MLB Daily Grind Down: Thursday, September 12th Part 2

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2013-09-12 16:32:26

NY Yankees vs. Baltimore

7:05 PM	NY Yankees – ROAD					Baltimore – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.246	0.685	19.40%	0.55		0.264	0.755	18.10%	0.63
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.249	0.681	18.90%	0.41		0.271	0.777	17.70%	0.53
SP STATS	Hughes – RHP					Chen – LHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.44	5.11	7.48	7.00		1.24	3.82	6.33	9.22
LAST 14 DAYS	2.46	9.95	4.43	0.70		1.97	8.56	12.27	6.07
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	NYY vs L		NYY BvP			BAL vs R		BAL BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Phil Hughes – So much for David Huff taking over Hughes spot in the rotation. Hughes is back and maybe he has something to prove. Who am I kidding? Hughes has an ERA of 7.00 this season against the Orioles and is giving up an OPS over .800 to left hand bats. He might as well just walk Chris Davis every time. Starter Rating = 2

• Wei-Yin Chen – Chen has been good at home this season with a 3.06 ERA, but he is facing a Yankees team with their backs against the wall. This has the feeling of an 8-6 type of game. Nothing against Chen, just don’t like the timing of the matchup. Starter Rating = 3

Batter Grind Down

NYY – Alfonso Soriano is the bat that you want to play tonight. He seems to come through with a big game every time the Yankees face a lefty. Alex Rodriguez has actually been playing pretty well too and Vernon Wells will likely be batting in the middle of that lineup.

BAL – Hughes is a great pitcher to pick on. You can literally take any of the Orioles bats tonight and I would think it’s a smart play. The favorites here have to be Chris Davis and Adam Jones because of their ability to hit home runs.

LA Angels vs. Toronto

7:07 PM	LA Angels – ROAD					Toronto – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.263	0.743	18.90%	0.61		0.252	0.733	18.00%	0.62
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.243	0.714	19.20%	0.47		0.255	0.748	17.90%	0.50
SP STATS	Richards – RHP					Happ – LHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.30	3.90	6.49	4.21		1.51	5.09	7.17	7.21
LAST 14 DAYS	1.72	3.52	7.75	10.03		1.70	5.02	7.66	7.37
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	LAA vs L		LAA BvP			TOR vs R		TOR BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Garrett Richards – Richards has had solid starts back to back against the Rangers and the Rays, can he make it three in a row against the Blue Jays? Vegas doesn’t seem to love either pitcher in this matchup and the way this series is going, I don’t either. Starter Rating = 3

• J.A. Happ – Happ is a guy that is hard to trust. He has a decent K rate, but he is always susceptible to those big innings where he gives up 3-4 runs. He faces the Angels who have all of the sudden found some offense. This game has a high total with little upside for Happ. Starter Rating = 3

Batter Grind Down

LAA – Mark Trumbo is on fire right now, that or he just really likes Toronto. In this series, he is 6/8 with 2 HR’s and 5 runs. Take the hot bat while you can. Also like Erick Aybar and Mike Trout.

TOR – Brett Lawrie, Adam Lind, and Jose Reyes all hit right hand bats well and Rajai Davis is an interesting GPP play thanks to his speed.

Boston vs. Tampa Bay

7:10 PM	Boston – ROAD					Tampa Bay – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.273	0.780	20.40%	0.68		0.262	0.748	18.70%	0.62
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.282	0.807	20.20%	0.56		0.253	0.739	18.70%	0.49
SP STATS	Peavy – RHP					Hellickson – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.10	4.01	7.48	10.86		1.35	5.04	6.79	8.36
LAST 14 DAYS	1.15	4.15	5.54	9.50		1.88	5.63	5.63	6.00
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	BOS vs R		BOS BvP			TBR vs R		TBR BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Jake Peavy – Peavy has been really good for the Red Sox. He is facing a Rays team that is coming apart at the hinges. The Rays are usually a great September team but they just can’t stop losing. I think Peavy has a good chance to pick up the win. Starter Rating = 6

• Jeremy Hellickson – Hellickson has had a very up and down season, but at the moment he is on the downswing. He’s given up at least 3 earned runs in 4 of his last 5 starts and faces the Red Sox. Not looking like things are going to get any better in Tampa tonight. Starter Rating = 3

Batter Grind Down

BOS – The Red Sox don’t have great numbers against Hellickson, but he’s just not pitching well right now. David Ortiz, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Stephen Drew are my favorites here. All lefties.

