This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
We have a robust nine-game main slate on tap Wednesday night, with first pitches set for 7:05pm EDT. There are plenty of big names taking the hill as well, with Yu Darvish, Clayton Kershaw and Trevor Bauer three of the top names in action. They are far from the only upside options, however, as the likes of Zach Davies and Jesus Luzardo are among solid 2020 performers that sport more affordable salaries.
There no games with a higher projected total than 9.5 runs, which makes sense when considering the quality of some of the aforementioned arms and the fact there's no Coors Field game on the ledger. Nevertheless, there are still some one-off bats and teams as a whole in favorable scenarios that could pay off nicely in either cash games or tournaments.
Pitchers
Clayton Kershaw, LAD at ARI ($11,000): Kershaw has seemingly turned back the clock during this unusual 2020 campaign, flashing the type of dominance he made the norm earlier in his career. The southpaw has already blanked the D-Backs over 11.2 innings across two starts this season and is averaging an impressive 43.16 FD points per start overall. Meanwhile, Arizona comes in averaging a meager 2.3 runs per game over their last three and has an anemic .200/.279/.319 slash line, minus-8.3 wRAA and .267 wOBA in the 180 plate appearances they've logged against lefties over the last two weeks of play, while the team's current bats own a cumulative .213 average and .256 OBP over 122 career at-bats against Kershaw.
Zach Davies, SDP vs. COL ($9,000): Davies has been one of the many pleasant surprises for the Padres this season. He checks into Wednesday's matchup against the Rockies with a 6-2 record, a 2.33 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP over eight starts while posting a career-best 22.6 percent strikeout rate. Davies' two prior starts against the Rockies have come at Coors, where he's held his own by giving up three earned runs over 10.2 innings. This time he gets them in his pitcher-friendly home park, and Colorado notably scores nearly two runs fewer per game (4.0, compared to 5.7) when away from their home park.
Dane Dunning, CWS at PIT ($7,700): Like several other young arms thrust into action this season, Dunning has gotten his MLB career off to a solid start despite never having pitched at the Triple-A level. The right-hander has a respectable 3.86 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over three starts and currently boasts an elite 17.9 percent swinging strike rate and 30.5 percent strikeout rate. The Pirates make for excellent targets, considering Pittsburgh is averaging a modest 3.9 runs per game and owns a 25.3 percent strikeout rate, .220/.289/.351 slash line, minus-15.3 wRAA and .278 wOBA over the 415 plate appearances its hitters have logged against right-handed pitching the last two weeks.
Tyler Anderson, SF vs. SEA ($6,300): Anderson is strictly a cost-savings tournament play, but he's one that could pay off very nicely at his salary if he's having one of his better games. The veteran southpaw has a favorable matchup versus the Mariners, who own an MLB-high 27.5 percent strikeout rate and MLB-low .185 average and .271 wOBA over the last month of play against left-handers (313 plate appearances) despite having played better than expected thus far overall. What's more, Anderson has had one "spike" game of 49 FD points already, and he's also tallied 24 apiece in two other starts. There's undeniably risk attached, but his salary certainly accounts for that.
ALSO CONSIDER: Yu Darvish, CHC vs. CIN ($11,500); Luis Garcia, HOU at OAK ($6,000)
Top Targets
Jose Abreu, CWS at PIT ($3,900): Abreu is turning in an MVP-caliber season, as he'll check into Wednesday's matchup against rookie JT Brubaker averaging 13.9 FD points per game and slashing .314/.359/.610 with 25 XBH and 40 RBI in 42 games. Abreu has done his most damage against righties as well (1.013 OPS and .331/.376/.637 slash across 133 PAs), while Brubaker has pitched to some contact (25 H allowed in 25 IP) and has displayed control issues (4.0 BB/9) that a savvy veteran slugger like Abreu could capitalize on.
Manny Machado, SDP vs. COL ($3,900): Machado is another accomplished veteran exceeding expectations, as evidenced by a career-best .308/.376/.586 line that includes 12 homers and 37 RBI. Machado is facing a pitcher he knows well and has thrived against, as he owns a .400 average and only one strikeout against Rockies starter Antonio Senzatela in 12 career plate appearances against him. The splits line up well also, with Machado having slugged eight of his 12 homers against righties and Senzatela having yielded four of his seven round trippers to right-handed hitters.
