:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69163956/usa_today_15914979.0.jpg)
Wednesday’s early slate gets underway at 3:10 p.m. ET on DraftKings and features at least one future Hall of Famer taking the mound. We’ll see what Max Scherzer has in store for the Cardinals. There’s also the first game of a doubleheader between the Twins and the A’s, and a game at Coors Field, which always has endless possibilities.
Let’s examine this slate further by spotlighting some of the top plays and best value buys available.
Top Pitchers
Max Scherzer, WAS vs. STL ($10,700) — Scherzer is $1,200 more than any other pitcher on the slate. He’s probably worth it, however. He’s been stellar in his last two turns, compiling 15 strikeouts over 13 innings. He allowed only five hits and one run during that span.
Dinelson Lamet, SDP vs. MIL ($9,500) — This is a risk-reward play, but the reward is high when you’re talking about a pitcher who has averaged better than 12 strikeouts per nine innings over the past two years and turned in a 2.09 earned run average in 2020. Lamet has been on the mend because of an elbow injury and will likely have a modest pitch-count limit in his season debut. But this matchups is favorable as the Brewers’ offense has recorded the sixth-worst OPS and the third-most K’s.
Top Hitters
Alex Bregman, HOU vs. COL ($5,000) — Bregman returned from the COVID IL on Tuesday and is in a good place to succeed today: Coors Field. It also helps that he is facing left-hander Austin Gomber, who has walked 13 batters in 15.1 innings and whose fastball is getting hit hard so far.
Shohei Ohtani, LAA vs. TEX ($5,100) — Because “Mike Trout” can’t always be the right answer. Ohtani focused on pitching Tuesday. He’ll turn his attention back to hitting today against Texas’ Mike Foltynewicz. Ohtani has a slash line of .309/.345/.699 with nine extra-base hits in 55 at-bats.
Value Pitcher
Kenta Maeda, MIN vs. OAK ($7,400) — Maeda has been a little unlucky so far. You should never expect him to be as good as he was in the shortened 2020 season, but he is still a decent bargain at this price. His .404 BABIP is bound to normalize.
Value Hitter
C.J. Cron, COL vs. HOU ($3,800) — Cron put together his best stat line of the young season on Tuesday: 2-for-4 with a homer and five RBIs. He had only three RBIs coming ito that game, but he has prodigious power and has always been a streaky player. This might be the start of one of those hot streaks. He’ll try to build on it versus Jose Urquidy at Coors Field.