This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Wednesday is split fairly evenly in terms of the MLB action, with eight of the 15 games starting at 7:07 p.m. ET or later to make up the DFS slate. We're full steam ahead into the rest of the MLB season, and here are my recommendations for your DFS lineups.
Pitching
Eduardo Rodriguez, DET at KC ($9,500): When Rodriguez has been on the mound, he's been a bright spot for the Tigers. The lefty has a 2.70 ERA through 13 starts, and his second start after returning from injury went well. These are two poor offenses, but the Royals are slightly worse, ranking 29th in runs scored and last in team OBP.
Justin Verlander, NYM vs. CWS ($8,800): Verlander has gone from winning a Cy Young to looking like a 40-year-old pitcher on the mound in the blink of an eye, but it hasn't been all bad. He does have a 2.57 ERA at home, for example. The White Sox are in the bottom 10 in runs scored, but also in the bottom three in OBP with a sub-.300 number on that front.
Top Targets
It probably qualifies as a "sophomore slump," but Julio Rodriguez ($4,800) is still delivering for DFS players thanks to his counting stats. The righty has 13 homers and 22 stolen bases in 92 games, and he also has a .784 OPS at home. Kenta Maeda missed last season, and in his eight starts since returning to MLB he has a 5.50 ERA, and righties have hit .268 against him.
To a degree, Brandon Nimmo ($4,100) has his usual profile as a hitter, leading off with a keen eye that has helped him notched a .360 OBP. However, it seems like the lefty is selling out for power against righties, but it has been fruitful. Nimmo's average against lefties is higher, but he has a .466 slugging percentage against righties, and all 14 of his homers have come in those matchups. Touki Toussaint has been thrust into the White Sox rotation, but his career 5.09 ERA is indicative of why he's only made 26 MLB starts since debuting in 2018.
Bargain Bats
Coming over from the Phillies, Matt Vierling ($3,200) has a .275 average with seven homers and five stolen bases. He has an .814 OPS on the road as well. In his first season with the Royals, Ryan Yarbrough has a 5.29 ERA. Also, since 2021, the lefty has allowed a .285 average to right-handed hitter.
Brandon Belt ($3,000) has earned consistent playing time for the Blue Jays when a righty is starting, and that tracks. He has an .869 OPS versus righties since 2021. Plus, in his first season with Toronto he has an .877 OPS at home. Yu Darvish has been dependent on Petco Park to help him out since joining the Padres, but this year is going particularly poorly. He has a 5.52 ERA on the road.
Stacks to Consider
Reds vs. Giants (Ross Stripling): Matt McLain ($5,700), Jake Fraley ($5,100), Joey Votto ($4,600)
Stripling's career has been a collection of mediocre seasons and poor campaigns, and this has definitely been the later. In his first season with the Giants he has a 6.11 ERA and has allowed 2.36 home runs per nine innings with a 25.3 line-drive percentage. Additionally, lefties have hit .324 against Stripling, so I have two southpaws in this stack.
McLain is a righty, but the rookie has wowed with a .302/.367/.513 slash line with eight homers and seven stolen bases. Plus, he has an 1.009 OPS at home since his call up. Fraley has a regular role with an MLB team for the first time in his career, and he's responded with 13 home runs and 16 stolen bases. A big part of that is the lefty's .908 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. Votto is at the opposite end of his career from McLain, but since returning from injury he's shown a lot of power. He's slugged .597 with eight homers in only 21 games. Last year was rough for Votto, but since 2021 he has a .906 OPS against righties.
Giants at Reds (Graham Ashcraft): Joc Pederson ($4,400), J.D. Davis ($4,100), Michael Conforto ($3,100)
Let's flip this matchup around. Ashcraft's last three starts have been good, and he started the season well. Oh, those starts in the middle though. All in all, Ashcraft has a 5.95 ERA, and that's with a 7.16 ERA at home. The righty doesn't really strike anybody out, and righties actually hit him quite well. In his career, right-handed hitters have managed a .314 average against Ashcraft, though I only have one righty in this stack.
Pederson has hit better at home since joining San Francisco, but he is a power hitter with a penchant for going deep on righties. Since 2021 he's slugged .480 versus right-handed pitchers. Davis is the righty in the mix, and over the last three seasons he has an .802 OPS against righties. On top of that, he has an .841 OPS on the road. Conforto has been hot since the break, and this matchup is right up his alley. In his first season with the Giants, the lefty has a .786 OPS versus righties, and a .910 OPS on the road.
