MLB Grind Down: Wednesday, April 23rd - Page 2
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
| Cincinnati | Pittsburgh | ||||||||
| Alfredo Simon | Vegas Moneyline | Charlie Morton | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | PIT (-114) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.211 | 0.665 | 0.307 | 16.0% | SP vs. Left | 0.303 | 0.749 | 0.365 | 17.0% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.202 | 0.504 | 0.243 | 18.5% | SP vs. Right | 0.233 | 0.588 | 0.274 | 16.9% |
| Batter Splits | CIN BvP  | CIN vs R | Batter Splits | PIT BvP | PIT vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Alfredo Simon – Simon has made 3 starts this season and hasn’t allowed more than 1 earned run in any outing. He is sporting a 0.86 ERA with a 0.81 WHIP. While I don’t expect these numbers to hold up in the long term, he could make for a tournament play today against the Pirates as his price across the industry is extremely cheap. Rating = 5
- Charlie Morton – Morton posted a 2.85 ERA with a 1.17 WHIP and a K/9 of 6.9 in 9 home starts last season. Morton pitches well at home and he pitches well against RH batters as he held them to a .274 wOBA last season. His biggest weakness is LH batters, but if he can pitch around Votto and Bruce, he should be able to put together a nice outing. Rating = 6
Batter Grind Down
Cincinnati
- Joey Votto – Morton gave up a .365 wOBA to LH batters last season and Votto is batting .326 against RH pitching this season.
- Additional Plays: Jay Bruce
Pittsburgh
- Andrew McCutchen – Even though Simon is good against RH batters, Cutch is locked in right now. In the first two games of the series, he has 5 hits including 2 HR’s. Cutch was excellent at home last season and gives you a nice combination of speed and power.
- Additional Plays: Pedro Alvarez
Kansas City at Cleveland
| Kansas City | Cleveland | ||||||||
| Jason Vargas | Vegas Moneyline | Justin Masterson | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | CLE (-138) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.315 | 0.757 | 0.333 | 14.2% | SP vs. Left | 0.254 | 0.690 | 0.319 | 19.4% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.248 | 0.708 | 0.319 | 17.4% | SP vs. Right | 0.184 | 0.480 | 0.244 | 32.1% |
| Batter Splits | KCR BvP | KCR vs R | Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jason Vargas – Vargas has really pitched well this season with a 1.24 ERA and a WHIP of 0.93. He comes into this game as a small underdog and with a K-rate of only 4.9 this season, he has very limited upside. There is more downside with upside tonight for Vargas. Rating = 5
- Justin Masterson – Masterson has now given up 12 earned runs in his last 3 starts and has had trouble locating his pitches. Masterson has given up 10 walks over those 3 starts which really kills his pitch count. Tonight he faces a Royals team that 1. hits RH pitching well and 2. strikes out less often than any team in baseball. Rating = 5
Batter Grind Down
Kansas City
- Eric Hosmer – Masterson has always struggled against LH batters and this season is no different. Masterson is giving up a .304 average and an OPS of .782 to LH batters this season. Hosmer is one of the few Royals bats that has some pop in his swing and he makes for a great punt play at 1B.
- Additional Plays: Alex Gordon
Cleveland
- Carlos Santana – I know that Santana has really been struggling this season, but I love his matchup and his depressed price tag across the industry. Last season Santana hit for an OPS of .864 against LH pitching.
- Additional Plays: Nick Swisher
LA Angels at Washington
| LA Angels | Washington | ||||||||
| Jered Weaver | Vegas Moneyline | Gio Gonzalez | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | WAS (-120) | LEFT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.221 | 0.625 | 0.285 | 19.7% | SP vs. Left | 0.206 | 0.575 | 0.261 | 26.7% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.250 | 0.725 | 0.319 | 17.0% | SP vs. Right | 0.235 | 0.683 | 0.307 | 22.6% |
| Batter Splits | LAA BvP | LAA vs L | Batter Splits | WSN BvP | WSN vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jered Weaver – This will be a battle between two very good pitchers. Weaver has struggled a bit this season though with a 4.74 ERA, his WHIP of 1.11 is low though which suggests that he has been pitching well. The Nationals offense has been very hit or miss over the last couple of weeks and Weaver makes an interesting GPP play. He’s probably too risky to trust in cash games though. Rating = 6
- Gio Gonzalez – This is a tough one for me because Gio is pitching at home where he has posted a 2.70 ERA and a K/9 of 8.5 over his last 18 starts at Nationals Park. The problem is that he is facing a red hot Angels lineup that can put runs on the board in a hurry. I think Gio carries some value tonight, but there are safer options for cash games. Rating = 7
Batter Grind Down
LA Angels
- Albert Pujols – Pujols hit HR’s number 499 and 500 last night (proverbial tip of the cap) and now has 6 HR’s in his last 9 games. He is extremely locked in and has always hit LH pitching well.
