MLB Daily Grind Down: Wednesday, August 28th
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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Chicago Cubs vs. LA Dodgers
| 3:10 PM | Chicago Cubs – ROAD | LA Dodgers – HOME | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM BATTING | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | |
| SEASON | 0.240 | 0.702 | 20.10% | 0.54 | 0.266 | 0.723 | 18.40% | 0.56 | |
| VS. LEFT/RIGHT | 0.244 | 0.707 | 19.40% | 0.44 | 0.271 | 0.728 | 18.00% | 0.44 | |
| SP STATS | Jackson – RHP | Nolasco – RHP | |||||||
| WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | ||
| SEASON | 1.43 | 5.00 | 7.00 | 8.16 | 1.20 | 3.42 | 7.08 | 10.08 | |
| LAST 14 DAYS | 1.71 | 5.29 | 4.76 | 5.33 | 0.85 | 1.77 | 5.82 | 12.37 | |
| BATTER SPLITS | Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window | ||||||||
CHC vs R  | CHC BvP | LAD vs R | LAD BvP | ||||||
What Vegas Says
- Over/Under Total Runs – 7.5
- Favored Team – LAD -230
Pitcher Grind Down
LAD – Kershaw didn’t have the game that we were all expecting him to have last night as he didn’t even manage to last 6 innings. Can the Cubbies keep working the count against Ricky Nolasco today? It’s hard to ignore how big of a favorite Nolasco is and he has pitched well at Dodger Stadium since being traded to the Dodgers. The Cubs are not a great offensive team so look for Nolasco to pitch well. Rating = 7
CHC – Edwin Jackson is 3-7 with a 5.5 ERA on the road this season and is running into a Dodgers lineup that has been producing a ton of runs lately. The Dodgers also have a lot of really good left handed bats to face him. Rating = 4
Batter Grind Down
LAD – The Dodgers bats have been fairly quiet over the last week but this is the perfect matchup for them to put up some runs. Jackson gives up a high average to both lefties and righties. I like the plays of Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez the best.
CHC – The Cubs offense keeps surprising me, but not enough that I want to take any of them. In this situation, you are going to be looking for value so if you can find a Cub bat for dirt cheap, go for it.
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Texas vs. Seattle
| 3:40 PM | Texas – ROAD | Seattle – HOME | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM BATTING | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | |
| SEASON | 0.262 | 0.740 | 16.80% | 0.62 | 0.243 | 0.706 | 21.70% | 0.54 | |
| VS. LEFT/RIGHT | 0.260 | 0.737 | 16.70% | 0.47 | 0.231 | 0.661 | 22.10% | 0.39 | |
| SP STATS | Perez – LHP | Hernandez – RHP | |||||||
| WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | ||
| SEASON | 1.31 | 3.62 | 6.04 | 10.15 | 1.09 | 2.49 | 9.38 | 13.82 | |
| LAST 14 DAYS | 1.09 | 3.13 | 6.26 | 14.33 | 1.00 | 3.32 | 10.89 | 13.00 | |
| BATTER SPLITS | Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window | ||||||||
| TEX vs R | TEX BvP | SEA vs L | SEA BvP | ||||||
What Vegas Says
- Over/Under Total Runs – 7.0
- Favored Team – SEA -135
Pitcher Grind Down
SEA – Felix Hernandez has not pitched very well against the Rangers this season. In 4 starts against them, he has an ERA of 5.55 and has only managed to last an average of 6 innings in those starts. I thought that maybe his numbers were skewed from the games played in Texas, but he has struggled against them at home as well. I think Felix is going to be overpriced for what you will get out of him todya. Rating = 6
TEX – Martin Perez might be the play in this game. The Mariners are only batting .232 on the season against lefties and the Rangers offense has shown that it can put runs up against Felix. Perez has pitched well this season and currently holds a 3.63 ERA. He is much cheaper than Felix and could end up outscoring him. Rating = 7
Batter Grind Down
SEA – The Mariners struggle as a team against lefties, but they do have Kendrys Morales and Franklin Gutierrez that are good against lefties. I think the smart play is to take Perez in this one though.
TEX – Even though the Rangers have had success against Felix this year, none of them really stand out as great plays because they are all so expensive. I think that they will touch him up a bit again today, but their prices make them hard to use.
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Miami vs. Washington
| 7:05 PM | Miami – ROAD | Washington – HOME | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM BATTING | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | |
| SEASON | 0.231 | 0.623 | 19.80% | 0.43 | 0.247 | 0.700 | 20.20% | 0.54 | |
| VS. LEFT/RIGHT | 0.232 | 0.619 | 19.20% | 0.31 | 0.253 | 0.711 | 20.10% | 0.44 | |
| SP STATS | Alvarez – RHP | Strasburg – RHP | |||||||
| WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | ||
| SEASON | 1.21 | 3.86 | 4.86 | 7.80 | 1.06 | 3.00 | 9.35 | 11.60 | |
| LAST 14 DAYS | 1.39 | 6.50 | 5.50 | 5.33 | 0.99 | 2.89 | 9.40 | 11.73 | |
| BATTER SPLITS | Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window | ||||||||
| MIA vs R | MIA BvP | WSN vs R | WSN BvP | ||||||
What Vegas Says
- Over/Under Total Runs – 7.0
- Favored Team – WAS -240
Pitcher Grind Down
WAS – Stephen Strasburg is probably going to be the highest owned pitcher tonight. He has a great matchup against the Marlins at home where he has a 1.58 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP. With Strasburg, you also get the potential for a high K total as he has a K rate over 9 per 9 innings on the season. Rating = 10
MIA – Henderson Alvarez isn’t in a bad spot today, but he’s not that great of a pitcher and he will likely get stuck with the loss with Strasburg being the opposing pitcher. Alvarez has really struggled with left hand bats this season and the Nats have some good lefties. Rating = 3
Batter Grind Down
WAS – Alvarez is giving up a .302 batting average and a .840 OPS of lefties this season. Target Bryce Harper, Denard Span, and Adam Laroche tonight. Ian Desmond is another guy to consider as he has been swinging a hot bat and is one of the few SS’s that give you HR power.
