MLB Grind Down: Wednesday, July 23rd Page Two
Detroit at Arizona
Detroit | Arizona | ||||||||
Anibal Sanchez | Vegas Moneyline | Trevor Cahill | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
RIGHT | DET (-146) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SP vs. Left | 0.231 | 0.621 | 0.279 | 24.4% | SP vs. Left | 0.292 | 0.803 | 0.361 | 14.2% |
SP vs. Right | 0.213 | 0.571 | 0.259 | 24.0% | SP vs. Right | 0.243 | 0.691 | 0.316 | 20.9% |
Batter Splits | DET BvP | DET vs R | Batter Splits | ARI BvP | ARI vs R | ||||
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window |
Pitcher Grind Down
- Anibal Sanchez – Sanchez is having another terrific season. He has a 3.22 ERA on the season which would be even better if he had a good defense behind him. Sanchez’s strikeouts are down a bit this season, but he’s still averaging 6.9 K’s per 9 innings. While Chase Field is a hitter-friendly ballpark, Sanchez should see plenty of run support and should be in line for the win. Rating = 7
Salaries: $7300 FD, $NA DS, $14450 DD, $8100 DK, $86200 FF, $22000 SS, $14450 FTD
- Trevor Cahill – In 5 starts and 15 relief appearances this season, Cahill has posted a 5.63 ERA. His K/9 is at 9.1, but he’s also walking over 5 batters per 9 innings. I will not be targeting a struggling pitcher against this Tigers’ offense. Rating = 4
Salaries: $5000 FD, $ DS, $9750 DD, $5700 DK, $43800 FF, $13000 SS, $9750 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Detroit
Miguel Cabrera – Miggy has been quiet in this series, but draws another nice matchup against a mediocre RH pitcher in the hitter-friendly Chase Field. Miggy should snap out of his funk today and is the top 1B on the board.
Additional Plays: Ian Kinsler, Austin Jackson, Victor Martinez
Arizona
Since the start of 2013, Sanchez has held LH and RH hitters under a .271 wOBA. There are better options than the D-Backs hitters today.
Texas at NY Yankees
Texas | NY Yankees | ||||||||
Yu Darvish | Vegas Moneyline | David Phelps | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
RIGHT | TEX (-110) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SP vs. Left | 0.227 | 0.674 | 0.304 | 29.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.239 | 0.709 | 0.322 | 22.4% |
SP vs. Right | 0.179 | 0.533 | 0.246 | 36.0% | SP vs. Right | 0.281 | 0.749 | 0.341 | 18.0% |
Batter Splits | TEX BvP | TEX vs R | Batter Splits | NYY BvP | NYY vs R | ||||
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window |
Pitcher Grind Down
- Yu Darvish – Darvish takes his 11.4 K/9 into Yankee Stadium tonight after pitching a gem against the Blue Jays in his last outing. Darvish has more upside than any pitcher on the board tonight, but you are certainly going to have to pay up for him. There are few red flags when it comes to Darvish. Sure, he walks a few more batters than you’d like to see, but that can happen with high strikeout pitchers as some of their best pitches are typically out of the strike zone. The Yankees have been better of late offensively, but Darvish’s strikeout potential outweighs everything else. Rating = 8.5
Salaries: $11400 FD, $21000 DD, $11800 DK, $129300 FF, $30600 SS, $21000 FTD
- David Phelps – Phelps has looked sharp in July. In 3 starts, he’s posted a 2.33 ERA while holding opponents to a .216 batting average. He’s getting some love from Vegas tonight too as the total is set at 7.5 runs and he’s only a small underdog against one of the best pitchers in baseball. Phelps is averaging 7.8 strikeouts per 9 innings and is finally starting to look comfortable as a starter. He’s a nice contrarian play tonight against the Rangers who are 23rd in wOBA vs. RH pitching this season. Rating = 6
Salaries: $6200 FD, $10500 DD, $5900 DK, $75800 FF, $15000 SS, $10500 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Texas
Adrian Beltre – Phelps is a reverse splits pitcher. He’s given up a .345 wOBA to RH hitters this season making Beltre a sneaky play at 3B tonight. Beltre has a .395 wOBA vs. RH pitching this season.
Additional Plays: None
NY Yankees
While Darvish has given up a .323 wOBA to LH hitters this season, that’s not enough to persuade me to take any hitters against him. I’m expecting another strong start from Darvish tonight.
San Francisco at Philadelphia
San Francisco | Philadelphia | ||||||||
Madison Bumgarner | Vegas Moneyline | A.J. Burnett | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
LEFT | SFG (-140) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SP vs. Left | 0.200 | 0.530 | 0.239 | 34.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.258 | 0.740 | 0.345 | 19.8% |
SP vs. Right | 0.233 | 0.639 | 0.293 | 21.8% | SP vs. Right | 0.223 | 0.588 | 0.264 | 26.3% |
Batter Splits | SFG BvP | SFG vs R | Batter Splits | PHI BvP | PHI vs L | ||||
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window |
Pitcher Grind Down
- Madison Bumgarner – If you want to take an ace tonight, but don’t want to pay up for Darvish, Bumgarner is a great alternative. Bumgarner has posted a 3.38 ERA on the season with a K/9 of 9.1. His peripheral stats suggest that he’s pitching even better than his 3.38 ERA. He doesn’t walk many batters and he draws a nice matchup against the Phillies who have plummeted in the rankings vs. LH pitching. They used to be ranked in the top 5 and have dropped all the way down to 18th in wOBA vs. southpaws. Rating = 8
Salaries: $9000 FD, $17450 DD, $9500 DK, $95000 FF, $27500 SS, $16550 FTD
- A.J. Burnett – Burnett’s ground ball rate is down this season and consequently, he’s given up more HR’s. His K-rate is also down from last season. That said, he is still a pitcher with high strikeout potential that can be used in tournaments, especially at home where he has a 3.39 ERA. Tonight he faces the Giants who are ranked 25th in wOBA vs. RH pitching. He could make a nice contrarian GPP play. Rating = 5.5
Salaries: $7200 FD, $14200 DD, $8100 DK, $74200 FF, $22500 SS, $14200 FTD
Batter Grind Down
San Francisco
Pablo Sandoval – Burnett has given up a .358 wOBA to LH hitters this season and Pablo has crushed RH pitching to the tune of a .363 wOBA. The Panda has been swinging a hot stick of late as he is 9 for his last 24 with 3 of those going for extra bases.