Anthony Rizzo, CHC vs. CIN ($3,800): Rizzo may shape up more as a tournament play considering the matchup against Trevor Bauer, but the left-handed slugger has a couple of factors in his favor. He's one of the few hitters who has legitimately gotten the better of Bauer more often than not, producing a .500 average, two doubles and two homers against the right-hander across 19 career plate appearances. Then, consider that despite Rizzo's difficult year overall, he's hit all nine of his homers off righties and is being held back by an artificially low .195 BABIP that's way out of whack with his solid 23.9 percent line-drive rate and 40.7 percent hard-contact rate. Finally, it's worth noting that Bauer, just like last season, continues to have some trouble keeping the ball in the park against lefty hitters, having surrendered all six of his homers this season to hitters of that handedness after allowing 20 to them in 2019.
ALSO CONSIDER: Cody Bellinger, LAD at ARI ($4,100)
Bargain Bats
Michael Conforto, NYM vs. BAL ($3,200): Conforto is a bargain based on both his own numbers and the matchup he draws versus Orioles starter Jorge Lopez. The right-hander has allowed just one homer this season after surrendering 27 in 2019, but he still sports a 5.59 ERA and has a mediocre 7.8 percent swinging strike rate and 15.3 percent strikeout rate. Additionally, Lopez gave up a .332 average and allowed 15 homers over 272 plate appearances to left-handed batters in 2019, while Conforto boasts a career-best .340/.426/.547 slash line with 19 XBH and 26 RBI. He has punished righties for a .371 average as part of a 1.012 OPS in 112 plate appearances this season and has scored over 20 FD points in four of his last seven contests.
Wil Myers, SDP vs. COL ($3,100): Myers is another Padres hitter bringing a favorable history against Senzatela into Wednesday's matchup. The veteran has touched up the Rockies starter for a .391/.400/.696 line with two doubles, a triple and a solo home run across 25 plate appearances while striking out just four times in that sample. Myers is also arguably putting together the best season of his career, slashing .297/.366/.607 with 22 XBH (including 11 homers) and 30 RBI in 40 games. He'll check in having just racked up an eye-popping 50.8 FD points Tuesday night and is hitting .359 with three homers and nine RBI over his last 10 games (41 plate appearances).
Stacks to Consider
Mets vs. Lopez: Brandon Nimmo ($2,900); Conforto; Dominic Smith ($3,400); Robinson Cano ($3,300)
Lopez's issues against left-handed hitters and his elevated ERA overall were discussed earlier in Conforto's entry, while the Mets come in with an MLB-high .298 average, 32.4 wRAA and .374 wOBA against right-handed pitching over the last month. Nimmo isn't having as productive a season as some of his other teammates in the stack, but he still has some power upside and has a .308 average and five of his six homers this season against righties. Conforto was already discussed, while Smith brings a .332/.390/.636 line and 32 RBI over 35 games to the table, along with a .356 average and 1.108 OPS against right-handed pitching in 96 plate appearances. Finally, Cano is looking like a much younger version of himself this season, posting a .319/.350/.566 slash line for the season, including a .351 average and five of his seven homers on the season against righties.
Dodgers vs. Taylor Clarke: Mookie Betts ($4,500); Corey Seager ($4,000); A.J. Pollock ($3,000); Cody Bellinger ($4,100)
Clarke is enjoying a surprisingly good season, although he's only made three starts. He's also coming off a 2019 season in which he allowed a 5.31 ERA and 23 homers over 84.2 innings, so some regression could be in store. It could well come against a Dodgers team that's averaging an MLB-high 5.62 runs per game, has belted an MLB-high 48 homers off right-handed pitchers in the last month, and carries the highest projected team run total on the slate (5.7). Betts makes for an excellent component of any stack, and he's living up to his own lofty expectations with a .310/.385/.608 line, 13 homers and 32 RBI in 40 games on his way to an average of 14.96 FD points per game. Seager isn't far behind his talented teammate, averaging 14.07 FD points and posting a .332/.375/.616 line that includes 31 RBI over 36 games and an astronomical 54.6 percent hard-contact rate. Pollock numbers don't quite match up, but he still carries a strong .279 average and .514 slugging percentage into Wednesday, along with a .345 average (10-for-29) with two homers and three RBI across his last seven games. Finally, Bellinger has underperformed, but he's been a victim of some misfortune when putting balls in play. The 25-year-old does have 15 XBH (five doubles, 10 homers) and 22 RBI, and has fallen victim to a .202 BABIP despite a 23.2 percent line-drive rate and career-low 15.9 percent strikeout rate. Bellinger does have a triple and a home run against Clarke in eight plate appearances, and he's been a much better road hitter, belting eight of his 10 round trippers outside of Dodger Stadium.
