MLB Grind Down: Monday, April 7th - Page 2
San Diego at Cleveland
| San Diego | Cleveland | ||||||||
| Robbie Erlin | Vegas Moneyline | Corey Kluber | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | CLE (-140) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.318 | 0.809 | 0.358 | 18.3% | SP vs. Left | 0.278 | 0.743 | 0.331 | 22.0% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.225 | 0.641 | 0.285 | 17.3% | SP vs. Right | 0.264 | 0.692 | 0.309 | 22.8% |
| Batter Splits | SDP BvP  | SDP vs R | Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Robbie Erlin – This will be Erlin’s first start of the season and only his 10th career start. Last season the young lefty posted a 4.12 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP and a K/9 of 6.7. Erlin is a small underdog today and I’d like to see him get a couple of starts under his belt this season before I will be able to trust him in cash games. Use him as a deep GPP option only. Rating = 3
- Corey Kluber – Kluber got off to a terrible start this season, but we did warn you about his struggles on the road. Luckily, he will make this start at home where he posted a 2.76 ERA and a K/9 of 8.8 last season. Kluber is cheap across the industry and has a very nice matchup against the Padres less than potent offense. Rating = 8
Batter Grind Down
San Diego
- There are certainly teams with better matchups today and I just have a hard time targeting batters on a team that could easily put a 0 up on the scoreboard.
- Additional Plays: None
Cleveland
- Carlos Santana – The Indians make an interesting stack option today against the young lefty Erlin. He’ll be making his first start of the season and the Indians are a team that can put up a lot of runs. Santana is my favorite cash game play here. He hit .299 against LH pitching last season with 22 XBH’s.
- Additional Plays: Nick Swisher, Jason Kipnis, Yan Gomes
Tampa Bay at Kansas City
| Tampa Bay | Kansas City | ||||||||
| Matt Moore | Vegas Moneyline | Jason Vargas | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | TBR (-121) | LEFT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.221 | 0.602 | 0.278 | 21.9% | SP vs. Left | 0.327 | 0.787 | 0.345 | 13.4% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.214 | 0.666 | 0.305 | 22.4% | SP vs. Right | 0.256 | 0.735 | 0.331 | 18.2% |
| Batter Splits | TBR BvP | TBR vs L | Batter Splits | KCR BvP | KCR vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Matt Moore – Moore pitched pretty well in his opener, but he continues to struggle with his command as he walked 3 batters and didn’t even make it 6 innings. Moore is not a pitcher that you want to target when his command is off because he has been known to walk 2 or 3 batters in a row. He does make an interesting GPP play though as he had a K/9 of 8.6 last season. Call me crazy, but I would much rather take Kluber at a similar/cheaper price point. Rating = 5
- Jason Vargas – Vargas is a solid pitcher at home. That’s basically what his matchup against the Rays comes down to tonight. Last season with the Angels, he posted a 3.30 ERA and he was the same way when he was with the Mariners. He pitched very well in his first start with the Royals and will make his home debut tonight. The Rays do hit LH pitching well though and I find myself looking at other options for cash games. Rating = 5
Batter Grind Down
Tampa Bay
- Evan Longoria – Vargas gave up a .331 wOBA to RH batters last season and Longo has always hit LH pitching well. Last season, Longo hit for a .949 OPS against LH pitching and makes a nice play at 3B today.
- Additional Plays: Wil Myers, Ben Zobrist, Sean Rodriguez
Kansas City
- Omar Infante – If you are looking to punt 2B today, Infante makes a very strong play. He hit for a .301 average against LH pitching last season and if off to a very hot start this season. He also sees the ball well and could draw a walk or two against Moore.
- Additional Plays: Billy Butler, Salvador Perez
Chicago White Sox at Colorado
| Chicago White Sox | Colorado | ||||||||
| Felipe Paulino | Vegas Moneyline | Jordan Lyles | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | COL (-128) | RIGHT | 10.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | SP vs. Left | 0.266 | 0.740 | 0.333 | 11.5% | ||||
| SP vs. Right | SP vs. Right | 0.307 | 0.833 | 0.375 | 18.0% | ||||
| Batter Splits | CHW BvP | CHW vs R | Batter Splits | COL BvP | COL vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Felipe Paulino – The final game of the night features the highest total of the night. It’s bad enough that this game is in Coors, but when you throw out Paulino and Lyles as the starting pitchers, you are just asking for trouble. Neither pitcher should be anywhere on your radar today. Rating = 0
- Jordan Lyles – Lyles is a pitcher that has consistently posted an ERA over 5.0. Now he gets to pitch in Coors Field which surrendered the most runs of any ballpark last year. This may be the first time ever in the history of the Grind Down that a pitcher gets a negative rating. Rating = -1
Batter Grind Down
Chicago
- Jose Abreu – With only 9 games on the schedule and half of the teams in average matchups at best, you should be heavily targeting both offenses in this game. Abreu is an impressive young rookie that should be able to find some gaps in that monstrous outfield in Coors.
- Adam Eaton – Again, all White Sox are in play tonight, but I really like Eaton batting lead off. He could easily see 5 or 6 at-bats in this one and if he gets on base, the guys behind him will drive him in.
- Additional Plays: Adam Dunn, Alexei Ramirez, Marcus Semien, Alejandro De Aza
Colorado
- Carlos Gonzalez – The same goes for the Rockies tonight. They are all in play against Paulino. I actually wouldn’t be surprised if one of these two teams covered the run total by themselves. Cargo crushed RH pitching and has great power numbers at home. I like that combination tonight.
- Troy Tulowitzki – Tulo had a much quieter weekend than most were hoping for. He sat out Saturday’s game and then could only deliver a single in a loss to the D-Backs yesterday. That said, Tulo is a beast at Coors Field and should still be targeted in all leagues. Don’t even worry about other SS options, get Tulo in your lineups.
- Additional Plays: Charlie Blackmon, Wilin Rosario, Michael Cuddyer, Justin Morneau, Nolan Arenado