This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, baseball brings 16 games on the schedule Wednesday. There will certainly be no shortage of exciting matchups with the Padres hosting the A's, the Blue Jays playing a doubleheader against Red Sox and the Braves facing off against the Mets. The night will be topped off by a matchup between two 10-game winners when Walker Buehler ($10,500) and the Dodgers battling Anthony DeSclafani ($8,800) and the Giants. Let's dive into some options to consider for the main evening slate on DraftKings.
Pitchers
One of the safer pitching options figures to be Lucas Giolito ($9,800), who enters his matchup with the Royals sporting a 3.78 ERA and a 3.93 FIP. While his strikeout rate has dipped a bit compared to the last two seasons, it's nothing to complain about at 28.2 percent. His WHIP also checks in at 1.14 thanks to an improved 7.9 percent walk rate. Working in his favor for this outing is that the Royals have scored the eighth-fewest runs in baseball.
Madison Bumgarner ($9,500) has been hurt by the defense behind him in his first two starts since being activated from the IL. He's allowed five runs over 11 innings, but only two of them were earned. He didn't exactly face tough lineups in the Cubs and Pirates, which likely helped his cause. He'll take on another struggling team in the Rangers, who have the worst OPS in baseball.
Andrew Heaney ($7,400) is coming off of one of his best starts of the season after holding the Twins to two runs over seven innings. He registered seven strikeouts in the outing and has thrived in that department this season with a 27.9 percent strikeout rate. He has an excellent opportunity to string together a couple of strong starts with a matchup against the Rockies on tap. They have been putrid on the road, posting a .602 OPS.
Top Targets
Chi Chi Gonzalez ($5,500) is in the midst of another poor season for the Rockies with his 6.60 ERA and 5.24 FIP. His 9.4 percent barrel rate allowed is the highest mark of his career and has contributed to him allowing 1.6 HR/9. Enter Shohei Ohtani ($6,400), who has a staggering .406 ISO.
The Rays have already made a big splash on the trade front, acquiring Nelson Cruz ($5,800) from the Twins. He comes over at the perfect time for a key series against the Yankees, who will start Nestor Cortes ($6,100) on Wednesday. With Cruz's career 154 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers, he's an extremely appealing option.
Bargain Bats
It's been a rough season for Patrick Corbin ($6,700), who enters his matchup against the Phillies with a 5.12 FIP and a 1.45 WHIP. This could be matchup to deploy Andrew McCutchen ($3,800), especially given his salary. For his career, he has a 158 wRC+ against southpaws. That includes a 173 wRC+ against them this year.
For those looking to exploit the Angels' matchup against Gonzalez with someone at a cheaper salary, Brandon Marsh ($2,700) could be worth considering. He had a .358 wOBA at Triple-A before being called up and has shown an ability to draw walks throughout his stops in the minors. Gonzales has also allowed a career .350 wOBA against left-handed hitters.
Stacks to Consider
White Sox vs. Kris Bubic ($5,100), Royals: Tim Anderson ($5,500), Jose Abreu ($5,000), Eloy Jimenez ($2,800)
Bubic has two stats that jump off the page and make him an appealing option to stack against in DFS. First, he has a 1.50 WHIP. Second, he's allowed 1.8 HR/9. That's a deadly combination. Even though Abreu is having a down season by his standards, he has a .369 wOBA against left-handed pitchers. That should come as little surprise given his career .387 mark against them.
Orioles vs. Jordan Holloway ($6,200), Marlins: Cedric Mullins ($4,600), Trey Mancini ($4,900), Austin Hays ($2,900)
With the Marlins short on healthy starting pitchers, Holloway is set to make his fourth start of the season in what will be his 13th appearance, overall. He made the jump from High-A to Triple-AAA this season, but the Marlins haven't had much of a choice but to give him extended run in the majors. He didn't miss many bats in the minors and only has a 22.2 percent strikeout rate with the Marlins. While the Orioles don't have a stellar lineup, they do have a .741 OPS at their hitter-friendly home park. Mullins should be the centerpiece of any Oriole stack given his 153 wRC+.
Marlins vs. Jorge Lopez ($5,300), Orioles: Starling Marte ($5,100), Adam Duvall ($4,300), Miguel Rojas ($4,500)
Staying in that same game, the Marlins could also be a team to consider stacking. Lopez has been awful for the Orioles, although his 4.86 FIP is at least better than his 5.84 ERA. His 1.62 WHIP has been the problem, and that might not improve much down the stretch given his career 1.54 WHIP. As long as Marte isn't traded before this matchup, he could be a key part of any Marlins stack given his .375 wOBA.
