MLB Playoffs 2020: Odds, TV Schedule, Fantasy Predictions for Wednesday

The MLB playoffs will continue Wednesday with matchups from all four Division Series taking place, starting with the Miami Marlins and the Atlanta Braves at 2:08 p.m. ET.

The Houston Astros will look to become the first team to advance to the next round with a win over the Oakland Athletics after taking their first two games against the A's.

The Braves are looking to grab a 2-0 series lead over the Marlins, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are aiming to earn a 2-0 edge on the San Diego Padres.

The winner of the New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays matchup will go up two games to one and earn a chance to clinch an American League Championship Series spot on Thursday.

For now, a quartet of MLB games are set for Wednesday. Here's a look at the odds (via DraftKings Sportsbook) as of 2 a.m. ET, the television schedule, the top DraftKings daily fantasy picks for each game and some DFS pitching advice.

Miami Marlins at Atlanta Braves

Moneyline: Atlanta -205 ($205 bet to win $100)

Over/Under: 9

TV Schedule: 2:08 p.m. ET, MLB Network

Pitching Matchup: Pablo Lopez (Miami) vs. Ian Anderson (Atlanta)

Location: Houston

Top Fantasy Picks: Marlins OF Corey Dickerson ($2,900), Braves 1B Freddie Freeman ($5,000)

Houston Astros vs. Oakland Athletics

Moneyline: Houston -125

Over/Under: 8.5

TV Schedule: 3:35 p.m. ET, TBS

Pitching Matchup: Jose Urquidy (Houston) vs. Jesus Luzardo (Oakland)

Location: Los Angeles

Top Fantasy Picks: Astros 3B Alex Bregman ($4,100), Athletics SS Marcus Semien ($4,100)

New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays

Moneyline: New York -124

Over/Under: 9

TV Schedule: 7:10 p.m. ET, TBS

Pitching Matchup: Masahiro Tanaka (New York) vs. Charlie Morton (Tampa Bay)

Location: San Diego

Top Fantasy Picks: Rays SP Charlie Morton ($6,600), Rays OF Randy Arozarena ($3,600)

San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Moneyline: (Unavailable as of 2 a.m. ET)

Over/Under: (Unavailable as of 2 a.m. ET)

TV Schedule: 9:08 p.m. ET, FS1

Pitching Matchup: Clayton Kershaw (Los Angeles) vs. TBD (San Diego)

Location: Arlington, Texas

Top Fantasy Picks: Dodgers SP Clayton Kershaw ($9,600), Dodgers OF Mookie Betts ($5,700)

Wednesday DFS Advice (Pitching)

The pitching slate is simple to break down: Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw is a huge cut above everyone else.

Kershaw is the best pitcher on the slate, one who can make a strong lineup look incompetent. He's coming off an eight-inning, 13-strikeout performance in a 3-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers to close out the wild-card series. Padres hitters are also a combined .204 against him in his career.

He should be a cash game lock on every site, including DraftKings, where his $9,600 salary is too enticing to look past. Kershaw would be worth rostering if his salary was $11,000 or more, even if that would potentially hamstring players into worse batting lineup choices. However, he has a great fantasy-point floor, a sky-high ceiling and a good history against this Padres team too.

Kershaw should also be the No. 1 option in tournaments, albeit a chalky one. However, if you want another option to differentiate yourself from the field, then take a look at the Rays' Charlie Morton at $6,600, the cheapest salary on the pitching slate.

Morton faces a Yankees team that features nine players who can easily break a game open with one swing of the bat, but the Bronx Bombers strike out a ton, too. They struck out 18 times on Tuesday in a 7-5 loss to Tampa Bay.

Morton has had a down year by his standards with a 2-2 record, 4.74 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 38 innings, but he showed promise in his final two starts that could foreshadow a sign of better things to come for the veteran.

Of note, the ex-Houston Astro and 2017 World Series winner punched out a season-high eight in a Sept. 25 start against the Philadelphia Phillies, the team he faced in his last regular-season appearance. He was solid the start before against the Baltimore Orioles, allowing just one earned run over five innings and striking out six. 

Morton's last start against the Yankees on Sept. 25, 2019 resulted in six shutout innings of one-run ball alongside nine strikeouts. That may be a tall order to ask of him this year given his struggles, but Morton should be able to find enough swings and misses to make him a viable option at just $6,600.

Elsewhere, there are some easy pitchers to avoid.

With all due respect to the Miami Marlins' Pablo Lopez at $6,900, a matchup with the bash brothers of Ronald Acuna Jr., Freddie Freeman and Marcell Ozuna is a miserable one for anybody.

Granted, Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara was decent Tuesday, even working into the seventh inning, but the team ended the day by smashing three home runs, scoring nine runs overall and getting 16 runners on base through 12 hits and four walks. The scary part is the Braves did that with Freeman going 0-for-4.

Another pitcher to avoid is Jesus Luzardo of the Oakland A's at $7,500 simply because of the situation the team finds itself in. Oakland must pull out all the stops to keep its season alive with the campaign currently on the brink against a Houston team looking for a sweep.

That could mean a quick hook for Luzardo if things are getting even slightly out of hand. This isn't a regular-season game, where teams would opt for longer pitcher leashes to rest bullpens and save them for other days. The A's have to go all out now, and if Luzardo gets himself into a jam, he may not have the chance to see himself out of it.

As it stands, the left-hander went just 3-2 with a 4.12 ERA this season, although he did strike out a batter per inning in his 59 frames. However, he also didn't survive the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox in the wild-card series, allowing three earned runs and six hits in 3.1 frames.

Of course, a wide range of possibilities exist for every game. Kershaw could put up a dud and hit the showers before the fourth inning.

Lopez and Luzardo could toss gems, as they're clearly capable of doing.

But the guess here is that the safe route is best: Lock in Kershaw everywhere, and strongly consider Morton as your second option if you play on DraftKings, a two-pitcher site. Lopez and Luzardo are the top arms to leave out of consideration.