This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
There will be a lot of day baseball Wednesday, with five games carrying early start times. Among them could be a great pitching matchup when Charlie Morton and the Braves take on Chris Bassitt and the Mets. The evening portion of the slate is not short on top-tier pitchers, either. Among the big names who are expected to take the mound are Shane McClanahan, Zack Wheeler, Shohei Ohtani and Tony Gonsolin. Keeping in mind that runs might be difficult to come by in several games, here are some players to consider targeting for your Yahoo lineups.
Pitchers
The Astros might have an emerging ace in Cristian Javier ($52), who has a 3.01 ERA and a 3.05 FIP to go along with his 34.1 percent strikeout rate. His WHIP is a sparkling 0.99, and he's limited opponents to a 33.9 percent hard-hit rate. This has the potential to be a great matchup for him against the Angels, who have struck out the most times in baseball.
With their sights set on the Word Series, it will be interesting to see how the Yankees handle Luis Severino ($44). He's already logged 84 innings this season after pitching a total of 18 innings the last three years. They may need to skip him a time or two to try and help keep him fresh, but for now, he's rolling with a 3.11 ERA and a 3.54 FIP. More success could be coming against the Reds, who have the second-worst road OPS (.621) in baseball.
With Kevin Gausman (ankle) still sidelined, the Blue Jays will turn to Ross Stripling ($32) to start against the Phillies. He's been one of their more reliable starters of late, posting a 2.55 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP over his last seven outings. The Phillies' lineup is compromised with Bryce Harper (thumb) out, and J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm on the restricted list, so Stripling has the potential to provide value.
Top Targets
Aaron Civale ($30) hasn't been as bad as his 6.28 ERA would lead you to believe, considering his 4.28 FIP. Opponents have a .346 BABIP against him despite his 39.6 percent hard-hit rate allowed not being all that much higher than his career mark. However, he isn't doing as good of a job keeping the ball on the ground, inducing a career-low 38.7 percent ground ball rate. If he can't keep the ball on the ground against the duo of Jose Abreu ($20) and Luis Robert ($19), he could be in trouble. Abreu is particularly hot, hitting 35-for-88 (.398) with two home runs and eight doubles over his last 22 games.
Bargain Bats
Staying with the White Sox's matchup against Civale, Eloy Jimenez ($12) is another viable option, and his salary is much more manageable. Injuries have limited him to just 18 games, and he's off to a slow start with a 60 wRC+, but he has power upside with a career .493 slugging percentage.
Austin Hays ($11) has gone into a slump, hitting 3-for-42 (.071) over his last 11 games. Still, he has a 111 wRC+ for the season, and his strikeout rate of 18.7 percent is not troublesome. He should at least be on your radar against Justin Steele ($40), who has a 1.43 WHIP and can be wild, given his 10.7 percent walk rate.
Stacks to Consider
Yankees vs. Mike Minor ($27), Reds: Giancarlo Stanton ($19), DJ LeMahieu ($17), Jose Trevino ($9)
The rebuilding Reds would probably love to move the veteran Minor before the trade deadline. However, it will be difficult for them to get much back for him, given that he has a 6.63 ERA and a 6.79 FIP through seven starts. Facing a Yankees team that has hit the most home runs in baseball likely won't help his cause. One of their most pleasant surprises has been Trevino, who has recorded a .359 wOBA at Yankee Stadium.
Cubs vs. Spenser Watkins ($28), Orioles: Christopher Morel ($17), Ian Happ ($17), Willson Contreras ($18)
Watkins is on a bit of a hot streak, allowing one run in each of his last three starts. However, it's difficult to have much faith in a pitcher who has a 12.6 percent strikeout rate and an 8.7 percent walk rate. This won't be an easy matchup against the Cubs, who have a .748 OPS at home. One of their leaders has been Happ, who has bounced back from a disappointing 2021 campaign to record a .357 wOBA.
Padres vs. Chad Kuhl ($31), Rockies: Manny Machado ($21), Jake Cronenworth ($19), Eric Hosmer ($10)
With only nine games making up the main evening slate, it's awfully difficult to resist a stack at Coors Field. The Padres have surprisingly only scored nine runs over the first two games of this series, but Machado did hit a home run in the first game. Cronenworth has gone 3-for-7 with a home run of his own. Hosmer is interesting at his cheap salary, given that he has at leas one hit in five of his last seven games.
