This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Wednesday will be busy across baseball with 15 games on the schedule. Nine game will make up the main slate on Yahoo, which is loaded with quality starting pitching. Let's dive into the matchups and discuss players who might be worth targeting.
Pitchers
While Fernando Tatis Jr. might grab all of the headlines for the Padres, Dinelson Lamet ($56) has been just as impressive on the pitching side. He hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his six starts and he has a sparkling 0.84 WHIP. His most impressive stat might be his 34.1 percent strikeout rate. He'll look to keep things rolling against the Mariners, who have tied for the sixth-most strikeouts in the league.
Tuesday brought a rough doubleheader for the Mets — they lost both games by a combined score of 7-0. Now they have to face Elieser Hernandez ($35), who has been impressive in his first four starts with a 2.29 ERA and a 3.35 FIP. He's shown improvement in the strikeout department this season, increasing his strikeout rate to 32.9 percent from 24.1 percent last season. If you're looking to fade some of the top-tier options in tournament play, Hernandez should be on your radar.
Top Targets
It looks like Cody Bellinger ($19) has officially put his slow start in his rearview mirror. He's on a six-game hitting streak in which he is 10-for-23 (.435) with four home runs and two doubles. He's also only struck out four times during that stretch. His salary is starting to climb, but it's still significantly lower than what it was at the beginning of the season. This might be a prime opportunity to take advantage of that against Kevin Gausman ($32), who has allowed at least one home run in three of his last four starts.
Dakota Hudson ($31) had an excellent 3.35 ERA last year, but his 4.93 FIP and 1.41 WHIP were a significant concern. He's off to a strong start with a 3.46 ERA through his first three outings, but his FIP is once again less impressive at 4.31. His WHIP is much improved at 1.08, but his 47.1 percent hard-hit rate allowed is alarming. With a start against the Royals, this might be a favorable spot to deploy Whit Merrifield ($18). Merrifield is difficult to strike out and has once again been one of the Royals' best hitter with his .353 wOBA.
Bargain Bats
The Royals are expected to receive some reinforcements for their starting rotation with Jakob Junis ($27) slated to be activated from the IL to start against the Cardinals. While he's better than several of the alternative options that they have, he's still someone to attack in DFS given his career 4.73 FIP and 1.34 WHIP. Tommy Edman ($12) could be a Cardinal who capitalizes on this matchup. Despite his slow start, Edman is beginning to heat up by hitting 8-for-22 with two doubles over his last six starts.
Staying in that same game, Dylan Carlson ($7) could be another way to pounce on this matchup at an even more budget-friendly salary. He was one of the top prospects in the Cardinals' organization and is now receiving a chance to prove himself in the big leagues. After a bit of a slow start, he does have at least one hit in three consecutive games, one of which was his first career home run.
Stacks to Consider
Rockies vs. Robbie Ray ($31), Diamondbacks: Trevor Story ($27), Nolan Arenado ($18), Garrett Hampson ($16)
Ray has been awful this season. He's had major control issues, which have resulted in a 2.00 WHIP. He's also allowed nine home runs in 27 innings, so a Rockies stack provides significant upside. When they faced Ray earlier this season, they tagged him for six runs in 3.2 innings. Story's salary will do a number on your budget, but Arenado could be huge at his salary. Even though he doesn't have the advantage of playing at Coors Field, he has a career .414 wOBA against left-handed pitchers.
Cubs vs. Michael Fulmer ($26), Tigers: Kyle Schwarber ($19), Anthony Rizzo ($16), Jason Kipnis ($15)
Fulmer is right up there with Ray in terms of futility this season. His 9.53 ERA is backed by a 9.86 FIP and his WHIP checks in at an unsightly 2.03. Amazingly, he's allowed six home runs in 11.1 innings. Rizzo and Schwarber are the big names to consider for a Cubs stack, but don't sleep on Kipnis. He's proven to be a key offseason addition, recording a .391 wOBA.
Athletics vs. Kolby Allard ($30), Rangers: Matt Chapman ($21), Ramon Laureano ($16), Marcus Semien ($15)
The A's exploded for 10 runs against the Rangers on Tuesday and could score in bunches again against Allard, who has followed his 1.57 WHIP in 2019 with a 1.82 WHIP this season. Chapman brings the power to this stack while Laureano and Semien have both had plenty of success against left-handed pitchers. Laureano has a career .351 wOBA against southpaws and Semien has been equally as productive with a .346 wOBA against them.
