FanDuel Lineup and Picks for Thursday, May 31
Pirates at Cardinals
Pirates Probable Starter – Trevor Williams, RHP
3.43 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 17.1 strikeout rate
Vs LHH – .229 average, .290 wOBA, 39.6 fly ball rate and 21.5 hard contact rate
Vs RHH – .214 average, .296 wOBA, 41.8 fly ball rate and 33.7 hard contact rate
Williams is always a weird pitcher on a bigger slat like tonight. He’s not good enough to really play, especially against an offense that could do some damage. He’s also not bad enough that I just want to hammer the hitters playing against him. That’s pretty much the case tonight. I won’t have almost any exposure to this side of the game. Tommy Pham is a little expensive for how much he’s been striking out lately. If I play and Cardinal, it’s probable going to be Matt Carpenter. He’s swinging a red hot bat and Williams is a little worse against lefties.
Cardinals Hitters to Target
Elite Options – Matt Carpenter
Secondary Options – Tommy Pham, Jose Martinez
Cardinals Probable Starter – Jack Flaherty, RHP
2.15 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 27.7 strikeout rate
Vs LHH – .200 average, .238 wOBA, 39.5 fly ball rate and 42.1 hard contact rate
Vs RHH – .207 average, .279 wOBA, 44.1 fly ball rate and 32.4 hard contact rate
All of the metrics would pint to a pitcher that we would be interested in. The price is very attractive as well at $7,700. Flaherty has all the talent in the world but there’s a factor that makes me a little concerned for him here. This will be the third time he’s seen this Pirates offense in five starts. That’s a lot to see one team in such a short stretch and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Pirates offense play well tonight. I’m not going all out on them but they have very sneaky potential. I don’t think this game should be a primary target on this slate so it’s either stack a team or walk away. I don’t think either pitcher has gobs of upside.
Pirates Hitters to Target
Elite Options – Austin Meadows, Francisco Cervelli
Secondary Options – Josh Harrison, Josh Bell, Starling Marte
Home Run Pick – Austin Meadows