MLB Grind Down: Monday, May 30th

The RotoGrinders MLB Grind Down will give you an in-depth analysis into the upcoming 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: As always, if you want to try a new DFS site, be sure to click through a RotoGrinders link and use our DraftKings promo code and FanDuel promo code to receive the best perks in the industry.

Chicago White Sox at NY Mets – 1:10 PM ET

Chicago White Sox NY Mets
whitesoxmlb Jose Quintana nymetsmlb Matt Harvey
LEFT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
CWS -125 7.0
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.268 5 21.8% 3.8% SP vs. Left 0.327 19 23.1% 7.6%
SP vs. Right 0.309 12 21.1% 5.4% SP vs. Right 0.263 7 23.3% 3.2%

Pitcher Grind Down

Jose Quintana
jose-quintana-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $9,300 Salary: $11,700
FPPG: 38.7 FPPG: 21.3
Pitcher Rating: 89.4 Pitcher Rank: 2
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 3 102.3 3.41 4.19 22.8% 3.8% 8.8% 43.6% 36.4% 33.9%
2016 10 100.9 3.41 2.22 23.6% 4.7% 8.7% 41.3% 34.6% 32.8%
2015 32 105.4 3.62 3.36 20.5% 5.1% 9.2% 47.1% 29.7% 27.7%

Quintana is having a career year thus far, posting a 3.41 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 23.6% in his first ten starts. He is always a pitcher with great command, as evidenced by his elite walk rate. He draws a favorable matchup today against the Mets, who have had their struggles with left-handed pitching. On the season, they are ranked 20th in team wOBA and 29th in strikeout rate against southpaws. Quintana sees a boost both in this ballpark and because they are playing under National League rules. He is a viable option in all league formats.

Matt Harvey
matt-harvey-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $7,200 Salary: $6,200
FPPG: 22.0 FPPG: 9.3
Pitcher Rating: 86.0 Pitcher Rank: 5
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 3 82.0 4.81 10.80 12.9% 5.7% 8.5% 38.2% 30.9% 33.3%
2016 10 91.5 4.33 6.08 18.0% 7.0% 10.2% 38.9% 33.7% 30.8%
2015 29 96.5 3.23 2.71 24.9% 4.9% 11.6% 46.0% 36.1% 26.7%

Poor Matt Harvey. He has really struggled to get anything going this season and when he has gotten hit, he has gotten hit hard. In his first ten starts, he has a 4.33 SIERA (6.08 ERA) with a strikeout rate of only 18%. While there are certainly concerns, I expect some positive regression moving forward. His BABIP of .374 is not sustainable (his career BABIP is .288). Even though it’s been ugly, he deserves consideration in GPPs at this price point. The White Sox have not hit right-handed pitching well this season, ranking 22nd in team wOBA and 23rd in team ISO.

Batter Grind Down

Chicago White Sox

Do we know which Matt Harvey is going to show up in this game? Of course not, but as I mentioned above, his struggles will not last forever. The White Sox do not hit right-handed pitching well and they have the sixth lowest team total on the board. Harvey has allowed a .341+ wOBA to both left and right-handed hitters this season, but this is still a pitcher’s ballpark. I see the White Sox hitters as GPP plays.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Adam Eaton LEFT 0.353 0.166 0.270 OF $3,300 OF $4,200
2 Austin Jackson RIGHT 0.299 0.104 0.342 OF $3,100 OF $2,900
3 Todd Frazier RIGHT 0.335 0.221 0.368 3B $3,900 3B $4,100
4 Melky Cabrera SWITCH 0.325 0.126 0.334 OF $3,300 OF $3,200
5 Jose Abreu RIGHT 0.366 0.218 0.266 1B $3,200 1B $3,800
6 Brett Lawrie RIGHT 0.298 0.141 0.254 2B $2,600 2B $3,000
7 Dioner Navarro SWITCH 0.269 0.105 0.344 C $2,800 C $2,700
8 Tyler Saladino RIGHT 0.265 0.106 0.331 SS $2,600 SS $3,000
9 Jose Quintana LEFT 0.000 0.000 P $9,300 P $11,700
Team Averages 0.279 0.132 0.314

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Adam Eaton, Austin Jackson, Todd Frazier, Jose Abreu

