This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Wednesday is the official start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, which may be why there is so much day baseball. In the evening, we have seven games starting at 6:40 p.m. EDT or later. With that in mind, here are my DFS recommendations.
Pitching
Sonny Gray, MIN vs. BOS ($9,900): With lackluster pitching options available, I'm leading with a pitcher having a great season even if the matchup isn't ideal. Gray has a 2.37 ERA with a 2.55 FIP that supports it. That includes an 1.96 ERA at home. Gray is an elite pitcher when it comes to avoiding home runs, so he should keep the Red Sox in the park, and his .217 batting average allowed to lefties since 2021 is also encouraging.
Gavin Williams, CLE vs. OAK ($?): An impressive performance in the minors has gotten Williams a call up to the bigs, where he will make his MLB debut Wednesday. Considered by some the best pitching prospect left in the minors when he got the call, the Guardians have done Williams a kindness with this matchup. The Athletics are the worst team in MLB, paced by an offense that is last in runs scored and team OPS. If Williams lives up to his prospect status, he should be able to handle the A's. As of this writing, FanDuel hasn't thrown Williams into the mix at pitcher, but it is going to happen, and I am presuming he'll carry a salary that is worth rostering.
Top Target
Marcus Semien ($3,800) has hit .277 with 10 homers and seven stolen bases. A couple seasons ago he hit 45 home runs, but his power has been sapped by his new home ballpark. On the road, Semien's slugging percentage with the Rangers is over .500. Michael Kopech has a 3.92 ERA, but a 5.30 FIP. While his road ERA is worse than his home ERA, he's allowed 2.0 home runs per nine innings in the White Sox's ballpark. Semien will hopefully take the opportunity to go yard in the Windy City.
Bargain Bat
First base is a power position, and Donovan Solano ($2,400) doesn't have power, but he has hit .278 with a .371 OBP. That still has value, and in his first season with the Twins he has an .821 OPS at home. Pitching in the rotation full time, Garrett Whitlock has a 4.38 ERA, including a 5.31 ERA on the road. Notably, though he is right handed, righties have hit .305 against him, which is why I landed on Solano.
Stacks to Consider
White Sox vs. Rangers (Martin Perez): Luis Robert ($3,200), Eloy Jimenez ($3,000), Andrew Vaughn ($2,700)
Perez has struggled and scuffled his way to a mediocre MLB career, and then last year he rejoined the Rangers and posted a 2.89 ERA. That has proven to be a fluke. Perez has a 4.54 ERA and a 4.94 FIP. His road ERA is a staggering 6.50, as he has allowed 2.2 home runs per nine innings on the road. Since Perez is a southpaw, and since he has allowed righties to hit .273 against him since 2021, I have three righties from the White Sox.
Robert has only even struggled to stay healthy. Well, and to take a walk more than once in a blue moon, but usually the issue has been hitting the field regularly. The Cuban is healthy and has already hit a career-high 18 homers. Since 2021, he has an 1.096 OPS versus lefties as well. Jimenez has also had issues staying healthy, but in his career he's hit .273 and slugged .497. Over the last couple of campaigns he's been much better at home, including an .819 OPS at home this year. Vaughn has been worse against lefties so far in 2023, but since 2021 he has an .814 OPS in those matchups. He's had significantly home/road splits every season of his career, but weirdly not always in the same direction. This year, for what it's worth, he has an .838 OPS at home.
Giants vs. Padres (Yu Darvish): LaMonte Wade ($3,100), Joc Pederson ($3,100), Mike Yastrzemski ($2,900)
Darvish has consistently taken advantage of Petco Park, but has in turn struggled on the road. Since joining San Diego, he has a 4.57 ERA on the road, including a 6.19 ERA this season. Lefties have hit .255 against him, so I figured I'd go with three southpaws in this stack.
Wade is getting on base at an elite rate, as he has a .280 average and .415 OBP. His power disappears against lefties and on the road, but since joining the Giants he's slugged .475 against righties and .504 at home. Pederson is the classic lefty slugger that can't hit southpaws. He's slugged .492 against righties over the last three campaigns, and he too has a slugging percentage over .500 at home since joining the Giants. Yastrzemski has an .801 OPS versus right-handed pitchers since 2021. While he personally hits better on the road, he has an .879 OPS over the last three weeks so I'm still going with him in this stack against a righty. I will note Wade didn't play Tuesday because of tightness in his side. If he can't go, Blake Sabol ($2,500) is a lefty you can slot in at the C/1B or OF position.
