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

          Marcus Stroman faces a Marlins team that is 1-10 and has been outscored by 32 runs. Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images
          • Tristan H. Cockcroft
          Apr 10, 2024, 02:50 PM

          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 ESPN BET, and fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

          Note: This file has been 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.

          Baseball's punching bags?

          Matchups play a huge role in fantasy baseball success, and it's around this early stage of each new season that managers are seeking out which are the most generally favorable on a day-to-day basis. Which teams are our effective "punching bags," opponents against whom we should load up our lineups?

          Through nearly two weeks, the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins are shaping up as just that. The White Sox have lost nine of their first 10 games, lost their cleanup hitter, Eloy Jimenez, to a left adductor strain after three games and their No. 3 hitter, Luis Robert Jr., to a hip flexor injury, one that will cost him at least 6-8 weeks, just five days later. The White Sox are baseball's lowest-scoring offense as is. The Marlins, meanwhile, lost 10 of their first 11 games, were outscored by 32 runs during that time and have three-fifths of what would've been their projected Opening Day rotation on the injured list (including Eury Perez, whose season is over following Tommy John surgery).

          Though there's more future rebound potential from the Marlins' roster -- the approaching returns of Edward Cabrera and Braxton Garrett should help -- this team could find itself quick sellers, cementing its punching-bag status in the process. For now, with Luis Arraez underperforming, the team's catchers batting a collective .030 (1-for-33) and Tim Anderson striking out in bunches with little pop, this is an opponent primed to exploit in fantasy baseball.

          Marcus Stroman, who will start against the Marlins, stands out as one of the day's top pitchers, accordingly. He has delivered back-to-back quality starts to begin his season, he seemed energized by his Yankee Stadium surroundings during the team's home opener, and he continues to generate ground balls more often than not, which helps alleviate concerns about the venue's home run friendly dimensions.

          Stroman is a must for fantasy managers, while Yankees right-handed hitters like Gleyber Torres, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Volpe shape up as the same on the hitting side against Marlins starter Ryan Weathers. Weathers has surrendered lifetime .296/.373/.529 rates to right-handers.

          Tanner Bibee of the Cleveland Guardians is a similarly strong choice for Wednesday, as he'll face the White Sox at home. Bibee tossed a quality start in his only career game against the White Sox last July, and that was against a White Sox lineup that packed a decent amount more punch (it had Robert and Jimenez, for one).

          What you may have missed on Tuesday

          By Todd Zola

          • The Baltimore Orioles will call up Jackson Holliday in advance of tonight's tilt in Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. Holliday opened with Triple-A Norfolk where he posted a .333/.482/.595 line over 10 games. By promoting Holliday now, he'll still be able to attain the 172 days needed to be credited with a full year of service time, thus qualifying the Orioles for an extra first round draft pick via the Prospect Promotion Incentive should Holliday win the AL Rookie of the Year. Holliday and Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford are now the top two candidates for the award. Holliday is expected to play second base, pushing Jordan Westburg to third base. Ramon Urias and Jorge Mateo will now share reserve infield duties.

          • Holliday will face Kutter Crawford in tonight's contest after the Red Sox had to move their rotation up a day with Nick Pivetta being placed on the IL due to a flexor strain. Cooper Criswell is slated to take Pivetta's spot in the rotation, but since he pitched on Sunday, the club took advantage of Monday's off day and moved everyone up, keeping them on four days of rest. Criswell will presumably start Saturday at home against the Los Angeles Angels.

          • J.T. Realmuto had to leave last night's game early due to a bruised neck. Zack Wheeler spiked a slider in the dirt and the bounce caught Wheeler under the mask. With an early 1:15 PM ET start for the finale of the Philadelphia Phillies road set against the St. Louis Cardinals, expect Realmuto to cede catching duties to Garrett Stubbs. The Phillies start a four-game home series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.

          • Sonny Gray made his debut for the Cardinals and tossed five scoreless innings, striking out five with no walks while yielding five hits. Gray was going to be limited to 65 pitches, but his efficiency allowed him to need just 64 tosses to get through the five frames and thus qualify for the win after his bullpen-mates maintained the shutout.

