Baseball has had to share the spotlight with numerous other sports this summer, but it should be the focus for all DFS players over the next few months. That's what we love to hear because fantasy baseball is the best sport to play. Something about the statistics in baseball feels more authentic than any other sport, and it's always been a personal favorite of mine. We have almost every team in action for this Wednesday slate, but only about half of them make up this main slate. With that in mind, let's take a look at our favorite pitchers for this Wednesday card!
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Pitching
Kyle Bradish, BAL at SEA ($8,300)
This is a risky recommendation, but Bradish is better than the statistics would indicate. This guy had a 2.77 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 30 percent K rate over the last three seasons. He's had trouble recapturing that this year, but Bradish had a 1.11 ERA and 1.03 WHIP across four starts before allowing five runs in back-to-back outings. That means things could be turning around, and now's the time to use him, since his price is at its lowest all season. A road matchup in Seattle is the icing on the cake because that's the most pitcher-friendly park in baseball, with the Mariners ranked 17th in OBP and 19th in K rate.
JR Ritchie, ATL vs. SF ($6,800)
With Spencer Strider landing on the IL, Ritchie is in line to be the fifth starter for Atlanta. He actually filled in the game where Strider got injured, throwing five scoreless innings in that relief appearance over the weekend. Seeing him throw five innings and 73 pitches suggests he's almost ready for a full workload, and we love that since Ritchie posted a 2.66 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in the minors over the last two years. Squaring off with San Fran might be the best part of this because the Giants rank dead-last in xwOBA.
Top Targets
Pete Crow-Armstrong, CHC (vs. Sean Sullivan) $5,800
I had PCA in my article on Monday, and we have to go right back to the well after that masterpiece performance. Crow-Armstrong finished with a cycle in one of the best games of his career, but he's been playing like that for a month. In fact, PCA homered on Tuesday after that and now has a .435 AVG and 1.373 OPS across his last 16 outings. He's also on pace for nearly 30 homers and 40 steals. That won't bode well for the Rockies, and we'll discuss that more in the stacks section!
Jarren Duran, BOS (vs. Max Scherzer) $4,700
Duran was dreadful through the opening months, but he's found something recently. This outfielder is up to 12 homers and 11 steals this season while sporting a .270 AVG and .868 OPS over the last month. That includes homers in two of his last three outings while securing the leadoff spot for the Sox. We also love that he has an .847 OPS against righties over the last three years while facing one of the worst on this slate. We'll discuss Scherzer in the stacks section, but Duran shouldn't be below $5K with the way he's hitting right now.
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Bargain Bats
George Springer, TOR (vs. Jake Bennett) $3,600
There's no doubt that Springer has struggled this season, but seeing him below $4K makes him a heck of a bargain here. We're talking about a leadoff hitter for one of the best lineups who's primarily been a $5K hitter throughout his career. Springer has a .365 OBP and .827 OPS against lefties this year, while facing a rookie who has a 5.28 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. We're also seeing flashes of Springer breaking out of his slump, amassing a .520 OBP and 1.226 OPS across the last week. Vladimir Guerrero ($4,400) and Alejandro Kirk ($3,300) both have the platoon advantage against Bennett as well, if you want to stack the Blue Jays.
Bryce Eldridge, SF (vs. JR Ritchie) $3,100
While we do like Ritchie, it's hard to believe that Eldridge is sitting at $3,100. This guy has been San Fran's best slugger since his call-up, compiling a .515 OBP and 1.287 OPS across his last 16 outings. Those are video game-like numbers, and it's unbelievable that he's barely cracking $3K behind averages like those. He also has the platoon advantage against a rookie Ritchie after providing a .445 OBP and .963 OPS at Triple-A this year. We might be looking at a blossoming superstar, but Eldridge is being priced like a bench warmer.
Stacks to Consider
Chicago Cubs vs. Colorado Rockies (Sean Sullivan): Crow-Armstrong ($5,800), Michael Busch ($4,900), Seiya Suzuki ($4,800) and Nico Hoerner ($4,100)
We've had opposing offenses against the Rockies all season. It's easy to understand why, because Colorado has the worst wOBA and xwOBA in the league. That's been typical over the last 25 years, and Sullivan is unlikely to help those averages. He had a 5.76 ERA and 1.57 WHIP at Triple-A this season and has only thrown three innings at this level.
PCA is an obvious option at the top of this stack, but Busch is right there with him. Busch has a .422 OBP and .903 OPS across his last 30 fixtures. Suzuki has the platoon advantage against Sullivan, generating a .390 OBP and .818 OPS against southpaws this season. Hoerner also hits from the right side, totaling a .376 OBP and .846 OPS against lefties since 2023.
Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays (Max Scherzer): Duran ($4,700), Willson Contreras ($4,100), Wilyer Abreu ($3,800) and Masataka Yoshida ($2,800)
Stacking against Scherzer sounds scary, but time always gets the best of these veteran pitchers. That's what's happened to this 41-year-old, with Scherzer posting a 10.23 ERA and 1.73 WHIP this season. That's scary against a resurgent Red Sox lineup, because Boston had 10 hits against them in their last matchup and four dingers in their previous meeting.
Duran is our favorite player in this Sox stack, but Contreras is close. The former catcher has collected a .426 OBP and 1.259 OPS across his last 11 outings. Abreu has beaten up right-handers throughout his career, tallying a .791 OPS against them over the last three years. Yoshida also has the platoon advantage and has a 2.000 OPS in six at-bats against Scherzer.
