Wednesday baseball features five afternoon games and 11 in the evening. A day-night doubleheader (MIN @ BOS) provides a great opportunity in Early contests, as Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez $5700 makes his second MLB start. After dazzling in his debut — three hits and no runs in 7.2 IP while fanning seven — his salary may never be this low again.
For the other SP, Francisco Liriano $10000 has struck out 23 batters in his last two starts and boasts a superb ERA (1.57) on the road, making him a strong play in San Francisco. Masahiro Tanaka $9600 is attempting to pitch with a torn elbow ligament and will be on a short leash, so John Lackey $8300 might be the best alternative to Liriano. Hard-throwing Mike Foltynewicz $6500 has 22 K and just 3 BB in his last three and the Diamondbacks have yet to face him.
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Where will the most runs be produced in the matinees? Boston just faced Phil Hughes $7600 a week ago and Dustin Pedroia $4100 homered twice; Mike Napoli $4400, Brock Holt $3000 and David Ortiz $3900 have hit him well in the past. The Cardinals match up well at home against Jimmy Nelson $7200 and although Taijuan Walker $7000 was sensational last start, he’s just 22, inconsistent and no sure thing against the Yankees.
Evening contests offer a lot more choice; they close at 7:05 and are the focus of our sample lineup and Short List. Corey Kluber $10400 and Chris Sale $10600 are dominant pitchers but eat up 42% of the salary cap if you use both. Surrounding them with inexpensive bats just might work. You could also pick one, couple him with a relative bargain like Nathan Karns $6400 or Lance McCullers $5600 and spend a bit more on hitting.
Carlos Santana $4400 is my top choice at C but Russell Martin $3900 and all the Blue Jays are playable. Derek Norris $3400 is excellent value after homering last night.
Assuming you can’t afford Adrian Gonzalez $5400 at 1B, there’s Anthony Rizzo $4700 for a few dollars less and a couple of potential bargains like Ben Paulsen $3300 or Chris Colabello $3300.
Jose Altuve $4300 has become affordable at 2B after a mini-slump; he had two hits last night. We can’t be 100% sure that Pedroia — or any of the BoSox — will play in both games, so check lineups. 2B/3B Cory Spangenberg $2700 was 3-for-3 with a walk and a steal for his lucky owners on Tuesday.
While Josh Donaldson $5500 is squarely in the AL MVP picture and Nolan Arenado $5100 is a two-way stud, Manny Machado $4300 might be the best 3B value. Rookie slugger Joey Gallo $3200 was fantastic in his first MLB game but he’s never seen anyone as good as Sale and is a better play vs. RHP.
Every day we tout former SS Ruben Tejada $2300 and he keeps hitting. Now playing third and in the 2-hole, he’s up to .288 with extra-base pop and speed. Mike Aviles $3300 loves hitting off southpaws, and of course Troy Tulowitzki $5000 is the #1 SS, just more expensive.
Joc Pederson $5100 never wants to leave Colorado; he’s homered in four straight games (three at Coors) including 477-foot and 472-foot bombs. Rookie Steven Souza Jr. $4300 is a solid OF value who thrives vs. LHP. Billy Burns $3300 is always underpriced and usually in my lineup, with nine hits in the last four games. Carlos Gonzalez $4600 may be waking up, but we’re leaning to bargains like Joey Butler $3600 or lefty-masher Ryan Raburn $2800 in an effort to afford a pair of aces.
| Pos | Premium | Bargain |
| SP1 | Corey Kluber $10400 | Nathan Karns $6400 |
| SP2 | Chris Sale $10600 | Lance McCullers $5600 |
| C | Carlos Santana $4400 | Derek Norris $3400 |
| 1B | Anthony Rizzo $4700 | Ben Paulsen $3300 |
| 2B | Jose Altuve $4300 | Cory Spangenberg $2700 |
| 3B | Josh Donaldson $5500 | Manny Machado $4300 |
| SS | Troy Tulowitzki $5000 |
Ruben Tejada $2300 |
| OF1 | Joc Pederson $5100 | Joey Butler $3600 |
| OF2 | Steven Souza Jr. $4300 | Ryan Raburn $2800 |
| OF3 | Carlos Gonzalez $4600 | Billy Burns $3300 |
The Fantasy Spin features DFS advice every day of the NBA season and we’re turning out attention to baseball for the summer. Follow Kent Williams @SheridanFantasy for updates.