This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
I usually lean to the night slates on these split cards, but most of the games Thursday are during the day. In fact, seven of the 11 games on this schedule are day games, so I'm going to focus on that as the main card. With that in mind, let's look at two pitchers I love during the day!
Pitching
Shane Baz, TB vs. KC ($10,000)
This youngster has had a hard time staying on the field throughout his career, but he's always been elite when he's out there. Baz has a 3.20 career ERA and 1.06 WHIP, while tallying a 2.45 ERA and 0.99 WHIP this season. Those numbers would look even better if he hadn't gotten shelled against the Yankees. He has a 1.04 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 11.4 K/9 rate outside of that and doesn't have to worry about facing a lineup like NY's here. He gets a home matchup with KC, who rank 28th in OPS, 29th in runs scored and last in wOBA.
Chad Patrick, MIL at CWS ($7,800)
My grandma might be a viable play against the White Sox. They're last in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA and xwOBA since the start of last year and really aren't close to anyone else. That's why any pitcher facing them is a good value, especially a youngster like this. Patrick has a 1.82 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across five starts this season. He also had a 2.90 ERA and 1.09 WHIP at Triple-A last year and some of those lineups are right on par with the White Sox. He's a -190 favorite.
Top Targets
Oneil Cruz, PIT ($3,600) vs. Colin Rea
It's hard to believe that Cruz is this cheap. This guy has been one of the biggest breakouts in baseball through the opening month, collecting eight homers and 12 steals through 27 games en route to an .893 OPS. His numbers against righties are even more ridiculous, registering a .407 OBP and 1.039 OPS against them this year. Rea has gotten off to a great start this season, but we're talking about a guy who had a 4.57 career ERA coming into the year.
Matt McLain, CIN ($3,200) vs. Matthew Liberatore
McLain's injuries have kept him from being a household name, but he's quietly a stud. The shortstop has a .344 OBP and .822 OPS throughout his career, compiling 20 homers and 18 steals across 108 total games. That's hard to find from a $3K player, especially one that has a .367 career OBP and .963 OPS against lefties. As southpaws go, Liberatore isn't scary either, posting a 4.72 career ERA and 1.36 WHIP.
Bargain Bats
Willson Contreras, STL ($2,800) vs. Andrew Abbott
There's no doubt that Contreras has been horrible through the opening month of the season, but the former All-Star is starting to find his form. He has a hit in 11 of his last 12 games, flirting with a .500 OBP and 1.200 OPS in that span. That's absurd from such an affordable player, but his cap hit looks even better considering Contreras has a .368 OBP and .850 OPS against lefties since 2023. Abbott's 3.77 career ERA and 1.30 WHIP are average, but that's not good enough to fade a hot bat at a discounted salary.
Marcus Semien, TEX ($2,600) vs. Jeffrey Springs
This is another player that got off to a nightmare start, but his salary has dropped too far. The second baseman enters this matchup amid a four-game hitting streak, providing a .471 OBP and .871 OPS in that span. That's more what we've become accustomed to seeing from the All-Star over recent years because Semien is typically a 20-20 threat every season. Not to mention, he has a .353 OBP and .772 OPS against lefties since 2023. He's also facing a pitcher with a 6.04 ERA and 1.62 WHIP.
Stacks to Consider
Brewers at White Sox (Sean Burke): Christian Yelich ($3,700), Jackson Chourio ($3,700), Brice Turang ($3,400) and William Contreras ($3,100)
We've been stacking against the Rockies and White Sox for two seasons, and we're going back to the Chicago well here. This team is bottom five in ERA and WHIP in that span, and it's throwing Burke to the wolves here. The righty has a 6.00 ERA and 1.48 WHIP across six starts this season. Milwaukee is projected to score five runs, the third-highest total on this slate.
Yelich is a former MVP who has amassed a .369 OBP and .883 OPS against righties this year. Chourio has been just as good, compiling a .281 AVG and .818 OPS in a breakout season. As for Turang, he's projected to bat leadoff and is averaging over 12 FanDuel points per game. Contreras should be in his usual cleanup spot, posting an .874 OPS across his last 19 fixtures.
Guardians vs. Twins (Simeon Woods Richardson): Jose Ramirez ($3,600), Steven Kwan ($3,200), Kyle Manzardo ($3,000)
The Twins have been trying to fill the back end of their rotation, but Woods Richardson is not the guy. This righty had a 5.91 ERA and 1.64 WHIP across his final 11 starts last season and has a 5.63 xERA and 1.44 WHIP so far this year. That's scary against a top-10 offense from last season.
Ramirez is the straw that stirs the drink for this lineup, finishing as a top-five fantasy option nearly every year since 2017. Kwan is the table-setter at the top of the lineup, collecting a .333 AVG and .864 OPS so far this year. He also has a .919 OPS against right-handers. Manzardo is the slugger in the cleanup spot, sporting a .557 SLG and .881 OPS in a breakout campaign.
