MLB Grind Down: Friday, June 3rd

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2016-06-04 02:48:30

The RotoGrinders MLB Grind Down will give you an in-depth analysis into the upcoming 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: As always, if you want to try a new DFS site, be sure to click through a RotoGrinders link and use our DraftKings promo code and FanDuel promo code to receive the best perks in the industry.

Arizona at Chicago Cubs – 2:20 PM ET

Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%	Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%
Arizona					Chicago Cubs
			Archie Bradley					John Lackey
			RIGHT					RIGHT
			Vegas Moneyline					Vegas Over/Under
			CHC -240					7.5
SP vs. Left	0.312	2	18.8%	17.2%	SP vs. Left	0.318	13	15.7%	8.8%
SP vs. Right	0.367	3	12.6%	7.2%	SP vs. Right	0.267	15	25.2%	3.8%

Pitcher Grind Down

Statistics	Starts	PitchPS	SIERA	ERA	K%	BB%	SS%	GB%	FB%	HH%
Archie Bradley
					FanDuel			DraftKings
					Salary:		$6,400	Salary:		$5,800
					FPPG:		28.7	FPPG:		12.7
					Pitcher Rating:		40.7	Pitcher Rank:		27
L14 Days	1	96.0	2.46	3.68	33.3%	3.7%	14.6%	35.3%	41.2%	17.7%
2016	3	102.3	4.40	6.11	19.2%	10.3%	7.2%	52.7%	27.3%	27.3%
2015	8	80.5	5.28	5.80	14.3%	13.7%	5.9%	58.0%	27.7%	38.6%

Happy Friday everyone!

There is only one day game on the schedule today, which means this game will only be included in the all day slate. Bradley will be making his fourth start of the season, after posting a 4.40 SIER with a strikeout rate of 19.2% and a walk rate of 10.3% in his first four outings. Bradley doesn’t exactly fit the mold of the pitcher that we are looking to target in DFS, but he does induce an elite ground ball rate just under 60%. He’s going to need that today against the Cubs, who average the second most runs per game this season.

Statistics	Starts	PitchPS	SIERA	ERA	K%	BB%	SS%	GB%	FB%	HH%
John Lackey
					FanDuel			DraftKings
					Salary:		$9,600	Salary:		$10,600
					FPPG:		39.4	FPPG:		21.8
					Pitcher Rating:		89.9	Pitcher Rank:		3
L14 Days	2	92.0	3.59	2.57	27.3%	9.1%	14.7%	43.8%	34.4%	33.3%
2016	10	96.7	3.49	3.16	25.6%	6.5%	12.9%	41.5%	36.8%	34.3%
2015	33	94.8	3.90	2.77	19.5%	5.9%	9.4%	46.0%	33.3%	30.1%

Lackey continues to outperform expectations as a 37 year old. Through ten starts this season, he has a 3.49 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 25.6%. The major increase in strikeout rate could be due to a small sample size, but his swinging strike rate is way up as well, so it’s possible that he could sustain it. He draws a mediocre matchup against the Diamondbacks, who are ranked 15th in team ISO and 19th in team K% against right-handed pitching this season. As the largest favorite on the board, Lackey should be in line for the win.

Batter Grind Down

Arizona

The Diamondbacks come into today’s game with the second lowest team total on the board. If the wind was blowing out in Wrigley Field, it would be a different story, but there isn’t a ton to love with this offense. You could potentially look at a left-handed batter or two, as John Lackey has allowed a .318 wOBA and 13 home runs to lefties over the last two seasons.

Diamondbacks Offense (2016)
Team wOBA vs. RHP — 0.323 (9 of 30)
Team ISO vs. RHP — 0.161 (15 of 30)
Team K% vs. RHP — 21.4% (19 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 4.54 (10 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 2.94 (29 of 30)

Projected Lineup

#	Player	Bats	wOBA vs. RHP	ISO vs. RHP	wOBA L14	FD Position	FD Salary	DK Position	DK Salary
1	Jean Segura	RIGHT	0.287	0.099	0.222	2B	$3,400	2B	$3,300
2	Michael Bourn	LEFT	0.275	0.049	0.414	OF	$2,500	OF	$2,300
3	Paul Goldschmidt	RIGHT	0.403	0.243	0.454	1B	$4,200	1B	$4,100
4	Jake Lamb	LEFT	0.349	0.176	0.407	3B	$3,200	3B	$3,500
5	Welington Castillo	RIGHT	0.305	0.179	0.250	C	$2,700	C	$2,600
6	Brandon Drury	RIGHT	0.315	0.178	0.255	OF	$2,500	3B/OF	$2,100
7	Chris Owings	RIGHT	0.273	0.095	0.341	OF	$2,200	OF	$2,800
8	Archie Bradley	RIGHT	0.000	0.000	0.294	P	$6,400	P	$5,800
9	Nick Ahmed	RIGHT	0.247	0.112	0.298	SS	$2,200	SS	$2,100
	Team Averages	—	0.273	0.126	0.326	—	—	—	—

