MLB Grind Down: Monday, June 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
LA Angels at Cleveland
| LA Angels | Cleveland | ||||||||
| Jered Weaver | Vegas Moneyline | Trevor Bauer | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | LAA (-116) | RIGHT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.237 | 0.660 | 0.298 | 19.8% | SP vs. Left | 0.231 | 0.793 | 0.358 | 16.0% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.228 | 0.662 | 0.296 | 17.0% | SP vs. Right | 0.270 | 0.774 | 0.338 | 25.0% |
| Batter Splits | LAA BvP  | LAA vs R | Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jered Weaver – Happy Monday Grinders! We start tonight’s slate off with the Angels and Indians. Weaver will take the mound tonight with a 3.51 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, and a K/9 of 7.2. That said, he has been much better at home that he has on the road and he faces a tough Indians lineup on the road tonight that is ranked 3rd against RH pitching this season with a team .334 wOBA. Rating = 5
Salaries: $7200 FD, $16161 DS, $16050 DD, $8000 DK, $90600 FF, $22700 SS, $16300 FTD
- Trevor Bauer – Bauer has been a nice value option at SP this season. He owns a 4.24 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP and a K/9 of 9.5. His price is cheap across the industry, but he will have his hands full tonight with the Angels who are ranked 8th against RH pitching this season with a team .321 wOBA. Bauer has nice K-potential, but is probably too risky to use in cash games, even on multi-pitcher sites. Rating = 5
Salaries: $5100 FD, $13236 DS, $13150 DD, $6400 DK, $69100 FF, $17500 SS, $13150 FTD
Batter Grind Down
LA Angels
Josh Hamilton – Over his last 10 starts, Bauer has given up a .358 wOBA to LHB’s. Hamilton is having a very nice season and it’s largely gone unnoticed. He draws a terrific matchup tonight against Bauer as he has a .355 wOBA against RH pitching this season.
Additional Plays: Mike Trout, Kole Calhoun
Cleveland
Michael Brantley – Weaver has held RHB’s in check this season, but has given up a .323 wOBA to LHB’s and may struggle against an Indians’ lineup that consists primarily of lefties. Brantley owns a .406 wOBA against RH pitching this season and is only striking out at a 7% clip against righties.
Additional Plays: Jason Kipnis, Lonnie Chisenhall
Kansas City at Detroit
| Kansas City | Detroit | ||||||||
| Jason Vargas | Vegas Moneyline | Justin Verlander | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | DET (-151) | RIGHT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.304 | 0.742 | 0.332 | 15.0% | SP vs. Left | 0.238 | 0.664 | 0.299 | 21.7% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.253 | 0.721 | 0.325 | 17.8% | SP vs. Right | 0.289 | 0.768 | 0.341 | 20.8% |
| Batter Splits | KCR BvP | KCR vs R | Batter Splits | DET BvP | DET vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jason Vargas – Vargas has posted quality starts in 6 of his last 7 outings and he’s had some extremely tough matchups during that stretch. On the season he has a 3.30 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP and a K/9 of 6.5. Tonight he faces a Tigers’ offense that is ranked 10th against LH pitching this season with a team .328 wOBA. Even with the way he is pitching, he’s a tough sell tonight against the Tigers in Comerica. Rating = 4
Salaries: $6300 FD, $13467 DS, $13400 DD, $8200 DK, $101800 FF, $23100 SS, $13400 FTD
- Justin Verlander – Verlander’s price keeps dropping as he keeps getting rocked. He’s given up at least 3 earned runs in 8 of his last 9 starts and his K-rate has dropped dramatically this season. After averaging close to a strikeout per inning over the last few years, his K/9 has dropped to 6.6 this season. This is a good matchup, but I’ve been burned enough by Verlander that I will avoid him until he can turn it around. Rating = 6
Salaries: $7500 FD, $15225 DS, $13800 DD, $7800 DK, $60200 FF, $17100 SS, $12950 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Kansas City
Eric Hosmer – Hosmer is starting to show some of that power that most people in Kansas City have been expecting out of him. Over his last 7 games he has 8 hits over his last 7 games including 3 HR’s and a double. He’s a nice salary cap relief option at 1B tonight.
Additional Plays: Alex Gordon
Detroit
Victor Martinez – Martinez is having a terrific season, especially against LH pitching. He owns a .520 wOBA against southpaws this season while only striking out at a 5% clip. I like the matchup against Vargas who has given up a .311 wOBA to RHB’s this season.
