MLB Grind Down: Friday, May 16th
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
Milwaukee at Chicago Cubs
| Milwaukee | Chicago Cubs | ||||||||
| Kyle Lohse | Vegas Moneyline | Jeff Samardzija | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | CHC (-110) | RIGHT | 6.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.262 | 0.742 | 0.328 | 17.3% | SP vs. Left | 0.263 | 0.766 | 0.340 | 23.0% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.248 | 0.627 | 0.279 | 15.9% | SP vs. Right | 0.234 | 0.632 | 0.291 | 22.6% |
| Batter Splits | MIL BvP  | MIL vs R | Batter Splits | CHC BvP | CHC vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Kyle Lohse – This is the lone day game on the schedule today, but we will include it as a few sites have leagues with these players available. Through his first 8 starts this season, Lohse has posted a 2.75 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP and a K/9 of 7.6. He faces a Cubs’ offense that is still ranked 27th against RH pitching despite having a nice series against the Cardinals’ pitching staff. Lohse is a terrific play if you want to take someone in this early game. Rating = 8
Jeff Samardzija – Even with trade rumors surrounding Samardzija this season, he has pitched extremely well. He has a 1.45 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP and a K/9 of 7.2. The total for this game is set at only 6.5 runs with an even spread. Samardzija has a high K-rate and a pretty nice matchup against the Brewers who have mostly RH batters in their lineup. Since the start of last season Samardzija has held RH batters to a .291 wOBA. Rating = 7
Batter Grind Down
Milwaukee
Ryan Braun – Braun has a nice track record against Samardzija going 7/16 with 2 HR’s off of him in his career. Braun is one of the few players that have multi-HR upside. While I won’t be using him in cash games, he does make a nice target in tournaments. UPDATE: Braun is not in the lineup today
Additional Plays: None
Chicago Cubs
Anthony Rizzo – Since the start of last season, Lohse has given up a .328 wOBA to LH batters. Rizzo is batting .371 with 6 XBH’s at Wrigley this season and makes a decent play against the RHP Lohse.
Additional Plays: None
NY Mets at Washington
| NY Mets | Washington | ||||||||
| Jonathon Niese | Vegas Moneyline | Tanner Roark | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | WAS (-135) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.221 | 0.580 | 0.265 | 19.2% | SP vs. Left | 0.254 | 0.703 | 0.316 | 16.1% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.285 | 0.741 | 0.332 | 17.0% | SP vs. Right | 0.180 | 0.410 | 0.193 | 23.2% |
| Batter Splits | NYM BvP | NYM vs R | Batter Splits | WSN BvP | WSN vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Jonathon Niese – Niese has really pitched well this season with a 2.17 ERA and K/9 of 7.2 through his first 7 starts. He comes into tonight’s game as a small underdog against the Nationals who are ranked 5th against LH pitching with a team .339 wOBA. Niese draws some appeal as a deep tournament play, but there are much better options for cash games. Rating = 5
Tanner Roark – Roark has now made 3 starts at Nationals Park in his career. In those 3 starts he has an ERA under 0.30 with a WHIP under 0.90. Roark has a K/9 of 7.4 this season and draws a nice matchup against the Mets who are ranked 28th against RH pitching with a team .280 wOBA. Everything points to Roark having a solid outing. Rating = 7
Batter Grind Down
N.Y. Mets
Curtis Granderson – The sample size on Roark is still extremely small, but in his time in the majors he has given up a .316 wOBA to LH batters compared to a .193 wOBA to RH batters. If you are targeting any batters here, make sure they bat from the left side of the plate. Granderson is swinging a luke-warm bat of late and makes a decent play in the OF.
Additional Plays: Daniel Murphy
Washington
Jayson Werth – Since the start of last season, Niese is giving up a .332 wOBA with a .741 OPS to RH batters. Werth has always hit LH pitching well (.914 OPS against southpaws over the last 3 seasons). He has a lot of power in his bat and may be worth his mid to high price tag tonight.
Additional Plays: Ian Desmond
Pittsburgh at NY Yankees
| Pittsburgh | NY Yankees | ||||||||
| Edinson Volquez | Vegas Moneyline | David Phelps | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | NYY (-125) | RIGHT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.295 | 0.833 | 0.368 | 17.3% | SP vs. Left | 0.240 | 0.716 | 0.327 | 24.4% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.256 | 0.720 | 0.326 | 17.6% | SP vs. Right | 0.286 | 0.758 | 0.344 | 16.4% |
| Batter Splits | PIT BvP | PIT vs R | Batter Splits | NYY BvP | NYY vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
UPDATE: THIS GAME HAS BEEN POSTPONED
Pitcher Grind Down
Edison Volquez – Volquez started the season well, but has since come crashing back down to Earth. In his last 3 starts he has given up a combined 15 earned runs and his ERA for the season now sits at 4.36 with a K/9 of only 5.2. The Yankees are only small favorites here, but the total is set at 8.5 runs and I expect this Yankees’ offense to knock Volquez around a bit. The Yankees are ranked 11th against RH pitching with a team .316 wOBA. Rating = 4
David Phelps – This will be the 3rd start of the season for Phelps. Most of his work comes out of the bullpen and he is not conditioned to pitch deep into a game. His highest pitch count this season is 87 pitches. Not only that, but the Pirates are pretty decent against RH pitching with a team .309 wOBA. Phelps could be an option on multi-pitcher sites if his price is cheap enough, but I like to target pitchers with more upside. Rating = 5
Batter Grind Down
Pittsburgh
Pedro Alvarez – The short porch in right at Yankee Stadium never hurts a LH batter. Alvarez is always one of my favorite GPP plays because he has multi-HR upside. He’s already hit 8 HR’s this season, 6 of which came against RH pitching.
