MLB Grind Down: Friday, April 25th - Page 3
Pittsburgh at St. Louis
| Pittsburgh | St. Louis | ||||||||
| Gerrit Cole | Vegas Moneyline | Shelby Miller | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | STL (-118) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.250 | 0.624 | 0.285 | 21.4% | SP vs. Left | 0.273 | 0.789 | 0.348 | 21.2% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.257 | 0.665 | 0.300 | 20.8% | SP vs. Right | 0.202 | 0.581 | 0.269 | 24.8% |
| Batter Splits | PIT BvP  | PIT vs R | Batter Splits | STL BvP | STL vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Gerrit Cole – This will be a battle between two great young pitchers in baseball. In his first 4 starts this season, Cole has a 3.67 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP and 22 K’s over 27 innings of work. He has really only had one bad outing in his last 15 starts. I think both of these pitchers make great tournament plays, but if you play on a site that heavily values a win for the pitcher, you may want to avoid both for cash games. Rating = 7
- Shelby Miller – Miller is a lot like Strasburg in that you want to target him when he is pitching at home and avoid him when he is on the road. In 16 starts at Busch Stadium last season, he posted a 1.75 ERA with a 0.97 WHIP and a K-rate just under 9 per 9 innings pitched. Of the two pitchers, I think Miller has a slightly better chance at picking up the win as he has the better offense backing him. Rating = 8
Batter Grind Down
Pittsburgh
- Pedro Alvarez – I like Alvarez as a GPP play tonight. Miller gave up a .348 wOBA to LH batters last season and Pedro hit 33 HR’s off of RH pitching last season. He has nice upside at 3B.
- Additional Plays: Andrew McCutchen
St. Louis
- Allen Craig – I’m not very high on the Cardinals’ bats tonight against Cole, but Craig is underpriced across the industry and has a knack for getting hits against tough pitchers. He’s in play tonight strictly because of his low price tag.
- Additional Plays: None
Philadelphia at Arizona
| Philadelphia | Arizona | ||||||||
| Roberto Hernandez | Vegas Moneyline | Josh Collmenter | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | ARI (-137) | RIGHT | 9.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.296 | 0.869 | 0.392 | 16.8% | SP vs. Left | 0.265 | 0.671 | 0.318 | 20.3% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.264 | 0.689 | 0.315 | 19.4% | SP vs. Right | 0.213 | 0.649 | 0.295 | 22.5% |
| Batter Splits | PHI BvP | PHI vs R | Batter Splits | ARI BvP | ARI vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Roberto Hernandez – Hernandez has a 5.75 ERA on the season with a 1.59 WHIP. Tonight he faces a D-Backs lineup that hits very well in the hitter-friendly Chase Field. Hernandez is an underdog in a game that should be very high scoring. He should be avoided at all costs tonight. Rating = 2
- Josh Collmenter – Collmenter is not a great daily fantasy pitcher. While he has had a K-rate close to 8 per 9 innings over the last few seasons, he also has an ERA over 4.00 as a starter. This Phillies offense has been pretty solid this season and have some power LH bats to throw at Collmenter. With all of the top aces on the mount tonight, Collmenter is a below average option.
Batter Grind Down
Philadelphia
- Ryan Howard – Utley will likely be the popular target on the Phillies, and while I like him as well, Howard is my top play here. Howard has 8 hits in his last 5 games including 2 HR’s. I’m calling a HR shot for the Big Rhino against the RH Collmenter.
- Additional Plays: Chase Utley, Domonic Brown
Arizona
- Miguel Montero – The entire D-Backs lineup is in play tonight against Hernandez, but I will be specifically targeting the batters from the left side of the plate as Hernandez gave up a .392 wOBA and an .869 OPS to LH batters last season. Montero has been great at home against great against RH pitching.
