MLB Grind Down: Wednesday, August 27th Page Two
NY Yankees at Detroit
| NY Yankees | Detroit | ||||||||
| Shane Greene | Vegas Moneyline | David Price | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | DET (-169) | LEFT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.262 | 0.682 | 0.311 | 15.10% | SP vs. Left | 0.239 | 0.659 | 0.292 | 24.80% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.247 | 0.648 | 0.295 | 31.50% | SP vs. Right | 0.220 | 0.617 | 0.271 | 28.40% |
| Batter Splits | NYY BvP  | NYY vs L | Batter Splits | DET BvP | DET vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Shane Greene – Greene has pitched very well in his rookie season. He owns a 3.17 ERA (3.30 xFIP) and a K/9 of 8.6. Those numbers are comparable with some of the elite pitchers in baseball. Greene is producing a 54% ground ball rate and he keeps both his walks and HR’s down. All of that said, I will not be targeting him tonight against the Tigers who are ranked 5th in wOBA vs. RH pitching and 2nd in wOBA at home. Rating = 5
Salaries: $6900 FD, $9800 DD, $7400 DK, $NA FF, $20700 SS, $NA FTD
- David Price – If it wasn’t for Kershaw, Price would be the top pitching option of the night. On the season he owns a 3.00 ERA (2.74 xFIP) with a K/9 of 9.9. He throws as many strikes as any starting pitcher in baseball and walks very few batters because of it. He is walking a career-low 1.3 batters per 9 innings. While the Yankees offense does make great contact, Price has owned them in the past. I think you can expect 7 strong innings from Price with at least one K per inning. Rating = 8.5
Salaries: $11300 FD, $21750 DD, $12400 DK, $ FF, $31100 SS, $21550 FTD
Batter Grind Down
NY Yankees
For whatever reason, Brian McCann has had Price’s number this season. That said, he’s a deep GPP play at best. I will be avoiding all Yankees against Price tonight.
Detroit
Victor Martinez – Miggy has been swinging a hot bat. Over his last 10 games, he has reached base 19 times (12 hits, 7 walks) with 4 doubles and 8 runs scored. He’s hit well from both sides of the plate this season and should see a few opportunities to drive in runs tonight.
Additional Plays: Miguel Cabrera
Atlanta at NY Mets
| Atlanta | NY Mets | ||||||||
| Julio Teheran | Vegas Moneyline | Zack Wheeler | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | ATL (-136) | RIGHT | 6.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.231 | 0.666 | 0.295 | 18.30% | SP vs. Left | 0.265 | 0.759 | 0.341 | 20.30% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.224 | 0.601 | 0.269 | 24.60% | SP vs. Right | 0.212 | 0.592 | 0.269 | 25.40% |
| Batter Splits | ATL BvP | ATL vs R | Batter Splits | NYM BvP | NYM vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Julio Teheran – If you don’t want to spend up for Kershaw or Price tonight, Teheran is a solid alternative. He is sporting a 2.96 ERA on the season with a K/9 of 7.7. Teheran is a fly ball pitcher (45% fly ball rate), but that shouldn’t be a problem in the massive Citi Field. Tonight he faces a Mets offense that is ranked 25th in wOBA vs. RH pitching and 29th in wOBA at home. The Mets may also be without David Wright again. Rating = 8
Salaries: $8600 FD, $18650 DD, $8600 DK, $NA FF, $24100 SS, $18650 FTD
- Zack Wheeler – Wheeler has only given up more than 2 earned runs once in his last 10 starts. He’s been an extremely consistent fantasy option which is a far cry from his inconsistency at the start of the season. He is boasting a 3.48 ERA (3.57 xFIP) with a K/9 of 8.7. He does walk quite a few batters (3.8 per 9 innings), but his high strikeout rate more than makes up for it. Wheeler has also managed to keep the ball in the park this season as he has only given up 0.65 HR’s per 9 innings. The Braves have really struggled vs. RH pitching this season. The more I look at Wheeler, the more I like him tonight. Rating = 7
Salaries: $7600 FD, $15150 DD, $8300 DK, $ FF, $21100 SS, $15150 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Atlanta
Freddie Freeman – This one is pretty simple. Wheeler has struggled with LH hitters throughout his career and Freeman continues to mash RH pitching. He also has a good track record against Wheeler going 6/11 with 2 XBH’s and 6 walks drawn.
Additional Plays: Jason Heyward
NY Mets
Curtis Granderson and Lucas Duda are both viable GPP plays thanks to their power against RH pitching and the fact that Teheran is a fly ball pitcher. That said, I’ll be avoiding all Mets in cash games.
Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati
| Chicago Cubs | Cincinnati | ||||||||
| Jacob Turner | Vegas Moneyline | Mike Leake | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | CIN (-154) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.284 | 0.776 | 0.344 | 7.60% | SP vs. Left | 0.293 | 0.812 | 0.356 | 13.90% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.342 | 0.876 | 0.382 | 20.50% | SP vs. Right | 0.227 | 0.638 | 0.282 | 22.40% |
| Batter Splits | CHC BvP | CHC vs R | Batter Splits | CIN BvP | CIN vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jacob Turner – Turner didn’t have success as a member of the Marlins pitching staff this season, but will try to change his luck now that he’s on the Cubs. Personally, I’m not seeing a turnaround anytime soon. Turner owns a 5.77 ERA on the season with a low K/9 of 6.0. He does draw a decent matchup against a struggling Reds offense, but that’s not enough for me to target him tonight. He’s a sizable underdog for a reason. Rating = 4
Salaries: $5200 FD, $9150 DD, $5900 DK, $NA FF, $13000 SS, $9150 FTD
- Mike Leake – Leake is having a career season. He owns a 3.51 ERA while averaging a career-high 7 K’s per 9 innings. He’s also producing a career-high 54% ground ball rate and he has managed to keep both walks and HR’s down. I’m a big fan of his matchup against the Cubs who are ranked 29th in wOBA vs. RH pitching while striking out at a 23% clip. Rating = 7
Salaries: $7800 FD, $13450 DD, $8300 DK, $ FF, $22800 SS, $13450 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Chicago Cubs
Anthony Rizzo – It’s hard to argue against taking a HR hitter in a HR-friendly ballpark. Rizzo hit his 30th HR of the season last night off of Johhny Cueto and will look to add to that total tonight against Leake who has given up a .356 wOBA to LH hitters.
