MLB Daily Grind Down April 21st
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.
NY Yankees at Toronto
| NY Yankees | Toronto | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rogers Centre | 1:07 PM | ||||||
| Ivan Nova (1-1 REC, 5.59 ERA, 5.2 Avg IP) | Josh Johnson (0-1 REC, 6.91 ERA, 6.0 Avg IP) | ||||||
| PvB | 27-92 (0.293) H/AB, 0.978 OPS, 6 HR, 20 Ks | PvB | 7-36 (0.194) H/AB, 0.722 OPS, 1 HR, 8 Ks | ||||
| ROAD | 99.1 IP, 4.26 ERA, 0.279 BAA, 7.9 K/9 | HOME | 109.1 IP, 2.96 ERA, 0.239 BAA, 8.2 K/9 | ||||
| BATTER SPLITS BREAKDOWN | |||||||
NYY BvP  | NYY vs R | TOR BvP | TOR vs R | ||||
| Note: Batter Splits Above Open in Pop Up Window | |||||||
Las Vegas
- OU 8.5
- Favored TOR -140
Pitchers
- Home Josh Johnson made it 7 IP in his last start after lasting only 1.1 in his previous start. He struck out 8 but he only induced 7 Ground Balls. He runs into a potent NYY offence batting .302 vs. right-handers. His two starts this year at home have gone well and he has held the current Yankees to a .194 BAA In Play
- Away Ivan Nova is a better away pitcher than he is at home but his record in TOR is not good either. He takes the mound against a TOR team that is slumping over the last 7 days batting .207 but has many players who have success versus Nova in the past. His K/9 ratio has been good so far this year and TOR has 144 Ks on the year. In Play
Batters
- Home Jose Bautista, Melky Cabrera, Edwin Encarnacion, and Colby Rasmus all have nice BvPs versus Nova. Do not forget about Munenori Kawasaki. He is batting Ninth which is almost like leading off and cheapon a lot of sites
- Away It is pretty simple with the Yankees. Target everyone when they face a right-hander and target their right-handed bats when they face a left-hander. “Robinson Cano(player-profile)”:/players/Robinson_Cano-10370’s BvPs look good today and I have been high on Travis Hafner since opening day.
Miami at Cincinnati
| Miami | Cincinnati | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great American Ball Park | 1:10 PM | ||||||
| Alex Sanabia (2-1 REC, 4.24 ERA, 5.1 Avg IP) | Homer Bailey (1-1 REC, 3.32 ERA, 5.2 Avg IP) | ||||||
| PvB | 1-3 (0.333) H/AB, 1 OPS, 0 HR, 1 Ks | PvB | 10-36 (0.278) H/AB, 0.722 OPS, 1 HR, 7 Ks | ||||
| ROAD | 0 | HOME | 99.1 IP, 5.16 ERA, 0.299 BAA, 7.2 K/9 | ||||
| BATTER SPLITS BREAKDOWN | |||||||
| KCR BvP | KCR vs R | BOS BvP | BOS vs R | ||||
| Note: Batter Splits Above Open in Pop Up Window | |||||||
Las Vegas
- OU 8.5
- Favored CIN -240
Pitchers
- Home Homer Bailey had 10 Ks in his last outing and draws the worst team in baseball today in MIA. His home ERA a year ago was over 5 and he did not pitch that well in day games but you can throw everything out the window when you consider how bad the Marlins has been playing. Target
- Away Alex Sanabia could be a matchup play on other teams. He has two wins on the season but I do not have faith in the Marlins to give him enough run support and consider those two more of luck. He will give his team a chance to win but with only 8 Ks on the season, his upside is limited to him producing a W. Avoid
Batters
- Home The Reds have been a great hitting team at home. You know who their big bats are. Use them. Call it a hunch but I think Jay Bruce gets off the snide today with his first HR.
- Away Greg Dobbs is 3-7 versus Bailey. Because the team is batting only .206 on the season, no Marlin has much upside today.
Washington at NY Mets
| Washington | NY Mets | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citi Field | 1:10 PM | ||||||
| Jordan Zimmermann (3-0 REC, 2.45 ERA, 5.2 Avg IP) | Dillon Gee (0-3 REC, 8.36 ERA, 6.0 Avg IP) | ||||||
| PvB | 32-117 (0.274) H/AB, 0.803 OPS, 5 HR, 24 Ks | PvB | 20-89 (0.225) H/AB, 0.708 OPS, 3 HR, 20 Ks | ||||
| ROAD | 99 IP, 2.36 ERA, 0.255 BAA, 7.5 K/9 | HOME | 65.1 IP, 4.13 ERA, 0.253 BAA, 8.3 K/9 | ||||
| BATTER SPLITS BREAKDOWN | |||||||
| MIA BvP | MIA vs R | CIN BvP | CIN vs R | ||||
| Note: Batter Splits Above Open in Pop Up Window | |||||||
Las Vegas
- OU 7.5
- Favored WAS -138
Pitchers
- Home Dillon Gee has been hit hard in his last two starts after a nice opening day performance. His road and home ERA were roughly the same a year ago. He was a 2.49 pitcher in day games. He catches a WAS team floundering lately batting only .231 over the last 7 days after a hot start to the year. The most disturbing thing about Gee is that he only has 8 Ks over his first 3 starts. Avoid
- Away Jordan Zimmermann gets the nod by Vegas to get the win today. The OU is a low 7.5 which makes him an instant target. He went the full 9 IP last time versus MIA. His Ks have been a little low to start the season but he is inducing a lot of ground balls. Target
Batters
- Home David Wright and Daniel Murphy have solid BvPs vs. Zimmermann. Both have been swing the bat really well lately. Could make solid plays if you do not use Zimmermann.