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Michael Bourn, Jake Lamb

Stackability – NONE

Chicago Cubs

If you are playing in the all-day slate, you may want to consider targeting a few Cubs, especially since there isn’t a game in Coors Field today. They have the fourth highest team total on the board, as they host Archie Bradley and the Diamondbacks. Bradley does induce a lot of ground balls, but over the last of the last two seasons he has allowed a .312 wOBA to left-handed hitters and a .367 wOBA to right-handed hitters.

Cubs Offense (2016)
Team wOBA vs. RHP — 0.337 (6 of 30)
Team ISO vs. RHP — 0.168 (12 of 30)
Team K% vs. RHP — 21.3% (18 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 5.46 (2 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 4.56 (4 of 30)

Projected Lineup

#	Player	Bats	wOBA vs. RHP	ISO vs. RHP	wOBA L14	FD Position	FD Salary	DK Position	DK Salary
1	Dexter Fowler	SWITCH	0.347	0.182	0.400	OF	$4,100	OF	$4,800
2	Jason Heyward	LEFT	0.338	0.146	0.326	OF	$3,200	OF	$3,800
3	Kris Bryant	RIGHT	0.381	0.216	0.440	3B	$3,900	3B/OF	$5,000
4	Anthony Rizzo	LEFT	0.388	0.260	0.278	1B	$4,000	1B	$4,300
5	Ben Zobrist	SWITCH	0.351	0.169	0.418	2B	$3,600	2B	$4,600
6	Addison Russell	RIGHT	0.319	0.143	0.213	SS	$2,900	SS	$3,400
7	Javier Baez	RIGHT	0.250	0.103	0.292	SS	$2,200	3B/SS	$3,000
8	David Ross	RIGHT	0.244	0.113	0.408	C	$2,500	C	$2,800
9	John Lackey	RIGHT	0.132	0.029	0.000	P	$9,600	P	$10,600
	Team Averages	—	0.306	0.151	0.308	—	—	—	—

Elite Plays – Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo

Secondary Plays – Dexter Fowler, Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist

Stackability – Cash & GPP

LA Angels at Pittsburgh – 7:05 PM ET

Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%	Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%
LA Angels					Pittsburgh
			Jered Weaver					Francisco Liriano
			RIGHT					LEFT
			Vegas Moneyline					Vegas Over/Under
			PIT -170					8.0
SP vs. Left	0.346	19	14.2%	5.5%	SP vs. Left	0.280	5	25.9%	9.7%
SP vs. Right	0.341	17	12.9%	4.9%	SP vs. Right	0.300	21	25.4%	10.2%

Pitcher Grind Down

Statistics	Starts	PitchPS	SIERA	ERA	K%	BB%	SS%	GB%	FB%	HH%
Jered Weaver
					FanDuel			DraftKings
					Salary:		$6,900	Salary:		$5,500
					FPPG:		22.3	FPPG:		9.3
					Pitcher Rating:		32.9	Pitcher Rank:		29
L14 Days	2	99.0	5.08	4.15	17.3%	7.7%	10.6%	24.3%	54.1%	29.0%
2016	10	91.8	5.14	5.40	13.7%	5.9%	8.9%	29.5%	45.5%	34.7%
2015	26	94.2	4.88	4.64	13.5%	4.9%	8.3%	34.4%	46.5%	30.2%

Weaver is one of my favorite pitchers to see on the schedule. Not so much to use him in DFS, but to target hitters against him. In ten starts this season, he has a 5.14 SIERA with a strikeout rate of only 13.7%. He is an extreme fly-ball pitcher that has given up a hard hit contact rate over 30% in each of the last two seasons. Weaver has also allowed 36 home runs during that stretch, which matches his number of starts. He grades out as the second worst pitching option available tonight.

