This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Wednesday's All-Day MLB slate features 14 games beginning at 1:10 PM Eastern time. Paying a premium for pitching makes sense in this slate, as a couple of the more expensive options at the position are likely to capitalize on favorable matchups. It's also important to find nice value at other positions to make room for those pricey pitchers. For those interested, we've started an MLB DFS slack channel for paid RotoWire subscribers. (There is a season-long one as well). To join those channels, e-mail support@rotowire.com.
PITCHER
Carlos Rodon, CWS at DET ($47): Rodon has underperformed relative to his top prospect
status for a while, but things have recently started clicking for the third overall selection in the 2014 draft. His 1.27 ERA since the beginning of July is the best in baseball over that stretch, and Rodon's career 23.1 percent strikeout rate suggests his 19.9 percent mark through 11 starts this season could be due for a positive correction. A Tigers offense that ranks 28th at 3.81 runs per game will have a tough time slowing Rodon down.
Zack Wheeler, NYM at BAL ($46): Starting pitching has been the lone bright spot for the Mets, and Wheeler's been a big part of that with a 3.82 ERA, 3.41 FIP and 23.8 percent strikeout rate. He's far from a product of pitcher-friendly Citi Field, as Wheeler's .270 road wOBA allowed is actually much better than his .297 mark at home. Facing an Orioles offense that ranks 26th at 3.92 runs per game and strikes out eighth-most with 8.78 whiffs per contest should help Wheeler improve those road numbers even further.
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CATCHER
J.T. Realmuto, MIA at ATL ($13): Realmuto has excelled in righty-on-righty situations, posting a .388 wOBA that blows his .286 mark against lefties out of the water. Those unusual splits match up well for this date with Braves starter Kevin Gausman. Gausman also has unconventional lefty-righty splits, as the right-hander's .341 wOBA allowed to batters from the right side is higher than his .334 mark allowed to those from the left.
FIRST BASE
Joey Votto, CIN vs. CLE ($17): Left-handed hitters have abused rookie Cleveland righty Shane Bieber, producing a .377 wOBA against him through 147 plate appearances. Votto has been potent against righties as usual this season, with a .403 wOBA in that split that puts him over .400 for the fourth consecutive campaign. The veteran first baseman has been battling knee soreness recently, so make sure he's fit to play in this one before locking him in.
SECOND BASE
Cesar Hernandez, PHI vs. BOS ($13): In his time with the Rays and Red Sox this season, right-hander Nathan Eovaldi has been awful on the road. He has a road ERA of 5.70 in 42.2 innings, and left-handed hitters have a .376 wOBA against him there in 83 at-bats. The switch-hitting Hernandez's .336 wOBA from the left side is .011 better than his mark when batting right-handed, so he's primed to cause Eovaldi problems from the top of Philadelphia's lineup.
THIRD BASE
Justin Turner, LAD vs. SF ($20): Turner's enjoying another fabulous season against lefties, with a .437 wOBA on the heels of last year's .484 performance in that split. Things should be no different against Giants left-hander Derek Holland, who has allowed a .344 wOBA to batters from the right side this season.
SHORTSTOP
Carlos Correa, HOU vs. COL ($18): Few shortstops can match Correa's production against lefties -- his .367 wOBA in that split this season is right in line with his .369 career mark. Correa's available at a slight discount after recently returning from injury, making him a nice value play against Rockies lefty Tyler Anderson. Anderson has actually pitched worse on the road than at the hitter-friendly Coors Field, with a 4.48 road ERA.
OUTFIELD
Nelson Cruz, SEA at OAK ($19): Cruz currently has a .406 wOBA against lefties, putting him on pace to top .400 in that split for the fourth time in the past five seasons. You don't reach such a consistent level of success without capitalizing on favorable matchups like this one. Right-handed hitters have produced a .351 wOBA against Oakland southpaw Brett Anderson.
Michael Brantley, CLE at CIN ($16): Reds righty Robert Stephenson has struggled against left-handed hitters in his career, surrendering a .359 wOBA in that split. Look for Brantley to give the young starter trouble here, as Cleveland's two-hole hitter has a solid .374 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season.
Alex Gordon, KC vs. TOR ($11): Inexpensive options like Gordon are vital to owners who plan to employ pricey pitchers such as Rodon and Wheeler. The veteran left-handed hitter bats second in Kansas City's order and has a passable .325 wOBA against righties. That valuable lineup placement could easily lead to decent production against Blue Jays righty Marco Estrada, who has a 6.23 ERA and 6.63 xFIP over his past five starts. Estrada also has an ugly 12:10 K:BB in 21.2 innings during that stretch.
