MLB Grind Down: Monday, May 9th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2016-05-10 03:36:42

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.

Detroit at Washington – 7:05 PM

Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%	Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%
Detroit					Washington
			Anibal Sanchez					Stephen Strasburg
			RIGHT					RIGHT
			Vegas Moneyline					Vegas Over/Under
			WAS -200					7.5
SP vs. Left	0.310	13	23.1%	10.7%	SP vs. Left	0.238	5	29.5%	7.2%
SP vs. Right	0.369	21	19.5%	6.1%	SP vs. Right	0.314	10	29.6%	3.0%

Pitcher Grind Down

Statistics	Starts	SIERA	K%	SS%	BB%	GB%	FB%	HH%	O-K%
Anibal Sanchez
				FanDuel			DraftKings
				Salary:		$7,200	Salary:		$7,500
				FPPG:		27.8	FPPG:		12.5
				Pitcher Rating:		56.3	Pitcher Rank:		12
2016	6	4.52	23.6%	9.6%	13.6%	40.5%	41.7%	31.4%	16
2015	25	4.03	20.9%	9.3%	7.4%	40.0%	39.1%	27.1%	28

Sanchez may not be an elite pitcher at this stage of his career, but he still has a strikeout rate north of 23% on the season. He has walked a few too many batters this year though, and his SIERA is below average at 4.52. He draws a fairly difficult matchup tonight against the Nationals, although he does get to face them in a National League ballpark. The biggest issue here is the fact that he is such a large underdog on the road. Run support will likely be scarce with Stephen Strasburg pitching opposite him.

Statistics	Starts	SIERA	K%	SS%	BB%	GB%	FB%	HH%	O-K%
Stephen Strasburg
				FanDuel			DraftKings
				Salary:		$11,000	Salary:		$11,600
				FPPG:		49.0	FPPG:		26.9
				Pitcher Rating:		94.3	Pitcher Rank:		2
2016	6	2.79	29.2%	12.2%	5.6%	49.5%	32.0%	24.8%	25
2015	23	2.76	29.6%	11.2%	5.0%	42.2%	34.3%	28.9%	13

Strasburg is off to a great start this season. In his first six starts, he has a 2.79 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 29.2%. He is producing a higher swinging strike rate this year and he is also producing a higher ground ball rate. The Tigers do have a lot of quality batter in their lineup, but Strasburg is going to have the platoon advantage tonight. The Tigers’ projected lineup has eight right-handed hitters in it. Strasburg is my second favorite pitching option on the board and is worth a look in all league formats.

Batter Grind Down

Detroit

Tigers Offense
Team wOBA vs. RHP — 0.317 (12 of 30)
Team ISO vs. RHP — 0.142 (21 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 4.37 (14 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 3.17 (24 of 26)

The Tigers’ offense has not been great this season. They are ranked right around the league average in runs scored per game. They come into tonight’s contest with the third lowest team total on the board. They draw a difficult matchup against Stephen Strasburg, 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	Ian Kinsler	RIGHT	0.333	0.136	0.328	2B	$3,700	2B	$3,900
2	J.D. Martinez	RIGHT	0.352	0.224	0.218	OF	$2,700	OF	$3,200
3	Miguel Cabrera	RIGHT	0.402	0.189	0.453	1B	$3,700	1B	$3,500
4	Justin Upton	RIGHT	0.349	0.209	0.290	OF	$3,000	OF	$3,500
5	Nick Castellanos	RIGHT	0.313	0.159	0.493	3B	$3,400	3B	$3,100
6	James McCann	RIGHT	0.265	0.082	0.141	C	$2,000	C	$2,100
7	Anthony Gose	LEFT	0.316	0.128	0.361	OF	$2,600	OF	$2,800
8	Jose Iglesias	RIGHT	0.285	0.049	0.185	SS	$2,000	SS	$2,300
9	Anibal Sanchez	RIGHT	0.000	0.000		P	$7,200	P	$7,500
	Team Averages	—	0.291	0.131	0.309	—	—	—	—