Stackability – NONE

NY Mets

The Mets are small underdogs today and since the White Sox have one of the lowest team totals on the board, you know what that means. New York has the third lowest run projection of the 30 teams in action. Jose Quintana has been an elite pitcher over the last two seasons and he has held both left and right-handed hitters under a .305 wOBA.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Curtis Granderson LEFT 0.256 0.125 0.335 OF $3,100 OF $2,700
2 Asdrubal Cabrera SWITCH 0.314 0.126 0.295 SS $3,300 SS $2,700
3 Yoenis Cespedes RIGHT 0.367 0.262 0.433 OF $4,000 OF $4,100
4 Neil Walker SWITCH 0.300 0.142 0.334 2B $3,000 2B $2,700
5 Juan Lagares RIGHT 0.342 0.156 0.514 OF $2,500 OF $2,700
6 Wilmer Flores RIGHT 0.375 0.256 SS $2,300 2B/3B $3,300
7 Kevin Plawecki RIGHT 0.215 0.132 0.157 C $2,100 C $2,000
8 Eric Campbell RIGHT 0.266 0.088 0.245 3B $2,000 1B/3B $2,700
9 Matt Harvey RIGHT 0.212 0.167 0.000 P $7,200 P $6,200
Team Averages 0.294 0.162 0.289

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Yoenis Cespedes

Stackability – NONE

San Francisco at Atlanta – 1:10 PM ET

San Francisco Atlanta
sanfranciscomlb Jeff Samardzija atlantamlb Mike Foltynewicz
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
SF -185 7.5
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.344 23 18.4% 6.3% SP vs. Left 0.412 12 17.3% 6.3%
SP vs. Right 0.289 11 19.4% 4.7% SP vs. Right 0.347 10 21.6% 7.2%

Pitcher Grind Down

Jeff Samardzija
jeff-samardzija-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $10,700 Salary: $12,200
FPPG: 42.3 FPPG: 22.7
Pitcher Rating: 89.3 Pitcher Rank: 3
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 3 107.3 3.61 1.19 21.4% 3.6% 9.6% 38.7% 38.7% 44.4%
2016 10 107.5 3.57 2.54 22.3% 5.8% 10.3% 46.7% 31.7% 28.5%
2015 32 104.3 4.18 4.96 17.9% 5.4% 9.8% 39.0% 39.8% 27.0%

Samardzija is having his best season since 2011. This was somewhat expected, as he came over from the American League and he is pitching for a team that is known to get the most out of their starting rotation. Through his first ten starts, he has a 3.57 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 22.3%. His swinging strike rate and his ground ball rate are up, both of which are good for his fantasy appeal. He draws one of the top matchups on the board, as the Braves are ranked 28th in team wOBA and 30th in team ISO against right-handed pitching this season.

Mike Foltynewicz
michael-foltynewicz-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $6,400 Salary: $6,900
FPPG: 26.0 FPPG: 13.3
Pitcher Rating: 50.5 Pitcher Rank: 20
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 3 95.0 4.13 3.24 17.4% 5.8% 9.1% 44.0% 28.0% 28.9%
2016 5 96.8 3.82 3.95 20.7% 5.2% 8.5% 39.8% 36.1% 31.8%
2015 15 98.7 4.30 5.71 19.3% 7.3% 8.9% 33.3% 43.5% 32.5%

If I ever decide to change my last name, I would give Foltynewicz a hard look. Derek Foltynewicz sounds pretty nice, right? Mike Foltynewicz will draw the start for the Braves today. In his first five starts of the season, he has a 3.82 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 20.7%. He has all the weapons to be a successful starter at this level (he hit 100 MPH in his last start), he just hasn’t been able to put it altogether yet. As a large underdog at home against the Giants, Foltynewicz can be avoided for now.

Batter Grind Down

San Francisco

The Giants haven’t been great against right-handed pitching this season, but I expect them to turn that around. They have a number of quality left-handed hitters in their lineup. Even though they are playing in one of the best pitcher’s parks in baseball, they draw a decent matchup against Mike Foltynewicz. Over the last two seasons, he has allowed a .412 wOBA to left-handed hitters.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Denard Span LEFT 0.361 0.124 0.229 OF $3,200 OF $3,700
2 Joe Panik LEFT 0.357 0.165 0.271 2B $3,100 2B $3,800
3 Matt Duffy RIGHT 0.332 0.140 0.267 3B $2,900 3B $3,700
4 Buster Posey RIGHT 0.353 0.155 0.366 C $3,800 C $4,400
5 Hunter Pence RIGHT 0.372 0.190 0.351 OF $3,600 OF $4,500
6 Brandon Belt LEFT 0.362 0.190 0.283 1B $3,700 1B $3,800
7 Brandon Crawford LEFT 0.340 0.220 0.349 SS $3,100 SS $3,900
8 Gregor Blanco LEFT 0.327 0.118 0.321 OF $2,700 OF $3,300
9 Jeff Samardzija RIGHT 0.207 0.087 0.172 P $10,700 P $12,200
Team Averages 0.335 0.154 0.290

