Baseball is summer, and summer is baseball, but also the World Cup starts Thursday so there's about to be some real combating of that notion going on. As such, make the most of your Wednesday, baseball fans. There are 11 games on the MLB schedule at 6:35 p.m. EDT or later. Here are my MLB DFS lineup recommendations.
Try our FanDuel MLB Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
Pitching
Andre Pallante, STL at NYM ($9,000): It's been common for Pallante to be better on the road than at home, but this year his road performance has been particularly strong. His road ERA is all the way down to 2.67. This is a road start for Pallante, and it's also against a Mets team that has a sub-.300 as a team.
Jesus Luzardo, PHI at TOR ($8,700): Luzardo has a 4.56 ERA, but he does also have a 3.40 FIP. Granted, he also had a striking difference between his ERA and his FIP last season. However, he also has a 7.34 home ERA and an 1.54 road ERA. This, too, does give me pause because I feel like putting up a 7.34 ERA in any scenario is a mark against your performance. That being said, taking his road ERA, his FIP, and a matchup with a team in the bottom 10 in runs scored into account, I do think Luzardo is a viable play.
Ryne Nelson, ARI at MIA ($7,900): If you're looking for a pitcher on a lower salary, Nelson is worth a shot. Over his last seven starts he has a 2.89 ERA, and while a few easy opponents are in the mix there, he is coming off a strong start against the Dodgers. The Marlins scored 10 runs Tuesday, enough to lift them out of the bottom 10 in runs scored, but of course they had to be in the bottom 10 first in order to escape it.
Top Targets
More walks, more power, and still plenty of speed. Brice Turang ($4,400) is the best second baseman in baseball. This year he has a .393 OBP and he already has double-digit homers and stolen bases. Oh, and right now the Brewers are playing the Athletics in a Triple-A ballpark in Las Vegas that's seen 17 homers launched over the first two games of the series. Owing to injuries, Jack Perkins (if you're like me you now have Mystery Science Theater 3000 on the brain) is going to draw another start. It'll probably be a short start, given that he usually pitches from the bullpen, and he has a career 5.09 ERA.
In addition to being over double-digit homers and stolen bases already, Zach Neto ($3,800) has already walked more times than he did last season! Sure, he still has a .342 OBP, but you roster the shortstop for his counting stats. A little more discipline is just a nice bonus. Peter Lambert is pitching well in his first season after leaving the Rockies, especially when it comes to avoiding homers. However, his fellow righties have hit .309 against him, and have hit every home runs he's allowed.
On the one hand, Bryce Harper ($3,700) has been only decent against lefties, which is a notable step down for him. On the other hand, Harper has been better than he's been against righties the last couple of years. His OPS against right-handed hitters is up over .950. Max Scherzer had a 5.19 ERA last season, but he decided to stick around and keep his MLB career going. Well, through five starts earlier this season before a lengthy IL stint expected to end Wednesday, he has a 9.64 ERA and lefties hit .314 against him. Sometimes it behooves you to know when to hang it up.
Bargain Bats
At present, few hitters are as hot as Tyler Soderstrom ($3,100). Over the last three weeks he's posted an 1.146 OPS. On the flip side, Brandon Sproat has been struggling, but that has been the case all season. He has an 1.86 K/BB rate, an 1.83 HR/9 rate, and as a result a 6.17 ERA.
In his time as a Dodger, Eric Karros probably had some good days at Coors Field. Well, his son Kyle Karros ($3,000) gets to call Coors Field home. He only has three homers this season, but he has 11 doubles. Plus, and unsurprisingly, while he's been bad on the road he's got an OPS over .800 at home. Shota Imanaga has allowed 2.01 homers per nine innings this season, and that doesn't bode well here.
Injury has played a role in Maikel Garcia ($2,900) falling off of last season's pace, but he's still hitting better than in seasons prior to 2025. He's hit .266 with two triples and three homers in 61 games, plus 15 doubles. Additionally, his OPS against lefties is over 1.000. This is MacKenzie Gore's first campaign as a Ranger, and while he has a 2.08 ERA at home, he also has a 6.06 ERA on the road.
Stack to Consider
Cubs at Rockies (Michael Lorenzen): Pete Crow-Armstrong ($3,800), Ian Happ ($3,800), Michael Busch ($3,700)
Back to Coors Field! Lorenzen, a journeyman veteran, signed on with the Rockies to keep his career going. It hasn't worked well for all parties involved. He has a 9.67 ERA at home and lefties, incredibly, have hit .432 against him. When Lorenzen is starting, you want to stack three southpaws, especially if the Rockies are at home.
After having a 30/30 campaign last year, Crow-Armstrong has 11 homers and 14 stolen bases this season. That's while he started off struggling a bit, but over the last three weeks he has an 1.057 OPS. Happ started the season slowing like his outfield mate PCA, but he's slugged .597 over the last three weeks. He's a switch-hitter, but this year he's been bad against lefties. He has an OPS over .900 against righties, though, and Lorenzen is a righty. Busch has a .371 OBP with seven home runs and two triples. Now, he's been excellent at home and struggled on the road in 2026, but there are two things to note. One, this game is at Coors Field. Two, over the prior two seasons he had an .860 OPS on the road, so his struggles this year are anomalous.