UPDATE: Rizzo is not in the lineup tonight due to lower back tightness.
Additional Plays: None
Cincinnati
Todd Frazier – Turner has given up a high wOBA to batters from both sides of the plate this season. He’s really struggled with RH hitters (.382 wOBA) which puts Frazier in play tonight. Frazier is a good source of both speed (17 SB’s) and power (22 HR’s).
Additional Plays: Jay Bruce, Billy Hamilton
Cleveland at Chicago White Sox
| Cleveland | Chicago White Sox | ||||||||
| Corey Kluber | Vegas Moneyline | Hector Noesi | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | CLE (-176) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.243 | 0.703 | 0.311 | 26.50% | SP vs. Left | 0.230 | 0.697 | 0.307 | 16.00% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.209 | 0.522 | 0.233 | 28.40% | SP vs. Right | 0.309 | 0.858 | 0.376 | 18.80% |
| Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs R | Batter Splits | CHW BvP | CHW vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Corey Kluber – Kluber has established himself as one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. Much like Garrett Richards, he has yet to gain national attention, but us daily fantasy players know how good he is. He owns a 2.46 ERA (2.76 xFIP) with an impressive K/9 of 9.9. He walks few batters (2.1 per 9 innings) and has kept his HR’s down as well (0.53 per 9 innings). His home/away splits are nearly identical so you don’t have to worry about him struggling away from home. Tonight he faces a talented White Sox offense, but I’ll take great pitching over good hitting. Rating = 8
Salaries: $10600 FD, $21300 DD, $11400 DK, $NA FF, $30400 SS, $21400 FTD
- Hector Noesi – Noesi may not be as bad as most daily fantasy baseball players tend to think, but that doesn’t mean that he’s good either. He owns a 4.86 ERA on the season with a K/9 of 6.7. He has managed to keep LH hitters in check (.306 wOBA) this season, but the Indians are one of the best hitting teams in baseball vs. RH pitching. You can safely avoid Noesi in all league formats tonight. Rating = 4
Salaries: $6700 FD, $10000 DD, $6100 DK, $ FF, $14300 SS, $10000 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Cleveland
Carlos Santana – Santana doesn’t hit for a high average, but when he makes good contact, watch out. Out of Santana’s 97 hits this season, 42 of them have gone for extra bases. He also has a great eye for the ball as he has already drawn 91 walks this season.
Additional Plays: Michael Brantley, Zach Walters
Chicago White Sox
Avoid all White Sox hitters tonight. Kluber has been dominant since the start of July with an ERA under 1.70.
Minnesota at Kansas City
| Minnesota | Kansas City | ||||||||
| Phil Hughes | Vegas Moneyline | Liam Hendriks | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | MIN (-138) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.250 | 0.643 | 0.282 | 23.10% | SP vs. Left | ||||
| SP vs. Right | 0.303 | 0.751 | 0.328 | 20.60% | SP vs. Right | ||||
| Batter Splits | MIN BvP | MIN vs R | Batter Splits | KCR BvP | KCR vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Phil Hughes – Hughes is like a box of chocolates, you just never know what you’re going to get. After an awful month of July, Hughes has bounced back nicely in August with a 1.32 ERA and 30 K’s over 27 innings of work. His numbers on the season are pretty solid overall as he has a 3.65 ERA with a K/9 of 8.1. He’s worth a look as a tournament play tonight against the Royals, but is too inconsistent to use in cash games. Rating = 6
Salaries: $8500 FD, $14700 DD, $8200 DK, $NA FF, $26300 SS, $14450 FTD
- Liam Hendriks – If you read the Grind Down often, then you know that one of my biggest red flags for starting pitchers is when their ERA is higher than their K/9. That’s the case with Hendriks this season. He has a 6.08 ERA with a K/9 of only 5.4. His ERA has actually been higher than his K/9 in each of the last 3 years. The Twins are a capable offense. Avoid Hendriks tonight. Rating = 4
Salaries: $5000 FD, $8000 DD, $6400 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Minnesota
Danny Santana – Santana is typically better vs. LH pitching, but he’s a switch hitter that racks up hits from both sides of the plate. I like his stolen base potential tonight with a righty on the mound (even though Sal Perez does have a good arm). Santana has also been swinging a hot bat with 16 hits, 8 runs, and 6 RBI’s over his last 10 games.
Additional Plays: Joe Mauer, Kennys Vargas
Kansas City
Alex Gordon – Gordon hit a walk-off 2-run HR last night to give the Royals the win. Tonight he faces Phil Hughes at home. While Hughes is a reverse splits pitcher, I’m not a huge fan of the RH bats in this lineup. Gordon has a decent track record against Hughes and great numbers off of RH pitching this season.
Additional Plays: None