This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
June has arrived! How does the month begin? With eight MLB games that start at 7:05 p.m. EDT or later. To try and make this a productive, profitable Wednesday, here are my DFS lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Robbie Ray, SEA at BAL ($9,700): Admittedly, Ray has not looked like he did last year when he won the AL Cy Young. However, he's still struck out 10.09 batters per nine innings, which is actually below his career number of 11.15. The Orioles are in the bottom 10 in runs scored and in the top five in strikeouts (in a bad way), so Ray might be able to flash that Cy-winning form.
Bailey Ober, MIN at DET ($8,100): As a Tigers fan, it brings me no joy to be targeting them so often with opposing pitchers for DFS purposes. And yet, it remains a smart idea. They are last in runs scored by a significant margin at this point. In his second season as a starter, Ober has a 3.25 ERA through six outings, and a 3.02 FIP to boot.
Mitch White, LAD vs. PIT ($6,000): My only fear here is that the Dodgers may not let White stretch it out and get to five innings, which is would need to qualify for a win. However, in his last start he got to four innings, his most this season, and he allowed no runs in that outing. White will be at home against a Pirates team that ranks 29th in runs scored. If the Dodgers were ever going to let White go five, it'd be in a scenario like this.
Top Targets
I am not a believer in Jose Quintana's 2.15 ERA. This is a veteran pitcher who posted a 4.51 ERA over his five previous seasons. Righties have hit .289 against him since 2020, which is why I am quite enthused for Mookie Betts ($4,500) on Wednesday. Betts has a tremendous track record, of course, but he's also slashing .299/.389/.604 with 15 homers and four stolen bases.
Though he commands a hefty salary, Aaron Judge ($4,300) is justifying it. A guy who is hitting .303 with 18 home runs already? Additionally, he is the one healthy righty really raking for the Yankees at the moment. Lefty Reid Detmers has showed some flashes this year, but he still has a 5.00 FIP in 2022, and in his career he's allowed 1.76 home runs per nine innings.
Bargain Bats
Kolten Wong ($3,000) has gotten off to a slow start, but mostly against his fellow lefties. Against righties he has a .777 OPS. Last year he posted a .782 OPS with 14 homers and 12 stolen bases in his first season with the Brewers. Wong will get to face righty Kyle Hendricks on Wednesday, and Hendricks has a 5.63 FIP.
So far in his career Andrew Vaughn ($2,700) has preferred to face southpaws. He has a .917 OPS versus lefties. Hyun Jin Ryu is a lefty, and he's been brutal at home the last couple of years. He had a 4.91 ERA at home in 2021 and has a 7.43 ERA this year.
Stacks to Consider
Red Sox vs. Reds (Hunter Greene): Rafael Devers ($4,100), J.D. Martinez ($3,900), Enrique Hernandez ($3,000)
Greene's fastball is fun, but the rookie pitcher has been absolutely mashed this year. He has a 6.70 FIP and has allowed a staggering 3.05 home runs per nine innings. So far lefties have only hit .190 against him, while righties have hit .286. It's too early to know if he's going to be a reverse-split guy, but just in case I decided to go with two righties plus an elite lefty bat, just to be on the safe side.
Devers is the lefty, but he has a .968 OPS against righties since 2020, so I think he will be just fine. He's also hit over 30 home runs in the last two full MLB seasons. Speaking of power, Martinez has a career .530 slugging percentage, and this year he's slashing .363/.425/.563. Hernandez got off to a slow start, but he has a .740 OPS over the last two weeks. He also hit 20 home runs last season.
Mariners at Orioles (Kyle Bradish): Ty France ($3,500), Eugenio Suarez ($3,200), J.P. Crawford ($3,000)
Bradish has not been a positive addition to the Orioles rotation in 2022. The rookie has a 7.31 ERA and has allowed 2.22 home runs per nine innings through six starts. That makes for an enticing Mariners stack, as even though they have slowed down a bit, they still have some impressive bats.
France is definitely the best hitter in this lineup. He's slashing .347/.420/.508 this season, and since a rough rookie campaign with the Padres in 2019 he's posted a batting average of .304. Suarez has completely stopped hitting for average, but he still has power. Last year he launched 31 home runs despite hitting below the Mendoza Line, and he has nine homers in 2022. Crawford has improved every season he's been with the Mariners, but this year he's taking things to a whole new level. We're talking a .299/.391/.439 slash line and an .888 OPS against righties.
Rays at Rangers (Jon Gray): Randy Arozarena ($3,200), Ji-Man Choi ($2,900), Kevin Kiermaier ($2,700)
Gray came into this season with a career 4.59 ERA, but he had the caveat of spending his entire MLB tenure with the Rockies. Would the move to Texas help? Not yet! He has a 5.56 ERA through seven starts, and in his one home start he allowed four runs in 5.2 innings. The Rays lineup is dealing with injuries right now, but I still found an affordable stack that I like.
Arozarena has four home runs and seven stolen bases, and last year he tallied 20 of both. He also has an .872 OPS over the last three weeks. Choi has slashed .263/.373/.455 and since 2020 he has an .816 OPS against righties. Kiermaier is a lefty as well, and he surprisingly has six homers and three stolen bases already this year.
