MLB Daily Grind Down: Saturday, August 31st

by Ethan Haskell (Ethan) Last Updated 2013-08-31 05:36:37

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.

Note: Any Fantasy Point Average Listed Uses FanDuel Scoring. For more info on FanDuel’s MLB Scoring System, check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel Review

• FPAB – Fantasy Points Per At Bat
• K% – Strikeout Percentage
• K/9 – Strikeouts Per 9 IP

________________________________________________________________________________________

Baltimore vs. NY Yankees

1:05 PM	Baltimore – ROAD					NY Yankees – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.264	0.755	18.10%	0.63		0.246	0.685	19.40%	0.55
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.271	0.777	17.70%	0.53		0.244	0.687	19.70%	0.41
SP STATS	Feldman – RHP					Nova – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.19	3.87	6.68	9.71		1.34	3.14	8.27	10.89
LAST 14 DAYS	1.25	2.31	7.23	12.60		1.77	4.15	3.46	8.00
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	BAL vs R		BAL BvP			NYY vs R		NYY BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Scott Feldman – Feldman is coming off of back to back solid starts but the future looks grim against a Yankees team that has been mashing of late. He’s HR prone in a hitter-friendly ballpark, that seems like a bad combination against the likes of Granderson, Cano and A-Fraud.

• Ivan Nova – Nova has dominated the Orioles in 2 starts against this season with 15 Ks in 14 IP. He makes for a strong option if you’re playing the 3 early only games on Saturday. He’s also much better at home than on the road, where his ERA is just 2.84.

Batter Grind Down

• Curtis Granderson is 5-11 off Feldman with 3 HRs lifetime.
• Feldman has allowed lefties and righties to about a .660 OPS against this season which is actually pretty good.
• Nova’s vs. L/R splits are about the same but Chris Davis is 8-16 lifetime with 2 HRs and is a great play on any day, if you can afford him.
• With the O/U set at 9, I think you’re best bet is to spend heavy on the likes of Davis, Granderson and Cano, especially if you’re in the short early slate only.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Kansas City vs. Toronto

1:07 PM	Kansas City – ROAD					Toronto – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.258	0.688	16.60%	0.54		0.252	0.733	18.00%	0.62
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.257	0.687	16.70%	0.40		0.255	0.748	17.90%	0.50
SP STATS	Guthrie – RHP					Dickey – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.41	4.19	4.99	8.82		1.28	4.39	7.06	9.86
LAST 14 DAYS	1.72	5.00	4.50	7.00		1.19	3.80	8.96	12.37
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	KCR vs R		KCR BvP			TOR vs R		TOR BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Jeremy Guthrie – Guthrie is extremely hit or miss but the Jays are a team without a rudder right now and are striking out at a ridiculus rate. There are definitely some concerns with the likes of Reyes, Encarnacion and Lind but if he can get past those three he should be in for a solid outing.

• Dickey has tossed 5 consecutive decent starts or better including back to back gems against NYY. My biggest fear is his 5.48 home ERA which the Blue Jays probably should have seen coming when they brought a knuckle baller into a dome but hey, who am I to judge? Either way when he’s in that dome, the ball flies out. GPP play only.

Batter Grind Down

• Lefties have taken Dickey yard 20 times on the season with a .773 OPS against. Hosmer, Gordon and Moose Tacos are all in play today. Sal-Perez has been locked in as well (until last night) and could be a nice option at Catcher.
• Guthrie is even worse against left handed batters, allowing them to a .326 batting average against and .907 OPS-against. Lind is probably my favorite 1B play of the early games in terms of value. Reyes hitting from the left side is promising as well.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Philadelphia vs. Chicago Cubs

4:05 PM	Philadelphia – ROAD					Chicago Cubs – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.248	0.694	19.90%	0.52		0.240	0.702	20.10%	0.54
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.230	0.670	20.80%	0.40		0.230	0.689	22.00%	0.41
SP STATS	Lee – LHP					Rusin – LHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.04	3.07	8.28	13.01		1.29	2.64	5.31	8.14
LAST 14 DAYS	0.91	2.35	7.43	13.33		1.58	1.50	3.75	7.50
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	PHI vs L		PHI BvP			CHC vs L		CHC BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Cliff Lee – Lee facing the Cubbies seems primed for a big game. He has a 2.47 road ERA and a WHIP under 1. The Cubs strongest bats are Rizzo and Schierholtz who both hit from the left side. Lee takes the cake as my favorite pitcher in the early set.