Elite Plays – Brandon Crawford

Secondary Plays – Denard Span, Joe Panik, Buster Posey, Brandon Belt

Stackability – NONE

Atlanta

The Braves have very little going for them at the moment. They have the worst record in the majors and they currently average the fewest runs scored per game. They come into today’s game, with get this – the lowest team total on the board. Jeff Samardzija has really pitched well this season and at this point, there is no reason to actively target the Braves’ hitters in your lineups.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Ender Inciarte LEFT 0.346 0.114 0.308 OF $3,100 OF $3,000
2 Gordon Beckham RIGHT 0.308 0.141 0.426 2B $3,000 2B/3B $2,200
3 Freddie Freeman LEFT 0.370 0.217 0.263 1B $3,000 1B $3,300
4 Jeff Francoeur RIGHT 0.312 0.189 0.443 OF $2,700 OF $2,300
5 Nick Markakis LEFT 0.341 0.094 0.270 OF $3,100 OF $3,000
6 A.J. Pierzynski LEFT 0.325 0.130 0.151 C $2,200 C $2,400
7 Adonis Garcia RIGHT 0.296 0.136 0.000 3B $2,000 3B/OF $2,100
8 Chase d’Arnaud RIGHT 0.410 0.040 0.459 2B $2,500 2B/3B $3,300
9 Mike Foltynewicz RIGHT 0.071 0.034 0.000 P $6,400 P $6,900
Team Averages 0.309 0.122 0.258

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – NONE

Stackability – NONE

Boston at Baltimore – 1:35 PM ET

Boston Baltimore
bostonmlb Steven Wright baltimoremlb Tyler Wilson
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
BAL -105 9.0
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.281 6 17.0% 9.5% SP vs. Left 0.311 2 7.1% 8.2%
SP vs. Right 0.298 9 20.8% 7.9% SP vs. Right 0.300 5 15.3% 4.2%

Pitcher Grind Down

Steven Wright
steven-wright-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $9,200 Salary: $8,300
FPPG: 37.9 FPPG: 21.1
Pitcher Rating: 54.0 Pitcher Rank: 19
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 3 103.7 4.02 4.66 19.5% 6.1% 11.3% 41.7% 33.3% 27.9%
2016 9 108.1 4.04 2.52 22.0% 8.5% 11.5% 41.6% 35.5% 26.8%
2015 9 130.9 4.60 4.09 16.8% 8.7% 9.3% 43.2% 43.2% 33.9%

Wright’s numbers aren’t going to leap off the page at you, but he is one of the few starters in baseball that has averaged at least 108 pitches per start this season. He also has a high strikeout rate and a great offense behind him, which gives him nice upside every time he takes the mound. The knuckleballer makes an interesting GPP play against the Orioles, who are ranked 23rd in strikeout rate against right-handed pitching this season.

Tyler Wilson
tyler-wilson-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $7,200 Salary: $5,300
FPPG: 18.2 FPPG: 9.2
Pitcher Rating: 34.0 Pitcher Rank: 27
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 90.5 4.70 6.00 13.5% 5.8% 5.5% 47.5% 37.5% 33.3%
2016 6 109.0 4.66 3.80 12.4% 5.7% 5.7% 47.2% 33.1% 29.2%
2015 5 104.0 5.08 3.50 8.7% 7.4% 5.2% 52.0% 30.1% 31.5%

Wilson is making his seventh start of the season. While he has a 3.80 ERA, the rest of his pitching statistics are mediocre at best. In his first six starts, he has a 4.66 SIERA with a very low strikeout rate of 12.4%. Even though the Red Sox offense hasn’t been as good on the road as they have been in Fenway Park, there is no reason for Wilson to be on your radar in what should be one of the highest scoring games on the schedule.