Additional Plays: Ian Kinsler, Miguel Cabrera
Baltimore at Tampa Bay
| Baltimore | Tampa Bay | ||||||||
| Wei-Yin Chen | Vegas Moneyline | Jake Odorizzi | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | TBR (-116) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.275 | 0.731 | 0.326 | 17.0% | SP vs. Left | 0.280 | 0.765 | 0.337 | 24.3% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.277 | 0.755 | 0.332 | 18.5% | SP vs. Right | 0.232 | 0.671 | 0.304 | 23.7% |
| Batter Splits | BAL BvP | BAL vs R | Batter Splits | TBR BvP | TBR vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Wei-Yin Chen – Chen has pitched well in each of his last 3 outings and has lowered his ERA on the season to 3.76. He’s never been a high strikeout pitcher, but he has a respectable K/9 of 6.7. He could make a nice under-the-radar play tonight against the Rays who are ranked 24th against LH pitching this season. Rating = 5
Salaries: $6500 FD, $12464 DS, $13800 DD, $7000 DK, $97100 FF, $19000 SS, $13800 FTD
- Jake Odorizzi – If you are targeting Odorizzi in your fantasy leagues, you are targeting him for one reason: strikeouts. His ERA and WHIP are both below average, but he is averaging 10.5 strikeouts per 9 innings which makes him an interesting GPP play, even against the Orioles who are above average against RH pitching. Rating = 5
Salaries: $5700 FD, $12775 DS, $13000 DD, $7400 DK, $61400 FF, $18800 SS, $13000 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Baltimore
Chris Davis – Davis has been striking out in bunches lately (29% of his at-bats against RH pitching), but still has incredible upside and great power against RH pitching. Odorizzi is giving up a .327 wOBA to LHB’s this season.
Additional Plays: Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis
Tampa Bay
Evan Longoria – Longo’s numbers across the board have been down this season, but he still has a .366 wOBA against LH pitching. He has 5 hits and 6 RBI’s over his last 4 games and it could be a nice time to buy low on the All-Star 3B.
Additional Plays: Desmond Jennings, Ben Zobrist
Philadelphia at Atlanta
| Philadelphia | Atlanta | ||||||||
| Cole Hamels | Vegas Moneyline | Julio Teheran | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | ATL (-138) | RIGHT | 6.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.253 | 0.690 | 0.309 | 25.8% | SP vs. Left | 0.255 | 0.721 | 0.321 | 18.3% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.243 | 0.673 | 0.304 | 22.2% | SP vs. Right | 0.214 | 0.576 | 0.270 | 24.5% |
| Batter Splits | PHI BvP | PHI vs R | Batter Splits | ATL BvP | ATL vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Cole Hamels – Hamels is having a terrific season. After a rough few outings, he has lowered his ERA to 3.07 on the season. Over his last 3 starts he has given up a combined 1 earned run while striking out 26 batters. While the Braves have been good against LH pitching this season, they do strike out at a 25% clip against southpaws. He has great upside and is in play in both multi-pitcher leagues and GPP’s. Rating = 7
Salaries: $8800 FD, $19265 DS, $18000 DD, $11200 DK, $117000 FF, $28900 SS, $18000 FTD
- Julio Teheran – Teheran gave up 7 earned runs in his last start, but in his defense it was against the Rockies in Coors. Teheran gets a much more favorable matchup tonight at home against the Phillies who are ranked 27th against RH pitching this season. Teheran has been close to unhittable at home with a 1.24 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP. Target him in all leagues. Rating = 9
Salaries: $8600 FD, $18197 DS, $18900 DD, $10000 DK, $107000 FF, $27700 SS, $19200 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Philadelphia
There aren’t any recommended hitters on the Phillies’ tonight. Teheran has been terrific at home this season and should be in for another solid outing tonight.
Atlanta
Evan Gattis – I’m not crazy about the Braves’ bats tonight, but it’s hard not to notice Gattis’ .550 wOBA against LH pitching this season. He homered off of another tough lefty in C.J. Wilson the other night and is in play tonight against Hamels.
Additional Plays: Justin Upton
Chicago Cubs at Miami
| Chicago Cubs | Miami | ||||||||
| Jason Hammel | Vegas Moneyline | Tom Koehler | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | MIA (-118) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.282 | 0.813 | 0.360 | 15.2% | SP vs. Left | 0.221 | 0.652 | 0.298 | 15.5% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.234 | 0.620 | 0.283 | 21.9% | SP vs. Right | 0.275 | 0.778 | 0.350 | 16.2% |
| Batter Splits | CHC BvP | CHC vs R | Batter Splits | MIA BvP | MIA vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jason Hammel – Hammel has pitched well this season with a 2.81 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP, but he pitches for the Cubs and is rarely favored because of it. Tonight he faces a Marlins’ offense that has been both good against RH pitching (ranked 12th) and good at home. Marlins Park is a huge ballpark, but pitchers have had a tough time against this Marlins team there this season. Rating = 5
Salaries: $6800 FD, $17054 DS, $15800 DD, $9300 DK, $101100 FF, $25300 SS, $16350 FTD
- Tom Koehler – Koehler is trending in the wrong direction. He has given up 18 earned runs over his last 4 starts. The good news is that he faces a Cubs’ offense that is ranked 29th against RH pitching this season. The Cubs are also striking out at a 22% clip against righties. The matchup is there, but Koehler has been struggling of late. Rating = 5
Salaries: $5800 FD, $13900 DS, $13150 DD, $6800 DK, $57000 FF, $16800 SS, $13150 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Chicago Cubs
Starlin Castro – Koehler has had reverse splits this season. He has given up a much higher wOBA to RHB’s (.354) than he has to LHB’s (.265). Castro has been swinging a hot bat and makes a nice play at SS.
Additional Plays: Anthony Rizzo
Miami
Giancarlo Stanton – Even though Marlins Park is more of a pitcher’s park, Stanton has been terrific at home all season long. He’s hit 11 of his 18 HR’s at home and he makes a nice upside play against the RHP Hammel tonight.
Additional Plays: Garrett Jones