FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball: Best Picks for May 12

Orioles outfielder Adam Jones has had great success vs. Toronto starter Mark Buehrle. (Getty)

Orioles outfielder Adam Jones has had great success vs. Toronto starter Mark Buehrle. (Getty)

A quick glance at the pitching matchups on MLB’s Tuesday schedule and you’ll see some ugly ERAs.

Ten hurlers on the Tuesday docket have ERAs over 5.00 (even more in the upper 4s), including Atlanta’s Mike Foltynewicz (5.23), Toronto’s Mark Buehrle (6.00), Baltimore’s Chris Tillman (6.25) and Colorado’s Kyle Kendrick (8.23).

As a fantasy player, you need to take advantage. These guys obviously give up more than their fair share of runs, so load your lineup with hitters from the teams they are pitching against. Simple as that.

My lineup for Tuesday is full of hitters taking on weak pitching. Now my team just needs to go hit and make me some money.

FanDuel uses the following parameters: You get a $35,000 cap to spend on 9 players – 1 pitcher, 1 catcher, 1 first baseman, 1 second baseman, 1 shortstop, 1 third baseman and 3 outfielders.

You can find the FanDuel scoring key at the bottom of the post.


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Here are the best FanDuel lineup picks for May 12:

Pitcher

A.J. Burnett, Pirates, $8,200, at Phillies

The Phillies, Burnett’s former squad, are still scoring less than 3 runs per game and batting under .320 as a team. Burnett, on the other hand, is throwing the best he has in his 16 big league seasons. Burnett (1-1, 1.66 ERA) can’t keep this pace up all season, but will for another night vs. that poor excuse for an offense.



Catcher

Kurt Suzuki, Twins, $2,300, at Tigers

It’s a small sample size, but Suzuki is 3 for 7 with 2 homers vs. Tigers starter Alfredo Simon. But when you’re looking for an inexpensive player to fit your budget, these are the stats you look for. Could be a hidden gem Tuesday. Suzuki had 12 RBIs vs. Detroit in 2014.


First Base

Chris Davis, Orioles, $3,500, vs. Blue Jays

Davis has homered 14 times vs. Toronto since the start of the 2013 season, including one Monday evening. He’s definitely had some success vs. the Jays’ Mark Buehrle (8 for 25 with 2 homers), who is allowing left-handed hitters to bat an eye-popping .390 in 2015.

Second Base

Brandon Phillips, Reds, $2,900, vs. Braves

Phillips is batting .417 with 5 steals this month and is coming off 2 straight multiple-hit games. He should be able to take advantage of the Braves’ Mike Foltynewicz, who has been anything but effective.


Shortstop

Andrelton Simmons, Braves, $2,800, at Reds

Simmons is giving me zero reason to use anybody else at shortstop right now. He’s batting .359 this month with a couple of homers, including 1 Monday night. Simmons has also scored 14 runs in 10 games.


Third Base

Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays, $3,800, at Orioles

Donaldson is currently the best hitter on the league’s best offense. And the Jays are facing a pitcher who has had more than a few problems with the Canadians. The Orioles’ Chris Tillman has allowed our neighbors to the north to hit .375 in 2 games this season.


Outfield

Mike Trout, Angels, $5,400, vs. Rockies

The Angels are facing probably the worst pitcher on Tuesday’s schedule in Colorado’s Kyle Kendrick. Kendrick has a .328 batting average against and an 8.73 ERA. So, yeah, you might want to get your Angels activated. I splurged on Trout, but I think he has the best chance to shine.

Adam Jones, Blue Jays, $3,700, vs. Blue Jays

Like his teammate Davis above, Jones has enjoyed facing Buehrle – 16 for 37 (.432) with 2 bombs and 4 doubles. Jones has slowed a bit after a ridiculous April, but he’s hit in 4 straight and homered Monday. This matchup could get Jones back on track. And he’s cheap.

Kevin Pillar, Blue Jays, $2,400, at Orioles

Speaking of cheap, Pillar comes in at a perfect price for his potential. Against Tillman of the Os, he’s gone 3 for 7 with a home run. In fact, he’s batting .321 vs. Baltimore this season. He’s struggling somewhat, but using Pillar could really pay off Tuesday.


Total Lineup Salary: $34,900 of an allotted $35,000

Each day, we’ll give you the rundown of who to pick for a winning lineup, so stay with us the entire season.


FanDuel Scoring

Hitters Scoring:

Single = +1 points
Double = +2 points
Triple = +3 points
Home Run = +4 points
Run Batted In = +1 points
Run = +1 points
Base on Balls = +1 points
Hit By Pitch = +1 points
Stolen Base = +2 points
Out = -.25 points

Pitchers Scoring:

Inning Pitched = +1 points (fractional scoring per out)
Strike Out = +1 points
Win = +4 points
Earned Run Allowed = -1 points


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