Fantasy baseball pitcher rankings, lineup advice for Wednesday’s MLB games

More Teams. More Games.

Andrew Abbott should rebound against a Guardians offense that struggles versus lefties. (1:01)

Look for our fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings, hitter upgrades and downgrades daily to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions and for MLB betting tips. MLB game odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook, and fantasy advice is geared towards ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

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Note: This file will be updated with overnight pitching changes and weather-related game postponements, along with the addition of the latest MLB game odds as of the indicated time of publication.

By Todd Zola

Wednesday’s full slate begins with a pair of 1:10 PM ET starts, followed by two more matinees getting underway in the 3:00 PM ET block. The remaining 11 tilts are evening affairs.

Kenta Maeda (29.3%) is Wednesday’s top streaming option. He’ll take the hill in one of the early games when the Minnesota Twins host the Detroit Tigers. Maeda has yielded one homer in five straight games, but not much else as he’s sporting a 2.12 ERA and 0.78 WHIP over that span, fanning 35 with just five walks in those 29 2/3 innings. The Tigers tote the second lowest wOBA and eighth highest strikeout rate versus right-handers into Target Field.

Johan Oviedo (16.7%) checks in as the slate’s highest ranked streaming candidate, but the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander’s inconsistency lends more risk than Maeda. The ranking is driven by facing a New York Mets offense averaging the sixth fewest runs per game in MLB over the last month. Since the break, Oviedo has had six starts, posting a 3.50 ERA in that span, but he gave up 11 total runs in two of those outings and only three combined in the other four.

Trusting one solid start after a season of mostly clunkers is usually a fool’s errand, but when the follow-up is against the Oakland Athletics, exceptions can be made. Last time out, Matthew Liberatore (2.4%) stifled the Tampa Bay Rays with eight scoreless frames, fanning seven with no free passes. The risk may be better suited for deeper fantasy leagues or DFS purposes, but the Athletics sport on of the least potent lineups with a lefty on the hill.

James Paxton (41.3%) has been a frequent visitor to this space since making his Boston Red Sox debut in late May, and he’s delivered. Paxton has registered a 3.36 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 90 punch outs in 80 1/3 innings. He’s posted a quality start in seven of his 15 outings. A road matchup with the last-place Washington Nationals may seem like another opportunity to deploy the veteran southpaw, but the contest has the makings of a trap game. Despite their woes, the Nationals have been productive against left-handed pitching, as evidenced by the league’s seventh highest wOBA and third lowest strikeout rate facing southpaws.

The right-handed contingent of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (55.8%), Gabriel Moreno (5%), Tommy Pham (4.77%) and Kyle Lewis (.2%) all are in play for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the series finale on the road against Austin Gomber and the Colorado Rockies.

The Cincinnati Reds lead MLB in steals, so expect them to be off to the races on Wednesday when they entertain the Cleveland Guardians with Noah Syndergaard on the hill. Matt McLain (46.3%), TJ Friedl (23.2%), Will Benson (3.1%) and Kevin Newman (.6%) are the most likely to take advantage.

Pitchers are ranked in order of their Forecaster/Daily Notes projected fantasy points (FPTS), using ESPN’s standard scoring system (2 points per win, minus-2 per loss, 3 per inning, 1 per K, minus-1 apiece per hit or walk allowed, minus-2 per earned run allowed).

T: The pitcher’s handedness. OPP: Opposing team. RST%: The pitcher’s roster percentage in ESPN leagues. ML: Caesars Money Line. O/U: Caesars Over/Under for runs scored. For the projected stat line, W% is the team’s win probability using ESPN projections, IP is innings pitched, ER is earned runs allowed and K is strikeouts.

If a team is planning on using an “opener” to start their game, but will rely on a “bulk pitcher” to follow him on the mound after 1-2 innings, the bulk pitcher is listed and indicated with an asterisk.

Best and worst hitters from the day are generated by THE BAT X, a projection system created by Derek Carty using advanced methods like those used in MLB front offices, accounting for a variety of factors including player talent, ballparks, bullpens, weather, umpires, defense, catcher pitch-framing, and lots more.

Tommy Pham (ARI, LF — 3%) at Austin Gomber

Charlie Blackmon (COL, RF — 14%) vs. Slade Cecconi

Brendan Rodgers (COL, 2B — 10%) vs. Cecconi

Ryan McMahon (COL, 3B — 29%) vs. Cecconi

Elias Diaz (COL, C — 41%) vs. Cecconi

TJ Friedl (CIN, LF — 24%) vs. Noah Syndergaard

Jake McCarthy (ARI, RF — 17%) at Gomber

Ezequiel Tovar (COL, SS — 9%) vs. Cecconi

Andrew Benintendi (CHW, LF — 15%) at Javier Assad

Seiya Suzuki (CHC, RF — 44%) vs. Mike Clevinger

Gunnar Henderson (BAL, 3B — 78%) at Blake Snell

Salvador Perez (KC, C — 85%) vs. Luis Castillo