- Additional Plays: Paul Goldschmidt, Aaron Hill, Martin Prado, Gerardo Parra
Texas at Seattle
| Texas | Seattle | ||||||||
| Robbie Ross | Vegas Moneyline | Roenis Elias | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | TEX (-110) | LEFT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.291 | 0.810 | 0.373 | 25.2% | SP vs. Left | 0.176 | 0.712 | 0.311 | 20.0% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.230 | 0.574 | 0.268 | 19.2% | SP vs. Right | 0.258 | 0.704 | 0.332 | 15.3% |
| Batter Splits | TEX BvP | TEX vs L | Batter Splits | SEA BvP | SEA vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Robbie Ross – Ross gave up a higher wOBA and OPS to LH batters last season, but the sample size was small and it looks like he has normal LH pitcher splits this season. Ross has looked great in his first 4 starts as he has posted a 2.31 ERA and has struck out 21 batters over 23 innings of work. He has a nice matchup against a Mariners lineup that is littered with LH bats. I think he makes a nice contrarian play tonight. Rating = 6
- Roenis Elias – Elias is another young lefty that is off to a great start this season. He is a rookie and only has 4 starts under his belt, but he has posted a 3.22 ERA with 15 K’s over 22 innings pitched. I think Ross has the higher upside of these two pitchers though, so I will likely be avoiding the young lefty tonight. Rating = 5
Batter Grind Down
Texas
- Alex Rios – It’s a small sample size, but Elias has given up a .332 wOBA to RH batters in his first 4 major league starts. Rios hits LH pitching well and gives you the rare combination of both HR power and speed to steal bases.
- Additional Plays: Kevin Kouzmanoff
Seattle
- Corey Hart – Hart has great power against LH pitching and makes a nice tournament play tonight agianst Ross. There are few OF’s at his price point that have as much power as Hart. He has multi-HR potential in his repertoire.
- Additional Plays: Justin Smoak
Colorado at LA Dodgers
| Colorado | LA Dodgers | ||||||||
| Jordan Lyles | Vegas Moneyline | Josh Beckett | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | LAD (-140) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.270 | 0.733 | 0.331 | 11.4% | SP vs. Left | 0.288 | 0.799 | 0.367 | 21.1% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.289 | 0.801 | 0.360 | 18.4% | SP vs. Right | 0.243 | 0.744 | 0.335 | 23.7% |
| Batter Splits | COL BvP | COL vs R | Batter Splits | LAD BvP | LAD vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jordan Lyles – A change of scenery has really treated Lyles well. He has an ERA just over 3.00 this season compared to an ERA well over 5.00 in his last two seasons. Lyles is a low strikeout pitcher though and doesn’t make a great fantasy play against the Dodgers in Dodgers Stadium. Rating = 4
- Josh Beckett – Beckett has thrown back to back games without giving up an earned run, but he has been limited since coming back from his injury. He has only pitched 14 innings in his first 3 starts. He has yet to throw more than 90 pitches this season which really limits his upside. Rating = 5
Batter Grind Down
Colorado
- Carlos Gonzalez – Beckett gave up a .367 wOBA to LH batters last season and Cargo’s recent dip in production has lowered his price tag on a few sites. Tonight is a great time to buy low on the All-Star outfielder.
- Additional Plays: Charlie Blackmon, Troy Tulowitzki
LA Dodgers
- Adrian Gonzalez – Gonzalez homered last night and could be in for another solid outing tonight against the RH Lyles who gave up a .331 wOBA to LH batters last season.
- Additional Plays: Yasiel Puig, Hanley Ramirez, Dee Gordon
Cleveland at San Francisco
| Cleveland | San Francisco | ||||||||
| Carlos Carrasco | Vegas Moneyline | Tim Hudson | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | SFG (-160) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.359 | 0.958 | 0.421 | 10.7% | SP vs. Left | 0.243 | 0.665 | 0.301 | 16.2% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.287 | 0.710 | 0.326 | 21.7% | SP vs. Right | 0.235 | 0.611 | 0.272 | 19.4% |
| Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs R | Batter Splits | SFG BvP | SFG vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Carlos Carrasco – Since the start of 2013, Carrasco has an ERA over 7.00 with a WHIP over 1.70. He is not a pitcher that I will be targeting anytime soon and I suggest that you avoid him as well. Rating = 2
- Tim Hudson – Hudson is a big favorite here, but does have a tough matchup against all of the LH bats in the Indians lineup. Hudson has pitched well in a Giants’ uniform with a 2.40 ERA this season. He has already pitched 30 innings this season in only 4 starts so he is managing to keep his pitch count down. He makes a nice cash game play tonight. Rating = 7
Batter Grind Down
Cleveland
- Carlos Santana – Santana is going to start heating up here soon and maybe his double in yesterday’s game will get him going. He is cheaper than I can ever remember him being and Hudson gave up a .301 wOBA to LH batters last season
- Additional Plays: Jason Kipnis
San Francisco
- Brandon Belt – Carrasco gave up a .421 wOBA to LH batters last season and Belt is one of my top plays at 1B. He will likely be under-owned too because of all of the other 1B options available.
- Additional Plays: Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, Angel Pagan