This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
I was not originally planning on going with an all-day slate for Wednesday. Then, the Cardinals-Royals game was moved to 1:10 p.m. EDT. Also, FanDuel decided not to include the 6:45 p.m. start between the Phillies and Rangers. Yes, this means you will need to have your lineup in by 12:40 p.m. to play a full-day slate. However, there are plenty of recommendations here for those of you who are going to wait for the main slate of contests, which starts at 7:05 p.m..
Pitching
Dylan Bundy, MIN at BAL ($8,900): I don't buy into Bundy's 2.95 ERA long term. His last start against Tampa was brutal. However, I trust this matchup enough to roll with Bundy against his former team. The Orioles were bottom five in runs scored last year, are bottom five this year, and are at the bottom of the AL East. In other words, it's business as usual in Baltimore.
Freddy Peralta, MIL vs. CIN ($8,800): Peralta's first two starts were bad, but over his last two starts he's only allowed one run across 11 innings. His 2.75 FIP on the year is encouraging to be sure. Nothing about the Reds has been encouraging this year. They look brutal, they are down near the bottom of the league in runs scored, and it's going to be a good bet in almost every game that they lose.
Adam Wainwright, STL at KC ($8,500): Wainwright has already made five starts, and across those outings he's got a 3.45 FIP. That's impressive for a 40-year-old pitcher, but we aren't grading on a curve here. The Royals rank last in total runs scored – the rankings change when you get into a per-game sorting situation – and the Cardinals should have no trouble against their in-state counterparts.
Top Targets
As long as Byron Buxton ($4,000) is healthy, I'm going to make the most of it. When he's on the field, he's one of the best power hitters in baseball. Over the last four seasons he's slugged .587. Kyle Bradish just made his MLB debut, and I am skeptical of any pitcher who couldn't start the season in the Orioles' rotation. He allowed five hits, two runs, and a homer in six innings in his first start.
The Nationals are at Coors Field, and that bodes well for Josh Bell ($3,800) and crew. In his first year with Washington he slashed .261/.347/.476 with 27 home runs, and this season he has a .366/.464/.549 slash line. Austin Gomber joined the Rockies last year, and proceeded to post a 4.60 FIP while allowing 1.56 home runs per nine innings.
Bargain Bats
Nick Castellanos is likely hitting paternity leave, and so I have turned to the next-best righty bat the Phillies have, J.T. Realmuto ($3,100). The power is down as he's slugged .395, but he did just hit his second home run of the year, and he's hitting .272 with a .344 OBP. Since Martin Perez is a lefty, I wanted a righty, and that's why I went Realmuto when Castellanos became a likely scratch. I know Perez has a 3.00 ERA, but his career ERA is 4.68. He hasn't allowed a home run yet this year, and that will not continue.
It's been a brutal start to the campaign for Kolten Wong ($2,600), but he'll turn it around as his BABIP will improve, regression will come, and he'll get more matchups against bad right-handed pitchers. He's a career .261 hitter who had 14 homers and 12 stolen bases last season, not a guy who flirts with the Mendoza Line. This is the kind of matchup Wong needs, as righty Vladimir Gutierrez has a career 5.08 ERA.
Stacks to Consider
White Sox at Cubs (Kyle Hendricks): Tim Anderson ($3,600), Luis Robert ($3,200), Jose Abreu ($3,100)
The concern began for Hendricks last season when he posted a 4.77 ERA. Maybe his guile could no longer make up for his slow fastball. This year he has a 5.47 ERA and just allowed three home runs in his last start. There has been nothing encouraging about Hendricks on the mound, which does encourage me when it comes the White Sox.
You don't need to walk when you can hit like Anderson. He's got a .322 batting average over the last four seasons and seems en route to his fifth season with double-digit home runs and stolen bases. Robert could join Anderson on that front. While he's struggled to get on base, he's still hit three home runs and stolen five bases. I'm not worried about Abreu's bat, especially the lack of power. He's slugged .512 in his career and hit 30 home runs last season.
Cardinals at Royals (Kris Bubic): Paul Goldschmidt ($3,700), Harrison Bader ($3,100), Tyler O'Neill ($2,900)
Bubic came into this season with a career 4.40 ERA and a propensity for giving up home runs. Well, this year he has a 10.50 ERA and has allowed 2.25 home runs per nine innings. While he's a lefty, that's not a concern. The Cardinals have a lineup heavy on righties and switch hitters.
Goldschmidt is one of the steadiest bats in baseball, especially when a lefty is on the mound. He's posted a 1.063 OPS versus left-handed pitchers since 2020. Weirdly, O'Neill's slow start comes down almost entirely to struggling against righties this year. Last year he broke out with 34 homers and 15 stolen bases, and with a lefty on the mound I am much less concerned. Bader is bringing the stolen bases this year as well, as he's already swiped six bags. He's never had more than 15 in a season, but maybe he's decided to run more in 2022?
Rockies vs. Nationals (Patrick Corbin): C.J. Cron ($4,000), Connor Joe ($3,900), Randal Grichuk ($3,800)
Corbin at Coors? Be still my heart. The southpaw has a 5.74 ERA over the last three seasons. In that time he's allowed righties to hit .304 against him. Now he's at Coors Field? I happily would grab these three right-handed bats for a stack.
Cron has loved his time in Denver. He had a 1.073 OPS at home in 2021 and is well over 1.000 again in 2022. Also, he has a .990 OPS against southpaws since 2020. I see this less as Joe's breakout campaign and more like a continuation of last year's breakout. Over the last two seasons he's slashed .284/.377/.481 in 85 games. Grichuk is also enjoying his time with the Rockies, though so far this season his OPS is better on the road. That will likely change, and he's slashed .333/.382/.507 to boot.
