As part of a new daily feature at MLB.com, we'll be breaking down every matchup on the schedule to help give fantasy players an edge, whether it's in daily contests or season-long leagues. The "Fantasy Daily Dish" will break down every starting pitcher on the slate, as well as all of the notable hitters in that particular game. We'll dive into all the specifics of a given matchup looking for everything from batters who thrive against certain pitch types to hot/cold streaks to platoon splits -- and everything in between.

With Max Scherzer the only true ace lined up to pitch on Wednesday and a full slate of afternoon games, fantasy players will have plenty of tough decisions.

Is Bryce Harper in the midst of his annual early-season hot streak? Is it safer to just roll with Mike Trout in an enticing matchup? Is Fernando Tatis Jr. on the verge of finding his swing as he settles back in following his shoulder injury?

Here's a closer look at all of Wednesday's matchups:

Giants (DeSclafani) at Phillies (Eflin), 1:05 p.m. ET

Giants SP: Anthony DeSclafani, RHP
Key stat(s): 3.49 xERA this season
2021 stats: 1-0, 1.06 ERA, 22.9 K%

Breakdown: DeSclafani has been dominant through three starts, allowing just two runs over 17 innings while striking out 16 batters. It's a major improvement from last season when he posted a 7.22 ERA over nine appearances (seven starts) with the Reds. That said, his xERA this season is 3.49, an indication that DeSclafani may not have completely turned the corner just yet. A closer look reveals that his average exit velocity allowed (92.0 mph) and hard-hit percentage (50%) are both higher than they were last season (89.6 mph, 46.5%).

Notable Phillies hitters

Bryce Harper: Three straight multi-hit games (8-for-10 with one homer and one stolen base in those games); 20.5 barrel percentage is tied for second-best in MLB this season.

J.T. Realmuto: Hitting .222 (6-for-27) with 10 strikeouts over last 10 games.

Andrew McCutchen: Hitting .157 with a .561 OPS this season, but he is expected to remain in leadoff spot.

Jean Segura: Left Tuesday's game with a right quad strain.

Phillies SP: Zach Eflin, RHP
Key stat(s): Opponents are 5-for-35 vs. sinker
2021 stats: 1-0, 3.15 ERA, 21.1 K%

Breakdown: Eflin relies heavily on his sinker -- a pitch against which opponents hit .310 with a .469 slugging percentage last season. It's been a much more reliable offering in 2021, with opposing batters going just 5-for-35 against Eflin's sinker, with eight strikeouts and zero extra-base hits. His other pitches have been a different story, however, as Eflin has allowed 12 combined hits between his slider, four-seamer, changeup and curveball -- and eight of the 12 have gone for extra bases.

Notable Giants hitters

Brandon Belt: Hitting .332 with a .502 slugging percentage vs. sinkers since 2015.

Evan Longoria: Leads MLB with a 66.7 hard-hit percentage this season; .311 career hitter vs. sinkers, including 3-for-7 with two homers this season.

Orioles (Zimmermann) at Marlins (Rogers), 1:10 p.m. ET

Orioles SP: Bruce Zimmermann, LHP
Key stat(s): Opponents are 10-for-23 (.435) vs. four-seamer this season
2021 stats: 1-1, 4.24 ERA, 15.9 K%

Breakdown: Zimmermann has done a good job limiting damage this season, allowing no more than three runs in any of his three outings despite giving up 17 hits in 17 innings. Still, that seems unsustainable over the long term, especially considering the quality of contact against his pitches. Opponents are hitting .435 with an .826 slugging percentage against his four-seam fastball. They also have a .524 slugging percentage overall -- and it could be much higher, considering his xSLG is .649.

Notable Marlins hitters

Jazz Chisholm: Though he's a left-handed hitter, Chisholm, is 9-for-28 (.321) in his young career vs. LHP compared to hitting just .191 vs. RHP.

Adam Duvall: 4-for-12 with two homers vs. LHP this season (7-for-37 with two homers vs. RHP).

