MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Recommendations for 6/13/18

*Mike Barner — @rotomikebarner*

June special! Use Code PAMLB30 at checkout

There are a lot of games with early start times Wednesday, but since the majority of the games will be played at night, let’s focus on that slate in DFS. Sign up for our Newsletter and try our Playerlab tool, where you can filter the stats that matter the most and help build a winning entry on FanDuel and DraftKings.

STARTING PITCHERS

Trevor Bauer vs. Chicago White Sox
Stadium – Guaranteed Rate Field
FanDuel = $10,200
DraftKings = $11,500

Bauer has shown the potential to be an excellent starting pitcher, but he had never finished with an ERA better than 4.18 heading into this season. He has had problems keeping runners off base with a 1.34 WHIP for his career. His WHIP is much better this year at 1.15, leading to a 2.62 ERA and a 2.47 FIP. Opponents have a .305 BABIP against him, so the improvement is not due to him being lucky. He has only allowed five home runs in 86 innings and his 12.8% swinging-strike rate has helped him post an 11.4 K/9. This is a great matchup for Bauer as the White Sox have struck out the sixth-most times (612) in baseball.

Caleb Smith vs. San Francisco Giants
Stadium – Marlins Park
FanDuel = $7,700
DraftKings = $9,100

The Marlins starting rotation certainly leaves a lot to be desired, but Smith has done a great job through his first 13 starts. His 3.70 ERA is supported by a 3.50 FIP and a 1.19 WHIP, even though he does walk too many batters. He makes up for that in the strikeout department with a 10.8 K/9. Although he doesn’t always pitch deep into games, he’s allowed more than three runs in a start only three times. You generally want to play him for his strikeout upside, which is even greater Wednesday since the Giants are tied for the third-most strikeouts (624) in baseball.

CATCHER/FIRST BASE

Joey Votto vs. Jason Hammel, Kansas City Royals
Stadium – Kauffman Stadium
FanDuel = $4,300
DraftKings = $4,600

Votto continues to hit for a high average at .309 and draw a ton of walks. He is on pace to have more walks than strikeouts for the third time in the last four years. One area he is lacking in this season is the power department as he has only six home runs, four of which he hit towards the end of April. Even if he doesn’t go deep again Wednesday, his ability to get on base still makes him a great option to consider.

Austin Romine vs. Erick Fedde, Washington Nationals
Stadium – Yankee Stadium
FanDuel = $2,800
Draft Kings = $3,600

Romine is the Yankees backup catcher, but he’s locked in a Sonny Gray’s personal catcher and will start Wednesday. Romine only has 76 plate appearances this year, but he is batting .348 with a 1.027 OPS. That’s obviously not going to last, but he does have 20 RBI and has been great with runners in scoring position. He gets plenty of those opportunities in the loaded Yankees lineup and is a cheap option with upside for your entry.

Others to consider: Jose Martinez (first base) and Tucker Barnhart (catcher)

SECOND BASE

Brian Dozier vs. Matthew Boyd, Detroit Tigers
Stadium – Comerica Park
FanDuel = $4,100
DraftKings = $4,100

Dozier was starting to turn things around, but he’s hitless in his last three games. He’s batting only .235 this season but has been a much better hitter in the second half of seasons in recent years. This might be just the matchup he needs to get his bat going again since he is 13-for-32 (.406) with three home runs and three doubles in his career against Boyd.

Jedd Gyorko vs. Eric Lauer, San Diego Padres
Stadium – Busch Stadium
FanDuel = $2,700
DraftKings = $3,400

Whenever a lefty is on the mound against the Cardinals, Gyorko is someone to target. He has just a 62 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers this year but has owned lefties with a 246 wRC+. Lauer has been awful with a 6.64 ERA and a 2.06 WHIP, making Gyorko an excellent budget-friendly option.