- Away Jason Werth is 5-15 vs. Gee and Ian Desmond has taken him deep twice in 15 AB. Bryce Harper has been hot and draws another right-hander.
Atlanta at Pittsburgh
| Atlanta | Pittsburgh | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PNC Park | 1:35 PM | ||||||
| Kris Medlen (1-1 REC, 1.42 ERA, 6.0 Avg IP) | Jonathan Sanchez (0-2 REC, 12.96 ERA, 5.0 Avg IP) | ||||||
| PvB | 8-38 (0.211) H/AB, 0.842 OPS, 1 HR, 5 Ks | PvB | 14-68 (0.206) H/AB, 0.779 OPS, 2 HR, 24 Ks | ||||
| ROAD | 61.1 IP, 1.32 ERA, 0.203 BAA, 7.3 K/9 | HOME | 30 IP, 10.2 ERA, 0.346 BAA, 6 K/9 | ||||
| BATTER SPLITS BREAKDOWN | |||||||
| WSN BvP | WSN vs R | NYM BvP | NYM vs R | ||||
| Note: Batter Splits Above Open in Pop Up Window | |||||||
Las Vegas
- OU 7.5
- Favored ATL -185
Pitchers
- Home Jonathan Sanchez is the player that everyone like to load up against. His last start got rained out but I was watching that game and he did not look all that bad. You can call me crazy if you want but I like him at home today versus and ATL team that is batting only .209 vs. left-handed pitching. His price will be low and he has game winning GPP upside. In Play
- Away Kris Medlen keeps winning ball games. He is 20-9 in his young career. He takes the mound in a pitcher friendly park against a PIT team that has 136 Ks on the season. PIT is batting .298 over the last 7 days so the come in hot to this game. The low OU and heavy endorsement by Vegas are enough for me. Target
Batters
- Home “Andrew McCutchen(player-profile)”:/players/Andrew_McCutchen-10517’s BvPs are very nice today and he has been hitting the ball well. I also like Garrett Jones. The guy is producing at an Allstar level and is still cheap places. He was only 68K on daily joust the other day. It is always worth mentioning that Pedro Alvarez led the league in day game homers a year ago.
- Away You do not need a reason to play Justin Upton but his splits are solid today versus Sanchez. I know he said he is in play but that is only because of the price. It could real bad for him so consider everyone in ATL in play.
LA Dodgers at Baltimore
| LA Dodgers | Baltimore | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camden Yards | 1:35 PM | ||||||
| Chad Billingsley (1-0 REC, 3.00 ERA, 5.2 Avg IP) | Jake Arrieta (1-0 REC, 5.40 ERA, 5.1 Avg IP) | ||||||
| PvB | 9-33 (0.273) H/AB, 0.727 OPS, 1 HR, 8 Ks | PvB | 10-27 (0.37) H/AB, 1.148 OPS, 2 HR, 2 Ks | ||||
| ROAD | 83 IP, 2.93 ERA, 0.232 BAA, 6.7 K/9 | HOME | 60.2 IP, 7.12 ERA, 0.3 BAA, 7.7 K/9 | ||||
| BATTER SPLITS BREAKDOWN | |||||||
| DET BvP | DET vs L | LAA BvP | LAA vs R | ||||
| Note: Batter Splits Above Open in Pop Up Window | |||||||
Las Vegas
- OU 9
- Favored BAL -113
Pitchers
- Home Jake Arrieta is favored versus the dodgers today. His last start went well and he catches a LAD team that is batting .260 over the last 7 days. His home ERA was over 7 a year ago. Avoid
- Away Chad Billingsley was actually a better pitcher on the road than he was at home last year. He has opened the season strong but draws a tough matchup today versus a BAL team that is batting .269 on the season and .277 at home. They have 125 Ks on the season but the high OU and the fact that Vegas does not like him are enough to scare me off of this matchup. Avoid
Batters
- Home Nate McLouth has nice BvPs today. There is no reason to stop riding the hot hitters of Chris Davis, Adam Jones and Nick Markakis.
- Away Arian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford are hot and both have splits today. Their BAAs are both well over .400 against Arriet and each has taken him yard