This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Wednesday's five-game evening slate may force DFS players to get creative, as there is a severe lack of quality low-cost pitching options. As always, this will make it easier for us to build stacks that we can round out with cheap bats.
Pitching Overview
Eduardo Rodriguez ($10,000) gets more than his share of strikeouts and grounders but his nine percent walk and 1.3 HR/9 rate makes it a bit difficult to roster him as a five-figure asset in most circumstances. He will face a Royals offense that ranks in the bottom-five in both wOBA and ISO against southpaws.
Zac Gallen ($9,200) has been phenomenal as a rookie, logging a 2.72 ERA in 36.1 innings before being traded to the D-Backs. While his 4.46 xFIP may make some uncomfortable, he will make his NL West debut against a Phillies offense that has logged a bottom-10 wOBA against righty pitchers this season.
James Paxton ($9,000) should always be seen as a GPP option thanks to the 30 percent strikeout rate he holds in 95.2 innings. The Orioles have struck out a whopping 27 percent of the time against left-handed pitching this season, Making Paxton worth more than just a look on a short slate.
Joey Lucchesi ($8,600) seems to have ironed out the walk issues he encountered in 2018 but has experienced more than a four percent decrease in his strikeout rate. This makes him vulnerable against the Mariners, who have logged a .329 wOBA and a .195 ISO against southpaws.
Jason Vargas ($8,000) had a solid start in his debut for the Phillies but he has logged an ERA over 5.00 on the road in 2019, which should make us wary as the left-hander heads into new surroundings. He will take on the D-Backs on Wednesday, who have logged a .217 ISO and .351 wOBA against left-handed hurlers.
Key Values
John Means had a fantastic start to the season before hitting a rough patch in the month of July when he allowed a .516 slugging percentage in 22.1 frames. Aaron Judge ($4,800) has absolutely dominated left-handed pitching this year, as evidenced by the .263 ISO and .456 wOBA he has logged in 57 at-bats.
Ditto for Eduardo Escobar ($4,600), who has logged a .288 ISO and .410 wOBA against southpaws in 139 at-bats. Vargas holds a 5.17 xFIP against righty hitters, which makes one wonder if he can survive against one of the most powerful teams in the National League.
Yusei Kikuchi seems to have completely fallen apart in his rookie season, allowing 28 homers in 118 innings. Manny Machado ($4,300) is our third consecutive righty who feasts on his opposite hand, having kept an absurd .513 wOBA and .420 ISO in 81 at-bats.
Mitch Moreland ($4,100) has shown tremendous power against right-handed pitching throughout 2019, notching a .311 ISO in 151 at-bats. Meanwhile, Glenn Sparkman has struggled mightily against opposite-handed hitters, surrendering a .580 slugging percentage to lefties in 47.1 innings.
Yasmani Grandal ($3,900) has shown good, consistent power against both righties and lefties this year. This should bode well for his matchup against Trevor Williams, who has allowed a .536 slugging percentage against lefty bats in 36.1 frames.
Stacks
Red Sox against Glenn Sparkman (Royals)
Mitch Moreland (1B - $4,100) Jackie Bradley Jr. (OF - $3,800) Andrew Benintendi (OF - $5,300)
Unfortunately, the Red Sox don't feature many lefty bats that we can use to attack Sparkman, but Bradley can help offset some of the costs due to the solid .198 ISO he has logged against righties.
Padres against Yusei Kikuchi (Mariners)
Manny Machado (3B/SS - $4,300) Hunter Renfroe (OF - $4,300) Manuel Margot (OF- $3,600)
By contrast, the Padres offer a variety of righty hitters to attack the vulnerable rookie. Among them is Margot, who can give us quality salary relief thanks to the .434 wOBA he has logged against his opposite hand in 62 at-bats.
