Covering The Bases: MLB DFS Picks Today for Sunday 8/9

by Justin Van Zuiden (stlcardinals84) Last Updated 2026-08-09 13:56:01 Premium Content Part of the product MLB DFS

Long-time grinder Justin Van Zuiden (aka stlcardinals84) is here to cover the bases for the upcoming MLB DFS slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Whether you are looking for the top pitchers or the best stacks, Justin has you covered with an extensive deep dive into his favorite MLB DFS picks today on August 9, 2026.

Happy Sunday, Grinders! We have our normal Sunday main slate with a start time of 1:35 PM Eastern again today, and we have matching 10-game slates on both FD and DK. This looks to be quite the exciting slate, with options for us to target on both the pitching and hitting sides of the ledger.

This looks to be the second straight day where the MLB weather should cooperate for the most part, outside of a chance of storms in Chicago for the CLE/CHW contest. It still seems like that game is likely to play, and I am operating under the assumption that every game should be good to go for now.

There is plenty to get to this afternoon, so let’s dive in and see what this Sunday slate has to offer!

Sunday Pitching: MLB DFS Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel

ANOTHER DAY WITH A TRIO OF ACES

• Jacob Misiorowski vs. Twins
• Cam Schlittler vs. Braves
• Jesus Luzardo vs. Blue Jays

Just like we saw yesterday, we have a slate where there are 3 clear ace pitchers at the top of the board, and today’s slate is even more exciting. All of them are pitching at home, and there will certainly be at least one dominant performance out of this trio. Let’s begin with the usual look at the 2026 data.

Misiorowski – 1.63 ERA, 1.95 xFIP, 40.6% K, 6.0% BB
Schlittler – 2.26 ERA, 2.90 xFIP, 30.8% K, 5.6% BB
Luzardo – 3.36 ERA, 3.02 xFIP, 29.0% K, 7.6% BB

On most slates, each of these pitchers generally lands as the overall SP1. It’s a bit trickier today with all of them pitching on the same day. Even though it is tricky, we can still consider Jacob Misiorowski the top option. The numbers he is putting up this season are simply ridiculous. He has posted 12 and 10 strikeouts in his last 2 starts despite only throwing 83 pitches in both of them. The Twins have solid overall numbers against RHP for the season, but those numbers nose dive without Byron Buxton in the lineup. I have no concerns about Misiorowski, and he should be able to get back to 90+ pitches now if the game situation warrants. He has already established himself as the best pitcher in baseball, with Tarik Skubal as the only competition in that stratosphere.

Cam Schlittler is very good in his own right, but we can afford to be picky when you are competing with “The Miz” on a given slate. Schlitter has the toughest matchup of these pitchers, as a home date with the powerful Braves lineup is not ideal, especially with their left-handed power and the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium. Schlittler is also coming off perhaps his worst start of the season, as he needed 83 pitches to complete 3 innings against the Cardinals, and he allowed 4 runs with 5 walks in those innings. I still like him, but I don’t see a reason to spend up for him over Misiorowski.

The one pivot I would consider in this ace tier is Jesus Luzardo. His ERA is around 2.75 since the beginning of June, and he has a great matchup for run prevention against a weak Toronto lineup that ranks dead last in baseball in team wOBA against LHP this year. Luzardo is also the cheapest of this trio on both DK and FD. The Blue Jays aren’t a high-strikeout group, however, so that perhaps limits the ceiling to some degree. I will still have a decent amount of exposure to Luzardo.

In short, I am ranking this tier as Misiorowski > Luzardo > Schlittler.

SECONDARY ARMS

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