Penned By: @Ryan_Humphries on Twitter/X and LineStar Chat.

• Rate LineStarApp on the App store and get a shoutout on Twitter from @LineStarApp official account!

• Have questions? Check out the LineStar Tutorial Wiki.

• LineStar’s 2025 MLB DFS Primer & Strategy Guide ⚾

Top DFS Offers 8/22/25 💸

Our editors found the top deals in sports books so you don’t have to! Tapping the links below will help support LineStar through an affiliate referral.

Offers for new users only, additional terms and conditions may apply — see operator site for full details. Must be 18+ (some states may require 21+) and be present in an eligible state; if you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.

LineStar MLB DFS & Prop Bet Shows 🎙️

Like, Subscribe, and Comment @ LineStar YouTube channel! You never know when we’ll shout you out or give you something cool. New episodes drop Mon-Fri feat. host Tyler Wiemann! Every episode is quick, informative, & easy to watch.

Main Slate Rundown 🏟

We are back for another Friday MLB frenzy with 13 games on the main slate ticket! We get a nice mix of everything today from aces, quality mid/value range pitchers, and plenty of viable stacks to consider. With the Rockies ending their eight-game homestand, there is no Coors Field game to worry about as well, which I’m sure many are just fine with. There are only two spots where weather could be a concern (ATL and TB), but, at this time, any postponement(s) would be a major surprise. It’s a great time for us sports fans as college football officially returns tomorrow and the NFL kicks off in just a couple of weeks! Best time of the year, if you ask me. But first, we must address this hefty Friday MLB slate! Best of luck!

Main slate match-ups with implied run totals and moneyline odds:

💣8/22 Dinger Report💣

Today’s Top Dinger Odds (sorted by LineStar projected HR odds)

Main Slate Weather Outlook 💨🌦️☁️

Check LineStar's MLB Daily Dashboard to see an overview of the most up-to-date game forecasts.

• NYM at ATL (7:15 ET, 8.5 O/U): Kind of a typical “August in Atlanta” forecast. Scattered showers and storms will be around the general area. If one makes its way over the ballpark, then a delay of some sort likely comes along with it. A potential postponement isn’t a concern here, but the possibility of an in-game delay would make starting pitchers riskier investments.

• STL at TB (7:35 ET, 9.0 O/U): Most of the rain will be around this afternoon, while the evening looks generally clear. But if that changes, or if the afternoon rain lingers around a little longer than expected, we might see a late start/delay here.

Pitchers to Consider ⚾

Nathan Eovaldi (RHP), TEX | DK: $10.3k, FD: $10.5k | vs. CLE

The poor outing versus Arizona on August 11th turned out to be just a blip on the radar for Eovaldi as he bounced back nicely in a tough road matchup versus the Blue Jays five days ago. Spanning his last eight starts (50.2 IP), Eovaldi has pitched to an outstanding 1.60 ERA, 3.37 xFIP, .197 opp AVG, 0.87 WHIP, 23.7% kRate, and 4.7% BB%. The Rangers have won each of those previous eight Eovaldi starts, with Eovaldi earning the official win in seven of them. Texas is a bit of a long shot to make the playoffs as they are 5.5 games back from Seattle in the AL Wild Card race, but Rangers fans still have to be happy whenever they see Eovaldi on the mound. He’s not the biggest strikeout guy, but he simply allows very little traffic on the bases and rarely falls victim to a blow-up inning. His efficiency on the mound often allows him to cover seven-plus innings even while only throwing a low-to-mid 90s pitch count.

Eovaldi draws a fairly friendly matchup at home versus the Guardians. Over the last two weeks against RHPs (343 PAs), the Guardians are hitting for just a .221 AVG and rank 26th in MLB with an 83 wRC+. They’ve also struck out at a higher-than-average clip at 23.0% in that span. There are truly only a couple of scary hitters in this lineup, and there are plenty of Ks to be had in the middle of the batting order. As usual, we should receive a solid floor out of Eovaldi today with a decent shot at a ceiling performance.

