SP Shota Imanaga and Giants SP Logan Webb will face off in San Francisco.
However, there are also some underwhelming pitching options — including Kyle Freeland vs. the Astros — that could lead to plenty of runs being scored in their games.
The early MLB slate provides us with plenty of MLB DFS picks and projections to consider on PrizePicks MLB. Below, we'll give you the top player picks for Thursday, August 28, early games, including Red Sox 3B Alex Bregman, Astros SS Jeremy Pena, and more.
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MLB DFS Picks Today for PrizePicks: Thursday, August 28
Here are the top MLB DFS picks and predictions for PrizePicks in today's early MLB games, including pitchers and hitters to target. Use this analysis to build your Lineups on PrizePicks MLB on Thursday, August 28. Click to read more about each pick.
- Orioles SP Cade Povich – 17.5 Pitching Outs
- Red Sox 3B Alex Bregman – 6.5 Hitter Fantasy Score
- Astros SS Jeremy Pena – 1.5 Total Bases
- Rockies SP Kyle Freeland – 3.5 Strikeouts
Orioles SP Cade Povich Projection: 17.5 Pitching Outs
- After recording a 1.43 WHIP over 16 starts last season, Povich has replicated it with a 1.43 WHIP over 17 outings this season.
- The Orioles’ lefty has a 5.13 ERA that is backed by a 5.57 xERA.
- Povich gives up a lot of hard contact, allowing a 12.6% barrel rate and a 48.4% hard-hit rate.
- With him allowing so many base runners, Povich has logged fewer than six innings in nine of his last 10 outings.
- The Red Sox have already faced Povich two times this season and he didn’t last more than five innings in either outing.
Red Sox 3B Alex Bregman Projection: 6.5 Hitter Fantasy Score
- Alex Bregman has thrived in his first season with the Red Sox, posting a .219 ISO and a .386 wOBA.
- Making contact is one of his strengths. He has a 14.8% strikeout rate this season and a 13.5% strikeout rate for his career.
- The Red Sox’s third baseman has performed better on the road, posting a .930 OPS there. At home, he has a .864 OPS.
- Povich presents a favorable matchup for Bregman since he has a .962 OPS versus left-handed pitchers.
Astros SS Jeremy Pena Projection: 1.5 Total Bases
- Jeremy Pena has recorded multiple hits in three of his last five games.
- The Astros’ shortstop has a .478 slugging percentage that is on pace to be the highest mark of his career. At home, he is slugging .529.
- Taking the mound for the Rockies will be SP Kyle Freeland, who has a 5.31 ERA and a 5.47 xERA.
- Freeland has a bloated 1.52 WHIP, thanks to him giving up 156 hits over 125 1/3 innings.
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Rockies SP Kyle Freeland Projection: 3.5 Strikeouts
- Freeland only has a 16.4% strikeout rate this season and a 17.1% strikeout rate for his career.
- The struggling lefty has logged five or fewer innings in four of his last five starts.
- The Astros don’t swing-and-miss much, posting the seventh-fewest strikeouts in baseball.
- While Freeland logged six innings in an outing against the Astros earlier this season, he finished with just two strikeouts.
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MLB will help us get through the work day, with five games that have early start times Thursday, before we get to college football kick-off tonight.
While there are some great pitchers set to take the mound, we also have the potential for some high-scoring affairs. Bregman and the Red Sox have a great matchup against Povich, while Freeland will be facing an uphill battle versus Pena and the Astros.
Thursday’s slate provides plenty of projections to consider on PrizePicks. Just pick More or Less for at least two MLB player stat projections to build your Lineup on PrizePicks and win real money if your picks are correct. Check out the Playbook for more daily MLB picks throughout the season.
