MLB Daily Grind Down: Friday, September 20th Part 2

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2013-09-20 14:38:26

San Francisco vs. NY Yankees

7:05 PM	San Francisco – ROAD					NY Yankees – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.259	0.692	16.90%	0.51		0.246	0.685	19.40%	0.55
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.260	0.689	17.30%	0.39		0.245	0.694	19.80%	0.42
SP STATS	Lincecum – RHP					Sabathia – LHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.32	4.40	8.85	10.50		1.37	4.90	7.54	10.19
LAST 14 DAYS	1.07	3.21	5.79	11.00		1.68	5.40	7.56	8.05
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	SFG vs L		SFG BvP			NYY vs R		NYY BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Tim Lincecum – Remember a few years ago when these were arguably the two best pitchers in baseball? That sure seems like a long time ago. Lincecum has a nice K rate, but his ERA is high and finds himself with a high pitch count so he can’t last too deep into games. I don’t like the matchup for him in Yankee Stadium. Rating = 4

• CC Sabathia – Sabathia now has a 4.90 ERA and a WHIP of 1.37. Those are average numbers at best. I keep waiting for him to have a dominant game, but I’m just not sure that it’s coming. The Giants have been hitting the ball well lately and I’m not going to risk it with Sabathia with all of the other pitcher options. Rating = 5

Batter Grind Down

SF – You know who hits lefties well? Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, and Hunter Pence. Posey is my favorite of the bunch though as he is batting .343 against lefties this season.

NYY – Robinson Cano is my favorite 2B play tonight. He crushes right hand pitching, especially at home with that short porch in right field. I think he has a good chance to homer tonight. I also like Curtis Granderson for the same reasons.

Chicago White Sox vs. Detroit

7:05 PM	Chicago White Sox – ROAD					Detroit – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.251	0.683	19.30%	0.51		0.282	0.785	16.90%	0.65
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.251	0.682	19.50%	0.39		0.293	0.796	16.20%	0.53
SP STATS	Rienzo – RHP					Scherzer – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.56	5.04	6.12	7.11		0.96	2.95	10.16	14.60
LAST 14 DAYS	1.67	5.06	5.29	7.10		1.27	4.09	14.73	12.00
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	CHW vs R		CHW BvP			DET vs R		DET BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Andre Rienzo – Rienzo has given up at least 5 earned runs in 3 of his last 4 starts. Tonight he faces one of the best offenses in baseball. This one is easy, take the Detroit bats. Rating = 1

• Max Scherzer – There are quite a few big favorites today, but none are bigger favorites that Scherzer. He is currently a -300 favorite against the White Sox. Sure, anything can happen in baseball, but on paper this is a dream matchup for Scherzer. He has pitched well this season and has a K rate of more than 10 per 9 innings. Rating = 10

Batter Grind Down

CWS – The White Sox are not a good fantasy option tonight. Not the pitcher, not the hitters.

DET – There are quite a few teams that you could consider stacking tonight and the Tigers are on of them. Rienzo hasn’t been great this season and is giving up an OPS of .900 to right hand hitters. Great chance for a Miguel Cabrera HR. Austin Jackson looks like a sneaky play as well.

Toronto vs. Boston

7:10 PM	Toronto – ROAD					Boston – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.252	0.733	18.00%	0.62		0.273	0.780	20.40%	0.68
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.241	0.682	17.80%	0.42		0.284	0.819	20.40%	0.57
SP STATS	Rogers – RHP					Lester – LHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.37	4.47	6.32	4.24		1.28	3.75	7.38	10.91
LAST 14 DAYS	0.83	1.98	7.50	12.60		1.00	2.25	6.19	13.50
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	TOR vs L		TOR BvP			BOS vs R		BOS BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Esmil Rogers – Rogers has suddenly found that perfect touch. In his last 3 starts, he has only allowed a combined 3 earned runs while striking out 16 batters. While that is promising, I’m not going to be using him against the Red Sox in Fenway. They have a great offense that feasts on average pitching. Rating = 2

• Jon Lester – Remember all the talk about Lester being done and how the Red Sox needed to take him out of the rotation? That’s a distant memory now. Since the All-Star break, he has a 2.38 ERA while holding opponents to a .234 batting average. I am a proponent of taking players that are currently playing well and Lester is currently pitching well. Rating = 7

Batter Grind Down

TOR – The Blue Jays lineup just isn’t the same without Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. Now they have Moises Sierra and Ryan Goins. Nothing wrong with those players, but they don’t quite pack the same punch. I think Jose Reyes is in play, but that’s about it.

BOS – Rogers is giving up a .291 batting average to lefties this season. That means David Ortiz and Stephen Drew could be in for big nights. I also like Dustin Pedroia batting leadoff.

Baltimore vs. Tampa Bay

7:10 PM	Baltimore – ROAD					Tampa Bay – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.264	0.755	18.10%	0.63		0.262	0.748	18.70%	0.62
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.253	0.718	18.50%	0.45		0.250	0.734	19.00%	0.48
SP STATS	Hammel – RHP					Price – LHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.48	5.12	6.09	7.48		1.10	3.42	7.35	11.22
LAST 14 DAYS	0.86	3.86	3.86	3.50		1.14	4.22	8.10	10.03
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	BAL vs L		BAL BvP			TBR vs R		TBR BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Jason Hammel – Hammel has an ERA over 5 and a K rate that barely cracks 6 per 9 innings. I typically like those numbers to be spaced out a bit further. Hammel is a big underdog tonight for a reason. Rating = 3

• David Price – Price has given up at least 2 earned runs in 5 straight starts and he hasn’t had very much success against this Orioles team. That said, something tells me he comes out and pitches a gem tonight. Price has always pitched well at home and the Orioles aren’t nearly as good against left hand pitchers as they are against righties. Rating = 7

Batter Grind Down

BAL – If you are not a fan of Price tonight, Matt Wieters and Danny Valencia both have good numbers off of Price and could be in play.

TB – Hammel is giving up a .297 batting average to lefties on the season. I like leadoff man David Dejesus, Ben Zobrist, and even Kelly Johnson. I also think Evan Longoria has a nice game if he isn’t too expensive.

Texas vs. Kansas City

8:10 PM	Texas – ROAD					Kansas City – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.262	0.740	16.80%	0.62		0.258	0.688	16.60%	0.54
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.261	0.731	17.10%	0.46		0.263	0.697	16.40%	0.41
SP STATS	Perez – LHP					Santana – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.34	3.64	5.77	9.83		1.15	3.23	7.07	10.57
LAST 14 DAYS	1.80	5.56	4.05	4.55		0.76	1.98	8.18	13.10
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	TEX vs R		TEX BvP			KCR vs L		KCR BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Martin Perez – Perez is a solid young pitcher, but he hasn’t had as much success on the road as he has at home. Even though the Royals have a few lefties in their lineup, as a team they have been better against lefties than they have against righties. I think Perez will pitch fairly well, but the upside isn’t there. Rating = 4

• Ervin Santana – Santana threw 7 scoreless innings against the Rangers in a start earlier this season. This is one of those situations that may look good on paper, but doesn’t pass the eye ball test. I’d rather have a pitcher with a better matchup. Rating = 6

Batter Grind Down

TEX – Ian Kinsler is 19/54 with 8 XBH’s against Santana. He could be a nice GPP play but is probably a bit too risky to take in all of your lineups.

KC – Perez is another lefty on the schedule tonight with reverse splits. He’s giving up a .290 batting average to lefties so both Alex Gordon and Eric Hosmer could be in play. They have both hit lefties well this season.

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