Statistics	Starts	PitchPS	SIERA	ERA	K%	BB%	SS%	GB%	FB%	HH%
Francisco Liriano
					FanDuel			DraftKings
					Salary:		$9,400	Salary:		$7,900
					FPPG:		27.9	FPPG:		13.6
					Pitcher Rating:		88.3	Pitcher Rank:		5
L14 Days	2	99.0	6.26	4.63	16.0%	18.0%	6.6%	43.8%	37.5%	36.4%
2016	10	97.8	4.60	4.63	22.4%	13.1%	10.4%	51.0%	32.5%	35.8%
2015	31	96.2	3.38	3.38	26.5%	9.1%	14.3%	51.2%	26.3%	24.3%

Liriano has been in a rut all season. He can’t seem to find the strike zone, which has led to a 13.1% walk rate. He generally walks more batters than your average starting pitcher, but he hasn’t gotten into enough favorable counts that he can make hitters chase. While there are certainly enough red flags to fade him in cash games, you have to like the matchup against the Angels at home. Liriano is a sizable favorite in a game that features a fairly low total of 8.0 runs. At $7,900 on DraftKings, I will have some exposure to him in tournaments.

Batter Grind Down

LA Angels

The Angels are ranked 28th in both team wOBA and team ISO against left-handed pitching this season. Even though Francisco Liriano has struggled this season, he has still held both left and right-handed hitters under a .300 wOBA over the last two years. Mike Trout and his .256 ISO against southpaws puts him in that elite play category, but the other Angels’ bats are secondary plays. This would be a good spot to use C.J. Cron, but he may not be in the lineup, as there is no DH in National League ballparks.

Angels Offense (2016)
Team wOBA vs. LHP — 0.288 (28 of 30)
Team ISO vs. LHP — 0.118 (28 of 30)
Team K% vs. LHP — 16.8% (1 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 4.21 (17 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 3.59 (24 of 30)

Projected Lineup

#	Player	Bats	wOBA vs. LHP	ISO vs. LHP	wOBA L14	FD Position	FD Salary	DK Position	DK Salary
1	Yunel Escobar	RIGHT	0.350	0.120	0.317	3B	$2,800	3B	$3,100
2	Kole Calhoun	LEFT	0.299	0.140	0.367	OF	$3,600	OF	$3,800
3	Mike Trout	RIGHT	0.413	0.256	0.378	OF	$4,800	OF	$5,300
4	Albert Pujols	RIGHT	0.316	0.250	0.355	1B	$3,700	1B	$4,000
5	Johnny Giavotella	LEFT	0.280	0.071	0.307	2B	$2,800	2B	$3,000
6	Gregorio Petit	RIGHT	0.180	0.051	0.258	SS	$2,300	SS	$2,400
7	Carlos Perez	RIGHT	0.212	0.022	0.313	C	$2,400	C	$2,500
8	Shane Robinson	RIGHT	0.261	0.022	0.080	OF	$2,000	OF	$2,000
9	Jered Weaver	RIGHT	0.000	0.000		P	$6,900	P	$5,500
	Team Averages	—	0.257	0.104	0.297	—	—	—	—

Elite Plays – Mike Trout

Secondary Plays – Yunel Escobar, Albert Pujols

Stackability – NONE

Pittsburgh

The Pirates may not be playing in the most hitter-friendly ballpark in baseball, but their matchup is as favorable as any other on the schedule tonight. Jered Weaver is a fly-ball pitcher that struggles against both left and right-handed hitters (.340+ wOBA allowed to both). The best part is that since Pittsburgh only has the seventh highest team total, they may get overlooked a bit tonight.

Pirates Offense (2016)
Team wOBA vs. RHP — 0.337 (6 of 30)
Team ISO vs. RHP — 0.141 (21 of 30)
Team K% vs. RHP — 19.0% (9 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 4.96 (6 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 4.41 (7 of 30)

Projected Lineup

#	Player	Bats	wOBA vs. RHP	ISO vs. RHP	wOBA L14	FD Position	FD Salary	DK Position	DK Salary
1	John Jaso	LEFT	0.359	0.161	0.312	1B	$3,000	1B	$3,700
2	Andrew McCutchen	RIGHT	0.368	0.197	0.295	OF	$4,000	OF	$4,400
3	Gregory Polanco	LEFT	0.344	0.158	0.373	OF	$4,000	OF	$5,400
4	Jung-Ho Kang	RIGHT	0.360	0.186	0.302	3B	$3,100	3B	$3,800
5	Starling Marte	RIGHT	0.350	0.152	0.289	OF	$3,800	OF	$4,800
6	Francisco Cervelli	RIGHT	0.321	0.080	0.241	C	$2,800	C	$3,100
7	Josh Harrison	RIGHT	0.313	0.104	0.381	2B	$3,100	2B	$3,700
8	Jordy Mercer	RIGHT	0.264	0.066	0.211	SS	$2,600	SS	$3,000
9	Francisco Liriano	LEFT	0.266	0.092	0.440	P	$9,400	P	$7,900
	Team Averages	—	0.327	0.133	0.316	—	—	—	—

