MLB Grind Down: Monday, June 2nd
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
Boston at Cleveland
| Boston | Cleveland | ||||||||
| John Lackey | Vegas Moneyline | Justin Masterson | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | BOS (-115) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.238 | 0.655 | 0.290 | 21.1% | SP vs. Left | 0.267 | 0.740 | 0.338 | 17.8% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.269 | 0.753 | 0.332 | 21.4% | SP vs. Right | 0.189 | 0.499 | 0.252 | 30.3% |
| Batter Splits | BOS BvP  | BOS vs R | Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- John Lackey – Lackey has had an up and down season, but is coming off of a terrific start in his last outing in which he threw 6 scoreless innings while striking out 9 batters. Tonight he faces an Indians’ offense that is ranked 5th against RH pitching this season with a team .335 wOBA. While Lackey has struggled more with RHB’s than he has with LHB’s this season, I still don’t like the matchup against all of these lefties in the Indians’ lineup. Rating = 5
Salaries: $8300 FD, $17720 DS, $13750 DD, $9800 DK, $118400 FF, $24600 SS, $14200 FTD
- Justin Masterson – Masterson continues to struggle. His ERA is now up to 5.21 and his WHIP is now up to 1.55. In his last 4 starts he has given up 18 earned runs while only striking out 10 battters. Masterson is an easy avoid tonight for cash games, but his price is low enough on both DS and DK to make him an interesting tournament play. He has a decent matchup against the Red Sox who are ranked 15th against RH pitching this season. Rating = 4
Salaries: $6100 FD, $8359 DS, $11550 DD, $6000 DK, $45100 FF, $14200 SS, $10600 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Boston
A.J. Pierzynski – There is a lot to like tonight about the LHB’s of the Red Sox tonight. Masterson has been struggling over the last few weeks and has given up a .338 wOBA to LHB’s this season. Pierzynski on the other hand is trending in the right direction. He has been very good against RH pitching this season with a wOBA of .829.
Additional Plays: David Ortiz, Brock Holt, Grady Sizemore
Cleveland
Michael Brantley – Even though Lackey has held LHB’s under a .300 wOBA this season, I still think this is a favorable matchup for the Indians. Brantley has a wOBA of .381 against RH pitching this season and has been swinging a hot bat with 13 hits over his last 10 games.
Additional Plays: Jason Kipnis, Lonnie Chisenhall, Asdrubal Cabrera
Seattle at NY Yankees
| Seattle | NY Yankees | ||||||||
| Felix Hernandez | Vegas Moneyline | David Phelps | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | SEA (-125) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.241 | 0.628 | 0.281 | 24.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.237 | 0.693 | 0.317 | 23.6% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.232 | 0.607 | 0.271 | 27.2% | SP vs. Right | 0.289 | 0.765 | 0.349 | 18.2% |
| Batter Splits | SEA BvP | SEA vs R | Batter Splits | NYY BvP | NYY vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Felix Hernandez – King Felix is back to his dominating form. In his last 3 starts he has given up 4 earned runs and struck out 23 batters while pitching 8+ innings in each outing. On the season he has a 2.57 ERA with a 1.02 WHIP and a K/9 of 8.9. While a matchup against the Yankees in Yankee Stadium isn’t the best on the board, King Felix is in play in all leagues. Rating = 8
Salaries: $10800 FD, $23328 DS, $21350 DD, $12200 DK, $150100 FF, $31400 SS, $17800 FTD
- David Phelps – Phelps has pitched pretty well as a starter. On the season he has a 3.38 ERA with a 1.42 WHIP and a K/9 of 8.5. If Robinson Cano is still out of the Mariners’ lineup tonight, that will certainly help Phelps’ cause. The Mariners are ranked 25th against RH pitching this season despite having a lineup that is littered with LHB’s. Rating = 6
Salaries: $5400 FD, $13590 DS, $10550 DD, $6100 DK, $66100 FF, $13800 SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Seattle
Kyle Seager – Seager is a play that often flies under the radar, but dollar for dollar he is my top 3B on the board tonight. He is facing a pretty average RHP in a hitter’s park. Not only that, but Seager has a .394 wOBA against RH pitching this season.
Additional Plays: James Jones, Michael Saunders, Robinson Cano (if he’s back in the lineup)
NY Yankees
There aren’t any Yankee’s hitters that stand out here. Felix Hernandez has held LHB’s and RHB’s under a .285 wOBA this season and has been extremely sharp in each of his last 3 starts.
NY Mets at Philadelphia
| NY Mets | Philadelphia | ||||||||
| Bartolo Colon | Vegas Moneyline | Roberto Hernandez | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | PHI (-110) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.265 | 0.702 | 0.306 | 15.7% | SP vs. Left | 0.286 | 0.846 | 0.383 | 15.2% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.275 | 0.667 | 0.295 | 16.6% | SP vs. Right | 0.266 | 0.690 | 0.318 | 19.8% |
| Batter Splits | NYM BvP | NYM vs R | Batter Splits | PHI BvP | PHI vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Bartolo Colon – Colon has looked sharp in his last 2 outings, but still owns a 4.73 ERA on the season with a K/9 of 7.3. He appears to be trending in the right direction though and he has a nice matchup against the Phillies who are ranked 26th against RH pitching this season with a team .290 wOBA and a 21.3 K-percentage. Colon is a risky option, but he’s in play on multi-pitcher sites. Rating = 6
Salaries: $7500 FD, $16558 DS, $14400 DD, $7700 DK, $95700 FF, $21500 SS, $12100 FTD
- Roberto Hernandez – Fausto Roberto hasn’t been great this season, but he hasn’t been awful either. He is sporting a 3.76 ERA with a 1.57 WHIP and a K/9 of 7.3. Tonight he faces a Mets’ offense that is ranked 27th against RH pitching this season with a team .289 wOBA. Vegas has this game set as a pick ‘em with a low total of 7.5 runs. Hernandez makes a decent tournament play. Rating = 4
Salaries: $5200 FD, $10508 DS, $9250 DD, $5500 DK, $57800 FF, $13300 SS, $9500 FTD
Batter Grind Down
NY Mets
Daniel Murphy – All of the LHB’s of the Mets are in play tonight. Hernandez has given up a .383 wOBA to lefties this season with an OPS of .846. Murphy has been raking against RH pitching all season long with a .322 wOBA. He’s a nice mid-range option at 2B tonight.
