This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
There's a lot of afternoon action Wednesday, but that doesn't mean there isn't some good evening baseball too. Seven games start at 7:05 p.m. EDT or later. I'm delving into these matchups for my DFS recommendations.
Pitching
Miles Mikolas, STL vs. BAL ($9,100): It's been a strong season for Mikolas, who didn't pitch in 2020 and only appeared in a few games in 2021. Through six starts he has a 1.53 ERA and 2.99 FIP. The Orioles are one of the worst teams in baseball once again, and their bottom-8 offense is not surprising.
Ian Anderson, ATL vs. BOS ($8,500): Anderson struggled on Opening Day, but in his four starts since he has a 2.45 ERA. It's surprising the Red Sox are in the bottom 5 in runs scored to start the season, but that's a fact at the moment and one I'm taking into account.
Zach Logue, OAK at DET ($7,100): This is a brutal series for offenses. The Athletics and Tigers are the bottom-2 teams in OPS, and they are both bottom 5 in runs scored as well. Detroit (and Kansas City) have sort of separated themselves as the bottom teams on that front, though. Logue has pitched 6.1 career innings, but he does have a 2.84 ERA and has earned a second start.
Top Targets
The metronome-steady bat of Paul Goldschmidt ($5,000) is in full effect this season. He's hit .283 with a .377 OBP and has a career .293 average and .389 OBP. Spenser Watkins gets knocked around by righties with gusto. In his career he's allowed right-handed batters to hit .335 against him. That's right up Goldschmidt's alley.
Even though he isn't hitting for average, Kyle Tucker ($4,600) is bringing the counting stats again. He has four home runs and seven stolen bases. Tucker is also a career .270 hitter, so I expect his average to improve, especially if the lefty gets to face more righties. Chris Archer has a 3.26 ERA, but a 5.76 FIP thanks to allowing 2.33 home runs per nine innings.
Bargain Bats
While one home run and zero stolen bases doesn't call to mind when he posted a 20-20 season in his sophomore campaign, Andrew Benintendi ($4,700) is hitting as well as he ever has. The lefty has a .327 average and .370 OBP. Matt Bush will be making his second start of the season, and second start of his career, and he's had a FIP over 5.00 since 2018.
Sheldon Neuse ($3,800) has been the surprise standout in an awful Oakland lineup. They even let him bat second thanks to his .291 average and .348 OBP. Lefty Joey Wentz will make his MLB debut for the Tigers on Wednesday. He had a 4.12 ERA in five Triple-A starts.
Stacks to Consider
Mets vs. Aaron Sanchez: Francisco Lindor ($5,100), Pete Alonso ($4,900), Jeff McNeil ($4,300)
Sure, Sanchez's 4.54 FIP is not as bad as his 8.56 ERA, but that's still a bad FIP. He hasn't had a FIP below 4.00 since 2016 as well. The Mets' lineup looks good, and Sanchez is the kind of pitcher they can rough up. It's not exactly a strong bullpen in Washington either.
Lindor's average has dropped after a hot start, but he still has five homers and four stolen bases. Even last year in a down campaign he hit 20 homers and swiped 10 bags in 125 games. Alonso has never posted a slugging percentage lower than .490 in his career, which speaks to his power. This year he's already hit seven home runs, and his .280 average is a career high as well. Last year clearly seems like the anomaly for McNeil. He hit .319 and posted a .383 OBP in his first three seasons, and this year he has a .333 average and .400 OBP.
Rangers vs. Brady Singer: Corey Seager ($5,200), Marcus Semien ($4,000), Adolis Garcia ($5,200)
Singer is projected to start. He was sent down to Triple-A to prepare for a move back to the rotation, but pitching out of the bullpen he had a 6.35 ERA. In his career, he has a 4.67 ERA. The Rangers made some big moves this offseason, and while they haven't paid off entirely, this matchup could help things get on track.
Seager hasn't been what was expected, but mostly he's struggled on the road. At home, he had an .860 OPS before blasting two home runs Tuesday. Semien is off to a brutal start, but he hit 45 homers and stole 15 bases last season and in 2019 he hit 33 home runs and stole 10 bases. If you need somebody to get on base, Garcia isn't your guy. However, he still hit 31 homers and stole 16 bases last year and has four of each in 2022.
Twins vs. Jose Urquidy: Jorge Polanco ($4,500), Max Kepler ($3,600), Royce Lewis ($2,300)
Urquidy has a 4.56 ERA, including a 7.07 ERA on the road. He's also allowed 1.37 home runs per nine innings in his career. Righties have been hitting him pretty hard in 2022 as well to the tune of a .333 average.
Last year Polanco hit 33 home runs and stole 11 bases. He doesn't walk much, but he's a career .274 hitter. Kepler can't really hit lefties, but he's posted an .819 OPS against righties since 2020. He has five homers this year, hit 19 with 10 stolen bases in 2020, and had 36 homers in 2019. Lewis, a top prospect, was called up when Carlos Correa got hurt. He had a 1.014 OPS in Triple-A before his call up.