TB – Evan Longoria could be in play tonight against Peavy, he is doing all he can to break his team out of the slump. He’s about the only one though.

Cleveland vs. Chicago White Sox

8:10 PM	Cleveland – ROAD					Chicago White Sox – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.253	0.732	21.10%	0.63		0.251	0.683	19.30%	0.51
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.263	0.751	19.90%	0.49		0.253	0.691	19.30%	0.40
SP STATS	Kluber – RHP					Danks – LHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.20	3.54	8.57	10.45		1.25	4.45	6.09	8.31
LAST 14 DAYS	1.20	3.60	9.00	12.00		1.98	7.84	5.35	3.55
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	CLE vs L		CLE BvP			CHW vs R		CHW BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Corey Kluber – Kluber has really pitched well since the All-Star break. In 5 starts, he has a 2.53 ERA while holding opponents to a .248 batting average. The White Sox offense has been scoring runs anytime I take a pitcher against them, but I think I am going to give them another shot. Kluber is pitching well and has a favorable matchup. Starter Rating = 6

• John Danks – Danks is a bit too inconsistent for my fantasy game. He’s given up 18 hits and 9 earned runs in his last two starts and even though the Indians have a lot of left handed bats, Danks is actually giving up a higher batting average to lefties. Starter Rating = 4

Batter Grind Down

CLE – Danks isn’t good against lefties so this could be a sneaky spot to get a couple lefties such as Jason Kipnis or Michael Brantley in your lineup.

CWS – Alejandro De Aza and Gordon Beckham have both been good against right hand pitching, but I think Kluber is the play here.

Milwaukee vs. St. Louis

8:15 PM	Milwaukee – ROAD					St. Louis – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.254	0.714	19.70%	0.57		0.272	0.743	17.90%	0.61
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.251	0.713	18.90%	0.43		0.284	0.766	17.50%	0.49
SP STATS	Thornburg – RHP					Kelly – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.31	2.08	5.72	4.68		1.41	2.74	6.05	5.16
LAST 14 DAYS	1.39	2.35	6.25	3.40		1.56	1.50	5.00	12.33
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	MIL vs R		MIL BvP			STL vs R		STL BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Tyler Thornburg – While Thornburg’s ERA is low, he’s only made 4 starts this season and faces a tough Cardinals lineup tonight. He’s a +154 underdog today and I agree with Vegas. Starter Rating = 2

• Joe Kelly – I’ve been down on Kelly all season long. I feel like his WHIP of 1.413 is way too high for him to keep his ERA as low as it is. He’s giving up close to 10 baserunners in each start and somehow holding teams to an earned run or two. I think it’s going to catch up to him. Starter Rating = 5

Batter Grind Down

MIL – All teams need to do against Kelly is string together some hits because there are certainly hits to be had against him. Carlos Gomez and Jean Segura look like good plays.

STL – Matt Holliday has really been big for me the last two nights. I know it’s not smart to pick someone just because they have done well for you in the past, but I think the matchup is there and Holliday has been swinging a hot bat. Also like Carlos Beltran batting clean-up with Craig out.

San Francisco vs. LA Dodgers

10:10 PM	San Francisco – ROAD					LA Dodgers – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.259	0.692	16.90%	0.51		0.266	0.723	18.40%	0.56
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.261	0.701	16.80%	0.40		0.271	0.728	18.00%	0.44
SP STATS	Cain – RHP					Greinke – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.17	4.37	7.93	9.56		1.15	2.79	7.47	12.09
LAST 14 DAYS	1.97	2.84	4.43	7.10		0.94	2.08	10.61	16.40
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	SFG vs R		SFG BvP			LAD vs R		LAD BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Matt Cain – This one should be a good pitcher’s duel. Cain is the exact opposite of Joe Kelly, his ERA is almost double Kelly’s, yet his WHIP is almost 300 points lower. He’s just had some bad luck and has given up a surprising amount of HR’s. Sometimes it’s just not your year. Tough matchup against the Dodgers and it will be hard for him to get the win. Starter Rating = 5

• Zack Greinke – Greinke is almost a must play at home. He is 8-1 with a 2.20 ERA and a WHIP of 0.92. He also has an impressive K rate of 7.5 per 9 innings. I think he makes quick work of the Giants on his way to another great home start. Starter Rating = 9

Batter Grind Down

SF – The Giants have a tough matchup, even on a short day I can’t find any that I want in my lineup.

LAD – Cain has had some bad luck and that could continue tonight against the Dodgers. Yasiel Puig and Adrian Gonzalez are both mid-range options with good upside.