          • The Chicago White Sox suffered another injury last night with Yoan Moncada experiencing a left adductor strain while hustling out a ground ball. The club is already with Luis Robert Jr. and Eloy Jimenez, although Jimenez (who is on the IL thanks to an adductor strain) could return by the weekend. The severity of Moncada's injury is unclear. Expect Nicky Lopez to fill in at the hot corner with Braden Shewmake at the keystone. Chicago's top prospect is third baseman Colson Montgomery, but there is no need to rush the 22-year-old. Montgomery struggled in the spring, batting just .118 (2-for-17) with 11 strikeouts. So far with Triple-A Charlotte, Montgomery is hitting .270/.357/.324 over nine games.

          • The Houston Astros placed Framber Valdez on the 15-day IL due to left elbow inflammation. He was scratched from Monday night's start, with Blair Henley filling in. Henley yielded five runs in just 1/3rd of an inning. Henley was an emergency fill in since Spencer Arrighetti had pitched the previous Thursday. Arrighetti will get the call for tonight's road affair with the Kansas City Royals. The 24-year-old righty has started two games for Triple-A Sugar Land, fanning 10 over 8 1/3 innings, but he has also walked seven.

          Everything else you need to know for Wednesday

          • Jordan Hicks' return to a starter's role has been one of the early success stories of 2024, and he'll make his eligibility-earning third start -- relief pitchers add starting pitcher eligibility in-season with at least that many -- against the Washington Nationals offense, another team that belongs in the same sentence as the aforementioned White Sox and Marlins. As a starter, Hicks has dialed down the velocity of his ground ball-inducing sinker (95.6 mph, after it was generally 100 mph in a relief role in the past) while getting similar whiff rates with his sweeper and splitter.

          • Many runs should be scored at Coors Field, as it's a matchup of hittable starters in the Colorado Rockies' Austin Gomber, projected for a negative fantasy point total, and Arizona Diamondbacks' Tommy Henry, who is projected for the fewest points by any non-Rockies pitcher over the next 10 days. Coors Field games obviously present great stacking opportunities any day, but this is an especially attractive one when considering the starting pitching matchup. The Diamondbacks have mashed left-handed pitching thus far, entering play on Tuesday ranked among the top five in batting average, wOBA and contact rate, with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. among their most productive against that side. But don't let Gomber's left-handedness scare you off a Corbin Carroll, for one, being that Gomber's .446 wOBA afforded to lefties since the beginning of last season is the worst among any pitcher with at least 20 starts.

          • Mookie Betts made his 10th appearance at shortstop on Monday, adding eligibility there in ESPN leagues. As he was for the final 105 days of 2024, he's now the rare second base/shortstop/outfield-qualified hitter, not to mention he's well on pace for the 20-plus appearances required in 2024 to capture both second base and shortstop eligibility for 2025, having settled into a role as the Los Angeles Dodgers' shortstop against right-handed pitchers and second baseman against left-handers.

          • Betting tip of the day: I'm big on offense in those Gomber-at-Coors days, and over 11.5 runs (+110) stands out accordingly. The Rockies and their opponents have totaled more than that in three of the last four games that Gomber started there -- and seven of the 15 total since the beginning of 2023, with the average being 12.2 per game during that time span.

          It's not too late to start a free fantasy baseball league. Leagues drafted this week will start scoring fresh the following Monday. Come and join the fun!

          Starting pitcher rankings for Wednesday

          Reliever report

          To get the latest information on each team's bullpen hierarchy, as well as which pitchers might be facing a bit of fatigue and who might be the most likely suspects to vulture a save or pick up a surprise hold in their stead, check out the latest Closer Chart, which will be updated every morning.

          Best Sub-50% rostered hitters for Wednesday

          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.

          Worst Over-50% rostered hitters for Wednesday

          THE BAT X's Best Stacks for Wednesday