Elite Plays – Andrew McCutchen, Gregory Polanco, Jung-Ho Kang

Secondary Plays – John Jaso, Starling Marte, Francisco Cervelli

Stackability – Cash & GPP

Milwaukee at Philadelphia – 7:05 PM ET

Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%	Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%
Milwaukee					Philadelphia
			Jimmy Nelson					Vince Velasquez
			RIGHT					RIGHT
			Vegas Moneyline					Vegas Over/Under
			PHI -110					7.5
SP vs. Left	0.356	17	19.4%	10.6%	SP vs. Left	0.303	7	23.8%	9.7%
SP vs. Right	0.266	10	20.2%	7.5%	SP vs. Right	0.322	6	30.1%	7.3%

Pitcher Grind Down

Statistics	Starts	PitchPS	SIERA	ERA	K%	BB%	SS%	GB%	FB%	HH%
Jimmy Nelson
					FanDuel			DraftKings
					Salary:		$8,000	Salary:		$10,500
					FPPG:		34.9	FPPG:		18.2
					Pitcher Rating:		66.3	Pitcher Rank:		13
L14 Days	2	102.5	3.93	2.03	24.5%	9.4%	9.8%	40.0%	30.0%	37.5%
2016	11	95.6	4.38	2.88	20.2%	9.6%	7.6%	47.4%	32.3%	34.2%
2015	30	93.0	4.09	4.11	19.7%	8.6%	10.0%	50.6%	29.4%	28.9%

Nelson may have a 2.88 ERA, but with a .247 BABIP and a left on-base percentage of 80.7%, it’s hard to see him sustaining that much longer. Regression will likely hit soon, which makes him an easy fade on DraftKings at that price point. He is still a pitcher with a 20% strikeout rate facing the Phillies though, so I may give him a look in tournaments on FanDuel.

Statistics	Starts	PitchPS	SIERA	ERA	K%	BB%	SS%	GB%	FB%	HH%
Vince Velasquez
					FanDuel			DraftKings
					Salary:		$9,000	Salary:		$9,600
					FPPG:		36.3	FPPG:		19.8
					Pitcher Rating:		89.5	Pitcher Rank:		4
L14 Days	2	88.5	4.94	10.38	17.8%	8.9%	11.3%	24.2%	42.4%	33.3%
2016	10	93.1	3.42	3.63	28.4%	8.1%	11.5%	35.4%	42.9%	26.9%
2015	7	139.4	3.74	4.37	25.1%	9.1%	10.5%	31.3%	46.7%	27.3%

If you are targeting a pitcher from this game, I prefer Velasquez over Jimmy Nelson. Even though he has been shelled in his last two seasons, Velasquez still owns a 3.42 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 28.4% on the season. Better yet, he gets to face a Brewers’ offense that is ranked dead last in strikeout rate (26.7%) against right-handed pitching this season. Velasquez has immense upside in this matchup and he is affordable on both FanDuel and DraftKings.

Batter Grind Down

Milwaukee

The Brewers have been a mediocre offense against right-handed pitching this season, ranking 15th in team wOBA and 17th in team ISO. They come into tonight’s game with the ninth lowest implied run total on the board. Vince Velasquez has an elite strikeout rate and he has held both left and right-handed hitters under a .325 wOBA over the last two seasons.

Brewers Offense (2016)
Team wOBA vs. RHP — 0.315 (15 of 30)
Team ISO vs. RHP — 0.157 (17 of 30)
Team K% vs. RHP — 26.7% (30 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 4.17 (18 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 3.69 (22 of 30)

