MLB Grind Down: Friday, April 4th - Page 2
San Francisco at LA Dodgers
| San Francisco | LA Dodgers | ||||||||
| Ryan Vogelsong | Vegas Moneyline | Hyun-Jin Ryu | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | LAD (-156) | LEFT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.266 | 0.731 | 0.323 | 18.1% | SP vs. Left | 0.270 | 0.735 | 0.329 | 18.4% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.327 | 0.902 | 0.406 | 11.3% | SP vs. Right | 0.245 | 0.629 | 0.283 | 20.1% |
| Batter Splits | SFG BvP  | SFG vs L | Batter Splits | LAD BvP | LAD vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Ryan Vogelsong – Vogelsong is hoping for a bounce back season after giving up a 5.73 ERA with a 1.57 WHIP last season. However, if his play during Spring ball is any indication, it is going to be a long season. He posted an ERA over 9.0 during his starts this Spring. The total in this game is low, but I have not seen anything from Vogelsong thus far and I like to take pitchers that are reliable, especially in cash games. Rating = 2
- Hyun-Jin Ryu – Ryu was almost un-hittable at home last season where he posted a 2.32 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP. Ryu faced this Giants lineup 5 times last season and posted a 2.48 ERA over 32 innings of work. Ryu is a safe play for cash games and should get plenty of run support to put him in line for the win. Rating = 8
Batter Grind Down
San Francisco
- Buster Posey – I’m not crazy about any of the Giants bats, but Posey has always hit LH pitching well and should be ready to get after it today after taking the day off yesterday. Posey posted an OPS of .891 against LH pitching last season.
- Additional Plays: None
Los Angeles
- Adrian Gonzalez – A-Gon should be targeted in all leagues across the industry tonight. His price is depressed thanks to his slow start and this is the perfect time to buy low on him. Vogelsong struggles with LH and RH batters and Gonzalez had 33 XBH’s against RH pitching last season.
- Hanley Ramirez – All of the big bats on the Dodgers are in play today, but Hanley stands out to me. Vogelsong allowed RH batters to hit for a .406 wOBA and Hanley has both speed and power. He’s coming off of his best game of the season and I love the upside for him today.
- Additional Plays: Carl Crawford, Yasiel Puig
Chicago White Sox at Kansas City
| Chicago White Sox | Kansas City | ||||||||
| Erik Johnson | Vegas Moneyline | Jeremy Guthrie | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | KCR (-147) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.348 | 0.999 | 0.434 | 12.7% | SP vs. Left | 0.331 | 0.898 | 0.393 | 11.2% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.178 | 0.491 | 0.220 | 16.3% | SP vs. Right | 0.225 | 0.610 | 0.277 | 13.6% |
| Batter Splits | CHW BvP | CHW vs R | Batter Splits | KCR BvP | KCR vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Erik Johnson – Johnson is a solid young pitcher that is coming off of a strong season in both the minors and his brief stint in the majors. He started 5 games for the White Sox last season and had an ERA of 3.25 while striking out 18 batters in 27 innings of work. Johnson is a fairly big underdog (+155), but could make a nice tournament play against this Royals offense that can struggle to string together hits at times. Rating = 5
- Jeremy Guthrie – Guthrie does not have a high K-rate (only 4.7/9 IP last season), but he’s a serviceable starter that offers some value in cash games if you are looking for a cheap starting pitcher that is heavily favored. Guthrie’s biggest weakness is LH batter as he allowed them to hit for a .393 wOBA last season. If he can pitch through Eaton, Dunn, and De Aza, he could make a nice play for the price. Rating = 6
Batter Grind Down
Chicago
- Adam Eaton – As mentioned above, Guthrie gave up a .393 wOBA to LH batters last season and Eaton makes a great play today as a cheap OF. Eaton will bat leadoff once again and he has scored at least 1 run or drove in at least 1 run in 4 straight games.
- Additional Plays: Adam Dunn, Alejandro De Aza
Kansas City
- Eric Hosmer – Even though the sample size is small, Johnson gave up a .434 wOBA to LH batters last season. Hosmer is batting 3rd and finally found some power in the second half of last season. Hosmer his .299 against RH pitching with 28 XBH’s last season.
- Alex Gordon – I really like that Gordon is batting 5th. With him batting leadoff for most of the season last year, his RBI numbers went down. That should change this season. He makes a great play against the RH Johnson.
- Additional Plays: Norichika Aoki, Mike Moustakas
Arizona at Colorado
| Arizona | Colorado | ||||||||
| Randall Delgado | Vegas Moneyline | Juan Nicasio | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | COL (-130) | RIGHT | 10.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.260 | 0.761 | 0.330 | 17.0% | SP vs. Left | 0.228 | 0.730 | 0.333 | 18.8% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.268 | 0.813 | 0.354 | 16.5% | SP vs. Right | 0.302 | 0.814 | 0.362 | 15.3% |
| Batter Splits | ARI BvP | ARI vs R | Batter Splits | COL BvP | COL vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Randall Delgado – If you are new to daily fantasy baseball, you will quickly learn to stay far away from pitchers in Coors Field. There aren’t many rules that I follow in DFS, but one of them is to never take pitchers in Coors Field. It is a hitter’s paradise and a pitchers worst nightmare. Avoid Delgado today. Rating = 1
- Juan Nicasio – Nicasio does not get any special treatment when it comes to the no pitchers in Coors rule. The total for this game is set at 10.0 runs and both of these offenses pack a punch. Nothing against Nicasio, but you should not be targeting him an any type of leagues tonight. Rating = 1
Batter Grind Down
Arizona
- Paul Goldschmidt – Both of these teams will be popular stacks today and for good reason. The game is in Coors Field and this game has the highest total by far on the schedule. Goldschmidt was my “Dong of the Day” yesterday and he did not disappoint as he hit a HR off of Lincecum. Keep targeting him today against Nicasio.