• Chris Rusin – I continue to target batters against this kid and he continues to hurt me so I think I might finally be on board. His groundball to flyball ratio is great and the Phillies don’t exactly inspire fear in opposing pitchers. He’s a great SP2 option today for the early set.

Batter Grind Down

• The wind is blowing in at Wrigley which makes a lot of the hitters less desirable in this one.
• Kevin Frandsen has a .753 OPS against lefties and Rusin is allowing righties to hit for an OPS of over .700. Darin Ruf absolutely mashes lefties as well with over a .950 OPS against and is definitely a great play.
• I’m avoiding all Cubs hitters, for good reason.

________________________________________________________________________________________

St. Louis vs. Pittsburgh

7:05 PM	St. Louis – ROAD					Pittsburgh – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.272	0.743	17.90%	0.61		0.245	0.705	22.40%	0.55
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.284	0.766	17.50%	0.49		0.241	0.696	22.10%	0.41
SP STATS	Lynn – RHP					Burnett – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.28	4.02	8.46	11.22		1.24	3.18	9.76	12.04
LAST 14 DAYS	1.71	5.89	6.46	6.37		1.37	4.82	8.41	9.73
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	STL vs R		STL BvP			PIT vs R		PIT BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Lance Lynn – His ERA is over 4 in 4 starts against the Pirates this season which accompanies an ERA over 4 on the road. Lynn has also been atrocious over the last few weeks and doesn’t appear to be improving any time soon. I’d avoid.

• A.J. Burnett – Burnett on the other hand has been stellar at home with a 2.49 ERA and over 1 K/IP. His last 4 starts all came on the road and he should be happy to get some home cooking against a Cardinals team that has gone silent at the plate. The matchup isn’t great but with his ability to strike guys out I think he has great GPP upside tonight.

Batter Grind Down

• Lefties are hitting at a .730 OPS against Lynn and Garrett Jones is coming off a monster night on Friday. Pedro Alvarez is also in play at home against a righty.
• You may want to avoid McCutch and Martin today. Mccutch is just 4-23 lifetime against Lynn and Martin is 2-11.
• Matt Carpenter is your best bet for the Cards. He’s 8-18 with 3 XBH off Burnett in his career. He does hit MUCH better at home though so it’s buyer beware.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Cleveland vs. Detroit

7:05 PM	Cleveland – ROAD					Detroit – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.253	0.732	21.10%	0.63		0.282	0.785	16.90%	0.65
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.248	0.723	21.70%	0.48		0.273	0.782	18.30%	0.53
SP STATS	Kazmir – LHP					Sanchez – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.33	4.25	8.28	9.09		1.15	2.61	9.86	13.23
LAST 14 DAYS	1.82	4.91	9.82	8.50		1.26	2.84	9.00	12.00
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	CLE vs R		CLE BvP			DET vs L		DET BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Scott Kazmir – Oh boy. This could get ugly.

• Anibal Sanchez – Cleveland finally scored a few runs on Friday night but they’re still generally cold. Anibal is coming off a tough start against Oakland but I’ll give him a pass since Oakland was beyond scolding hot at the time. He’s a -170 favorite and one of the best, and priciest plays of the night. In 2 starts against Cleveland he has 15 K’s in 12 IP and an ERA just above 2.

Batter Grind Down

• Don’t like any of the Cleveland hitters tonight.
• Kazmir is allowing righties to hit for an .828 OPS against on the season. Miggy at home has to be the best play of the day, but you have to pay WAY up for him and I don’t know if I’d be willing to do that considering his injury concerns right now.
• I really like Matt Tuiasosopo, Omar Infante and Torii Hunter. All 3 of these guys mash lefties and can give you some big scores.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Grind Down: Page 1 – Page 2