Fansided

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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ST LOUIS, MO – APRIL 21: Matt Carpenter #13 of the St. Louis Cardinals bats during a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium on April 21, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. The Cardinals won 4-3. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Matt Carpenter
ST LOUIS, MO – APRIL 21: Matt Carpenter #13 of the St. Louis Cardinals bats during a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium on April 21, 2018 in St Louis, Missouri. The Cardinals won 4-3. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Matt Carpenter /

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