Detroit Tigers outfielder Matt Vierling will start in center field and bat leadoff in Thursday's series finale against left-hander Carlos Rodon and the New York Yankees.
Vierling is taking over as the leadoff batter while the left-handed hitting Akil Baddoo moves to the bench against a southpaw. Spencer Torkelson is hitting second and Andy Ibanez is batting third, with Kerry Carpenter working out of the six-hole.
numberFire’s models project Vierling ($2,400) for 9.7 and Lipcius ($2,000) for 4.0 FanDuel points on Thursday. Per our MLB Heat Map, the Tigers' implied total is 3.82, second-lowest on the board, and the game total is 8.5. Rodon only has a 20.0% strikeout rate for the season, but he's punching out at a 23.2% rate over his last five starts. The veteran lefty has a 5.70 ERA, 5.45 SIERA, and 6.64 FIP overall across 42 2/3 innings this season.
Source: MLB.com