This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
It's another Wednesday of MLB action. While football is in full force already, Wednesdays are still here for MLB. There are 10 games in the 6:35-7:40 p.m. EDT window, with the Padres-Dodgers late game excluded from the main slate. These are my DFS recommendations.
Pitching
Zac Gallen, ARI at NYM ($10,600): Gallen had a couple of rough starts, but a complete-game shutout against the Cubs speaks to him being back on track. All in all, he's posted a 3.31 ERA in 30 starts. The Mets are in the bottom 10 in runs scored and have a park that suppresses offense, which should help Gallen in this road start.
Eduardo Rodriguez, DET vs. CIN ($10,300): Quietly, Rodriguez has had the best season of his career. He has a 3.18 ERA and has allowed a mere 0.83 home runs per nine innings. The southpaw has also held lefties to a mere .162 average. Cincinnati is pretty reliant on lefties when left to its own devices so that bodes well for the Detroit hurler.
Top Targets
Though the Rangers have scuffled and risk missing the playoffs, you can't blame Marcus Semien ($3,900) for that. He has a .931 OPS over the last three weeks, and on the season he's hit .278 with 24 homers and 14 stolen bases. Now, Yusei Kikuchi has pitched well recently, and kept the ball in the park, but the matchups have been largely easy. The lefty still has a career 4.67 ERA, and righties have hit .262 against him in 2023.
George Springer ($3,500) has tallied 19 homers and 19 stolen bases this season. Also, since joining the Blue Jays, he has an .850 OPS at home. Jordan Montgomery has struggled in his last three starts, and in fact over his last nine outings he has a 4.61 ERA.
Bargain Bats
In 51 games, Zack Gelof ($3,400) has hit .271 with 11 homers and 10 stolen bases. While he's a righty, he has a .966 OPS against his fellow right handers but struggles versus lefties. Hunter Brown has let righties hit .281 against him in his career, and this season he has a 6.07 ERA at home as well.
I like the odds of Jake Bauers ($2,500) being in the lineup with Wednesday's matchup. The southpaw has a .731 OPS against righties this year. Tanner Houck has a 5.76 ERA at home, and lefties have hit .292 against him, which is why I think Bauers will see action, and why I would roster him.
Stacks to Consider
Red Sox vs. Yankees (Clarke Schmidt): Rafael Devers ($3,800), Triston Casas ($3,200), Masataka Yoshida ($3,100)
The rain couldn't keep Schmidt from having to start against Fenway Park. This does not bode well for him. In his first season starting, the righty has a 5.29 ERA on the road, and lefties have hit .301 against him. The Red Sox have a few lefties who excel at home, making this an easy choice for a stack.
Devers has a career .510 slugging percentage, and he's notched his third 30-homer season. Since 2021, he has a .921 OPS versus right-handed pitchers, plus an .884 OPS at home. Casas has a lot of power, and has posted a .366 OBP with 24 homers. He particularly excels at home, where he has an .894 OPS in his career. Yoshida is less of a power guy, but he's hit .291 with 15 homers and eight stolen bases. He has an .819 OPS versus righties, and as a rookie he has an .856 OPS at Fenway Park.
Astros vs. Athletics (Paul Blackburn): Yordan Alvarez ($4,100), Kyle Tucker ($3,800), Michael Brantley ($3,000)
Blackburn's 3.88 ERA would be the best of his career since his rookie season in 2017, but that's not exactly good. Plus, his road ERA in 2023 is 4.23. Since lefties have hit .303 against him, I have gone with a three-southpaw stack from the Astros.
Alvarez has elite power, having slugged a staggering .588 in his career. He's also been on fire for a little while now, having posted an 1.260 OPS over the last three weeks. Tucker has tallied 26 homers and 28 stolen bases. Don't sweat a lefty coming out of the bullpen, by the way, as he has a .960 OPS versus left-handed pitchers in 2023. Brantley has only been healthy for nine games, but he gives the 'Stros another lefty. He is a career .298 hitter, and since 2021 he has an .884 OPS versus righties.
