MLB Grind Down: Friday, August 15th
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
Pittsburgh at Washington
| Pittsburgh | Washington | ||||||||
| Charlie Morton | Vegas Moneyline | Tanner Roark | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | WAS (-149) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.223 | 0.634 | 0.290 | 19.70% | SP vs. Left | 0.212 | 0.635 | 0.284 | 15.30% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.248 | 0.706 | 0.317 | 17.20% | SP vs. Right | 0.247 | 0.616 | 0.274 | 21.90% |
| Batter Splits | PIT BvP  | PIT vs R | Batter Splits | WSN BvP | WSN vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Charlie Morton – We have a full slate of games on tap for Friday night so we’ll try to keep the analysis short and sweet for each game. Morton is having a nice 2014 campaign, but he has had his struggles on the road. He owns a 4.52 ERA away from PNC Park. Tonight he travels to Washington to take on the Nationals who are ranked 14th in wOBA vs. RH pitching this season. Morton is a pretty average fantasy option tonight. Rating = 5
Salaries: $6600 FD, $12850 DD, $6300 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $12850 FTD
- Tanner Roark – Roark is having a terrific season for the Nats. He is sporting a 2.86 ERA (3.74 xFIP) with a K/9 of 6.8. He has been even better at home with a 2.40 ERA. While the Pirates have been one of the hottest teams in baseball, the run total on this game is low and Roark is a sizable favorite. He is in play on multi-pitcher sites and in GPP’s. Rating = 6
Salaries: $7700 FD, $15700 DD, $8700 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $15700 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Pittsburgh
Josh Harrison – Harrison went 0/4 in yesterday’s game against Scherzer, but still has 15 hits over his last 10 games with 4 multi-hit games over that stretch. He can score fantasy points in multiple ways as he has good speed and good power.
Additional Plays: None
Washington
Adam LaRoche – LaRoche hit a 2-run HR in the first inning yesterday against the Mets and the Nats never turned back. LaRoche is always a nice option against RH pitching and he’s been swinging a hot bat with 12 hits (8 XBH’s) over his last 10 games.
Additional Plays: Bryce Harper
Baltimore at Cleveland
| Baltimore | Cleveland | ||||||||
| Wei-Yin Chen | Vegas Moneyline | Corey Kluber | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | CLE (-168) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.292 | 0.750 | 0.331 | 16.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.244 | 0.701 | 0.309 | 25.50% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.266 | 0.769 | 0.334 | 18.1% | SP vs. Right | 0.216 | 0.532 | 0.237 | 27.90% |
| Batter Splits | BAL BvP | BAL vs R | Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Wei-Yin Chen – Chen is one of those pitchers that has good numbers, but not great numbers. He always seems to put his team in a position to win, but he never dominates any opposing lineups. He owns a 3.90 ERA (3.69 xFIP) on the season with a K/9 of 6.7. He gives up similar splits to LH and RH batters and his home/road splits are also pretty similar. While the Indians do have plenty of LH hitters in their lineup, Chen is a mediocre fantasy option tonight. Rating = 5
Salaries: $7000 FD, $13150 DD, $6800 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $13150 FTD
- Corey Kluber – Since the start of July, Kluber has an ERA just over 1.00 and has 60 K’s over 54 innings of work. He has been dominant in his recent starts and I expect that to continue tonight, even against a very tough Orioles offense. Kluber has terrific velocity and is generating an 11.5% swinging strike rate this season. Kluber should be in for another big fantasy outing. Rating = 8
Salaries: $10700 FD, $21400 DD, $10000 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $21400 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Baltimore
Avoid all hitters against Kluber. He has held both LH and RH hitters under a .305 wOBA this season.
Cleveland
Michael Brantley – This isn’t your typical lefty/lefty matchup. Chen gives up a .331 wOBA to LH hitters and Brantley has always hit LH pitching well. Brantley has good power and decent speed and may be priced down on sites that factor in splits.
Additional Plays: Carlos Santana, Ryan Raburn
Seattle at Detroit
| Seattle | Detroit | ||||||||
| James Paxton | Vegas Moneyline | Rick Porcello | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | DET (-126) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | SP vs. Left | 0.234 | 0.648 | 0.289 | 13.80% | ||||
| SP vs. Right | 0.195 | 0.713 | 0.311 | 25.0% | SP vs. Right | 0.253 | 0.689 | 0.300 | 18.10% |
| Batter Splits | SEA BvP | SEA vs R | Batter Splits | DET BvP | DET vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- James Paxton – Paxton will be making his 9th career big league start. He has shown a terrific strikeout rate in both the minors and the majors, but will have his hands full with a Tigers offense that is ranked 2nd in wOBA vs. LH pitching and 2nd in wOBA at home. His price on FanDuel is tempting, but I would only target him as a contrarian GPP play. Rating = 5
Salaries: $5500 FD, $12400 DD, $9000 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $12400 FTD
- Rick Porcello – Porcello has been one of the more consistent starters in the Tigers rotation. He has posted an ERA under 3.00 in each of his last 3 months and has lowered his ERA on the season to 3.11. While he doesn’t strike out a ton of batters (5.6 per 9 innings), he gets a lot of outs and the strong offense behind him often puts him in line to pick up the win. There are probably options with more upside at his price point, but he’s still a nice mid-range option on multi-pitcher sites. Rating =6
Salaries: $7900 FD, $15050 DD, $7300 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $15050 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Seattle
Robinson Cano – Porcello has kept LH hitters in check this season, but he has given up a career .348 wOBA to lefties. Cano has always mashed RH pitching and has a nice track record against Porcello going 7/18 with 2 doubles.
