FanDuel fantasy MLB baseball picks for Sunday, May 27
![CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 11: Stephen Strasburg #37 of the Washington Nationals pitches in the second inning during game four of the National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on October 11, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 11: Stephen Strasburg #37 of the Washington Nationals pitches in the second inning during game four of the National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on October 11, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/ea8e8c756d90e10b0967bf0c864015f09bb2b38acbf2772938d6544a10e53233.jpg)
Welcome into the Sunday edition of the FanDuel daily fantasy baseball column! We have a nice sized nine game slate on our hands today.
Yesterday was a pretty successful day and we have the weather to thank for it. I changed the main lineup due to concerns about the weather in Pittsburgh and it paid off handsomely. Both Hernan Perez and Aaron Nola massively outscored who they replaced. We actually hit 224 on FanDuel with Jake Lamb, Nicholas Castellanos and Jed Lowrie combined for 3.2 points. It was a high scoring slate as that wasn’t even good enough for a top 100 finish in the $1 GPP but I’ll take a win every single time. Let’s get rolling on the Sunday slate and keep that momentum going!
Braves at Red Sox
Braves Probable Starter – Mike Foltynewicz, RHP
2.72 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 27.1 strikeout rate
Vs LHH – .219 average, .324 wOBA, 41.5 fly ball rate and 33.9 hard contact rate
Vs RHH – .226 average, .281 wOBA, 31.5 fly ball rate and 35.1 hard contact rate
This is not the best spot to use Foltynewicz, even though he’s having a really good season. The big catch with him is he throws his fast ball 59.0 percent of the time and that’s not a great mix against Boston. The big two guns rate the best in hitting the fastball and wOBA against righties, so Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez could be in line for a big day. Those two are obviously expensive and the best way to save money is Mitch Moreland. He rates third on the team against fast balls and second in wOBA against righties. He’s also just $3,600. Dustin Pedroia is also a nice play at $3,000.
Red Sox Hitters to Target
Elite Options – Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, Mitch Moreland
Secondary Options – Dustin Pedroia, Andrew Benintendi, Rafael Devers
Red Sox Probable Starter – Chris Sale, LHP
2.17 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 34.5 strikeout rate
Vs LHH – .216 average, .239 wOBA, 25.0 fly ball rate and 19.1 hard contact rate
Vs RHH – .179 average, .261 wOBA, 43.8 fly ball rate and 28.3 hard contact rate
By the numbers, this matchup couldn’t be worse for Chris Sale. Atlanta has feasted on lefties all season and they rank in the top five across the board offensively in basically any category you can think of. They’re even tied for the lowest strikeout rate. I’m still going to side with Sale, though he may not be a cash play today. He has a pitch percentage of 29.3 on his slider but the Atlanta hitter that rates the best against that pitch is Freddie Freeman. That’s the worse side of the platoon splits for Sale. Since he’s the most expensive pitcher on the board, the Braves gives you a bit of pause today. I’ll say this — it may not be something I do, but a Braves stack is going to be super low owned.
Braves Hitters to Target
Elite Options – None
Secondary Options – Ronald Acuna, Ozzie Albies, Kurt Suzuki
Home Run Pick – Dustin Pedroia