MLB Daily Fantasy Dose: Look for a Giant Performance from Votto

Here's a look at the daily fantasy picture for Wednesday's 15-game slate:

Stacks of the Day

• Chicago White Sox (vs. Boston Red Sox): Boston's Clay Buchholz has allowed exactly five earned runs in four of his five starts this season, with two such outings coming on the road. The White Sox have scored 19 runs over their last three games, with 2B Brett Lawrie (two home runs) and 1B Jose Abreu (six hits, six RBIs) leading the way. Bargain-priced OF/DH Jerry Sands has four hits and two RBIs in starting each of the last three games.

3-player stack: Abreu, Lawrie, OF Melky Cabrera
5-player stack: Abreu, Lawrie, Cabrera, Sands, C Dioner Navarro

• Los Angeles Angels (at Milwaukee Brewers): Milwaukee's Zach Davies has allowed 14 runs in his three starts, and at least four in every game. Numerous members of the slow-starting Angels offense have begun to find their form, namely OF Mike Trout (six hits, a home run and seven RBIs in his last three games) and 1B Albert Pujols (two straight multi-hit games, with an RBI in each). Leadoff man 3B Yunel Escobar has scored a run in three straight games.

3-player stack: Escobar, Trout, Pujols
5-player stack: Escobar, Trout, Pujols, OF Kole Calhoun, C Geovany Soto

• Seattle Mariners (at Oakland Athletics): Seattle has the sixth-most home runs in baseball (35), and launched three long balls in Tuesday's 8-2 victory, with two coming off Oakland ace Sonny Gray. Both 2B Robinson Cano and 3B Kyle Seager have been plagued by a low BABIP this season, but their raw power hasn't suffered, with nine and six home runs, respectively. Oakland's Sean Manaea struggled in his first career start Friday, walking four and allowing a home run and four earned runs in five innings.

3-player stack: OF Norichika Aoki, Cano, Seager
5-player stack: Aoki, Cano, Seager, OF Nelson Cruz, SS Ketel Marte

Bargain Plays

• SP Dan Straily, Reds: Relative to his price, Straily has pitched well in adjusting from the bullpen to a starting role. His last three games have been starts, and he pitched a combined 15.2 innings, striking out 14 and allowing five earned runs. With counterpart Jake Peavy (8.61 ERA through five starts) struggling, Straily could be in line for a win if he can limit San Francisco's offense for at least five innings.

• C David Ross, Cubs: Ross is back in the lineup Wednesday as Jon Lester's personal catcher, and the veteran has been surprisingly productive when behind the dish this season. Ross has two home runs and eight RBIs overall, and only once in his 10 starts has he failed to record at least one hit, RBI or run scored. He's an inexpensive route into the Cubs' joint-highest-scoring offense.

• OF Ichiro Suzuki, Marlins: The 42-year-old Suzuki isn't always in the lineup, but had started three of the last four games before producing a two-run, pinch-hit single in Tuesday's win over the Diamondbacks. Should he start against the right-handed Rubby De La Rosa, he'll likely hit leadoff. In those aforementioned three recent starts, Suzuki totaled three hits, two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base, so the near-minimum-priced veteran can still produce when given a chance.

Contrarian Options

• 2B/3B Brandon Drury, Diamondbacks: Drury could also be considered a bargain, as despite a stretch of four home runs in six games, he's priced near the minimum, no doubt due to a matchup with Miami's Jose Fernandez. Four of Drury's five home runs this season have come against right-handed pitching, and while Fernandez is undoubtedly better than your average RHP, the rookie is hard to ignore thanks to his price and recent performances.

• 1B Joey Votto, Reds: With a .226 average and just three home runs, Votto hasn't quite been himself this season. As noted above, Peavy's struggles this season could coax a strong performance out of Votto, whose BABIP of .281 sits well below his career mark of .356. Peavy has certainly been giving up hits (39 in 23 innings), so if runners can get on base ahead of Votto, a productive outing could be in order.

• OF Carlos Gomez, Astros: Gomez's woes have been well-documented, as the former All-Star has zero home runs and two RBIs, to go with a .229 batting average. He may be coming around, however, thanks to two straight multi-hit games. The Twins' Phil Hughes has allowed at least six hits in all five of his starts, to go with three total home runs. While he hasn't been downright bad, he's the kind of pitcher who could ignite Gomez and the disappointing Houston offense as a whole.