MLB Grind Down: Friday, April 18th - Page 2
Atlanta at NY Mets
| Atlanta | NY Mets | ||||||||
| Aaron Harang | Vegas Moneyline | Jonathon Niese | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | ATL (-111) | LEFT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.255 | 0.777 | 0.341 | 15.3% | SP vs. Left | 0.223 | 0.605 | 0.277 | 18.3% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.255 | 0.713 | 0.317 | 22.3% | SP vs. Right | 0.297 | 0.765 | 0.343 | 16.6% |
| Batter Splits | ATL BvP  | ATL vs L | Batter Splits | NYM BvP | NYM vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Aaron Harang – Harang has really enjoyed being a member of the Braves’ pitching staff. In his 3 starts for Atlanta, he has posted a 0.97 ERA with 17 K’s over 18 innings of work. He could very well keep it going tonight against the Mets in Citi Field which is one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in baseball. Harang is getting some love from Vegas too as he is a slight favorite over Niese. It’s time to jump on the Harangatang bandwagon. Rating = 7
- Jonathon Niese – Niese is a pitcher that you only want to target when he is pitching at home. Last season he posted a 2.70 ERA with a 1.28 WHIP in 14 starts at Citi Field. His numbers aren’t going to overwhelm you, but he has a decent K/9 of 6.6. Of the two pitchers in this game, I would rather take Harang, but I think both starters have nice outings. Rating = 5
Batter Grind Down
Atlanta
- Justin Upton – You definitely don’t want to target LH batters against Niese as he held them to an impressive .277 wOBA last season. He did give up a .343 wOBA to RH batters though. Upton is swinging the bat well right now and should be targeted in tournaments.
- Additional Plays: Evan Gattis
NY Mets
- If I’m the one starting the Harangatang bandwagon, I certainly can’t recommend any hitters against him. That said, if you don’t want to hop aboard with me, Harang did give up a .341 wOBA to LH batters last season.
- Additional Plays: Lucas Duda, Daniel Murphy
Seattle at Miami
| Seattle | Miami | ||||||||
| Chris Young | Vegas Moneyline | Nathan Eovaldi | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | MIA (-123) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.190 | 0.440 | 0.206 | 12.5% | SP vs. Left | 0.264 | 0.693 | 0.320 | 16.2% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.000 | 0.143 | 0.099 | 14.3% | SP vs. Right | 0.238 | 0.643 | 0.286 | 20.3% |
| Batter Splits | SEA BvP | SEA vs R | Batter Splits | MIA BvP | MIA vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Chris Young – Young has now thrown 8 scoreless innings in a row. He is a pitcher with very limited upside though as he doesn’t boast a high K-rate and the Mariners are going to pull him at the first sign of any trouble. He’s a below average play against the Marlins. Rating = 4
- Nathan Eovaldi – Eovaldi can throw some gas as he has already struck out 19 batters in 19 innings of work. He has also given up 19 hits this season as well. Eovaldi could have some problems with this Mariners’ lineup as they have LH batters littered throughout and Eovaldi gave up a .320 wOBA to LH batters last season. He’s a better option than Young, but that’s not saying all that much. *Rating = 5
Batter Grind Down
Seattle
- Robinson Cano – Called Cano’s first HR of the season in yesterday’s Grind Down. He has been playing well and is always a threat against RH pitching. Cano has a lot of power, but he doesn’t rely on HR’s for his fantasy production which makes him a solid every day cash game play.
- Additional Plays: Kyle Seager
Miami
- Giancarlo Stanton – Stanton already has 20 hits this season and 10 of them have gone for extra bases. Stanton has terrific power and this Marlins offense has been very good at home so far this season. He should find himself with a few RBI opportunities again tonight.
- Additional Plays: Christian Yelich
Baltimore at Boston
| Baltimore | Boston | ||||||||
| Chris Tillman | Vegas Moneyline | John Lackey | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | BOS (-130) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.244 | 0.722 | 0.320 | 19.2% | SP vs. Left | 0.237 | 0.662 | 0.293 | 20.4% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.224 | 0.681 | 0.301 | 23.2% | SP vs. Right | 0.260 | 0.757 | 0.334 | 21.5% |
| Batter Splits | BAL BvP | BAL vs R | Batter Splits | BOS BvP | BOS vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Chris Tillman – Tillman has looked very good in his first 3 starts and he has done it against tough opponents. Tillman also pitched well against this Red Sox team last season. In 6 starts against them he posted a 2.65 ERA with 37 K’s over 37 innings of work. The Red Sox have struggled to score runs this season and Tillman makes a nice tournament play tonight. Rating = 6
- John Lackey – Lackey continues to pitch well at home. In his last 14 starts at Fenway, he has an ERA under 2.40 with a WHIP just barely over 1.00. While he’s not my favorite starter on the schedule, he is a small favorite here and has a great track record at Fenway. Rating = 7
Batter Grind Down
Baltimore
- Adam Jones – Lackey actually gave up a higher wOBA (.334) and OPS (.774) to RH batters than he did to LH batters last season. Jones is a RH batter that actually hits RH pitching better. That makes for a nice combination tonight.
