MLB Daily Grind Down: Tuesday, July 2nd
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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Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh
| 7:05 PM | Philadelphia – ROAD | Pittsburgh – HOME | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM BATTING | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | |
| SEASON | 0.255 | 0.716 | 19.60% | 0.56 | 0.242 | 0.703 | 22.50% | 0.55 | |
| VS. LEFT/RIGHT | 0.244 | 0.715 | 21.80% | 0.44 | 0.245 | 0.708 | 22.30% | 0.43 | |
| SP STATS | Pettibone – RHP | Locke – LHP | |||||||
| WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | ||
| SEASON | 1.42 | 4.17 | 5.29 | 7.24 | 1.11 | 2.06 | 6.27 | 10.57 | |
| LAST 14 DAYS | 0.92 | 3.00 | 3.75 | 6.50 | 0.93 | 1.29 | 4.50 | 11.50 | |
| BATTER SPLITS | Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window | ||||||||
PHI vs L  | PHI BvP | PIT vs R | PIT BvP | ||||||
What Vegas Says
- Over/Under Total Runs – 7.5
- Favored Team – PIT -177
Pitcher Grind Down
PIT – Jeff Locke continues his stellar season. Every time that I expect him to finally get rocked, he does what he has been doing all season long and pitches well. He owns a 2.06 ERA and a 1.113 WHIP on the season. I still feel that his numbers are going to come back down to earth a bit, but a matchup against the Phillies at home is a good position for him. He is a big favorite and is in a good spot to get run support with Pettibone as the opposing starter. Target
PHI – Jonathan Pettibone has very average numbers on the season with a below average K-rate. His 6.39 ERA and 1.680 WHIP on the road are certainly not attractive numbers. I think it’s safe to avoid him tonight. Avoid
Batter Grind Down
PIT – In Pettibone’s only start against the Pirates, he gave up HR’s to both Russell Martin and Pedro Alvarez. I like Alvarez again tonight, he still strikes out a lot, but when he faces an average right hand pitcher that doesn’t have great stuff, he is always in play. I also like Andrew McCutchen, he continues to rake with 7 hits over his last 5 games.
PHI – If you still don’t believe in Locke, well I think you need to get over it. The Phillies as a whole bat .244 against lefties on the season which isn’t that great. If you are choosing a side, I recommend the Locke side.
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Milwaukee vs. Washington
| 7:05 PM | Milwaukee – ROAD | Washington – HOME | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM BATTING | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | |
| SEASON | 0.260 | 0.723 | 19.40% | 0.56 | 0.235 | 0.670 | 21.80% | 0.50 | |
| VS. LEFT/RIGHT | 0.256 | 0.718 | 18.60% | 0.43 | 0.241 | 0.688 | 21.90% | 0.41 | |
| SP STATS | Peralta – RHP | Strasburg – RHP | |||||||
| WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | ||
| SEASON | 1.61 | 5.58 | 4.99 | 6.24 | 1.04 | 2.41 | 8.70 | 11.61 | |
| LAST 14 DAYS | 1.40 | 3.63 | 4.21 | 7.37 | 0.95 | 1.89 | 8.05 | 12.00 | |
| BATTER SPLITS | Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window | ||||||||
| MIL vs R | MIL BvP | WSN vs R | WSN BvP | ||||||
What Vegas Says
- Over/Under Total Runs – 7.5
- Favored Team – WAS -230
Pitcher Grind Down
WAS – Stephen Strasburg continues to underwhelm, at least by what we expect after his rookie season. He isn’t pitching bad, but expectations for this guy are so high that when he doesn’t have double digit K’s, it seems like a bad outing. His numbers at home have been stellar though, he has a 1.34 ERA and a 0.850 WHIP. I like him tonight against a Brewers team that is without Ryan Braun. Target
MIL – Not only does the Brewers starter have to face a team that is throwing Strasburg out on the mound, but that Brewer’s starter has been arguably their worst starter this season. Wily Peralta owns an ERA over 5 and a WHIP over 1.600. The addition of Bryce Harper back in the Nats lineup really scares me and should scare Peralta too. Avoid
Batter Grind Down
WAS – Looks like the only piece the Nats were missing was Bryce Harper. In his first game back, their offense went off for 10 runs last night. I expect them to have another solid night against Peralta tonight. Werth, Harper, Zimmerman, and LaRoche are all in play.
MIL – Not a fan of taking hitters against really good pitching.
