This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
It's set to rain across the country Wednesday, but fortunately only during the day in most places. I didn't avoid any games for that reason, but it's still worth monitoring. As for the slate, there's one pitcher that towers above the rest, but I'm looking elsewhere.
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PITCHER
Jake Arrieta, PHI vs. ARI ($8,500): Instead of backing an enormous favorite in Clayton Kershaw ($14,000), I feel almost as good about Arrieta, who turned things around last start striking out 10 Pirates and going seven scoreless innings. The Diamondbacks have struggled early against righties with a high 26.1 K% and low .296 wOBA.
GPP Fade: Jon Lester, CHC at CLE ($8,200): There aren't many high-priced pitchers in the slate so there aren't many options to fade. Lester has had two nice outings, but he was also blown up by Pittsburgh because he couldn't strike guys out. That could be a problem against the Indians as they have the best K% in the league against lefties at 16.8.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Eduardo Rodriguez, BOS at TOR ($7,600): This is as cheap as I'll go for a pitcher in this spot. Rodriguez hasn't been overwhelming in his first three outings, but he's been solid and most recently went six innings against a stout Angels lineup en route to 19.9 fantasy points. He has 20 Ks in his first three starts and faces a subpar Toronto lineup that has a 23.0 K% and .300 wOBA against southpaws.
CATCHER
Yan Gomes, CLE vs. CHC ($3,000): Gomes doesn't cost much and gets a solid matchup against an inconsistent Jon Lester. The southpaw has two good starts, but one terrible outing and more importantly had a poor .344 wOBA against righties last year. That works for Gomes, who is much better against lefties and had a .264 ISO and .360 wOBA against them in 2017.
FIRST BASE
Matt Olson, OAK at TEX ($4,300): Doug Fister came off the DL on Wednesday and this will be his first start since Apr. 9 due to a strained hip. He's been fine in his first few starts, but didn't make it more than five innings in any of them. He's also been blasted by lefty bats the last two seasons with a 4.82 xFIP in 2017 and 5.63 xFIP in 2016. That'll do for Olson, who brings all of his power against righties as seen in a career .336 ISO and .408 wOBA.
SECOND BASE
Sean Rodriguez, PIT vs. DET ($2,700): Rodriguez provides a cheap bat against a pitcher that is ready to be shelled. Matthew Boyd has pitched surprisingly well in his first few outings, but those came against Baltimore, Cleveland and KC, three struggling lineups. The Pirates have a great .373 wOBA against southpaws in the early season and Rodriguez has often been better against them with a career .336 wOBA. As for Boyd, he was lit up by righty bats in 2017 with a .357 wOBA allowed and 5.14 xFIP.
THIRD BASE
Rafael Devers, BOS at TOR ($4,000): Devers has the same potency as some higher-priced third basemen and gets a decent matchup. He's improved against righties in the early season and 10 of his 13 career homers have come against them as seen in a .195 ISO. That works against Aaron Sanchez, who is much worse against lefty bats with a .320 wOBA allowed and 4.52 xFIP.
SHORTSTOP
Jurickson Profar, TEX vs. OAK ($2,900): Kendall Graveman is a struggling pitcher to go against with cheap and expensive bats. He has yet to make it more than five innings and has allowed 25 runs in five starts. He isn't good against either side of the plate, but his career 4.73 xFIP against lefties stands out. That's good for Profar, who has better career numbers against righties with a .308 wOBA in addition to hitting safely in eight of his last 10 contests.
OUTFIELD
Shin-Soo Choo, TEX vs. OAK ($3,600): Here's another play against Graveman, but with a little more power. Choo has five homers this season and 21 of his 22 last year came against righties. That should work well against Graveman, who has allowed seven home runs in five starts to go with a career .328 wOBA allowed against lefties.
Yasiel Puig, LAD vs. MIA ($3,500): The Dodgers aren't hitting well as a team, but I needed at least one bat against Trevor Richards. The righty is coming off a miserable start in which he had six walks and allowed five runs and that's the second time he's done that in four outings. Puig has struggled early, although has been better against righties, which was the case last season with 26 homers and a .266 ISO.
Harrison Bader, STL vs. NYM ($3,200): Bader doesn't cost much, but his early numbers have been much better against southpaws with a .276 ISO and .460 wOBA. That's only come in 32 career plate appearances, but the matchup against Steven Matz bodes well either way. The lefty hurler has given up three runs in three of his four starts including a game against the Cardinals in which he only made it four innings. He didn't have success against either side of the plate last season with a .370 wOBA against righties being his worst stat.