Projected Lineup

#	Player	Bats	wOBA vs. RHP	ISO vs. RHP	wOBA L14	FD Position	FD Salary	DK Position	DK Salary
1	Jonathan Villar	SWITCH	0.332	0.094	0.438	SS	$3,400	SS	$4,500
2	Scooter Gennett	LEFT	0.303	0.130	0.248	2B	$2,700	2B	$3,300
3	Ryan Braun	RIGHT	0.363	0.208	0.384	OF	$4,200	OF	$4,400
4	Jonathan Lucroy	RIGHT	0.357	0.180	0.363	C	$3,500	C	$3,900
5	Chris Carter	RIGHT	0.327	0.266	0.227	1B	$3,200	1B	$3,000
6	Kirk Nieuwenhuis	LEFT	0.305	0.164	0.175	OF	$2,600	OF	$3,000
7	Aaron Hill	RIGHT	0.311	0.146	0.435	3B	$2,700	2B/3B	$3,200
8	Ramon Flores	LEFT	0.258	0.065	0.275	OF	$2,100	OF	$2,600
9	Jimmy Nelson	RIGHT	0.118	0.017	0.000	P	$8,000	P	$10,500
	Team Averages	—	0.297	0.141	0.283	—	—	—	—

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Ryan Braun, Jonathan Lucroy

Stackability – NONE

Philadelphia

The Phillies’ offense was a bit of a letdown last night against Chase Anderson, but you shouldn’t have had much exposure to that game anyway. With no game in Coors Field tonight, you can look to a Phillies’ batter or two against Jimmy Nelson. He doesn’t have great splits on the road and he has allowed a .356 wOBA to left-handed hitters over the last two seasons.

Phillies Offense (2016)
Team wOBA vs. RHP — 0.283 (28 of 30)
Team ISO vs. RHP — 0.133 (27 of 30)
Team K% vs. RHP — 22.1% (20 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 3.09 (30 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 3.81 (21 of 30)

Projected Lineup

#	Player	Bats	wOBA vs. RHP	ISO vs. RHP	wOBA L14	FD Position	FD Salary	DK Position	DK Salary
1	Odubel Herrera	LEFT	0.356	0.137	0.315	OF	$3,500	OF	$3,500
2	Cesar Hernandez	RIGHT	0.287	0.075	0.221	2B	$2,800	2B	$2,500
3	Andres Blanco	SWITCH	0.349	0.204	0.233	3B	$2,100	2B/3B	$2,500
4	Tommy Joseph	RIGHT	0.242	0.226	0.263	1B	$2,000	1B	$2,700
5	Tyler Goeddel	RIGHT	0.319	0.171	0.320	OF	$2,000	OF	$3,000
6	Cody Asche	LEFT	0.305	0.166	0.000	OF	$2,000	3B/OF	$2,700
7	Freddy Galvis	SWITCH	0.293	0.122	0.312	SS	$2,700	SS	$3,100
8	Cameron Rupp	RIGHT	0.276	0.121	0.371	C	$2,600	C	$2,400
9	Vince Velasquez	RIGHT	0.278	0.000	0.440	P	$9,000	P	$9,600
	Team Averages	—	0.301	0.136	0.275	—	—	—	—

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Odubel Herrera, Andres Blanco, Tommy Joseph

Stackability – NONE

NY Yankees at Baltimore – 7:05 PM ET

Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%	Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%
NY Yankees					Baltimore
			Nathan Eovaldi					Chris Tillman
			RIGHT					RIGHT
			Vegas Moneyline					Vegas Over/Under
			BAL -115					8.0
SP vs. Left	0.347	8	18.5%	8.5%	SP vs. Left	0.308	7	18.7%	10.5%
SP vs. Right	0.281	9	20.0%	5.6%	SP vs. Right	0.330	19	17.5%	7.6%

Pitcher Grind Down

Statistics	Starts	PitchPS	SIERA	ERA	K%	BB%	SS%	GB%	FB%	HH%
Nathan Eovaldi
					FanDuel			DraftKings
					Salary:		$8,300	Salary:		$8,500
					FPPG:		35.0	FPPG:		18.1
					Pitcher Rating:		58.7	Pitcher Rank:		15
L14 Days	2	102.5	3.89	0.75	24.0%	10.0%	10.7%	53.1%	28.1%	30.3%
2016	10	99.0	3.47	3.71	22.9%	6.0%	9.3%	54.3%	29.1%	30.7%
2015	27	97.7	3.99	4.20	18.0%	7.3%	8.7%	52.2%	26.0%	28.0%

Eovaldi has finally learned how to turn that great velocity into a high strikeout rate. A large part of that is thanks to his development of the splitter. He didn’t throw any in his first four major league seasons, but is now throwing a splitter 25% of the time. With a new repertoire, he has been able to generate more swings and misses, while still maintaining his elite ground ball rate. Eovaldi doesn’t draw the best matchup on the board, but the Orioles do strikeout at the eighth highest rate of any team against right-handed pitching.