Marlins SP: Trevor Rogers, LHP
Key stat(s): 39.4% whiff rate
2021 stats: 1-1, 2.40 ERA, 37.1 K%

Breakdown: Despite posting a 6.11 ERA in seven starts as a rookie last season, Rogers still flashed plenty of potential, putting up a 30% strikeout rate and 30.1% whiff rate. That upside has been on full display through three starts this season, with the southpaw racking up 23 strikeouts over just 15 innings (not to mention his 2.40 ERA). His whiff rate ranks among the best in the league, and opposing hitters are just 5-for-37 (.135) with 18 K's -- and a 42.3% whiff rate -- against his fastball, which he's thrown 62.2% of the time.

Notable Orioles hitters

Cedric Mullins: .262 BA, .519 OPS in career vs. LHP (.191 BA, .730 OPS vs. RHP).

Ryan Mountcastle: 0-for-15 over last five games; hitting .177 with a .490 OPS overall this season.

Pirates (TBD) at Tigers (Fulmer), 2:10 p.m. ET (Game 1)

Tigers SP: Michael Fulmer, RHP
Key stat(s): Opponents are 1-for-15 (.067) vs. his slider
2021 stats: 1-0, 3.00 ERA, 27.3 K%

Breakdown: After beginning the season with three encouraging appearances out of the bullpen, Fulmer turned in five solid innings against the Astros in his first start of the year on April 14. Fulmer has racked up 12 K's to just one walk this season, while averaging 95.4 mph with his four-seamer and 95.2 mph with his sinker. That's up 2 mph from last season, when he struggled in his return from Tommy John surgery. It's also right in line with his pre-surgery average velocity, something that could be an encouraging sign for the 2016 American League Rookie of the Year and '17 All-Star. Despite the return in velocity, he's been leaning heavily on his slider (35.0% usage), with opponents going just 1-for-15 with eight K's and a 34.3% whiff rate against the pitch.

Notable Pirates hitters

Phillip Evans: 11-for-30 (.367) with two homers vs. sliders.

Bryan Reynolds: .189 career hitter with one homer and 39 strikeouts vs. sliders.

Pirates (TBD) at Tigers (Turnbull), Game 2

Pirates SP: TBD

Tigers SP: Spencer Turnbull, RHP
Key stat(s): .151 BA, 43.1% whiff rate vs. slider in 2020
2021 stats: N/A

Breakdown: Turnbull will be making his 2021 debut after being out of action since March 21 due to testing positive for COVID-19. He's expected to throw 75-85 pitches as he ramps back up. Turnbull said he lost approximately 10 pounds of muscle mass and a tick or two off his fastball velocity while dealing with COVID, so that will be worth watching when he takes the mound. He averaged 93.7 mph on his four-seamer last season, while holding opponents to a .198 average with the pitch. Turnbull also held opposing batters to a .151 average and 43.1% whiff rate vs. his slider.

Astros (Urquidy) at Rockies (Gomber), 3:10 p.m. ET

Astros SP: José Urquidy, RHP
Key stat(s): 68.3 strike percentage since start of last season (fourth-highest in MLB)
2021 stats: 0-1, 4.50 ERA, 28.8 K%

Breakdown: Urquidy is going to attack hitters early and often. He threw 69% of his pitches for strikes last year, and he's at 67% through three starts this season. With a four-seamer that sits around 92 mph and a slider that has a 26.8% whiff rate, he's not going to strike out a ton of batters (14.7 K% last season), but he won't hand out many free passes either.

Notable Rockies hitters

Trevor Story: Hasn't homered in 28 straight games dating to last season (longest streak of his career; previous long was 17 games).

