FanDuel Lineup and Picks for Wednesday, May 23

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ATLANTA, GA MAY 15: Braves relief pitcher Luis Gohara (53) fires a pitch to the plate during the game between Atlanta and Chicago on May 15th, 2018 at SunTrust Park in Atlanta, GA. The Chicago Cubs defeated the Atlanta Braves by a score of 3 -2. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Braves at Phillies

Braves Probable Starter – Luiz Gohara, LHP

First start in 2018

The young lefty for the Braves will make his first start today and while he’s a fun pitcher to watch, I’m not sure this is the spot to use him in. He’s only been using his fastball and slider so far this year but he has thrown a changeup as well. The Phillies have been pretty solid against lefties so far this year. They’re in the bottom 10 in strikeout rate and the top 10 in wOBA.

It should also be pointed out that Gohara is going to Brazil after the game to be with his mother, who is suffering from some health issues. We wish her the best but it’s possible Gohara might not be all that focused on today’s game. The Phillie bats that rate well against both the slider and fast ball are Odubel Herrera and Cesar Hernandez. Rhys Hoskins

is in play, but he’s struggled mightily against the slider so far.

Phillies Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Cesar Hernandez, Odubel Herrera

Secondary Options – Rhys Hoskins, Carlos Santana

Phillies Probable Starter – Jake Arrieta, RHP

2.82 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 15.6 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .229 average, .270 wOBA, 30.9 fly ball rate and 26.8 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .202 average, .265 wOBA, 24.4 fly ball rate and 17.7 hard contact rate

For as much as I love the Braves offense this is a pretty easy spot to fade the whole side of this game. Arrieta has seen his strikeout rate bottom out so it’s tough to use him. He’s got to go at least six innings while giving up only a run and get a win to score a decent amount of points. That’s a tough road to go down, especially against a good offense.

This is kind of the same thing as targeting Yankees against Doug Fister. Sure, the bats can win out but each pitcher could just ground ball the opposing offense to death. Either stack your four favorite Braves or just leave this spot be.

Braves Hitters to Target

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – Freddie Freeman, Nick Markakis, Ender Inciarte, Ozzie Albies

Home Run Pick – Rhys Hoskins

ANAHEIM, CA – MAY 17: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) hits a fly ball to left field for an out in the fourth inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays played on May 17, 2018 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Angels at Blue Jays

Angels Probable Starter – Tyler Skaggs, LHP

2.88 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 25.4 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .170 average, .217 wOBA, 36.4 fly ball rate and 38.6 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .271 average, .318 wOBA, 29.8 fly ball rate and 39.0 hard contact rate

It’s not being noticed by a lot of people but Skaggs is really having a rock solid year. He’s 50 innings into the season at this point and all the metrics look good. He’s only had one blow up start and that came against Boston so it’s understandable. The bugaboo for Skaggs is he really does’t go past six innings too often so his margin for error isn’t large.

Players will see a lefty and rush to play Josh Donaldson but it should be noted that he hasn’t hit a home run since the first day he came off the disabled list. I likely won’t be heavy on Blue Jays but their leader in wOBA among semi-regular players is Luke Maile. I have some respect for Skaggs, even though the Jays offense played well last night.

Blue Jays Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Josh Donaldson, Luke Maile

Secondary Options – Justin Smoak, Yangervis Solarte

Blue Jays Probable Starter – Aaron Sanchez, RHP

4.47 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 17.6 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .311 average, .403 wOBA, 28.9 fly ball rate and 32.9 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .196 average, .283 wOBA, 28.9 fly ball rate and 35.5 hard contact rate

I got real excited when I was tying this splits because that means that Shohei Ohtani is in a prime spot tonight. Maybe it’s the baseball nerd in me, but I love rostering him because he’s so fun to watch. Sanchez is the textbook definition of a quarter arcade entry to me tonight. He really owns righties and the Angels lineup is typically very righty heavy.

Granted, they’re really good righties in some cases but there’s still a chance Sanchez succeeds here. Nobody is going to play him either so if you luck into a good game, he’ll be low owned. If you desperately need a salary saver, Kole Calhoun has been just awful but is just $2,100 and hits left handed.

Angels Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani

Secondary Options – Kole Calhoun, Luis Valbuena(if he plays)

Home Run Pick – Shohei Ohtani