Statistics	Starts	PitchPS	SIERA	ERA	K%	BB%	SS%	GB%	FB%	HH%
Chris Tillman
					FanDuel			DraftKings
					Salary:		$8,500	Salary:		$8,700
					FPPG:		36.2	FPPG:		19.0
					Pitcher Rating:		57.2	Pitcher Rank:		17
L14 Days	2	100.5	5.34	4.15	16.0%	12.0%	8.0%	41.7%	38.9%	41.7%
2016	11	94.0	4.20	2.92	23.7%	10.5%	10.0%	40.1%	40.1%	32.3%
2015	31	94.9	4.69	4.99	16.2%	8.6%	7.1%	43.5%	35.4%	26.9%

Tillman is another pitcher that has seen a major increase in his strikeout rate this season. Though 11 starts, he owns a 4.20 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 23.7%. He hasn’t had an increase in velocity, but he is throwing more sliders. His increase in strikeout rate feels a bit more like fools gold than Nathan Eovaldi. Tillman draws the better matchup of the two though, as the Yankees are ranked 27th in team wOBA against right-handed pitching this season.

Batter Grind Down

NY Yankees

The Yankees are an aging offense that is having a hard time staying healthy. They have not fared well against right-handed pitching and they are currently averaging the fourth fewest runs per game of any team in baseball. While I don’t love their offense as a whole, Chris Tillman is a hittable pitcher and they are facing him in the hitter-friendly Camden Yards. It’s worth noting that Alex Rodriguez has four home runs off of Tillman in only 16 career at-bats.

Yankees Offense (2016)
Team wOBA vs. RHP — 0.295 (27 of 30)
Team ISO vs. RHP — 0.149 (19 of 30)
Team K% vs. RHP — 19.4% (11 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 3.74 (27 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 3.91 (19 of 30)

Projected Lineup

#	Player	Bats	wOBA vs. RHP	ISO vs. RHP	wOBA L14	FD Position	FD Salary	DK Position	DK Salary
1	Jacoby Ellsbury	LEFT	0.307	0.109	0.346	OF	$3,400	OF	$4,100
2	Brett Gardner	LEFT	0.328	0.152	0.151	OF	$3,200	OF	$3,700
3	Carlos Beltran	SWITCH	0.359	0.220	0.422	OF	$3,900	OF	$4,000
4	Brian McCann	LEFT	0.326	0.203	0.207	C	$2,800	C	$3,500
5	Mark Teixeira	SWITCH	0.348	0.271	0.109	1B	$2,700	1B	$3,100
6	Alex Rodriguez	RIGHT	0.334	0.216	0.174	3B	$2,900	1B/3B	$3,600
7	Starlin Castro	RIGHT	0.290	0.133	0.219	2B	$2,500	2B	$3,100
8	Didi Gregorius	LEFT	0.300	0.120	0.341	SS	$2,500	SS	$2,900
9	Chase Headley	SWITCH	0.300	0.102	0.329	3B	$2,900	3B	$3,100
	Team Averages	—	0.321	0.170	0.255	—	—	—	—

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, Alex Rodriguez

Stackability – NONE

Baltimore

The Orioles have mashed right-handed pitching this season, ranking fourth in team wOBA and third in team ISO. They do strikeout at a high clip though and they are facing a high strikeout pitcher in Nathan Eovaldi. Hyun Soo Kim is still underpriced across the industry and warrants consideration in cash games, while the rest of the Orioles are best suited as GPP targets.

Orioles Offense (2016)
Team wOBA vs. RHP — 0.341 (4 of 30)
Team ISO vs. RHP — 0.194 (3 of 30)
Team K% vs. RHP — 22.9% (23 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 4.67 (9 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 4.09 (12 of 30)

Projected Lineup

#	Player	Bats	wOBA vs. RHP	ISO vs. RHP	wOBA L14	FD Position	FD Salary	DK Position	DK Salary
1	Adam Jones	RIGHT	0.336	0.205	0.283	OF	$3,100	OF	$3,400
2	Hyun-Soo Kim	LEFT	0.411	0.119	0.429	OF	$2,600	OF	$3,200
3	Manny Machado	RIGHT	0.392	0.254	0.406	SS	$3,900	3B/SS	$4,700
4	Chris Davis	LEFT	0.394	0.317	0.248	1B	$3,900	1B	$3,900
5	Mark Trumbo	RIGHT	0.341	0.194	0.361	OF	$3,600	OF	$3,900
6	Matt Wieters	SWITCH	0.336	0.162	0.360	C	$3,000	C	$3,400
7	Pedro Alvarez	LEFT	0.334	0.231	0.354	3B	$2,600	1B	$3,000
8	Jonathan Schoop	RIGHT	0.357	0.235	0.320	2B	$3,000	2B	$3,500
9	Ryan Flaherty	LEFT	0.270	0.131	0.235	2B	$2,400	3B	$2,600
	Team Averages	—	0.352	0.205	0.333	—	—	—	—

