Fantasy baseball lineup advice for Wednesday: Ashcraft, Holmes among top streamers

ESPN FantasyApr 21, 2026, 04:56 PM ET
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Check out all of our starting pitcher rankings and other lineup selection tools here to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions. All fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

Note: All information is accurate as of the time of publication. For updates, as well as any breaking news that might impact today's MLB slate, be sure to check out the latest fantasy baseball buzz.

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ESPN's 2026 Draft Guide | Betting notes for Wednesday

STARTING PITCHERS FOR WEDNESDAY

Pitchers are ranked in order of their Forecaster/Daily Notes projected fantasy points (FPTS), using ESPN's standard scoring system (2 points per win, minus-2 per loss, 3 per inning, 1 per K, minus-1 apiece per hit or walk allowed, minus-2 per earned run allowed).

T: The pitcher's handedness. OPP: Opposing team. RST%: The pitcher's roster percentage in ESPN leagues. W%: The individual starting pitcher's win probability using ESPN projections. IP: Projected innings pitched. H+BB: Projected hits plus walks allowed. ER: Projected earned runs allowed. K: Projected strikeouts.

If a team is planning on using an "opener" to start their game, but will rely on a "bulk pitcher" to follow him on the mound after 1-2 innings, the bulk pitcher is listed and indicated with an asterisk.

FPTS	Pitcher	T	Opp	Rst%	W%	IP	H+BB	ER	K
13.4	Logan Gilbert	R	ATH	97.9%	40%	5.8	6.3	2.2	6.5
11.1	Matthew Boyd	L	PHI	64.1%	34%	5.4	6.5	2.2	5.5
10.8	Max Fried	L	@BOS	99.7%	37%	5.8	7.4	2.7	5.8
10.7	Clay Holmes	R	MIN	25.1%	34%	5.4	6.7	1.9	4.7
10.5	Shohei Ohtani	R	@SF	99.8%	34%	5.3	6.5	2.1	5.1
9.5	Janson Junk	R	STL	1.2%	39%	5.5	6.8	2.4	4.2
9.4	Tanner Bibee	R	HOU	66.2%	38%	5.5	7.3	2.8	5.5
9.0	Kendry Rojas	L	@NYM	0.2%	24%	5.4	7.4	2.4	5.4
8.9	Anthony Kay	L	@ARI	0.8%	33%	5.4	7.1	2.5	4.8
8.6	Nick Martinez	R	CIN	7.6%	27%	5.5	6.8	2.6	4.3
8.6	Chad Patrick	R	@DET	8.8%	28%	5.1	6.7	2.5	4.8
8.3	Jose Soriano	R	TOR	93.7%	32%	5.4	7.5	2.6	4.9
8.1	Aaron Civale	R	@SEA	7.2%	20%	5.1	6.9	2.5	4.8
7.5	Ranger Suarez	L	NYY	69.0%	24%	5.3	7.5	3.2	5.6
7.4	Michael Wacha	R	BAL	75.1%	29%	5.4	7.4	3.0	4.8
7.3	Martin Perez	L	@WSH	1.4%	31%	5.0	7.0	2.7	4.4
7.2	Braxton Ashcraft	R	@TEX	41.8%	22%	4.6	6.3	2.4	4.7
7.2	Eduardo Rodriguez	L	CWS	19.8%	26%	5.4	7.7	3.0	5.0
7.1	Brandon Williamson	L	@TB	0.9%	22%	4.8	6.6	2.3	4.0
6.8	Casey Mize	R	MIL	21.5%	24%	5.0	7.1	2.8	4.6
6.7	Zack Littell	R	ATL	1.7%	23%	5.3	7.1	3.1	4.4
6.7	Jack Leiter	R	PIT	26.2%	24%	5.0	7.3	2.9	5.1
6.5	Tyler Mahle	R	LAD	1.2%	17%	4.8	7.1	2.5	4.6
6.4	Chris Bassitt	R	@KC	5.2%	29%	5.5	8.1	3.3	4.7
6.3	Kyle Leahy	R	@MIA	1.9%	16%	4.8	6.8	2.6	4.2
6.3	Peter Lambert	R	@CLE	0.2%	12%	4.5	6.4	2.5	4.6
4.3	Taijuan Walker	R	@CHC	0.6%	22%	4.9	7.6	3.3	3.9
4.2	Eric Lauer	L	@LAA	2.8%	13%	4.5	7.0	3.2	4.5
-0.4	Walker Buehler	R	@COL	2.9%	24%	4.7	8.2	5.3	4.3
-1.5	Tomoyuki Sugano	R	SD	2.9%	17%	4.8	8.0	5.7	3.8

Pitchers to stream on Wednesday

Clay Holmes is one of the few bright spots for the New York Mets so far this season. Granted, he hasn't pitched as well as his 1.96 ERA and 1.09 WHIP indicate, but his 4.06 xFIP and 4.26 SIERA are below league average and worthy of streaming for favorable matchups. The Minnesota Twins are in Queens for an interleague set, and not only is Citi Field one of the top pitching venues in the league, but the early evening forecast also calls for chilly temperatures and the wind blowing in.
The weather won't be a factor in Arlington when the Pittsburgh Pirates and Texas Rangers square off in Globe Life Field with the retractable roof closed; however, the venue traditionally favors pitching, and Pirates' righty Braxton Ashcraft has begun the season with 27 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings, with just seven walks and no homers allowed. Through Monday's action, the Rangers played only six home games, but they hit just two home runs in those contests.
With Great American Ball Park as their home field, it makes sense for the Cincinnati Reds to perform worse on the road, but they have the third-lowest wOBA in away games, and on Wednesday they're in St. Petersburg to face Nick Martinez and the Tampa Bay Rays in pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field. Martinez's strikeouts are down, but his velocity matches career levels. However, his pitch mix is different, as his new team is trying to find the ideal distribution. They excel in this area, so look for Martinez's strikeouts to pick up.

Hitters to stream on Wednesday

So far, the cool temperatures have masked the new dimension at Kauffman Stadium, but the mercury is rising and the offense should follow. The Kansas City Royals take on Chris Bassitt and the Baltimore Orioles. The veteran right-hander generally does a good job keeping the ball in the yard, but he only has seven strikeouts and a whopping 11 walks in 18 innings. The conditions on Wednesday significantly favor hitters, with Vinnie Pasquantino, Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen enjoying the platoon edge and set to take advantage.

Hitters to avoid on Wednesday

The Cleveland Guardians host the Houston Astros at Progressive Field. Injuries have forced the Astros to hand the ball to Peter Lambert, seemingly favoring Guardians hitters. In his first start with Houston, Lambert yielded four runs in five frames, but he punched out eight and threw harder than he did in his time with the Colorado Rockies. In addition, the wind is forecast to blow in, setting a trap for Cleveland hitters. Jose Ramirez is always an automatic start, but the rest of the lineup could be in for a frustrating evening.