Shane Bieber (RHP), TOR | DK: $9k, FD: $9k | at MIA

If you’re feeling a little bold today, you may want to consider giving Shane Bieber some exposure as he prepares to make his season debut following the Tommy John surgery that he had in April 2024. This will also be Bieber’s first MLB start with a team other than the Cleveland Guardians after the Blue Jays acquired him at the trade deadline. Bieber had two incredible starts at the beginning of last season before the dreaded Tommy John diagnosis came along. He has since had a pretty extensive rehab assignment and is expected to face little to no restrictions on his pitch count after he cleared 90 pitches across seven scoreless innings in his most recent Triple-A outing. Overall, across 29.0 IP in the minor leagues, Bieber pitched to a sharp 1.86 ERA, 2.34 xFIP, 0.86 WHIP, 34.6% kRate, and 2.8% BB%. Usually, no matter the talent level, guys coming off of TJ surgery will struggle somewhere during their rehab assignment, whether it be having walk issues, a decreased strikeout rate, giving up home runs… something. But Bieber has looked like he hasn’t missed a beat. Of course, going from pitching against minor leaguers to MLB hitters is a whole different level, but you simply couldn’t ask for better results from a rehab stint than what Bieber put together.

Bieber makes his MLB return to face a pesky Marlins team. There may not be any household names in this Miami lineup, but it is full of guys who profile as contact hitters who also do not strike out often. Six guys in the projected Marlins lineup today have a kRate under 20% versus RHPs this season, and Miami is rocking an above-average 108 wRC+ against RHPs L2Weeks, to go alongside the second-lowest kRate (17.4%). But, if he’s close to 100%, Bieber has proven that he can rack up the Ks against anyone, and the sportsbooks are also pinning the Marlins with the third-lowest implied run total on the slate at just 3.6 runs. The Blue Jays (-172 ML) step in as heavy favorites and, if he is in fact going to throw 90+ pitches today, Shane Bieber is an enticing enough option at his flat $9,000 salary on both sites.

Cade Povich (LHP), BAL | DK: $6k, FD: $8.2k | vs. HOU

As these spotlighted value pitchers often are, this will be more of a DraftKings SP2 recommendation as Povich checks in as the cheapest SP option on the board today (on DK). The fact that he is the cheapest starting pitcher on DraftKings is a bit of a head-scratcher. Povich has been rock-solid for a while now. He did half of June and all of July with a hip injury, but he has looked good in his three starts since returning from the IL, which have resulted in a 4.32 ERA, 3.19 xFIP, 1.20 WHIP, .213 opp AVG, and a huge 32.4% kRate. When comparing that ERA to his xFIP, we can surmise that Povich has been a bit unlucky and has pitched better than the ERA would indicate. Strikeouts have been where much of his DFS value has come from, and, extending things back to his last nine big league starts, he has boasted an excellent 31.3% kRate.

We also can’t hate this matchup too much. Povich did just pitch against the Astros six days ago in five innings out of the bullpen (91 pitches). He did allow three runs on five hits and three walks… but he also racked up TEN strikeouts. Against LHPs over the last month (278 PAs), the Astros have accounted for the fifth-highest strikeout rate (25.5%) and own a subpar 93 wRC+ in that span as well. Even if he allows some hits and a couple of runs, Povich’s strikeout upside is plenty high enough to keep him on the DFS radar… especially as the cheapest SP option available on DraftKings.

Other Pitchers to Consider

Bryan Woo (RHP), SEA | DK: $10.5k, FD: $10.6k | vs. ATH

Blake Snell (LHP), LAD | DK: $9.3k, FD: $10.2k | at SD

Nolan McLean (RHP), NYM | DK: $8.7k, FD: $8.8k | at ATL (Monitor weather!)

Zebby Matthews (RHP), MIN | DK: $7.7k, FD: $8.3k | at CWS

Jose Quintana (LHP), MIL | DK: $7.3k, FD: $8.7k | vs. SF

Ben Brown (RHP), CHC | DK: $6.6k, FD: $7.2k | at LAA

Team Stacks to Target 🎯

Disclaimer: Stacking in MLB DFS is not a requirement but it is a very common strategy used to take down GPPs. This strategy is covered in more detail in the MLB DFS strategy guide linked in the header at the top of this newsletter. Check out the MLB StackFinder on LineStar.

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Carson Whisenhunt (LHP), SF

The Brewers have lost a little steam over the last several days, but they’ll have a chance to get rolling again this evening. Carson Whisenhunt only has three big league starts under his belt and, in that time, has pitched to a 5.02 ERA, 5.23 xFIP, 1.40 WHIP, 19.0% kRate, and 11.1% BB%. He has also already given up five home runs across those 14.1 IP, resulting in a 3.14 HR/9 Rate. In a more significant sample size (103.0 IP) down in Triple-A, Whisenhunt wasn’t exactly killing it with a 4.37 ERA and 4.92 xFIP. Whisenhunt has also posted some poor statcast data, allowing a huge 34.1% LineDrive%, 52.3% HardHit%, 18.2% Barrel%, and 93.6 mph average exit velo (bottom 5th percentile). He will be supported by a Giants bullpen that has allowed the third-highest opponent batting average over the last month (.270) with the third-lowest kRate (18.6%) in that span as well.

