This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Wednesday's action starts at 12:35 EST with six early games and the option to play an "early only" or "all day" slate at that time. The "main slate" kicks off at 7:05 EST and features only five games, with the two in Atlanta and Washington being the only ones where weather could play a factor.
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PITCHER
Chris Sale, BOS vs OAK ($11,400): Despite being only five games to choose from, there are three aces taking the hill in Justin Verlander, Sale and Max Scherzer. The Angels have the third highest wOBA against right-handed pitching and don't strike out that much, eliminating Verlander. Scherzer has been outstanding, but the Yankees have the second highest wOBA against right-handed pitching and are in the middle of the pack as far as strikeout rate. That leaves Sale's opponent, the A's, who are in the bottom half of the league (the bad half) in terms of wOBA and strikeout rate against left-handed pitching. He's also coming off performances of 64 and 67 fantasy points, showing he's found a nice groove on the mound.
GPP Fade: Max Scherzer, WAS vs NYY ($11,600): Like Sale, Scherzer is coming off back-to-back 60-plus fantasy point performances and has been very consistent this season. Weather could play a factor here, and if it's looking murky come first pitch it would be wise not to risk taking a zero for the starting pitcher spot. The Yankees have the second-best wOBA (.341) against right-handed pitching and their strikeout percentage (23.4 percent) is close to league average. They also have the highest walk rate against righties in the league (11.5 percent), suggesting they can run up a pitch count quickly and not allow Scherzer to work deep into the game.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Caleb Smith, MIA vs LAD ($7,600): This might seem a bit off with the Dodgers getting Justin Turner back in addition to lefty-killers Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernandez already being in the lineup. However, looking at his last four starts Smith has 31 strikeouts in 24 innings, leading to an average of 43.3 fantasy points per game. As a team, the Dodgers have the third worst ISO (.128) and wOBA (.289) against left-handed pitching.
CATCHER/FIRST BASE
Mitch Moreland, BOS vs OAK ($3,500): Moreland has secured his spot in the middle of the lineup against right-handed pitching, starting off the season with a .434 wOBA against them. Trevor Cahill is coming off the DL and hasn't pitched in 10 days, so he may not be 100 percent. Playing in the potent Red Sox lineup has Moreland on pace for over 100 RBI, another fantasy bonus when rostering him for DFS.
SECOND BASE
Brock Holt, BOS vs OAK ($2,500): Before getting hurt back at the end of April, Holt was swinging a hot bat and he's actually scored fantasy points in every start he's made this season. He'll get the lefty-vs-righty advantage against Cahill and has shown the ability to rack up fantasy points (10.7 per start) without relying on hitting the long ball (only one home run this season).
THIRD BASE
Justin Turner, LAD at MIA ($3,000): This will likely be one of the cheapest prices to get Turner at for the rest of the season. He went 1-for-4 last night against another lefty, but his .484 wOBA against southpaws last season shows the type of upside he has. Hopefully last night's dud will have owners looking elsewhere, and he's a solid pick if buying into Smith isn't part of the plan.
SHORTSTOP
Xander Bogaerts, BOS vs OAK ($3,700): As usual, both middle infield positions are ugly tonight, so spending up in both spots makes sense. Bogaerts was on fire before hitting the DL and still carries a .308 batting average. So far this season, he has shown reverse splits, hitting right-handed pitching better with a .378 wOBA (.247 ISO). It's also worth nothing that Xander has always hit better at home as well with a .354 wOBA at Fenway, as opposed to a .302 road wOBA.
OUTFIELD
Kyle Schwarber, CHC at ATL ($4,100): Schwarber is expensive tonight, and it's likely due to his matchup. After six successful starts Brandon McCarthy has come crashing back to earth over his last two games, giving up 23 hits and 14 earned runs in only 8.1 innings. He's fallen victim to the long ball during those two starts, surrendering three home runs as well. Schwarber has crushed right-handed pitching this season with seven home run and his nine percent drop in strikeout rate has helped him put up a .399 wOBA.
Derek Dietrich, MIA vs LAD ($2,100): On the other end of the pricing spectrum is Dietrich, who is a good punt play tonight despite the matchup with Walker Buehler. Dietrich has a respectable career .332 wOBA against right-handed pitchers and typically hits in a good spot in the Marlins lineup. Buehler is facing the Marlins for the second time in three weeks, which should give a small bump to the Miami lineup.
UTILITY
Ian Happ, CHC at ATL ($2,700): Happ is in play tonight for all of the same reasons Schwarber is, particularly the matchup. Happ hasn't quite found the success that Schwarber has this season, but his .357 wOBA against right-handed pitching from a season ago suggests better fortune awaits him. This game has the highest over/under total of the night (9.5 runs) with the Cubs being slight favorites (-110).
