Shota Imanaga Underdog MLB Picks Today, 4/15: Baseball Projections + More

Quick Summary of Today’s Top Underdog Plays: 

• Shota Imanaga (CHC): Lower Than 5.5 Hits Allowed (Coming off a stellar start; now faces Phillies offense that’s struggled against left-handed pitching)
• Spencer Arrighetti (HOU): Higher Than 5.5 Strikeouts (Facing strikeout-prone Rockies lineup at home)

The 2026 MLB season is now in full swing. It’s been an entertaining first week of baseball with plenty of highlights, storylines, and breakout players to watch. Let’s now focus on the Wednesday, April 15th slate of games with our top Underdog MLB Picks. We’ll break down a pair of MLB DFS projections to lock in as you enjoy today’s action. 

Underdog Fantasy MLB Picks: Wednesday, 4/15

Shota Imanaga MLB Underdog Fantasy Pick: Lower Than 5.5 Hits Allowed 

Shota Imanaga looked a bit off in his season debut, but he’s quickly settled back in. The Chicago Cubs’ lefty gave up just 1 run across 5 solid innings against Cleveland in his second start. Then, he followed that up with 6 no-hit, scoreless innings vs. the Pirates last week. 

Imanaga is in a good spot to keep that momentum going against the Philadelphia Phillies today. The Phils’ offense has had major issues against left-handed pitching. They’re batting just .176 against lefties so far (28th in MLB), along with a .260 wOBA and .537 OPS in the split. Even away from home, this lines up as a favorable matchup for Imanaga. 

The Cubs’ starter is now carrying a 2.81 ERA and an impressive 2.25 FIP into this outing. He opened last season in a similar fashion, posting a 2.54 ERA through his first 13 starts before cooling off later in the year. Plus, Imanaga lower than 5.5 hits allowed in 19 of his 25 starts last season, including in 11 of 13 road outings. He can take advantage of the Phillies lineup that’s been notably better vs. righties. 

• MLB Underdog Fantasy Pick: Shota Imanaga Lower Than 5.5 Hits Allowed 
   

Spencer Arrighetti MLB Underdog Fantasy Pick: Higher Than 5.5 Strikeouts 

After beginning the season at Triple-A, Spencer Arrighetti is being called up to start today for the Houston Astros. He’s replacing Tatsuya Imai in the rotation, and he gets a favorable matchup right out of the gate. Let’s back the right-hander to rack up strikeouts at home against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. 

In his 3 minor-league outings, Arrighetti put up a 1.26 ERA with 20 strikeouts across 14.1 innings before this call-up. It’s an encouraging sign for a guy who was shaky last year after dealing with an early-season injury. The Houston righty will take on a Colorado offense that has a 26.4% strikeout rate vs. right-handers this year (29th in MLB). That number jumps up to 29.0% when facing righties on the road. 

Arrighetti has dealt with control issues, but the swing-and-miss potential is there. In his 2024 rookie season, he posted a 27.1% strikeout rate while averaging nearly 6 K’s per start. At home that year, Arrighetti had a 28.0% K rate with 6.4 punchouts per outing. Plus, his control problems won’t matter as much against the Rockies, who have just a 7.5% walk rate vs. righties (28th in MLB).  

• MLB Underdog Fantasy Pick: Spencer Arrighetti Higher Than 5.5 Strikeouts