This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Due to the relatively heavy Monday schedule, there are several getaway games Wednesday. That leaves us with a split schedule and equal slates of five games that kick off at 1:10 pm ET and 7:40 pm ET. Both feature nearly identical prize pools, so we'll focus on the night slate.
Pitchers
With a limited player pool, Hunter Greene ($9,000) clearly stands out as the top option among the pitcher pool. He has a 32.6 percent strikeout rate, while no other pitcher has a mark above 24.2 percent.
George Kirby (8,500) is an interesting option. He's making only his second start of the season but is likely at one of his cheapest points. Kirby struggled in his first start of the season against the Astros, but he draws a more favorable Nationals' lineup Wednesday. Matthew Boyd ($8,300) is in the same price range and has been in excellent form of late by posting at least 20 DK points in three of his last four starts. A matchup against the Rockies also helps.
We can round out the pitching section with Clarke Schmidt ($7,700). Schmidt has a 24.2 percent strikeout rate, the second-highest of any starter with a true sample this season. His 12.1 percent walk rate and 1.21 HR/9 are drawbacks, but the Angels have a lot of swing and miss in their lineup even when things are going well.
Top Hitters
The Mariners aren't a great stacking option, but relative to the rest of the teams on the slate they are in a good position to put up some runs in a matchup against the soft-tossing Trevor Williams. Cal Raleigh ($5,300) and Julio Rodriguez ($5,000) have both been very productive and are good building blocks.
We mentioned Clarke Schmidt as a value pitching option, but on a slate this small there will be some incongruity between the pitching and hitting recommendations. That said, Schmidt has allowed 1.21 HR/9, the fourth-highest rate among all starters, leaving Zach Neto ($5,800) and Taylor Ward ($4,000) as options to consider.
Value Bats
Another consequence of a small slate is that there won't be significant number of exploitable matchups to target. Instead, we can look to leadoff hitters or other batters in prime spots of their team's respective lineups. Jonathan India ($3,100) fits that, and the one weakness in Greene's profile is his 1.45 HR/9.
Tyler Mahle has good surface numbers but the lowest strikeout rate of the day with the exception of Tanner Gordon. He's going to give up a lot of contact in a matchup against the Jays, and Addison Barger ($2,900) is currently a fixture in the middle of Toronto's order.
Stacks to Target
Texas Rangers vs. Toronto Blue Jays (Paxton Schultz): Sam Haggerty ($3,700), Wyatt Langford ($4,900), Corey Seager ($4,900)
Schultz has a limited big-league sample, and both his skills and results are mixed. He struck out eight in his first start but has since posted a 5:3 K:BB across his last three outings while allowing average exit velocities of 94.7, 89.4 and 90.4 mph. Seager is also set to be activated off the injured list, giving the Rangers' lineup some extra length and improved quality.
Chicago Cubs vs. Colorado Rockies (Tanner Gordon): Ian Happ ($4,400), Kyle Tucker ($6,500), Seiya Suzuki ($5,700)
The Cubs let us down Tuesday night in what appeared to be an excellent spot. That shouldn't deter us from turning to them again, however. Gordon has gotten away with decent results in his two big-league starts, but his 4.32 SIERA suggests the good results won't last.
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