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – NONE

Stackability – NONE

Washington

Nationals Offense
Team wOBA vs. RHP — 0.310 (20 of 30)
Team ISO vs. RHP — 0.150 (15 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 4.39 (13 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 4.33 (13 of 26)

The Nationals have a mediocre team total tonight. They draw a decent matchup against Anibal Sanchez, but they are facing him at home in the pitcher-friendly Nationals Park. Over the last two seasons, Sanchez has allowed a .369 wOBA and 21 home runs to right-handed hitters. I’d also like to bring up one note regarding Bryce Harper. Teams are starting to walk him more and more often (22.7% walk rate this season). All of these walks could end up hurting his upside, although he obviously makes a strong play against a fly-ball pitcher like Sanchez.

Projected Lineup

#	Player	Bats	wOBA vs. RHP	ISO vs. RHP	wOBA L14	FD Position	FD Salary	DK Position	DK Salary
1	Ben Revere	LEFT	0.322	0.079	0.286	OF	$2,700	OF	$3,600
2	Anthony Rendon	RIGHT	0.296	0.101	0.248	3B	$3,200	3B	$3,700
3	Bryce Harper	LEFT	0.468	0.354	0.330	OF	$4,500	OF	$4,800
4	Ryan Zimmerman	RIGHT	0.285	0.143	0.251	1B	$2,900	1B	$3,300
5	Daniel Murphy	LEFT	0.364	0.207	0.442	2B	$3,700	2B	$4,400
6	Jayson Werth	RIGHT	0.282	0.138	0.309	OF	$3,300	OF	$3,800
7	Wilson Ramos	RIGHT	0.285	0.137	0.498	C	$2,900	C	$3,200
8	Danny Espinosa	SWITCH	0.300	0.160	0.267	SS	$2,300	SS	$2,600
9	Stephen Strasburg	RIGHT	0.148	0.000	0.147	P	$11,000	P	$11,600
	Team Averages	—	0.306	0.147	0.309	—	—	—	—

Elite Plays – Bryce Harper

Secondary Plays – Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman, Daniel Murphy

Stackability – NONE

Kansas City at NY Yankees – 7:05 PM

Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%	Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%
Kansas City					NY Yankees
			Chris Young					Ivan Nova
			RIGHT					RIGHT
			Vegas Moneyline					Vegas Over/Under
			NYY -115					8.5
SP vs. Left	0.337	12	17.1%	10.8%	SP vs. Left	0.379	8	9.0%	7.7%
SP vs. Right	0.256	12	18.4%	6.3%	SP vs. Right	0.305	6	20.4%	6.7%

Pitcher Grind Down

Statistics	Starts	SIERA	K%	SS%	BB%	GB%	FB%	HH%	O-K%
Chris Young
				FanDuel			DraftKings
				Salary:		$5,500	Salary:		$5,800
				FPPG:		21.8	FPPG:		10.8
				Pitcher Rating:		37.4	Pitcher Rank:		22
2016	6	4.19	22.0%	10.0%	8.3%	32.2%	51.1%	39.1%	10
2015	18	5.15	16.6%	9.4%	8.6%	25.5%	57.9%	33.4%	12

Young had that one big outing earlier in the season, but has otherwise been a fadeable pitcher in DFS. In his six starts, he has a 4.19 SIERA with a walk rate of 8.3%. He is an extreme fly-ball pitcher (51.1%) that is facing a talented Yankees’ offense in a hitter-friendly ballpark. Even though the Yankees are nursing a few injuries, they should still be able to get to Young tonight at home.

Statistics	Starts	SIERA	K%	SS%	BB%	GB%	FB%	HH%	O-K%
Ivan Nova
				FanDuel			DraftKings
				Salary:		$6,300	Salary:		$5,100
				FPPG:		8.5	FPPG:		3.7
				Pitcher Rating:		43.5	Pitcher Rank:		18
2016	0	2.72	11.7%	9.2%	1.7%	66.0%	16.0%	34.0%	9
2015	17	4.58	15.3%	7.8%	8.0%	49.0%	31.7%	32.3%	1

Nova is making his first start of the season, after pitching 14 innings out of the bullpen. In 17 starts last year, he had a 4.58 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 15.3%. His strikeout rate has come down even farther this season to 11.7%. Basically, he lacks the upside needed to warrant fantasy consideration. To make matters worse, he is facing a Royals’ offense that has the fewest strikeouts of any team in baseball over the last two seasons.

