MLB Daily Grind Down: Wednesday, September 4th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2013-09-04 18:12:55

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

Minnesota vs. Houston

2:10 PM	Minnesota – ROAD					Houston – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.241	0.698	22.20%	0.54		0.239	0.683	25.60%	0.54
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.238	0.695	22.00%	0.43		0.237	0.678	25.30%	0.41
SP STATS	Hendriks – RHP					Lyles – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.42	5.13	3.45	5.02		1.48	5.12	6.00	6.91
LAST 14 DAYS	1.58	6.97	1.78	4.05		1.29	4.61	4.77	5.73
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	MIN vs R		MIN BvP			HOU vs R		HOU BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Liam Hendriks – Hendriks has a good matchup against the Astros, but he’s just not a very good pitcher. I think the smart thing here is to take a few Astros and hope that Hendriks blows up. Starter Rating = 3

• Jordan Lyles – Lyles has an ERA over 6 at home this season, but he has been pitching a little better of late. Of the two pitchers, I would definitely rather have Lyles, but I still don’t think he is a great option. Starter Rating = 4

Batter Grind Down

MIN – The Twins lineup is full of value because they have no Mauer and no Morneau. I like both Chris Colabello and Brian Dozier as some plays that not many people will have.

HOU – The Astros offense has been much better over the last month or so and they have a really good matchup against Hendriks today. Chris Carter, Brett Wallace, and Jonathan Villar should all be on your radar.

Miami vs. Chicago Cubs

2:20 PM	Miami – ROAD					Chicago Cubs – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.231	0.623	19.80%	0.43		0.240	0.702	20.10%	0.54
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.232	0.619	19.20%	0.31		0.230	0.689	22.00%	0.41
SP STATS	Flynn – LHP					Samardzija – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON						1.32	4.13	8.90	11.14
LAST 14 DAYS						1.08	3.04	6.98	13.73
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	MIA vs R		MIA BvP			CHC vs L		CHC BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Brian Flynn – Flynn is a rookie lefty making his first big league start. He has been pretty good in the minors with a 2.80 ERA but you know my philosophy with these rookie pitchers. Take a wait and see approach instead of just picking them blindly and hoping for the best. Starter Rating = 2

• Jeff Samardzija – Samardzija continues to give up a ton of runs. I’m not sure what the problem is, but I keep waiting for him to settle down and start lowering that ERA. Samardzija does have a good matchup today though and his K rate always helps his cause. Starter Rating = 7

Batter Grind Down

MIA – I’m not a fan of the Marlins bats today. Samardzija has great strikeout potential and is going to put it together here soon.

CHC – We don’t know much about the rookie Flynn other than the fact that he is a lefty. That means you should target Starlin Castro, Dioner Navarro, and Donnie Murphy.

Texas vs. Oakland

3:37 PM	Texas – ROAD					Oakland – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.262	0.740	16.80%	0.62		0.244	0.718	19.40%	0.59
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.260	0.737	16.70%	0.47		0.244	0.710	19.10%	0.46
SP STATS	Darvish – RHP					Parker – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.03	2.73	12.19	15.58		1.20	3.59	6.24	9.63
LAST 14 DAYS	1.06	3.29	15.00	15.10		1.04	1.88	6.00	14.33
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	TEX vs R		TEX BvP			OAK vs R		OAK BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Yu Darvish – Darvish is the king of strikeouts, his K rate of 12 per 9 innings is just ridiculous. That said, I’m not taking any pitcher against these A’s right now. They have been lighting up ace after ace after ace. Plus, Yu is the most expensive pitcher on the board. Starter Rating = 6

• Jarrod Parker – Parker has pitched pretty well against the Rangers this season. In 3 starts, he has a 3.15 ERA and 15 K’s over 20 innings pitched. The Rangers are a tough team to take a pitcher against though, even in Oakland. Starter Rating = 5

Batter Grind Down

TEX – The Rangers are always a threat to put up a big run total, but they haven’t had much success off of Parker this year. For my money, I think the Rangers are a bit overpriced.

OAK – Now, I don’t want to take Darvish against this A’s lineup, but that certainly doesn’t mean that I want to take any A’s against Darvish. As a team, I expect a few runs, but individually, they don’t have a great matchup.

Toronto vs. Arizona

3:40 PM	Toronto – ROAD					Arizona – HOME
TEAM BATTING	AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB		AVG	OPS	K%	FPAB
SEASON	0.252	0.733	18.00%	0.62		0.259	0.717	18.30%	0.56
VS. LEFT/RIGHT	0.255	0.748	17.90%	0.50		0.264	0.718	17.00%	0.42
SP STATS	Buehrle – LHP					Delgado – RHP
	WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG		WHIP	ERA	K/9	FPPG
SEASON	1.30	3.92	6.18	9.57		1.21	3.67	6.39	8.88
LAST 14 DAYS	0.99	1.25	7.22	14.40		1.00	4.26	7.11	8.33
BATTER SPLITS	Note: Batter Splits Below Open in Pop Up Window
	TOR vs R		TOR BvP			ARI vs L		ARI BvP

Pitcher Grind Down

• Mark Buehrle – Buehrle has been really solid since the All-Star Break. Believe it or not, he is 6-1 with a 2.14 ERA while holding opponents to a .247 batting average. That really makes me weary of taking any D-Backs hitters. I think Buehrle could get the win, but the D-Backs hits lefties well. Starter Rating = 5

• Randall Delgado – Delgado is not a pitcher that I think about taking very often. He has an average ERA, average K rate, and faces a tough Blue Jays team in a hitter’s park. Starter Rating = 4

Batter Grind Down

TOR – Jose Reyes price tag has taken a big cut which makes him a very enticing option today against Delgado. I like both Reyes and Brett Lawrie who has had a very nice season against righties.

ARI – When the D-Backs face a lefty, Paul Goldschmidt should pop into your head as a great play. I like Goldy today and both Prado and Hill are very good against lefties as well.

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