This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We're past the trade deadline, but it's another unconventional day on DraftKings, as there are two primary slates to work with. The first is seven games and kicks off at 12:10 pm ET. The second is at 7:10 pm ET and gives us five games to work with. Though it has fewer matchups, the latter is treated as the "main slate" with more varied contest offerings and larger prize pools. We'll follow suit and preview the contests for Wednesday evening.
Pitchers
Dylan Cease ($9,700) was the headliner of the league last week thanks to the no-hitter he threw against the Nats, but he's now turned in three consecutive excellent starts. In that span, he's managed 30 strikeouts across 23 innings without allowing an earned run. That's hard to argue with. A matchup against the Dodgers isn't as imposing as usual due to the absence of Mookie Betts (hand) and Freddie Freeman (personal).
The reason to pass on Cease is due to some of the strong options in the tier below him, where Framber Valdez ($8,900) stands out. He draws a Pirates team that has played well but has been powered by its pitching rather than its lineup and also strikes out at the fourth-highest rate against left-handed pitching. Logan Webb ($8,600) is also worth considering in this price range, but the A's have had a hot offense and Webb has been in a rut lately.
Even the lower range of the price pool offers some intriguing names. Davis Daniel ($7,700) is the most expensive of the group. He's inexperienced at the big-league level but has a 20 percent strikeout rate and a 3.69 SIERA. A matchup against the Rockies away from Coors also helps.
For those who are willing to play with fire, Kyle Freeland ($6,000) has been serviceable of late. In his last six starts, he's topped 15 DraftKings points four times. The Angels didn't sell off as much as expected at the deadline but are still a weak lineup.
Top Hitters
On such a short slate, most of our top hitters will come from the best stacks of the day, so that will be the primary focus of this article. One name to consider without necessarily including him in a stack is Ezequiel Tovar ($4,000). He's been on fire lately (15.3 DraftKings points per game in the last 10 games). Davis Daniel isn't an imposing matchup.
Value Bats
The Giants dealt away Jorge Soler at the trade deadline, leaving the top of their lineup in flux. Brett Wisely ($3,100) looks to be the primary beneficiary, as he should hit second in the order Wednesday in a matchup against Ross Stripling.
Jo Adell ($3,200) is as streaky as it gets, but one thing he does consistently well is hit lefties. He has a .394 ISO in an admittedly small sample this season, but he comes in at the right price and has an unimposing matchup against Freeland.
Stacks to Consider
Houston Astros vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (Jake Woodford): Jose Altuve ($5,400), Yordan Alvarez ($5,600), Yainer Diaz ($4,300)
There weren't many particularly obvious stacks to target on this slate initially, but the Pirates gave us all a gift by starting Woodford. In 193 innings in the majors, he has a 4.57 ERA, has allowed a 1.3 HR/9 and has only a 15.1 percent strikeout rate. The Astros haven't managed much offense early in this series, but Diaz has been hot and Alvarez is always capable of a multi-homer game.
Cincinnati Reds vs. Chicago Cubs (Kyle Hendricks): Jonathan India ($4,400), Elly De La Cruz ($6,200), Spencer Steer ($5,000)
Things also line up very well for the Reds. Hendricks checks most of the boxes we want to see when stacking pitchers, most notably only a 15.9 percent strikeout rate while also giving up 1.8 HR/9. Add in hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park and the Reds are among the best stacking options Wednesday night.
