We’ve actually got 16 MLB games to attack on Wednesday with the White Sox and Guardians set to play a doubleheader in Cleveland. Although there are a few other early games slated, I’m sticking to the action set to start after 6 p.m. ET.
Follow along on Twitter (@Nick_Friar) for updates.
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
New York Yankees at Detroit Tigers
DJ LeMahieu over 1.5 total bases +120
This is an all-too-familiar matchup for the Yankees. After years of facing him as a member of the Red Sox, Eduardo Rodriguez will take on New York for the first time as a member of the Tigers. The left-hander has had his moments vs. the Yankees, and some of their hitters have bad numbers against him, but some see the ball well out of E-Rod’s hand.
LeMahieu is among the latter group. In 23 career plate appearances against E-Rod, the infielder has eight hits. Only one has been for extra bases, which goes against my usual approach of targeting more powerful bats for these picks. However, LeMahieu has three multi-hit games in his last six (9-for-22 during the stretch). Also, he has four hits in his limited five at-bats against lefties to start the year, one of those being a double.
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Washington Nationals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Erick Fedde over 4.5 strikeouts -150
We’re laying a little bit here, and on a guy I don’t normally look to for strong performances, but I like this matchup too much.
Fedde has tossed five innings in each of his first two outings, eclipsing this strikeout number both times. He’s peppering the over on this number right now. Also, after only throwing 87 pitches in his first outing, Dave Martinez let him increase his count by nine in his second outing. So, Fedde is fully stretched out now.
That’s great, because he should be able to last quite a bit longer vs. Arizona on Wednesday. The Diamondbacks are bottom six in OPS and wOBA against right-handed pitching. They also have a .135 ISO against righties. But more importantly, Arizona has the highest strikeout rate in all of baseball against right-handed pitchers at 29%.
Seattle Mariners vs. Texas Rangers
Mariners -1.5 vs. TEX +130
This is quite the mismatch on the mound, whether you look at the starters slated or the bullpens.
Simply put, Logan Gilbert has been great through his first two starts, one of which came against a tough White Sox lineup, and Dane Dunning has pretty much been the opposite.
Last time out, it took the Texas right-hander 86 pitches to get through 3 2/3 innings. Seattle’s lineup just torched Jon Gray on Tuesday, so there’s no reason to think the Mariners can’t figure out Dunning. Texas’ lineup, on the other hand, hasn’t done so well against righties. On top of their MLB-worst .069 ISO against right-handers, the Rangers have a .569 OPS and .264 wOBA against righties.
But even if things are somehow tight between the two teams after both starters leave the game, the bullpens will ensure this pick comes through. Mariners relievers have put together a 2.27 ERA and 2.94 FIP to start the season. Even though some regression is on the horizon, they should still continue to dominate. Meanwhile, the Texas bullpen has been as bad as it gets, rocking an MLB worst 5.68 ERA and 5.79 FIP.
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