This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Wednesday's main evening slate on DraftKings brings us 10 games to sift through. Let's get right down to business and highlight some pitchers to consider, as well as some hitters who could thrive based on their respective matchups.
Pitchers
Following up a no-hitter is never easy. Carlos Rodon ($9,800) did so admirably, though, allowing three runs (two earned) and recording eight strikeouts over five innings in a rematch against Cleveland. He was a bit wild, though, issuing five walks in the contest. Facing a Tigers lineup that entered Tuesday with the worst OPS (.631) in baseball could leave Rodon with another valuable stat line.
The Padres have several big names in their starting rotation, including three new additions in Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove. They were hoping to get Dinelson Lamet back from injury, but he's once again on the IL with a forearm issue. With Lamet back on the sidelines, that means Ryan Weathers ($7,300) will get another start, this time against the Diamondbacks. He's allowed one run across five appearances this season, two of which were starts. He was able to get through 5.2 innings in his last outing against the Dodgers, so he should be stretched out moving forward. Considering he held the Dodgers to just one hit and one walk, he could dominate a Diamondbacks lineup that is missing Ketel Marte (hamstring) and Christian Walker (oblique).
Even when the Rockies had a more potent lineup, they were a team that often struggled to score runs on the road. Things could be even worse for them this season after trading away Nolan Arenado. Through their first seven road games entering Tuesday, they had scored a total of 11 runs. That makes Alex Wood ($8,300), who has allowed one run through his first 12 innings, a potential target.
Top Targets
Not much of a case needs to be made to pursue Mike Trout ($6,200), who has a career 173 wRC+. He's off to a staggering start this season with a 274 wRC+ entering Tuesday, racking up 15 runs scored and 14 RBI through 18 games. He'll try to keep things rolling against Dane Dunning ($6,700), who allowed five runs over 2.2 innings against the White Sox in his last outing.
Dean Kremer ($5,900) is expected to make a start for the Orioles against the Yankees, which is the second time he will have faced them this season. The first time around, he was tagged for three runs across three innings. His line could have been much worse, too, given that he allowed nine baserunners. He's issued 18 walks across 29.1 career innings, which isn't going to help his cause to stick in the big leagues. This could be an excellent spot to deploy Aaron Judge ($5,600) and DJ LeMahieu ($5,200), two of the few Yankees' hitters who are actually off to a decent start offensively.
Bargain Bats
Staying with the Yankees' matchup against Kremer, Gio Urshela ($3,200) might be able to provide value at a cheap salary. It's not a worry that he doesn't have the platoon advantage with a right-handed pitcher on the mound given that Urshela has recorded a wRC+ of at least 135 in back-to-back seasons versus righties.
While his salary isn't as cheap as Urshela's, Shohei Ohtani ($4,200) could still end up being a bargain. He's off to a tremendous start at the plate, posting a .375 ISO and a .428 wOBA entering Tuesday. If you can't find a way to squeeze Trout's salary into your lineup, Ohtani still provides a way to gain some exposure to the Angels' matchup versus Dunning.
Stacks to Consider
Blue Jays vs. Erick Fedde ($7,100), Nationals: Bo Bichette ($5,900), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($5,700), Marcus Semien ($5,500)
Fedde has once again struggled to keep batters off base, posting a 1.53 WHIP through his first four starts. That's right in line with his career 1.51 WHIP, which doesn't make you feel good about his prognosis moving forward. This could be a great opportunity to deploy Guerrero, who entered Tuesday with a .472 OBP. This matchup might be just what Semien, who has a .299 wOBA, needs to get back on track.
Cardinals vs. Vince Velasquez ($6,500), Phillies: Paul Goldschmidt ($4,700), Nolan Arenado ($4,400), Paul DeJong ($3,900)
Velasquez will make another start after holding the Rockies to two runs across four innings in his last start. He did allow two home runs, though, and he enters this matchup against the Cardinals with a 2.13 WHIP. He has more walks (nine) than he has innings pitched (eight). This comes after he walked 17 hitters across 34 innings last season, generating a 1.56 WHIP. This Cardinals' trio is all off to a disappointing start, but with this favorable matchup, they might provide value at their respective salaries.
White Sox vs. Casey Mize ($6,400), Tigers: Tim Anderson ($5,500), Yermin Mercedes ($5,000), Adam Eaton ($4,300)
If Mize is going to live up to the lofty expectations that come with being the first overall pick in the draft, he's going to need to cut down his WHIP, which sits at 1.47 through his first 11 career starts. He's combined that with allowing 12 home runs across 49 innings. Brighter days could be ahead, but until he finds a way to right the ship, he's someone to attack in DFS. Although Eaton doesn't bring a ton of power to this stack, his career .359 OBP is appealing based on Mize's struggles in the WHIP department.
