This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
There is a lot of baseball Wednesday, but it is stretched out all across the day. There are only six games starting at 7:05 p.m. ET or later, and one of those games is the second leg of a Reds-Angels doubleheader, primed to cut it from the DFS contests. That leaves five games for my DFS recommendations, and here they are.
Pitching
Clayton Kershaw, LAD at CLE ($9,900): Kershaw, deep into his career, hasn't been able to take the mound day in and day out without getting banged up, but when he pitches, he's still quite good. The lefty has a 2.48 ERA in 18 starts in 2023, and he's only allowed one run in each of his starts since returning from injury. His one "issue," such as it is, would be the fact he's allowed 1.20 homers per nine innings, not a bad number, but unusual for a truly elite home run suppressor by reputation. Well, Cleveland is last in home runs, and by a comfortable margin.
MacKenzie Gore, WAS at NYY ($7,400): In his age-24 season, Gore has made 24 starts and posted a 4.38 ERA. That's mediocre, but mediocrity is all the Nationals were asking for. The one-time elite pitching prospect has "held his own," and think of the number of vaunted young pitchers who have failed to do that. Oddly, lefties have hit the southpaw well, but righties have averaged .237 against him. The reeling Yankees don't have any viable lefties at the moment, and have fallen so far they are threatening to possibly finish in the bottom five in runs scored.
Top Target
Since remaking his swing, Austin Riley ($5,800) has posted a .904 OPS against lefties. This year he has a .911 OPS at home as well. Jose Quintana has made six starts for the Mets, and he's only allowed one homer, but still has a 3.03 ERA and 3.40 FIP. The southpaw has absolutely ripped through lefty hitters, but righties have hit .273 against him.
Bargain Bat
You need a catcher for your DraftKings lineup, and Keibert Ruiz ($3,900) has been hot at the plate. Over his last three weeks he's posted an 1.035 OPS. Meanwhile, if you want proof the Yankees have waved the white flag on the 2023 campaign, Luis Severino is still in the starting rotation. He has a 7.98 ERA and has allowed a staggering 2.66 homers per nine innings. Oh, and over his last eight starts his ERA is up to 11.08.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers at Guardians (Xzavion Curry): Mookie Betts ($6,600), Freddie Freeman ($6,100), James Outman ($3,400)
With limited options, this is my "bet on talent" stack. Curry has a 3.24 ERA and 4.14 FIP as a rookie, which isn't bad. However, only six of his appearances have been starts, and two of his last three starts have been against the White Sox and Tigers. When he faces the Rays, i.e. an actual MLB offense, he allowed five runs in five innings. The Dodgers are more "Rays" than "Tigers" offensively.
Mike Trout is the best player of his generation, and Shohei Ohtani has quickly thrown his hat in the ring in terms of post-2009 baseball, but Betts belongs in a "Big Three" with the Angels duo. This year he's hit .300, has 34 home runs, and will finish with over 100 runs and over 100 RBI. He's baseball's best leadoff hitter, and also a top-level slugger. Freeman seems to have said to himself, "What if, in addition to falling out of bed and hitting .300, I became a 20/20 guy?" He's three stolen bases from getting there, and he has an 1.056 OPS on the road as well. The southpaw Outman has 15 homers and 14 stolen bases. Additionally, the rookie has a .797 OPS against righties, and also on the road.
Blue Jays at Orioles (Jack Flaherty): Bo Bichette ($5,400), Whit Merrifield ($4,500), Daulton Varsho ($3,100)
The Orioles, primed to make the playoffs, needed to boost the rotation and hoped Flaherty would do it. Unfortunately for them, he hasn't delivered. In 20 starts with the Cardinals he had a 4.43 ERA, and in three starts with Baltimore he has a 7.07 ERA. Flaherty's biggest issue is a lack of command over the strike zone, as he's 4.51 batters per nine innings this season.
Bichette has only been back from injury for a couple games, but he's already picked up a few hits and a homer, so I have zero worry. On the season he's slashed .320/.351/.501 with 18 homers in 108 games. Merrifield has 23 stolen bases, and it is easier to steal second on a righty, and I think he will have opportunity to do that. One, there's Flaherty's walk issues. Two, Merrifield has hit .294, so he gets himself to first plenty. Varsho has certainly had some struggles in his first season with Toronto, but he still has 16 homers and 15 stolen bases. Plus, he's been awful at his new home park, but has a .763 OPS on the road. It also helps that he is a southpaw, as lefties have hit .304 against Flaherty.
