This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Wednesday brings a heavy slate of day baseball across the majors. Nine games will have early start times, including an exciting matchup between the Mets and Phillies that will feature Max Scherzer starting against Aaron Nola. Chris Paddack will also make his debut for the Twins in what is a tough matchup against the Dodgers. As far as the evening games go, another enticing pitching matchup will feature Gerrit Cole and the Yankees playing host to Jose Berrios and the Blue Jays. Let's break down the matchups and highlight some players to consider for the main Yahoo slate, which begins at 3:40 p.m. EDT.
Pitchers
Sean Manaea ($42) couldn't have pitched much better in his debut for the Padres. He dominated the Diamondbacks, issuing one walk and recording seven strikeouts over seven scoreless innings. The Diamondbacks look to have one of the worst lineups in baseball, so he may have been aided by the matchup. However, he could also exploit this matchup against the Giants, who are a left-handed heavy lineup that is missing one of their key right-handed bats in Evan Longoria (finger).
Outside of Justin Verlander, the Astros don't exactly have a ton of big names in their starting rotation. However, they have a few younger pitchers who look to be on the verge of breaking out. Framber Valdez ($40) is coming off of his best season yet, posting a 3.14 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP in 2021. That success carried over into his first start this season when he recorded six strikeouts over 6.2 scoreless innings against the Angels. Look for him to keep rolling against the aforementioned underwhelming Diamondbacks lineup.
The Orioles starting rotation seems like it has been a mess forever. It's one of the main reasons why they have consistently been one of the worst teams in the league in recent years. They do have one bright spot in John Means ($37). Although he doesn't overpower hitters, he usually does a good job of keeping them off base, generating a 1.09 WHIP for his career. Normally starting him at home would be risky, but the Orioles pushing back the fence in left field might work in his favor. He could make things difficult for a Brewers team that ranked inside the bottom-10 in the league last season in OPS versus left-handed pitchers.
Top Targets
There are a lot of top-tier pitchers included in this slate, so finding viable hitters might not be easy. When in doubt, go with the most talented players as your top targets. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($24) certainly fits that criteria after he hit 48 home runs to go along with a .419 wOBA last season. As good as Cole ($47) is, he can be hurt by the long ball, and he looked shaky in his season debut against the Red Sox, allowing three runs and a home run over four innings.
Robbie Ray ($53) may have only allowed one run over seven innings in his season debut against the Twins, but it's concerning that he issued four walks and that he hit a batter. One of the main reasons why he had a breakout performance last year was that he had the best walk rate of his career. If he can't get back to that, ugly stat lines could be coming. With a lefty on the mound, Tim Anderson ($19), who has a career .365 wOBA versus southpaws, is a great option to consider. There is some rain in the forecast, though, so be sure to monitor for updates on this game leading up to first pitch.
Bargain Bats
Staying with the White Sox, Eloy Jimenez ($11) seems too cheap at this salary. The matchup versus Ray may be part of the reason, but Jimenez has a ton of power, and even in the best year of his career, Ray allowed 1.5 HR/9.
After jumping around the league to start his career, Ji-Man Choi ($14) seems to have found a home with the Rays. He has power, but his batting average has been lacking with him hitting no higher than .230 the last two seasons. He took advantage of two bad pitching staffs in the Orioles and Athletics to start this season, hitting 8-for-13 with a home run and two doubles over five games. Facing Frankie Montas ($45) might not be as favorable, but he has allowed a .339 wOBA to left-handed hitters during his career, compared to a .287 wOBA versus righties.
Stacks to Consider
Mariners vs. Dallas Keuchel ($25), White Sox: Mitch Haniger ($23), Ty France ($16), Eugenio Suarez ($16)
Again, make sure you're monitoring this game for weather updates. As long as they take the field, the Mariners could be a great stacking option. Keuchel was awful last season, posting a 5.28 ERA that was supported by a 5.23 FIP. He's also never been one to overpower hitters, recording an 18.3 percent strikeout rate for his career. The lefty being on the mound could be especially beneficial for Haniger, who has a career .227 ISO and .361 wOBA versus left-handers.
Astros vs. Merrill Kelly ($27), Diamondbacks: Kyle Tucker ($21), Alex Bregman ($16), Michael Brantley ($14)
Kelly had an odd stat line in his season debut. He didn't allow a run and he recorded seven strikeouts over four innings versus the Padres, but he also allowed six baserunners. Given that he only has a 20.4 percent strikeout rate for his career, don't expect him to all of a sudden become a dominant force in that department. He'll be facing an uphill battle against the Astros, who had the second-highest OPS in baseball last season, and rank inside the top-10 in OPS in the early going this year.
Yankees vs. Jose Berrios ($38), Blue Jays: Aaron Judge ($19), Anthony Rizzo ($17), DJ LeMahieu ($14)
As mentioned previously, there are a lot of good starting pitchers set to take the mound. We'll need to reach a little bit for a third stacking option, so why not go with one of the more talented lineups in baseball? Berrios didn't exactly look sharp in his season debut, either, allowing four runs and recording just one out against the Rangers. Judge could be one of the top options for a Yankees stack given his career 169 wRC+ at home.