Batter Grind Down

Kansas City

Royals Offense
Team wOBA vs. RHP — 0.319 (13 of 30)
Team ISO vs. RHP — 0.149 (21 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 3.40 (28 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 4.16 (15 of 26)

The Royals’ offense may be experiencing a little bit of a World Series hangover. They are currently averaging the third fewest runs per game and they come into tonight’s contest with the 12th lowest team total on the board. While I don’t love the Royals’ offense as a whole tonight, Ivan Nova has allowed a .379 wOBA 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	Alcides Escobar	RIGHT	0.269	0.062	0.287	SS	$2,700	SS	$3,700
2	Lorenzo Cain	RIGHT	0.325	0.119	0.269	OF	$3,100	OF	$4,000
3	Eric Hosmer	LEFT	0.386	0.189	0.451	1B	$3,500	1B	$4,600
4	Kendrys Morales	SWITCH	0.352	0.228	0.190	1B	$2,300	1B	$3,600
5	Alex Gordon	LEFT	0.339	0.151	0.310	OF	$2,500	OF	$3,600
6	Salvador Perez	RIGHT	0.329	0.195	0.186	C	$2,500	C	$3,500
7	Omar Infante	RIGHT	0.242	0.097	0.252	2B	$2,100	2B	$2,800
8	Christian Colon	RIGHT	0.311	0.063	0.289	2B	$2,200	2B/3B	$2,800
9	Jarrod Dyson	LEFT	0.297	0.128	0.231	OF	$2,500	OF	$3,800
	Team Averages	—	0.317	0.137	0.274	—	—	—	—

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Eric Hosmer, Kendrys Morales, Alex Gordon

Stackability – NONE

NY Yankees

Yankees Offense
Team wOBA vs. RHP — 0.322 (13 of 30)
Team ISO vs. RHP — 0.176 (5 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 3.48 (26 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 4.34 (12 of 26)

The Yankees are small favorites tonight at home against the extreme fly-ball pitcher, Chris Young. Young has allowed 24 home runs in his last 24 starts and he has given up a .337 wOBA to left-handed hitters during that stretch. Judging by the splits alone, this is a great matchup for New York, as seven of their nine projected starters hit from the left side of the plate.

Projected Lineup

#	Player	Bats	wOBA vs. RHP	ISO vs. RHP	wOBA L14	FD Position	FD Salary	DK Position	DK Salary
1	Jacoby Ellsbury	LEFT	0.292	0.100	0.328	OF	$2,900	OF	$4,400
2	Brett Gardner	LEFT	0.330	0.154	0.233	OF	$3,000	OF	$4,000
3	Mark Teixeira	SWITCH	0.378	0.301	0.260	1B	$2,800	1B	$3,900
4	Brian McCann	LEFT	0.330	0.202	0.262	C	$3,100	C	$3,600
5	Carlos Beltran	SWITCH	0.343	0.190	0.193	OF	$2,400	OF	$3,500
6	Starlin Castro	RIGHT	0.292	0.127	0.377	2B	$2,900	2B	$3,300
7	Aaron Hicks	SWITCH	0.282	0.125	0.251	OF	$2,400	OF	$3,400
8	Didi Gregorius	LEFT	0.301	0.120	0.209	SS	$2,200	SS	$2,900
9	Ronald Torreyes	RIGHT	0.381	0.130	0.223	2B	$2,000	3B/SS	$2,600
	Team Averages	—	0.325	0.161	0.260	—	—	—	—

