This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We have a solid nine-game slate to work with Wednesday, with the only caveat being that the first pitch is set for 6:40 pm ET rather than the usual 7:05 or 7:10. There are several top-tier arms to work with, though there are interesting pitching options at every tier of pricing. Even with Coors Field on the afternoon slate, there are a few potentially intriguing hitting environments to consider, with Globe Life Field and Angel Stadium standing out.
Pitchers
Dylan Cease ($9,800) and Paul Skenes ($8.800) are the two standout pitchers of the day, with 30.9 percent and 35.7 percent strikeout rates, respectively. Cease has the far better matchup as he draws an Angels lineup that has struck out at the ninth-highest clip and has the third-worst wOBA against right-handed pitchers. Skenes draws a far tougher assignment against the Dodgers.
We can skip a few tiers down to Braxton Garrett ($7,600). He's been inconsistent in his four starts since being activated from the injured list, but he draws a positive matchup against the Rays on Wednesday. Tampa Bay has the fourth-highest strikeout in the league against southpaws this season.
Jose Soriano ($7,300) and Albert Suarez ($7,100) have emerged as somewhat surprising contributors in the first two months of the season. I prefer Suarez, primarily due to a matchup against the Blue Jays. Toronto doesn't strike out much, but they have only a .307 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season.
For those willing to take on some risk, Kenta Maeda ($6,200) is a potential punt. Despite some ups and downs this season, he's posted at least 14.9 DraftKings points in three of his last five starts. He may find that threshold tough to meet against the Rangers, but he is certainly underpriced.
Top Hitters
Maeda is a decent punt option, but there's no denying he's had a home run problem this season (2.2 HR/9). Marcus Semien ($5,200) is the locked-in leadoff hitter in the Rangers' lineup and is a nice player to build around.
Maikel Garcia ($4,500) may not be a superstar name, but he's the leadoff hitter for the Royals and has experienced a lot of success against left-handed pitchers this season. He has a nice combination of floor and ceiling. He has a .255 ISO and .382 wOBA against southpaws this season paired with only a 5.8 percent strikeout rate.
Value Bats
The White Sox don't have many intriguing options, but they do have a matchup to exploit against Jameson Taillon, as he has just a 15.4 percent strikeout rate and a 4.58 SIERA for the campaign. Corey Julks ($3,400) is regularly hitting in the top third of the White Sox's order and should be in a good position to put up points if they can score some runs.
J.P. Crawford ($3,600) is another leadoff hitter who checks in at a reasonable price. He and the Mariners will take on Joey Estes, who has a career barrel rate allowed of 10.5 percent, which has led to 1.8 HR/9.
Stacks to Consider
New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins (Chris Paddack): Anthony Volpe ($4,900), Juan Soto ($6,200), Aaron Judge ($6,400)
Chris Paddack has surrendered a 10.6 percent barrel rate this season, tied for the highest rate of all available pitchers Wednesday night. That's not a good skill (or lack thereof) to have heading into Yankee Stadium against the elite power hitters in New York's lineup. The drawback is the cost, but with cheap pitchers available, it should be relatively easy to make things fit.
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (James Paxton): Andrew McCutchen ($3,900), Bryan Reynolds ($4,300), Connor Joe ($4,100)
The Pirates aren't typically a team we'd want to stack, but their matchup is worth highlighting even if the lineup still comes with significant risk. Paxton has only a 14.2 percent strikeout rate and a 1.4 percent K-BB rate with a 5.70 SIERA. His surface numbers haven't caught up to those marks, but he gave up five earned runs in his last traditional start. The Pirates are almost exactly a league-average lineup against lefties. However, the trio listed above each has an ISO of at least .193 and a wOBA of at least .357 with the handedness advantage this season. Pittsburgh also checks in as a reasonable secondary stack to the Yankees or another more traditionally powerhouse offense.
