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          Fantasy baseball pitcher rankings, lineup advice for Friday's MLB games

          • ESPN Fantasy
          May 25, 2023, 08:00 PM

          Look for our fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings, hitter upgrades and downgrades daily to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions and for MLB betting tips. MLB game odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook, and fantasy advice is geared towards ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

          For an in-depth look at what to expect in this daily article and for how to best utilize the information contained within, check out our handy primer here.

          Note: This file will be updated with any overnight pitching changes or weather-related game postponements, along with the addition of the latest MLB game odds as of the indicated time of publication.

          What you need to know for Friday's MLB games

          By Todd Zola

          • The Friday slate commences in Wrigley Field with a 2:20 PM ET matinee between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs. The game features one of the better pitching matchups on the schedule with Hunter Greene taking the hill for the visitors, to be opposed by Justin Steele. The busy night's last game starts at 10:10 PM ET with another marquee matchup as Mitch Keller gets the nod for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first game of an interleague set in Seattle, with George Kirby on the hill for the Mariners. All four starters have high rosterships, and using opposing batters is risky, so there isn't much allure in terms of traditional fantasy. However, Seattle fans at a 25% clip against righthanders, and Keller has punched out 47 over his last 33 frames, so using Keller in DFS and in prop bets could be profitable.

          • The day's top streamer is southpaw Reid Detmers (31% rostered) as the Los Angeles Angels entertain the Miami Marlins in a weekend interleague series. After an offseason visit to Driveline, Detmers stuff is better, but he still struggles with control as evidenced by 10 walks over his prior 19 stanzas. However, he also fanned 28 in that span. The Marlins don't fan excessively with a lefty on the hill, but they are one of the least patient teams, so Detmers should pitch deep into the game, aiding his strikeouts.

          • Next up is rookie Jared Schuster, which is a testament to the dearth of quality candidates to spot start. Schuster is coming off the best effort of his young career where he limited the Mariners to one hit and one earned run over six frames, fanning seven with just one walk along the way. On Friday, Schuster will face the Phillies in Truist Park. Chances are they'll get better, but so far, the Philadelphia offense is one of MLB's weakest with a lefty on the hill, walking only 5.5% of the time, while whiffing at a 25.6% clip.

          • On the surface, Alex Wood (4.6%) should make the streaming cut, but he's yet to work five full innings this season. That said, the opposing Brewers sport the least potent lineup with a lefty on the hill, while striking out at a league-high 30.1% level facing left-handers. Wood isn't risky in the sense of potentially getting hit hard, but expectations for a win should be tempered.

          • Last year, streaming against the Guardians was not recommended as their grinding, high-contact approach was both potent and a poor source of pitcher's strikeouts. The latter remains true, but Cleveland's ability to manufacture runs has vanished as they're last in the league in runs per game. Matthew Liberatore (7.3%) hopes to keep it that way when he takes the Progressive Field Hill for the Cardinals. He'll be opposed by fellow rookie Tanner Bibee (19.3%). Bibee is also in play, and in fact ranks higher, but he faces a tougher offense than Liberatore.

          • Assuming the Marlins can convince Jorge Soler to board the plane and leave Colorado, he remains a solid hitting option with two of the next three games slated to be against a left-hander. The Rays Taylor Walls (46.9%), Manuel Margot (3.2%) and Jose Siri (2.7%) all have a chance to pad their stolen base totals with Noah Syndergaard taking the hill for the Dodgers in Tropicana Field. So far this season, Syndergaard has permitted 12 steals in 41 1/3 innings.

          Starting pitcher rankings for Friday

          Best Sub-50% Rostered Hitters for Friday

          Best and worst hitters from the day are generated by THE BAT X, a projection system created by Derek Carty using advanced methods like those used in MLB front offices, accounting for a variety of factors including player talent, ballparks, bullpens, weather, umpires, defense, catcher pitch-framing, and lots more.

          Worst Over-50% Rostered Hitters for Friday