This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
The MLB action is divvied out across Wednesday, and with some of the weather out there early starts could turn into late starts. However, I am not here to predict the weather. I am here to look at the eight MLB games starting at 6:35 p.m. ET or later and giving you my DFS recommendations.
Pitching
Bryce Elder, ATL vs. MIA ($9,400): Last season, Elder delivered what Atlanta needed, 10 appearances (nine starts) with a 3.17 ERA and 3.77 FIP. This year, though, he's looking primed for a big step forward. Across four starts Elder has an 1.14 ERA and 2.51 FIP. The Marlins are looking ensconced in the bottom five in runs scored for another season, so I expect the Atlanta arm to stay hot.
Patrick Sandoval, LAA vs. OAK ($6,500): Sandoval was a bright spot in 2022 for the Angels, posting a 2.91 ERA. While he has a 3.38 ERA through four starts this season, he was looking good until he got roughed up at Yankee Stadium. Pitching at home against the Athletics is an easier situation for the lefty, as even with a couple good games recently the Athletics are still in the bottom five in runs scored.
Top Targets
Shohei Ohtani ($6,400) is off to a slow start by his standards, but of course for him that means he's slashed .253/.327/.460 with five homers and three stolen bases. Oddly, his issue has been with right-handed pitchers so far. Since 2021 he has a .924 OPS versus righties, so I expect that to change. Luis Medina is expected to make his first MLB start Wednesday, and Ohtani could offer a cold welcome to the big leagues to the Oakland pitcher.
The Astros have not been at their usual standards offensively, aside from Kyle Tucker ($5,700). He's slashed .301/.412/.518 with five homers and stolen bases. Calvin Faucher has a career 5.63 ERA, but he's expected to only go a couple innings before Josh Fleming takes over. Fleming is a lefty, like Tucker, but Tucker actually has an .826 OPS versus lefties since 2021, so that's not a deterrent.
Bargain Bats
Last year, Bryson Stott ($4,100) had some issues as a rookie, but he had 10 homers and 12 stolen bases. This season he's leading off for the Phillies, and he's on fire, having batted .337 with a .362 OBP. Logan Gilbert, a righty, has a 3.57 ERA, which isn't bad. However, he's dealing with a shoulder issue, which is why I am cool with rostering Stott against him Wednesday.
With a lefty on the mound for the opposition, I expect Wilmer Flores ($3,300) in the lineup for the Giants. Since 2021 he has a .773 OPS against southpaws, and a .791 OPS at home. Steven Matz has a 6.55 ERA and has allowed 1.64 home runs per nine innings. Weirdly, the one game he didn't allow a home run was when he pitched at Coors, but he went ahead and allowed six runs in 5.2 innings anyway.
Stacks to Consider
Mets vs. Nationals (MacKenzie Gore): Starling Marte ($5,000), Francisco Lindor ($4,800), Tommy Pham ($3,400)
To his credit, Gore has so far kept home runs in check. He still has a 4.17 FIP in 2023, though. What's jarring is that the lefty has walked six batters per nine innings. Gore also allowed righties to hit .263 against him last year. I decided to eschew Pete Alonso because of Gore not being a homer-happy pitcher, but I still found a fine stack from the Mets.
It's not surprising that Marte is on the stolen-base train, given he stole 47 two years ago. He has seven in 2023 even though he's batted .227. He's averaged at least .275 every season aside from his rookie campaign in 2012, so I expect a lot of improvement on that front. Lindor is a career .276 hitter who batted .270 last season, so I expect better things again. He already has nine doubles, four homers, and two stolen bases as well. Plus, so far this year the switch hitter has been much better against lefties and at home. Pham will likely be in the lineup with a lefty on the mound. He has four seasons with double-digit homers and stolen bases to his name. Last year he had 17 home runs and eight swiped bags, but also a .784 OPS versus southpaws.
Cubs vs. Padres (Michael Wacha): Ian Happ ($5,100), Seiya Suzuki ($4,900), Nico Hoerner ($4,200)
Wacha has a 7.08 ERA, though he does have a 4.35 FIP. On the other hand, this would be his sixth season in a row with a FIP over 4.00, which is decidedly mediocre. Though he is right handed, since 2021 righties have hit .280 against Wacha, so I eschewed the southpaws for this stack.
Happ is a switch hitter, but since 2021 he has an .804 OPS against righties, so he prefers this type of matchup. On top of that, he has an OPS of .821 in that same time frame. Suzuki has hit well since returning from injury, having slashed .289/.400/.395. The Japanese hitter doesn't seem like he has a ton of power necessarily, but he did slug .479 at Wrigley Field in 2022. Hoerner's .337 average is striking, but he's a career .285 hitter so we know he can bat for average. He had 20 stolen bases in 135 games last year, but he's already up to nine this season.
