This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
There are a lot of early start times across baseball Wednesday, leaving just seven games to make up the main evening slate on DraftKings. While that doesn't leave us with a ton of options, that doesn't mean you can't end the night with a winning entry. Here are some players who could help in your efforts to win some cash.
Pitchers
Wednesday could be all about the "Three M's" when it comes to starting pitchers. The first "M" is Lance McCullers Jr. ($9,900), who will start against the Tigers. He dominated the A's in his first two starts of the season, allowing two runs and recording 13 strikeouts across 10 innings. The Tigers present another favorable matchup given that they had the sixth-worst OPS (.700) in baseball last season. This season, they had the ninth-worst mark (.663) heading into play Tuesday.
The second "M" for this slate is Dustin May ($9,400), who earned a spot in the Dodgers' starting rotation out of Spring Training. He certainly made a good first impression to hold onto the role, recording eight strikeouts across six scoreless innings against the A's. His second start is set up for him to potentially thrive being that it's at home against a depleted Rockies' lineup.
The last of the "Three M's" for this slate is Charlie Morton ($7,600), who was a key offseason addition for a Braves team that badly needed some depth for their starting rotation. Both of his first two starts came against the Phillies, who he limited to four runs across 11 innings. He also had 12 strikeouts during that stretch, which is an area that he has excelled in since joining the Astros in 2017. Facing a Marlins' team that had a poor 2020 offensive campaign could leave Morton with a valuable stat line.
Top Targets
Kohei Arihara ($6,500) has been beat up for six runs (five earned) across nine innings in his first two starts. He's only walked one batter, but he also has just two strikeouts, which could prove to be problematic for him. His strikeout numbers weren't great in Japan, either, including a 2017 season in which he had just 88 of them across 169 innings. This could be a prime spot to deploy Randy Arozarena ($5,300) and Brandon Lowe ($4,600), two of the most powerful bats in the Rays' lineup.
Bargain Bats
After having not played at any level higher than Double-A, Taylor Trammell ($3,200) made the jump to the majors this season. Considering he didn't play at all in 2020 because of the lack of a minor league season, that's not exactly the easiest of transitions. However, he had homered in back-to-back games entering play Tuesday and he showed impressive on base skills while playing in the minors. He could be worth a look in tournament play against Matt Harvey ($6,700), who has finished with a WHIP of at least 1.47 in four of his last five seasons.
While his salary isn't as cheap as Trammell's, Mitch Haniger ($4,000) could still end up being a bargain based on this matchup. He hasn't missed a beat after sitting out all of 2020, logging at least one hit in all but one game this season. Based on his career .213 ISO and Harvey allowing at least 1.6 HR/9 in four straight seasons, it wouldn't be a surprise to him go deep in this contest, either.
Stacks to Consider
Phillies vs. David Peterson ($7,100), Mets: J.T. Realmuto ($5,100), Rhys Hoskins ($4,800), Alec Bohm ($4,000)
Peterson was originally scheduled to pitch Monday, but a rainout pushed his outing to Wednesday. He also faced the Phillies in his first start and was roughed up for six runs across four innings. He's in the early stages of his career given that he had never even pitched above Double-A prior to last season. Although he finished with a 3.44 ERA with the Mets last season, his 4.52 FIP and 11.7 percent walk rate indicate things could have been much worse. Hoskins could be a key part of any Phillies stack given his career .391 wOBA against left-handed pitchers.
Braves vs. Nick Neidert ($6,200), Marlins: Freddie Freeman ($5,400), Ronald Acuna ($6,100), Marcell Ozuna ($4,200)
This is a dangerous trio, regardless of who toes the rubber against them. However, they could be especially productive against Neidert, who has a 1.58 WHIP across 12.2 career innings in the majors. He showed similar issues in the minors, posting a 1.63 WHIP during his only stint at Triple-A, which came in 2019. If he can't find a way to keep men off base in this game, the Braves could score in bunches.
Orioles vs. Justin Dunn ($6,100), Mariners: Trey Mancini ($5,100), Cedric Mullins ($4,300), DJ Stewart ($2,800)
Talk about a lack of control. Dunn couldn't find the plate in his season debut against the White Sox, issuing eight walks across 4.2 innings. He had similar issues last season with 31 walks allowed across 45.2 innings. He also gave up 10 home runs last season, which is a deadly combination with his lack of control. The Orioles might not have an overpowering lineup, but this could be a prime opportunity to deploy them in DFS.
