This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
You could watch baseball all day Wednesday, more or less. The first game starts at 12:05 p.m. EDT, and the last at 9:45 p.m.. However, for DFS purposes, we'll focus on the slate of six games starting at 6:40 p.m. or later. Onto the recommendations.
Pitching
Marcus Stroman, CHC at CWS ($9,600): Stroman is the one guy I have some degree of confidence in. He has a 3.09 ERA in 2023, and in his career he's only allowed 0.82 home runs per nine innings. The White Sox are right around average in terms of homers, but in the bottom eight in runs scored. That, plus a sub-.300 OBP, speaks to an all-or-nothing lineup Stroman can handle.
Jose Quintana, NYM at NYY ($7,200): Quintana came out of nowhere in 2022 to post a 2.93 ERA. The veteran just made his first start in 2023, a decent outing where he allowed six hits, zero walks, and two runs in five innings against the White Sox. The disappointing Yankees, banged up and missing their best hitter in Aaron Judge, are below average in runs scored and in the bottom six in team batting average.
Top Target
The Cody Bellinger ($3,900) renaissance has been a delight, as he now brings not only counting stats (14 homers, 12 stolen bases) but a .314 batting average and .363 OBP. Wednesday yields the ideal matchup for the lefty. Lance Lynn has a 6.18 ERA, and that number is built largely on an abject inability to handle left-handed batters. Southpaws have hit .338 against him, racking up 18 home runs across 244 batters as well.
Bargain Bat
You probably don't think about Chas McCormick ($3,700) much, and fair enough, but he's slashed .282/.369/.531 with 13 homers and 11 stolen bases. In his career, the righty has a .960 OPS against southpaws. While Bellinger was rejuvenated after leaving the Dodgers, Andrew Heaney has found only heartache away from Chavez Ravine. The lefty has a 5.09 FIP this season, with righties accounting for 17 of the 18 homers he's allowed.
Stacks to Consider
Mets at Yankees (Carlos Rodon): Pete Alonso ($3,500), Francisco Lindor ($3,400), Tommy Pham ($2,800)
The Mets have been disappointing for sure, but it seems part of that could due to a certain ballpark in Queens. A few Mets have significant home/road splits, so hopping boroughs actually makes for a viable stack situation. So does a matchup with Rodon, who has really struggled since returning from injury. The lefty has walked almost as many batters as he's struck out, and he has a 7.16 FIP while allowing 2.45 home runs per nine innings.
Alonso still has power, as his 28 homers show, but he has consistently shown that power stroke more on the road. Since 2021 he has a .921 OPS in away games, and this year he's slugged .562 when freed of the confines of Citi Field. Lindor has 19 home runs and 17 stolen bases, and the switch hitter has performed evenly against lefties and righties. On the other hand, he has an .839 road OPS, compared to a .672 OPS at home. This comes after he had an .819 OPS in away games last season. Pham, who is battling a groin issue and may not suit up, has hit .271 with nine homers and 11 stolen bases, but he's been better at home. However, the righty still has a .755 OPS on the road in his first season with the Mets, which is not too shabby, and he has an .879 OPS versus lefties.
Atlanta at Red Sox (Brayan Bello): Matt Olson ($4,200), Ozzie Albies ($3,800), Michael Harris ($2,900)
When one of baseball's top lineups faces a pitcher who is decidedly not at the top of that position, it tends to yield good stack opportunities. Bello has a 4.36 FIP in his first full MLB season, and he's allowed six home runs over his last three starts, three of them coming against Oakland. Oakland! The one caveat in place is that righties have hit .220 against Bello, whereas lefties have hit .276, so I did want three guys who hit left-handed.
Lefty power often plays at Fenway, and that's Olson to a tee. He once hit 39 homers as an Athletic despite their pitcher-friendly park, and this year he has 32 home runs in 99 games. The southpaw has posted a .997 OPS against righties as well. It doesn't seem like Albies will have a 30/20 season again, he's only stolen seven bases, but with 23 homers the power is there. Typically, switch-hitting Albies is better against lefties, and he also has an .899 OPS on the road. Harris had 19 homers and 20 stolen bases as a rookie, and has nine of the former and 13 of the latter this year. He's been hot since the break too, with an 1.092 OPS over the last two weeks.
