This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
There are three early games Wednesday and then the main slate of games consists of 12 games, giving us a huge player pool. Let's check out the options for Wednesday.
Pitching
Austin Gomber, COL at MIA, ($9,500): Gomber has a 4.16 ERA and while that isn't spectacular, he has only a 1.14 WHIP and is striking out more than a batter per inning. Those stats suggest the 4.16 ERA has been a bit unlucky and that number should improve. He's also settled in to his starting role as evidenced by not giving up more than three runs in any of his last five starts. He's averaged 38.6 over that span of games and gets a Miami team who has a .293 wOBA against southpaws, the ninth-lowest mark in baseball.
Patrick Corbin, WAS at TB, ($6,300): It's hard to ignore Corbin given his low salary cap hit, and he allows you to load up on bats for the rest of the lineup. While he's struggled this season that will mean he won't be a popular pick, and the Rays are a great team to use a lefty against. Tampa Bay has a 30 percent strikeout rate to that handedness (second highest) and its .293 wOBA is sixth lowest.
Top Targets
Pete Alonso, NYM at BAL, ($3,800): Happy Matt Harvey Day! In case you haven't read my work this season, I think he's a great pitcher to target against. This could end up being his last start given his numbers in recent weeks. While Baltimore has decided to limit his workload, he hasn't pitched more than 4.2 innings in any of his last five starts. Over those last five starts (16.2 innings) he's allowed five home runs leading to 8.65 ERA. Alonso has a career .375 wOBA against right-handed pitching and should be in his usual cleanup spot.
Shohei Ohtani, LAA vs. KC, ($4,200): Ohtani has been outstanding this season at the plate boasting a .380 wOBA against right-handed pitching and that number goes up to .411 when at home. Brad Keller has struggled this season with a 5.50 ERA (1.71 WHIP), so he's a perfect matchup for Ohtani. Keller's issue this season has been his walk rate as it sits at 4.0BB/9IP.
Value Bats
Michael Brantley, HOU at BOS ($2,500): This seems way too low to use Brantley given he'll be hitting in the middle of the lineup. While his power numbers are down, he's been very consistent with positive fantasy points in 15 straight games. This game is tied for the highest over/under of the night at 9.5 and while the Astros are slight underdogs (+123) they should put up about four or five runs.
Gleyber Torres, NYY at MIN ($3,100): Here's a guy who should be hitting cleanup for New York. He's raking recently for the fantasy world with 21.7 and 25.7 in his last two games. Do you really think Randy Dobnak and his cast of pitchers aren't going to give up runs? Play Torres even though his salary cap hit is a bit higher than we'd like in this space.
Stacks To Consider
Red Sox vs. Jake Odorizzi: J.D. Martinez ($3,900), Rafael Devers ($3,700), Xander Bogaerts ($3,600), Hunter Renfroe ($2,900)
Alex Verdugo ($3,300) could easily be exchanged here for any of these players, but the winning stack is usually not all of the top salaried players from a team. This is a good stack to use with the aforementioned Corbin, and Odorizzi has struggled mightily this season albeit in a small sample. The Red Sox have one of the highest implied run totals Wednesday, and this should turn into a bullpen game for the Astros which means second-tier pitching.
Dodgers vs. Tyler Anderson: Justin Turner ($3,100), Mookie Betts ($3,600), Chris Taylor ($3,000), AJ Pollock ($2,200)
Pollock could have easily landed in the "Value Bats" given his ability to hit left-handed pitching throughout his career (.358 wOBA). Taylor is a good selection as he has a career .341 wOBA against lefties, qualifies at second base and is actually averaging more fantasy points per game than Cody Bellinger this season (12 vs. 11.27). Santana is the riskiest of the group but is a good play to save some salary cap space.
