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

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 any overnight pitching changes or weather-related game postponements, along with the addition of the latest MLB game odds as of the indicated time of publication.

By Todd Zola

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The final Wednesday in August features nine afternoon affairs with six more evening contests. Action gets underway at 1:05 PM with a pair of games so be sure to have your free agent pickups done in time. This is the last week before playoffs begin in ESPN head-to-head leagues and there are only four Thursday games, so you can’t afford to be playing short on Wednesday.

Heading the list of pitchers to pick up for a spot start is Bryce Miller (38.4% rostered). He has been a key cog in the Seattle Mariners ascent to first place in the AL West with the club winning six of his eight starts since the All-Star break. Miller has posted a 3.80 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in that span, with 40 strikeouts in 42 2/3 innings. He has a great chance to end the month on a high note with a favorable home matchup against the Oakland Athletics and the league’s worst wOBA facing right-handers. The Athletics also fan at a 25.1% pace, the third most in MLB with a righty on the hill.

Next up is Cristopher Sanchez (12.8%) who takes the ball for the Philadelphia Phillies in Citizens Bank Park against the Los Angeles Angels. The Phillies have been victorious in all four of Sanchez’s August starts. The 26-year-old southpaw has done his part with quality starts in his last three outings. Sanchez has a solid chance for a fourth start quality outing facing an Angels lineup with the second worst wOBA versus left-handers over the last month. They’ve struck out at a generous 25.9% clip over this span.

Dane Dunning (35.8%) has never been considered a dominant hurler; he’s more of an innings eater with fantasy appeal in the most favorable matchups. While that’s still the case, it is intriguing to note Dunning has posted a pair of double-digit strikeout games this month. Adding a third will be a challenge facing a New York Mets lineup with a below average strikeout rate versus righties, but they’ve fanned more after the break so there is a chance. When the Mets make contact, their production is league average, putting Dunning in play as a streamer for his Wednesday effort in pitcher-friendly Citi Field.

Kyle Gibson (27.5%) is another pitcher not known for missing bats. Since 2018, his strikeout rates have ranged between 19.3% and 22.7%. This season, it sits at 20.1%, but since July 9 it has spiked to 24.5%. The veteran righty has a chance to keep his elevated strikeout pace facing a struggling Chicago White Sox offense at home. The visitors tote the second lowest wOBA and an above average strikeout rate into Camden Yards.

All batting eyes will again be on Coors Field, but there are only so many Atlanta Braves to go around. An underappreciated hitter, especially for those looking for power from the catcher position is Seattle Mariners backstop Cal Raleigh (37.3%). Raleigh’s 25 homers lead catcher-eligible players. He checks in as the seventh highest ranked catcher on the ESPN Player Rater. On Wednesday, Raleigh faces Athletics righty Zach Neal who has yielded seven homers in only 17 frames. The switch-hitting Raleigh has clubbed 22 of his long balls off right-handed pitching.

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.

Cal Raleigh (SEA, C — 37%) vs. Zach Neal

Ke’Bryan Hayes (PIT, 3B — 18%) at Angel Zerpa

Orlando Arcia (ATL, 2B — 31%) at Kyle Freeland

Andrew McCutchen (PIT, LF — 17%) at Angel Zerpa

Eugenio Suarez (SEA, 3B — 23%) vs. Zach Neal

Tyler O’Neill (STL, LF — 17%) vs. Rich Hill

Yainer Diaz (HOU, C — 22%) at Kutter Crawford

J.P. Crawford (SEA, SS — 13%) vs. Zach Neal

Giancarlo Stanton (NYY, RF — 46%) at Matt Manning

Tommy Pham (ARI, LF — 9%) at Ryan Pepiot

Brandon Lowe (TB, 2B — 51%) at Jesus Luzardo

Elly De La Cruz (CIN, SS — 88%) at Logan Webb