Yahoo DFS Baseball: Wednesday Plays and Strategy

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Wednesday Plays and Strategy

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

There will be a lot of day games played across baseball Wednesday. The good news is, there are still seven games that will make up the main evening slate on Yahoo. Here are some pitchers and hitters among those games to consider.

Pitchers

Spencer Strider ($59) continues to mow down hitters in impressive fashion. He recorded 13 strikeouts in his last outing against the Blue Jays, meaning that he has now posted at least eight strikeouts in every start this season. He has given up just two home runs across 46.2 innings, while recording a 0.92 WHIP. Although the Rangers have scored the second-most runs in baseball, Strider is still one of the top pitchers to consider.

Drew Smyly ($44) was torched for seven runs (six earned) over 4.2 innings in his season debut. Since then, he has allowed two or fewer runs in each of his last seven starts. His WHIP checks in at 0.97, which comes on the heels of his impressive 1.19 WHIP last season. While facing the Astros might seem like a daunting task based on their recent run of success, they have the third-worst OPS in baseball this season.

Staying in that same game, J.P. France ($32) is also appealing. Over his first two starts with the Astros, he has given up just one run in 11.2 innings. What's equally as impressive is that he allowed a total of just nine baserunners. The Cubs are dealing with injuries to Cody Bellinger (leg) and Nico Hoerner (hamstring), leaving France with an opportunity to capitalize on their short-handed lineup.

Top Targets

Injuries have done a number on the Rays' starting rotation. They will be forced to turn to Josh Fleming ($27), who has mostly followed an opener. He hasn't pitched well, generating a 4.26 ERA and a 4.79 FIP. His WHIP sits at 1.42, and he has a lowly 15.4 percent strikeout rate for his career. This could be an opportune matchup for Pete Alonso ($16), who has already launched 14 home runs to go along with his .365 wOBA.

Luis Robert Jr. ($17) is locked in right now. Over his last 11 games, he is 17-for-38 (.447) with six home runs and four doubles. Trying to slow him down will be Peyton Battenfield ($33), who had a 4.68 FIP at Triple-A last year. Over 30.1 innings with the Guardians this year, he has a mediocre 4.45 ERA and 4.46 FIP.

Bargain Bats

Looking at his season stats, Starling Marte ($9) has been a disappointment with his .266 wOBA. His walk and strikeouts rats remain around the same as last season, as well as his hard-hit rate. Some of his issues might be a .288 BABIP that is significantly lower than his .342 career mark. He is showing signs of turning things around, hitting 10-for-32 (.313) over his last eight games.

Andrew Benintendi ($10) is another member of the White Sox to target against Battenfield. He's not nearly as hot as Robert is, but he is 10-for-34 (.294) with four doubles and a .368 OBP over his last nine games. He generally does a great job of making contact and is on pace to have a strikeout rate of 18.0 percent of lower for the third straight season.

Stacks to Consider

Mariners vs. Brayan Bello ($31), Red Sox: Julio Rodriguez ($14), Jarred Kelenic ($18), Ty France ($12)

Across 57.1 innings with the Red Sox last season, Bello posted a 1.78 WHIP. He hasn't been much better this year with a 1.59 WHIP over 23.1 inning. He has also given up a home run in each of his five starts. One of the Mariners' hottest hitters has been France, who is 19-for-55 (.345) with a .390 OBP during his current 13-game hitting streak.

Rays vs. Kodai Senga ($32), Mets: Wander Franco ($19), Randy Arozarena ($21), Josh Lowe ($19)

Senga has allowed at least four runs in three of his five starts. He has shown significant command issues, walking 23 batters across 37 innings. That has resulted in his WHIP checking in at 1.51. That could spell his downfall against the Rays, who have scored the most runs in baseball.  Showing improved production this season has been Franco, who has a .216 ISO and a .367 wOBA.

Red Sox vs. Marco Gonzales ($30), Mariners: Rafael Devers ($16), Masataka Yoshida ($18), Justin Turner ($16)

Since the start of the 2021 season, Gonzales has a 1.15 WHIP at home. However, that number balloons to 1.42 on the road. Pitching at hitter-friendly Fenway Park likely won't help his cause. Yoshida is one of the top potions for a Red Sox stack after posting a .384 wOBA over his first 35 games in the majors. He has shown a stellar eye at the plate, recording a 9.7 percent walk rate and a 9.7 percent strikeout rate.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Mike Barner plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: mbarner, DraftKings: mbarner51.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Barner
Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Mike also won the 2022-23 FSGA NBA Experts Champions league. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
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