MLB Grind Down: Monday, August 18th Page Two
Kansas City at Minnesota
| Kansas City | Minnesota | ||||||||
| Jason Vargas | Vegas Moneyline | Trevor May | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | KCR (-146) | RIGHT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.280 | 0.698 | 0.312 | 14.30% | SP vs. Left | ||||
| SP vs. Right | 0.254 | 0.710 | 0.313 | 16.80% | SP vs. Right | ||||
| Batter Splits | KCR BvP  | KCR vs R | Batter Splits | MIN BvP | MIN vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jason Vargas – Vargas is coming off of a complete game shutout in his last start. He’s also a favorite against a Twins offense that strikes out at a high rate against LH pitching. That said, he’s not really on my radar tonight. The Twins are one of the more patient teams at the plate and have quite a few bats in their lineup that hit LH pitching well. Vargas has a low K-rate and pretty average xFIP of 4.05. I think the Twins offense knocks him around a bit tonight. Rating = 5
Salaries: $6200 FD, $11750 DD, $7100 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $11500 FTD
- Trevor May – May’s major-league debut didn’t exactly go as planned. He walked 7 batters and gave up 4 earned runs in his first 2 innings of work. His next start wasn’t much better as he only pitched 2 and 1/3 innings and gave up 3 runs. He should be avoided in all leagues. The Royals look like a terrific team to target tonight. Rating = 2
Salaries: $3000 FD, $ DD, $5000 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Kansas City
Alex Gordon – May has not had any success in his first stint in the majors and that’s not likely to change tonight against the Royals who have the 8th best offense in baseball over the last 30 days. Gordon hits RH pitching well and is one of my favorite plays in the OF tonight.
Additional Plays: Salvador Perez, Norichika Aoki
Minnesota
Danny Santana – Santana has been a hits machine since being placed into the leadoff spot. He has 15 hits over his last 10 games and has recorded 3+ hits in 3 games during that stretch. He’s been terrific against LH pitching and is a great option at SS tonight against the lefty Vargas.
Additional Plays: Brian Dozier, Kennys Vargas
Cincinnati at St. Louis
| Cincinnati | St. Louis | ||||||||
| Mike Leake | Vegas Moneyline | Justin Masterson | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | STL (-141) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.299 | 0.837 | 0.367 | 14.40% | SP vs. Left | 0.323 | 0.944 | 0.412 | 13.60% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.229 | 0.630 | 0.279 | 21.60% | SP vs. Right | 0.222 | 0.659 | 0.305 | 28.20% |
| Batter Splits | CIN BvP | CIN vs R | Batter Splits | STL BvP | STL vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Mike Leake – Leake has pitched well this season. He owns a 3.59 ERA (3.43 xFIP) with a career-high K/9 of 7.0. He is also producing a career-high ground ball rate of 54.4%. Leake is a sizable favorite tonight in a game that features a low run total. If you are looking for a cheaper option to pair with Sale or Zimmermann on multi-pitcher sites, Leake is certainly in play. Rating = 6
Salaries: $8300 FD, $13500 DD, $7700 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $13500 FTD
- Justin Masterson – Masterson is one of those pitchers that can get rocked in one outing and then come out and throw a gem in his next start. Just take a look at his last 4 starts. He had given up 15 earned runs in 3 starts and then out of nowhere he threw a shutout against the Marlins in Miami. He’s not a recommended cash game play, but he has shown his ability to post big fantasy outings and he’s facing a depleted Reds offense. Use him as a tournament play. Rating = 5
Salaries: $5800 FD, $9750 DD, $5300 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $9750 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Cincinnati
Jay Bruce – Masterson has been awful against LH hitters this season. He has given up a .399 to batters from the left side of the plate. Bruce is extremely cheap on FD and is one of the better value plays on the site.
Additional Plays: Billy Hamilton, Devin Mesoraco
St. Louis
Matt Adams – Adams has been terrific against RH pitching this season. He is batting .331 with a wOBA of .373 against righties. Leake has struggled with lefties and Adams should be able to put together another productive fantasy outing.
Additional Plays: Matt Carpenter, Jhonny Peralta