Rockies SP: Austin Gomber, LHP
Key stat(s): Opponents are 2-for-26 vs. breaking ball
2021 stats: 0-2, 3.52 ERA, 21.5 K%

Breakdown: Gomber has held opposing hitters to a .160 average this season, but he has handed out 13 walks in 15 1/3 innings. The left-hander, who had a 10.4 career walk percentage entering this season, has once again dealt with control issues, walking 13 of the 65 batters he's faced -- or a whopping 20%. Opposing hitters are 0-for-10 against his slider and just 2-for-16 with seven K's vs. his curveball, so the key will be whether he can limit the walks.

Notable Astros hitters

Alex Bregman: 1.012 career OPS vs. LHP (.856 OPS vs. RHP).

Carlos Correa: Hitting .303 with an .806 OPS vs. LHP since start of last season (.246 BA, .691 OPS vs. RHP).

Yordan Alvarez: Though he's a left-handed hitter, Alvarez has similar splits vs. LHP (.310/.383/.634) and RHP (.307/.408/.636).

Twins (Maeda) at Athletics (Montas), 3:37 p.m. ET

Twins SP: Kenta Maeda, RHP
Key stat(s): 1.71 WHIP this season
2021 stats: 1-1, 3.07 ERA, 22.9 K%

Breakdown: No pitcher limited baserunners last year better than Maeda, whose 0.75 WHIP was the best in MLB. He did it by not only forcing soft contact (24.7 hard-hit percentage was second-best in the Majors), but also by striking out hitters at a career-high rate (32.3%). It's been a different story through three outings this season, with Maeda serving up 20 hits in just 14 2/3 innings -- already halfway to his total last season (40 hits in 66 2/3 frames). He's allowed a hard-hit percentage of 42.6% and his strikeout rate sits at just 22.9%.

Notable A's hitters

Matt Olson: Hitting .381 with three homers and a 1.363 OPS over last six games after hitting .226 in first nine.

Matt Chapman: Hitting .175 (11-for-63) with 26 K's this season; 86.7 mph average exit velocity (down from 93.6 mph last season).

Ramón Laureano: Eight stolen bases this season (three more than any other player).

A's SP: Frankie Montas, RHP
Key stat(s): Opponents are 3-for-25 vs. his sinker
2021 stats: 2-1, 4.91 ERA, 25 K%

Breakdown: Montas struggled to a 5.60 ERA in 2020, then got off to a rocky start in '21 when he allowed seven runs over just 2 2/3 innings against the Dodgers in his season debut. He's been much better in his last two outings, conceding only one run while striking out 12 over 12 innings. His sinker has been a dominant pitch, with opponents going just 3-for-25 (.120) with six strikeouts and a .160 SLG against the offering after hitting .346 with six homers and a .617 SLG vs. his sinker last season.

Notable Twins hitters

Nelson Cruz: Hitting .471 with 11 home runs and an .826 SLG vs. sinkers since 2019.

Byron Buxton: 1-for-6 with four K's in his return to the lineup Tuesday; still hitting .421 with a 1.424 OPS this season.

Cardinals (Martínez) at Nationals (Scherzer), 4:05 p.m. ET

Cardinals SP: Carlos Martínez, RHP
Key stat(s): 8.44 xERA this season
2021 stats: 0-3, 7.80 ERA, 14.7 K%

Breakdown: Martínez has struggled through three starts this season, ranking in the bottom-10 percentile in xBA, xSLG, xwOBA, xERA and whiff percentage. Through three starts this season, his most-used pitches are his slider and cutter (23.7% each) -- he developed his cutter in 2018 before mostly abandoning it in '19 (2.3%) and '20 (1.0%). Meanwhile, his sinker -- the pitch he used most from 2016-19 -- has been used only 13.9% of the time, as opponents are hitting .529 against it since the start of last season.

Notable Nationals hitters

Trea Turner: Five multi-hit games in his last seven starts; hitting .393 with two homers and three steals in that span.

Josh Harrison: Has at least one hit in seven of his eight games this season; hitting .429 with a 1.107 OPS.