Additional Plays: Curtis Granderson, David Wright, Lucas Duda
Philadelphia
Chase Utley – Utley is also a nice option at 2B, but is a little more expensive than Murphy on most sites. Utley has a .406 wOBA against RH pitching this season and we have seen Colon struggle with LHB’s.
Additional Plays: Ryan Howard, Marlon Byrd
Tampa Bay at Miami
| Tampa Bay | Miami | ||||||||
| Alex Cobb | Vegas Moneyline | Randy Wolf | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | TBR (-140) | LEFT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.224 | 0.643 | 0.288 | 24.1% | SP vs. Left | 0.250 | 0.583 | 0.274 | 11.1% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.227 | 0.613 | 0.285 | 21.4% | SP vs. Right | 0.294 | 0.814 | 0.349 | 20.0% |
| Batter Splits | TBR BvP | TBR vs L | Batter Splits | MIA BvP | MIA vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Alex Cobb – Cobb got off to a terrific start against the Blue Jays, but that quickly fell apart and he ended up giving up 6 earned runs in 5 innings of work. Facing the Blue Jays in the Rogers Centre is one of the toughest matchups in baseball though so we can let that one slide. Cobb still owns a 2.93 ERA on the season with a K/9 of 8.1. Tonight he faces a Marlins’ offense that is both good at home and good against RH pitching (ranked 7th). Cobb’s high K-rate puts him in play, but there are safer options in cash games. Rating = 7
Salaries: $7600 FD, $18096 DS, $13950 DD, $8700 DK, $109900 FF, $23000 SS, $14900 FTD
- Randy Wolf – Wolf should not be on your radar tonight, or for the rest of the season for that matter. At age 37, he just doesn’t have a ton left in the tank. Last season he posted an ERA close to 6.00 and so far this season it hasn’t been much better. While the Rays haven’t been great against LH pitching, I will not be targeting Wolf in any leagues tonight. Rating = 3
Salaries: $5000 FD, $10975 DS, $8750 DD, $5500 DK, $69000 FF, $13000 SS, $9500 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Tampa Bay
Evan Longoria – I mentioned above that Kyle Seager was my top dollar for dollar play at 3B, but I may have to rephrase that. Seager and Longo are 1-A and 1-B options at 3B tonight. Wolf has given up a .349 wOBA to RHB’s this season and Longo has a .334 wOBA against LH pitching. This is a dream wOBA matchup.
Additional Plays: Desmond Jennings, Ben Zobrist, Sean Rodriguez
Miami
Alex Cobb has held both LHB’s and RHB’s under a .290 wOBA this season. Yes, the Marlins have been on fire at home this season, but there aren’t any options here that really stand out. I like Derek Dietrich and Giancarlo Stanton as GPP plays, but will be avoiding all Marlins in cash games.
Minnesota at Milwaukee
| Minnesota | Milwaukee | ||||||||
| Kyle Gibson | Vegas Moneyline | Matt Garza | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | MIL (-148) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.314 | 0.798 | 0.357 | 8.1% | SP vs. Left | 0.269 | 0.731 | 0.328 | 20.5% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.258 | 0.710 | 0.321 | 17.9% | SP vs. Right | 0.233 | 0.662 | 0.299 | 20.3% |
| Batter Splits | MIN BvP | MIN vs R | Batter Splits | MIL BvP | MIL vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Kyle Gibson – Gibson has had an up and down season. He either allows 1 run or less or he gives up 5+ runs. There haven’t been many average starts from Gibson this season. Tonight he faces a tough Brewers’ offense in the HR-friendly Miller Park. He can safely be avoided in all leagues tonight. Rating = 3
Salaries: $5200 FD, $10823 DS, $9400 DD, $5900 DK, $53400 FF, $14900 SS, $10200 FTD
- Matt Garza – Garza has given up 3+ earned runs in 9 of his last 10 outings. You’d like to see him lower that ERA a bit, but he still has a K/9 of 7.5 and he struck out 9 batters in his last start. Garza is a small favorite tonight and his price on a few sites is very affordable. He’s in play, but probably only on multi-pitcher sites. Rating = 6
Salaries: $6500 FD, $16102 DS, $15250 DD, $8300 DK, $75200 FF, $22200 SS, $13900 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Minnesota
Brian Dozier – Dozier doesn’t hit for an extremely high average, but he has good power in his bat which has led to his .338 wOBA against RH pitching this season. He also has good speed and makes a nice upside play at 2B tonight against Garza.
Additional Plays: Josh Willingham, Joe Mauer
Milwaukee
Carlos Gomez – Gomez is one of the top OF plays on the board tonight. He has been crushing RH pitching this season with a .414 wOBA. He also draws a nice matchup against Gibson who has given up a .321 wOBA to RHB’s this season.
Additional Plays: Ryan Braun, Jean Segura, Scooter Gennett