There are a lot of really bad pitchers going Wednesday. I have four stacks from the main slate listed below, plus two more from the early slate in Others receiving votes, and I didn’t even include stacks against Nick Tepesch, Miguel Gonzalez, Antonio Senzatela, Sean Newcomb, Travis Wood, Yovani Gallardo, Jharel Cotton, Rafael Montero or Martin Perez. On days with so many good hitting matchups, it is probably more important than usual to nail your pitchers. With that in mind, you might want to skip the first stack on my list, even though I like it a lot, in favor of the cheaper options below. As always, the stacks for Wednesday,August 9 are listed in order of preference:

 

Washington Nationals vs. Miami Marlins (Adam Conley, L)

Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon,Howie Kendrick, Daniel Murphy, Wilmer Difo, Ryan Zimmerman, Matt Wieters, Brian Goodwin

I was completely wrong about the Nationals on Monday, but hopefully we can chalk that up to Chris O’Grady leaving the game with a right oblique strain after facing only five batters. The Nationals still have an .802 OPS against lefties and an .838 OPS at home, so I’m going to double down on them against another weak lefty. Once again, keep an eye on the lineup, and plan on using whoever bats second in your stack. Howie Kendrick is dealing with a sore back, and if he is unable to go, Wilmer Difo would have some value as the likely number two hitter. Adrian Sanchez batted second Tuesday, and I would like him if he bats there again as well.

 

San Diego Padres @ Cincinnati Reds (Asher Wojciechowski, R)

Wil Myers, Austin Hedges, Jose Pirela, Yangervis Solarte, Dusty Coleman

Constructing a Padres stack could be quite interesting depending on how the lineup shakes out. Dusty Coleman is probably the best value in the lineup, but it will be difficult to justify including him if he bats eighth again. The middle of the order is probably most attractive, especially if Solarte bats fourth again. Manuel Margot and Carlos Asuaje don’t provide the same value or home run potential as the other players listed above, but they are still worth considering if you can afford them.

Asher Wojciechowski’s surface numbers look good, with a 4.15 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, but he has been much, much better out of the bullpen. He has a 6.45 ERA and has allowed a .403 wOBA as a starter this season. Great American Ballpark is far more favorable for hitters than Petco Park, and if the Padres hit a few home runs, they will be provide nice value.

 

Milwaukee Brewers vs. Minnesota Twins (Bartolo Colon, R)

Orlando Arcia, Hernan Perez, Ryan Braun, Travis Shaw, Domingo Santana, Jesus Aguilar

I wish more managers would treat their lineup like Craig Counsell. Eric Sogard has struggled in the leadoff spot, so rather than sticking Orlando Arcia or Jonathan Villar in that spot, he simply took Sogard out and moved the rest of his lineup up one spot. There isn’t any reason to bat someone in front of Domingo Santana and Ryan Braun if you can’t trust them to get the job done. I think this stack is that much more attractive if Sogard sits again, but whoever leads off should be considered against Bartolo Colon.

The Brewers lead all MLB teams in strikeouts this season, but Bartolo Colon does not miss bats, which makes Milwaukee a bit safer than usual. Since 2016, right-handed hitters have a miss rate of just 12.6 percent against Colon. Ryan Braun and Orlando Arcia are both on fire right now, each batting above .400 over the last seven days.

 

Minnesota Twins @ Milwaukee Brewers (Brandon Woodruff, R)

Max Kepler, Brian Dozier, Jorge Polanco, Miguel Sano, Jason Castro, Joe Mauer, Eduardo Escobar

Jorge Polanco is 6-for-7 over his last two games and 10-for-20 over the last week. I know better than to play someone for DFS who is batting ninth, but he is tempting, especially when you can stack him with the top of the order. He is still pretty cheap, too, which helps.

Brandon Woodruff loaded the bases in each of his first two MLB innings but got out of those jams to throw 6.1 scoreless innings against the Rays last week. If he keeps getting into trouble, I am skeptical of his ability to pitch out of it. Woodruff had a 4.46 ERA and 4.42 FIP at Triple-A this season, and there is little reason to believe he can get out big league hitters consistently. Brewers relievers have a 4.43 FIP, so if Minnesota can knock Woodruff out of the game, they could have success in the later innings.

 

Others receiving votes:

Cleveland Indians vs. Colorado Rockies

Carlos Santana, Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis

 

Baltimore Orioles @ Los Angeles Angels (Troy Scribner, R)

Manny Machado, Chris Davis, Trey Mancini, Adam Jones, Jonathan Schoop, Tim Beckham