This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We have games spread out throughout the day Wednesday, and it's a strong crop of pitchers in both the afternoon and evening slates. That will concentrate roster rates around certain lineups that are pretty easy to identify. The good news is that will make cash game builds fairly straightforward and easy to get different for large-field tournaments.
Pitchers
Shohei Ohtani ($10,000) leads the pack among the pitchers, maintaining a strikeout rate of over six percentage points better than the next best mark on the slate. Add in a matchup against the woeful Athletics lineup, and it's reasonable to project Ohtani for a big performance.
Julio Urias ($9,100) has proven to be a safe and consistent option, posting 25 or more DK points in seven of his last nine starts. The Giants aren't a particularly easy matchup, but they are nearly exactly average in most metrics, so there's also no reason to shy away from Urias.
Blake Snell's ($7,900) start to the season may have caused many to write him off, but he's topped 20 DK points in four of his last five starts. In that same span, he's walked two or fewer batters on three occasions and has 40 strikeouts across 25.2 innings. Colorado away from home is not an offense to be feared.
The punt play of the day is James Kaprielian ($5,700). His season-long numbers still look terrible, but Kaprielian has posted 16.3 or more DK points in four of his last five starts and double-digit points on four occasions in that span. The Angels strike out at the highest rate in the league, so Kaprielian is in a positive position to continue his upward trajectory.
Top Hitters
Paul Goldschmidt ($5,900) has had an exceptional season, but his .589 wOBA against southpaws is particularly notable. Justin Steele has shown flashes of promise, but he won't make me hesitate to click the button on Goldy.
As will be covered in the stack section, we don't know who exactly will be available for the Padres for Wednesday's game. However, Manny Machado ($5,100) will be locked into a prime spot in the order and will be in a good position to produce counting stats facing off against Chad Kuhl.
Hunter Renfroe ($5,000) has been on a power binge and can top 20 DK points in a hurry. The Pirates don't have a suitable replacement for Jose Quintana in the rotation, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Milwaukee to put up plenty of offense Wednesday.
Value Hitters
We have a lot of quality pitchers on the mound for the main slate, so we have to get more creative and take more chances to identify cheap hitters that are capable of putting up big numbers. The Pirates facing Freddy Peralta is one of the biggest mismatches on paper, but Peralta is making his first start since May 22, so there could be some rust. Investing in Cal Mitchell ($2,000) – who is slugging .485 across his last 10 games – is a dart I'm willing to throw.
With a player pool as small as we have Wednesday, there will also be some overlap between hitter and pitcher recommendations. Kaprielian has pitched well of late, but David Fletcher ($2,500) has primarily occupied the leadoff spot in the Angels' order since returning from the injured list and comes at a very reasonable cost.
Stacks to Consider
Brewers at Pirates (Tyler Beede): Christian Yelich ($4,800), Willy Adames ($5,600), Rowdy Tellez ($4,900)
The case for the Brewers is pretty easy. Beede is filling in Jose Quintana's vacated rotation spot but has pitched exclusively out of the bullpen this season. He'll still likely be able to finish a few innings, but then the Pirates bullpen will be forced to take over. That's good news for the Brewers as Pirates' relievers have combined to post a 4.56 ERA on the season – fourth-highest in the league.
Padres vs. Rockies (Chad Kuhl): TBD
The actual players in this stack will depend on whether new additions Juan Soto ($5,400) and Josh Bell ($4,800) are available for the lineup. Even without them, the top of the San Diego lineup remains intact with Jurickson Profar ($4,300), Jake Cronenworth (4,600) and Manny Machado ($5,100) still a nice trio to build around. Meanwhile, Chad Kuhl is among the bottom three pitchers in the pool in K-BB%, HR/9 and SIERA.
Cardinals vs. Cubs (Justin Steele): Dylan Carlson ($4,000), Paul Goldschmidt ($6,300), Nolan Arenado ($5,800)
Steele has had something of a breakout season, but he still has flaws in his profile. He has a 10.4 BB% -- second-highest among the pitchers in the player pool – and only a 21.6 K% to make up for it. Steele has effectively limited damage by keeping the ball in the yard, but that's a dangerous way to live. That's particularly true against a powerful lineup such as the Cardinals.
