Well, it’s another early afternoon featured slate on a Wednesday. I apologize if I don’t sound thrilled about it, as once again, I didn’t realize what the schedule looked like till around midnight on Tuesday. Could I be better prepared? Yes. Am I still grumpy about having to get out of bed to write? You better believe it.
It’s nine games. Let’s dive in and go position-by-position.
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PITCHER
Stud
Eduardo Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Guardians, $9,100 - Rodriguez has been on quite the run since mid-April. The left-hander has posted a 0.52 ERA and a 2.16 FIP across his last five starts, limiting opponents to a microscopic .177 wOBA within that span. Rodriguez is also striking out 27.5% of batters in this stretch, which includes 10 strikeouts in eight scoreless innings the last time he faced the Guardians on April 18. That result wasn’t that surprising. Cleveland is often held scoreless. In fact, the team’s 75 wRC+ entering play on Tuesday was the lowest mark in all of baseball.
Value
Josiah Gray, Washington Nationals at San Francisco Giants, $6,200 - In all honesty, I just think Gray is too cheap. Following a rough opening start to his 2023, Gray has been sneakily fantastic for the Nationals, maintaining a 2.14 ERA across 33.2 innings of work. Crucially, the right-hander has surrendered only two opponent home runs within this six-start span, which is a massive improvement in an area that has plagued Gray each of the past two seasons. Also, while the Giants have hit RHPs well, San Francisco still possesses the highest strikeout rate in all of baseball (27.0%). That’ll provide Gray with some real fantasy upside.
INFIELD
Stud
Gleyber Torres, New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics, $5,100 - It should come as a surprise to no one that the Yankees are once again projected to score many, many runs against the lowly Athletics on Wednesday. Kyle Muller ($5,100) is taking the mound for Oakland, and the lefty has a 9.42 ERA in his three starts away from the pitcher-friendly confines of the Coliseum in 2023. Meanwhile, Torres has a .345 ISO and a 165 wRC+ in his first 38 plate appearances versus LHPs this season. That’ll play nicely.
Stud
Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers at Milwaukee Brewers, $4,900 - The Wade Miley ($6,800) bubble has to burst soon, right? The veteran southpaw has been amazing for the Brewers to start the season, yet Miley’s striking out just 15.0% of the hitters he’s seeing and his 5.01 xFIP is more than double his 2.31 ERA. If someone on the Dodgers is going to get Miley, it’ll likely be Smith, who after homering in Tuesday’s win, sports an impressive 173 wRC+ in 2023. Smith’s struck out only six times in 95 plate appearances. He’s on another level.
Value
Luis Garcia, Washington Nationals at San Francisco Giants, $3,300 - Garcia has been red-hot for the Nationals, collecting 11 hits in the team’s past five games. The infielder has been at his best in 2023 when opposed by a left-hander pitcher, as Garcia’s managed a 158 wRC+ in his first 28 plate appearances within the split. I’d expect those positive trends to continue against Sean Manaea ($5,900), who currently owns an ugly 8.05 xERA.
Value
Joey Meneses, Washington Nationals at San Francisco Giants, $2,700 - Nationals stack?! It’s not as crazy as it might seem. Washington actually entered Tuesday’s slate hitting .289 as a team versus left-handed pitching, with a very respectable 105 wRC+. Meneses is probably the club’s most dangerous hitter within the split, as the journeyman registered a 201 wRC+ against LHPs in 2022 in a limited sample. Lefty or not, Meneses has come alive for the Nationals in recent weeks, with five multi-hit performances in his last 11 games.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics, $6,300 - Muller has faced 55 RHBs away from Oakland so far this season. Those righties have combined to slash a ridiculous .419/.500/.651. Yes. You read that correctly. Muller has been that underwhelming. Judge has been oddly quiet in his opportunities versus southpaws in 2023 — and there’s a chance he’s rested in a day game after a night game right off the IL — but the man still owns a .409 expected wOBA. This is a massive mismatch in Judge’s favor if he’s in the lineup.
Stud
Kris Bryant, Colorado Rockies at Pittsburgh Pirates, $5,200 - Contrary to popular belief, it is possible for the Rockies to score runs away from Coors Field. It doesn’t happen often, but it’s possible. Heck, the team is fresh on the heels of dropping 10 runs on the floundering Pirates in a lopsided victory on Tuesday evening. If Colorado is going to have more success on Wednesday, look for Bryant to be in the middle of the action. Rich Hill ($7,300) and his 6.94 xERA are pitching for Pittsburgh and Bryant currently owns a 1.028 OPS in his 36 plate appearances against LHPs. Not too shabby.
Value
Jack Suwinski, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Colorado Rockies, $3,900 - Suwinski is in the midst of a massive slump, but a matchup with Antonio Senzatela ($6,000) might be just what the doctor ordered. Senzatela has always had his issues with LHBs throughout his career, and a minuscule 14.1% strikeout rate within the split certainly doesn’t help. Suwinski has an eye-popping .554 expected wOBA on his batted ball events in 2023. When he can actually make contact, he’s golden. He should be able to showcase that trend versus Senzatela.
Value
Lane Thomas, Washington Nationals at San Francisco Giants, $2,800 - Let’s round out that Nationals stack, shall we? It’s hard to overstate how poorly Manaea has looked against RHBs in 2023, as the southpaw has allowed opponents within the split to rack up a ghastly .631 slugging percentage across seven appearances. As for Thomas, he’ll be batting leadoff for Washington on Wednesday and he’s hitting .361 with a 173 wRC+ in his 41 plate appearances versus lefties.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is theglt13) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.