In what feels like an increasingly rare occurrence this year, the main slate is the same on DraftKings and FanDuel tonight. It’s an eight-game slate that begins at 7:05 pm ET. Below, find out which pitchers and hitters I advise using on tonight’s medium-sized main slate.
Wednesday's Starting Pitcher Strategy
Two of the highest-priced pitchers headline the pitching options. Thankfully, a bargain hurler stands out as an excellent SP2 in cash games on DraftKings. Finally, a high-upside ace rounds out the pitching picks for tonight.
In what feels like an increasingly rare occurrence this year, the main slate is the same on DraftKings and FanDuel tonight. It’s an eight-game slate that begins at 7:05 pm ET. Below, find out which pitchers and hitters I advise using on tonight’s medium-sized main slate.
Wednesday's Starting Pitcher Strategy
Two of the highest-priced pitchers headline the pitching options. Thankfully, a bargain hurler stands out as an excellent SP2 in cash games on DraftKings. Finally, a high-upside ace rounds out the pitching picks for tonight.
Cash Game Recommendations:
Joe Ryan (MIN) vs. DET
Ryan has been excellent to start the year. According to FanGraphs, he has had a 1.69 ERA, 3.51 xERA, 3.57 SIERA, 0.88 WHIP, 26.7 K%, and 32.5 CSW% in three starts totaling 16.0 innings. The young righty was rock-solid in his cup of coffee for the Twins last year.
Tonight, he has a great matchup. This year, the Tigers are tied for 20th in wRC+ (80) against right-handed pitchers. Further, most of their hitters have been below-average against righties since 2019.
Finally, I love the betting info. Betting Pros lists the Twins as -185 favorites, and the game's over/under at 7.0 runs. As a result, Ryan is my favorite pitcher on tonight's slate.
Jordan Montgomery (NYY) vs. BAL
Montgomery is a stellar value option at pitcher tonight. He's allowed only one run on six hits, four walks, and seven strikeouts across his previous two starts lasting 11.0 innings. Moreover, one of those turns was a five-inning scoreless turn against tonight's opponent, the Orioles.
Baltimore's an ideal matchup for Montgomery to continue cruising. The Orioles are tied for 23rd in wRC+ (83) against lefties with a sky-high 29.3 K% in 2022. In addition, the Yankees are monstrous -275 favorites. Therefore, I like Montgomery's chances of earning a win and clearing the low bar needed to provide value as an SP2 on DraftKings. Finally, Montgomery's low salary is conducive to GPP usage for hitter-centric team builds at FanDuel.
GPP Recommendations:
Pablo Lopez (MIA) at WSH
Lopez gives Ryan a run for his money as the top pitcher on tonight's slate. Yet, the salary difference tipped the scales in Ryan's favor in cash games. In GPPs, paying a little extra is worth it to chase Lopez's upside.
The 26-year-old righty has spun a sparkling 0.52 ERA, 2.70 xERA, 2.81 SIERA, 0.75 WHIP, 26.6 K%, and 35.0 CSW% in three starts lasting 17.1 innings this season. The Nationals are mostly a non-threatening matchup for Lopez tonight, ranking tied for 20th in wRC+(85) against righties in 2022.
Additionally, Washington's hitters are a collection of mostly below-average hitters against righties since 2019. Thus, Lopez has a golden opportunity to mow down his NL East foes.
Shohei Ohtani (LAA) vs. CLE
Ohtani's ceiling is through the roof every time he takes the hill. He's struck out 26 hitters in 14.1 innings pitched across three starts this year. Unfortunately, the Rangers hung six runs on him in his second start of the year. However, he held the Astros to just one run in 10.2 innings in his other two starts.
The righty's stuff is brilliant, evidenced by his 16.5 SwStr% and 37.7 CSW% in 2022. Ryan and Lopez have better matchups, making them safer picks. However, Ohtani's undeniable strikeout potential puts him on the GPP radar.
Top Lineup Stacks
The Braves will likely be a chalky stack. However, that's for a good reason. Mark Leiter Jr. is a 31-year-old pitcher with only 121.1 innings of big-league experience. Basically, he's been a minor-league journeyman. Further, even with the benefit of making 36 relief appearances versus 13 starts in the Bigs, he's had an ugly 5.86 ERA, coughing up 2.00 HR/9. As a result, the Braves should have little difficulty hanging a crooked number on the scoreboard tonight.
- Road (Nationals Park)
- Value: Medium
- Risk: Medium
- Game Type: GPP
- Game Total/Moneyline: 7.0 Runs/MIA -143
The game's over/under doesn't suggest this is an excellent game to stack. Nevertheless, I love picking on Erick Fedde tonight. The 29-year-old righty has homer issues and a 5.31 ERA in his career. Further, Fedde regularly puts runners on and misses bats at a well-below-average clip.
- Road (Globe Life Field)
- Value: Low(DK)/High(FD)
- Risk: Medium
- Game Type: Both
- Game Total/Moneyline: 8.0 Runs/HOU -125
Can Glenn Otto turn his minor-league success into sustainable big-league success? Last year, he was beaten like a drum for a 9.26 ERA in 23.1 innings. This year, he's thrown five one-run innings in his lone start. However, the burden is still on Otto to demonstrate he can overcome last year's struggle, and the Astros have enough top-end hitters to provide him with further growing pains.
- Matt Olson has ripped the cover off the ball in his first year in Atlanta, smacking two homers and eight doubles with a .438 OBP, .212 ISO, and 183 wRC+ through 80 plate appearances.
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. is a power and speed dynamo, tallying a .388 ISO and swiping four bases in 55 plate appearances this year.
- Austin Riley has blossomed into a great hitter. He broke out last year and has excelled in same-handed matchups. Thankfully, he's validating last year's breakout with a .277 ISO, .373 OBP, and 167 wRC+ through 75 plate appearances in 2022.
- Marcell Ozuna has been a Brave since 2020, enjoying a career year in his first season with the Braves. He's not quite matching that production this year, but his Statcast batted-ball data is nearly a carbon copy.
- Last year, Jesus Sanchez conquered the minors before bringing his thunderous stick to The Show. He's drilled 17 homers in 318 plate appearances since last year.
- Kyle Tucker is hitting below the Mendoza Line. Nonetheless, he clubbed a homer last night and has had a 104 wRC+ against righties this season.
Wednesday's Hitter Strategy
I'm eating the chalk in all game types with the Braves. However, I also love the Marlins in GPPs and Astros in all game types. So the bulk of my hitter slots will be filled with batters from those three teams tonight.
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Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
