Check out all of our starting pitcher rankings and other lineup selection tools here to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions. MLB betting tips for each day's slate of games will also be added in the morning. MLB game odds are provided by ESPN BET
, and all fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.
Note: All information is accurate as of the time of publication. For updates, including what you might have missed from last night, as well as any breaking news that might impact today's MLB slate, be sure to check out the latest fantasy baseball news.
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Pitchers to stream on Wednesday
The Tampa Bay Rays hope that Taj Bradley's last two efforts heading into the break are a harbinger of how he'll produce down the stretch. The righty posted a pair of quality starts, fanning 11 in 12 frames with just four walks. He hasn't allowed a homer in 29 2/3 innings. Bradley is in a favorable position to keep the momentum with a home start against a Chicago White Sox lineup with the lowest wOBA against right-handers.
Sean Manaea may not be fully stretched out, but after tossing 65 and 69 pitches in his two outings heading into the break, he should be able to handle five frames and qualify for a possible win when the New York Mets host the Los Angeles Angels. The visitors strike out at the league's highest clip against left-handers.
Early in the season, the Milwaukee Brewers needed starting pitching, so they acquired Quinn Priester from the Boston Red Sox. The 25-year-old righty was unable to deliver on his prospect hype, but like they've done several times lately, the club saw something they liked and have been rewarded. Over his last four outings, Priester posted a 2.28 ERA and 0.89 WHIP, with an ace-like 30 punchouts to only six free passes in those 23 2/3 innings. Wednesday's road date with the Seattle Mariners will be a challenge, but after fanning 10 Los Angeles Dodgers in six scoreless frames last time, Priester has earned the fantasy start.
Hitters to stream on Wednesday
Bailey Falter surrendered multiple home runs in each of his last three outings, including against the White Sox and Kansas City Royals, two of the least powerful teams in the league. The Detroit Tigers are middle-of-the-pack in home run rate, but a home date against Falter and the Pittsburgh Pirates means that Spencer Torkelson, Gleyber Torres, Wenceel Perez and Dillon Dingler all warrant lineup consideration.
Hitters to avoid on Wednesday
Normally, it's a no-brainer to trust Red Sox batters against southpaw pitching, after all they sport the third highest wOBA in MLB facing left-handers. However, the righty swingers like Rob Refsnyder and Romy Gonzalez have played sparingly lately and could be overmatched facing Jesus Luzardo. The Philadelphia Phillies' left-hander has been inconsistent, but he logged four double-digit strikeout efforts plus six more outings where he notched at least seven punchouts and the Red Sox are vulnerable to strikeout pitchers.
Betting tips
Best/worst pitcher/hitter matchups and betting projections are generated by THE BAT X, a 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. Betting projections for every player, team, and game can be found at EV Analytics.
Note: Expected Value is a measure of how good a bet is, factoring the probability that it will win versus the odds the book is providing. If you were to wager $1.00 100 times on a bet with an Expected Value of $25, you would win some and you would lose some, but in the end you would expect to come away with $25 in profit on your $100 investment.
Because odds typically do not get set until the previous day's games are completed, betting tips will be added in the morning.