This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Thursday has only one early game for which there is an "all-day" slate to use it in, while the main slate consists of nine games including a Coors game and a Petco game. It's an interesting slate in that there are no aces going despite 18 teams being in play, so loading up on Coors players is in play if that's desired.
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PITCHER
Miles Mikolas, STL at SD ($8,500): Mikolas has put up some great stats to start the season but none may be more impressive than his two walks in 40 innings. His 3.04 xFIP suggests his 2.98 ERA isn't fluky, and the Padres continue to be an excellent matchup for right-handed pitchers. As a team, San Diego against righties has the third-worst wOBA at .286 and their 27.7 percent strikeout rate is the worst in the league.
GPP Fade: J.A. Happ, TOR vs. SEA ($9,100): Happ is the highest priced pitcher on tonight's slate; not a surprise considering he has three performances of 52 fantasy points. However, the Mariners on paper aren't a good matchup given they have the 11th best wOBA (.323) against lefties and strike out only 18.5 percent of the time (third best in the league).
Cheap GPP Consideration: Mike Foltynewicz, ATL at MIA ($7,400): Foltynewicz had a hiccup in his last start but before that appeared to be a good candidate to breakout this season. In his previous six starts he hadn't allowed more than two earned runs, and his 26.9 percent strikeout rate is up over six percent from last season. The Marlins still struggle against right-handed pitching with the league's lowest wOBA (.265) and strike out at 24.4 percent (eighth-highest in the league).
CATCHER/FIRST BASE
Lucas Duda, KC at BAL ($2,500): Several of the Kansas City bats are in play tonight solely based on the matchup with Chris Tillman. He's been a gas can this year, and it's something of a surprise that he and his 9.24 ERA are still in the rotation. Tillman's struggles against left-handed hitting date back to last season when he had a .429 wOBA against that handedness that's carried over into this season with a .517 mark.
SECOND BASE
Jonathan Schoop, BAL vs. KC ($2,900): Schoop's price is still discounted as he's only two games removed from his DL stint. He's hit cleanup in both games (against lefties) and has scored 13.2 and 15.4 fantasy points making over 4X value. At home over the last three seasons Schoop has wOBAs of .469, .337 and .350 against right-handed pitchers like Ian Kennedy (ERA of 5.38 last season).
THIRD BASE
Yangervis Solarte, TOR vs. SEA ($3,400): Solarte has a career .334 wOBA against right-handed pitching, which is a good number considering how many of his games have been played in Petco Park in a less than average lineup. In 98 plate appearances with the Jays this season his wOBA against righties is .375 coupled with a .241 ISO. Mike Leake has given up a .334 wOBA to left-handed hitters over his career and in a small sample that has gone up to .366 this season.
SHORTSTOP
Eduardo Escobar, MIN at LAA ($3,800): As with most nights, the middle infield positions are a disaster after the top options, and while Garrett Richards isn't an ideal matchup it's hard to look past what Escobar has done. He'll be hitting in his usual cleanup spot and has hit safely in 15 games, averaging 16.8 fantasy points over that span as well. Against right-handed pitching in 2018, Escobar sports a .401 wOBA (.453 vs. lefties), and Richards' big blow came a couple of weeks ago at home.
OUTFIELD
Carlos Gonzalez, David Dahl, Gerardo Parra, COL vs. MIL ($3,000): Provided Charlie Blackmon is in the lineup tonight, there's a good chance only two of the three will join Blackmon for the Rockies. Not only do all three hit left-handed and face a righty in Jhoulys Chacin, but they're priced exactly the same. This is a good matchup for all three, as Chacin has struggled away from home (.361, .363 and .364 wOBA) his last three significant seasons. With the overall price of pitching down tonight, it's plausible to use all three Colorado outfielders (including Charlie Blackmon, $5,000) in cash or GPPs given this game has the highest over/under run total at 11.5 with Colorado being favorites.
UTILITY
Chris Davis, BAL vs. KC ($2,700): Davis may finally be waking up from his early-season slumber, jacking home runs in each of his last two games, against southpaws nonetheless. Tonight he's got a decent matchup against Ian Kennedy who has allowed a .340 wOBA to lefties since joining the Royals. When he's home and facing a right-handed pitcher, Davis owns a .377 wOBA with the Orioles since 2012.
