Wednesday is a full day of baseball. As a result, the main slate includes only seven games, starting at 7:05 pm ET. The pitching options are top-heavy and lack depth, resulting in three suggestions. Thankfully, the hitting options are plentiful, and one stack is a high-value option.
Wednesday's Starting Pitcher Strategy
Sadly, the cupboard is barren in the mid and lower-tier pitcher section. Thus, spending up is the correct decision tonight across game types.
Wednesday is a full day of baseball. As a result, the main slate includes only seven games, starting at 7:05 pm ET. The pitching options are top-heavy and lack depth, resulting in three suggestions. Thankfully, the hitting options are plentiful, and one stack is a high-value option.
Wednesday's Starting Pitcher Strategy
Sadly, the cupboard is barren in the mid and lower-tier pitcher section. Thus, spending up is the correct decision tonight across game types.
Cash Game Recommendations:
Shohei Ohtani (LAA) vs. TB
Ohtani has been outstanding on the bump this year. According to FanGraphs, he has had a 3.08 ERA, 2.49 xERA, 1.82 SIERA, 1.03 WHIP, 4.6 BB%, 38.0 K%, and 37.7 CSW% in five starts lasting 26.1 innings. Further, the initial feeling might be Ohtani carries a risk because of occasional bouts of wildness, but Ohtani has significantly improved his Zone% and F-Strike% this year.
Thus, it would be lazy to peg him as a control risk after accounting for his work this year. As a result, Ohtani has a massive ceiling against Tampa Bay's strikeout-prone offense. This year, the Rays have struck out at a 25.9% clip against righties. Finally, Betting Pros lists the Angels as -125 favorites in a probable pitcher's duel as the game total is 7.0 runs.
Tylor Megill (NYM) at WSH
A matchup with the Nationals isn't a cakewalk for Megill with potential landmines like Juan Soto, Josh Bell, and Nelson Cruz to navigate. However, Washington's lineup is top-heavy. In addition, Megill is blossoming into a front-line starter.
In six starts totaling 33.1 innings this year, he has had a 2.43 ERA, 2.69 xERA, 0.90 WHIP, 6.2 BB%, 27.7 K%, and 28,3 CSW%. The most promising development for Megill has been his improvement against lefties. He's held 72 left-handed batters to a .257 wOBA. Thankfully, the right-handed hurler already excelled in righty-righty matchups. Finally, the Mets are -182 favorites, and the game's over/under is 7.5 runs.
GPP Recommendations:
Nathan Eovaldi (BOS) at ATL
Eovaldi has cruised through six starts to open the 2022 season, spinning a 2.94 ERA, 2.90 SIERA, 1.07 WHIP, 26.3 K%, and 26.1 CSW% in 33.2 innings. Unfortunately, he's an underdog (+110) tonight. On the flip side, the game's total of 7.5 runs is a check in the pros column for using him.
The primary reason he's the GPP selection of the trio is opposing the Braves. They're 17th in wRC+ (98) against righties this year, and most of their hitters have been above-average against righties since 2019. Therefore, Eovaldi carries a greater risk than his counterparts in this space. Still, the righty's upside is immense tonight.
Top Lineup Stacks
Chris Archer's 3.26 ERA in 19.1 innings paints a more favorable picture of his work than his ERA estimators. Houston's offense is in the top 10 against righties, and they've been in a groove. Over the last two weeks, they've had a 119 wRC+.
- Road (Nationals Park)
- Value: Low
- Risk: Low
- Game Type: Both
- Game Total/Moneyline: 7.5 Runs/NYM -182
The Mets have a mouthwatering matchup and have wrecked righties this year. They're second in wRC+ (125) against right-handed pitchers in 2022, and Aaron Sanchez isn't a big-league caliber pitcher, evidenced by his 8.56 ERA in three starts this year.
- Road (Comerica Park)
- Value: High
- Risk: High
- Game Type: GPP
- Game Total/Moneyline: 7.5 Runs/OAK +105
It's unlikely the A's will feature in this section often this year. However, they're a sneaky appealing stack tonight. Lefty Joey Wentz is making his big-league debut for the Tigers, and his poor control makes him a candidate for melting down under the spotlight.
- Yordan Alvarez has muscled up for a .302 ISO, eight homers, and a 169 wRC+ in 104 plate appearances this year. He's also smashed righties in his career.
- Jose Altuve has been tearing the cover off the ball since returning from the Injured List (IL) on May 2. He has swatted three homers, recorded two multi-hit efforts, and is amidst a seven-game-hit streak.
- Michael Brantley has been doing his standard business at the dish in 2022. He has a .339 OBP and 122 wRC+. Further, as Houston's No. 2 hitter, he's an attractive piece of exposure to their offense.
- Kevin Smith is nearly the minimum salary at DraftKings and FanDuel. So the bar isn't high for him to justify landing on rosters, and his .843 OPS in Triple-A last year, per MiLB.com, helps him clear it. In addition, Smith has had a .229 ISO in his 38 plate appearances against lefties in the bigs.
- Brandon Nimmo is a steal at FanDuel. He sits atop New York's lineup in a dreamy matchup, and he has .393 OBP and 146 wRC+ in 113 plate appearances this year.
- Christian Bethancourt is an intriguing punt at catcher on DraftKings. The veteran backstop had a .962 OPS in 84 at-bats in Triple-A last year, and he's had a .235 ISO and 150 wRC+ in 20 plate appearances against southpaws this year. Obviously, those are tiny samples. Regardless, they're much better numbers than gamers should expect for a player with a salary of $100 above the minimum.
Wednesday's Hitter Strategy
Lineup building as a whole is a stars-and-scrubs approach tonight. It starts with spending for pitchers and extends to using significant cap space for a few hitters such as Alvarez and Altuve. To make the salaries work, punting and value hunting are necessary.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
