This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
We have plenty of options to pick from Wednesday with 11 games making up the main evening slate on Yahoo. We have another game at Coors Field, as well as some big-time pitchers set to take the mound, leaving us with a couple of different approaches to consider. Let's dive into the matchups and discuss some of the best players to pursue.
Pitching Overview
Two of the better teams in the American League will be facing off when the Astros host the Rays. The Rays will certainly have a tough task ahead of them with Gerrit Cole ($60) set to take the mound. He showed no signs of rust after sitting out a couple of weeks because of hamstring soreness, recording 12 strikeouts over seven scoreless innings in his last start against the Tigers. With his 37.3 percent strikeout rate, his tremendous upside is undeniable.
Aaron Civale ($40) has made a heck of an impression during his first stint in the majors, posting a 1.82 ERA that is supported by a 2.23 FIP across five starts. While his 21.7 percent strikeout rate is nothing to write home about, he's shown excellent control with a 5.2 percent walk rate and has yet to give up a home run. Facing the anemic Tigers' lineup makes him an excellent option to consider if you want to fade Cole.
In need of pitching depth, the A's brought over Tanner Roark ($39) in a trade with the Reds. He's immediately paid dividends, allowing eight runs (seven earned) and recording 23 strikeouts over 24 innings in his four starts. Those numbers are particularly impressive when you consider his last two outings came against the Astros and Yankees. Taking the mound against the Royals is a much easier task, make him another excellent pitching option to target.
Key Values/Chalk
After torching the Rockies for 10 runs Tuesday, the Red Sox should once again be a very popular stack against Peter Lambert. He's struggled mightily at Coors Field, posting a 6.24 FIP and a 1.52 WHIP across 40.2 innings there. Left-handed hitters have a .393 wOBA against him for the season, overall, making Rafael Devers ($27) and Mitch Moreland ($17) excellent options. Even Brock Holt ($16) is worth considering if you want to save a little money at second base.
A couple of players on the Rockies could also be included in a lot of entries with left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez on the mound for the Red Sox. Nolan Arenado ($25) and Trevor Story ($24) have recorded a .418 wOBA and a .393 wOBA, respectively, against southpaws. Even Ian Desmond ($11) could provide value based on his .390 wOBA versus lefties.
The Twins lineup is loaded, so they are going to be a popular team to pursue more often than not. That should certainly be the case with Ross Detwiler starting for the White Sox. With him recording a 6.74 FIP and a 1.48 WHIP, the Twins' lineup has as high of a ceiling as any other team for this slate. Expect to see a lot of Nelson Cruz across DFS, who continues to shine with his .345 ISO.
Stacks
Nationals vs. Asher Wojciechowski (Orioles)
Anthony Rendon (3B - $26), Juan Soto (OF - $27), Adam Eaton (OF - $25)
Wojciechowski has shown flashes of potential, but he's had problems with the long ball, allowing 2.3 HR/9. This is not a favorable spot for him against the Nationals, who have recorded a 110 wRC+ at home. Rendon and Soto are the obvious top-tier options to target while Eaton has done plenty of damage of his own by hitting 24-for-65 (.369) with five home runs and four doubles over his last 17 games.
Braves vs. Jacob Waguespack (Blue Jays)
Ronald Acuna Jr. (OF - $25), Freddie Freeman (1B - $23), Tyler Flowers (C - $8)
Waguespack has actually pitched fairly well for the Blue Jays, recording a 3.63 ERA and a 4.27 FIP. The good news is that he doesn't allow a ton of home runs. The bad news is that he only has an 18.6 percent strikeout. This will be a tough test against the Braves, who will have the luxury of the DH spot with this game being played in Toronto. The Braves have been rotating Flowers and Francisco Cervelli ($9) at catcher with Brian McCann (knee) out. Whoever starts could be worth a look in tournament play with Waguespack allowing a .367 wOBA to right-handed hitters.
Angels vs. Emmanuel Clase (Rangers)
Mike Trout (OF - $27), Shohei Ohtani (OF - $20), David Fletcher (3B - $14)
Clase is expected to open this game with Ariel Jurado likely to follow and pitch the majority of the innings. Jurado has been a mess, allowing 41 runs (34 earned) across 40.2 innings in his last eight outings. He has a 1.75 WHIP during that stretch and gave up nine home runs, so it's not a huge surprise that he struggled. With the game at Coors Field likely commanding a lot of attention, this could be an opportunity to deploy Trout without him being one of the more highly-rostered players on the slate. Fletcher has also quietly provided significant production of late, hitting 22-for-60 (.367) with five doubles over his last 14 games.
