This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
By this point in the MLB season, a lot of things feel like they have fallen into place. There are still the outliers, though, the surprises and disappointments you still don't quite believe in, but with each day you have to believe more and more as the reality for the 2023 season at the very least. The Rangers will probably have a top offense, while the Guardians could end up missing the playoffs in an easy division because they can't hit. Neither of those teams is playing Wednesday night, though. There are eight games on the docket, with the first pitch at 7:05 p.m. ET. Here are my DFS recommendations.
Pitching
Bryce Miller, SEA vs. OAK ($10,100): Miller, Seattle's top pitching prospect, has exceeded expectations thus far. Through four starts he has an 1.42 ERA, and even his 1.78 FIP shows he's really been a force on the mound. Now, two of those starts were against the Athletics and Tigers, but guess what? Miller gets to face Oakland's bottom-five offense again.
Zack Greinke, KC vs. DET ($5,700): For the second season in a row, Greinke has stark home/road splits. Wednesday he gets to be at home, though, where he as a 3.21 ERA this year. The Tigers are in the bottom three in runs scored and team OPS, which should help the veteran stay solid in KC's ballpark.
Top Targets
For the second season in a row, Juan Soto ($5,800) is lagging on the batting average front, but also for the second season in a row it has been entirely about struggling with southpaws. Against righties, he's still in line with his 1.005 OPS in those matchups since 2021. Trevor Williams, meanwhile, gets mashed by lefties. In that same time frame, southpaws have hit .294 against the journeyman pitcher.
While Luis Arraez ($5,700) doesn't have much power, Coors Field also tends to help doubles and triples hitters as well. The likely batting champion has a .371 average, but he also has 10 doubles after having 31 last season. In spite of his 7.78 ERA in Triple-A, Karl Kauffmann got called up by the Rockies, and in his first start he allowed five runs in 4.1 innings on the road. Now, he faces Coors.
Bargain Bats
Bobby Witt ($5,400) is the ultimate all-or-nothing guy right now. He has a .266 OBP, but he has seven homers and 14 stolen bases. After one season with Seattle, Matthew Boyd is back starting with the Tigers, and it isn't going well. The lefty has a 6.21 ERA and has allowed righties to hit .277 against him.
Last year, Anthony Santander ($4,300) hit 33 homers, and he has eight this season. While he's a switch hitter, since 2021 he has an .834 OPS versus left-handed pitchers. Nestor Cortes had a 2.44 ERA last year, but he has a 5.21 ERA this season. It's not a coincidence that he's allowed 1.49 home runs in nine innings in 2023, back in line with his career 1.47 number. Maybe last year was a bit of a fluke for Cortes.
Stacks to Consider
Mariners vs. Athletics (Ken Waldichuk): Julio Rodriguez ($5,900), Eugenio Suarez ($4,400), Teoscar Hernandez ($3,900)
Let's see here. Waldichuk has a career 7.50 ERA on the road, having allowed 2.1 home runs per nine innings in his career in away games as well. Plus, righties have hit .295 against the southpaw. This makes my decision to stack three right-handed Mariners quite easy.
Rodriguez has not hit as well as in 2022, but he has seven homers and eight stolen bases after having 28 of the former and 25 of the latter in his stellar rookie campaign. In his career he has an .854 OPS at home as well. Suarez's power is down, but he's hit 31 home runs in each of his last two campaigns. Facing a homer-prone lefty could be just what he needs. Hernandez is with a new team this season, but he has carried over his preference to tee off on lefties. Since 2021 he has an 1.025 OPS versus southpaw pitchers.
Cubs vs. Mets (Kodai Senga): Nico Hoerner ($4,900), Ian Happ ($4,200), Seiya Suzuki ($4,100)
Senga's move to MLB was highly anticipated, but so far it has not turned out all that well. He has a 3.77 ERA, but also a 4.34 FIP. The newly-minted MLB pitcher has had an issue with walks, having issued 5.44 walks per nine innings. Senga also has a significant home/road split, with a 6.30 ERA in his away outings. This game is in Chicago, so I'm stacking Cubs.
Hoerner hits for average and shows off speed. Over the last three seasons he's hit .288, and this year he has 12 stolen bases. Happ has a .407 OBP in 2023, and while he is a switch hitter, he prefers to face a righty. Since 2021 he has an .809 OPS versus right handers. Suzuki has slashed .283/.370/.496 with six homers and seven doubles, and considering that he started the season hurt and has only played in 34 games that looks more impressive. This year he's been much better on the road, but last season he had an .832 OPS at home, so that could be a sample-size fluke.
