MLB Daily Grind Down: Tuesday, September 24th Part 2

by Ethan Haskell (Ethan) Last Updated 2013-09-24 04:38:52

NY Mets vs. Cincinnati

7:10 PM	NY Mets – ROAD					Cincinnati – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.239	0.683	22.20%	0.54		0.249	0.718	20.10%	0.58
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.238	0.679	21.90%	0.41		0.242	0.709	20.30%	0.43
SP STATS	Niese – LHP					Leake – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON						1.23	3.21	5.68	9.94
LAST 14 DAYS						0.95	0.84	7.25	16.03
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	NYM vs R		NYM BvP			CIN vs L		CIN BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Jonathon Niese – Niese has cooled off heavily since his blistering August and now draws a Reds offense that has been one of the 3 hottest in all of baseball. I’ll fade him today on the road. Starter Rating: 4 out of 10
• Mike Leake – It looks like Leake has figured it out again, with 17 K’s in his last 21 1/3 IP and just 2 ER (none in his last 2 starts). He’s beaten up on the weak Cubs and Astros lineups but this Mets one isn’t much better. Love him as a great value at home tonight. Starter Rating: 7 out of 10

Batter Grind Down

• With Niese struggling, it’s safe to target righties against him again. They’re hitting .294 on the season and Phillips, Ludwick, Cozart and either of the 2 Cincy catchers (Mesoraco or Hanigan) are good options.
• Speaking of Phillips, he’s 6-16 with 2 HR off Niese. Votto, Bruce and Heisey all have HRs off Niese as well
• David Wright has struggled vs. Leake, going just 1-13 lifetime

Houston vs. Texas

8:05 PM	Houston – ROAD					Texas – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.239	0.683	25.60%	0.54		0.262	0.740	16.80%	0.62
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.239	0.679	25.20%	0.41		0.261	0.731	17.10%	0.46
SP STATS	Peacock – RHP					Darvish – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.40	5.24	8.17	7.18		1.04	2.79	11.93	15.08
LAST 14 DAYS	1.04	2.89	8.90	12.73		0.71	1.29	10.29	14.00
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	HOU vs R		HOU BvP			TEX vs R		TEX BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Brad Peacock – He’s really not that bad, and has above average starts in 2 of his last 3. He went 6 IP allowing just 1 ER and striking out five in his only app against the Rangers earlier this year as well. It could be a sneaky play as an SP2 on sites where the win isn’t too important, but beware of a red hot Rios, Kinsler and Andrus in the TEX lineup. Starter Rating: 5 out of 10
• Yu Darvish – He’s -300 today. He has struck out 43 batters in 29 2/3 IP against the Astros. Let that sink in and realize why this is coming. Starter Rating: 10 out of 10

Batter Grind Down

• Lefties are hitting .290 with a .938 OPS off Peacock this season. That puts the 3 M’s (Moreland, Murphy and Martin) in prime position for big games on Tuesday night. Pierzynski can be included as well I guess, as he has a HR off Peacock in 3 ABs against
• Matt Dong-Minguez has 2 homers off Darvish in 9 ABs but overall, I’m avoiding the ‘Stros.
• Craig Gentry came into Monday 8 for his last 14

Pittsburgh vs. Chicago Cubs

8:05 PM	Pittsburgh – ROAD					Chicago Cubs – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.245	0.705	22.40%	0.55		0.240	0.702	20.10%	0.54
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.263	0.740	22.00%	0.47		0.241	0.702	19.40%	0.43
SP STATS	Cole – RHP					Rusin – LHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.16	3.33	7.02	10.59		1.30	3.52	4.92	6.83
LAST 14 DAYS	0.93	0.64	10.29	18.50		1.34	6.14	3.80	3.40
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	PIT vs L		PIT BvP			CHC vs R		CHC BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Gerrit Cole – Cole is on fire right now, having whiffed 28 hitters in his last 20 IP. He faced these Cubs about 10 days ago and went 7 IP with 7 K’s and 1 ER. I love the play, as long as the wind isn’t blowing out at Wrigley. Starter Rating: 9 out of 10
• Chris Rusin – Rusin has had some rough luck of late. His 6.55 ERA looks much worse than the 0.91 WHIP would really tell you. Either way, he could have some worse luck today, as the Pirates crush left handed pitching. Starter Rating: 2 out of 10

Batter Grind Down

• Righties have a .793 OPS against Rusin on the season. McCutch, Marte, Byrd and Martin are all great options tonight.
• Looking for value? Try Jordy Mercer as a punt SS against the left handed Rusin
• Tony Sanchez is 4 for his last 11 with a HR for the Pirates
• I’m avoiding Cubs bats

Detroit vs. Minnesota

8:10 PM	Detroit – ROAD					Minnesota – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.282	0.785	16.90%	0.65		0.241	0.698	22.20%	0.54
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.268	0.763	18.50%	0.50		0.237	0.692	22.40%	0.43
SP STATS	Fister – RHP					Diamond – LHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.31	3.67	6.57	10.11		1.54	5.54	3.50	5.24
LAST 14 DAYS	1.50	3.86	6.43	9.00		1.36	5.73	0.82	4.50
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	DET vs L		DET BvP			MIN vs R		MIN BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Doug Fister – It looks like Fister and Mike Leake met up and drank some of that magic, make-you-better-again, potion. Fister has 3 quality starts in his last 4 games and has 14 K’s in 14 IP against the Twins on the season, who are putting out a minor league lineup and just got DESTROYED by Verlander on Monday. Starter Rating: 7 out of 10
• Scott Diamond – His home ERA is 6.6, his ERA vs. the Tigers is around 5 and he’s just not that good. There are much better options today. Starter Rating: 1 out of 10

Batter Grind Down

• I don’t even know who the Twins will roll out in a lineup anymore.
• Eric Fryer is 3 for his last 9 with a HR for Minny if you really wanna dig deep
• Fister has struggled most against RHB, who are hitting .304 against.
• Tee up the DET bats. Right handers are hitting .299 with a .804 OPS off Diamond. Lefties are at .325 with a .977 OPS
• I love all the Tigers today, they’re my top stack of the night

Washington vs. St. Louis

8:15 PM	Washington – ROAD					St. Louis – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.247	0.700	20.20%	0.54		0.272	0.743	17.90%	0.61
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.258	0.734	19.90%	0.46		0.234	0.666	19.00%	0.40
SP STATS	Gonzalez – LHP					Wacha – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.26	3.40	9.04	11.21		1.10	2.81	8.63	7.39
LAST 14 DAYS	0.93	2.40	7.80	14.00		1.00	1.50	6.75	11.50
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	WSN vs R		WSN BvP			STL vs L		STL BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Gio Gonzalez – On another day with less pitching options I’d consider him, but given the slate of arms today and this matchup, I think you can do a lot better at his price point. Starter Rating: 6 out of 10
• Michael Wacha – He’s striking out a ton of batters but he’s not throwing deep into games. 4 2/3 and 5 IP in his last 2 starts with 7 K’s in each. He looks like he’s a lock to get pulled around the 90 pitch mark and I don’t see him hitting enough value to be worth it in that span. Starter Rating: 5 out of 10

Batter Grind Down

• This game seems like a grind-it-out, 4 to 3 type affair with neither team really exploding.
• Matt Holliday is 20 for his last 47 with 2 HR and hits lefties well. He’s also hitting .500 over the last week

Grind Down: Page 2 – Page 3