Nationals SP: Max Scherzer
Key stat(s): Opponents are 2-for-30 vs. fastball this season
2021 stats: 0-1, 2.37 ERA, 34.8 K%

Breakdown: After getting tagged for four homers on Opening Day against the Braves, Scherzer has looked more like his three-time Cy Young-winning self in his last two outings. He's allowed just one run off five hits while striking out 15 batters over 13 innings. Opponents are 2-for-30 with 10 K's against his fastball and 1-for-11 with four K's vs. his changeup -- his two most-used pitches. Scherzer also has a whiff rate of at least 30% with his four-seamer, changeup, slider and cutter.

Notable Cardinals hitters

Paul Goldschmidt: 2-for-25 (.080) with 14 K's and zero extra-base hits lifetime vs. Scherzer.

Yadier Molina: 1-for-17 (.059) in his career vs. Scherzer.

Nolan Arenado: 4-for-25 (.160) in his last six games after hitting .326 in his first 11.

Rangers (Foltynewicz) at Angels (Quintana), 4:07 p.m. ET

Rangers SP: Mike Foltynewicz, RHP
Key stat(s): 94.2 mph average fastball velocity this season
2021 stats: 0-3, 5.63 ERA, 23.9 K%

Breakdown: Foltynewicz's velocity has returned this season, but the results haven't come quite yet. A mainstay in Atlanta's rotation from 2016-19, Foltynewicz was an All-Star in 2018 -- and even garnered a share of NL Cy Young Award votes -- before being DFA'd after just one start last season. His velocity was inexplicably low last spring -- and that carried into his first start of the regular season, with his four-seamer averaging just 90.9 mph. Foltynewicz's velocity is back through two starts, as his four-seamer is sitting at 94.0 mph and opponents are just 2-for-17 against the pitch. They're also 2-for-17 with a whopping 13 strikeouts against his slider. The only issue has been his sinker -- a pitch against which opponents are 8-for-21 (.381) with three homers and only one strikeout.

Notable Angels hitters

Mike Trout: 24.1 barrel percentage (best in MLB; no other player is higher than 20.5%).

Shohei Ohtani: .353 career hitter vs. sinkers, with 16 home runs and a .765 SLG (check to make sure he's in lineup after pitching Tuesday).

Jared Walsh: 11-for-31 (.355) with three homers and a .710 slugging percentage in his career vs. sinkers.

Angels SP: José Quintana, LHP
Key stat(s): 40% whiff rate
2021 stats: 0-1, 16.20 ERA, 26.5 K%

Breakdown: Amazingly, Quintana has a 16.20 ERA despite allowing only one extra-base hit and racking up a 40% whiff rate through two starts. Still, he's yielded 10 hits (nine singles, one double) and seven walks -- putting 17 runners on base -- in just five innings of work. He has nine K's in those five frames, and his high whiff rate proves that he's missing bats, but he needs to find a way to limit walks and lower his 50% hard-hit percentage.

Notable Rangers hitters

Joey Gallo: Though he's a left-handed hitter, Gallo has a nearly identical OPS vs. LHP (.824) as he does vs. RHP (.823), and his HR% is slightly higher against southpaws (7.0%) than it is against right-handers (6.4%).

David Dahl: .708 career OPS vs. LHP (.852 OPS vs. RHP).

Nate Lowe: .203 career hitter vs. LHP with a .657 OPS (.265 BA, .810 OPS vs. RHP).

Brewers (Houser) at Padres (Lamet), 4:10 p.m. ET

Brewers SP: Adrian Houser, RHP
Key stat(s): 61.2% ground-ball rate since start of last season (highest in MLB)
2021 stats: 1-2, 3.14 ERA, 16.9 K%

Breakdown: Houser has had some control issues early this year, racking up nearly as many walks (seven) as strikeouts (10), but he's limited the damage to just six runs (five earned) in 14 1/3 innings. He's been able to minimize the damage by keeping the ball primarily on the ground, inducing a ground ball on 66.7% of balls in play this season. He has a 61.2% ground-ball rate dating to the start of last season, highest in the Majors.

