This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
What to do with this Wednesday? On the MLB DFS front, there are nine games on the slate starting at 7:05 p.m. EDT or later. It's an interesting collection of games as well, and I particularly had some issues landing on my three pitchers for the evening. In the end, I did find those pitchers, as well as the rest of the players in my recommendations. Now, let's get to them.
Pitching
Luis Severino, NYY vs. CIN ($9,300): Severino has been able to shoulder his expected load on the mound for the first time since 2018. He's been solid, posting a 3.11 ERA. There is also the benefit of him having the league's best offense behind him. The Reds are just below average in runs scored, which is middling enough to get me to buy into Severino on Wednesday.
Jon Gray, TEX vs. OAK ($9,000): Gray's new home ballpark is treating him better than Coors Field did. He has a 3.80 ERA at home this season. Now, that's not great, but this matchup is great. The Athletics are battling the Tigers for last in runs scored, and they are already last in all three slash stats for hitters.
Josh Winckowski, BOS at TAM ($8,900): Through the first six starts of his MLB career, Winckowski has a 4.17 FIP. So far, he's been better on the road, as he has a 2.38 ERA over two road starts. The Rays are bottom 10 in runs scored, and Wander Franco and a few other hitters are out. That is a point in the Red Sox rookie's favor.
Top Targets
While Kyle Schwarber ($4,200) has seen his average dip this year, he still has plenty of power. He's slugged .517 with 28 home runs already. The southpaw has done most of his damage against righties, of course, posting a .910 OPS in those matchups. Kevin Gausman couldn't start Tuesday, and as such might start Wednesday, but I'm not expecting his ankle to be ready to go. If that's the case, Ross Stripling with likely step onto the mound. Whoever it is, they are going to be a righty.
As per usual, Jose Ramirez ($4,100) is putting up gaudy numbers. He has 17 home runs and 13 stolen bases, and he's also hit .289 for good measure, so he's far from an all-or-nothing hitter. It's been a tough campaign for Lucas Giolito, who has a 5.05 ERA and has allowed 1.76 home runs per nine innings.
Bargain Bats
Josh Smith ($2,600) has only just begun his MLB career, but so far he's been fine against righties (.715 OPS) and struggled terribly against lefties. He brings potential as long as there is a right-handed pitcher on the mound. Paul Blackburn has a 3.36 ERA this year, but a 4.79 ERA in his career. He's also allowed lefties to hit .289 against him since 2020.
When a righty is on the mound, Rafael Ortega ($2,500) often gets to lead off for the Cubs. Over the last two seasons he has a .366 OBP against righties, and this year he has four home runs and seven stolen bases overall as well. Spenser Watkins barely strikes anybody out (5.36 strikeouts per nine innings in his career), which is partially why he has a career 5.54 FIP.
Stacks to Consider
Yankees vs. Reds (Mike Minor): Giancarlo Stanton ($3,800), DJ LeMahieu ($3,400), Gleyber Torres ($3,000)
Minor has a 6.63 ERA, and somehow his FIP of 6.79 is even worse. This year, he's allowed 2.84 home runs per nine innings and allowed righties to hit .310 against him. Over the last three seasons Minor has a 5.40 ERA, so it's not like this season is a fluke. The Yankees leading MLB in runs scored isn't a fluke either.
A career .267 hitter, I expect Stanton's batting average to bounce back. Plus, he's still slugged .508 and hit 22 home runs, so he's been just fine at the plate anyway. Torres has 13 home runs and five stolen bases, and he really likes to see a righty on the mound. He has an .856 OPS against southpaws since 2020. LeMahieu has a .370 OBP, helping him as a leadoff hitter. While he doesn't have a ton of power, this year he has an .858 OPS against lefties and a .798 OPS at home.
White Sox at Guardians (Aaron Civale): Jose Abreu ($3,800), Andrew Vaughn ($3,200), Eloy Jimenez ($3,000)
Civale has had a rough season, as he has a 6.28 ERA through 11 starts. He had a 4.82 FIP last year, which may have somewhat hinted at his numbers dropping this season. I decided to go with three righties from the White Sox because Civale has had reverse splits throughout his career. Since 2020, righties have hit .285 against him.
Abreu has hit .299, and this year he's been absolutely stellar on the road. He has an 1.027 OPS in away games in 2022. Vaughn has slashed .291/.342/.442 in his sophomore season, and he too has been excellent on the road. His OPS in away outings is .909. Jimenez has only played in a handful of MLB games this season, but in his career he's hit .267 and slugged .496. If he can get healthy again, he may look like the guy who hit 31 homers as a rookie in 2019.
Padres at Rockies (Chad Kuhl): Manny Machado ($4,500), Jake Cronenworth ($3,700), Trent Grisham ($3,000)
In his first season as a Rockie, Kuhl has a 4.28 FIP. He's only allowed 1.03 home runs per nine innings, which is lower than the 1.49 he allowed over the previous three seasons. That was when he was a Pirate. Pitching at home as a Rockie is much tougher. Eventually, home runs should start leaving the park more against Kuhl.
Machado has slashed .305/.380/.529 with 15 home runs and seven stolen bases. He's able to do a lot of damage at pitcher-friendly Petco Park, so being in Coors should only benefit him. Speaking of Petco, Cronenworth has struggled in the confines of his home park, but he has an .831 OPS on the road. He also has an .803 OPS against righties in his career. Grisham has had a tough season, but he's a lefty with eight home runs and three stolen bases. He had 15 homers and 13 swiped bags in 2021, and at Coors against a righty his upside at this salary is worth it to me.