Elite Plays – Hyun-Soo Kim

Secondary Plays – Adam Jones, Manny Machado, Chris Davis, Mark Trumbo

Stackability – GPP

Chicago White Sox at Detroit – 7:08 PM ET

Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%	Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%
Chicago White Sox					Detroit
			Carlos Rodon					Jordan Zimmermann
			LEFT					RIGHT
			Vegas Moneyline					Vegas Over/Under
			DET -135					8.5
SP vs. Left	0.246	1	26.1%	8.4%	SP vs. Left	0.321	16	18.8%	6.4%
SP vs. Right	0.350	18	21.1%	11.5%	SP vs. Right	0.276	14	19.1%	2.8%

Pitcher Grind Down

Statistics	Starts	PitchPS	SIERA	ERA	K%	BB%	SS%	GB%	FB%	HH%
Carlos Rodon
					FanDuel			DraftKings
					Salary:		$8,000	Salary:		$8,400
					FPPG:		27.7	FPPG:		13.9
					Pitcher Rating:		54.8	Pitcher Rank:		21
L14 Days	2	103.5	4.83	2.31	13.5%	7.7%	8.7%	46.3%	26.8%	17.1%
2016	10	97.9	4.03	4.24	21.2%	8.2%	8.5%	48.9%	30.1%	25.7%
2015	23	106.1	4.20	3.75	22.9%	11.7%	10.1%	46.8%	29.8%	28.3%

We are still waiting for Rodon to go on that great run and establish himself as the pitcher that a lot of people expected him to be. He hasn’t been bad this season, but a 4.03 SIERA and a 21.2% strikeout rate don’t leap off the page at us. His biggest issue continues to be right-handed hitters. That’s a huge problem for tonight’s matchup against the Tigers, who will likely have eight righties and one switch hitter in their lineup.

Statistics	Starts	PitchPS	SIERA	ERA	K%	BB%	SS%	GB%	FB%	HH%
Jordan Zimmermann
					FanDuel			DraftKings
					Salary:		$9,600	Salary:		$9,300
					FPPG:		37.2	FPPG:		18.8
					Pitcher Rating:		66.4	Pitcher Rank:		12
L14 Days	1	82.0	4.58	3.18	14.3%	0.0%	6.1%	35.3%	52.9%	16.7%
2016	9	102.4	4.37	2.52	16.3%	4.5%	7.3%	43.0%	39.4%	25.1%
2015	33	94.0	3.83	3.66	19.7%	4.7%	8.4%	42.0%	36.2%	29.5%

Zimmermann has a low 2.52 ERA on the season, but his indicators suggest some regression moving forward. He currently owns a 4.37 SIERA with a low strikeout rate of 16.3%. If you took his name away from those statistics, you would automatically think to avoid that pitcher. While I feel like Zimmermann is a bit overpriced across the industry (thanks to his low ERA), he does draw a nice matchup against the White Sox at home. On the season, Chicago is ranked 25th in both team wOBA and team ISO.

Batter Grind Down

Chicago White Sox

The White Sox matchup against Jordan Zimmermann isn’t as opposing as it sounds and the fact that they have the 14th highest team total proves that. Zimmermann may have a low ERA, but he has allowed 30 home runs over the last two seasons. He has also given up a .321 wOBA to left-handed hitters during that stretch.

White Sox Offense (2016)
Team wOBA vs. RHP — 0.299 (25 of 30)
Team ISO vs. RHP — 0.135 (25 of 30)
Team K% vs. RHP — 20.8% (15 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 4.07 (22 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 4.04 (14 of 30)

