Shoutout to Dan Servodidio for the perfect 2-for-2 day yesterday on Underdog Fantasy, and we are going to look to continue to keep the good times rolling today! After looking at the board and sifting through the data, my best bets of the day on Underdog Fantasy feature fantasy baseball waiver wire darling Cole Ragans facing the Pittsburgh Pirates, and St. Louis Cardinals southpaw Zack Thompson taking on the San Diego Padres. Don't forget to check out the latest MLB weather report and the confirmed MLB lineups when placing those MLB betting picks. Furthermore, our MLB daily projections and MLB Batter vs Pitcher page will help uncover the best matchups for MLB player props and your MLB DFS lineups this evening. Without further ado, let's dive into the top MLB player picks on Underdog Fantasy for Tuesday, August 29th.

 

Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals – HIGHER than 6 Strikeouts 

In the month of August, the Pirates are about league average in terms of its strikeout rate against left-handed pitching, but dating back to July 1, they have the 10th-highest strikeout rate. This Pittsburgh team is prone to striking out in bunches, and now they have to face off against Cole Ragans, who has been a revelation for fantasy managers since joining the Royals around the All-Star break. In six starts with the Royals this season, not only does he have a 2.08 ERA, but he has a 12.2 K/9, with eight or more strikeouts in four outings! Over his last four starts, he has 36 strikeouts and a 15.9 percent swinging strike rate! In the month of August, his swinging strike rate of 15.5 percent trails only Spencer Strider (20.0%) and Freddy Peralta (17.6%). Simply put, Ragans has been elite of late, and he finds himself in another matchup that should see him rack up strikeouts in bunches. Behind his increased fastball velocity and lethal changeup and slider, I expect a big day from him on the mound against this Pirates team.

UPDATE: Underdog has pulled the strikeout prop for Ragans. If they bring it back, I'd play this at 6.5 or 7.

Zack Thompson, St. Louis Cardinals – LOWER than 2.5 Walks Allowed 

This line seems a bit high. While Thompson has primarily worked in relief, he’s really harnessed the command of late, as he has a 1.29 BB/9 mark over his last 21 innings, which has included three starts. In each of his three starts this season, he’s walked just one batter in each outing. The Padres are league average in terms of walk rate against left-handed pitching in the month of August, and Thompson has been great at limiting the number of walks he surrenders. His past isn’t exactly the cleanest in terms of walk rate, but he’s been very good of late, and he loves pitching at home this year, as seen by his 1.40 ERA, 5.3 percent walk rate, and 1.03 WHIP at home. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this line move to two (2) at some point today, as 2.5 seems a bit high.

Other MLB Player Props to Consider:

 

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