Jaff Decker

Jaff Decker batting second for Pirates Thursday

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jaff Decker will bat second and play left field Thursday against the Colorado Rockies.

What It Means:

Decker gets the start with Gregory Polanco resting his injured his knee. Josh Harrison slides up into the leadoff spot.

The Pirates will face Rockies' righty Chad Bettis Thursday. Bettis's xFIP leaps to 4.50 against left-handed batters like Decker because of low strikeouts and a high walk rate. Decker has posted 198 plate appearances against right-handed pitchers this season with a .270/.379/.380 slash between Triple-A and the majors. Our algorithms view him as the 17th best value in the outfield on FanDuel Thursday.