- Aaron Hill – Hill hit for a .281 batting average against RH pitching last season and should see plenty of RBI opportunities in this one. Nicasio gave up a .362 wOBA to RH batters last season so don’t be afraid to target D-Back bats from both sides of the plate.
- Additional Plays: Mark Trumbo, Gerardo Parra, Miguel Montero, Martin Prado
Colorado
- Carlos Gonzalez – I’m having a hard time finding a Rockies’ hitter that I don’t like today. Delgado gave up a .330 wOBA to LH batters and a .354 wOBA to RH batters last season. I’ve mentioned this a few times already this season, Cargo crushes RH pitching (1.00+ OPS last season) and he is great at home (30 XBH’s last season.
- Troy Tulowitzki – Tulo and Coors is one of the classic combations in life. Last season, Tulo had a .342 batting average at home with 26 of his 77 hits going for extra bases. He is the top SS on the board today if you can afford to squeeze him into your lineups. Make sure to get your Rockies stack into some of these large GPP’s today.
- Additional Plays: Michael Cuddyer, Justin Morneau, Wilin Rosario, Charlie Blackmon, Nolan Arenado
St. Louis at Pittsburgh
| St. Louis | Pittsburgh | ||||||||
| Shelby Miller | Vegas Moneyline | Gerrit Cole | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | PIT (-116) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.266 | 0.756 | 0.335 | 21.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.250 | 0.605 | 0.275 | 22.5% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.205 | 0.574 | 0.264 | 25.0% | SP vs. Right | 0.255 | 0.648 | 0.294 | 20.4% |
| Batter Splits | STL BvP | STL vs R | Batter Splits | PIT BvP | PIT vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Shelby Miller – This game is basically a pick ‘em with a total of 7.5 runs. Miller posted a 3.06 ERA with a K-rate just under 9/9 IP. His biggest problem was being able to perform on the road. Last season, he posted a 4.57 ERA and his WHIP jumped up to 1.48 compared to only 0.97 at home. Not only that, but Miller had trouble with this pirates lineup. In 4 starts, he gave up 15 runs over only 21 innings of work. I’m giving Cole the edge in this matchup. Rating = 5
- Gerrit Cole – Cole had an excellent finish to the season and really became their best pitcher down the stretch. In his last 12 starts (excluding the postseason), he posted a 2.85 ERA while holding opponents to a .235 batting average with a K-rate of 9/9 IP. Cole will be pitching at home at PNC Park which is a very pitcher-friendly ballpark. This Cardinals lineup is tough, but I think he makes a nice play for his price. Rating = 6
Batter Grind Down
St. Louis
- Cole held LH and RH bats to under a .300 wOBA last season which is very impressive. Cole is a high strike-out pitcher and you are better off targeting bats from some of the other games that should feature more offense.
- Additional Plays: None
Pittsburgh
- Pedro Alvaraz – Alvarez has really disappointed so far this season, but it is still very early. He has a nice matchup against Miller who gave up a .334 wOBA to LH bats last season. As I’ve mentioned earlier, Pedro hit 33 HR’s off of RH pitching including one off of Miller last season.
- Additional Plays: Neil Walker, Andrew McCutchen
NY Yankees at Toronto
| NY Yankees | Toronto | ||||||||
| Masahiro Tanaka | Vegas Moneyline | Dustin McGowan | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | NYY (-133) | RIGHT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | SP vs. Left | 0.191 | 0.687 | 0.304 | 13.2% | ||||
| SP vs. Right | SP vs. Right | 0.189 | 0.508 | 0.260 | 31.1% | ||||
| Batter Splits | NYY BvP | NYY vs R | Batter Splits | TOR BvP | TOR vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Masahiro Tanaka – There is plenty of buzz about Tanaka’s debut tonight and I am one of many that can’t wait to see this kid pitch. Tanaka finished the Spring with a 2.14 ERA and 26 K’s over 21 innings of work. I typically don’t like to take pitchers making their major league debut, but I am very intrigued by this play tonight. He obviously has a lot of potential because of his high K-rate and the fact that batters have never faced him before. Rating = 7
- Dustin McGowan – McGowan is a 32 year old pitcher that has only made 4 major league starts since 2008. He has had trouble staying healthy and faces a powerful Yankees lineup tonight. It’s hard to trust his numbers from a season ago as he was coming out of the bullpen instead of being a starter. The Yankee bats have been very quiet this season, but I’m not taking any chances on McGowan. Rating = 3
Batter Grind Down
New York
- Jacoby Ellsbury – McGowan has been excellent against RH bats throughout his career, but he has struggled with LH batters. Ellsbury got the day off yesterday and is expected to be back in the lineup tonight. He is a threat to steal a base everytime he gets on and he hits for a high average against RH pitching.
- Carlos Beltran – Beltran is another Yankee bat that is slumping to start the season, but he hit for a .315 average against RH pitching last season and should be batting right in the heart of the order again tonight.
- Additional Plays: Brian McCann
Toronto
- Jose Bautista – How Tanaka is going to handle his nerves in his major league debut tonight is anyone’s guess, but a lot of pitchers struggle in their debuts. For that reason, I don’t mind taking a few Blue Jays bats as tournament plays. A mini Blue Jays stack could pay off big if Tanaka blows up.
- Additional Plays: Edwin Encarnacion, Colby Rasmus