MLB Daily Grind Down: Wednesday, September 18th Part 3

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2013-09-18 16:31:25

Cleveland vs. Kansas City

8:10 PM	Cleveland – ROAD					Kansas City – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.253	0.732	21.10%	0.63		0.258	0.688	16.60%	0.54
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.270	0.768	19.50%	0.52		0.261	0.696	17.00%	0.40
SP STATS	Salazar – RHP					Chen – LHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.12	2.66	12.09	10.78		1.16	3.11	5.88	5.29
LAST 14 DAYS	1.36	0.66	15.00	11.40		1.17	4.67	4.74	7.03
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	CLE vs L		CLE BvP			KCR vs R		KCR BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Danny Salazar – Take one quick look at Salazar’s numbers above and tell me that you don’t want to play him tonight. Low ERA and a K rate of over 12 per 9 innings. Even though he is still a bit of a question mark, you have to love the upside. Starter Rating = 6

• Bruce Chen – Chen has been pretty good for the Royals this season, but the Indians are a tough team to face. While they have a lot of lefties in that lineup, most of the lefties can hit left hand pitching. Of the two pitchers here, I like Salazar better. Starter Rating = 4

Batter Grind Down

CLE – Carlos Santana and Nick Swisher both hit lefties well and bat near the top of the order. Ryan Raburn is also a nice value play as he is batting .326 against lefties this season.

KC – The Royals offense just doesn’t have that pop that you look for when selecting hitters. While they can string together runs, they just don’t have much fantasy appeal. Tough matchup against Salazar too.

Chicago Cubs vs. Milwaukee

8:10 PM	Chicago Cubs – ROAD					Milwaukee – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.240	0.702	20.10%	0.54		0.254	0.714	19.70%	0.57
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.241	0.702	19.40%	0.43		0.265	0.731	21.30%	0.44
SP STATS	Rusin – LHP					Thornburg – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.28	2.85	4.80	7.36		1.26	2.18	6.09	5.26
LAST 14 DAYS	1.28	3.38	2.65	4.60		1.17	3.00	7.50	11.00
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	CHC vs R		CHC BvP			MIL vs L		MIL BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Chris Rusin – Rusin has a 2.80 ERA on the season but he isn’t striking out many batters. Vegas has the Brewers as slight favorites in this one and that’s how I look at it as well. He could have some trouble with Lucroy, Ramirez, and Gomez. Starter Rating = 4

• Tyler Thornburg – I wasn’t sold on Thornburg, but after he dominated the Cardinals in St. Louis, he has my attention. I really like the matchup against the Cubs and this could be a great chance to take him before his salary rises to a point where he is unplayable. Starter Rating = 6

Batter Grind Down

CHC – I could look hard to find a Cubs player to use, but I think the best bet here is to just avoid the Cubbies bats.

MIL – Like I said above, Rusin may struggle with the right hand bats of Jonathan Lucroy, Aramis Ramirez, and Carlos Gomez. All three are very good against lefties.

Cincinnati vs. Houston

8:10 PM	Cincinnati – ROAD					Houston – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.249	0.718	20.10%	0.58		0.239	0.683	25.60%	0.54
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.254	0.730	19.80%	0.47		0.239	0.679	25.20%	0.41
SP STATS	Reynolds – RHP					Peacock – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.44	5.66	3.56	4.80		1.39	5.27	8.22	7.14
LAST 14 DAYS	5.00	16.20	0.00	-1.80		0.77	2.08	9.00	15.50
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	CIN vs R		CIN BvP			HOU vs R		HOU BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Greg Reynolds – Anytime you see a pitcher that has a higher ERA than his K rate, it should raise a red flag. If he is giving up more earned runs than strikeouts, we have a problem. Even against the Astros, I can’t recommend Reynolds. Starter Rating = 3

• Brad Peacock – If you look at Peacock’s game log on the different fantasy sports sites, you can see that he has had some good games. Then you look at his ERA and you get a bit confused. The fact is that Peacock has some great stuff and is going to get you a good number of strikeouts, but he is also likely to make a few mistakes and give up a few runs. Starter Rating = 5

Batter Grind Down

CIN – Peacock has given up 14 HR’s in only 12 starts. This could be a good night for Joey Votto and Jay Bruce who both hit right hand pitching very well.

HOU – This Astros offense is extremely difficult to predict. Tonight I fully expect them to score 5+ runs against Reynolds and the Reds. Whether or not they do it, we will find out.

St. Louis vs. Colorado

8:40 PM	St. Louis – ROAD					Colorado – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.272	0.743	17.90%	0.61		0.264	0.735	19.80%	0.60
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.277	0.747	17.70%	0.47		0.268	0.748	19.70%	0.48
SP STATS	Wainwright – RHP					Chatwood – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.07	2.96	8.18	13.33		1.49	3.20	5.78	8.56
LAST 14 DAYS	1.10	3.00	7.29	11.67		2.21	3.55	2.21	3.40
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	STL vs R		STL BvP			COL vs R		COL BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Adam Wainwright – I hate games in Coors Field. Not only does is take the pitchers out of consideration, but you feel like you are obligated to take a few hitters. Wainwright is a great pitcher, but I’m not taking him in Coors. Starter Rating = 4

• Tyler Chatwood – Chatwood has good numbers on the season with a 3.20 ERA, but if I’m not taking Wainwright in Coors, I’m certainly not taking Chatwood. Starter Rating = 3

Batter Grind Down

STL – Stacks away in Coors. The Cardinals had a big night last night in Coors and could very easily have a repeat performance tonight. Check their lineup and plug in a few Cardinals.

COL – This is an interesting situation because I don’t like Wainwright, but I’m not really sold on any particular Rockies player tonight either. I think the obvious plays of Troy Tulowitzki and Michael Cuddyer are in play, but don’t overdo it against Wainwright.

LA Dodgers vs. Arizona

9:40 PM	LA Dodgers – ROAD					Arizona – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.266	0.723	18.40%	0.56		0.259	0.717	18.30%	0.56
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.270	0.730	18.30%	0.44		0.258	0.717	18.50%	0.45
SP STATS	Fife – RHP					McCarthy – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.43	3.21	6.91	8.64		1.35	4.58	5.43	7.53
LAST 14 DAYS	2.60	10.80	5.40	1.00		1.00	2.74	3.91	10.00
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	LAD vs R		LAD BvP			ARI vs R		ARI BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Stephen Fife – Fife has some decent stuff, but the Vegas line makes me want to stay far away from both pitchers in this game. Vegas has this as a pick ‘em game with the total set at 9.5 runs. There are more reliable pitching options today. Starter Rating = 3

• Brandon McCarthy – The Dodgers lineup is looking healthier and healthier and they now have Matt Kemp back. I don’t think that taking a pitcher against them in a hitter friendly park is the smartest thing to do. Starter Rating = 3

Batter Grind Down

LAD – I really like the play of Adrian Gonzalez tonight. He crushes right hand pitching and had a big game in Chase Field last night. Hanley Ramirez and Yasiel Puig are also in play.

ARI – This could be a great spot for a D-Backs mini-stack. Paul Goldschmidt is usually pretty pricey, but you can typically get both Martin Prado and Aaron Hill at middle range prices. Then you have the value plays of Adam Eaton and Miguel Montero. Lot of options here.