MLB Grind Down: Monday, August 11th Page Two
Tampa Bay at Texas
| Tampa Bay | Texas | ||||||||
| Drew Smyly | Vegas Moneyline | Colby Lewis | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | TBR (-128) | RIGHT | 9.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.183 | 0.481 | 0.214 | 27.70% | SP vs. Left | 0.359 | 0.949 | 0.411 | 15.50% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.307 | 0.889 | 0.385 | 17.40% | SP vs. Right | 0.266 | 0.759 | 0.329 | 20.90% |
| Batter Splits | TBR BvP  | TBR vs R | Batter Splits | TEX BvP | TEX vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Drew Smyly – The Rays were excited to bring Smyly aboard as Joe Madden and company think they can improve his pitching against RH hitting. That said, those changes aren’t going to happen overnight and I expect Smyly to continue to struggle vs. righties for the remainder of the season (he’s currently giving up a .385 wOBA to RH hitters). Smyly has a decent K-rate, but runs into a Rangers offense that is ranked 6th in wOBA (.330) vs. LH pitching this season. Not only is the matchup less than favorable, but he has to face them in the hitter-friendly Globe Life Park. Rating = 4
Salaries: $6900 FD, $11950 DD, $6700 DK, $77400 FF, $18000 SS, $11950 FTD
- Colby Lewis – Lewis pitched a gem in his last start. He pitched a complete game shutout against the White Sox in Chicago. I certainly didn’t see that coming and I certainly don’t expect him to have a repeat performance. Lewis still owns one of the highest ERA’s in all of baseball and he has really struggled at home this season as he is sporting a hefty 7.62 ERA at Globe Life Park. The Rays are ranked 13th in wOBA (.311) vs. RH pitching this season and I’ll continue to avoid Lewis in all league formats. Rating = 4
Salaries: $6900 FD, $10750 DD, $6200 DK, $74400 FF, $17000 SS, $10750 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Tampa Bay
Ben Zobrist – Now is the time to buy your shares of Zobrist. He has 17 hits (6 XBH’s) over his last 10 games and draws a terrific matchup against Lewis who has given up a .411 wOBA to batters from the left side of the plate this season.
Additional Plays: Matt Joyce, James Loney, Evan Longoria
Texas
Adrian Beltre – Beltre may be my favorite play at 3B tonight. He has always hit LH pitching well and he has been scorching hot at home this season with a .403 wOBA. I like the matchup against Smyly who, as mentioned above, really struggles against batters from the right side of the plate.
Additional Plays: Elvis Andrus, J.P. Arencibia
Minnesota at Houston
| Minnesota | Houston | ||||||||
| Tommy Milone | Vegas Moneyline | Brad Peacock | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | MIN (-114) | RIGHT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.260 | 0.765 | 0.334 | 11.80% | SP vs. Left | 0.265 | 0.770 | 0.341 | 18.60% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.238 | 0.691 | 0.305 | 15.80% | SP vs. Right | 0.278 | 0.869 | 0.379 | 20.70% |
| Batter Splits | MIN BvP | MIN vs R | Batter Splits | HOU BvP | HOU vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Tommy Milone – Milone will be making his first start as a member of the Twins and he gets a tough matchup right off the bat (no pun intended). The Astros are ranked 5th in wOBA (.331) vs. LH pitching this season and have made it tough on opposing pitchers visiting Minute Maid Park. I’m going to give Milone a couple of games to get acclimated before targeting him in any of my daily fantasy baseball leagues. Rating = 4
Salaries: $6400 FD, $11100 DD, $6900 DK, $85800 FF, $18100 SS, $NA FTD
- Brad Peacock – Peacock has a shiny K-rate of 7.9 per 9 innings, but often times struggles with his command. He is averaging over 5 walks per 9 innings this season and has an ugly 5.44 ERA. Peacock is a fly ball pitcher that gives up a HR per fly ball rate of 12.1%. With Minute Maid Park being a very HR-friendly ballpark, I’ll be steering clear of Peacock tonight against the Twins. Rating = 4
Salaries: $5000 FD, $8700 DD, $4900 DK, $40000 FF, $13000 SS, $8700 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Minnesota
Trevor Plouffe – It’s taken a few months, but Plouffe is finally starting to hit. He has 13 hits over his last 10 games with 4 multi-hit games over that stretch. He still has nice power in his bat and I really like the matchup against Peacock who has given up a .379 wOBA to RH hitters this season.
Additional Plays: Brian Dozier
Houston
Jose Altuve – One of the shortest players in all of baseball is one of the toughest outs, especially when he is facing a LH pitcher. Altuve is batting .418 against southpaws this season with a .441 OBP. The Astros really hit lefties well as a team and in addition to the high OBP that Altuve provides, he also gives you the added bonus of stolen base potential.