MIA – Strasburg is dominant at home and the Marlins lineup is already weak. Avoid.
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Milwaukee vs. Pittsburgh
| 7:05 PM | Milwaukee – ROAD | Pittsburgh – HOME | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM BATTING | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | |
| SEASON | 0.254 | 0.714 | 19.70% | 0.57 | 0.245 | 0.705 | 22.40% | 0.55 | |
| VS. LEFT/RIGHT | 0.251 | 0.713 | 18.90% | 0.43 | 0.260 | 0.740 | 23.40% | 0.48 | |
| SP STATS | Gorzelanny – LHP | Morton – RHP | |||||||
| WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | ||
| SEASON | 1.21 | 3.60 | 8.78 | 3.37 | 1.30 | 3.42 | 6.50 | 9.39 | |
| LAST 14 DAYS | 2.47 | 12.96 | 11.11 | 3.05 | 1.34 | 2.18 | 5.35 | 10.40 | |
| BATTER SPLITS | Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window | ||||||||
| MIL vs R | MIL BvP | PIT vs L | PIT BvP | ||||||
What Vegas Says
- Over/Under Total Runs – 8.0
- Favored Team – PIT -150
Pitcher Grind Down
PIT – Charlie Morton is in an interesting spot tonight. While he is a big favorite against the Brewers, Morton is not a high strike out pitcher. He is also facing a team that is finally getting healthy and now has a pretty formidable lineup. I think his upside is limited and you can find better options tonight. Rating = 5
MIL – Tom Gorzelanny has given up 12 earned runs in his last two starts and is facing a Pirates team that really hits lefties well. On the season, the Pirates are batting a combined .260 against lefties and are a very tough team to beat at home. Rating = 3
Batter Grind Down
PIT – Andrew McCutchen looks to continue his hot month of August in which he is batting over .400 with an OPS over 1.100. Cutch feasts on left hand pitching and is in a great spot against Gorzelanny. Another Pirates bat to consider is Jody Mercer, he is batting .403 against lefties this season.
MIL – The Brew Crew goes up against Morton tonight who is giving up a .322 batting average to lefties. Very favorable matchup for both Nori Aoki and Logan Schafer.
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Oakland vs. Detroit
| 7:05 PM | Oakland – ROAD | Detroit – HOME | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEAM BATTING | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | AVG | OPS | K% | FPAB | |
| SEASON | 0.244 | 0.718 | 19.40% | 0.59 | 0.282 | 0.785 | 16.90% | 0.65 | |
| VS. LEFT/RIGHT | 0.244 | 0.710 | 19.10% | 0.46 | 0.286 | 0.787 | 16.30% | 0.52 | |
| SP STATS | Straily – RHP | Fister – RHP | |||||||
| WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | WHIP | ERA | K/9 | FPPG | ||
| SEASON | 1.28 | 4.56 | 7.29 | 8.34 | 1.26 | 3.54 | 6.73 | 10.39 | |
| LAST 14 DAYS | 1.68 | 5.51 | 7.83 | 6.70 | 1.81 | 3.86 | 5.44 | 8.40 | |
| BATTER SPLITS | Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window | ||||||||
| OAK vs R | OAK BvP | DET vs R | DET BvP | ||||||
What Vegas Says
- Over/Under Total Runs – 9.0
- Favored Team – DET -170
Pitcher Grind Down
DET – So far the Tigers pitchers have not been able to figure out this A’s offense. I warned you against taking Verlander yesterday and I’m going to warn you again today with Doug Fister. This A’s lineup just has a knack for scoring runs and working pitchers into deep counts. Fister has been good at home this season, but at this point, why keep trying to pick on an A’s offense that is good? Rating = 5
OAK – Dan Straily has a nice K rate of over 7 per 9 innnings, but his ERA and WHIP are both pretty high. Straily takes on a very tough Tigers team that is going to do everything it can to get the win tonight. Following my general rule of thumb, let’s stay away from pitcher’s facing the Tigers. Rating = 2
Batter Grind Down
DET – If you like to use BvP, Torii Hunter has good history against Straily and has 2 HR’s off of him in only 7 at bats. Although, the two players that I am looking at are Austin Jackson who has been red hot this week and Victor Martinez who is now batting .298 against right hand pitching.
OAK – The A’s continue to make it hard on us daily fantasy baseball players. They are a scrappy team that always finds a way to score runs. If you are looking for a hot bat, Coco Crisp is your guy.
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