MLB Daily Grind Down: Thursday, September 12th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2013-09-12 20:36:03

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

Atlanta vs. Miami

12:40 PM	Atlanta – ROAD					Miami – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.252	0.731	22.40%	0.59		0.231	0.623	19.80%	0.43
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.247	0.715	21.70%	0.46		0.232	0.619	19.20%	0.31
SP STATS	Garcia – RHP					Flynn – LHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.30	5.19	4.49	4.80		2.25	6.75	4.50	3.00
LAST 14 DAYS	0.83	1.17	5.00	3.40		2.25	6.75	4.50	3.00
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	ATL vs L		ATL BvP			MIA vs R		MIA BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Freddy Garcia – Garcia isn’t a reliable option at this point in his career. There is a reason he is bouncing around from team to team. Even though he is facing the Marlins and is a decent favorite, he likely won’t last longer than 5 innings. The Marlins can grind out some runs against pitchers and I think they do so today against Garcia. Starter Rating = 4

• Brian Flynn – The Braves typically have a few lefties in their lineup, but the only one in their lineup today is Freddie Freeman. Flynn is a lefty making a spot start for the Marlins. He has an ERA over 6.00 this season and only managed to pitch 4 innings in his last start. Not the best option against the Braves. Starter Rating = 2

Batter Grind Down

ATL – Like I said earlier, Atlanta is throwing a lot of right handed bats at Flynn today. Evan Gattis, Chris Johnson, and Justin Upton all hit lefties well and are recommended today even in this pitcher’s park.

MIA – Last night’s game between these two was a fun one to watch. I think this one will be a little more high scoring than usual for games in Miami. Logan Morrison has a lefty/righty matchup against Garcia and Giancarlo Stanton is always a cheap option with a ton of power.

Washington vs. NY Mets

1:10 PM	Washington – ROAD					NY Mets – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.247	0.700	20.20%	0.54		0.239	0.683	22.20%	0.54
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.253	0.711	20.10%	0.44		0.237	0.679	22.00%	0.41
SP STATS	Roark – RHP					Harang – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	0.89	0.94	7.34	6.82		1.34	5.76	6.52	6.82
LAST 14 DAYS	1.07	0.73	8.18	6.53
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	WSN vs R		WSN BvP			NYM vs R		NYM BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Tanner Roark – Roark made his first career start earlier in the week and it turned out as good as he could have ever expected. He threw 6 scoreless innings against the Marlins while striking out 4 batters. The schedule has definitely worked out in his favor as now he gets to face the Mets in Citi Field. I think he makes a solid play once again. Starter Rating = 6

• Aaron Harang – Harang is now a member of the Mets. The pitcher’s park may help lower his ERA a little bit, but until he starts pitching better, he’s not a great fantasy option. Harang is giving up an OPS close to .800 to both righties and lefties. Starter Rating = 3

Batter Grind Down

WAS – The Nationals offense has finally come alive. They’ve won 7 of their last 8 games in large part to a hot offense. Today they get to face Aaron Harang who can single handedly break teams out of hitting slumps. All Nats are in play, but I really like Ryan Zimmerman as he has 5 HR’s in his last 5 games.

NYM – The Mets are not a good offensive team at home, but at least Roark is right handed. Daniel Murphy, Lucas Duda, and Eric Young are all good from the left side of the plate.

