MLB Daily Grind Down: April 13th Early Games

by Kyle Koch (Jackandsoda) Last Updated 2013-04-13 18:18:30

The RotoGrinders MLB Grind Down article will give you an in-depth analysis into the MLB schedule. This article will break down the numbers for every single game and give you analysis on which trends you can exploit.

While matchups are a major factor in daily fantasy baseball, there are plenty of other factors to consider such as injuries, weather, and salaries. The analysis should point you in the right direction, but it is still up to you to decipher the information and make your own selections. No sport has more variance than baseball. The best choice is not always the right choice but following the trends will win you money over time.

For many people who work a nine to five job, Saturday mornings are synonymous with the hangover. Not to be confused with the great grinder, TheTakeOver. He crushes daily fantasy while the hangover crushes your will to live and coercing you to become a little more intimate with your toilet seat than you ever intended. Saturdays, for me, represent a hangover of my own in the post DFBC letdown and all the plays that could have been.

Sure, less is on stake today but the action is just as sweet. Justin Verlander leads the way in a group of Saturday day games that features an array of great pitching. If you are awake and functioning then here is the morning Grind Down to get you early birds started catching worms or fish. Whatever you are into.

Atlanta at Washington

BATTER SPLITS BREAKDOWN
ATL BvP		ATL vs R		WSN BvP		WSN vs R
Note: Batter Splits Above Open in Pop Up Window

Pitchers

• Vegas Has the OU line for this game set at a mere 7 and WAS the heavy favorites at -150. Stephen Strasburg has not been dominate in his first start but a line like that is hard to ignore. He was a worse pitcher at home a year ago with 3.49 ERA and a lower K/9. ATL as a team is batting .360 vs. him and has only 8 Ks in his first start. Avoid

• Tim Hudson takes the mound as the heavy dog. I never like to take a pitcher that looks headed for a loss especially one whose K/9 is below average. His day game ERA was 2.64 a year ago but the current Nationals are batting .270 vs. him and hit very well in this park. Avoid

Batters

• Jason Werth has .389 BAA vs. Hudson in 36 AB with 3 HRs. Take him. Ian Desmond, Bryce Harper, and Wilson Ramos BvPs are positive also. Dernard Span is also in play vs. the righty.

• Jason Heyward is a strong 7-12 vs. Strasburg. Dan Uggla is 8-17 with 2 HRs. B.J. Upton and Juan Francisco have positive numbers as well. I like an Justin Upton despite the poor BvPs. He is playing better than Strasburg right now. I think he wins out today.

San Francisco at Chicago Cubs

BATTER SPLITS BREAKDOWN
SFG BvP		SFG vs R		CHC BvP		CHC vs L
Note: Batter Splits Above Open in Pop Up Window

Pitchers

• Vegas has OU line set at 8 with SF the slight favorite at -128. Madison Bumgarner struggled with his control in his last outing but pitched well enough. You would expect him to get things rolling against a CHC team batting .220 on the season. Bumgarner’s road ERA was a not good 4.40 a year ago and he was an equally bad 4.48 in day games. Add that to the fact that he lasted only 4 IP in his last start at Wrigley Field surrendering 5 ER in the process an you get an Avoid

• The only thing I do not like about Jeff Samardzija today is spelling his name. He got touched-up in his last start but still managed 13 Ks in 5.1 IP. His home ERA was 3.22 a year ago but he was only a 5.08 pitcher in day games. The current Giants starters only have as many hits vs. him as the have Ks. Target

Batters

• Only Hunter Pence has positive numbers vs. Samardjiza but if the wind is blowing out then everyone is in play. Pablo Sandoval and Angel Pagan remain hot and Buster Posey has been picking it up lately.

• The heart of the order looks good for the cubs today. Starlin Castro, Alfonso Soriano, and Anthony Rizzo are a combined 15-33 with a 1.227 OPS. Play them.

NY Mets at Minnesota

BATTER SPLITS BREAKDOWN
NYM BvP		NYM vs L		MIN BvP		MIN vs R
Note: Batter Splits Above Open in Pop Up Window

Pitchers

• This game open as a pick’em in Vegas but after the Mets went banana sandwiches last night they are now the favorites at -131 with OU line set at 7. No one has pitched better than Matt Harvey has to start the season. He had a 1.88 ERA at home a year ago and his K/9 ratio is off the charts. MIN is batting just .227 on the season. Target

• Scott Diamond is making his first start coming back from injury. He faces a NYM team firing on all cylinders. His k/9 ratio was under 5 last year and he is facing a guy on the mound who is throwing lights-out. Avoid

Batters

• Teams rarely do encore performances of huge games but you have to like some of the Mets hot hitters. John Buck has been the most productive catcher in baseball and Ruben Tejada hits lefties pretty well. David Wright looks good to produce today also.

• I would not get cute in a game that line is set at 7. MIN has been very cold lately.

Continue Reading Part Two of Today’s Day Games MLB Grind Down Article Here