Additional Plays: Andrew McCutchen
N.Y. Yankees
Jacoby Ellsbury – Ellsbury has been quiet over the last 10 games, a little too quiet. He’s batting over .300 at Yankee Stadium this season and already has 11 SB’s. He also has a nice matchup against Volquez who has given up a .368 wOBA to LH batters since the start of last season. It also doesn’t hurt that his price is depressed across the industry.
Additional Plays: Brian McCann, Mark Teixeira, Yangervis Solarte, Brett Gardner
Oakland at Cleveland
| Oakland | Cleveland | ||||||||
| Sonny Gray | Vegas Moneyline | Zach McAllister | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | OAK (-132) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.232 | 0.632 | 0.285 | 22.3% | SP vs. Left | 0.255 | 0.736 | 0.328 | 17.6% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.198 | 0.509 | 0.235 | 23.5% | SP vs. Right | 0.258 | 0.693 | 0.311 | 18.8% |
| Batter Splits | OAK BvP | OAK vs R | Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Sonny Gray – Gray has been terrific for the A’s this season with a 2.17 ERA and a K/9 of 7.2. Since the start of last season, he has held LH and RH batters under a .285 wOBA which is very impressive. Gray is a small favorite in this one and the total is set at only 7.5 runs. I think he makes a great GPP play, but there are a few too many LH batters in the Indians’ lineup for me to use him as a cash game play, especially at his price. Rating = 7
Zach McAllister – McAllister has a 3.89 ERA with a 1.29 WHIP and a K/9 of 7.8 this season. He has really pitched well at home, but draws a very tough matchup against this A’s offense that is ranked 5th against RH pitching with a team .337 wOBA. The A’s are a very tough ball club and I’ll be avoiding McAllister in all leagues tonight. Rating = 5
Batter Grind Down
Oakland
Brandon Moss – Since the start of last season, McAllister has given up a .328 wOBA to LH batters. Moss has great power against RH pitching and is batting .270 with 13 XBH’s against righties this season. I really like Moss on a site like DK where he is eligible at 1B and OF.
Additional Plays: Jed Lowrie, John Jaso, Josh Reddick
Cleveland
As mentioned above, since the start of last season Gray has held both LH and RH batters under a .285 wOBA. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Indians put up a few runs on Gray, but at the same time, there aren’t any options that stand out here.
Cincinnati at Philadelphia
| Cincinnati | Philadelphia | ||||||||
| Alfredo Simon | Vegas Moneyline | Kyle Kendrick | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | CIN (-113) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.216 | 0.709 | 0.323 | 14.8% | SP vs. Left | 0.263 | 0.727 | 0.323 | 14.7% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.215 | 0.545 | 0.259 | 16.8% | SP vs. Right | 0.297 | 0.752 | 0.342 | 13.2% |
| Batter Splits | CIN BvP | CIN vs R | Batter Splits | PHI BvP | PHI vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Alfredo Simon – Simon has pitched well for the Reds this season. He has a 2.89 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP over 7 starts. The alarming number here is his K-rate. He has only struck out 22 batters this season which equates to a K/9 of 4.6. In daily fantasy baseball, strikeouts are king when it comes to pitching and Simon just doesn’t have enough upside to warrant consideration. Rating = 4
Kyle Kendrick – Kendrick has a 3.98 ERA with a 1.37 WHIP and a K/9 of 5.6 this season. He’s given up at least 2 earned runs in each of his last 6 starts. Tonight he faces a Reds’ offense that is ranked 15th against RH pitching with a team .313 wOBA. He is a pretty average option tonight at pitcher. Rating = 5
Batter Grind Down
Cincinnati
Billy Hamilton – Hamilton is always a terrific play because he and Dee Gordon are the two best base stealers in baseball. Kendrick has given up a .323 wOBA to LH batters over the last 2 seasons and Hamilton will be aggressive on the base pads if he can reach base.
Additional Plays: Brandon Phillips
Philadelphia
Chase Utley – Simon is giving up a .323 wOBA to LH batters and Utley has been mashing RH pitching all season. He’s batting .374 against righties with 18 XBH’s. He’s dealing with some nagging injuries, but they have not affected his play one bit.
Additional Plays: Ryan Howard