MLB Daily Grind Down: July 23rd
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
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Pittsburgh vs. Washington
| 7:05 PM | Pittsburgh – ROAD | Washington – HOME | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM BATTING | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | |
| SEASON | 0.243 | 0.700 | 22.30% | 0.55 | 0.240 | 0.682 | 21.00% | 0.52 | |
| VS. LEFT/RIGHT | 0.243 | 0.702 | 21.90% | 0.42 | 0.250 | 0.705 | 20.90% | 0.43 | |
| SP STATS | Cole – RHP | Jordan – RHP | |||||||
| WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | ||
| SEASON | 1.31 | 3.89 | 5.46 | 9.17 | 1.42 | 3.32 | 4.25 | 5.80 | |
| LAST 14 DAYS | 1.25 | 3.75 | 6.75 | 8.00 | 1.52 | 3.86 | 4.82 | 6.10 | |
| BATTER SPLITS | Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window | ||||||||
PIT vs R  | PIT BvP | WSN vs R | WSN BvP | ||||||
What Vegas Says
- Over/Under Total Runs – 8.5
- Favored Team – WAS -120
Pitcher Grind Down
WAS – This game is going to be the battle of young pitchers. Taylor Jordan has made 4 starts this season and has pitched pretty well so far. He has a 3.32 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP with only one of those starts being at home. I think the jury is still out on this kid and Vegas is as split on this game as I am. The Pirates have really been hitting the ball lately so unless you can get Jordan for really cheap, I would pass on him tonight. Avoid
PIT – Gerrit Cole hasn’t exactly been the lights out pitcher that some people were hoping for, but he has been very consistent so far. He’s given up 2-3 runs in each of his last 5 starts and has always given his team a chance to pick up the win. I think you can expect a similar performance out of him tonight against the Nats. His low K rate of 5.5 per 9 innings makes him a low upside play tonight. Avoid
Batter Grind Down
WAS – Cole is giving up a .298 batting average to lefties this season so this could be a good spot for a Nationals offense that has a few lefties. Harper, LaRoche, and Span all fare much better against right hand pitching and are all in play against the rookie.
PIT – If Jordan keeps giving up the same amount of hits and walks, his ERA is going to catch up to him. I think the Pirates are in a decent spot tonight, but usually Andrew McCutchen is the only play you see people take from the Pirates. Maybe look at Garrett Jones who has a nice hit streak going.
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LA Dodgers vs. Toronto
| 7:07 PM | LA Dodgers – ROAD | Toronto – HOME | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM BATTING | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | |
| SEASON | 0.262 | 0.715 | 18.30% | 0.55 | 0.251 | 0.732 | 18.70% | 0.62 | |
| VS. LEFT/RIGHT | 0.263 | 0.715 | 18.10% | 0.42 | 0.248 | 0.700 | 17.60% | 0.44 | |
| SP STATS | Capuano – LHP | Redmond – RHP | |||||||
| WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | ||
| SEASON | 1.41 | 4.63 | 7.44 | 6.78 | 0.99 | 4.32 | 7.78 | 5.24 | |
| LAST 14 DAYS | 0.98 | 0.00 | 11.80 | 18.10 | 1.25 | 6.75 | 13.50 | 7.00 | |
| BATTER SPLITS | Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window | ||||||||
| LAD vs R | LAD BvP | TOR vs L | TOR BvP | ||||||
What Vegas Says
- Over/Under Total Runs – 9.5
- Favored Team – Pick ‘Em
Pitcher Grind Down
TOR – Todd Redmond should be ignored as a fantasy option tonight. He has a decent K rate, but most of those innings were out of the bullpen. The Dodgers team is firing on all cylinders right now and taking a young, inconsistent pitcher against them isn’t the best play. Avoid
LAD – Chris Capuano has actually put up some good numbers on the road this season with a 2.61 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. The problem is that those road starts weren’t in the Rogers Centre against the Blue Jays offense who are batting with a .766 OPS at home. Look for Cap to struggle. Avoid
Batter Grind Down
TOR – Like I said above, the Blue Jays are a very good offensive team at home. I think Jose Reyes is a great play tonight, he has been seeing the ball well lately and has 7 hits and 3 stolen bases in his last 5 games. Joey Bats is always in play at home where he is batting .323 there on the season.
LAD – Personally, I don’t trust Todd Redmond one bit. The Dodgers are coming off of a 14 run performance last night and they should be in another good spot tonight. In his career, Redmond is allowing both lefties and righties to bat for an OPS over 1.000 against him. Load up on the Dodgers tonight.
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Atlanta vs. NY Mets
| 7:10 PM | Atlanta – ROAD | NY Mets – HOME | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM BATTING | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | |
| SEASON | 0.251 | 0.735 | 22.70% | 0.60 | 0.236 | 0.684 | 22.40% | 0.55 | |
| VS. LEFT/RIGHT | 0.254 | 0.744 | 22.80% | 0.49 | 0.234 | 0.682 | 22.30% | 0.43 | |
| SP STATS | Medlen – RHP | Torres – RHP | |||||||
| WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | ||
| SEASON | 1.38 | 3.64 | 6.84 | 9.33 | 0.90 | 0.79 | 8.11 | 3.65 | |
| LAST 14 DAYS | 2.50 | 9.00 | 9.00 | 4.00 | 1.11 | 1.00 | 8.00 | 5.33 | |
| BATTER SPLITS | Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window | ||||||||
| ATL vs R | ATL BvP | NYM vs R | NYM BvP | ||||||
What Vegas Says
- Over/Under Total Runs – 7.5
- Favored Team – ATL -140
Pitcher Grind Down
NYM – Carlos Torres has really pitched well in the bullpen this season. In 22 innings, he has only allowed 2 earned runs. He pitched well in his first start, but I just don’t think he is ready to pitch deep into the game yet so even if he pitches well, he will probably only get 5 innings. Not much upside for Torres and when you consider that he is the underdog tonight, that should be enough to stay away. Avoid
ATL – Kris Medlen continues to be a big favorite every time he takes the mound and then he continues to disappoint. At this point, I think we have to accept that he is not going to be the same pitcher that he was a year ago and accept him as a slightly above average pitcher with a 3.64 ERA. I would not pay top dollar for Medlen tonight, but if he is in the lower/middle tier, he could be worth a shot considering his opponent is the Mets who have a .222 batting average at home. In Play
Batter Grind Down
NYM – The Mets BvP numbers against Medlen look awful, but a lot of those were compiled last season. I love the way Eric Young is playing right now, he is racking up the hits and stolen bases and is a solid play if you like to play it safe.
