Fansided

FanDuel MLB lineup and picks for Friday, May 25

By Adam Strangis

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 12: Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) pitches in relief during game five of the NLDS between the Washington Nationals and the Chicago Cubs on October 12, 2017, at Nationals Park, in Washington D.C. Chicago Cubs defeated the Washington Nationals 9-8.(Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 12: Washington Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer (31) pitches in relief during game five of the NLDS between the Washington Nationals and the Chicago Cubs on October 12, 2017, at Nationals Park, in Washington D.C. Chicago Cubs defeated the Washington Nationals 9-8.(Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MAY 20: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Noah Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets in action against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field on May 20, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Mets defeated the Diamondbacks 4-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 20: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Noah Syndergaard #34 of the New York Mets in action against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field on May 20, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Mets defeated the Diamondbacks 4-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Mets at Brewers

Mets Probable Starter – Noah Syndergaard, RHP 

2.91 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 27.8 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .270 average, .301 wOBA, 25.0 fly ball rate and 24.4 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .230 average, .286 wOBA, 29.3 fly ball rate and 24.4 hard contact rate

Syndergaard is coming off one of his best starts of the season but I’m not sure I’m going to chase it tonight. This is an odd spot. Milwaukee does strikeout a ton but they also run on the base paths like crazy. That’s less than ideal because Syndergaard is easy to steal bases on. That could lead to some cheap runs against Syndergaard.

I think he might be the lowest owned ace pitcher on the slate but I think there’s good reason for that. Given the price point, I’d rather play Severino or James Paxton. The Brewers probably don’t knock him around so I really won’t have a lot of their offense either. I likely won’t have any piece of this side of the game.

Brewers Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – Christian Yelich, Travis Shaw, Lorenzo Cain

Brewers Probable Starter – Junior Guerra, RHP 

2.98 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 23.0 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .203 average, .305 wOBA, 36.4 fly ball rate and 33.9 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .210 average, .272 wOBA, 45.5 fly ball rate and 50.9 hard contact rate

On the surface, Guerra doesn’t look like a bad pitcher to use. He’s under $8,000, the Mets offense is mediocre at best and plenty of metrics would sync up with using Guerra. Having that fly ball and hard contact rate to righties is no way to live in Miller Park. Wilmer Flores has the reputation for a lefty killer but has a wOBA approaching .400 against righties this season. He’s also barely over minimum price. Devin Mesoraco is also the same price and hits righties decently, but not great. The Mets offense is lefty heavy as far as their best hitters go. Guerra is a good against the grain play in GPP’s.

Mets Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – None

Secondary Options – Wilmer Flores, Devin Mesoraco, Brandon Nimmo

Home Run Pick – Wilmer Flores

CINCINNATI, OH – MAY 23: Scooter Gennett #3 of the Cincinnati Reds hits a home run in the sixth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on May 23, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Pittsburgh defeated Cincinnati 5-4 in 12 innings. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH – MAY 23: Scooter Gennett #3 of the Cincinnati Reds hits a home run in the sixth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on May 23, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Pittsburgh defeated Cincinnati 5-4 in 12 innings. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /

Reds at Rockies

Reds Probable Starter – Sal Romano, RHP 

5.62 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 15.1 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .313 average, .406 wOBA, 35.0 fly ball rate and 36.3 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .214 average, .294 wOBA, 32.5 fly ball rate and 32.1 hard contact rate

It’s truly going to be fascinating to see lineup construction tonight. There’s almost no path to paying up at pitcher and including high priced bats from the Coors game. My early lean is go with an ace and grab a cheaper bat in this game in cash games while stacking this game with a cheap pitcher in the quarter arcade. One of the top plays on the slate regardless of price is Charlie Blackmon. He always beats up on righty pitching at home and tonight should be no different.

Whichever two of Carlos Gonzalez, Gerardo Parra and David Dahl make the lineup are interesting as well. Dahl hit the skids when Colorado was out on the road but could find himself feeling at home in a hurry tonight. He’s also one of the cheapest ways to get a piece of this game. We’ll see how the lineup shakes out.

Rockies Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Charlie Blackmon, Nolan Arenado

Secondary Options – Whichever two lefty outfielders make the lineup

Rockies Probable Starter – Jon Gray, RHP

5.34 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 26.0 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .287 average, .369 wOBA, 31.6 fly ball rate and 42.9 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .283 average, .307 wOBA, 25.3 fly ball rate and 31.8 hard contact rate

It’s important to note that last season, Gray pitched better at home than he did on the road. That trend hasn’t continued this year but you could take a shot at Gray in GPP formats. He’s too risky in cash games and I’d probably lean towards the lefties here. Joey Votto and Scooter Gennett are priced up but in prime spots. One cheap hitter is Jesse Winker. He woke up a little bit Thursday and now gets that Coors Field bump.

Reds Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Joey Votto, Scooter Gennett, Jesse Winker

Secondary Options – Eugenio Suarez, Tucker Barnhart

Home Run Pick – Jesse Winker and David Dahl