MLB Daily Grind Down: Sunday, September 8th

by Ethan Haskell (Ethan) Last Updated 2013-09-08 07:36:48

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

NY Mets vs. Cleveland

1:05 PM	NY Mets – ROAD					Cleveland – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.239	0.683	22.20%	0.54		0.253	0.732	21.10%	0.63
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.237	0.679	22.00%	0.41		0.248	0.723	21.70%	0.48
SP STATS	Matsuzaka – RHP					Salazar – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.87	8.68	8.90	4.55		1.00	3.00	10.09	10.50
LAST 14 DAYS	1.87	8.68	8.90	4.55		1.06	1.76	8.94	9.03
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	NYM vs R		NYM BvP			CLE vs R		CLE BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Daisuke Matsuzaka – There’s no big secret here, Daisuke has been horrific in his first few starts. With an 0-3 record and 10.95 ERA, he is the easiest pass of the day. Starter Rating: 0 out of 10
• Danny Salazar – Against a team that just was dominated by Scott Kazmir on Friday night, the strikeout heavy Salazar is a tremendous option. He has just a 1.76 ERA in his last 3 appearances and the Mets lineup looks like something better fit for a college game right now. Starter Rating: 8 out of 10

Batter Grind Down

• I could list off all the Cleveland hitters, or just tell you to play as many as you’re allowed to fit into your lineup today.
• For the Mets, I am avoiding them as I clearly am high on Salazar today.
• There’s not much relevant BvP data in this game, as Dice-K hasn’t pitched vs. CLE hitters in a couple years and Salazar is a rookie.

Boston vs. NY Yankees

1:05 PM	Boston – ROAD					NY Yankees – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.273	0.780	20.40%	0.68		0.246	0.685	19.40%	0.55
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.282	0.807	20.20%	0.56		0.249	0.681	18.90%	0.41
SP STATS	Lester – LHP					Kuroda – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.31	3.99	7.33	10.43		1.11	2.89	6.47	10.49
LAST 14 DAYS	1.09	1.66	5.52	12.73		1.82	9.82	5.73	3.00
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	BOS vs R		BOS BvP			NYY vs L		NYY BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Jon Lester – Lester outdueled Scherzer in his last start and has been riding an incredible hot streak over the past month or so, with a 2.21 ERA. When he’s hitting the right arm slot, his fastball is much harder to pick up. With that said, it’s a tough matchup against a divisional opponent who he has a 4.45 ERA against on the season. Starter Rating: 7 out of 10
• Hiroki Kuroda – His ERA over the last 3 apps is over 8 and he now gets to face an offense that has scored 57 runs in the last 7 days. That’s ABSURD. Avoid Kuroda. Starter Rating: 1 out of 10

Batter Grind Down

• Reynolds is 6-18, Overbay is 9-25, and Nix is 8 for 26 off Lester lifetime.
• The Yankees can put up runs, but if the Lester that has shown up recently is there, they are better left untouched.
• Like I mentioned, Kuroda has been horrific in his last 3 starts and has given up 6 HR in that span (4 came in one game)
• Napoli is beyond hot right now and is the streakiest hitter I’ve seen in awhile. Get him in lineups today.
• Ortiz, Victorino, Pedroia, Carp have all had great success vs. Kuroda. Stack the Sox

Washington vs. Miami

1:10 PM	Washington – ROAD					Miami – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.247	0.700	20.20%	0.54		0.231	0.623	19.80%	0.43
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.253	0.711	20.10%	0.44		0.232	0.619	19.20%	0.31
SP STATS	Strasburg – RHP					Turner – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.05	2.96	9.34	11.31		1.37	3.13	5.67	8.48
LAST 14 DAYS	0.98	3.38	8.82	8.10		1.86	4.41	2.80	4.37
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	WSN vs R		WSN BvP			MIA vs R		MIA BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Stephen Strasburg – Strasburg gets his 4th shot against the league’s worst offense. So far he’s struck out just 7 batters in 11 IP with an ERA over 10. I can’t imagine they possibly hit him hard again but there’s enough evidence to potentially fade him today. Starter Rating: 7 out of 10
• Jacob Turner – Turner has a 2.89 ERA at home and has been a bright spot for the Marlins this season. He has good strikeout potential and this game should be low scoring. If your site of choice doesn’t credit the win heavily, he’s a strong play. Starter Rating: 6 out of 10

Batter Grind Down

• Even though Strasburg has struggled vs. Miami, I’m avoiding MIA hitters today.
• If you want to play anyone, use Giancarlo Stanton whos 7-18 with 2 HR vs. Stras
• Bryce Harper has 2 HR in 6 ABs vs. Turner. Zimmerman double-donged on SAT and has a HR vs. Turner as well.

Atlanta vs. Philadelphia

1:35 PM	Atlanta – ROAD					Philadelphia – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.252	0.731	22.40%	0.59		0.248	0.694	19.90%	0.52
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.247	0.715	21.70%	0.46		0.230	0.670	20.80%	0.40
SP STATS	Maholm – LHP					Hamels – LHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.40	4.37	6.06	8.60		1.19	3.58	8.03	10.79
LAST 14 DAYS	1.44	3.97	4.05	5.55		1.21	3.21	7.71	12.50
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	ATL vs L		ATL BvP			PHI vs L		PHI BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Paul Maholm – Maholm’s ERA at home is just above 2. On the road it’s at almost 7. He’s had some good outings against Philly but I can’t get over how drastically worse he is on the road. I’m avoiding. Starter Rating: 5 out of 10
• Cole Hamels – In 2 starts against ATL his ERA is at 5 but he’s whiffed 14 hitters in 14 IP. He’s coming off back to back gems though and I think he may be finding his stride. Starter Rating: 7 out of 10

Batter Grind Down

• Avoid the hitters in this one, I think it’ll be low scoring with a line at 7.5
• Maholm has been bested by righties this season though, so some value could be found in a guy like Darin Ruf in GPPs today for PHI

Chicago White Sox vs. Baltimore

1:35 PM	Chicago White Sox – ROAD					Baltimore – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.251	0.683	19.30%	0.51		0.264	0.755	18.10%	0.63
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.253	0.691	19.30%	0.40		0.271	0.777	17.70%	0.53
SP STATS	Rienzo – RHP					Norris – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.56	5.03	6.45	7.01		1.47	4.13	7.08	8.82
LAST 14 DAYS	1.93	7.20	7.20	6.33		2.00	7.20	12.60	8.00
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	CHW vs R		CHW BvP			BAL vs R		BAL BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Andre Rienzo – Not on the road against a strong Orioles offense. Starter Rating: 3 out of 10
• Bud Norris – Chicago has reverted back to some offensive struggles, which isn’t surprising considering the lineups they’re putting out. They don’t have a ton of left handed bats, against whom Norris struggles most. I like the play at home. Starter Rating: 7 out of 10

Batter Grind Down

• Lefties have crushed Norris all season, hitting .310 with an .883 OPS against. De Aza, Dunn and Gillaspie are all in play.
• For the Orioles, I think any hitter is in play. Rienzo is allowing both left and right handers to hit about .260 off of him on the season.

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