MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on 8/9/18

Jason Schandl  —  @JasonSchandl Aug 9th, 2018
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Justin Verlander, P, Houston Astros

Price: $11,800

The two most expensive pitchers on Thursday's main slate are in the same matchup as Justin Verlander and the Houston Astros will take on James Paxton and the Seattle Mariners.

This game is projected to be a low-scoring duel, with the 7.0 over/under sitting as the day's lowest. The Astros are significant -157 favorites, and that leaves the Mariners' 3.14 implied total as the lowest on the main slate.

Verlander has been absolutely lethal this season. A perennial ace, he has outdone himself in nearly every category in 2018, with his 2.73 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA), 33.7% strikeout rate, 4.6% walk rate and 13.1% swinging-strike rate all on pace to be career-best clips, while the 21.3% soft-hit rate he has forced is the second-best mark of his career.

The Mariners' offense has been a capable unit against right-handed pitching, but Verlander's numbers are more than strong enough to push him over the edge as the top arm on tonight's short six-game slate.

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