Notable Padres hitters

Manny Machado: 66.0% hard-hit percentage (second in MLB) and 95.6 mph average exit velocity (third).

Fernando Tatis Jr.: 1-for-18 (.056) with eight strikeouts in five games since returning from left shoulder injury.

Eric Hosmer: 63% ground-ball rate this season (third-highest in NL).

Padres SP: Dinelson Lamet, RHP
Key stat(s): Opponents were 10-for-125 (.080) with 71 K's vs. his slider last season
2021 stats: N/A

Breakdown: Lamet will be making his season debut after being sidelined as he recovered from an ulnar collateral ligament strain in his right elbow that forced him to miss the 2020 postseason. The right-hander was absolutely dominant last season, using a devastating slider to hold opposing hitters to a .080 average with 71 strikeouts and a 47.2% whiff rate. It's likely wise to take a wait-and-see approach, not only because it's Lamet's first start back from an elbow injury, but he's also expected to be limited to 75-80 pitches in his debut.

Notable Brewers hitters

Daniel Vogelbach: 13-for-119 (.109) with 56 K's in career vs. slider.

Travis Shaw: .188 hitter with 109 strikeouts in career vs. slider.

White Sox (TBD) at Indians (Civale), 6:10 p.m. ET

White Sox SP: TBD

Indians SP: Aaron Civale, RHP
Key stat(s): 29.6% four-seam fastball usage (2.5% last season)
2021 stats: 3-0, 2.18 ERA, 21.9 K%

Breakdown: Despite having plenty of success in his first two seasons in the big leagues, Civale overhauled nearly everything about his approach this offseason. Armed with a new delivery and a new pitch mix, he's allowed only 10 hits over 20 2/3 innings while going 3-0 with a 2.18 ERA. The four-seam fastball -- a pitch he used sparingly last year -- has become his most-used pitch, while he's turned his changeup into a split-changeup -- an offering that opponents are just 2-for-16 against. The four-seamer has also been working, with batters going just 3-for-20 (.150), though two of the hits are home runs.

Notable White Sox hitters

José Abreu: 2-for-14 (.143) in his career vs. Civale.

Tim Anderson: Has at least one hit in all five games since returning from IL (strained left hamstring); hitting .435 (10-for-23) with two homers and three stolen bases in that span.

Braves (Anderson) at Yankees (Kluber), 6:35 p.m. ET

Braves SP: Ian Anderson, RHP
Key stat(s): Five barrels allowed this season (one in 2020)
2021 stats: 0-0, 4.70 ERA, 28.4 K%

Breakdown: Anderson hasn't been quite as dominant as he was in his impressive rookie campaign last season when he put up a 1.95 ERA over six regular-season starts before posting a 0.96 mark in four postseason outings. He's allowed three homers in as many starts after serving up only one in his 10 combined outings in 2020.

Notable Yankees hitters

Aaron Judge: 98.2 mph average exit velocity (leads MLB).

Giancarlo Stanton: 3-for-28 (.107) with 14 K's in last eight games; still responsible for five of the 11 hardest-hit balls this season.

Gary Sánchez: 1-for-15 (.067) with four K's and zero RBIs over last five games after hitting .296 with a pair of homers in first eight.

Yankees SP: Corey Kluber, RHP
Key stat(s): Opponents are 5-for-12 (.417) vs. his curveball
2021 stats: 0-1, 6.10 ERA, 22.6 K%

Breakdown: Though it's an incredibly small sample, Kluber hasn't fooled many batters with his curveball through three starts. They're hitting .417 (5-for-12) against the pitch -- an offering that they hit just .117 against over an eight-season span from 2012-19. Overall, Kluber is allowing a 90.7 mph average exit velocity and 46.9 hard-hit percentage.

Notable Braves hitters

Freddie Freeman: Hitting .360 with eight walks (.529 OBP) and a 1.089 OPS over last seven games after hitting .143 with a .268 OBP over first 10 games.

