MLB Grind Down: Wednesday, May 7th - Page 3
St. Louis at Atlanta
| St. Louis | Atlanta | ||||||||
| Adam Wainwright | Vegas Moneyline | Mike Minor | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | STL (-125) | LEFT | 6.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.236 | 0.618 | 0.280 | 22.8% | SP vs. Left | 0.219 | 0.578 | 0.260 | 27.0% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.241 | 0.602 | 0.271 | 23.4% | SP vs. Right | 0.239 | 0.685 | 0.300 | 20.4% |
| Batter Splits | STL BvP  | STL vs L | Batter Splits | ATL BvP | ATL vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Adam Wainwright – Wainwright is off to a terrific start this season with a 2.16 ERA and a very impressive 0.94 WHIP. Wainwright is a pitcher that pitches well both at home and on the road. Tonight he faces a Braves offense that has been very boom or bust this season. They typically either hit HR’s or strikeout. With Wainwright’s ability to keep the ball in play, I think he makes a terrific play tonight with double-digit strikeout type of upside. Rating = 9
Mike Minor – Minor pitched pretty well in his first start of the season. He threw 6 innings and only allowed 2 earned runs while striking out 4 batters against the Giants. Tonight he faces a Cardinals lineup that has historically been good against LH pitching, but are ranked dead last against southpaws this season with a team .256 wOBA. I think I will give Minor one more start before using him in cash games. Rating – 6
Batter Grind Down
St. Louis
Allen Craig – After seemingly bouncing out of his slump, Craig only has 1 hit in his last 4 games. He has hit LH pitching well throughout his career though and I still love his cheap price tag. He has great upside for a player in his price range.
Additional Plays: Yadier Molina, Matt Holliday
Atlanta
Wainwright is holding LH and RH batters under a .280 wOBA this season. He has been very stingy with baserunners and I will be avoiding all Braves’ bats tonight.
Additional Plays:
Cincinnati at Boston
| Cincinnati | Boston | ||||||||
| Mike Leake | Vegas Moneyline | Jake Peavy | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | BOS (-142) | RIGHT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.263 | 0.726 | 0.323 | 13.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.234 | 0.734 | 0.321 | 21.5% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.253 | 0.671 | 0.303 | 16.6% | SP vs. Right | 0.233 | 0.669 | 0.298 | 20.2% |
| Batter Splits | CIN BvP | CIN vs R | Batter Splits | BOS BvP | BOS vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Mike Leake – Leake has a 3.53 ERA on the season with 25 K’s over 44 innings of work. His K-rate has been down and he has to face a Red Sox offense that is ranked 11th against RH pitching this season. Not only that, but he has to face them in the hitter-friendly Fenway Park. He’s a sizable underdog tonight and can be avoided in all leagues. Rating = 4
Jake Peavy – Peavy is off to a nice start this season with a 2.87 ERA and a K/9 just under 9.0. Last season Peavy was dominant at Fenway, but so far this season he has had better success away from home. Tonight he faces a Reds’ lineup that is missing two of their best batters in Billy Hamilton and Jay Bruce. This could be a nice time to use Peavy against a depleted Reds’ lineup. Rating = 7
Batter Grind Down
Cincinnati
Joey Votto – Votto is batting .293 against RH pitching this season with 8 doubles. His price is low by Votto’s standards and I like targeting him in the hitter friendly Fenway. Take advantage of the cheap price tag and use him as a value play at 1B.
Additional Plays: Chris Heisey
Boston
Grady Sizemore – Sizemore doesn’t hit for a great average, but he is batting .273 at Fenway this season and has hit 6 XBH’s against RH pitching this season. He is cheap and should be batting in a favorable spot in the lineup tonight.
Additional Plays: David Ortiz, Mike Napoli, A.J. Pierzynski
Colorado at Texas
| Colorado | Texas | ||||||||
| Jorge De La Rosa | Vegas Moneyline | Colby Lewis | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | TEX (-127) | RIGHT | 9.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.208 | 0.546 | 0.249 | 24.4% | SP vs. Left | 0.304 | 0.798 | 0.357 | 20.0% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.282 | 0.758 | 0.346 | 14.5% | SP vs. Right | 0.290 | 0.725 | 0.345 | 22.2% |
| Batter Splits | COL BvP | COL vs R | Batter Splits | TEX BvP | TEX vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Jorge De La Rosa – After two games in Coors, the series will move to Globe Life Park in Arlington for the remaining two games. While Globe Life Park isn’t exactly Coors Field, it is a very hitter-friendly ballpark and these two offenses should be on display again tonight. De La Rosa is an average lefty that has really struggled on the road over the last two seasons. Rating = 2
Colby Lewis – Even though the Rockies will be playing away from Coors, I still have a very hard time taking pitchers against them. Especially pitchers with an ERA over 4.00 and a 1.47 WHIP. There are plenty of solid pitching options available tonight and you don’t need to waste a roster spot on Lewis.