Additional Plays: Chris Carter, Robbie Grossman, Matt Dominguez
Oakland at Kansas City
| Oakland | Kansas City | ||||||||
| Sonny Gray | Vegas Moneyline | Yordano Ventura | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | OAK (-123) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.222 | 0.624 | 0.283 | 21.60% | SP vs. Left | 0.253 | 0.705 | 0.313 | 19.20% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.230 | 0.610 | 0.275 | 20.10% | SP vs. Right | 0.251 | 0.706 | 0.314 | 21.60% |
| Batter Splits | OAK BvP | OAK vs R | Batter Splits | KCR BvP | KCR vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Sonny Gray – Gray is looking to bounce back after being knocked around by the Rays in his last start. He gave up 6 earned runs in only 4 and 1/3 innings in that start. Tonight he takes on a Royals offense that has been below average in most offensive categories this season. That said, the Royals don’t strike out very often so there is some give and take in this matchup. Gray did pitch well against the Royals last week with 7 K’s over 7 innings of work. Gray is in play, but probably only on multi-pitcher sites as he is a very small favorite tonight. Rating = 6.5
Salaries: $9000 FD, $18200 DD, $9200 DK, $104500 FF, $28200 SS, $18200 FTD
- Yordano Ventura – Ventura’s velocity and strikeouts seem to come and go throughout the season. The good news for Ventura supporters is that he has struck out 22 batters over his last 3 starts. I don’t mind Ventura as a tournament play as the A’s offense has gone cold over the last few weeks, but I’ll be avoiding him in cash games. The A’s are a very patient offense that leads the American League in walks drawn. Rating = 5.5
Salaries: $7300 FD, $14450 DD, $7100 DK, $89600 FF, $21200 SS, $14450 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Oakland
As strange as it may be, I think I will be avoiding the A’s hitters tonight. They just haven’t had the same firepower that they did for the first few months of the season. This game has a very low run total and two very good pitchers on the mound.
Kansas City
I’ll be avoiding all of the Royals hitters tonight. Sonny Gray has held both LH and RH hitters under a .285 wOBA this season and looked sharp against the Royals last week.
Toronto at Seattle
| Toronto | Seattle | ||||||||
| Drew Hutchison | Vegas Moneyline | Felix Hernandez | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | SEA (-200) | RIGHT | 6.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.258 | 0.787 | 0.344 | 19.20% | SP vs. Left | 0.195 | 0.501 | 0.227 | 25.20% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.230 | 0.638 | 0.284 | 23.90% | SP vs. Right | 0.187 | 0.519 | 0.231 | 32.00% |
| Batter Splits | TOR BvP | TOR vs R | Batter Splits | SEA BvP | SEA vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Drew Hutchison – Of all the pitchers on the bump tonight, Hutchison is my favorite tournament play. He’s likely going to have a very low ownership % with Felix on the mound for the Mariners. Other than the fact that he’s a large underdog, everything else lines up well for Hutchison. He’s pitched well on the road with a 3.27 ERA, he has a very respectable K/9 of 8.2, and he’s facing a Mariners offense that is ranked 17th in wOBA (.305) vs. RH pitching. It also doesn’t hurt that the Blue Jays need a long outing from him as their bullpen will be very thin after their 19 inning game against the Tigers yesterday. Rating = 6
Salaries: $6300 FD, $12350 DD, $6000 DK, $71800 FF, $18900 SS, $12350 FTD
- Felix Hernandez – If you are playing cash games on a single pitcher site, Felix is the obvious choice tonight. He has pitched at least 7 innings without giving up more than 2 earned runs in 15 straight starts. You can’t even find that sort of consistency from Clayton Kershaw. Felix has a K/9 of 9.7 this season and is walking a career-low 1.66 batters per 9 innings. The Blue Jays are likely going to be very tired after their 19-inning game against the Tigers yesterday which is just another reason to target the King tonight. Rating = 9.5
Salaries: $11300 FD, $21600 DD, $12400 DK, $154900 FF, $32700 SS, $21600 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Toronto
Avoid all Blue Jays tonight against Felix Hernandez. This one is pretty self-explanatory.
Seattle
Kyle Seager – Seager is at his best when he is facing a RH pitcher at home. He has a .388 wOBA against righties this season and a .434 wOBA at home. Hutchison is a high strikeout pitcher, but Seager has incredible discipline at the plate and makes a nice alternative to Beltre at 3B.
Additional Plays: Robinson Cano
Colorado at San Diego
| Colorado | San Diego | ||||||||
| Jordan Lyles | Vegas Moneyline | Jesse Hahn | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | SDP (-142) | RIGHT | 6.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.260 | 0.789 | 0.346 | 14.60% | SP vs. Left | 0.168 | 0.506 | 0.229 | 24.00% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.229 | 0.647 | 0.288 | 19.90% | SP vs. Right | 0.196 | 0.578 | 0.278 | 24.10% |
| Batter Splits | COL BvP | COL vs R | Batter Splits | SDP BvP | SDP vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jordan Lyles – In his first game back with the Rockies, Lyles gave up 4 earned runs on 6 hits over 6 innings of work. That was a pretty solid start considering it was his first outing coming back from injury and it was in Coors Field. Lyles is enjoying a nice bounce back season after a couple of down years in Houston. He owns a 3.72 ERA this season with a K/9 of 6.5. Tonight he faces a weak Padres offense in the pitcher’s paradise that is Petco Park. He makes a nice tournament play. Rating = 5.5
Salaries: $6800 FD, $12200 DD, $6500 DK, $68300 FF, $16800 SS, $12200 FTD
- Jesse Hahn – Hahn is having a terrific rookie season for the Padres. He is boasting an impressive 2.28 ERA with a K/9 of 8.7. He has produced a 54% ground ball rate and is only giving up a HR per fly ball rate of 7.9%. Tonight he faces a Rockies offense that really struggles away from Coors Field (28th in road wOBA). Hahn makes a terrific play on multi-pitcher sites or even on single pitcher sites if you want to take a cheaper route than Felix Hernandez. Rating = 8
Salaries: $7100 FD, $14750 DD, $8800 DK, $122700 FF, $27800 SS, $16050 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Colorado
I’m going to be avoiding all Rockies tonight. Not only is this game being played in Petco Park, but Hahn has held both LH and RH hitters under a .280 wOBA this season.
San Diego
Seth Smith – Lyles has always struggled against LH hitters and this season has been no different. He has given up a .346 wOBA to batters from the left side of the plate. Meanwhile, Smith is batting .299 against RH pitching with a .398 wOBA.
Additional Plays: Everth Cabrera