Batter Grind Down

Boston

The Red Sox are ranked first in both runs scored per game and in team wOBA against right-handed pitching. They draw a favorable matchup against Tyler Wilson, who doesn’t generate many outs by the way of the strikeout. Hitters from both sides of the plate are in play here, as Boston has the eighth highest team total on the board. And, as strange as this sounds, the Red Sox will get overlooked today.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Mookie Betts RIGHT 0.349 0.191 0.404 OF $4,300 OF $5,400
2 Dustin Pedroia RIGHT 0.356 0.156 0.401 2B $4,000 2B $4,800
3 Xander Bogaerts RIGHT 0.336 0.114 0.453 SS $4,700 SS $5,300
4 David Ortiz LEFT 0.433 0.348 0.514 1B $4,800 1B $5,500
5 Hanley Ramirez RIGHT 0.316 0.143 0.317 1B $3,900 1B $4,500
6 Jackie Bradley LEFT 0.372 0.265 0.437 OF $4,400 OF $4,700
7 Travis Shaw LEFT 0.364 0.207 0.282 3B $3,900 1B/3B $4,500
8 Christian Vazquez RIGHT 0.242 0.100 0.213 C $2,400 C $3,300
9 Blake Swihart SWITCH 0.314 0.132 0.278 C $2,400 C/OF $3,600
Team Averages 0.342 0.184 0.367

Elite Plays – Mookie Betts, David Ortiz

Secondary Plays – Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley

Stackability – GPP

Baltimore

The Orioles are technically favorites today, but this game is basically a pick ‘em. They come in with the seventh highest team total on the board and they are playing in the hitter-friendly Camden Yards. If you look at his splits, you probably won’t want to target hitters against Steven Wright, as he has held both left and right-handed hitters under a .300 wOBA. However, with such a high team total I may look to the Orioles’ hitters in GPPs.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Adam Jones RIGHT 0.334 0.198 0.203 OF $2,900 OF $3,300
2 Hyun Soo Kim LEFT 0.405 0.068 0.406 OF $2,400 OF $3,200
3 Manny Machado RIGHT 0.396 0.257 0.413 SS $4,300 3B/SS $4,900
4 Chris Davis LEFT 0.397 0.322 0.264 1B $3,800 1B $4,000
5 Mark Trumbo RIGHT 0.337 0.185 0.341 OF $3,700 OF $4,100
6 Matt Wieters SWITCH 0.339 0.167 0.497 C $3,300 C $3,400
7 Jonathan Schoop RIGHT 0.359 0.240 0.312 2B $3,300 2B $3,500
8 Pedro Alvarez LEFT 0.330 0.227 0.227 3B $2,800 1B $3,000
9 Joey Rickard RIGHT 0.269 0.076 0.257 OF $2,700 OF $3,000
Team Averages 0.352 0.193 0.324

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Adam Jones, Hyun Soo Kim, Manny Machado, Chris Davis, Mark Trumbo

Stackability – GPP

St. Louis at Milwaukee – 2:10 PM ET

St. Louis Milwaukee
stlouismlb Carlos Martinez milwaukeemlb Junior Guerra
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
STL -120 8.5
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.334 14 20.8% 10.6% SP vs. Left 0.306 1 24.2% 14.5%
SP vs. Right 0.263 4 25.5% 6.4% SP vs. Right 0.292 2 24.0% 5.3%

Pitcher Grind Down

Carlos Martinez
carlos-martinez-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,900 Salary: $7,400
FPPG: 25.8 FPPG: 12.8
Pitcher Rating: 84.8 Pitcher Rank: 7
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 3 91.3 4.57 8.40 16.9% 12.7% 6.6% 63.0% 17.4% 27.7%
2016 9 89.2 4.21 4.25 19.0% 9.1% 8.1% 53.9% 29.6% 30.3%
2015 29 98.1 3.44 3.01 24.4% 8.3% 10.5% 54.5% 25.5% 27.6%

Martinez is off to a rocky start this season, posting a 4.21 SIERA with a strikeout rate 19%. His numbers are basically down across the board, but the most glaring could be his swinging strike rate of only 8.1%. At this point, it’s hard to trust him in anything other than a GPP. He draws a favorable matchup today against the Brewers, but he has to face them in the hitter-friendly Miller Park. Even though pitching options are scarce today, Martinez isn’t a pitcher that I will have a lot of exposure to.