Projected Lineup

#	Player	Bats	wOBA vs. RHP	ISO vs. RHP	wOBA L14	FD Position	FD Salary	DK Position	DK Salary
1	Adam Eaton	LEFT	0.352	0.163	0.190	OF	$3,000	OF	$3,500
2	Austin Jackson	RIGHT	0.298	0.104	0.409	OF	$2,700	OF	$2,600
3	Todd Frazier	RIGHT	0.333	0.221	0.339	3B	$3,900	3B	$3,800
4	Melky Cabrera	SWITCH	0.320	0.123	0.274	OF	$2,900	OF	$2,800
5	Jose Abreu	RIGHT	0.361	0.213	0.234	1B	$3,100	1B	$3,200
6	Brett Lawrie	RIGHT	0.297	0.139	0.311	2B	$2,700	2B	$2,900
7	Dioner Navarro	SWITCH	0.270	0.102	0.260	C	$2,800	C	$2,500
8	Avisail Garcia	RIGHT	0.294	0.118	0.237	OF	$2,500	OF	$3,100
9	Tyler Saladino	RIGHT	0.272	0.120	0.392	SS	$2,900	SS	$2,900
	Team Averages	—	0.311	0.145	0.294	—	—	—	—

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Adam Eaton, Todd Frazier

Stackability – NONE

Detroit

The Tigers are one of my favorites GPP stacks tonight. As I mentioned above, Carlos Rodon has really struggled against right-handed hitters – allowing a .350 wOBA and 18 home runs over the last two seasons. Meanwhile, the Tigers have nine right-handed bats to throw at him with six of them sporting at least a .350 wOBA against left-handed pitching. May the splits be ever in your favor Detroit.

Tigers Offense (2016)
Team wOBA vs. LHP — 0.303 (21 of 30)
Team ISO vs. LHP — 0.146 (18 of 30)
Team K% vs. LHP — 23.7% (23 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 4.47 (11 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 4.46 (6 of 30)

Projected Lineup

#	Player	Bats	wOBA vs. LHP	ISO vs. LHP	wOBA L14	FD Position	FD Salary	DK Position	DK Salary
1	Ian Kinsler	RIGHT	0.383	0.185	0.365	2B	$4,000	2B	$4,700
2	J.D. Martinez	RIGHT	0.373	0.264	0.297	OF	$3,700	OF	$3,900
3	Miguel Cabrera	RIGHT	0.384	0.189	0.495	1B	$3,600	1B	$4,800
4	Victor Martinez	SWITCH	0.356	0.115	0.385	C	$3,200	1B	$4,400
5	Nick Castellanos	RIGHT	0.381	0.238	0.295	3B	$3,300	3B	$4,300
6	Justin Upton	RIGHT	0.249	0.099	0.248	OF	$2,900	OF	$2,700
7	Cameron Maybin	RIGHT	0.348	0.148	0.391	OF	$2,900	OF	$3,500
8	James McCann	RIGHT	0.357	0.210	0.238	C	$2,100	C	$2,900
9	Jose Iglesias	RIGHT	0.346	0.096	0.228	SS	$2,400	SS	$2,700
	Team Averages	—	0.353	0.172	0.327	—	—	—	—

MLB Grind Down: Friday, June 3rd

Arizona at Chicago Cubs – 2:20 PM ET

Pitcher Grind Down

Batter Grind Down

Arizona

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Michael Bourn, Jake Lamb

Stackability – NONE

Chicago Cubs

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo

Secondary Plays – Dexter Fowler, Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist

Stackability – Cash & GPP

LA Angels at Pittsburgh – 7:05 PM ET

Pitcher Grind Down

Batter Grind Down

LA Angels

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – Mike Trout

Secondary Plays – Yunel Escobar, Albert Pujols

Stackability – NONE

Pittsburgh

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – Andrew McCutchen, Gregory Polanco, Jung-Ho Kang

Secondary Plays – John Jaso, Starling Marte, Francisco Cervelli

Stackability – Cash & GPP

Milwaukee at Philadelphia – 7:05 PM ET

Pitcher Grind Down

Batter Grind Down

Milwaukee

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Ryan Braun, Jonathan Lucroy

Stackability – NONE

Philadelphia

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Odubel Herrera, Andres Blanco, Tommy Joseph

Stackability – NONE

NY Yankees at Baltimore – 7:05 PM ET

Pitcher Grind Down

Batter Grind Down

NY Yankees

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, Alex Rodriguez

Stackability – NONE

Baltimore

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – Hyun-Soo Kim

Secondary Plays – Adam Jones, Manny Machado, Chris Davis, Mark Trumbo

Stackability – GPP

Chicago White Sox at Detroit – 7:08 PM ET

Pitcher Grind Down

Batter Grind Down

Chicago White Sox

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Adam Eaton, Todd Frazier

Stackability – NONE

Detroit

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – Ian Kinsler, J.D. Martinez, Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez

Secondary Plays – Nick Castellanos, Cameron Maybin, James McCann

Stackability – Cash & GPP

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