This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Wednesday's baseball action starts very early with a three-game slate at 12:35 p.m. EDT. Then there's a early-only slate at 3:37 p.m. EDT with another two games before the 7:05 p.m. EDT main slate. The main slate features a much bigger pool of players to choose from with 10 games on the docket.
Pitching
The conversation would here would typically begin with Max Scherzer ($11,700) but he appears to have suffered a broken nose during practice Tuesday. Lucas Giolito ($11,200) is at the Cubs so he's going to be a hard pass especially at that price. This likely puts Arizona's Zack Greinke ($9,400) as the best option for cash games. The Rockies usually have exaggerated home and away splits when it comes to handedness, and this year is no exception. At home they have a .381 wOBA (1st) against RHP as opposed to a .283 wOBA on the road (29th), making this is a good matchup for Greinke. The Rockies also strike out on the road against right-handed pitching 25.7 percent of the time, the sixth-highest mark in baseball. Since 2017, Greinke has a 2.68 ERA at home with a 0.98 WHIP and a 10.2 K/9 rate.
The other candidate for cash games in the same price range is the Dodgers' Rich Hill ($9,600). He's been dominant at home this season with a 2.61 ERA supported by a 1.03 WHIP. The Giants are an excellent target, as they remain one of the worst hitting teams in baseball against left-handed pitching. Their team .273 wOBA against that handedness is the second worst, while their 24.0 percent strikeout rate is the 13th highest in baseball. Hill is averaging 38.6 fantasy points a start in the friendly confines of Dodger Stadium this season.
The cheap dart throw of the night for GPPs is the Cardinals' Daniel Ponce de Leon ($6,500). This is totally based on matchup, as the Marlins are always a team to target. They have the second lowest wOBA (.283) against right-handed pitching and their 24.8 percent strikeout rate is the sixth highest in baseball. Ponce de Leon has shown some upside with 41 strikeouts in 42 innings for St. Louis.
Key Values/Chalk
This isn't going to be as much of an under-the-radar pick as it would have been a few weeks ago, but the Indians' Jordan Luplow ($3.000) should be rather chalky tonight. He gets a park upgrade in Arlington and has a good matchup against lefty Joe Palumbo. Luplow has been hitting cleanup against southpaws and has a ridiculous .449 wOBA in 74 plate appearances against that handedness. Palumbo is a rookie who isn't considered a big prospect, so getting some exposure against him makes sense, and it's usually a wise move to spend up at the shortstop position. Therefore, using Francisco Lindor ($4,100) will be a popular play. Lindor has a career .371 wOBA and brings the speed factor to the table as well. The hope here is owners back off him after a disappointing outing Tuesday night.
It's always a good idea to roster the Dodgers' Justin Turner ($3,100) whenever he's facing a left-handed pitcher. He'll get that matchup against Drew Pomeranz, and Turner had a .433 wOBA against lefties last season. Pomeranz has allowed a .395 wOBA to right-handed hitters this season, a stat to remember for stacks in GPPs.
The Tigers' Brandon Dixon ($2,700) looks promising against Trevor Williams. Dixon has a .334 wOBA this season against right-handed pitchers and should be in a good RBI spot. Williams is coming of the IL, and a short outing would lead to the Tigers getting additional at-bats against a second-tier bullpen.
The C/1B spot is always a good spot in which to look for a home run or two, so consider the Angels' Justin Bour ($2,700). He's heating up since his return to the majors with 12.7, 18.7 and 25.2 fantasy points over his last three games, and he gets a favorable matchup against Aaron Sanchez who has allowed a career .346 wOBA to left-handed hitters at home.
Stacks
Red Sox at Twins (Kyle Gibson)
J.D. Martinez (OF - $4,400), Mookie Betts (OF - $4,100), Rafael Devers (3B - $3,900), Jackie Bradley Jr. (OF - $2,800)
The Red Sox boast some of the best bats in baseball and tonight they make for a good contrarian GPP play. Gibson has been a solid pitcher this season and is coming off arguably his best performance of the season (eight innings, zero runs, six strikeouts, two hits). This should be a low-ownership stack with the Indians (likely the most popular stack) and Dodgers attracting more attention in favorable matchups.
Diamondbacks vs. Rockies (Jon Gray)
Eduardo Escobar (3B - $3,900), David Peralta (OF - $3,500), Jarrod Dyson (OF - $2,900), Ketel Marte (2B - $4,000)
Gray had a 5.34 ERA on the road last season and a 5.06 ERA on the road this season, putting the Snakes' bats in play.
