This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
What's the story, Wednesday? Well, there are seven MLB games starting at 7:07 p.m. EDT. That gives you a handful of options for your DFS lineups, but what options should you go with? I've got some suggestions for you that might help give your lineup a bit of a boost here in the middle of the work week.
Pitching
Spencer Strider, ATL at TEX ($11,500): How do you follow up a rookie campaign in which you post an 1.82 FIP while striking out 13.81 batters per nine innings? Well, you could do what Strider has done and put up an 1.63 FIP and strike out 15.24 batters per nine innings. Yes, the Rangers have been great offensively, but Corey Seager hasn't yet made it back into the lineup, and Marcus Semien has been significantly worse at home ever since joining the squad last season.
Mike Clevinger, CWS vs. CLE ($7,600): I went with one recommendation purely based on pitcher talent, so this time here's a recommendation solely based on matchup. Clevinger hasn't been good this year, and facing his former team may not get him pumped up enough to change that. However, the Guardians have the least power of any MLB team, and they are down in the bottom three with the Tigers and Marlins in runs scored. No other team in the bottom six in runs scored is playing on this slate, so the Guardians are definitively the top matchup to target.
Top Targets
This year's breakthrough hitter seems to be Jarred Kelenic ($3,100). A change in approach has seen him slash .283/.331/.538 with eight homers and six stolen bases. Brayan Bello has a 5.06 FIP, and in his career lefties have hit .307 against him.
Rowdy Tellez ($3,100) hit 35 home runs last year, and he's marching toward another big power display in 2023. He's got 10 homers, but he's also slugged .524. The lefty has slugged .480 versus righties since 2021, and Adam Wainwright has a 7.20 ERA in two starts in 2023. He's 41 now and even last year his 3.71 ERA was only impressive relative to his age.
Bargain Bats
The Red Sox are deeply reliant on lefty hitters, making a stack against Marco Gonzales tricky. However, the Seattle southpaw doesn't strike anybody out and had a FIP over 5.00 in each of his prior two seasons. This year, he has been quite good against left-handers, but righties have hit .291 against him. Justin Turner ($2,900) has a .269 average and .360 OBP, and he's hit 27 homers three times in his career, so he has shown some power.
I recommended Clevinger as a pitcher because the Guardians have been brutal offensively as a whole, but I am willing to take a shot on Andres Gimenez ($2,800) at this salary. He's stepped back from his .837 OPS in 2022, but he does have three homers and six stolen bases. Plus, he's a lefty with an .820 OPS on the road since 2021. Clevinger has allowed a home run in each of his last five starts, and if anybody is going to hit a homer for Cleveland, it's probably Ramirez.
Stacks to Consider
Rays at Mets (Kodai Senga): Randy Arozarena ($4,100), Wander Franco ($4,100), Josh Lowe ($3,900)
Senga came over from Japan as a big free agent, but his first seven MLB starts have not gone well. Not only does Senga have a 4.95 FIP, but he's posted that number against a truly soft selection of opponents that includes the Rockies at Citi Field, the Athletics, and the Marlins twice. The Rays are a massive step up in competition, and it could go poorly for Senga.
Arozarena has had two 20/20 seasons, and while he's not stealing as many bases in 2023, he's got a ton of power. The 28-year-old has hit 10 home runs already and he has a .312 average as well. Franco has become the player many dreamed he would when he was baseball's top prospect. He's slashed .293/.350/.509 with seven homers and 12 stolen bases. Tampa didn't need it, but Lowe is also enjoying a great start to the season, his first full campaign in the majors. He's slashed .296/.357/.609 with nine homers and six steals. In his career, the southpaw has an .852 OPS versus righties and an .879 OPS at home.
White Sox vs. Guardians (Peyton Battenfield): Luis Robert ($3,600), Andrew Vaughn ($3,000), Gavin Sheets ($2,500)
Battenfield spent all of 2022 at the Triple-A level, posting a 3.63 ERA in 28 starts. He got a quick call up to the majors in 2023 due to all of Cleveland's rotation injuries, and hasn't gone great. Battenfield has a 4.45 ERA, and even at the Triple-A level he had issues striking guys out. The White Sox have barely been better than the Guardians offensively, but they look like a viable stack.
Robert's issue has always been staying healthy. He's healthy right now and has 12 home runs in 42 games. Since 2021 he has an .856 OPS at home as well. Vaughn has yet to reach his potential, but he has hit at least 15 home runs in each of his first two seasons. I wanted a righty too, as righties have hit .254 against Battenfield so far. Sheets really struggles with lefties, but in his career he has a .782 OPS against right-handed pitchers. Plus, in his career the southpaw has a .922 OPS at home.
