This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A baseball season is a classic "marathon, not a sprint" scenario. When football season kicks off, and you realize baseball is still going on and has been at it since April, you realize just how true that is. And yet, you DFS MLB diehards out there are going strong. There are nine MLB games starting at 7:05 p.m. EDT or later Wednesday. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Robbie Ray, SEA at OAK ($10,000): Ray has been much better at home than on the road this year, but this is not your typical road situation. One, Oakland has a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Two, Oakland has a terrible offense. The A's are 29th in runs scored, and are neck-and-neck with the Tigers for last in team OPS.
Luis Severino, NYY vs. PIT ($9,100): My only concern here is that the Yankees might be easing Severino back into action after a stint on the 60-day IL. If he goes five innings though, I'm expecting a win and some solid numbers. Severino has struck out double-digit batters per nine innings in his career, and the Pirates are 28th in runs scored and team OPS.
Jordan Lyles, BAL vs. DET ($7,300): I debated Lyles versus Matt Manning, but looking a little deeper everything went in Lyles' favor. Manning has been better at home, as has Lyles. The O's righty has a 3.77 ERA at home, which is admittedly not great, but the Tigers are last in runs scored. Circumstances and matchup has me going for Lyles as a salary-saving move.
Top Targets
Hey, Adolis Garcia ($3,700) keeps baseball fun. He's basically allergic to walking but has hit .250 with 26 homers, 24 stolen bases, 29 doubles, and five triples, and he's been better at home than on the road. Lefty Tucker Davidson has a career 5.78 FIP, and righties have hit .291 against him this year.
The reason Cedric Mullins ($2,800) has not replicated his magical 30-30 season of last year is that he has regressed majorly against lefties. However, he has an .800 OPS versus righties this year, and he's stolen 31 bases all in all. Manning is a righty, and he does not really strike guys out. Plus, in his career he has a 6.05 ERA on the road.
Bargain Bats
In his rookie campaign, Jose Miranda ($2,600) has hit .270 with 15 home runs. When a lefty is on the mound, he's posted an .823 OPS as well. In his career, southpaw Daniel Lynch has a 6.51 ERA at home. He also has a 7.06 ERA over his last six starts.
Over the last two weeks, J.P. Crawford ($2,100) has a .905 OPS. The shortstop isn't noted for his power, but since 2020 he's hit .263 against righties, and also has a .752 OPS on the road. James Kaprielian does not take advantage of his home ballpark, as he has a 5.87 ERA in Oakland in 2022.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks (Madison Bumgarner): Mookie Betts ($3,500), Justin Turner ($3,400), Chris Taylor ($2,400)
After Bumgarner's last start, his manager had to clarify that he was staying in the rotation. That kind of sums it up. The former Giants hero has lost his proverbial mojo in the desert, although away from home he also has a 5.44 ERA since 2020. Righties have hit the southpaw to the tune of a .279 batting average in that time, so I have stacked three righties here.
This year, Betts has an 1.040 OPS versus lefties and a .916 OPS at home. Oh, and he has 34 home runs and 12 stolen bases for good measure. Turner is scorching hot with an 1.220 OPS over the last three weeks. He also has a .917 OPS at Dodger Stadium this year. Taylor has had a tough year, but he has 10 homers and 10 stolen bases. Having said that, since 2020 he has a .799 OPS versus lefties and an .855 OPS in home games.
Giants at Rockies (German Marquez): Thairo Estrada ($3,100), Mike Yastrzemski ($3,100), Joc Pederson ($2,700)
Coors Field has been in full effect for Marquez this year. He's pitched 82.1 innings both at home and on the road. In away games, he has a 3.50 ERA. At home, he has a 6.78 ERA. In the past, Marquez has actually been good as preventing home runs, but this year he's allowed 1.53 homers per nine innings. He's also let lefties hit .271 against him since 2020, so I have two southpaws in this stack.
Estrada has racked up 14 home runs and 19 stolen bases in his first full MLB season. He has bolstered his numbers with an .864 OPS over the last three weeks. Yastrzemski has seen his power crater this year for some reason, but his career slugging percentage is .461. He has an .806 OPS versus righties over the last three seasons as well. Pederson is perfect for a matchup like this. The lefty has slugged .522 against right-handed pitchers this season with 20 homers in 339 plate appearances.
Guardians at White Sox (Lance Lynn): Jose Ramirez ($4,200), Steven Kwan ($2,900), Andres Gimenez ($2,800)
Granted, Lynn has come a long way from when he had a 7.50 ERA in July. That being said, a 3.99 ERA is not exactly great, though his recent run is impressive. He's 35 and has a career 3.52 ERA. In a way, we know what kind of pitcher Lynn is. As such, I'm down with this lefty-swinging stack against the veteran pitcher.
There is no scenario Ramirez can't handle, but this matchup is ideal for him. The switch hitter has a .926 OPS versus righties and a .953 OPS on the road in 2022. Kwan has leadoff hitter skills (i.e. a keen batting eye but no power), but for that role he fits perfectly. The lefty has a .295 batting average, a .373 OBP, and 15 stolen bases. Plus, with a righty on the mound he has a .792 OPS, and it's easier to steal second when a right-hander is pitching. Gimenez has enjoyed a breakout campaign with a .297/.368/.472 slash line, 16 homers and 18 stolen bases. He also has an .860 OPS on the road.