Batter Grind Down
Colorado
Carlos Gonzalez – While Cargo’s game logs aren’t quite as impressive as Tulo’s, he has been very hot over the past 8 games. He crushes RH pitching and has a terrific matchup against the RH Lewis tonight. Don’t be afraid to use a few Rockies in your lineups once again.
Additional Plays: Troy Tulowitzki, Charlie Blackmon, Nolan Arenado, Corey Dickerson
Texas
Adrian Beltre – The Rangers bats were very quiet in Coors Field and is it just me or do the Rangers seem to let us down more often than not when they have a favorable matchup? Either way, they do have a nice matchup tonight against the LH De La Rosa. Beltre hit his first HR of the season last night and is my top play at 3B tonight.
Additional Plays: Alex Rios, Prince Fielder, Michael Choice
Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox
| Chicago Cubs | Chicago White Sox | ||||||||
| Travis Wood | Vegas Moneyline | John Danks | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | CWS (-120) | LEFT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.208 | 0.568 | 0.266 | 22.5% | SP vs. Left | 0.289 | 0.807 | 0.354 | 12.3% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.235 | 0.654 | 0.297 | 17.1% | SP vs. Right | 0.268 | 0.780 | 0.342 | 15.7% |
| Batter Splits | CHC BvP | CHC vs L | Batter Splits | CHW BvP | CHW vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Travis Wood – Wood is one of those pitchers that doesn’t get enough credit because he plays for a bad team (much like his teammate Samardzija). Wood has a 3.35 ERA this season with a 1.26 WHIP and a K per inning. The White Sox opened as sizable favorites, but has moved to basically a pick ‘em which means Wood is getting some support from the betting public. I like Wood tonight as a tournament play. Rating = 6
John Danks – Danks is one of those pitchers that can have 5 bad starts in a row and then throw a gem in his next outing. Could that be tonight? Sure, but I’m certainly not going to be using him in cash games. Even though this Cubbies offense hasn’t been great this season, they have been pretty decent against LH pitching with a team wOBA of .331 which has them ranked 10th in the majors. Danks is a high risk/high reward option tonight. Rating = 5
Batter Grind Down
Chicago Cubs
Anthony Rizzo – This is a lefty/lefty matchup, but Rizzo has hit LH pitching very well this season and Danks gave up a .352 wOBA to LH batters last season. Rizzo is batting .351 with 4 XBH’s against southpaws and makes a nice contrarian play at 1B.
Additional Plays: Junior Lake, Starlin Castro
Chicago White Sox
Alexei Ramirez – Ramirez has been great at home this season with a .365 batting average and 7 XBH’s. He has hit LH pitching well in his career and should be batting in the middle of the order tonight.
Additional Plays: Jose Abreu, Dayan Viciedo
NY Yankees at LA Angels
| NY Yankees | LA Angels | ||||||||
| Vidal Nuno | Vegas Moneyline | Hector Santiago | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | LAA (-125) | LEFT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.276 | 0.785 | 0.368 | 20.0% | SP vs. Left | 0.246 | 0.665 | 0.319 | 21.2% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.256 | 0.811 | 0.348 | 14.6% | SP vs. Right | 0.245 | 0.740 | 0.338 | 20.4% |
| Batter Splits | NYY BvP | NYY vs L | Batter Splits | LAA BvP | LAA vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Vidal Nuno – The final game of the night features two lefties on the mount. Nuno pitched well in one start, but has been lit up in each of his other 3 starts. He has an ERA close to 7.00 and is not a recommended fantasy option tonight. Rating = 2
Hector Santiago – Santiago is a better pitcher than his numbers suggest. He has an ERA over 5.00 this season with a 1.46 WHIP. He has a sub 3.60 ERA in each of his last two seasons and his numbers should come down over the course of the season. I think he makes a sneaky play tonight against the Yankees as he should receive plenty of run support and likely be in line for the win. Rating = 6
Batter Grind Down
New York Yankees
Carlos Beltran – Beltran’s price just keeps dropping and this may be a good time to target him as a value play in the OF. He has hit LH pitching well in his career and has great upside for the price.
Additional Plays: Alfonso Soriano
L.A. Angels
Albert Pujols / Mike Trout – I love both of these sluggers tonight against the below average lefty in Nuno. Both crush LH pitching and both have a great shot to hit one deep.
Additional Plays: Howie Kendrick, Erick Aybar