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FanDuel Lineup and Picks for Thursday, May 31

By Adam Strangis

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 31: Jose Altuve
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 31: Jose Altuve /
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Welcome into the Thursday edition of the FanDuel daily fantasy baseball column! We have nine games on hand for tonight’s slate.

Last night was another good night for our little band of merry daily fantasy players! Are we making any type of hug money in the tournaments? Not really but it’s about consistency. We’re winning at a pretty solid clip and my bankroll is healthier than it was a couple weeks ago. I missed on James Paxton but I did wind up changing to Ross Stripling, who was dominant once again last night. Let’s keep the good times rolling tonight!

NNEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 18: Greg Bird #33 of the New York Yankees hits an RBI single during the second inning of Game 5 of the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, October 18, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
NNEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 18: Greg Bird #33 of the New York Yankees hits an RBI single during the second inning of Game 5 of the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, October 18, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

Yankees at Orioles

Yankees Probable Starter – Sonny Gray, RHP

5.98 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 18.6 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .240 average, .306 wOBA, 28.2 fly ball rate and 35.1 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .312 average, .397 wOBA, 34.5 fly ball rate and 35.6 hard contact rate

If the splits hold up in this matchup, it could be a long day for Gray and the Yanks. They have righties for days and that’s where Gray has struggled most so far. He’s given up three or more runs in six out of 10 starts this year and it’s hard to believe he’ll shut down the Orioles tonight. There’s always a concern that Gray could just ground ball this lineup to death but I certainly have some interest in the Baltimore bats tonight. Other than Manny Machado, Mark Trumbo and Danny Valencia really catch my eye at $2,700 and $2,500 respectively. Gray is nothing more than a GPP dart throw until he shows some type of consistency.

Orioles Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Manny Machado, Mark Trumbo

Secondary Options -Danny Valencia, Adam Jones

Orioles Probable Starter – Andrew Cashner, RHP

5.07 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and 19.7 strikeout rate

Vs LHH – .267 average, .378 wOBA, 48.8 fly ball rate and 32.9 hard contact rate

Vs RHH – .311 average, .387 wOBA, 29.7 fly ball rate and 35.9 hard contact rate

If the Orioles are in a decent spot, the Yankees are in a better one on paper, especially the lefties if you look at the fly ball rate. I don’t make a habit of playing any pitcher against New York and tonight won’t be an exception. Cashner does have a 40 point effort this season that came in New York but I would expect that to be a fluke, not the normal. I wouldn’t talk you out of too many options here but perhaps my favorite is Greg Bird. He’s still finding his groove after returning from another injury but he’s hitting between Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. He’s also a lefty who has plenty of power. Just about anyone from the Yankee lineup is viable tonight, especially towards the top of the order.

Yankees Hitters to Target 

Elite Options – Aaron Judge, Greg Bird, Brett Gardner, Gleyber Torres

Secondary Options – Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez

Home Run Pick – The balls could really fly in this game so I’ll go with Bird and Trumbo