MLB First Look: Tuesday, August 26th
MLB First Look provides you a quick overview of the most noteworthy DFS tidbits for tomorrow’s MLB matchups and player pools, and is brought to you by none other than Derek “Notorious” Farnsworth (#7 Ranked Overall, DraftDay MLB Champion, DSBC Finalist x3, DSBBC Finalist, DFBBC Finalist). Each night before weekday games (and occasionally weekends), Notorious will analyze the daily matchups and player pools to provide you with his initial thoughts on strategies for that day. The preview will begin with a starting pitcher overview, then move onto matchup notes, teams to target, player pricing, general strategy and more.
Tuesday’s MLB Schedule
| TIME | AWAY | HOME | AWAY STARTER | HOME STARTER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:05 PM | Washington | Philadelphia | Gonzalez (6-9) – 3.83 ERA | Hamels (7-6) – 2.53 ERA |
| 7:05 PM | St. Louis | Pittsburgh | Lynn (14-8) – 2.78 ERA | Cole (7-4) – 3.69 ERA |
| 7:05 PM | Tampa Bay | Baltimore | Cobb (9-6) – 3.01 ERA | Chen (13-4) – 3.76 ERA |
| 7:07 PM | Boston | Toronto | De La Rosa (4-5) – 3.69 ERA | Dickey (10-12) – 4.08 ERA |
| 7:08 PM | N.Y. Yankees | Detroit | McCarthy (8-12) – 4.01 ERA | Porcello (14-8) – 3.10 ERA |
| 7:10 PM | Atlanta | N.Y. Mets | Wood (9-9) – 3.05 ERA | Gee (4-6) – 3.84 ERA |
| 7:10 PM | Chi. Cubs | Cincinnati | Wood (7-11) – 4.91 ERA | Cueto (15-7) – 2.20 ERA |
| 8:10 PM | Minnesota | Kansas City | Nolasco (5-9) – 5.96 ERA | Duffy (8-11) – 2.53 ERA |
| 8:10 PM | Oakland | Houston | Hammel (9-10) – 3.84 ERA | Keuchel (10-9) – 3.12 ERA |
| 8:10 PM | Cleveland | Chi. White Sox | House (2-3) – 3.80 ERA | Quintana (6-10) – 3.25 ERA |
| 9:40 PM | L.A. Dodgers | Arizona | Hernandez (7-9) – 3.78 ERA | Cahill (3-8) – 4.54 ERA |
| 10:05 PM | Miami | L.A. Angels | Eovaldi (6-8) – 4.06 ERA | Shoemaker (12-4) – 3.56 ERA |
| 10:10 PM | Texas | Seattle | Martinez (3-9) – 5.13 ERA | Paxton (3-1) – 2.20 ERA |
| 10:10 PM | Milwaukee | San Diego | Nelson (2-4) – 4.15 ERA | Ross (11-12) – 2.68 ERA |
| 10:15 PM | Colorado | San Francisco | De La Rosa (13-8) – 4.21 ERA | Bumgarner (14-9) – 3.17 ERA |
1) Starting Pitcher Overview
Johnny Cueto (vs. Chicago Cubs): Cueto earns honors as the top pitching option of the night on Tuesday. He’s been terrific all season long with a 2.20 ERA and a K/9 of 8.9. He’s been dominant at home and draws a terrific matchup against the Cubs who are ranked 29th in wOBA vs. RH pitching this season.
Madison Bumgarner (vs. Colorado Rockies): Bumgarner could very easily be argued as the top pitching option as well, but he’s had some goofy splits at home this season. He has a 5.17 ERA at AT&T Park which is a bit surprising considering the fact that it’s a pitcher-friendly park. He is averaging over 9 K’s per 9 innings and faces a Rockies team that has been awful on the road.
Tyson Ross (vs. Milwaukee Brewers): While the matchup for Ross isn’t quite as favorable as the matchups for Cueto and Bumgarner, he does have the edge over both in terms of ballpark factors. Petco Park is the most pitcher-friendly ballpark in baseball and Ross has been dominant there this season with a 1.94 ERA and a K/9 of 9.2.
2) Two Offenses to Target
Toronto Blue Jays (vs. Rubby De La Rosa): The Blue Jays were a disappointment last night in their loss to Clay Buchholz and the Red Sox. All that says to me is that they are likely going to go under-owned on Tuesday. They are still the #1 ranked team vs. RH pitching this season and they draw a favorable matchup against De La Rosa who has given up 8 earned runs over his last 2 starts.
L.A. Angels (vs. Nathan Eovaldi): The Angels were another disappointing offense last night. They could only muster up 1 run against Jarred Cosart and the Marlins. They will look to bounce back offensively against Nathan Eovaldi who has historically struggled vs. LH hitters. That bodes well for the Angels who have a few lefties that can really swing the bat.
3) wOBA vs. BvP
Round 18 (Monday, August 25th): Neither the wOBA nor the BvP team can gain any separation in this contest. Aramis Ramirez had a huge night for team wOBA to easily outscore Evan Longoria of Team BvP. Once again, we are all tied.
Scoreboard: BvP 9 – wOBA 9
Tuesday’s Matchup:
Torii Hunter (vs. Brandon McCarthy): I wanted to put Adrian Gonzalez in this spot, but he has a great matchup in terms of handedness so it didn’t really work. Instead, I’ll go with Hunter who is 8/19 with 4 XBH’s off of McCarthy in his career.
Adam Lind (vs. Rubby De La Rosa): I mentioned above that I really like the Blue Jays hitters tonight, especially the ones that can hit from the left side of the plate as De La Rosa has given up a .363 wOBA to LH hitters this season. Lind meanwhile, has a .418 wOBA against RH pitching.
4) He’s on Fire!
Christian Yelich (vs. Matt Shoemaker): Yelich’s hot streak continued last night with a monster game against Wade LeBlanc and the Angels. He has 18 hits over his last 10 games with 8 runs and 2 stolen bases. He should be able to keep it rolling tonight against Shoemaker who has given up a .341 wOBA to LH hitters this season.
5) Daily Dong Prediction
Kyle Seager (vs. Nick Martinez): I love the matchup for Seager tonight. Martinez has given up 15 HR’s this season, 8 of which were to LH hitters. Seager meanwhile has hit 19 HR’s, 17 of which have come off of RH pitching. He’s also hit 15 of his 19 HR’s at home.