This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Although there are a few day games Wednesday, we still have plenty of options to sift through for the main evening slate on DraftKings, which consists of nine games. Here are some pitchers and hitters who could take advantage of favorable matchups.
Pitchers
Aaron Nola ($10,200) was dominant in his last outing against the Mets, striking out 12 batters across 5.1 shutout innings. It was in stark contrast to his previous start against the Giants when he allowed six runs and had only one strikeout over 2.1 innings. Make no mistake about it, Nola has had his ups and downs on his way to a 3.97 ERA. However, he has a respectable 3.43 FIP and a 28.3 percent strikeout rate, so he's still an excellent option against a Marlins team that has the second-worst OPS in baseball.
Whenever Chris Bassitt ($10,500) is pitching at home, he should be on your radar. He's been excellent there throughout his tenure with the A's, posting a 3.21 FIP and a 1.08 WHIP. Helping his cause Wednesday will be a matchup against the Rangers, who he allowed one run against across seven innings in his last outing.
The Braves are expected to receive some reinforcements for their starting rotation with Max Fried ($8,300) set to come off the IL and start against the Mets. He only ended up missing 11 days with his blister issue, so he shouldn't be on any sort of a pitch limit. He's settled down after a rough start to the season to allow exactly one run in six of his last eight starts. The included an outing against the Mets in which he held them to one run and recorded eight strikeouts over six innings.
Top Targets
Not much of an argument needs to be made to roll with Fernando Tatis Jr. ($6,200) in DFS any given night. He's in the midst of a monster season that has seen him record a 185 wRC+. Up next is a favorable matchup against Vladimir Gutierrez ($7,100), who has a 4.97 FIP and just an 18.2 percent strikeout rate across his six starts for the Reds.
David Peterson ($7,500) has pitched better of late for the Mets, allowing two runs across 16.2 innings in his last three starts. Even taking that into consideration, though, he has a 4.95 ERA and a 4.64 FIP for the season. That still makes him a favorable matchup for Ronald Acuna Jr. ($6,100), who is on pace to set a new career high with his 163 wRC+.
Bargain Bats
Ryan Mountcastle's ($3,900) numbers for the season don't exactly jump up the page given his 109 wRC+. However, he's caught fire after getting off to a terrible start, hitting 19-for-53 (.358) with six home runs over his last 14 games. Part of his improvement has been because of his 21.7 percent strikeout rate during that stretch, which is significant considering his mark for the season sits at 29.0 percent. A matchup against Luis Garcia ($9,900) isn't exactly easy, but with how hot Mountcastle has been, he's still worth considering at his cheap salary.
Known more for his glove, Jose Iglesias ($3,200) has hurt the Yankees at the plate in their series, hitting 5-for-9 with a home run and a double across the first two games. He has three multi-hit performances over his last six games and could provide value against Domingo German ($8,500), who hasn't exactly missed a ton of bats given his 21.6 percent strikeout rate.
Stacks to Consider
Blue Jays vs. Justus Sheffield ($6,300), Mariners: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($5,900), Marcus Semien ($5,600), Teoscar Hernandez ($4,900)
After an improved 2020 campaign, Sheffield has been a disaster through his first 13 starts. He has a 5.69 ERA that is backed by a 5.50 FIP. Also, he's recorded a 1.66 WHIP, compared to his 1.30 WHIP last season. If he can't improve in that area, he could be in trouble against a Blue Jays team that has the second-highest OPS in baseball. While building a Blue Jays stack around Guerrero might be key, don't sleep on Hernandez. His power numbers are down, but he still has a .362 wOBA.
Astros vs. Matt Harvey ($5,300), Orioles: Jose Altuve ($5,800), Michael Brantley ($4,500) Myles Straw ($3,000)
Harvey is a prime pitcher to stack against whenever he's on the mound. He enters this matchup with a 1.74 WHIP and has once again had problems keeping hitters inside the ball park, allowing 1.6 HR/9. It's difficult to see him improving on those numbers against one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball. Altuve has been one of the Astros' offensive leaders, posting a .217 ISO and a .373 wOBA.
Red Sox vs. Mike Minor ($8,900), Royals: J.D. Martinez ($5,500), Xander Bogaerts ($5,400), Hunter Renfroe ($3,600)
Minor was destroyed in his last start, giving up nine runs across five innings against the Rangers. He's allowed at least four runs in eight of his 16 starts this season, although his 4.03 FIP is significantly better than his 5.12 ERA. Still, a matchup against the Red Sox at Fenway Park is a daunting task. The Red Sox have a lot of hitters who have done damages against left-handed pitchers, including Renfroe, who has a career .310 ISO against them.
