This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Wednesday will feature several big-name starting pitchers taking the mound for their respective teams. While that might make runs difficult to come by for some teams, others find themselves with favorable positions to score in bunches. Let's dive into which pitchers and hitters to consider on Yahoo.
Pitchers
Clayton Kershaw ($55) is about as good as it gets when he pitches at home. He has a 0.71 WHIP over 31 innings at home this season, and a 0.97 WHIP to go along with a 2.66 FIP at home for his career. As if those numbers weren't encouraging enough, he will take the mound in Los Angeles against a White Sox team that has the fifth-worst OPS in baseball. Despite his hefty salary, Kershaw is difficult to resist.
Justin Verlander ($38) certainly has been inconsistent. He has made seven starts for the Mets, allowing at least five runs in three of them. However, he allowed two runs or fewer in each of the other four outings. Taking on a Yankees team that is still without Aaron Judge (toe) and Harrison Bader (hamstring) could leave Verlander with another one of his better stat lines.
After starting off the season with a 1.99 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP over his first five outings, Ben Lively ($41) has been torched for 12 runs over 13.2 innings in his last two starts. One of the problems was that he gave up five home runs over those two outings. As bad as he has been lately, this is a good bounce-back spot for him against the Royals. They have hit the seventh-fewest home runs and scored the second-fewest runs in baseball.
Top Targets
By his lofty standards, Mike Trout ($18) is having a down season with a .218 ISO and a .359 wOBA. Still, he is difficult to resist in a matchup against the inconsistent Andrew Heaney ($44). Trout is known for his excellent eye at the plate and Heaney has a 10.2 percent walk rate this season. Also, Heaney has allowed 1.6 HR/9 for his career.
Gunnar Henderson ($18) has put his slow start in the rearview mirror. Over his last 10 games, he is 16-for-37 (.432) with five home runs, two doubles and two steals. Jose Berrios ($42) has pitched much better lately, but Henderson is so locked in right now that he is still a great option.
Bargain Bats
Harold Ramirez ($12) is putting together the best season of his career with a 147 wRC+. He has been especially hot of late, hitting 18-for-46 (.391) with two home runs and three doubles over his last 13 games. Look for him to exploit a matchup against Luis Medina ($25), who has a 7.53 ERA and a 6.65 FIP.
Zach Neto ($11) made a big jump from Double-A straight to the majors. He has had his ups and down, posting a .337 wOBA. However, he has not been overmatched, given his modest 18.6 percent strikeout rate. Over his last 11 games, he is 11-for-31 (.355) with three home runs and two doubles. During that stretch, he showed a great eye at the plate with a 16.5 percent strikeout rate and a 10.8 percent walk rate. At this reasonable salary, he is another member of the Angels to consider against Heaney.
Stacks to Consider
Rangers vs. Reid Detmers ($39), Angels: Corey Seager ($22), Marcus Semien ($20), Josh Jung ($18)
Detmers might be a bit unlucky to have a 4.79 ERA. His FIP is much better at 3.39 and opponents have a .377 BABIP against him despite him allowing just a 4.5 percent hard-hit rate. Still, this is a tough matchup for him to try and improve on his ratios, given that the Rangers have scored the most runs in baseball. When he faced them earlier in the season, he gave up three runs, seven hits and two walks over just four innings. A top choice for a Rangers stack is Jung, who has a career .300 ISO and a .404 wOBA against left-handed pitchers.
Reds vs. Daniel Lynch ($30), Royals: Elly De La Cruz ($20), Jonathan India ($18), Spencer Steer ($19)
Lynch hasn't been able to live up to the hype that followed him throughout the minors. For his career, he has a 5.25 ERA and a 4.57 FIP. One of his main issues is that he has a career 1.58 WHIP. That mark isn't much better this year at 1.47 through 16.1 innings. If he can't find a way to limit baserunners in this game, he could get roughed up by a Reds team that has already scored the 10th-most runs in baseball. A difficult out for him could prove to be Steer, who has a career .367 wOBA against lefties.
Dodgers vs. Mike Clevinger ($32), White Sox: Freddie Freeman ($23), Mookie Betts ($24), David Peralta ($13)
Stacking the Dodgers when they are at home is generally a good strategy. They have a .762 OPS on the road, but that mark jumps up to .821 at home. Clevinger has a mediocre 4.19 ERA, but his 5.03 FIP paints a more concerning picture about his performance. Peralta has quietly been a valuable contributor lately, hitting 16-for-36 (.444) with two home runs and two doubles over his last 12 games.