Even with a few down games recently, the Brewers have still profiled as a top-five offense versus LHPs over the last month -- .287 AVG (4th), .812 OPS (4th), .351 wOBA (4th), and 127 wRC+ (4th). It’s entirely possible that they can come through with plenty of production against Whisenhunt and the Giants’ bullpen this evening.

Favorite MIL Bats: William Contreras, Brice Turang, Isaac Collins

Bargain Bats: Andrew Vaughn, Blake Perkins, Joey Ortiz

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Miles Mikolas (RHP), STL

Spanning his last 14 starts (71.1 IP), Mikolas has pitched to a lackluster 6.06 ERA, 4.56 xFIP, 1.40 WHIP, .294 opp AVG, .371 opp wOBA, 15.8% kRate, and 2.30 HR/9 Rate. He has completely imploded on the road, and if we section off his only six road starts in that aforementioned span, we’ll see that Mikolas’ results balloon to a 10.00 ERA, 4.66 xFIP, 1.78 WHIP, .355 opp AVG, .491 opp wOBA, 18.0% kRate, and 4.70 HR/9 Rate. Not a huge difference in the xFIP and kRate, but Mikolas’ bad numbers only get worse when he’s pitching away from Busch Stadium.

The Rays’ offense can be a tricky one to get right, and strikeouts have been a major concern (26.1% kRate vs. RHPs L30Days). But they tend to be at their best at home, where they own a solid 111 wRC+ vs. RHPs over the last month. And Mikolas isn’t much of a strikeout pitcher, so those strikeout concerns for the Rays are mitigated quite a bit in this matchup. George M. Steinbrenner Field has also rated as the #4 home run ballpark in MLB this season, so we should see some dingers out of this lineup with more warm and humid conditions expected in this minor league stadium. The Rays are also infusing some young talent into this lineup. Chandler Simpson has been a menace on the base paths as one of the fastest players in MLB, Bob Seymour, who made his big league debut a week ago, has mashed 30 HRs in 105 Triple-A games this season and hit his first MLB homer a couple of days ago, and the Rays’ top prospect (and #14 overall MLB prospect, per FanGraphs) SS Carson Williams is expected to make his MLB debut today in place of the injured Ha-Seong Kim.

Favorite TB Bats: Junior Caminero, Brandon Lowe, Chandler Simpson

Bargain Bats: Jake Mangum, Bob Seymour, Carson Williams

Low-Owned Stack That Just Might Work Out 🤔

Boston Red Sox vs. Max Fried (LHP), NYY

Every hitter in the confirmed Red Sox lineup has a < 10% pOwn% with eight hitters at or below 5% pOwn%. After an exceptional start to his Yankees tenure, Max Fried’s form has dropped off a cliff. Since July 1st (8 GS, 41.0 IP), Fried has pitched to a 6.80 ERA, 4.48 xFIP, 1.59 WHIP, .363 opp wOBA, and 19.3% kRate. He’s had a fairly tough schedule of opponents in that span and is capable of bouncing back at any moment. But, for now, we’ll see if a solid Red Sox offense can take advantage of his recent struggles. The Yankees’ bullpen also owns the fifth-worst ERA (4.90) over the last month and has pitched a lot of innings over the last couple of days.

Favorite BOS Bats: Roman Anthony, Trevor Story, Alex Bregman

Bargain Bats: Ceddanne Rafaela, Jhostynxon “The Password” Garcia

Home Run Calls of the Day 💣

Make sure you’re following @LineStarApp on Twitter/X. Retweet the Home Run Calls of the Day tweet for your chance to win prizes!

🔥 Props AI 🔥

In LineStar’s ongoing mission to improve, innovate, and help you reel in some cash, we are introducing Props AI for MLB! This tool can help you find value and mispriced odds on player props from sportsbooks and, more specifically, for PrizePicks and UnderDog Fantasy!

Speaking of props, put the Props AI tool to use by signing-up for UnderDog Fantasy for a month of LineStar Premium (Promo code: LINESTAR). Plus deposit match for new customers.

Best of luck out there today, everyone!