FanDuel Picks and Lineup for Tuesday, May 22

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SAN DIEGO, CA – MAY 8: Jeremy Hellickson #58 of the Washington Nationals pitches during a baseball game against San Diego Padres at PETCO Park on May 8, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /

Padres at Nationals

Padres Probable Starter – Eric Lauer, LHP

8.14 ERA, 2.10 WHIP and 16.8 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .238 average, .261 wOBA, 50.0 fly ball rate and 23.5 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .373 average, .473 wOBA, 32.8 fly ball rate and 50.8 hard contact rate

In the five starts that Lauer has made, the only good one came against the Dodgers before Justin Turner came back. I can’t recommend starting Lauer for any reason and the righties for the Nationals are in a great spot tonight. I’m still annoyed that I left Juan Soto out of my final lineup but won’t be making that mistake again at $2,500.

The first person on the list when the Nats draw a lefty is Anthony Rendon and I’d much rather play him than Mark Reynolds at about the same price. Trea Turner should also feast and a very cheap option you could use as a punt is Michael A. Taylor.

Nationals Hitters to Target

Elite Options -Anthony Rendon, Trea Turner, Juan Soto

Secondary Options – Mark Reynolds, Bryce Harper, Michael A. Taylor

Nationals Probable Starter – Jeremy Hellickson, RHP

2.20 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 21.5 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .254 average, .309 wOBA, 30.4 fly ball rate and 26.3 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .111 average, .130 wOBA, 29.0 fly ball rate and 30.6 hard contact rate

I’d be lying if I said I had any idea how Jermey Hellickson has been effective this season, but here we are. There’s really no metric to pick at and say that there’s regression coming. The Padres are a bad offense in total and they’re a good bit worse against righty pitching.

The only hitter that might be able to get to Hellickson by the numbers is Eric Hosmer. San Diego is a righty heavy lineup and as bizarre as it may sound in May of 2018, Hellickson could actually turn into a solid play tonight.

Padres Hitters to Target

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – Eric Hosmer, Travis Jankowski

Home Run Pick – Michael A. Taylor

TEMPE, AZ – FEBRUARY 28: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels in action during the game between Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels on February 28, 2018 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Masterpress/Getty Images) /

Angels at Blue Jays

Angels Probable Starter – Garrett Richards, RHP

3.47 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 27.0 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .167 average, .260 wOBA, 29.3 fly ball rate and 25.9 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .250 average, .320 wOBA, 30.2 fly ball rate and 41.3 hard contact rate

This is another intriguing spot for a starting pitcher and Richards could potentially go overlooked since there are some big name ace pitchers on the board tonight. The Angels righty is coming off a decent start against the Astros and the Jays are an easier matchup for him. He relies on his fast ball and slider almost 90 percent of the time so there’s three hitters that rate well against both pitches.

Only one is also a righty and that’s Teoscar Hernandez. Both Curtis Granderson and Yangervis Solarte rate well against the pitch mix but are lefty hitters. Richards has potential for a 40 point performance tonight.

Blue Jays Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Teoscar Hernandez

Secondary Options – Josh Donaldson, Curtis Granderson, Yangervis Solarte

Blue Jays Probable Starter -J.A. Happ, LHP

4.15 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 30.7 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .154 average, .182 wOBA, 29.4 fly ball rate and 20.6 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .259 average, .340 wOBA, 37.8 fly ball rate and 33.7 hard contact rate

A pitcher like Happ is always fun to use in daily because his strikeout rate is so high, it can cover up for a couple runs here and there. Tonight is an exception as the Angels could potentially put a righty in every single lineup spot. Shohei Ohtani is a lefty but I wonder if he gets the night off, given Happ’s splits. I don’t see how Happ can navigate a lineup with Mike Trout, Justin Upton and others form the right side of the plate without getting knocked around a bit. I wouldn’t touch Happ in anything else but a large field tournament tonight.

Angels Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Mike Trout, Andrelton Simmons

Secondary Options -Justin Upton, Zack Cozart

Home Run Pick – Mike Trout