This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Wednesday night's slate is a bit jumbled without an ace to turn to on the mound. There are still plenty of places to go at pitcher, but none of them are reliable so I went with a veteran. There's also some rain in the Midwest so keep an eye on the radar. As of writing, it was 50/50 for thunderstorms in Ohio.
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PITCHER
CC Sabathia, NYY vs. CWS ($8,900): The Yankees needed someone to step up and Sabathia filled that role with three-straight excellent performances reaching 21 fantasy points in each of them. He could hit those totals again since the White Sox have the highest K% (28.7) against southpaws since the All-Star break. Sabathia has 27 strikeouts in his last three starts and could add another nine or 10 in this game.
GPP Fade: Freddy Peralta, MIL at CIN ($9,700): Peralta is the most expensive pitcher on the slate (barely), but I'm not willing to trust him on the road. While he was great against the Reds last start at home, he gave up three runs and three walks in five innings when he went to Cincy in early July. His splits tell the story with a .231 OBP allowed at home compared to .333 on the road. The Reds are struggling, but Peralta may not be worth the price.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Zack Godley, ARI at SF ($8,600): Godley is still somewhat cheap even though there aren't expensive options on the slate. A lot of people will be turned off by the 11 runs he's given up in his last two starts, but he's still had 14 strikeouts in that period and that potential is reason enough to use him. Against the Giants, which have a 24.8 K%, .119 ISO and .263 wOBA against righties since the break, Godley could be in for a huge outing.
CATCHER
Tucker Barnhart, CIN vs. MIL ($3,400): There aren't any catcher matchups that stand out so I'll work against the pitcher I faded. Barnhart's .326 wOBA against righties last year is his best selling point to go with a 2-for-5 mark (with a walk) against Peralta this year. Peralta has had major issues against lefty bats on the road with a .429 OBP allowed, which results in a .347 wOBA allowed no matter the location.
FIRST BASE
Neil Walker, NYY vs. CWS ($3,600): Walker is on the low end of Yankee bats to use, but he's still serviceable with all of his power (9 2B, 7 HR) against righty arms to go with last year's .366 wOBA. Reynaldo Lopez was great against the Yankees a few weeks ago, but this one is in New York and his 6.06 xFIP against lefties will be problematic.
SECOND BASE
Gleyber Torres, NYY vs. CWS ($4,400): If you have the money, Torres is another Yankee to throw into the mix with 13 homers and a .343 wOBA against righties. Lopez has been slightly worse against righty bats this year, at least in terms of power, allowing a .347 wOBA and 1.49 HR/9.
THIRD BASE
Justin Turner, LAD at TEX ($5,300): Turner is my big bat for the slate as he's destroying southpaws with a .517 BABIP in his last 39 plate appearances and that includes double-digit fantasy points in eight of the last 10 games. Mike Minor's having a decent season yet has a penchant for getting shelled in the right situation and a 1.44 HR/9 and 4.80 xFIP against righty bats won't help in this matchup.
SHORTSTOP
Scott Kingery, PHI vs. WAS ($3,900): Kingery comes on the cheap due to poor numbers for the season, but he's at least getting on base with a .333 BABIP in his last 22 plate appearances. That may be enough against Gio Gonzalez, who has had problems against righties all season with a .347 wOBA allowed. A lower 17.7 K% should also help Kingery make contact with his 32.1 K%.
OUTFIELD
Max Kepler, MIN at CLE ($4,300): Kepler remains an undervalued bat for a Twins team that is hitting better than their record. Kepler's 32 extra-base hits (13 HR) stands out against righties and lines up with his career .209 ISO. Most of Adam Plutko's issues have come against lefties with a miserable 3.32 HR/9 and 6.99 xFIP. It's a small sample, but Plutko is allowing around three runs and at least one homer per start.
Melky Cabrera, CLE vs. MIN ($4,400): Cabrera continues to provide value for the Indians with 11 extra-base hits in 122 plate appearances to go with a .364 OBP in his last 88 plate appearances against righty hurlers. He's one of many Cleveland players that can be used against Kohl Stewart, who has a 6.94 ERA and 1.86 WHIP against lefties in his first three starts
Greg Allen, CLE vs. MIN ($4,100): In the same mold as Cabrera, Allen has been great for the Indians with a .424 OBP in his last 60 plate appearances against righties. Getting on base is good enough against Stewart, who will have issues against the Indians after not making it more than five innings in his prior three outings.
