This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Alright, we're well and truly past the Fourth of July weekend now. The fireworks have all been set off and any remaining hot dogs should be eaten before they go bad. MLB action is still here for us Wednesday though, which I certainly have no complaints about. There are eight games that start at 7 p.m. EDT or later. Before you hit the grill to make use of the last of your barbecue meats, consider these recommendations when working on your DFS lineup.
Pitching
Cristian Javier, HOU vs. KC ($9,700): It's only two starts, but Javier has been incredible the last couple times he's taken the mound. He's tallied 14 innings, only allowed one run, and struck out 27 batters. That's amazing, and now he faces a Royals team that is 27th in runs scored.
Luis Severino, NYY at PIT ($9,500): Severino is pitching regularly for the first time since 2018. His 3.35 ERA and 10.50 strikeouts per nine innings are solid given all that, and certainly enough to like him against the Pirates. Pittsburgh is 28th in runs scored, and they have a sub-.300 OBP as a team.
Mitch White, LAD vs. COL ($7,400): Originally, Tony Gonsolin was in line to start for the Dodgers on Wednesday and I was super enthused about it. Then they moved things around, and now we have White pegged to start this game. I'm mostly in on White because of the salary, the offense supporting him, and his home ballpark. Colorado on the road is not Colorado at Coors Field.
Top Targets
Some hitters are happy to take a walk. Adolis Garcia ($3,900) is not one of them. He likes action, and that's helped him tally 15 homers and 12 stolen bases in 2022 after having 31 of the former and 16 of the latter in 2021. Spenser Watkins seems to like action as well, but that's not ideal for a pitcher. Watkins has a career 5.74 FIP, in part because he's allowed righties to hit .314 against him.
Who needs to hit for average when Kyle Schwarber ($3,800) can do so much damage when he makes contact? At least, when a righty is on the mound. Schwarber has 25 home runs, and since 2020 he's got an .895 OPS against righties. Josiah Gray has a career 5.43 FIP, and has allowed 2.08 home runs per nine innings in his career.
Bargain Bats
The switch-hitting Anthony Santander ($3,000) has picked up 15 home runs this year. He also is a big fan of his home ballpark. Since 2020 he has an .857 OPS at home. Glenn Otto has a 5.63 ERA this season, but over his last three starts he's been roughed up to the tune of a 9.82 ERA.
This year, David Peralta ($2,800) has bigger lefty/righty splits than usual, but on the plus side of that is his .852 OPS versus righties. The southpaw has also been on fire to the tune of an 1.083 OPS over the last three weeks. Meanwhile, Alex Cobb has allowed lefties to hit .310 against him this year, which is partially why he has a 6.41 road ERA.
Stacks to Consider
Yankees at Pirates (Mitch Keller): Giancarlo Stanton ($3,700), Anthony Rizzo ($3,600), DJ LeMahieu ($3,200)
Even though he's allowing the fewest home runs of his career, Keller still has a 5.14 ERA. Both lefties and righties are hitting .275 against him, and last year hitters averaged over .300 against Keller from both sides of the plate. I expect the Yankees to make plenty of contact, and this stack could do damage when that happen.
Stanton has 20 home runs this season and has slugged .510. Additionally, since 2020 he has a .921 OPS on the road. Rizzo, who has 22 homers and six stolen bases, is the one lefty I can bring to the table. He isn't hitting for average, even against righties, but the former Cub has an .871 OPS versus right-handed pitchers anyway. Rizzo is dealing with back stiffness, but unfortunately there is no other lefty worth consideration from the Yankees. Keep an eye on his status. LeMahieu is less of a power hitter, but he usually leads off for the Yankees, and when he's on base there's a good chance he'll score a run. With a .363 OBP, he's been getting on base plenty.
Astros vs. Royals (Brad Keller): Yordan Alvarez ($4,300), Kyle Tucker ($3,600), Jeremy Pena ($3,200)
Two pitchers named Keller to target? What an unusual Wednesday. Kansas City's Keller has a 4.24 ERA, and he's never had a FIP lower than 3.42 in a season during his career. Since he's a righty, I can stack two lefties here.
You could make an honest argument for Alvarez being the best power hitter in baseball right now. He's slashed .313/.413/.663 with 25 home runs. He also has an 1.179 OPS against righties. After a slow start, Tucker is up to a .350 OBP and.487 slugging percentage. He also has 16 home runs and 14 stolen bases. The rookie Pena is making his mark at shortstop, as he's slashed .276/.327/.482 with 12 home runs and six swiped bags.
Dodgers vs. Rockies (Jose Urena): Freddie Freeman ($4,200), Cody Bellinger ($2,600), Gavin Lux ($2,200)
Due to injuries, it seems as though Urena is going to get the start for the Rockies. He hasn't started yet this year, having pitched four times out of the bullpen for the Brewers before ending up in Colorado. Last year he started some for the Tigers and posted a 5.81 ERA. He finished the previous three seasons with an ERA over 5.00.
Lefties have hit .335 against Urena since 2020, so this is an all-southpaw stack. Freeman has a .996 OPS against righties since 2020 and 10 home runs and seven stolen bases this year. Bellinger has 11 home runs and nine stolen bases, and he has a .722 OPS against righties. Lux doesn't have power, but he does have a .290 average and .359 OBP. He has slugged .400 against righties since 2020, though.
