This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
There are a few early start times in baseball Wednesday, but we still have eight games to choose from for the main evening slate in DFS. There will be a lot of bad lineups in action, but some of those might actually be worth considering based on their opponents. Let's dive into the matchups and highlight some of the better options to target for your entry.
Pitching Overview
Mike Soroka ($48) has continued to shine for the Braves, recording a 1.38 ERA that is supported by a 2.70 FIP. Strikeouts haven't been his forte, but that hasn't prevented him from allowing one or no earned runs in nine of his 10 starts. He's thrived on the strength of his 6.5 percent walk rate and the fact that he's allowed only one home run over 65.1 innings. Expect him to be one of the most popular pitchers of the night for his matchup against the Pirates.
After posting a 2.83 ERA that was supported by a 3.28 FIP last year, Miles Mikolas ($37) has regressed this season with a 4.54 ERA and a 4.74 FIP. His walk rate and strikeout rate are very similar to last year while his WHIP isn't all that high either at 1.19. However, the problem is that he's allowed 13 home runs across 73.1 innings. He allowed 16 home runs in 200.2 innings last season. The good news is that he's facing a Marlins team that has hit the fewest homers (48) in the league, so he's an appealing option to consider.
Joey Lucchesi ($42) had a rough outing against the Nationals in his last start, allowing four runs across five innings. He had allowed three runs or fewer in each of his previous five starts, so don't read too much into one bad outing. While he's not the biggest of names, he's pitched well with a 3.70 FIP, 1.13 WHIP and a 24.4 percent strikeout rate. It doesn't get much better than his matchup versus the weak Giants lineup, giving him an excellent opportunity for a strong bounce back performance.
Key Values/Chalk
The Royals don't have many potent bats in their lineup, so they aren't normally an appealing team to target. However, they will have a favorable matchup against Daniel Norris and his 1.45 WHIP. That should make Whit Merrifield ($15) and Adalberto Mondesi ($16) popular options. Merrifield hasn't hit for a ton of power lately, but he is 16-for-51 (.314) over his last 12 games.
Merrill Kelly used two favorable matchups against the Mets and Blue Jays to get back on track, allowing two runs and recording 13 strikeouts over 14.2 innings. However, he's had a difficult time pitching well on a consistent basis, leaving him with a pedestrian 4.56 FIP and 1.36 WHIP. Jay Bruce ($22) has launched five home runs across seven games since joining the Phillies, so he could prove to be a troublesome out for Kelly.
With the Pirates still missing key parts of their starting rotation, Mitch Keller is expected to be recalled from Triple-A. His only other start in the majors this season didn't go well when he allowed six runs over four innings versus the Reds. The Braves are lined up to hang a crooked number in this game with Freddie Freeman ($26) and Ronald Acuna Jr. ($21) carrying plenty of upside.
Stacks
Twins vs. Tommy Milone (Mariners)
Nelson Cruz (OF - $23), C.J. Cron (1B - $24), Byron Buxton (OF - $20)
Expect to see plenty of Twins hitters among the most highly rostered players. Milone hasn't pitched poorly in four appearances since being called up, but he's also faced a lefty-heavy Rangers lineup twice and an Astros team that is missing several key hitters. Cruz is on another power surge and Cron can do plenty of damage in that department himself with his .263 ISO. Buxton has a stellar 174 wRC+ against left-handed pitchers this year, rounding out this very dangerous trio.
Orioles vs. Edwin Jackson (Blue Jays)
Trey Mancini (1B - $21), Jonathan Villar (2B - $15), Keon Broxton (OF - $10)
The fact that Jackson is still in the starting rotation for the Blue Jays shows just how thin their pitching depth chart is. He's been downright awful with an 8.43 FIP and a 2.24 WHIP across five starts. The Orioles don't exactly have a ton of great hitters, but the duo of Mancini and Villar could do plenty of damage here. Broxton has had problems avoiding strikeouts lately, although that might not be an issue in this matchup since Jackson only has a 14.4 percent strikeout rate.
Blue Jays vs. David Hess (Orioles)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (3B - $21), Justin Smoak (1B - $19), Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (OF - $22)
Hess hasn't been as bad as Jackson, but he's also struggled mightily with a 6.90 FIP and a 1.51 WHIP. Attacking him with power hitters is the way to go considering he's allowed 20 home runs across 61 innings. Guerrero and Smoak have plenty of power upside while Gurriel has been an excellent all-around hitter since being recalled from the minors, hitting 18-for-58 (.310) with five home runs and five doubles across 16 games.
