This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
We have nine games on tap for Wednesday's main slate, one that features what I consider to be a top-heavy pitching selection that gets very shaky past a certain price point. As such, even though I've identified four arms suitable for cash games or tournaments, none are cheaper than $8K. With some questionable arms on the hill, the good news is there are plenty of one-off bats and stacks that you can target them with.
Pitchers
Jacob deGrom, NYM at PHI ($11,700): The dominant right-hander has been in top form all season, and due to the scheduling quirks of 2020, he's had to go through several dangerous lineups, some on multiple occasions, to generate his stellar numbers. DeGrom has recorded quality starts against the Blue Jays, these same Phillies, an improved Marlins squad and Atlanta. The veteran is also averaging a career-high 98.5 mph on his fastball, along with career-best numbers in swinging strike rate (21.5 percent) and strikeout rate (37.8 percent). With deGrom having mowed down 12 Phillies just two starts ago and Philadelphia posting a middling .225 average and .298 wOBA against righties the last two weeks of play, he's worth the hefty investment.
Dylan Bundy, LAA vs. ARI ($9,800): Bundy has made exponential improvement across the board, with one of the most important his significant reduction in home runs allowed. The right-hander has a minuscule 0.6 HR/9 this season across 58 innings (nine starts) and he's sporting a career-best 13.8 percent swinging strike rate and 29.3 percent strikeout rate. The D-Backs did break out for nine runs Tuesday against the shaky Julio Teheran, but they came into the contest with a .206 average and .287 wOBA versus right-handed pitching over the previous two weeks of play (234 plate appearances).
Aaron Civale, CLE at CHC ($8,600): Civale has allowed three earned runs or fewer in six of nine starts and has logged at least six innings in all of his outings. That includes one complete game and four starts with seven or more strikeouts. The right-hander is averaging 34.3 FD points per game and draws a favorable matchup against a Cubs squad that has a 23.4 percent strikeout rate, -9.4 wRAA and .295 wOBA over the last two weeks against right-handed pitching, and the third-highest strikeout rate (26.3 percent) versus that handedness on the season.
Brady Singer, KAN at DET ($8,000): Singer hasn't looked over his head at the big-league level despite having all of one season of minor-league experience and not having pitched above Double-A ball prior to 2020. Singer has been at his best on the road, where he carries a 3.74 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 33.2 innings. The right-hander has allowed three earned runs or less in six of nine starts and is coming off a season-high 58 FD points against Cleveland, providing a glimpse of the upside he offers at his salary. The Tigers make for potential facilitators of another stellar performance, considering their MLB-high 27.5 percent strikeout rate against right-handed pitching this season, along with a -32.5 wRAA and .292 wOBA.
Top Targets
Anthony Rendon, LAA vs. ARI ($3,900): Rendon is facing a solid southpaw in D-Backs starter Caleb Smith, but the slugger has mastered him in a small sample to the tune of a .500 average with a double and home run over eight career plate appearances. Rendon has historically tormented lefties and owns a .440 wOBA and 1.088 OPS versus that handedness at home, while Smith has yielded a .341 wOBA and 45 extra-base hits (out of 82 total hits) to right-handed hitters on the road during his career.
Marcell Ozuna, ATL at BAL ($3,900): Ozuna has been equally lethal against southpaws during his career, and he'll get a crack at an inexperienced one in Orioles starter Keegan Akin on Wednesday. Ozuna is slashing an eye-popping .371/.488/.943 against left-handers in 43 plate appearances this season, numbers partly comprised of 17 XBH (including eight homers) and complemented by a .559 wOBA. Akin has been solid thus far, but he's yielded a .396 OBP, .462 slugging percentage and .375 wOBA to the 48 right-handed bats he's faced.
Alex Bregman, HOU vs. TEX ($3,400): Bregman faces a friendly face in Rangers starter Kyle Gibson, who carries a 6.14 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and 2.0 HR/9 across 48.1 innings, and who's allowed Bregman a .571 average with a double and a homer over nine career plate appearances. Gibson is surrendering a .317/.393/.529 slash line to the 117 right-handed hitters he's faced this season, along with a .395 wOBA, 29.5 percent line-drive rate and 50.0 percent hard-contact rate.
Bargain Bats
Wilmer Flores, SFG at SEA ($3,000): Flores is another veteran who's typically gotten the better of opposite-handed matchups during his career, and he draws a particularly tantalizing one in the form of left-hander Nick Margevicius, who's allowed a .339 wOBA against right-handed hitters at home thanks to five of the seven hits he's allowed to that handedness going for extra bases. Flores has generated a .298/.346/.681 slash line, .383 ISO and .411 wOBA in 52 plate appearances against lefties, a sample during which he's also mustered an impressive 42.1 percent hard-contact rate.
Franmil Reyes, CLE at CHC ($2,900): Reyes owns a .714 average over eight career plate appearances versus Cubs starter Jon Lester, and a .337/.390/.663 slash and .433 wOBA in 100 plate appearances on the road. Meanwhile, Lester has been mostly atrocious at Wrigley Field all season, as he's surrendered a 9.00 ERA (including nine home runs), a .333/.364/.738 line and .452 wOBA across 19 home innings. Reyes does come into this game in the midst of an extended slump, but his salary and matchup both make him a solid large-field tournament option.
Stacks to Consider
Astros vs. Gibson: George Springer ($3,600); Bregman; Michael Brantley ($3,200); Yuli Gurriel ($2,800)
Gibson's vulnerabilities were already detailed earlier in Bregman's entry, and he makes for a good target for several of the slugging third baseman's teammates as well. Springer is struggling at home this season, but he knocked 31 homers against right-handed pitching last season and is hitting .333 with four homers and seven RBI over his last 12 games. Brantley has a .346 average over 31 career plate appearances against Gibson, has never struck out against the right-hander, and owns a .349/.423/.570 line against righties over 97 plate appearances this season. Finally, Gurriel has an .842 OPS at Minute Maid Park, and although he's been better against lefties this year, he slashed .320/.352/.564 last season against right-handed pitching and already owns one career homer versus Gibson.
Cleveland vs. Lester: Francisco Lindor ($3,300); Jose Ramirez ($3,700); Carlos Santana ($2,800); Reyes
Lester's considerable troubles at home were outlined earlier in Reyes' entry, and Cleveland has several hitters beyond him that can take advantage. Lindor is a great way to start the stack, considering he owns a .368/.429/.526 line with only four strikeouts in 21 plate appearances against Lester and is slashing .333/.385/.417 in 52 plate appearances versus southpaws. Ramirez also has a successful track record versus Lester (.375 average, one double, one homer in 16 career plate appearances) and a 1.272 OPS, including six homers, over 51 plate appearances against southpaws. Santana, while struggling overall this year, has enjoyed most of the success he has had against southpaws (.267/.340/.467 over 50 PAs) and comes in with a solid .296 average (8-for-27) with two doubles, one homer, six RBI, six walks and four runs over his last eight games.