- Additional Plays: Chris Davis
Boston
- Tillman has really pitched well against the Red Sox and there aren’t any plays that stand out to me here. Instead of paying up for a guy like David Ortiz, I’d rather target some of the batters in Coors Field.
- Additional Plays: None
Chicago White Sox at Texas
| Chicago White Sox | Texas | ||||||||
| Felipe Paulino | Vegas Moneyline | Martin Perez | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | TEX (-156) | LEFT | 9.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.263 | 0.954 | 0.408 | 11.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.279 | 0.717 | 0.328 | 18.0% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.414 | 0.968 | 0.430 | 18.2% | SP vs. Right | 0.267 | 0.718 | 0.318 | 15.2% |
| Batter Splits | CHW BvP | CHW vs L | Batter Splits | TEX BvP | TEX vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Felipe Paulino – Paulino is not only one of the biggest underdogs on the board (+146), but he is also pitching in a game with the second highest run total (10.0). You should not roster Paulino under any circumstance tonight. Rating = 1
- Martin Perez – Perez pitched out of quite a few jams in his last start against the Astros. He benefitted from at least 3 or 4 double play balls. While I think he will get plenty of run support, Perez has a low K/9 of 6.1 and is pitching in the very hitter-friendly Globe Life Park. There is more downside than upside here. Rating = 5
Batter Grind Down
Chicago
- Dayan Viciedo – At the start of the season Viciedo was only in the lineup against LH pitching, but he has worked himself into being in the lineup everyday. Viciedo is batting .293 this season and has a career OPS over .900 against LH pitching. I’m calling for him to get his first HR of the season tonight.
- Additional Plays: Alexei Ramirez
Texas
- Shin-Soo Choo – Basically all Rangers bats are in play tonight against Paulino, but Choo is my favorite play of the bunch. Choo hit his first HR of the season yesterday and has a terrific matchup against Paulino who gave up a .954 OPS to LH pitching last season. Factoring in price, he’s one of my top plays of the day.
- Additional Plays: Prince Fielder, Alex Rios, Elvis Andrus, Mitch Moreland, Kevin Kouzmanoff
Minnesota at Kansas City
| Minnesota | Kansas City | ||||||||
| Ricky Nolasco | Vegas Moneyline | Jason Vargas | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | KCR (-135) | LEFT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.263 | 0.733 | 0.330 | 17.8% | SP vs. Left | 0.314 | 0.759 | 0.334 | 14.4% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.255 | 0.655 | 0.295 | 20.5% | SP vs. Right | 0.247 | 0.716 | 0.322 | 17.4% |
| Batter Splits | MIN BvP | MIN vs L | Batter Splits | KCR BvP | KCR vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Ricky Nolasco – Nolasco has not looked great in his first 3 starts of the season. He has a 5.50 ERA with a 1.61 WHIP. Nolasco struggles against LH hitters and the Royals have a lineup full of lefties. This is not a great matchup for Nolasco. Rating = 3
- Jason Vargas – Vargas has a 1.64 ERA on the season with an even more impressive 0.85 WHIP. Vargas has always been a pitcher that pitches better in front of a home crowd and I think he will get some run support tonight with Nolasco on the mound opposite him. He’s certainly not my top choice for cash games, but he should pitch well. Rating = 6
Batter Grind Down
Minnesota
- Chris Colabello – Sites have still yet to adjust his price tag. He is batting .357 on the season with 19 RBI’s. He is one of the cheapest clean-up hitters that you are going to find. I think he makes a great punt play against Vargas who gave up a .322 wOBA to RH batters last season.
- Additional Plays: Trevor Plouffe
Kansas City
- Alex Gordon – As mentioned above, Nolasco isn’t great against LH batters. Gordon is batting .297 against RH pitching this season and has 3 hits in his last 2 games. He’s also a nice punt play as his price is cheap across the industry.
- Additional Plays: Eric Hosmer, Norichika Aoki