Elite Plays – Brian McCann

Secondary Plays – Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran

Stackability – GPP

Milwaukee at Miami – 7:10 PM

Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%	Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%
Milwaukee					Miami
			Wily Peralta					Jose Fernandez
			RIGHT					RIGHT
			Vegas Moneyline					Vegas Over/Under
			MIA -230					7.5
SP vs. Left	0.386	11	10.6%	6.7%	SP vs. Left	0.365	5	22.5%	9.6%
SP vs. Right	0.369	8	14.5%	9.3%	SP vs. Right	0.220	1	38.2%	5.5%

Pitcher Grind Down

Statistics	Starts	SIERA	K%	SS%	BB%	GB%	FB%	HH%	O-K%
Wily Peralta
				FanDuel			DraftKings
				Salary:		$5,700	Salary:		$5,300
				FPPG:		15.5	FPPG:		4.3
				Pitcher Rating:		30.4	Pitcher Rank:		25
2016	6	5.01	12.4%	7.7%	9.0%	51.9%	31.1%	36.0%	3
2015	20	4.75	12.6%	6.9%	7.7%	51.6%	28.4%	32.6%	6

Peralta has not fared well in his first six starts this season, posting a 5.01 SIERA with a walk rate (9%) that is nearly as high as his strikeout rate (12%). Anytime we have a pitcher whose K:BB ratio is less than two, that is a major red flag. Peralta comes into tonight’s start as the second largest underdog on the board. He draws a difficult matchup against the Marlins, who have the third lowest strikeout rate against right-handed pitching this season.

Statistics	Starts	SIERA	K%	SS%	BB%	GB%	FB%	HH%	O-K%
Jose Fernandez
				FanDuel			DraftKings
				Salary:		$10,800	Salary:		$11,300
				FPPG:		38.3	FPPG:		20.3
				Pitcher Rating:		98.4	Pitcher Rank:		1
2016	6	3.14	33.1%	13.4%	11.3%	39.5%	27.6%	26.0%	27
2015	11	2.77	29.8%	13.3%	5.3%	40.1%	31.1%	29.4%	23

Fernandez hasn’t had the best command this season. In fact, his command has been downright awful. He has walked over 11% of the batters that he has faced, which has driven up his pitch count. He has yet to pitch into the seventh inning in any of his six starts. While that’s a small concern, his 33.1% strikeout rate more than makes up for his inability to pitch deep into games. He is the top rated pitcher tonight, as he takes on a strikeout happy Brewers’ offense in the pitcher-friendly Marlins Park.

Batter Grind Down

Milwaukee

Brewers Offense
Team wOBA vs. RHP — 0.307 (19 of 30)
Team ISO vs. RHP — 0.140 (21 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 4.61 (7 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 3.00 (25 of 26)

The Brewers are a below-average offense against right-handed pitching and they come into tonight’s contest with the second lowest team total on the board. Jose Fernandez has allowed a .365 wOBA to left-handed hitters over the last two seasons, but the low total makes the Brewers an easy fade tonight. There are better matchups to exploit.

Projected Lineup

#	Player	Bats	wOBA vs. RHP	ISO vs. RHP	wOBA L14	FD Position	FD Salary	DK Position	DK Salary
1	Alex Presley	LEFT	0.337	0.250	0.470	OF	$2,800	OF	$3,000
2	Jonathan Villar	SWITCH	0.315	0.082	0.365	SS	$3,400	SS	$3,100
3	Ryan Braun	RIGHT	0.366	0.206	0.405	OF	$4,200	OF	$4,000
4	Jonathan Lucroy	RIGHT	0.350	0.155	0.455	C	$3,300	C	$3,300
5	Chris Carter	RIGHT	0.344	0.283	0.430	1B	$3,500	1B	$3,200
6	Aaron Hill	RIGHT	0.291	0.140	0.397	3B	$2,500	2B/3B	$2,600
7	Hernan Perez	RIGHT	0.244	0.058	0.357	3B	$2,100	2B/3B	$2,000
8	Ramon Flores	LEFT	0.232	0.043	0.315	OF	$2,200	OF	$2,300
9	Wily Peralta	RIGHT	0.051	0.000	0.000	P	$5,700	P	$5,300
	Team Averages	—	0.281	0.135	0.355	—	—	—	—