ATL – The Braves had a huge come from behind win last night against the Mets and that could get their bats going here tonight. Torres has been solid on the season, but he could struggle in only his second start. Brian McCann has a nice hit streak going and gets the lefty/righty splits in his favor.
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Tampa Bay vs. Boston
| 7:10 PM | Tampa Bay – ROAD | Boston – HOME | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM BATTING | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | |
| SEASON | 0.262 | 0.754 | 18.30% | 0.64 | 0.276 | 0.792 | 20.70% | 0.70 | |
| VS. LEFT/RIGHT | 0.289 | 0.791 | 18.40% | 0.52 | 0.285 | 0.819 | 20.00% | 0.58 | |
| SP STATS | Hernandez – RHP | Lester – LHP | |||||||
| WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | ||
| SEASON | 1.31 | 4.90 | 6.99 | 8.51 | 1.37 | 4.58 | 7.40 | 9.81 | |
| LAST 14 DAYS | 1.50 | 4.50 | 6.75 | 9.50 | 1.80 | 6.35 | 8.11 | 6.55 | |
| BATTER SPLITS | Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window | ||||||||
| TBR vs L | TBR BvP | BOS vs R | BOS BvP | ||||||
What Vegas Says
- Over/Under Total Runs – 9.5
- Favored Team – BOS -135
Pitcher Grind Down
BOS – Jon Lester has been much better at home than he has on the road, but at this point I don’t think you want to roster him. His ERA and WHIP are both high and he has struggled against the Rays this year with a 4.82 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. You want to take players trending upwards, not downwards. Avoid
TB – Roberto Hernandez is a pitcher that you want to stay away from when he faces a good offense. He’s in play when he takes on the likes of the Marlins or Astros, but against the Red Sox in Fenway, you are better off picking a random pitcher with your eyes closed. Hernandez has a 5.74 ERA on the road that will likely increase after this one. Avoid
Batter Grind Down
BOS – This game should be filled with some fireworks with these two pitchers on the mound. If you can afford any of the left hand bats of the Red Sox, you may want to get them in your lineup as Hernandez is giving up an OPS of .887 against lefties this season. David Ortiz is in a great spot and is 9/22 with 4 XBH’s against Hernandez.
TB – If you didn’t know, the Rays are one of, if not the best hitting team against left handed pitching this season. They own a .288 batting average and a .790 OPS against lefties. Longo, Jennings, and Zobrist are all in play and if you want a sleeper pick look to Rodriguez.
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NY Yankees vs. Texas
| 8:05 PM | NY Yankees – ROAD | Texas – HOME | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM BATTING | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | |
| SEASON | 0.244 | 0.683 | 19.50% | 0.54 | 0.261 | 0.738 | 17.30% | 0.59 | |
| VS. LEFT/RIGHT | 0.247 | 0.699 | 19.30% | 0.42 | 0.264 | 0.752 | 17.30% | 0.48 | |
| SP STATS | Hughes – RHP | Ogando – RHP | |||||||
| WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | ||
| SEASON | 1.29 | 4.57 | 7.76 | 8.56 | 1.23 | 2.93 | 7.02 | 9.61 | |
| LAST 14 DAYS | 0.90 | 4.76 | 9.73 | 8.55 | |||||
| BATTER SPLITS | Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window | ||||||||
| NYY vs R | NYY BvP | TEX vs R | TEX BvP | ||||||
What Vegas Says
- Over/Under Total Runs – 9.5
- Favored Team – TEX -160
Pitcher Grind Down
TEX – Alexi Ogando hasn’t pitched in a month and a half and will likely be limited in his first start back from the DL. I think you should give him a couple games before taking him. Avoid
NYY – Phil Hughes is one of those pitchers that is always surprising us. Whenever he has a great matchup, he falls apart and gets negative fantasy points. Then he will have a tough matchup and pitch great. That’s just the kind of inconsistency that Hughes provides. His splits are different each year too. I certainly don’t trust him against the Rangers in this ballpark even though he has pitched well against them in the past. Avoid
Batter Grind Down
TEX – Don’t worry about the bad BvP numbers for Texas. Instead look at how big of favorites they are and look at the over/under. Ian Kinsler is batting .294 at home, Adrian Beltre has been on absolute fire this month with a 1.222 OPS, and Nelson Cruz has 19 HR’s against right hand pitching. All are in play.
NYY – I’m not sure what to expect out of Ogando, but this is a hitter-friendly ballpark and the Yankees have plenty of left hand bats to face the righty. Robinson Cano looks to be in a good spot and Brett Gardner does as well.
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