Fansided

MLB FanDuel Lineup and Picks for Thursday, May 24

By Adam Strangis

KANSAS CITY, MO - APRIL 13: Shohei Ohtani
KANSAS CITY, MO - APRIL 13: Shohei Ohtani /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
ANAHEIM, CA – APRIL 18: Rick Porcello #22 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during the first inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Angel Stadium on April 18, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA – APRIL 18: Rick Porcello #22 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during the first inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Angel Stadium on April 18, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Red Sox at Rays – Main Slate

Red Sox Probable Starter – Rick Porcello, RHP 

3.39 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 24.4 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .225 average, .305 wOBA, 46.7 fly ball rate and 38.2 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .233 average, .244 wOBA, 24.8 fly ball rate and 21.9 hard contact rate

Porcello is likely going to be the most popular pitcher on the night slate and I can’t fault anyone for that. I’ll likely fall in line in cash because he should be able to have his way with the Rays lineup. The Achilles heel for Porcello is lefty power, which the Rays are in short supply. Brad Miller is a great GPP option because he tends to be hit or miss. Denard Span would be about the only other Rays hitter that I have interest in, although the odds of him hitting a home run aren’t the best. Porcello is the top cash option tonight.

Rays Hitters to Target

Elite Options – Denard Span

Secondary Options – Brad Miller

Rays Probable Starter – Blake Snell, LHP

3.07 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 26.2 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .130 average, .181 wOBA, 33.3 fly ball rate and 32.4 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .219 average, .311 wOBA, 45.2 fly ball rate and 32.8 hard contact rate

The last time Snell pitched against the Red Sox, it was in Fenway and he dropped 53 points on Boston. I wouldn’t expect that same result tonight but Snell might be able to hit the 35-40 point range. For whatever reason, Boston just isn’t good as a team against lefties. They rank 17th in average, 25th in OPS, 25th in ISO and 25th in wOBA. They have two lefty destroyers in Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez but the rest of the lineup hasn’t shown up yet. One super sneaky option for the Sox is Brock Holt, who is hitting lefties well in a very limited sample size.

Red Sox Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez

Secondary Options – Hanley Ramirez, Xander Bogaerts, Brock Holt

Home Run Pick – Brad Miller

BALTIMORE, MD – MAY 09: Mike Moustakas #8 of the Kansas City Royals takes a swing during a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 9, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Orioles won 5-3. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mike Moustakas
BALTIMORE, MD – MAY 09: Mike Moustakas #8 of the Kansas City Royals takes a swing during a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 9, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Orioles won 5-3. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mike Moustakas /

Royals at Rangers – Main Slate

Royals Probable Starter – Danny Duffy, LHP

6.88 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and 18.7 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .194 average, .251 wOBA, 53.6 fly ball rate and 35.7 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .313 average, .426 wOBA, 44.7 fly ball rate and 40.8 hard contact rate

For as bad as Duffy has been all season long, he’s actually controlled lefty bats pretty well. While I think any hitter can get to Duffy at this point, I’d focus my energy on the righties for the Rangers. Jurickson Profar seems mighty expensive but it’s also only three games so it’s easier to fit him in. Delino DeShields is dirt cheap given his matchup and could be a borderline lock. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is also extremely cheap. I really think you’re going to need some Texas exposure tonight.

Rangers Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Delino DeShields, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Jurickson Profar

Secondary Options – Ryan Rua, Joey Gallo

Rangers Probable Starter – Austin Bibens-Dirkx, RHP

Season Debut

You’re likely not alone if you look at this name and have no idea who’s pitching tonight for Texas. I watch a lot of baseball and have at least a reasonable handle on most rosters. I had no idea this guy even existed, no offense to him. He pitched almost 70 innings for the rangers last year and was completely mediocre across the board. I’m not going to go super crazy with Royals but Mike Moustakas is likely my favorite player. He’s got a .402 wOBA against righties so far this year and is in a very positive park shift. You could also sprinkle in some Salvador Perez if you wanted to.

Royals Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Mike Moustakas

Secondary Options – Salvador Perez, Alex Gordon

Home Run Pick – Mike Moustakas