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 will be 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
Cortes riding hot streak
The New York Yankees are hoping to wrap up the AL East title soon, as they currently sit three games ahead of the Baltimore Orioles with 12 games remaining. Nestor Cortes is one of the key arms contributing to that final push. After hitting a rough patch in July (6.93 ERA), Cortes has arguably been the team's top starter during the past month. The left-hander has delivered a 1.85 ERA and 0.85 WHIP across his past six games (five starts), allowing more than one run in only one of those outings.
In his latest start against the Boston Red Sox , Cortes struck out a season-high nine batters. While that's noteworthy, what's even more interesting is his increased velocity in that outing. He averaged a season-high 93.2 mph on his four-seamer, which produced a season-best 12 whiffs.
We'll have to wait and see whether that velocity carries over into his next start, but it's an intriguing development regardless, especially with a favorable matchup against the Seattle Mariners on tap.
The Mariners are the most strikeout-heavy team in baseball, fanning 27.1% of the time this season. They have also been below average versus left-handed pitching, posting a 95 wRC+ and a 26% strikeout rate, the second-highest mark in the American League. Available in 52% of ESPN leagues, Cortes is one of the top streaming options of the day.
Everything else you need to know for Wednesday
Despite flirting with multiple no-hitters this season and holding a 1.50 ERA over his past seven starts, Bowden Francis remains available in half of ESPN leagues. Amazingly, he has surrendered exactly one hit in four of those seven outings. Bowden's stuff doesn't necessarily translate into a pitcher this good, but it's tough to argue with his results. On Wednesday, consider him a quality streamer against the Texas Rangers , who rank bottom five in MLB over the past month with an 82 wRC+.
Spencer Schwellenbach (37% rostered in ESPN leagues) also finds himself in a favorable spot, facing a Cincinnati Reds offense that sports an 88 wRC+ and 24.8% strikeout rate over the last 30 days. The 24-year-old right-hander owns a 2.88 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 10.1 K/9 over his past 12 starts, allowing more than three earned runs just once during that stretch. If your roster has room for only one streamer Wednesday, a case can be made for Schwellenbach deserving that spot.
A pair of lefties -- the Washington Nationals' DJ Herz (7% rostered) and the New York Mets' Jose Quintana (10%) -- will square off at Citi Field on Wednesday night, and both carry streaming appeal. Herz has been remarkably consistent, holding a 2.76 ERA and 10.5 K/9 over his past 10 starts, while limiting his opponents to two or fewer earned runs in nine of those turns. Meanwhile, Quintana has given up just one earned run over his past four starts combined. Of the two, Quintana gets the more favorable matchup, as the Nationals rank 24th in baseball with an 89 wRC+ against left-handed pitching.
Eduardo Rodriguez , who has posted a 5.50 ERA over seven starts this year, was already a hurler we wanted to get some exposure against, but a start at Coors Field only amplifies the opportunity. Brenton Doyle (49%), Ezequiel Tovar (26%), Michael Toglia (9%), and Brendan Rodgers (5%) all have the platoon edge against E-Rod, and Ryan McMahon (43%), who has actually hit better against southpaws this year, is also a viable option.
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.
Hitting report
Plan ahead in fantasy baseball with help from our Forecaster projections. Each day, we will provide an updated preview of the next 10 days for every team, projecting the matchup quality for hitters (overall and by handedness) as well as for base stealers.
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.
- Randal Grichuk (ARI, LF -- 2%) at Austin Gomber
- Josh Bell (ARI, 1B -- 33%) at Gomber
- Eugenio Suarez (ARI, 3B -- 50%) at Gomber
- Ezequiel Tovar (COL, SS -- 27%) vs. Eduardo Rodriguez
- Brenton Doyle (COL, CF -- 50%) vs. Rodriguez
- Jorge Soler (ATL, RF -- 47%) at Jakob Junis
- Jake McCarthy (ARI, RF -- 23%) at Gomber
- Andrew Benintendi (CHW, LF -- 11%) at Jack Kochanowicz
- Tommy Edman (LAD, 2B -- 42%) at Ryan Weathers
- Brendan Rodgers (COL, 2B -- 5%) vs. Rodriguez
Worst over-50% rostered hitters for Wednesday
- Anthony Volpe (NYY, SS -- 71%) at Bryce Miller
- Jeremy Pena (HOU, SS -- 54%) at Dylan Cease
- J.T. Realmuto (PHI, C -- 79%) at Freddy Peralta
- Nick Castellanos (PHI, RF -- 73%) at Peralta
- Maikel Garcia (KC, 3B -- 61%) vs. Tarik Skubal
- Cal Raleigh (SEA, C -- 84%) vs. Nestor Cortes
- Gleyber Torres (NYY, 2B -- 65%) at Miller
- Brice Turang (MIL, 2B -- 67%) vs. Aaron Nola
- Keibert Ruiz (WSH, C -- 53%) at Jose Quintana
- Jake Cronenworth (SD, 1B -- 86%) vs. Framber Valdez
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