This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Typically, Wednesday's MLB games are distributed throughout the course of the day. This time around, though, it is an evening-heavy slate. There are 12 games starting at 7 p.m. ET or later, which gives us more DFS options than usual. I've perused the meaty schedule, and here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Framber Valdez, HOU vs. WAS ($10,300): Valdez hasn't been as amazing at generating groundballs this year, but he still has a 2.36 ERA and 2.93 FIP. He still doesn't allow many home runs, and his 58.9 groundball percentage is still impressive. The Nationals aren't imposing offensively, being down in the bottom 10 in runs scored, so I expect to see plenty of grounders as per usual.
Tyler Glasnow, TAM at OAK ($9,400): Glasnow has been thrown into the fire in his return from injury, having faced the Dodgers and Rangers already in his two starts (sandwiching a visit to Fenway Park as well). And yet, he has a 2.87 ERA and has picked up his innings count with each outing. Now, he is blessed with a trip to Oakland to face baseball's worst team in the Athletics. Only the Tigers have a worse lineup of hitters.
Michael Wacha, SD vs. CLE ($8,200): Kind of quietly, Wacha has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for a bit. Over his last seven starts, he has an 1.05 ERA, including a 0.61 ERA at Petco Park. Cleveland is in the bottom four in runs scored, and it's primary issue is clear. No team has hit fewer homers, and the Guardians are really falling behind the pack on that front.
Top Targets
When Adley Rutschman ($5,400) gets to face a righty at home, he tends to enjoy it. In his career he has an .864 OPS versus righties and an .894 OPS at home. Jose Berrios has looked better this year, but he still has a 4.40 ERA on the road. On top of that, southpaws have hit .283 against him.
We still haven't seen a ton of Jose Altuve ($4,500) just yet this season, but over the prior two seasons he posted an .877 OPS, and his .266 average and .365 OBP this year makes me feel like at the very least he's not struggling finding his footing post injury. He also has a .939 OPS at home since 2021. Josiah Gray's improved his ERA all the way to 3.00 this year, but he has a 4.64 FIP. Maybe I am eschewing stacks against Gray, but a top bat is still worth rostering.
Bargain Bats
His flashy fellow rookies have started to overshadow Spencer Steer ($4,300) – who wouldn't be overshadowed by the Elly De La Cruz experience? – but don't overlook the righty. He's slashed .278/.359/.465 with eight homers and five stolen bases. Daniel Lynch has a career 5.23 ERA, largely because the lefty is so utterly hittable. In his career right handers have hit .292 against him.
In his first season with Boston, Justin Turner ($3,800) has been slightly better at home (.823 OPS), but absolutely crushed lefties (.987 OPS). He's in line to see southpaw Austin Gomber on Wednesday. Don't chalk up Gomber's bad numbers to Coors Field. In his time as a Rockie, he has a 5.88 ERA on the road.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers vs. White Sox (Mike Clevinger): Mookie Betts ($6,500), J.D. Martinez ($5,400), Jason Heyward ($2,500)
Clevinger struggled in 2022 with the Padres, but he's been worse in 2023 with the White Sox. He has a 5.02 FIP and has allowed 1.40 home runs per nine innings. On top of that, he has a 5.45 ERA on the road. I went with two righties in this stack, as Clevinger has actually allowed a .260 average to right-handed hitters since returning from injury.
Betts has plenty of power, having hit 17 home runs this year, indicative of his career .521 slugging percentage. He enjoys Dodger Stadium as well, as he has a .925 OPS there since 2021. Martinez's power has soared in 2023, as he's slugged .610 with 16 home runs. That includes a .985 OPS versus his fellow righties. I wanted Max Muncy, but now his hamstring is acting up and he's been declared out until Thursday at least. So, I went with Heyward. I expect him in the lineup in this matchup, as the southpaw has an .858 OPS versus righties and a .962 OPS at home.
Blue Jays at Orioles (Kyle Bradish): Vladimir Guerrero ($5,100), George Springer ($4,900), Daulton Varsho ($3,500)
Bradish's sophomore season has gone a smidge better than his rookie campaign. However, all that means is that he's gone from posting a 4.90 ERA to a 4.25 ERA. While the righty doesn't allow many home runs, he's allowed a .270 average overall, with no lefty/righty splits of notes. Basically, dudes hit Bradish.
Vladito is more than a power guy. He has a .283 average and .353 OBP. It's been a weird year for Guerrero at home, but he has a .965 OPS on the road. Springer has nine homers and 10 stolen bases in 2023 after having 25 of the former and 14 of the latter in 133 games last year. He's also been hot, posting a .902 OPS over the last three weeks. Varsho has 11 homers and nine stolen bases, even though he's really had issues with his new home park. The lefty has an .830 OPS on the road, making him a nice choice Wednesday.
Rangers vs. Angels (Reid Detmers): Corey Seager ($6,000), Josh Jung ($4,800), Ezequiel Duran ($3,400)
Detmers continues to not allow home runs, but he still has a 4.79 ERA. Last year he had a 3.77 ERA, so it's not like he has much of a track record of success. Throw in his career 5.09 ERA on the road, and baseball's best offense is looking like a great choice for a stack.
I don't mind having the red-hot lefty Seager in my stack against another southpaw. He has an .839 OPS versus lefties since 2021, while in his career Detmers has allowed his fellow lefties to hit .256 against him. Jung's career .481 slugging percentage has been powered by matchups with left handers. He's slugged .610 versus lefties, and a guy who rarely walks even has a .345 OBP in those matchups as well. Duran has an under-the-radar .302/.351/.512 slash line. He also has a career .854 OPS versus lefties and a .910 OPS at home.