Additional Plays: Hunter Pence
Philadelphia
Marlon Byrd has been good against LH pitching this season, but he’s the only Phillies hitter worth consideration. I think I’ll be avoiding the Phillies altogether tonight.
LA Dodgers at Pittsburgh
LA Dodgers | Pittsburgh | ||||||||
Dan Haren | Vegas Moneyline | Francisco Liriano | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
RIGHT | PIT (-131) | LEFT | 7.5 | ||||||
Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SP vs. Left | 0.252 | 0.726 | 0.321 | 20.2% | SP vs. Left | 0.190 | 0.504 | 0.231 | 27.1% |
SP vs. Right | 0.289 | 0.793 | 0.351 | 18.8% | SP vs. Right | 0.240 | 0.685 | 0.310 | 23.8% |
Batter Splits | LAD BvP | LAD vs L | Batter Splits | PIT BvP | PIT vs R | ||||
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window |
Pitcher Grind Down
- Dan Haren – Haren has had an atrocious month of July. He’s sporting a 9.64 ERA while giving up a .467 wOBA to his opponents. That does not bode well for his chances tonight against a Pirates’ offense that has really started to heat up thanks to the play of Neil Walker and company. The total in this game is low, but so is Haren’s upside. The Pirates are one of the best home teams in baseball and they hit RH pitching well. Rating = 4
Salaries: $7000 FD, $13050 DD, $6400 DK, $70700 FF, $16700 SS, $13050 FTD
- Francisco Liriano – Liriano is coming off of one of his better starts of the season. He struck out 8 batters without allowing an earned run against the Rockies. Tonight he gets to face a short-handed Dodgers offense that is 26th in the majors in wOBA vs. LH pitching. Liriano is a steal tonight for the type of upside that he possesses. I think he’ll get the run support to back his cause too which never hurts. Rating = 7.5
Salaries: $6700 FD, $12600 DD, $8200 DK, $69600 FF, $21100 SS, $12600 FTD
Batter Grind Down
LA Dodgers
Scott Van Slyke – The one Dodgers bat that I will have some exposure to tonight is Van Slyke. He has mashed LH pitching this season with a .476 wOBA. The best part about Van Slyke is that he’s not an everyday player so his salary across the industry is always very affordable.
Additional Plays: None
Pittsburgh
Andrew McCutchen – Haren is a reverse splits pitcher, meaning he gives up a much higher average and wOBA to batters with the same handedness as his pitching arm. Cutch has always hit RH pitching well and gives you the added bonus of being able to steal bases and hit HR’s.
Additional Plays: Neil Walker, Gregory Polanco
Boston at Toronto
Boston | Toronto | ||||||||
Clay Buchholz | Vegas Moneyline | R.A. Dickey | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
RIGHT | BOS (-107) | RIGHT | 8.5 | ||||||
Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SP vs. Left | 0.240 | 0.656 | 0.298 | 19.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.250 | 0.740 | 0.330 | 17.7% |
SP vs. Right | 0.256 | 0.675 | 0.301 | 20.9% | SP vs. Right | 0.231 | 0.692 | 0.311 | 20.4% |
Batter Splits | BOS BvP | BOS vs R | Batter Splits | TOR BvP | TOR vs R | ||||
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window |
Pitcher Grind Down
- Clay Buchholz – I’ve been avoiding Buchholz all season long despite his cheap price tag. A matchup against the Blue Jays in the Rogers Centre is not enough to change the thought process on Buchholz. His velocity and K-rate are down while his ERA is up. The peripheral stats suggest that he hasn’t been horrible this season, but I’ll wait for a better matchup before using him in any leagues. Rating = 4
Salaries: $7000 FD, $12650 DD, $7100 DK, $88300 FF, $18300 SS, $12650 FTD
- R.A. Dickey – Dickey has quietly had a very nice season. He has a 3.95 ERA while averaging 7.57 strikeouts per 9 innings. He’s having his best month of the season thus far, but does run into a red hot Red Sox offense that is finally, and I mean FINALLY, starting to score some runs. With some of the other aces on the mound tonight, Dickey is best served as a deep GPP play. Rating = 5.5
Salaries: $7600 FD, $13950 DD, $7900 DK, $81600 FF, $22100 SS, $13950 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Boston
David Ortiz – Dickey is one of the few pitchers that I like to use BvP stats with because the knuckleball is so much different than any other pitch. Ortiz is 4/12 with 2 HR’s off of Dickey in his career and the Rogers Centre is very friendly to LH hitters.
Additional Plays: Brock Holt, Mike Napoli
Toronto
Dioner Navarro – Don’t use the splits for Buchholz in the table above as they include both this year’s and last year’s stats. Buchholz is a much different pitcher this season. He’s given up a .354 wOBA to LH hitters and a .349 wOBA to RH hitters on the season. Navarro has been playing well and has been moved up in the lineup with all of the Blue Jays’ injuries.
Additional Plays: Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera, Colby Rasmus