FanDuel Lineup and Picks for Wednesday, May 9

2 of 4

ATLANTA, GA – APRIL 18: Left fielder Scott Kingery #4 of the Philadelphia Phillies swings during the game against the Atlanta Braves at SunTrust Park on April 18, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images) /

Giants at Phillies

Giants Probable Starter – Chris Stratton, RHP

3.99 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 7.75 K/9

Vs LHH – .221 average, .316 wOBA and 39.1 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .215 average, .286 wOBA and 48.9 hard contact rate

The hard contact rate that Stratton carries against righties is eye-opening and that goes along with a fly ball rate of 44.4 percent. He might be able to get away with that in San Francisco, but that will lead to issues in a park like Philly. Stratton is just a very mediocre pitcher by just about any metric and I really don’t want anything to do with him this evening. There’s potential for another big night from the Phillies hitters this evening. I’ll likely stick with mostly righties.

Phillies Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Rhys Hoskins, Carlos Santana, Aaron Altherr

Secondary Options – Odubel Herrera, Scott Kingery, Maikel Franco

Phillies Probable Starter – Nick Pivetta, RHP

4.76 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 9.26 K/9

Vs LHH – .328 average, .399 wOBA and 30.8 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .203 average, .246 wOBA and 15.2 hard contact rate

We likely need to have at least a little interest in the Giants hitters tonight as Pivetta has been in very poor form his past two starts. He got destroyed by the Nationals his last time on the mound, giving up six runs in one inning of work. His clear weakness is lefty bats and that means I’m right back on Brandon Belt tonight. He’s been smashing righty pitching and even though he is expensive, he should be worth the price this evening.

Giants Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Brandon Belt, Gregor Blanco, Brandon Crawford

Secondary Options – Alen Hanson, Buster Posey, Andrew McCutchen

Home Run Pick – Scott Kingery

KANSAS CITY, MO – MAY 5: Lucas Duda #21 of the Kansas City Royals hits against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium on May 5, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

Royals at Orioles

Royals Probable Starter – Eric Skoglund, LHP

6.84 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 8.54 K/9

Vs LHH – .214 average, .365 wOBA and 36.4 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .278 average, .356 wOBA and 52.9 hard contact rate

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Eric Skoglund is not a quality major league pitcher. Other than his one weird start against the White Sox where he dominated, he’s given up at least four earned runs every time out. The Orioles have the offense to knock Skoglund around, as they are right handed heavy. They faced lefty Danny Duffy last night and had eight righties in the lineup. They’re in a good spot tonight if they can shake off the beat down they took last night.

Orioles Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Manny Machado, Danny Valencia, Trey Mancini

Secondary Options – Adam Jones, Jonathan Schoop, Mark Trumbo

Orioles Probable Starter – Andrew Cashner, RHP

4.89 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 8.61 K/9

Vs LHH – .284 average, .400 wOBA and 28.8 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .240 average, .340 wOBA and 34.4 hard contact rate

I hope the Royals didn’t use up all of their runs last night because after scoring 15, they walk into another solid spot again this evening. Cashner is just as bad as Skoglund and there’s plenty of Royals bats to take a look at. Any lefty bat is in play for sure as Cashner is giving up a massive 54.9 percent fly ball rate. That’s not going to end well in Baltimore. Jon Jay is one of the better salary savers on the board and you may need it because there is one clear option at the top of pitching tonight.

Royals Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Mike Moustakas, Lucas Duda, Jon Jay

Secondary Options – Salvador Perez, Jorge Soler, Whit Merrifield

Home Run Pick – Lucas Duda