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Detroit vs. Toronto
| 7:07 PM | Detroit – ROAD | Toronto – HOME | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM BATTING | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | |
| SEASON | 0.281 | 0.779 | 16.50% | 0.64 | 0.250 | 0.731 | 19.10% | 0.62 | |
| VS. LEFT/RIGHT | 0.280 | 0.771 | 16.20% | 0.51 | 0.250 | 0.751 | 19.50% | 0.52 | |
| SP STATS | Fister – RHP | Wang – RHP | |||||||
| WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | ||
| SEASON | 1.20 | 3.50 | 6.99 | 10.44 | 1.58 | 5.24 | 4.07 | 5.78 | |
| LAST 14 DAYS | 1.33 | 4.50 | 5.50 | 8.00 | 1.47 | 4.80 | 4.20 | 6.00 | |
| BATTER SPLITS | Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window | ||||||||
| DET vs R | DET BvP | TOR vs R | TOR BvP | ||||||
What Vegas Says
- Over/Under Total Runs – 9.5
- Favored Team – DET -144
Pitcher Grind Down
TOR – Chien-Ming Wang was looking like he could be around to stay for a while after his first 3 starts of the season, then he went to Fenway and got lit up for 7 earned runs in only 1 and 2/3 innings. The fact is that Wang just isn’t that good, his ERA over the last 4 years is over 6 and he faces an incredibly talented Tigers lineup. Avoid
DET – Doug Fister takes the mound tonight, and while I expect him to get some good run support, I don’t love his matchup against a Rays offense that has been on fire of late. They have firepower all through their lineup and Fister could be in for a rough outing. Avoid
Batter Grind Down
TOR – Fister is a solid pitcher, but the Rays offense is hot. Jose Bautista has 7 hits in his last 4 games including 2 HR’s. He is also 4/11 against Fister with 3 doubles. Keep riding the hot bat. Jose Reyes is also in play although I wish they were letting him steal some bases.
DET – If you are looking for a stack team, Detroit is a great option. Wang looked terrible in his last start and you have to think the Tigers will jump on him early.
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San Francisco vs. Cincinnati
| 7:10 PM | San Francisco – ROAD | Cincinnati – HOME | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM BATTING | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | |
| SEASON | 0.268 | 0.714 | 16.70% | 0.55 | 0.248 | 0.722 | 19.90% | 0.58 | |
| VS. LEFT/RIGHT | 0.264 | 0.713 | 16.70% | 0.42 | 0.248 | 0.719 | 20.10% | 0.47 | |
| SP STATS | Lincecum – RHP | Bailey – RHP | |||||||
| WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | ||
| SEASON | 1.43 | 4.64 | 8.81 | 9.69 | 1.15 | 3.88 | 9.00 | 11.00 | |
| LAST 14 DAYS | 1.49 | 4.42 | 7.46 | 8.03 | 1.17 | 4.50 | 11.25 | 10.50 | |
| BATTER SPLITS | Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window | ||||||||
| SFG vs R | SFG BvP | CIN vs R | CIN BvP | ||||||
What Vegas Says
- Over/Under Total Runs – 8.5
- Favored Team – CIN -174
Pitcher Grind Down
CIN – Homer Bailey has struggled a bit in his last 3 starts allowing an average of 4 earned runs and going 0-2. I usually don’t like to take pitcher’s against teams that don’t strike out a lot and the Giants are one of those teams. The Royals are the only team with less K’s on the season. I think Bailey pitches well, but there are options with much more upside. In Play
SF – Tim Lincecum has been a guy that most Grinders have been avoiding all season long, especially on sites that only allow one starting pitcher. You just never know what you are going to get with him. I hate the matchup against the Reds in the Great American Ball Park which is a very hitter’s friendly park. Avoid
Batter Grind Down
CIN – With Lincecum pitching, you would think to target the left hand bats of the Reds, and while I think they are certainly in play, righties have actually done better than lefties have against him. This could be a sneaky spot for Todd Frazier who had a big game last night and is really cheap across the board.
SF – I have been on the Pablo Sandoval train the last few days and I am ready to jump off as fast as I can. He is so cheap, but until he starts producing I don’t see a reason to take him. Buster Posey could have a good game against Bailey though.
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Miami vs. Atlanta
| 7:10 PM | Miami – ROAD | Atlanta – HOME | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM BATTING | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | |
| SEASON | 0.233 | 0.625 | 18.80% | 0.43 | 0.245 | 0.728 | 23.40% | 0.59 | |
| VS. LEFT/RIGHT | 0.236 | 0.622 | 17.80% | 0.31 | 0.249 | 0.740 | 23.60% | 0.49 | |
| SP STATS | Koehler – RHP | Medlen – RHP | |||||||
| WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | ||
| SEASON | 1.23 | 4.78 | 5.20 | 4.73 | 1.26 | 3.02 | 6.97 | 10.07 | |
| LAST 14 DAYS | 1.27 | 3.27 | 3.27 | 7.50 | 1.00 | 2.57 | 7.71 | 15.00 | |
| BATTER SPLITS | Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window | ||||||||
| MIA vs R | MIA BvP | ATL vs R | ATL BvP | ||||||
What Vegas Says
- Over/Under Total Runs – 7.5
- Favored Team – ATL -250
Pitcher Grind Down
ATL – You aren’t going to find many favorites bigger than Kris Medlen is today. Medlen has certainly turned the corner, but so has the Marlins offense. I still think Medlen is a solid option as he has been very solid at home, but I think expectations need to be tempered a bit. This Marlins lineup is finally producing so we could see him give up a couple runs. Target
MIA – Tom Koehler is not a great fantasy option and is the biggest underdog of the day. Avoid
Batter Grind Down
ATL – The Braves are another team that I would consider stacking or at least mini-stacking. They have a lot of HR hitters in their lineup and Koehler has not been good. All of the bats are in play today and I really like the value of B.J. Upton.
MIA – Medlen appears to have found his groove. I expect the Marlins offense to get some hits off of him, but not be able to do too much damage. I think there are better options.
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