This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Wednesday's main slate has eight games on it, but good pitching at a fair salary is somewhat at a premium. For example, Kyle Hendricks ($10.6K) and Tyler Glasnow ($10.3K) both have plenty of upside, but they may each have a difficult time providing a worthwhile return on investment. There are also some solid arms across the price scale in particularly tough matchups (Max Fried, Sixto Sanchez, Sean Manaea), narrowing our choices down further. The questionable quality of some of the pitching does naturally make identifying one-off bats and stacks easier, even without a Coors Field game on the ledger.
Pitchers
Kenta Maeda, MIN vs. DET ($10,000): Maeda has taken extremely well to the American League in his first season on the Junior Circuit. The right-hander has a 2.52 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 17.4 percent swinging strike rate and 31.6 percent strikeout rate – all career-best figures. He's already faced the Tigers on two occasions and churned out quality starts, leading to a pair of 37 FD-point tallies. The Tigers are very good targets once again, as they own a 27.4 percent strikeout rate, -14.4 wRAA and .300 wOBA against righties over the last month.
Dean Kremer, BAL at BOS ($8,000): Kremer has been outstanding as a rookie, as he carries a 1.69 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over his first three starts, numbers he's complemented with a 30.8 percent strikeout rate. What makes his body of work all the more impressive is that he's faced the Yankees twice and the Rays once over his first three trips to the mound, giving up only one earned run apiece in those starts. The Red Sox have been much better of late against right-handed pitching than they were earlier in the season, but the combination of Kremer's upside and salary makes him a strong cost-savings option.
Julio Urias, LAD vs. OAK ($7,800): Urias' control is always an issue to a degree, but he's still carrying a 3-0 record, 3.49 ERA and solid 1.20 WHIP into this start against the Athletics. The left-hander has given up four earned runs or less in each of his 10 starts, including two or fewer in eight of them. With the A's sporting a .200 average, .320 slugging percentage, -4.6 wRAA and .293 wOBA against southpaws over the last month, Urias could be capable of reaching the higher higher range of his likely outcomes, which this season has equated to over 30 FD points on three occasions.
Top Targets
Mookie Betts, LAD vs. OAK ($4,600): Betts extended his hitting streak to nine games in Tuesday's win over the Athletics, and he came into the contest slashing .314/.351/.571 over his previous eight games. As usual, he has contributed across the box score this season, leading to an average of 15.1 FD points per game. Betts has also pummeled Athletics starter Sean Manaea for a .429 average, including a double, a triple and two homers over 15 career plate appearances, a span during which he's never struck out. Manaea has also had trouble versus right-handed bats in general, allowing a .292 average and four of the five homers he's surrendered on the season to that handedness.
Salvador Perez, KC vs. STL ($3,500): Perez is enjoying a career year, slashing .357/.374/.635 with 19 XBH and 24 RBI over 31 games. All three components of the slugging backstop's line are career-best figures, and Wednesday, he'll get a crack at Carlos Martinez, who's yielded a .353 average and .409 wOBA in 39 PAs against right-handed hitters. In turn, Perez has a .365/.380/.604 line with five homers and 16 RBI in 100 plate appearances against righties.
Brandon Belt, SF vs. COL ($3,000): Belt has a statistically appealing matchup versus Rockies starter Ryan Castellani, who's allowed nine extra-base hits -- including six homers -- within the 13 hits overall he's yielded to left-handed hitters, leading to a .372 wOBA. Meanwhile, Belt checks in with a .327/.429/.617 line and .440 wOBA against right-handed pitching, and a massive 36.4 percent line-drive rate versus that handedness at home.
Bargain Bats
Renato Nunez, BAL at BOS ($3,000): Nunez has eviscerated Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi for a .583 average, including two homers, over 13 career plate appearances. The Boston right-hander has also given up a .321/.353/.580 line and.394 wOBA in same-handed matchups, as well as a 50.0 percent hard-contact rate to righty bats in Fenway Park. Meanwhile, 10 of Nunez's 11 homers have come off righties, and he boasts a .360 wOBA against righties on the road.
Josh Fuentes, COL at SFG ($2,600): Fuentes is putting together an excellent second tour of duty in the big leagues, posting a .352/.360/.507 slash line over 75 plate appearances. He's poised for a potentially fruitful night against Giants starter Logan Webb, considering the promising first baseman has a .357 average in 43 plate appearances versus righties, while Webb has yielded a .376 wOBA and 33.3 percent line-drive rate to right-handed hitters at home.
Stacks to Consider
Twins vs. Casey Mize: Max Kepler ($2,900); Josh Donaldson ($3,000); Nelson Cruz ($3,900); Eddie Rosario ($3,100)
Mize checks in with a 6.08 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 1.9 HR/9, and he's allowed five earned runs over seven innings to the Twins across two prior starts. Kepler gets the stack started, having hit all eight of his homers this season off right-handed pitching, while Mize checks in with a .408 wOBA against lefty bats. Donaldson has underperformed overall this season, but he comes into Wednesday's contest with two homers in the previous five games, along with a .927 OPS and five of his six homers against righties. Cruz should be back in the lineup Wednesday after resting his sore knee the last three games, and he arrives with a 1.026 OPS for the season, as well as a .374 wOBA and .265 ISO against right-handed pitching. Rosario is also well equipped to capitalize on Mize's aforementioned weakness against left-handed power bats, considering the slugger has a .372 wOBA and .270 ISO versus righties at Target Field.
Giants vs. Castellani: Alex Dickerson ($2,800), Belt, Donovan Solano ($3,000), Brandon Crawford ($2,800)
Castellani's struggles this season were already partly highlighted in Belt's entry, and in addition to the previously cited numbers, it's worth noting the Rockies righty has a 5.59 ERA, 2.6 HR/9 and 7.65 FIP across 38.2 innings. Dickerson is another lefty bat that can potentially exploit Castellani's penchant for giving up hard contact. He's boasting a .387 wOBA and .273 ISO against right-handed pitchers, and a 21.1 HR/FB and 41.7 percent hard-contact rate against them at home. Belt was elaborated on earlier, while Solano is raking to the tune of a .341/.383/.494 slash line with 19 XBH and 29 RBI over 47 games. He's been excellent against pitchers of either handedness and sports a .336 average and .377 OBP in 122 plate appearances versus righties. Finally, Crawford gives you another left-handed bat with which to attack Castellani's weakness. The veteran shortstop has hammered righties for a .291 average, .521 slugging percentage and all six of his homers on the campaign.
