MLB Daily Grind Down April 24th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2013-04-25 13:08:51

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.

There are plenty of day games today on the schedule so make sure to join your leagues early and get your research in before the first game starts at 12:35 ET. It looks like we could finally get a full day of baseball without any weather problems so we won’t have to avoid any games. Today’s Grind Down is highlighted by Matt “Heaty Hottie Ho” Harvey.

Toronto at Baltimore

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

Las Vegas

• OU No Line Posted Yet

• Favored No Line Posted Yet

Pitchers

• Home John Stinson has only started one game in his career and is not a highly touted prospect. The Orioles picked him off of waivers and are throwing him to the wolves in this one. Load up on the Blue Jays and stay away from Stinson.

• Away Brandon Morrow has given up at least 6 hits in each of his 4 starts this season. He has an ERA over 5 and only has 7 strikeouts in his last 3 games combined. With him struggling, I don’t think he is the safest play against the Orioles.

Batters

• Home With the struggles that Morrow is having, it’s safe to play some Orioles today. Adam Jones is .393 against Morrow in his career with 3 HR’s and is one of my favorite plays today. I also like Nick Markakis, I think he gets a couple of hits and scores some runs.

• Away You have to love the matchup for the Jays bats today. Stinson is coming off of waivers and will not be prepared for this game. Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Adam Lind and Melky Cabrera all make solid plays.

Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati

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

Las Vegas

• OU 7.5

• Favored CIN -164

Pitchers

• Home Mat Latos is a great option today. He has been averaging over 9 K’s per 9 innings this season and has a great matchup against the Cubs. I think the Reds should actually put up some runs today too so the run support should be there. Pay the price and take him with confidence.

• Away Jeff Samardzija has only given up an average of 5 hits per game, but his opponents have made those hits count as he has given up 10 earned runs in his last 3 games. The matchup against all of those left handed bats of Cincinnati is tough but Villanueva figured it out last night. I am avoiding him, but he could be a deep sleeper.

Batters

• Home The Reds bats have to get going at some point against the Cubs don’t they? Even though Votto is only 1/11 against Samardzija, I like his value today, especially on sites where his price has come down a little bit. I also like Shin-Soo Choo to keep raking.

• Away I don’t like the Cubs bats against Latos today. He gets a lot of strikeouts and is dominant at home. The smart play is to avoid them.

St. Louis at Washington

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

h3. Las Vegas

• OU 7.0

• Favored WAS -150

Pitchers

• Home This should be a very low scoring game and I expect Jamie Garcia to pitch pretty well. The problem is that his opponent will have Stephen Strasburg on the mound. I think Garcia is a medium risk, low reward play today so why take him?

• Away Stephen Strasburg has been solid in his two home starts this season and that should continue today against the Cardinals who have been slumping a bit. Matt Holliday is the only Cardinal that has a hit against Strasburg and the team has a combined 17 at bats. Target

Batters

• Home Jamie Garcia doesn’t give up many runs and you can tell from the over/under that Vegas expects a very low scoring game. If I was going to take a chance on any Nats hitters I would roll the dice with Ian Desmond. He hits for power and hits lefties well.

• Away Look for Strasburg to be dealing today which is bad news for the Cardinal’s hitters. Holliday is the only player with a hit against Strasburg, so if you have to take a Cardinal, I would go that route.

Seattle at Houston

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

h3. Las Vegas

• OU 8.0

• Favored SEA -105

Pitchers

• Home Lucas Harrell is a pretty solid pitcher at home, at least he was last season. I expected Norris to pitch well yesterday, and although he didn’t get many K’s, he picked up the win. I like Harrell’s chances tonight against the Mariners as well. Their offense can go quiet.

• Away Joe Saunders is also in play today as he gets to face a team that is striking out at a record pace. Saunders isn’t typically a high strikeout pitcher, but he may be able to pick up a couple of extra K’s in this one. Lot of value for his price.

Batters

• Home While I do like both pitcher’s chances today, they are both cheap options so that doesn’t mean that the hitters aren’t playable. Saunders got rocked in his last start and you never know what you are going to get from these Astros. Jose Altuve is batting .346 against lefties and is a good play.

• Away The Mariners offense is a bit confusing to me. They are just so inconsistent and when I look at their lineup, I’m just not all that impressed. However, they are dirt cheap right now so if you expect them to score some runs, there is a lot of value to be had.

Cleveland at Chicago White Sox

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

Las Vegas

• OU 7.5

• Favored CWS -178

Pitchers

• Home Chris Sale is one of the best young pitchers in the game and I fully expect him to show that today against the Indians. Sale has an ERA of 1.84 at home this season and had an ERA of 2.30 at home last season. The fact is that he pitches well at home. Target

• Away Corey Kluber is steadily improving, but I still don’t know if he is a rotation starter. Not my favorite play today against the White Sox in Chicago. Avoid

Batters

• Home The White Sox have a very solid matchup against Kluber. Alex Rios and Paul Konerko are the obvious choices here, but I am tempted to roll the dice on both Alejandro De Aza and Adam Dunn. Both will be extremely cheap today.

• Away The Indians haven’t fared too well against Sale in the past and the fact that this game is in Chicago certainly doesn’t help their case. Too many other options for me.

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