This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
After all 15 teams were included in the main slate Tuesday, we have a getaway day Wednesday and some teams even have off. There's still plenty to work with, though it is definitely a day to pay up at pitcher.
Pitchers
Shane McClanahan ($10,900) has stumbled a bit of late, but he rebounded his last time out against the Royals to record 24.2 DK points. He draws another strong matchup Wednesday against the Angels, who have only a .279 wOBA as a team in the last 30 days.
I'm happy to drop down a tier from there, as we have a couple strong options in the 9K range. Zac Gallen ($9,500) and Brady Singer ($9,200) will square off against each other, so unfortunately it's not likely prudent to roster both. Gallen has three consecutive starts of more than 30 DK points. That doesn't mean he'll do it again Wednesday, but he has plenty of upside to pay off his price. The Royals have the fourth-highest strikeout rate in the last 30 days, so a ceiling performance is in range. Singer has fallen off a bit from his excellent form in July, so I'd prefer Gallen based on both skill and matchup.
Miles Mikolas ($7,900) is another tier down, but he's a decent cash game play and a relatively safe bet for at least 15 DK points. The Cubs are a mediocre matchup across the board, so there's no reason on paper to stay away. Just be aware that Mikolas' contact-heavy approach introduces more variance than pitchers capable of missing bats at a higher clip.
Speaking of variance, Jose Berrios ($7,200) is the last pitcher I'd be willing to pay down for. The matchup against Boston doesn't stand out in either direction, but it's been difficult to predict Berrios' performance all season.
Top Hitters
Nick Castellanos ($4,400) continued to swing a hot bat Tuesday, and he has a .977 OPS and .605 slugging percentage across his last 10 games. Meanwhile, the Reds continue to trot out subpar pitchers (to be generous), so we'll dig more into the matchup later in the column.
Randy Arozarena ($5,300) hasn't gotten enough love for the season he's had from a redraft perspective, but that's also translated to DFS. Across his last 10 games, he's averaged 11.2 DK points. On Wednesday, he draws a matchup against Mike Mayers, who allowed three home runs in his first traditional start of the season his last time out.
The Blue Jays put up nine runs Tuesday, though a lot of that production didn't come from their stars. I'm ready to go right back to the top of the lineup, and specifically to George Springer ($5,300) who re-entered the lineup as the team's leadoff hitter Tuesday.
Value Hitters
One of Chas McCormick ($2,200) or Mauricio Dubon ($2,400) – they aren't likely to both be in the lineup -- will be a strong value as the Astros draw a matchup against Dylan Bundy. They'll both be buried low in the order, but the Houston offense is potent enough from top to bottom to play nearly anyone in a good matchup.
I want to get cheap exposure to Baltimore against Lucas Giolito. Gioltio has largely gotten his home run problem under control in the last 30 days, but he is still walking batters at a 10.3 percent clip in that span. The Orioles lineup is priced up, but Ramon Urias ($3,300) is a decent value to target.
In contrast to the Orioles, half of the Reds lineup is priced at the minimum, or very close to it. Nick Senzel ($2,200) hits second with lefties on the mound, and Cristopher Sanchez hasn't been impressive in 36.1 career innings in the majors.
Stacks to Consider
Phillies vs. Reds (T.J. Zeuch): Kyle Schwarber ($6,000), Rhys Hoskins ($4,700), Alec Bohm ($4,200)
The Phillies check every box we want Wednesday, except that the lineup may be chalk. There's a diversity in price points, so the overall cost isn't overwhelming. More importantly, the matchup is excellent on paper. Zeuch has pitched in the majors for small portions of each of the last four seasons. His line across 57 total innings includes a 3.4 K-BB%, 2.1 HR/9 and 5.40 SIERA.
Dodgers vs. Brewers (Adrian Houser): Trea Turner ($6,100), Freddie Freeman ($5,500), Will Smith ($5,400)
There's no bad day to play a Dodgers' stack, but Wednesday seems to be a particularly good one. To start, they'll draw a matchup against Houser, who is starting his first game since June 30. Even before he went down, Houser managed only a 17 percent strikeout rate. That's a difficult way to navigate through one of the best lineups in the league. The stack laid out is quite expensive, but the Dodgers' lineup is deep enough to work in players priced in the 4k range.
Blue Jays at Red Sox (Brayan Bello): George Springer ($5,300), Vladimir Guerrero ($5,700), Lourdes Gurriel ($4,300)
The Toronto offense is in a good spot again Wednesday, as Bello has shown little sign of translating his minor-league success to the majors – for the time being. In his first 17 innings, he has only 4.6 K-BB% (12.6 BB%) and a 4.34 SIERA. The one thing he hasn't done is give up a home run, and he has shown the ability to limit hard contact. Despite that, I'm happy to turn to Toronto for the second consecutive night.
