This article is part of our PrizePicks MLB series.
There are nine games scheduled to be played across baseball Thursday, most of which have early start times. Let's get right to the task at hand and highlight some of the best options to consider on PrizePicks.
Spencer Arrighetti, HOU at CWS: More Than 1.5 Earned Runs Allowed
Banking on the White Sox to have a productive day at the plate might seem risky. They have scored the fewest runs and posted the worst OPS in baseball. They have dealt with a lot of injuries, but their lineup is a little deeper now with Luis Robert and Tommy Pham back in the fold.
As bad as the White Sox have been, we only need them to record two earned runs here against Arrighetti. He didn't even make it out of the second inning in his last outing, allowing seven runs to the Tigers. His WHIP sits at 1.71 for the season and he has given up at least two earned runs in nine of his 12 starts. More than is the way to go here.
Christian Yelich, MIL at SD: More Than 0.5 Walks
Adam Mazur is scheduled to start this game for the Padres. He has been wild, walking 13 batters over 12.2 innings since being called up from the minors. He didn't even reach Triple-A until this year, so it has been a fast rise for a player who was selected in the second round of the 2022 Draft. With his control issues, he has a bloated 2.05 WHIP with the Padres.
Looking for a player on the Brewers who could draw a walk in this matchup brings us to Yelich. He has an 11.2 percent walk rate this season and a 12.0 percent walk rate for his career. With his selective eye at the plate, this option is too good to ignore.
William Contreras, MIL at SD: More Than 7.0 Hitters Fantasy Score
With Mazur being so wild, he has allowed 11 runs over 12.2 innings. Hi ERA could actually be even worse when you consider his last outing against the Mets. While he only gave up two runs over 3.2 innings, he allowed three hits and issued six walks. One or two timely hits by the Mets could have left him with a disastrous stat line.
Contreras has been one of the driving forces behind the Brewers' offense, batting .304 with a .360 wOBA. He has lowered his strikeout rate to a career-low 19.4 percent in the process. With the expectation that the Brewers could score plenty of runs in this matchup, look for Contreras to be right in the thick of the action.
Miguel Andujar, OAK vs. KC: Less Than 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI
Andujar is currently on a heater that has seen him hit 16-for-42 (.381) over his last 10 games. He did score six runs during that span, but had only two RBI with many of his teammates struggling around him. As promising as his start has been this season, don't expect him to maintain his current .359 BABIP, especially when you factor in his disappointing 33.8 percent hard-hit rate.
It's worth noting that most of the damage that Andujar has done this season has come on the road. He has a .887 OPS on the road but just a .622 OPS at home. This is not an easy matchup against Seth Lugo, who has a 2.40 ERA and a 3.42 FIP. This has the makings of a potentially underwhelming stat line from Andujar.