Junior Guerra
junior-guerra-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $7,000 Salary: $7,300
FPPG: 36.6 FPPG: 19.4
Pitcher Rating: 62.4 Pitcher Rank: 14
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 3 93.3 3.78 1.50 29.2% 12.5% 13.6% 42.9% 42.9% 33.3%
2016 5 89.2 3.93 3.30 25.2% 10.1% 12.8% 36.0% 42.7% 32.5%
2015 0 0 3.28 6.75 16.7% 5.6% 10.6% 57.1% 21.4% 21.4%

Guerra is one of the best stories of the season. He spent the most of his career as a catcher, then he moved over to being a pitcher, and now he is a 31 year old rookie that is making a name for himself. In his first five starts, he has a 3.93 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 25.2%. The issue for Guerra today is his matchup against the Cardinals. On the season, St. Louis is ranked second in team wOBA and first in team ISO against right-handed pitching.

Batter Grind Down

St. Louis

The Cardinals may not draw the most favorable matchup on the board, but they get to face a somewhat inexperienced pitcher in the hitter-friendly Miller Park. St. Louis has the tenth highest team total on the board and with a game in Coors Field, they should get overlooked in both cash games and tournaments.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Greg Garcia LEFT 0.398 0.205 0.801 2B $2,900 2B/SS $3,000
2 Aledmys Diaz RIGHT 0.400 0.261 0.217 SS $2,900 SS $3,900
3 Matt Holliday RIGHT 0.353 0.181 0.249 OF $2,900 OF $4,100
4 Stephen Piscotty RIGHT 0.350 0.169 0.419 OF $3,800 OF $5,100
5 Brandon Moss LEFT 0.319 0.221 0.307 1B $2,900 1B/OF $3,800
6 Yadier Molina RIGHT 0.312 0.098 0.200 C $2,700 C $3,500
7 Randal Grichuk RIGHT 0.369 0.274 0.399 OF $3,400 OF $4,300
8 Kolten Wong LEFT 0.323 0.136 0.269 2B $2,200 2B $3,700
9 Carlos Martinez RIGHT 0.227 0.038 0.294 P $8,900 P $7,400
Team Averages 0.339 0.176 0.351

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Greg Garcia, Aledmys Diaz, Matt Holliday, Stephen Piscotty, Brandon Moss

Stackability – GPP

Milwaukee

The Brewers have been a mediocre offense against right-handed pitching this season, ranking 13th in team wOBA and 17th in team ISO. Carlos Martinez has dominated right-handed hitters in his career, but he has allowed a .334 wOBA and 14 home runs to left-handed hitters over the last two seasons.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Jonathan Villar SWITCH 0.323 0.083 0.376 SS $3,900 SS $4,900
2 Scooter Gennett LEFT 0.305 0.133 0.216 2B $2,800 2B $3,800
3 Jonathan Lucroy RIGHT 0.349 0.170 0.332 C $3,400 C $4,400
4 Chris Carter RIGHT 0.328 0.266 0.302 1B $3,000 1B $3,800
5 Kirk Nieuwenhuis LEFT 0.305 0.165 0.225 OF $2,400 OF $3,400
6 Aaron Hill RIGHT 0.316 0.147 0.495 3B $2,700 2B/3B $3,700
7 Alex Presley LEFT 0.272 0.132 0.170 OF $2,200 OF $2,000
8 Keon Broxton RIGHT 0.155 0.000 0.258 OF $2,200 OF $3,400
9 Junior Guerra RIGHT 0.000 0.000 0.000 P $7,000 P $7,300
Team Averages 0.261 0.122 0.264

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Jonathan Villar, Scooter Gennett, Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Stackability – NONE

LA Dodgers at Chicago Cubs – 2:20 PM ET

LA Dodgers Chicago Cubs
ladodgersmlb Alex Wood cubsmlb Jason Hammel
LEFT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
CHC -140 7.0
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.263 2 21.5% 5.1% SP vs. Left 0.313 8 23.0% 9.7%
SP vs. Right 0.327 18 18.3% 8.1% SP vs. Right 0.291 18 24.1% 4.0%

Pitcher Grind Down

Alex Wood
alex-wood-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,700 Salary: $7,200
FPPG: 26.2 FPPG: 14.3
Pitcher Rating: 65.3 Pitcher Rank: 13
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 92.0 1.86 2.25 39.1% 4.4% 13.6% 45.8% 33.3% 37.5%
2016 9 93.1 3.30 4.03 25.2% 7.3% 9.8% 54.3% 26.8% 31.5%
2015 32 90.9 4.17 3.84 17.4% 7.4% 8.2% 49.5% 27.5% 27.9%

After a slow start to the season, Wood has picked things up, especially in his last two starts. He now owns a 3.30 SIERA with a strikeout rate over 25%. That doesn’t sound like the Alex Wood that we have gotten used to over the years. While the wind is not blowing out in Wrigley Field, I’m still not a big fan of targeting pitchers against the Cubs. In addition to averaging the second most runs per game, Chicago is ranked fourth in team wOBA against left-handed pitching this season.

