MLB Daily Plays: September 29, 2012
By: Haskele
Happy Saturday. On the plate for today’s MLB Daily Plays is a ‘Back to the Future’ theme. Sunday’s MLB Plays writer, Bowens1984 decided that idea wasn’t good enough for his precious daily plays so I’m running with it. One of the best scenes in the series was when Marty goes into the future and grabs the sports almanac. So as the MLB season winds down, I think we all wish we had a future sports almanac to predict what happened throughout the baseball season. Because if there’s one thing you learn after 200 days of daily fantasy baseball, it’s that sometimes nothing makes any sense at all.
I just wish I knew why Matt Holliday only decides to suck when I play him.
Plutonium Powered Pitchers of the Day
Here are your plutonium powered pitchers, who are aces that should have a little something extra in the tank for what could be their last appearance of the season for some guys:
- Justin Verlander
The Tigers are knee deep in a one game race for the AL Central with Chicago. Whoever doesn’t take the Central won’t have a shot at the wild card so both teams are on do or die terms right now. So it’s time for Justin Verlander to inject himself with a little plutonium and deliver that incredible performance that daily fantasy players have been paying heavily for all season. This isn’t the Justin Verlander of 2011, but for one night he needs to be. I’m throwing the stats out the window on this one(even though they are good), because Verlander needs to be clutch and with Kate Upton cheering him on I think he dominates.
- Chris Sale
Flip the coin in that playoff race and the White Sox sit one game out of first as we enter the final couple of series. Chris Sale takes the bump against a Rays team that is also battling for a potential playoff chance, although they’re gonna need some help. Either way, Sale absolutely rocks Rays hitters. In a small sample of 30 ABs against Rays batsmen, Sale has only allowed three hits(none for extra bases) and has struck out 14 of those 30 guys. It’s a Saturday Sale.
- Andy Pettitte
He’s not an ace but I am putting him in Plutonium Powered Pitchers because of his former…ummm…illegal plutonium usage. And as far as playoff races and big moments go, Andy Pettitte been tossing the apple in them longer than I’ve been alive. He has been so-so in his first couple of starts but the Orioles and Yankees are in one of the most intense playoff races I can remember and Pettitte will need to be on his A game. He’s got decent numbers against Jays hitters(.267 BA-against in 161 at bats) too.
- Kyle Lohse
I’m putting him in here because the Nats bats(hah that rhymes) have been quiet of late and Kyle Lohse is 16-3 this season. Maybe I’ve been living in a bubble but KYLE LOHSE IS 16-3 WITH A 2.77 ERA. He’s gotta be on that 24/7 plutonium diet.
The George McFly “One Time I Threw A Knockout Punch” Sleeper SP of the Day
- Jason Vargas
The Mariners have nothing to play for and seem to be hitting with little league bats lately and striking out at an unreal pace. But if you need a second SP on some sites who can offer you value and high K-rates, look no further than Jason Vargas. I doubt he picks up the win because Oakland is hungry and will probably outlast a careless Mariners team in a low-scoring affair but Vargas has good numbers against the A’s. A .215 BA-against in 195 ABs versus Athletics hitters with a 23% K-rate isn’t too shabby.
The Biff Tannen Power Hitters of the Day
Who’s gonna put one out of the park tomorrow? Look no further than Biff Tannen’s power hitters picks.
- Adrian Beltre and/or Josh Hamilton vs. Ervin Santana
Beltre has smoked 5 HRs in his 50+ ABs against Santana while Hamilton has a modest 2 HRs in 35 ABs. Either way they get the road version of Ervin Santana which hasn’t been pretty this season. He is in the top-10 in terms of giving up the long ball this year and on the road in a day game in Arlington is not where pitchers who rely on fly ball outs want to be. Beltre goes yard and Hamilton follows back-to-back. Just for fun I say Michael Young and Nelson Cruz (3 HRs each against Santana) make it back-to-back-to-back-to-back.
- Mike Trout vs. Derek Holland
Mike Trout is en fuego and is very, very good. Derek Holland is cute and all but Trout has already taken him yard twice in 12 ABs this season so I think Trout has the upper-hand here. By the way, if you don’t see it yet I’m predicting a lot of long balls in the Texas-LA game tomorrow.
- Jason Kipnis vs. Jake Odorizzi
I can’t pronounce the Royals starting pitcher’s last name which, for whatever reason, makes me think he’s not very good. Then I looked at his numbers and he has not been very good in a small sample size. Cleveland is hitting the ball well again and in a battle of two teams that don’t care I’ll take my chances on a hot-hitting lefty against a sub par right handed pitcher.
- Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey vs. Eric Stults
Sandoval’s got some good splits against Stults and he’s been swinging the bat well of late. The Giants as a whole have been putting up runs and although Stults has decent stuff, Sandoval and Posey will get the best of him Saturday. Posey crushes left handed pitching as well and has been hitting at an MVP rate over the past couple months.
The Doc Brown “What The Hell are You Thinking?” Play
- Mark Trumbo vs. Derek Holland
HEAR ME OUT PEOPLE. Mark Trumbo has finished the season in, let’s just call it a slump. Maybe he stopped taking his ‘roids but last night he was back in May/June form. He went 3-4 with 3 RBIs. He is also dirt cheap right now on most sites. Good splits against Holland and has big potential every time he steps to the plate. If the Angels want a shot at the playoffs they need him to get his act together so maybe dropping all the way to 8th in the lineup was the kick he needed.
Marty McFly’s Hoverboard Play of the Day
- Jay Bruce vs. Kyle McPherson
Jay Bruce has some serious super natural capabilities. I don’t know what is going on in this picture but I’m impressed. Anyways, his ability to fly doesn’t really help him much in fantasy but his ability against right-handed pitchers with below average stuff should do the trick. Bruce should launch off, more like a jet-pack not a hoverboard, against McPherson. Feel free to toss Joey Votto into the mix too if you can afford the duo.
Looking for a Date to the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance
It’s really late in the season so it’s important to realize which teams still have a horse in this race and are desperately searching for a date to the dance. Which teams are ponying up the courage to ask Linda to the dance(I’m so sorry if you’ve never seen Back to the Future and are VERY confused)? Well the AL is an absolute disaster, with ZERO teams having clinched a playoff spot with just 5 games to go. The NL is a little more clear, with 2 of the 3 divisions clinched and 4 of the 5 playoff spots. Let’s see who needs to be putting in some effort.
AL Teams in the Hunt
- Baltimore Orioles
- New York Yankees
- Texas Rangers
- LA Angels
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Oakland Athletics
- Detroit Tigers
- Chicago White Sox
NL Teams in the Hunt
- St. Louis
- LA Dodgers
Home Run Weather
Completely non-back to the future related, but the home run weather app came up in the forums recently so I thought it’d be interesting to take a look at what ballparks have the best home run rating based on weather for tomorrow’s games. Here’s what we got. Scores are on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the best for dingers.
| Starts | Visitors | Home | Ballpark HR Weather Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:07 ET | NYY – Andy Pettitte* (5-3, 2.71) | TOR – Ricky Romero* (9-14, 5.76) | 4 |
| 4:05 ET | TB – Matt Moore* (10-11, 3.92) | CWS – Chris Sale* (17-7, 2.86) | 8 |
| 4:05 ET | DET – Justin Verlander (16-8, 2.72) | MIN – P.J. Walters (2-4, 5.88) | 8 |
| 4:05 ET | SEA – Jason Vargas* (14-11, 3.94) | OAK – Daniel Straily (2-1, 3.60) | 8 |
| 4:05 ET | LAA – Ervin Santana (9-12, 4.93) | TEX – Derek Holland* (11-6, 4.50) | 8 |
| 7:05 ET | BOS – Felix Doubront* (11-9, 4.91) | BAL – Steve Johnson (4-0, 1.62) | 7 |
| 7:05 ET | KC – Jake Odorizzi (0-1, 5.06) | CLE – Jeanmar Gomez (5-8, 5.54) | 3 |
| 7:05 ET | CIN – Mike Leake (8-9, 4.73) | PIT – Kyle McPherson (0-2, 3.54) | 5 |
| 7:10 ET | HOU – Dallas Keuchel* (3-7, 4.66) | MIL – Marco Estrada (4-7, 3.87) | 5 |
| 7:10 ET | NYM – Chris Young (4-8, 4.21) | ATL – Mike Minor* (10-10, 4.27) | 8 |
| 7:10 ET | PHI – Roy Halladay (10-8, 4.40) | MIA – Ricky Nolasco (12-12, 4.35) | 7 |
| 7:15 ET | WAS – Jordan Zimmermann (12-8, 2.90) | STL – Kyle Lohse (16-3, 2.77) | 3 |
| 8:10 ET | CHC – Justin Germano (2-9, 6.18) | ARI – Trevor Cahill (12-12, 3.86) | 7 |
| 8:35 ET | SF – Madison Bumgarner* (16-10, 3.26) | SD – Eric Stults* (7-3, 2.81) | 5 |
| 9:10 ET | COL – Tyler Chatwood (5-5, 5.49) | LAD – Joe Blanton (9-13, 4.86) | 8 |
Good luck out there today!