Hope you set your alarm clock. We’ve got our first afternoon MLB featured slate since Opening Day, with the 10-game schedule getting underway at 1:10 p.m. ET in Tampa Bay and Milwaukee.
Don’t have time to research before then? No worries. I’ve got you covered. Here are some value picks for today’s action on the diamond.
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SP Ryan Pepiot, Tampa Bay Rays vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, $7,200
Pepiot is on the other side of a pitching duel with Paul Skenes ($10,300), so there’s a chance he won’t be incredibly popular on Wednesday. I’d argue he should be. Pepiot was forced to start on Opening Day after Shane McClanahan suffered an injury late in Spring Training, but he certainly looked like he belonged. Granted it was against the lowly Rockies, yet Pepiot tossed six innings of one-run ball, surrendering only two hits and striking out eight. With Pepiot posting a 26.3% strikeout rate across 130.0 innings in 2024, I’m inclined to believe this all wasn’t some one-start fluke.
I also wouldn’t sweat the matchup stuff. In fact, Pepiot might have an even easier one this afternoon. The Pirates have been without an offensive pulse to begin 2025 and, after being shoutout by Shane Baz on Tuesday, the team owns anemic marks in average (.189), wRC+ (56) and ISO (.070). Pittsburgh’s 26.6% strikeout rate is quite tantalizing, as well.
1B Josh Bell, Washington Nationals at Toronto Blue Jays, $2,900
It’s been a pretty bleak start to the season for Bell, who has just a single hit over his first 21 plate appearances of 2025. However, in classic Bell fashion, that hit is a home run, which acknowledges the raw power and DFS upside that the veteran switch-hitter brings to the table. Bell’s also been an above-average hitter by wRC+ each of the past four seasons, so I wouldn’t let a rough week completely sour your view of the man. On Wednesday, Bell and the rest of the Nationals will get to square-off with Easton Lucas ($4,000), a 28-year-old journeyman who only even made four starts at Triple-A in 2024. Lucas is a stopgap. A pitcher that is on the Blue Jays’ roster due solely to Max Scherzer (thumb) being injured. He’s not an MLB-level talent and I’d expect Washington to score some runs.
3B Matt Shaw, Chicago Cubs at Athletics, $3,800
The Cubs have scored 25 runs in the first two MLB games ever played at Sutter Health Park. I’m going to go out on a limb and say they rack up a few more on Wednesday. Though, to be clear, this isn’t a knock on Jeffrey Springs ($7,500), who has been phenomenal when healthy going back to the beginning of 2022. Still, Springs is left-handed, which gives an inexpensive asset like Shaw a nice platoon advantage. The rookie had a tough start in Tokyo, but things have been much better back in North America. Shaw even notched his first-career home run on March 29. This is a guy who hit 21 long balls and stole 31 bases in the minors in 2024. The upside is obvious.
