This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
We have a heavy dose of day games Wednesday, meaning that the main slate on Yahoo will start early at 3:40 PM EDT. Since we'll have to get our lineups in sooner than usual, let's get right to it and highlight some pitchers and hitters to pursue.
Pitchers
Taking the mound for the Cubs when they face the Cardinals will be Justin Steele ($44), who has a 0.95 WHIP through seven starts. That has enabled him to allow two or fewer earned runs in each of his outings. Steele does a great job of limiting home runs, allowing 0.9 HR/9 for his career. In his lone outing against the Cardinals last season, he gave up two runs (one earned) across seven innings.
Merrill Kelly ($40) is someone to target when he pitches at home. He has a career 3.43 FIP and 1.16 WHIP there, compared to a 4.74 FIP and a 1.30 WHIP on the road. Not only will he start at home, but he will do so against the Marlins, who have scored the fewest runs in baseball.
Prior to this season, Seth Lugo ($37) hadn't started a game since 2020. The last two years, he made a total of 108 appearances out of the bullpen for the Mets. Now a member of the Padres, he has a 3.21 ERA and a 3.94 FIP over six starts. His 21.7 percent strikeout rate isn't anything to write home about, but he could receive a boost in that department against the Twins, who have struck out the fifth-most times in baseball.
Top Targets
Yordan Alvarez ($22) is a great option more often than not. He is off to a hot start, posting a .400 wOBA to go along with his seven home runs across 30 games. Expect him to be a difficult out for Griffin Canning ($31), who has a career 4.78 ERA and 4.70 FIP.
Wander Franco ($19) hit six home runs over 83 games last year. This season, he already has seven of them over 35 games. Not only is he hitting for more power, but he has a .392 wOBA. Orioles' starter Dean Kremer ($25) has allowed 1.8 HR/9 this season, and he has a 1.54 WHIP to go along with his 5.39 FIP. The Rays are appealing for this matchup, with Franco standing out among the players in their lineup.
Bargain Bats
Ty France ($11) enters the day on a seven-game hitting streak that has seen him go 11-for-28 (.393) with a home run and a double. Trying to break his streak will be Dane Dunning ($31), who has been filling in for Jacob deGrom (elbow). While he shut out the Angels in his first start this season, he has started at least 25 games and had a WHIP of at least 1.43 in both the last two seasons.
Tim Anderson ($9) has been limited to 18 games because of injury. Even when he has been on the field, he has not performed well, given his 78 wRC+. However, a matchup against Brad Keller ($29) might be just what he needs to break out of his funk. Keller doesn't miss a ton of bats, leaving him with a career 17.3 percent strikeout rate. Also, he has a 1.82 WHIP through his first seven starts this year.
Stacks to Consider
Braves vs. Brayan Bello ($25), Red Sox: Ronald Acuna Jr. ($25), Matt Olson ($21), Sean Murphy ($23)
If Bello is going to live up to the high expectations that traveled with him throughout the minors, he is going to need to improve on his 1.77 WHIP through 74.2 career innings in the majors. This season, opponents have a 51.8 percent hard-hit rate against him. Expect him to have troubles with the Braves, who have scored the fifth-most runs in baseball. They continue to be led by Acuna, who has a .426 wOBA.
Red Sox vs. Jared Shuster ($25), Braves: Rafael Devers ($19), Justin Turner ($13), Enrique Hernandez ($10)
Max Fried (forearm) has landed back on the disabled list. Shuster is expected to be recalled from the minors to get the initial opportunity to fill his spot in the starting rotation. The problem for the Braves is, he allowed eight runs over 8.2 innings for them previously this year. During those two starts, he had only five strikeouts go along with nine walks issued. Hernandez only has a career .291 wOBA against right-handed pitchers, but he has a .347 mark against lefties.
Orioles vs. Jalen Beeks ($25), Rays: Adley Rutschman ($17), Cedric Mullins ($17), Jorge Mateo ($18)
Beeks is expected to serve as the opener for the Rays with Yonny Chirinos expected to follow him and pitch multiple innings. He has a 1.86 ERA through 19.1 innings, but his FIP isn't as good at 3.58, and he has been a bit lucky with opponents having a .158 BABIP against him. The Orioles have scored the seventh-most runs in baseball, so they could exploit this matchup. One of their most consistent hitters has been Rutschman, who has followed up his .807 OPS last year with a .823 OPS through 36 games.