Ozzie Albies: Hitting .216 with zero homers and 20 K's vs. curveballs since 2019.

Marcell Ozuna: One extra-base hit in 74 plate appearances this season (.219/.324/.266 slash line).

Ronald Acuña Jr.: Day to day with lower abdominal strain.

D-backs (Kelly) at Reds (Mahle), 6:40 p.m. ET

D-backs SP: Merrill Kelly, RHP
Key stat(s): Opponents are 9-for-18 with six extra-base hits vs. four-seamer
2021 stats: 1-2, 8.44 ERA, 13.5 K%

Breakdown: Kelly has been hit hard through three starts this season, allowing a .594 slugging percentage -- and he may be fortunate it's not even higher, considering he has a .685 xSLG. Opposing hitters have registered a 46.7% hard-hit rate -- and just a 13.5% strikeout rate -- against Kelly, whose fastball has been particularly susceptible. Hitters are 9-for-18 with six extra-base hits, including three homers, against his four-seamer.

Notable Reds hitters

Nick Castellanos: 6-for-33 (.182) with one home run over last eight games after hitting .429 with four homers in first seven.

Joey Votto: 92.6 mph average exit velocity (up from 87.4 mph last season) and 49% hard-hit rate (35.7% last season); ranks in 95th percentile in xBA and xSLG.

Tucker Barnhart: .477 wOBA this season (ranks 10th in MLB)

Reds SP: Tyler Mahle, RHP
Key stat(s): 39.3 K% this season
2021 stats: 1-1, 2.57 ERA, 39.3 K%

Breakdown: Mahle has raised his strikeout percentage every year of his big league career, going from 15.2% in 2017 to 21.7% in '18 and 23.2% in '19 before setting another career high at 29.9% last season. With his four-seam fastball sitting at 94.9 mph so far this year (up from 93.9 mph last season), he's upped that K% to a whopping 39.3% in the early-going. He'll throw that fastball more than 50% of the time, while also working a slider and splitter into his three-pitch mix.

Notable D-backs hitters

Carson Kelly: Three homers and six RBIs in last five games; .418 wOBA is tied with Mike Trout for third-best in MLB.

Eduardo Escobar: Hitting .351 with five homers and a 1.270 OPS over last 10 games after hitting .087 in first six.

Blue Jays (Thornton) at Red Sox (Richards), 7:10 p.m. ET

Blue Jays SP: Trent Thornton, RHP
Key stat(s): First five appearances this season came in relief
2021 stats: 0-0, 2.35 ERA, 19.4 K%

Breakdown: Though Thornton led the Blue Jays in starts and innings pitched just two seasons ago in 2019, he's been working exclusively out of the bullpen to this point in '21. He hasn't thrown more than 34 pitches in any of his five relief outings, so expect him to only pitch a few innings in this spot start.

Notable Red Sox hitters

Rafael Devers: Nine barrels this season (second in MLB behind only Acuña (10).

J.D. Martinez: Hitting .375 with six homers and an MLB-leading 20 RBIs in 16 games.

Xander Bogaerts: Has reached base safely in 12 of last 13 games; slashing .393/.439/.557 overall this season.

Red Sox SP: Garrett Richards, RHP
Key stat(s): 1.80 ERA in last two starts
2021 stats: 0-1, 6.00 ERA, 16.9 K%

Breakdown: Richards has fared far better in his last two outings following a rocky performance in his 2021 debut. After serving up six runs in just two innings of work on April 4, Richards has conceded only two earned runs over 10 innings in his two outings since. He's still struggling a bit with command (seven walks in 12 innings) and has only 10 K's, but he's made it work in his last two starts. He's turned to a three-pitch mix this season, essentially scrapping his sinker to work primarily with his four-seamer and slider, while working in the occasional curveball.

Notable Blue Jays hitters

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: Has reached base safely in all 17 games this season, though he's 0-for-8 over the last three games (three walks).

Bo Bichette: One of two players with at least five homers and three stolen bases this season (Acuña).

