Pick #9: Zach Thompson Under 3.5 Ks (-175)

I am taking under for Thompson today. I would love to see the line at 4.5 but I still don't think he hits 3.5. He has gone under in 4 of 6 games started this year with the two overs being @MIL and @CIN who are both above league average in strikeouts and below league average in BA. He has not eclipsed over 3 strikeouts at home this year and faces a Cardinals offense that has the 3rd lowest strikeouts and has the 5th highest batting average in the league this season so far. The birds on the bat are coming off a disappointing series against the Mets so I look for them to bounce back. It appears they are trying to keep Thompson's pitch count below 80 and he has not pitched more than 90 pitches this season. His strikeout percentage is at 18% with an opposition BA of .252. I am projecting 2 or 3 strikeouts as long as the Cardinals don't come out flat.