This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
We're one-tenth of the way through the MLB season! Sure, in the NFL that would be only 1.7 games worth of action, which helps put into context the scant amount of information we have in the grand scheme of things. However, we do know some times, and one think I know is that there are 10 MLB games slated to start at 6:35 p.m. EDT or later. Here are my DFS lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Jose Soriano, LAA at TEX ($9,800): The Angels have started the season unexpectedly well offensively and the Rangers have started off unexpectedly poorly. Apparently that's enough for me to flip the script and recommend an Angels pitcher! To be fair, Soriano does have a 2.70 ERA through three starts. Also, while he had a 4.50 ERA at home last year, he had a 2.74 ERA on the road. This year, he had a bad start at home, but sure enough, he has a 0.61 ERA in two road outings.
Brandon Pfaadt, ARI at MIA ($8,600): I was high on Pfaadt coming into the season, and while things started out iffy he just went six innings and didn't allow a run against the Orioles. He had a 3.60 FIP last season, and I think in the long run that's his floor. Speaking of floors, the Marlins are well above theirs offensively. They are middle-of-the-pack in runs scored right now, but after finishing in the bottom five last year I don't think they can sustain this.
Osvaldo Bido, ATH at CWS ($8,000): While only nine of Bido's 16 appearances last season were starts, he had a 3.35 FIP. Through three starts this year he has a 2.77 FIP, and he's had to face the Padres and also pitch at Coors Field. Granted, the Rockies are keeping the White Sox from being last in runs scored, but once again the White Sox look futile offensively. They are, at present, just hoping to get their team OPS over .600.
Top Targets
This season has been all-or-nothing for Mike Trout ($4,000). He's below the Mendoza Line in batting average but has slugged .508. What matters most to me Wednesday, though, is that he's a righty, and the Rangers are starting Patrick Corbin. Yes, Corbin may no longer be with the Nationals, but he's still out there making DFS decisions easy. He has a 5.72 ERA since 2021. Righties have hit over .300 against him across that time frame as well.
Even if his catcher eligibility doesn't mean much on FanDuel, with the way Tyler Soderstrom ($3,400) is hitting it's not like there are many first basemen you want more than him anyway. After his explosion Tuesday, he's slashed .328/.403/.734 with eight home runs. Now he gets to face Jonathan Cannon, who in his career has a 4.75 FIP and has allowed lefties to hit .278 against him.
Bargain Bats
If you see that Vinnie Pasquantino ($3,000) is facing Clarke Schmidt, who has a 0.00 ERA, you might have pause. However, Schmidt is making his first start of the season, having been on the IL with a shoulder issue. Thus, now might be a good time to recall Schmidt had an 1.39 ERA on the road, but a 4.50 ERA at home, last season. You also may want to bear in mind that in 2023 lefties hit .303 against Schmidt. Over the last three campaigns Pasquantino has slugged .455 against right-handed pitchers, and Yankee Stadium is often favorable to southpaws.
A few of the games Wednesday have the "high winds" icon in the weather department, but of course what that wind does remains to be seen. Perhaps the wind will mean the ball carries better in Baltimore, though, and either way I like Steven Kwan ($3,000) in this one. He's more a speed guy than a power guy, but he had 14 homers in 122 games to go with three triples and 12 stolen bases last year. The lefty has also slugged .492 to start this season. Dean Kremer has a career 4.39 ERA, and an 8.16 ERA this season. Additionally, while it's only across 40 batters, lefties have hit .389 against him this year.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers vs. Rockies (German Marquez): Mookie Betts ($4,200), Max Muncy ($2,800), Michael Conforto ($2,800)
Marquez looked impressive in his first start of 2025, but since then he's struggled and his ERA is up to 4.60. That's without allowing a single home run. Obviously, spending his entire career with the Rockies means his home park has hindered him, but he hasn't allowed 1.23 homers per nine innings as an MLB pitcher entirely because of Coors Field. He doesn't have a 4.96 ERA over his last 39 starts solely due to Colorado's ballpark. When you stack Dodgers you are spoiled for choice, but I did grab two lefties against the righty. I did include Betts because righties have hit .329 against Marquez since 2023, but there's a caveat on that as he's only made eight starts in that time due to injury.
If I'm going to take a shot on a righty just in case Marquez's issues over that sample size are legitimate, Betts is a great choice as one of the three-or-four best right-handed hitters in MLB. He's had double-digit homers and stolen bases in every season of his career save his 52-game rookie campaign. Since 2023 he's slashed .299/.390/.531 against his fellow righties. Muncy is off to a slow start, but he'll be fine. Over the last three seasons he has an .866 OPS against righties and an .865 OPS at home. So, it seems pretty clear what this kind of scenario foretells for him. Conforto has had a few seasons of struggle, but last year he did have 20 homers and 27 doubles in 130 games with the Giants. The Dodgers have helped players revamp their careers in the past. Conforto has two homers and four doubles, and he's off to a strong start against righties and at home this year (though in sample sizes that obviously need to be taken with a grain of salt).
Red Sox at Rays (Zack Littell): Jarren Duran ($3,600), Trevor Story ($3,000), Kristian Campbell ($2,900)
Originally, I just planned to recommend Alex Bregman for this matchup, but then he had to go and decide it was more important to be there for the birth of his child. However, I got the itch to go with a stack instead. Littell has a career 4.02 ERA, but he has spent much of his career in the bullpen. He's started three games this season and has a 6.88 ERA. Littell has also given up 1.39 home runs per nine innings in his career. Though he's right handed, I have two righties in this stack, as since 2023 righties have hit .273 against Littell.
Duran is coming off his best game of the season. He's started slowly, but also has five extra-base hits and six stolen bases. The lefty is just being judged compared to his incredible 2024 campaign wherein he had 83 extra-base hits and 34 swiped bags. If Story is actually able to stay on the field, and hit like this, look out for the Red Sox. The shortstop is hitting .311 and he has three home runs and six stolen bases. Campbell debuted with a lot of hype, and so far he's lived up to it. He has a .900 OPS and has hit three home runs.