Jason Hammel
jason-hammel-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $9,300 Salary: $9,700
FPPG: 30.5 FPPG: 15.9
Pitcher Rating: 94.1 Pitcher Rank: 1
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 3 99.3 3.82 2.70 23.8% 8.8% 12.8% 47.2% 35.8% 33.3%
2016 9 93.4 4.20 2.17 21.6% 9.6% 10.3% 45.1% 36.1% 29.1%
2015 31 88.7 3.45 3.74 24.2% 5.6% 10.9% 38.3% 37.2% 32.9%

Hammel is a sizable underdog at home in a game that features a low run total. That doesn’t sound too bad. In his first nine starts of the season, he has a 4.20 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 21.6%. He draws a sneaky favorable matchup against the Dodgers, who are ranked 22nd in team wOBA and 26th in team ISO against right-handed pitching this season. With very few reliable options available today, Hammel may be the safest cash game target on the board.

Batter Grind Down

LA Dodgers

The Dodgers have surprisingly struggled against right-handed pitching this season. They come into today’s game with the second lowest team total on the board. They draw a difficult matchup against Jason Hammel, who has held both left and right-handed hitters under a .315 wOBA over the last two seasons.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Chase Utley LEFT 0.324 0.156 0.359 2B $3,600 2B $4,000
2 Corey Seager LEFT 0.360 0.190 0.331 SS $3,900 SS $3,700
3 Justin Turner RIGHT 0.353 0.173 0.324 3B $2,800 3B $2,900
4 Adrian Gonzalez LEFT 0.358 0.209 0.359 1B $3,200 1B $3,700
5 Trayce Thompson RIGHT 0.359 0.209 0.391 OF $2,800 OF $2,900
6 Joc Pederson LEFT 0.352 0.222 0.327 OF $3,300 OF $3,800
7 Howie Kendrick RIGHT 0.313 0.115 0.387 2B $3,200 2B/OF $3,400
8 Yasmani Grandal SWITCH 0.321 0.180 0.191 C $2,700 C $2,800
9 Alex Wood LEFT 0.210 0.018 0.220 P $8,700 P $7,200
Team Averages 0.328 0.164 0.321

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Corey Seager, Adrian Gonzalez

Stackability – NONE

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs have one of the best offenses in baseball. While the wind is not blowing out like it has the last few days at Wrigley, you can still look to a few hitters in their lineup today against Alex Wood. Over the last two seasons, he has allowed a .327 wOBA and 18 home runs to right-handed hitters.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Dexter Fowler SWITCH 0.369 0.148 0.394 OF $4,400 OF $5,000
2 Ben Zobrist SWITCH 0.407 0.195 0.474 2B $4,300 2B $4,800
3 Kris Bryant RIGHT 0.345 0.226 0.408 3B $4,500 3B/OF $4,700
4 Jorge Soler RIGHT 0.304 0.114 0.481 OF $2,700 OF $3,800
5 Matt Szczur RIGHT 0.338 0.245 0.423 OF $2,200 OF $3,100
6 Addison Russell RIGHT 0.256 0.149 0.211 SS $3,300 SS $3,200
7 Javier Baez RIGHT 0.436 0.143 0.152 SS $2,300 3B/SS $2,900
8 David Ross RIGHT 0.296 0.136 0.369 C $2,700 C $2,500
9 Jason Hammel RIGHT 0.176 0.000 0.356 P $9,300 P $9,700
Team Averages 0.325 0.151 0.363

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Dexter Fowler, Ben Zobrist, Kris Bryant, Matt Szczur

Stackability – NONE


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About the Author

Notorious
Derek Farnsworth (Notorious)

Derek Farnsworth (aka Notorious) is a lead RotoGrinders Expert and one of the most recognizable names and faces in all of DFS. Before joining the RotoGrinders team, Derek received a Master’s Degree from the University of Utah. When he’s not busy providing content, he’s dominating the DFS industry as evidenced by his consistent top rankings in several sports and multiple Live Final appearances. Noto provides expert NBA, NFL, MLB, and PGA analysis for RotoGrinders Premium members on a daily basis and has also been nominated for five different Fantasy Sports Writer’s Association (FSWA) awards. Follow Noto on X – @RG_Notorious