This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
There's a nice three-game slate early Wednesday (1:05 PM EST) with two games (OAK/BOS, PIT/TEX) likely being high-scoring affairs. The main slate kicks off at the usual time of 7:05 PM EST and features nine games. Navigating through the pitching will be interesting with several different elite options toeing the rubber.
Pitching
The pitching slate features three legit studs with Max Scherzer ($11,600), Jacob deGrom ($10,900) and Corey Kluber ($10,100) all taking the mound. With their prices so similar it's kind of difficult reading the tea leaves as to who is the best to use in cash. Looking further at the stats it appears Kluber is the best player to lean on of the trio, although all are obviously in play for GPPs. The matchup with the Marlins is too good to overlook with Miami being the worst team against right-handed pitching this season. Not only is their .272 wOBA against righties the lowest mark in baseball, their 27.5 percent strikeout rate is the highest as well. Scherzer actually has the worst matchup of the three as the Cardinals' .353 wOBA against right-handed pitching is the best mark in the National League (second overall in baseball).
Aaron Nola ($9,100) is off to a slow start which has depressed his price tag. He's got a decent home matchup against the Tigers, who have the sixth worst wOBA (.285) against right-handed pitching while striking out 26.6 percent of the time (the fourth highest mark in baseball). Daniel Norris is going to have to bat in this one as well, a small factor that should benefit Nola.
If you're looking for a dark horse among the pitchers, Cal Quantrill ($5,500) is an interesting pick. He's held his own at Triple-A this season outside of a first game bombing and has been around a strikeout per inning throughout his minor-league career. His low salary allows for a lot of stud bats basically picking almost any stack to use along with him. Quantrill is only recommended for GPPs; the pitchers previously mentioned are best suited for cash contests.
Key Value/Chalk
An interesting player to use in the outfield tonight is Hunter Renfroe ($3,200). He feels priced just about right considering his matchup with lefty Max Fried who's off to a great start this season. However, Renfroe rakes against southpaws and had a .374 wOBA against that handedness when he was away from pitcher-friendly Petco Park last season.
Paying up at shortstop is recommended on almost a daily basis, and Francisco Lindor ($3,600) looks to be a great option. He's the seventh-highest priced player at the position despite being arguably the top option on any given night. Caleb Smith has been solid this season, but Lindor's best split last season was on the road against left-handed pitching (.431 wOBA).
David Freese ($2,700) is a good GPP option at the hot corner as he'll be likely under-owned due to the matchup with Madison Bumgarner. However, Freese has a career .365 wOBA against lefties and has gone 7-for-15 (1.329 OPS) against MadBum. Teammate Enrique Hernandez ($3,600) has had past success against Bumgarner as well and has always raked against lefties.
Second base is a hot mess with no obviously reliable options below the $3,000 threshold, and Eric Sogard ($4,000) comes in as the third-highest priced player at the position. Ryan McMahon ($3,300) doesn't break the bank and while he's not in the friendly confines of Coors, he's got a good matchup against Chase Anderson. Anderson's worst split last season was at home against left-handed hitters, where he allowed them a .351 wOBA. McMahon entered Tuesday night's game on a roll, safely reaching base in 11 straight games.
The notion of a "hot hand" has been both refuted and legitimized in different studies. Even so, it's hard to dismiss what Jesus Aguilar ($2,500) has done over his last two games with three home runs, including one against a very good pitcher in German Marquez. Going back to good old-fashioned stats to back up an Aguilar pick, he had a .369 wOBA against right-handed pitching last season, making him an excellent value tonight.
Stacks
Padres at Fried (Braves)
Renfroe, Franmil Reyes (OF - $2,500), Manny Machado (3B - $3,500), Wil Myers (OF - $2,900)
The beautiful thing about using a Padres stack is they can easily be paired with one of the three top starting pitchers tonight. Yes, Fried has been excellent, but he's young and there will be some games in which he gets lit up. He's allowed three home runs over his last two starts (11.2 innings) and the Padres have some guys who hit lefties well. This is a sneaky stack, as DFS players don't run to the computer to use Padres.
Braves vs. Quantrill (Padres)
Nick Markakis (OF -$3,500), Ronald Acuna Jr. (OF - $4,100), Freddie Freeman (1B - $4,400), Ozzie Albies (2B - $4,300)
Using these four guys against Quantrill makes a lot of sense - unless you're using him as the starting pitcher! Of course don't take that route, but using the Braves stack with a low-cost pitcher could finally pay off this week. Yes, Quantrill was recommended for GPPs, but it's not a DFS mistake to use lineups with him and then fading him elsewhere.
Blue Jays at Felix Pena (Angels)
Randal Grichuk (OF - $3,000), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (3B - $3,300), Rowdy Tellez (1B - $2,700), Justin Smoak (1B - $3,700)
A couple of these bats will have the lefty-vs-righty hitter advantage, and the Blue Jays away from home should be under the radar. Pena is a good but not great prospect who can get lit up at any point this season. Last season he had a .338 wOBA against left-handed hitters and struggled more at home than on the road.