Others to consider: Scooter Gennett and Starlin Castro

THIRD BASE

Miguel Andujar vs. Erick Fedde, Washington Nationals
Stadium – Yankee Stadium
FanDuel = $3,700
DraftKings = $4,200

The young talent the Yankees have offensively is truly impressive. Their first wave of young stars was Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez and now it is Andujar and Gleyber Torres. Andujar is an excellent all-around hitter and even though he doesn’t walk much, he is still batting .310. He gets a lot of extra-base hits and doesn’t strikeout out much either with a 17.4% strikeout rate. Fedde will be called up to make his second start of the season for Nationals after recording an unimpressive 4.92 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in Triple-A.

Brian Anderson vs. Andrew Suarez, San Francisco Giants
Stadium – Marlins Park
FanDuel = $3,500
DraftKings = $4,000

The Marlins have scored the second-fewest runs in baseball, so they don’t exactly have a lot of players you want to seek out in DFS. Anderson is one of the few who is having a good season as he is batting .311 with a .384 OBP. He’s even hotter right now, batting 25-for-59 (.424) in his last 15 games. He has a .350 wOBA overall this season against lefties and is someone worth playing even with his lack of power.

Others to consider: Jose Ramirez and Mike Moustakas

SHORTSTOP

Didi Gregorius vs. Erick Fedde, Washington Nationals
Stadium – Yankee Stadium
FanDuel = $3,800
DraftKings = $4,100

Gregorius had a big game Tuesday, finishing 2-for-4 with two home runs. He is only batting .231 on the road this season, but he has a .263 average at Yankee Stadium. He has hit 11 of his 13 home runs at home as well. This is a good opportunity to stack Yankees with Fedde on the mound, Gregorius included.

Jose Peraza vs. Jason Hammel, Kansas City Royals
Stadium – Kauffman Stadium
FanDuel = $3,000
DraftKings = $3,400

There aren’t a lot of great cheap options at shortstop, but Peraza is someone to consider if you want to save money at the position. He has at least one hit in 13 of his last 14 games and is 19-for-55 (.345) during that stretch. Hammel allows a lot of baserunners with a 1.44 WHIP and only has a 6.1 K/9, which will only help Peraza’s cause to keep his hot streak going for at least one more game.

Others to consider: Francisco Lindor and Chris Taylor

OUTFIELD

Aaron Judge vs. Erick Fedde, Washington Nationals
Stadium – Yankee Stadium
FanDuel = $4,800
DraftKings = $5,500

Judge is hitting just .197 with six home runs on the road, but he is batting .348 with 12 home runs at Yankee Stadium. He also has a staggering .500 OBP at home. Add in the fact that he actually hits better against righties (.422 wOBA) than he does lefties (.359 wOBA) and he could be in for a big night.

Marcell Ozuna vs. Eric Lauer, San Diego Padres
Stadium – Busch Stadium
FanDuel = $3,900
DraftKings = $4,000

Keep riding Ozuna’s hot streak. He went 1-for-3 with an RBI Tuesday and is now 14-for-37 (.378) in his last 10 games. He’s not just getting hits, either, as he has at least one RBI in five of his last six games.  His .343 wOBA against lefties this year despite his early struggles makes him another Cardinals’ righty with significant upside against Lauer.

Brett Gardner vs. Erick Fedde, Washington Nationals
Stadium – Yankee Stadium
FanDuel = $3,000
DraftKings = $4,400

With all the superstars, power bats and impressive young players on the Yankees, Gardner sometimes gets overlooked. He’s having another solid season, batting .263 with five home runs and six steals. He also has 41 runs scored as their leadoff hitter and has an excellent opportunity to score at least 100 runs for the first time in his career. If the Yankees put up a crooked number Wednesday, Gardner hitting at the top of the lineup could be in for a valuable night. His price isn’t great on DraftKings, but it’s very favorable if you are playing on FanDuel.

Others to consider: Tommy Pham and Scott Schebler