This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
It's the middle of the week but the end of the MLB season. We've been watching a lot of baseball and are now even beyond Labor Day. This Wednesday we have 15 games on the slate, at least if you play an all-day contest. Since the first game starts at 2:10 p.m. EDT, I think it's not too hard to make that happen. As such, I'm giving all-day recommendations, and I think you will want to try to play those contests, especially from a pitching perspective.
PITCHING
Sandy Alcantara, MIA vs. NYM ($10,500): Alcantara has a 3.36 ERA for the year, and also a 2.04 ERA over his last five starts. He's also struck out 43 batters in those contests as well. A lack of offensive support has hurt Alcantara's record, but that might not be a problem in this matchup. Sure, the Marlins rank 27th in runs scored, but the Mets rank 28th.
Jose Urquidy, HOU vs. SEA ($8,900): Urquidy has missed time with injury, but when he's played he's posted a 3.42 ERA. At home, that ERA drops to 2.92. The Mariners have been swinging and missing with gusto this season. Seattle's .223 team batting average is last in the majors.
Normally, I try to recommend four pitchers, or at least three. For Wednesday, though, I honestly could only find two I was confident in. Nathan Eovaldi has been really good, but the Rays rank first in runs scored. Anthony DeSclafani is at Coors Field. Yu Darvish has been really struggling. If you are going to play the evening slate, maybe I'd take a shot on Mitch White ($6,100) for the Dodgers, assuming he starts. He should get offensive support and the Cardinals are bottom six in runs scored. On the other hand, only three of his 18 appearances have been starts, and he's only pitched more than four innings once.
TOP TARGETS
Ketel Marte, ARI vs. TEX ($4,000): Injuries have really cut into Marte's production this season, but when he's played he's really excelled. The 27-year-old has a .332/.387/.537 slash line. Arizona's ballpark also tends to help offensive production. Kohei Arihara is expected to start for the Rangers in this one, and that has not boded well this season. In eight starts he has a 6.47 FIP.
Whit Merrifield, KC at BAL ($3,200): In some ways Merrifield has perhaps been a little disappointing, mostly on the power front. On the other hand, he's hit .277 and stolen 39 bases. Wednesday he faces Matt Harvey, who has a 6.25 ERA and simply cannot get right-handed hitters out. Righties have hit .324 against him in 2021, which would be good enough to win the batting title.
VALUE BATS
Amed Rosario, CLE vs. MIN ($3,200): Rosario may never live up to his once-vaunted prospect status, but at 25 and having left the Mets he's shown he can be a regular MLB player. While he simply does not walk, the shortstop has hit .288 with 10 homers and 12 stolen bases. Joe Ryan has only made one MLB start, so his 5.40 ERA doesn't mean much. On the other hand, he is an inexperienced 25-year-old pitcher whose first start didn't go great.
Akil Baddoo, DET at PIT ($2,900): As a Tigers fan, I have to admit I did not expect Baddoo to have this kind of season. Here he is with 12 home runs and 14 stolen bases while hitting .259. He can't hit lefties, but he has an .870 OPS versus righties. Mitch Keller, meanwhile, really struggles against southpaws. Since 2019 he's allowed lefties to hit .336 against him.
STACKS TO CONSIDER
Atlanta vs. Sean Nolin: Ozzie Albies ($4,200), Austin Riley ($3,700), Dansby Swanson ($3,000)
Prior to this season, Nolin had last pitched in the majors in 2015. As a 31-year-old he has returned to MLB, but he hasn't gotten any better in the interim. In four starts he has a 5.71 ERA. I am eschewing Freddie Freeman since this is a lefty-on-lefty matchup, though given Nolin's numbers Freeman will likely be fine. I just figured there are safer options you can go with.
While Albies is a switch hitter, he has a .981 OPS versus lefties so he prefers these kinds of matchups. He also has 27 homers and 17 stolen bases, both personal bests for him. Riley has completely remade himself as a hitter. While he's shown power in the past, now he has a .303/.376/.536 slash line with 29 home runs. Swanson is scuffling a bit, but this is a matchup he can handle. He's still slugged .476 with 26 home runs and nine stolen bases, after all.
Astros vs. Tyler Anderson: Jose Altuve ($3,900), Carlos Correa ($3,700), Yuli Gurriel ($3,300)
Spanning his time with the Pirates and Mariners, Anderson has a 4.08 ERA. That's actually good for him, as he has a 4.52 ERA and 4.37 FIP for his career. Houston's lineup has a handful of potent bats – especially now that Alex Bregman is back – so this is a fine group for stacking purposes.
Altuve has hit .273 with 26 home runs, and he's really excelled at home where he has a .928 OPS. Correa has slashed .278/.370/.486 and over the last 21 days he has a .955 OPS. Facing a lefty at home is right up Gurriel's alley. This year he has a .954 OPS versus southpaws and a .913 OPS at home.
