This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
June is right around the corner, but let's make the most of the final day of May. Wednesday night brings us seven MLB games, with the first pitch at 6:40 p.m. EDT. Here are my DFS recommendations!
Pitching
Hunter Brown, HOU vs. MIN ($10,500): He has faced some easy competition, including two starts in a row versus Oakland, but Brown's rookie campaign is going smoothly. He has a 3.12 ERA overall and a 2.86 ERA at Minute Maid Park, where he has yet to allow a home run. The Twins are right in the middle of the league in runs scored, but that is not imposing to me considering how Brown is pitching.
George Kirby, SEA vs. NYY ($9,200): Kirby is coming off a brutal start in which he served up four home runs to the Pirates, but he's a guy who has only allowed 0.93 home runs per nine innings. In his sophomore season, he now has a career 3.09 FIP as well. The Yankees are in the top 10 in runs scored, but I will still go with Kirby from among an iffy selection of starters.
Top Targets
Even though he doesn't have a 40-homer season (yet), Yordan Alvarez ($4,400) has as much power as anybody. He has a career .591 slugging percentage and does have two 30-homer seasons already. Louie Varland's biggest issue in his career thus far is how many home runs he allows. Specifically, the righty has given up 1.95 homers per nine innings.
We're deep enough into the season that the turnaround for Jarred Kelenic ($3,400) seems legit. He's slashed .283/.340/.524 with 10 homers and seven stolen bases. Kelenic is also a lefty, which is key here. In his career, Clarke Schmidt has let southpaws hit .330 against him.
Bargain Bats
Though he is not at Coors Field on Wednesday, Randal Grichuk ($3,200) has something going in his favor, and that's a projected matchup with a lefty starter. Since 2021, Grichuk has an .864 OPS versus southpaws. It has been announced that Tommy Henry will start for the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, and he has a career 5.77 FIP.
After having 10 homers and 12 stolen bases as a rookie, albeit with a sub-.300 OBP, Bryson Stott ($3,000) has five homers and eight swiped bags in 2023. However, he's doing that with a .287 batting average as well. Carlos Carrasco will likely improve upon his 5.33 K/9 rate, but since joining the Mets he has a 4.75 ERA, so I don't expect him to suddenly turn things around significantly.
Stacks to Consider
Diamondbacks vs. Rockies (Dinelson Lamet): Corbin Carroll ($3,500), Lourdes Gurriel ($3,500), Geraldo Perdomo ($3,000)
The expectation is that Lamet will not only return from the IL for the Rockies, but be stretched out into a starter after working in the bullpen to start the year, and posting a 12.66 ERA working out of said bullpen. Lamet hasn't been a regular starter since the 2020 season, and he was placed in the bullpen by the Rockies for a reason. Plus, it's not like Colorado has an imposing cadre of relief pitchers for when Lamet presumably is pulled early.
NL Rookie of the Year candidate Carroll has a .285 average with nine homers and 16 stolen bases. In his career he has a .925 OPS versus righties as well. Gurriel's first season with Arizona is going great, as he's slashed .312/.361/.554 with nine home runs. That includes an OPS over 1.000 at his new home ballpark, which has to be making his new fans happy. Perdomo has really picked it up this season, and he's only 23 so perhaps there is something to that. He has a .294/.391/.504 slash line with five homers and five stolen bases.
Reds at Red Sox (James Paxton): Jonathan India ($3,700), Spencer Steer ($3,200), Nick Senzel ($3,000)
Over the first seven seasons of his career, Paxton posted a 3.50 ERA. Not terrible, but not good by any means. Then, injuries hit. He's only made nine starts over the last three seasons, and he has a 6.06 ERA in that time. Now with Boston, he has a 5.57 FIP in three outings and has allowed four home runs already. Since Paxton is a lefty, I found three righties to stack here.
India is looking more like the guy who hit 21 homers and swiped 12 bags as a rookie. He's got five home runs and eight stolen bases in 2023, and he has a .288 batting average as well. Steer made an unremarkable 28-game cameo in the 2022 season, but he's looked like a viable MLB player in his proper rookie campaign. He's slashed .288/.353/.485 with seven homers. Also, in his career he has a .932 OPS versus southpaws. Senzel has four home runs and four stolen bases. While he's hasn't put it together in MLB yet, this year he has hit well against lefties and on the road, so perhaps he can keep that going at Fenway against Paxton.