Marcus Semien: 2-for-13 (.154) with four K's vs. Richards.

Mets (Peterson) at Cubs (Davies), 7:40 p.m. ET

Mets SP: David Peterson, LHP
Key stat(s): Cubs have MLB-high 31.6% whiff rate
2021 stats: 1-1, 6.30 ERA, 35.7 K%

Breakdown: Peterson will be facing a team other than the Phillies for the first time this season. After giving up six runs and striking out five over four innings in his April 7 season debut, the southpaw bounced back with 10 K's and only one run allowed over six frames on Wednesday. He'll be looking to replicate that performance against a Cubs team that ranks last in the Majors in batting average (.192) and whiff rate (31.6%).

Notable Cubs hitters

Javier Báez: Leads MLB in strikeouts (31) and swings and misses (70) this season; he also has a 41.1% whiff rate on pitches in the strike zone.

Anthony Rizzo: .777 career OPS vs. LHP (.887 vs. RHP).

Kris Bryant: .996 career OPS vs. LHP (.860 vs. RHP); 5-for-12 (.417) with two homers over last three games after hitting .220 over first 12.

Cubs SP: Zach Davies, RHP
Key stat(s): Nine walks, eight strikeouts
2021 stats: 1-2, 10.32 ERA, 13.6 K%

Breakdown: Davies has issued three walks in each of his three appearances, while allowing a combined 16 hits over just 11 1/3 innings. He's not missing many bats (eight strikeouts, 18% whiff rate), especially with his sinker. In fact, opposing hitters have not registered a single swing and miss against the 108 sinkers thrown by Davies (his most-used pitch).

Notable Mets hitters

Pete Alonso: 100.0 mph average exit velocity on his 29 batted balls this season (highest in MLB among players with at least 25 balls in play)

Francisco Lindor: Has only one extra-base hit (a double) and one multi-hit game (April 14) this season; slashing .171/.327/.195 with zero stolen bases in 13 games.

Dominic Smith: Ranks among top 10 in both xBA (.371) and xSLG (.760); the .324 difference between his actual slugging percentage (.436) and xSLG (.760) is second-highest in MLB.

Rays (Wacha) at Royals (Junis), 8:10 p.m. ET

Rays SP: Michael Wacha, RHP
Key stat(s): 95.4 mph average exit velocity allowed this season (highest in MLB)
2021 stats: 1-1, 4.20 ERA, 32.8 K%

Breakdown: Wacha is coming off one of his best outings in years, having held the Yankees to just one hit while striking out nine over six scoreless innings on Friday. That said, he's still allowing an average exit velocity north of 95 mph -- the threshold for hard-hit balls -- on the 34 balls in play against him this season. That includes five hard-hit balls in that outing against the Yankees, though four of them were turned into outs -- including three that came off the bat faster than 100 mph.

Notable Royals hitters

Jorge Soler: Hitting .128 with zero homers over last 15 games after going 2-for-2 with a home run on Opening Day (15-game homer drought is his longest since 2018); 5-for-12 (.417) with three career homers vs. Wacha.

Whit Merrifield: 3-for-18 (.167) over last five games after hitting .364 in first 11.

Royals SP: Jakob Junis, RHP
Key stat(s): Opponents are 1-for-13 with 10 K's vs. his cutter
2021 stats: 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 32.6 K%

Breakdown: Junis has been dominant this season, turning a pair of scoreless relief appearances before allowing just two runs over 10 innings in two starts. Overall, he's racked up 15 strikeouts over 12 innings of work, with opposing hitters going just 1-for-13 with 10 strikeouts -- and a remarkable 55.6% whiff rate -- against his newly added cutter.

Notable Rays hitters

Joey Wendle: Has hit safely in 10 of last 11 games; hitting .395 with six extra-base hits (including two homers) and a 1.063 OPS during that span.

Randy Arozarena: Has one extra-base hit (a double) and one RBI with 12 K's in last eight games.