- Additional Plays: None
Washington
- Bryce Harper – Harper is always a nice target against RH pitching because he can score fantasy points in multiple ways. He can hit HR’s, steal bases, and even lay down bunts every once in a while. I don’t mind the matchup against Weaver if the price is right.
- Additional Plays: None
Baltimore at Toronto
| Baltimore | Toronto | ||||||||
| Chris Tillman | Vegas Moneyline | Dustin McGowan | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | TOR (-122) | RIGHT | 9.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.248 | 0.728 | 0.322 | 19.3% | SP vs. Left | 0.235 | 0.686 | 0.318 | 15.5% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.223 | 0.681 | 0.301 | 22.9% | SP vs. Right | 0.250 | 0.678 | 0.322 | 23.2% |
| Batter Splits | BAL BvP | BAL vs R | Batter Splits | TOR BvP | TOR vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Chris Tillman – In 4 starts this season, Tillman has a 1.71 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP and 20 K’s over 26 innings of work. He is not getting any love from Vegas though as he is a small underdog against McGowan and the Blue Jays. The total is set at 9.0 runs and the Rogers Centre yielded the 5th most runs and 5th most HR’s last season. I’m avoiding Tillman tonight. Rating = 3
- Dustin McGowan – McGowan owns a 4.85 ERA with a 1.92 WHIP. I do not trust McGowan even in the slightest and will be heavily targeting the Orioles’ bats tonight. In fact, the Orioles made my ‘Top Stacks’ list in my column that is for incentives members. Rating = 2
Batter Grind Down
Baltimore
- Adam Jones – Over the past couple of seasons, Jones has been better against RH pitching than LH pitching. Likewise, McGowan has given up a higher wOBA to RH batters than he has to LH batters. Something tells me that Jones is going to homer tonight.
- Additional Plays: Chris Davis, Nelson Cruz
Toronto
- Melky Cabrera – Melky is a switch hitter and Tillman gave up a .322 wOBA to LH batters last season. Melky always seems to fly under the fantasy radar even though he is batting .337 this season with 5 HR’s and 3 SB’s. Melky has 10 hits in his last 5 games and should be targeted in all leagues.
- Additional Plays: Jose Reyes, Edwin Encarnacion
Chicago White Sox at Detroit
| Chicago White Sox | Detroit | ||||||||
| Andre Rienzo | Vegas Moneyline | Drew Smyly | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | DET (-185) | LEFT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.248 | 0.770 | 0.342 | 15.8% | SP vs. Left | 0.178 | 0.456 | 0.204 | 26.1% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.264 | 0.809 | 0.365 | 14.1% | SP vs. Right | 0.254 | 0.736 | 0.327 | 26.4% |
| Batter Splits | CHW BvP | CHW vs L | Batter Splits | DET BvP | DET vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Andre Rienzo – Rienzo will be making his first start of the season. In 10 starts last year, he posted a 4.85 ERA with a 1.48 WHIP. Rienzo’s K/9 was just over 6.1. This is a very tough matchup for Rienzo though and he is one of the biggest underdogs on the schedule (+175). He should be avoided in all leagues.
- Drew Smyly – Smyly was an excellent relief pitcher last season, but the Tigers need him to start today against the White Sox. As a starter over the last two years, he has an ERA just under 4.00 with a K/9 of 8.5. He should see plenty of run support and I like his value tonight against the White Sox if you are looking to punt the pitcher spot. Rating = 6
Batter Grind Down
Chicago White Sox
- Dayan Viciedo – Viciedo has been very good for the White Sox this season. He used to be a boom or bust fantasy option, but he is batting .361 this season. Viciedo has a career OPS over .900 against LH pitching.
- Additional Plays: Tyler Flowers, Jose Abreu
Detroit
- Miguel Cabrera – So I finally decide to keep Miggy off of the highlighted plays (he was still in the additional plays) and he goes and has a monster game last night with a HR and a double. Now is the time to catch him at a depressed price on the start of his upswing.
- Additional Plays: Austin Jackson, Victor Martinez, Nick Castellanos