Tonight’s a seven-game slate. It’s the size of slate that sometimes provides a wide swatch of players of interest to me. Tonight, however, I have more narrowed focus, locking in on three pitchers, two stacks, and the standard three and three for core studs and value plays/punts, respectively.
Check out today’s MLB Grand Slam contest at FanDuel 
Wednesday's Starting Pitcher Strategy
Jose Urquidy and Robbie Ray are a cut above the other pitching options tonight. Both are listed as the cash game recommendations. However, they're also the top GPP options. Rich Hill's stellar pitching puts him in the mix for GPP consideration, though.
Tonight’s a seven-game slate. It’s the size of slate that sometimes provides a wide swatch of players of interest to me. Tonight, however, I have more narrowed focus, locking in on three pitchers, two stacks, and the standard three and three for core studs and value plays/punts, respectively.
Check out today’s MLB Grand Slam contest at FanDuel
Wednesday's Starting Pitcher Strategy
Jose Urquidy and Robbie Ray are a cut above the other pitching options tonight. Both are listed as the cash game recommendations. However, they're also the top GPP options. Rich Hill's stellar pitching puts him in the mix for GPP consideration, though.
Cash Game Recommendations:
Jose Urquidy (HOU) at BAL
The Orioles are one of MLB's worst offenses in baseball against righties. According to FanGraphs, they rank 27th in wRC+ (83) against them with an exploitable 25.4 K%. They've struggled mightily in both games against righties in this series, too, scoring only three runs.
Urquidy significantly outperformed his peripheral numbers last year. The righty's ERA has slid from 2.73 in 2020 to 3.65 in 2021. Regardless, his pitching is rock-solid and more sustainable. He and the Astros are commanding -200 favorites. When factoring in the salary discrepancy between Urquidy and the forthcoming Ray, I slightly prefer Urquidy on FanDuel. On DraftKings, I don't need to split hairs and can roster both.
Robbie Ray (TOR) at MIA
Count me among those who were skeptical of the glowing spring training reports for Ray. I was wrong to dismiss the reports, and his reclamation has been remarkable. He's walked a career-low 6.5% of the batters he's faced this year while fanning an impressive 31.5% of them. The 29-year-old lefty's recorded a 3.50 ERA, 3.15 SIERA, and 1.17 WHIP in 13 starts spanning 74.2 innings.
He and the Blue Jays are -140 favorites in a game with a total of only 7.5 runs. Ray's value also gets a lift from the plus matchup, pitcher-friendly park factors, and facing the pitcher spot rather than a designated hitter.
GPP Recommendations:
Rich Hill (TB) vs. BOS
Hill's late-career renaissance keeps chugging along. In 14 starts spanning 71.2 innings, he's spun a 3.64 ERA, 3.96 SIERA, 1.05 WHIP, 8.4 BB%, 25.6 K%, and 32.1 CSW%. The veteran lefty's matchup is middle of the road, and the betting info is favorable. The Rays are -150 favorites, and the game's total is only 7.5 runs. He's a defensible GPP option and the only pitcher I'm considering beyond Urquidy and Ray.
Top Lineup Stacks
The Astros squandered a soft pitching matchup last night. They have an opportunity to redeem themselves tonight. The implied total that accompanies a game total of 9.5 runs and being a -200 favorite indicates bettors believe they'll do just that. Count me among those buying into them hammering Thomas Eshelman.
Oakland's offense erupted last night. I don't believe they're out of fireworks yet, either. Mike Foltynewicz has pitched at a below-average level for the year. He's been even worse of late, though. In five starts spanning 25.1 innings over the last 30 days, he has a 6.39 ERA, 2.13 HR/9 allowed, and a tiny 9.7 K%.
View the best player prop bets for today's slate with our MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
- Matt Olson's roughed up righties this year for a .291 ISO and 168 wRC+. He should give Foltynewicz fits.
- Yordan Alvarez slots cleanup against righties, putting him in a dreamy run-production spot with his plus numbers against righties. He's recorded a .213 ISO and 140 wRC+ against them this year.
- The Mets will turn to a TBD fill-in starter. Does that sound like someone capable of slowing Ronald Acuna Jr.'s roll? The do-it-all outfielder has smashed 20 homers, stolen 15 bases, reached base at a .394 clip, muscled up for a .317 ISO, and amassed a 165 wRC+ this year.
- My favorite pitching selections are cheap enough. I'll take some liberties, including Michael Brantley in this section. He's a great table-setter, owning a .452 OBP against righties this year.
- Wander Franco wasted no time making his presence known. MLB's top prospect recorded multiple hits in his debut last night, including a tater.
- The Rangers are starting a righty tonight, so left-handed-hitting Tony Kemp should be back in the lineup. He's compiled a .383 OBP, .168 ISO, and 134 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers this year.
Wednesday's Hitter Strategy
I'm ponying up for the studly trio of Olson, Alvarez, and Acuña. I'm also treating Franco like a bingo square, rostering him at the minimum salary on DraftKings and a bargain salary on FanDuel. Brantley will be a staple in my lineups as well. Kemp's a fine bargain play, but I'll be less exposed to him than the other featured hitters. I also plan to sprinkle other members of the featured stacking suggestions, the Astros and A's, around the core studs and value plays/punts.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
