MLB DFS: Wednesday stacks, bargains and pitchers to target

It's a light not for MLB, as much of the action is in the afternoon. There are six games starting at 7:05 p.m. ET or later. Take a step away from the NHL and NBA playoffs and get in on the MLB DFS action. It's a great time to be a sports fan. Here are my recommendations.

Pitching

Gerrit Cole, NYY at BAL ($53): Remember that brief period of time when people were worried about Cole after MLB cracked down on foreign substances? Over his last four starts he's pitched 25.1 innings and has an 1.42 ERA. The Orioles are what I expected them to be. That is to say, one of the worst teams in the majors, and one that ranks 28th in runs scored.

Lucas Giolito, CWS at KC ($44): Giolito is back from the COVID-19 list and hopefully he will get right back into the swing of things. He has a 2.70 ERA and has struck out 12.49 batters per nine innings. The Royals, meanwhile, ranks 27th in runs scored and has a .289 team OBP.

Drew Smyly, CHC vs. PIT ($34): Smyly is the lowest-salaried pitcher I'm willing to take a shot on Wednesday. It's all about the matchup. He's at home and the Pirates rank 29th in runs scored with a team .223/.294/.346 slash line. Pittsburgh finished last in runs scored in 2021, so none of this is surprising.

Top Targets

You need a catcher for Yahoo, and Willson Contreras ($18) is a fine option for Wednesday. He's a catcher with three 20-homer seasons and a penchant for getting on base. This year he's slashed .275/.392/.495. Contreras will be facing Mitch Keller, who has a career 6.12 ERA.

I'd bet on Tim Anderson ($18) winning a batting title some day. He's hit over .300 in each of the last three seasons, and he's hitting .328 this year. The shortstop also has four homers and five stolen bases. The 38-year-old Zack Greinke hasn't allowed many homers this year, but he has allowed righties like Anderson to hit .293 against him since 2020.

Bargain Bats

Though he is off to a slow start, Jared Walsh ($14) is likely going to be just fine. He hit 29 homers last year and has hit six this season. Plus, since 2020 he has a .956 OPS against righties. Dane Dunning is a righty, and he has a 4.33 ERA in his career.

Jeff McNeil ($12) has gotten back in the swing of things with his swing. He's slashed .312/.370/.424 in 2022, in line with his career .300/.365/.456 slash line. Jordan Hicks is starting for the first time in his career, and in his five starts this season he has a 5.09 ERA.

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Stacks to Consider

Blue Jays vs. Marco Gonzales ($32): Vladimir Guerrero ($17), Bo Bichette ($16), Teoscar Hernandez ($12)

Gonzales may have a 3.38 ERA, but that is belied by his 6.26 FIP. His problem is that he's allowed 2.25 home runs per nine innings, and last season he gave up 1.82 homers per nine innings. The Blue Jays don't really have many lefties, which makes it easier to stack them against a southpaw like Gonazales.

I mentioned that the Mariners' pitcher has an issue with home runs. Well Guerrero has seven home runs this year and a career .513 slugging percentage. Bichette has four homers and four stolen bases after having 29 home runs and 25 swiped bags in 2021. He's a career .293 hitter, so he's not likely to hit .247 all season. Hernandez is off to a slow start, but since 2020 he has an 1.059 OPS against lefties. This is the kind of matchup to get him going.

Yankees vs. Jordan Lyles ($26): Giancarlo Stanton ($23), Josh Donaldson ($20), DJ LeMahieu ($16)

Lyles has a career 5.18 ERA and in his first year with the Orioles he has a 4.38 ERA and 4.41 FIP. He's allowed 1.15 home runs in nine innings, which would be his lowest average since 2016. I expect that number to rise as a result.

Stanton knows a thing or two about homers. He did hit 59 in a season once. Last year he slugged 35 homers, he has 10 this year, and his career slugging percentage is .543. Donaldson got off to a slow start, but over the last 21 days he has a .940 OPS. On the season, he has a .922 OPS against righties and a .968 OPS on the road. LeMahieu is still having power issues, but he's hit .262 with a .345 OBP. The righty is leading off, and in this lineup that bodes well for his potential.