Oakland vs. Minnesota

1:10 PM	Oakland – ROAD					Minnesota – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.244	0.718	19.40%	0.59		0.241	0.698	22.20%	0.54
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.245	0.735	20.00%	0.49		0.238	0.695	22.00%	0.43
SP STATS	Griffin – RHP					Diamond – LHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.17	3.91	7.42	10.52		1.56	5.52	3.78	5.31
LAST 14 DAYS	1.22	4.50	10.00	13.67
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	OAK vs L		OAK BvP			MIN vs R		MIN BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• A.J. Griffin – The Twins and the White Sox are two teams that are giving me fits this late in the season. Neither lineup looks very good, but somehow they keep producing runs. Griffin has a decent ERA and a good K rate of more than 7 per 9 innings. The matchup is there, but there is something about this Twins team right now. Personally, I’m going a different route, but I understand the play. Starter Rating = 5

• Scott Diamond – Diamond hasn’t made a start in over a month and he was giving up hit after hit after hit at that point. He has a 6.50 ERA at home with a 1.72 WHIP. He’s facing an A’s team that just scored 18 runs last night against them. All signs point to avoid Diamond. Starter Rating = 1

Batter Grind Down

OAK – What a performance last night, if you had any A’s in your lineup you were probably looking pretty good last night. My favorite 3 plays today are Yoenis Cespedes, Jed Lowrie, and Josh Donaldson. All three are good against lefties and have been playing well.

MIN – There aren’t any specific Twins bats that jump out at me as good plays, but they have been finding ways to score runs. I’ll probably take the safe route and avoid both Griffin and the Twins.

San Diego vs. Philadelphia

7:05 PM	San Diego – ROAD					Philadelphia – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.247	0.693	20.90%	0.54		0.248	0.694	19.90%	0.52
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.244	0.677	20.80%	0.39		0.254	0.702	19.60%	0.41
SP STATS	Ross – RHP					Halladay – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.16	2.79	8.47	5.81		1.43	7.19	7.57	6.51
LAST 14 DAYS	1.11	2.50	10.50	11.33		1.55	4.91	4.91	5.50
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	SDP vs R		SDP BvP			PHI vs R		PHI BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Tyson Ross – Ross has really pitched well this season. He has a 2.79 ERA and a K rate of 8.5 per 9 innings. His upside is big thanks to his ability to strike batters out. What’s more impressive is that he has been able to sustain that success away from Petco. The Phillies have some good left handed bats, but I think Ross pitches well. Starter Rating = 6

• Roy Halladay – Halladay has pitched decent in two of his three starts since coming back from injury, but the velocity just hasn’t been there. At this point, I think it’s time to throw in the towel with Halladay. Starter Rating = 4

Batter Grind Down

SD – Jedd Gyorko really seems to like playing in Philly. In the two games there, he has 4 hits, 4 runs, and 2 RBI’s. He’s a great cheap option at 2nd against Halladay. I also like Will Venable, he gives you some pop and speed.

PHI – Chase Utley and Cody Asche both have the lefty/righty matchup against Ross, but neither is at the top of their position plays today.

Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh

7:05 PM	Chicago Cubs – ROAD					Pittsburgh – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.240	0.702	20.10%	0.54		0.245	0.705	22.40%	0.55
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.230	0.689	22.00%	0.41		0.260	0.740	23.40%	0.48
SP STATS	Rusin – LHP					Locke – LHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.38	2.89	5.09	7.40		1.38	3.23	6.70	9.19
LAST 14 DAYS	1.95	4.15	4.39	4.10		1.85	6.52	7.83	5.10
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	CHC vs L		CHC BvP			PIT vs L		PIT BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Chris Rusin – Rusin has pitched well this season, but he just doesn’t pitch that deep into games which really limits his fantasy potential. Mix that in with the matchup against the Pirates and this one is pretty easy to stay away from. Starter Rating = 4

• Jeff Locke – Lot of talk about Locke in Pittsburgh. Us fantasy guys were all waiting for his numbers to drop and now they have. Even though the Cubs aren’t great against lefties, I don’t like taking struggling pitchers all that much. Starter Rating = 5

Batter Grind Down

CHC – Donnie Murphy and Dioner Navarro are both on HR’s tears. The way Locke is pitching it’s not a bad idea to get a few Cubbies in your lineup.

PIT – Andrew McCutchen is in play every single night these days. He just keeps producing night in and night out and now he gets to face a lefty.

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