This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Following Washington and Philly's rainout, we're reduced to a smaller nine-game slate Wednesday evening, with weather looking stable across the rest of the contest. There's no shortage of top-tier arms however, as there are four pitchers priced in five figures. Salaries plunge very rapidly from those top choices, so this slate does suggest paying up for pitching is required. A whopping nine arms are sitting at $6,200 or less.
Pitching
Carlos Rodon, CWS vs. PIT ($10,200): I'm content to fade Max Scherzer at $11,500 as the slate's highest priced arm, and Chris Sale at $10,500 too despite the Rays' propensity to swing and miss, as they hit lefties well and Sale has innings limitations. Gerrit Cole ($11,200) is absolutely my cash game target, but we could get similar upside from Rodon while saving $1,000. He could pitch to more contact and yes, his innings could be limited as well given his health concerns, but the Pirates rank 29th with a .289 wOBA against lefties. He'll likely get ample run support, and is in a great spot for a win.
James Kaprielian, OAK vs. DET ($8,800): While Kaprielian's 9.13 K/9 isn't elite, he's flashed high strikeout potential on occasion, and that gives him a 5x value ceiling in a plus spot. Detroit fans 26.0 percent of the time against righties, and he too should see ample run support opposing Wily Peralta.
Drew Rasmussen, TB vs. BOS ($6,000): If you absolutely insist on paying down, perhaps Rasmussen merits consideration. He's stretched out and could get to five innings tonight, and while the Red Sox got Hunter Renfroe back Tuesday, they will be without Xander Bogaerts and, presumably, Enrique Hernandez as well. Rasmussen has only allowed two runs in his last three appearances, and posted 21 FDP last time out against Boston. That would be a 3.5x value return.
Top Targets
Vladimir Guerrero, TOR vs. BAL ($4,400): My Jays stack let me down Tuesday, because I didn't use Guerrero! He's homered three times in the last two, has a nine-game hitting streak and has hit safely in 16 of his last 18. It's a small sample, but O's starter Matt Harvey can't get Guerrero out, with the slugger going 5-of-7 against him with an absurd 1.893 OPS.
Mookie Betts, LAD vs. ATL ($4,000): Maybe I'm hoping to be wrong and my boys from Atlanta can salvage one of three in Dodger Stadium. Going back to last year's NLCS, Betts has been an Atlanta killer, having now homered in both games in this series. Mix in a .395 wOBA and .285 ISO this year against southpaws like Max Fried, and Betts offers stability and upside.
Value Bats
Salvador Perez, KC vs. CLE ($3,400): I'm a little surprised the listed total in this contest is only 9.0 given who's set to take the mound, so maybe we'll see lower usage from these two offenses. Perez failed to homer last night for the first time in five games. He rakes lefties to the tune of a .441 wOBA, 182 wRC+ and .381 ISO, and Cleveland is sending out Logan Allen. What's not to like?
Amed Rosario, CLE at KC ($3,200): Hopefully this isn't a reactionary play after last night's explosion. We know we want some members of the Cleveland offense against Jackson Kowar, who's allowed 10 runs in his first five MLB innings, but we also can't pay up for pitching and Guerrero and Jose Ramirez at $4,500 here. Rosario had a terrific August with a .413 wOBA and 163 wRC+, making him a viable option instead of power-needy guys like Franmil Reyes or Bobby Bradley.
Josh Donaldson, MIN vs. CHC ($3,200): I went to the Donaldson well last night unsuccessfully, but I'll go right back to it tonight. He's got an okay .366 wOBA and .250 ISO against lefties in 2021 and has 11 hits and four homers in his last eight games. He seems to be a better bargain than Byron Buxton and a more stable option than Miguel Sano in a plus matchup against Justin Steele, who's allowed nine runs in his last three starts, spanning 12.2 frames.
Stack to Consider
Giants vs. Brett Anderson: Kris Bryant ($3,900), Buster Posey ($3,200), Brandon Belt ($3,200)
Anderson is getting hit around lately, allowing 12 runs in his last three starts. He doesn't give up many homers however despite his lack of velocity, something the Giants excel at, so it makes for a bit of a different stack. With Posey and Belt, we'll trust their season-long success against lefties. Posey boasts a .431 wOBA, 174 wRC+ and .235 ISO, while Belt goes .426/171/.302. Bryant lands here almost by default. He truthfully hasn't been great against southpaws since joining the Giants, but he's at least familiar with Anderson. If his salary prevents you from splurging elsewhere, a two-man mini-stack looks really nice, or Darin Ruf ($2,600) could add value given his .416/165/.315 performance against LHP.