Additional Plays: Dustin Ackley
Detroit
Victor Martinez – Martinez has 3 multi-hit games in his last 5 and gets to face a young lefty tonight. V-Mart is batting .356 with a .457 wOBA against southpaws this season.
Additional Plays: Miguel Cabrera, Rajai Davis
Chicago Cubs at NY Mets
| Chicago Cubs | NY Mets | ||||||||
| Travis Wood | Vegas Moneyline | Zack Wheeler | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | NYM (-156) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.219 | 0.618 | 0.272 | 21.0% | SP vs. Left | 0.293 | 0.815 | 0.363 | 21.40% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.296 | 0.832 | 0.370 | 17.4% | SP vs. Right | 0.209 | 0.591 | 0.267 | 24.00% |
| Batter Splits | CHC BvP | CHC vs R | Batter Splits | NYM BvP | NYM vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Travis Wood – Wood has pitched well in the month of August, but overall has had a very disappointing season. He still offers a decent K/9 of 7.8, but he is walking nearly 4 batters per 9 innings and he has a hideous 6.11 ERA on the road. That said, he does draw a nice matchup against the Mets tonight. The Mets are ranked 28th in wOBA vs. LH pitching and strike out at a 24% clip. Wood makes a terrific upside play for GPP’s. Rating = 6
Salaries: $6300 FD, $9250 DD, $5700 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $9250 FTD
- Zack Wheeler – Dollar for dollar, Wheeler is one of the top pitching options on the board tonight. Since the start of July, he has had an ERA close to 2.00 with 40 K’s over 43 innings of work. He’s always been able to strike batters out and he’s turned into more of a ground ball pitcher this season (53% GB rate). He draws a favorable matchup against the Cubs who are ranked 28th in wOBA vs. RH pitching this season. Rating = 7.5
Salaries: $7600 FD, $14250 DD, $8400 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $14250 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Chicago Cubs
I like Anthony Rizzo as a GPP play. He has double-dong type of potential and Wheeler has struggled against LH hitters. I’ll be avoiding all Cubbies for cash games though.
NY Mets
David Wright – Wright is one of the top plays of the night in terms of wOBA. Wood has given up a .364 wOBA to RH hitters this season and Wright is sporting an impressive .425 wOBA against southpaws.
Additional Plays: Travis d’Arnaud
Arizona at Miami
| Arizona | Miami | ||||||||
| Trevor Cahill | Vegas Moneyline | Brad Hand | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | MIA (-136) | LEFT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.347 | 0.945 | 0.410 | 9.9% | SP vs. Left | 0.231 | 0.666 | 0.289 | 14.30% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.235 | 0.650 | 0.295 | 30.9% | SP vs. Right | 0.270 | 0.759 | 0.334 | 14.60% |
| Batter Splits | ARI BvP | ARI vs L | Batter Splits | MIA BvP | MIA vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Trevor Cahill – Cahill has given up at least 3 runs in 4 of his last 5 starts. He has a 4.86 ERA on the season and is walking close to 4 batters per 9 innings. While the strikeouts have been there, he’s an underdog tonight against the Marlins who are ranked 8th in home wOBA this season. Cahill can be avoided in all formats. Rating = 4
Salaries: $5900 FD, $9750 DD, $5900 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $9750 FTD
- Brad Hand – Hand has very limited upside. He hasn’t struck out more than 5 batters in any of his last 10 starts. He has a 4.65 ERA on the season with pretty mediocre peripheral stats as well. Even against a depleted Diamondbacks offense, I will be avoiding Hand tonight. Rating = 4.5
Salaries: $5200 FD, $10100 DD, $6000 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Arizona
Mark Trumbo – Trumbo has been an RBI machine. Over his last 10 games, he has 13 hits and 11 RBI’s. He has a favorable matchup against Hand who has struggled against RH hitters this season.
Additional Plays: Cliff Pennington
Miami
Christian Yelich – Yelich is one of the top OF plays for cash games. He has a high floor and a great matchup against Cahill who has given up a .398 wOBA to LH hitters this season.
Additional Plays: Garrett Jones