Draftkings MLB Showdown Picks: Phillies vs. Athletics 5/23/25
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Athletics
May 23, 2025 10:05 pm EDT
Major League Baseball presents Draftkings baseball fans with an interleague matchup featuring the Philadelphia Phillies and the Athletics. Let’s take a look at this MLB game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Philadelphia Phillies vs. Athletics game let’s review the rules for the Draftkings MLB single game showdown contest.
Draftkings Single Game Showdown Contest Rules
You have $50,000 to utilize on five players from either team. However, one of those players will be designated as your team captain. The captain accumulates 1.5 times the standard fantasy points. Additionally, the captain is 1.5 times the standard cost of the flex position.
The remaining four players in your lineup will receive the standard fantasy points. Having stated that, it is highly important for you to identify the correct player for your captain position if you hope to win a large field DFS GPP (guaranteed prize pool) showdown contest.
If you have additional questions regarding the rules for the single game showdown contest, I recommend that you check out the Draftkings website for more details.
*I recommend that all readers review the starting lineups for both teams prior to setting your DFS lineup for this one game slate.
Here are my Draftkings picks for tonight’s Philadelphia Phillies vs. Athletics matchup.
Draftkings MLB Showdown Picks
Captain-Zack Wheeler, Starting Pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies $12,400
On Friday night, Major League Baseball presents the opening game of a three-game interleague series featuring the Philadelphia Phillies and the Athletics.
How are these two teams playing entering tonight’s MLB game? The Philadelphia Phillies arrive at the first game of this three-game series with the Athletics playing good baseball. The Phillies have won eight of the team’s last nine games played in the 2025 MLB regular season, including a 7-4 win over the Colorado Rockies three days ago.
In direct contrast to the Philadelphia Phillies, the Athletics are playing below average baseball entering this evening’s interleague game. More specifically, the Athletics have lost nine of the team’s last ten games played in the 2025 MLB regular season, including an embarrassing 19-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers last week.
Now that we have determined how both of these teams are currently playing let’s shift our focus to tonight’s contest. Starting pitcher Zack Wheeler has been a standout performer for the Philadelphia Phillies starting rotation this season. Having stated that, how has the veteran pitcher performed from a data perspective? Let’s review Wheeler’s relevant game data from the 2025 MLB regular season to answer that question.
In ten starts made this season, Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler has compiled a 3-1 (won-loss record), a 2.67 ERA (Earned Run Average) and a 0.89 WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched) that ranks fifth in MLB. It should also be noted that Wheeler has amassed 80 strikeouts while allowing 12 walks in 64 innings pitched this season.
Earlier this month, in the Philadelphia Phillies 8-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler pitched exceptionally well. Wheeler pitched seven quality innings while scattering four hits and zero walks in the Phillies victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.
In my opinion, Zack Wheeler is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in tonight’s MLB game. With that said, I am rolling with Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler at the captain position for this one game MLB DFS slate.
Flex plays I like to play well in this MLB regular season contest (Draftkings price noted): Jeffrey Springs, Starting Pitcher (Athletics) $10,400: Bryce Harper, First Baseman (Philadelphia Phillies) $9,200: Jacob Wilson, Shortstop (Athletics) $7,400.
