This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
There's no weather to worry about on Wednesday, but there is a lack of elite pitching to make roster selection difficult. I turned to a couple favorites with plenty of upside, while also finding a few bats that have good opportunities to go deep.
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PITCHER
Jack Flaherty, STL vs. MIA ($10,200): Flaherty only has six starts this season, but three of them came against the Pirates, a top-10 team in terms of wOBA against righties. He's allowed one run in four of those outings and reached nine strikeouts in two. Flaherty could be set for another solid fantasy performance against the Marlins, which are the worst team he's faced with a .293 wOBA against righty arms over the last month.
GPP Fade: Shohei Ohtani, LAA vs. KC ($11,100): I had Ohtani in this spot last week and he only made it five innings against the Tigers with five strikeouts. His price is too high for what he's done on the mound and facing the Royals won't change that. Kansas City has been one of the better teams all season at not striking out with a 19.3 K% over the last month against righties. If Ohtani can't reach seven or eight strikeouts, he isn't worth the money.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Jose Quintana, CHC vs. PHI ($8,800): Quintana may not be considered cheap, but there aren't any pitchers below him worth the gamble. The lefty hurler is getting shelled every other outing, but he strikes batters out with at least six in all but three of his starts. This could be another good outing for Quintana, as the Phillies haven't hit southpaws well this year with a 22.7 K%, .122 ISO and .301 wOBA.
CATCHER
Martin Maldonado, LAA vs. KC ($2,900): Maldonado comes at a great price in a great spot. He's been better against righties this year with a .329 BABIP and faces a righty that's bad against both sides of the plate. Ian Kennedy has given up at least five runs in four of his last five starts and his early xFIP (4.22) is actually better than it was in 2017 when he had a 4.61 xFIP against righties.
FIRST BASE
Justin Smoak, TOR vs. NYY ($4,200): Smoak is mainly a power bat against righties (7 HR) and that's what I'm banking on against Sonny Gray, who couldn't make it four innings when he saw the Blue Jays in April. Smoak is near last year's .266 ISO and .359 wOBA against righties, while Gray has a 5.50 ERA and has given up five runs in two of his last four starts.
SECOND BASE
Zack Cozart, LAA vs. KC ($3,300): With there being a decent possibility Kennedy gets shelled again, it makes sense to roll with the Angels if you need cheaper bats. Cozart hasn't hit well this season, but he's been better against righties and had a .378 wOBA against them in 2017. Kennedy hasn't improved from a year ago when he held a .333 wOBA allowed against righty bats.
THIRD BASE
Max Muncy, LAD at PIT ($4,300): Most of Muncy's early power has come against righties (14 XBH, 8 HR), so it makes sense he'll be starting against Trevor Williams. Muncy has a high 26.9 K% against righty arms, but that may not be a factor against Williams, who has a minimal 9.5 K% against 126 lefties faced this year. Williams is also in a funk with 13 runs allowed in his last three starts.
SHORTSTOP
Jose Iglesias, DET at BOS ($3,300): Iglesias is always worth a cheap look against lefties because he's a good bet to make contact and has a career .328 wOBA against them. Eduardo Rodriguez's strikeout potential won't matter as much, which means his 4.11 xFIP against righties (4.27 last season) should benefit Iglesias.
OUTFIELD
Brett Gardner, NYY at TOR ($4,200): More Yankees can be used against Sam Gaviglio, who has given up two homers in each of his last two starts. Gardner has one of the hotter bats around, hitting safely in thirteen of his last 14 games after roping a .191 ISO and .359 wOBA against righties last year. Gaviglio will have some issues against this lineup, especially with a career 5.14 xFIP against lefty bats.
Marcell Ozuna, STL vs. MIA ($3,800): Ozuna doesn't cost much despite his .364 BABIP against southpaws, which comes a year after a .342 wOBA. He should have more success against Wei-Yin Chen, who failed to make it two innings against the Padres last time out and has a career 4.35 xFIP against righties.
Khris Davis, OAK at TEX ($4,900): If there's one guy to hit a home run from this lineup, it's Davis. He has 11 against righties this season after 36 last year with a .293 ISO. Bartolo Colon has a miserable 2.72 HR/9 against righty bats and was equally bad in 2017 when he had a 4.61 xFIP… I didn't write about any of the Rockies, but Gerardo Parra ($3,300) is a cheap outfielder to use against a struggling Sal Romano.