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – NONE

Stackability – NONE

Miami

Marlins Offense
Team wOBA vs. RHP — 0.297 (26 of 30)
Team ISO vs. RHP — 0.121 (29 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 4.20 (17 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 4.50 (8 of 26)

The Marlins may not have the highest team wOBA or team ISO against right-handed pitching, but they put the ball into play and they draw a favorable matchup against Wily Peralta. Over the last two seasons, Peralta has allowed a .386 wOBA to left-handed hitters and a .369 wOBA to right-handed hitters. With the eighth highest team total on the board, Miami is a sneaky offense to target in both cash games and GPPs.

Projected Lineup

#	Player	Bats	wOBA vs. RHP	ISO vs. RHP	wOBA L14	FD Position	FD Salary	DK Position	DK Salary
1	Derek Dietrich	LEFT	0.382	0.242	0.406	2B	$2,700	2B/3B	$3,400
2	Martin Prado	RIGHT	0.321	0.096	0.396	3B	$2,900	3B	$3,700
3	Christian Yelich	LEFT	0.370	0.151	0.360	OF	$3,800	OF	$4,500
4	Giancarlo Stanton	RIGHT	0.381	0.301	0.569	OF	$4,800	OF	$5,200
5	Justin Bour	LEFT	0.358	0.245	0.415	1B	$3,000	1B	$3,400
6	Marcell Ozuna	RIGHT	0.288	0.122	0.470	OF	$3,600	OF	$4,000
7	J.T. Realmuto	RIGHT	0.295	0.132	0.490	C	$2,800	C	$3,300
8	Adeiny Hechavarria	RIGHT	0.270	0.088	0.270	SS	$2,200	SS	$2,800
9	Jose Fernandez	RIGHT	0.251	0.125	0.000	P	$10,800	P	$11,300
	Team Averages	—	0.324	0.167	0.375	—	—	—	—

Elite Plays – Derek Dietrich, Giancarlo Stanton

Secondary Plays – Christian Yelich, Justin Bour

Stackability – Cash & GPP

Oakland at Boston – 7:10 PM

Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%	Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%
Oakland					Boston
			Sonny Gray					Clay Buchholz
			RIGHT					RIGHT
			Vegas Moneyline					Vegas Over/Under
			BOS -120					8.5
SP vs. Left	0.267	10	21.7%	7.8%	SP vs. Left	0.300	6	22.7%	5.6%
SP vs. Right	0.282	12	19.1%	7.5%	SP vs. Right	0.306	5	19.9%	6.7%

Pitcher Grind Down

Statistics	Starts	SIERA	K%	SS%	BB%	GB%	FB%	HH%	O-K%
Sonny Gray
				FanDuel			DraftKings
				Salary:		$9,600	Salary:		$6,800
				FPPG:		30.2	FPPG:		14.4
				Pitcher Rating:		48.9	Pitcher Rank:		14
2016	6	4.07	20.9%	8.2%	10.5%	56.9%	27.5%	29.8%	10
2015	31	3.80	20.3%	9.7%	7.1%	52.7%	30.7%	25.1%	3

Gray may not be pitching as bad as his 4.84 ERA suggests, but he isn’t having the best season thus far. In his first six starts, he has a 4.07 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 20.9%. He is producing a much lower swinging strike rate (8.2%) and his walk rate is up. I expect him to turn it around eventually, but that’s not likely to happen tonight against the Red Sox. DraftKings is trying to lure us into playing him with a $6,800 price tag, but there is more risk than potential reward here.

Statistics	Starts	SIERA	K%	SS%	BB%	GB%	FB%	HH%	O-K%
Clay Buchholz
				FanDuel			DraftKings
				Salary:		$8,000	Salary:		$7,100
				FPPG:		20.8	FPPG:		9.6
				Pitcher Rating:		67.9	Pitcher Rank:		7
2016	6	4.86	16.8%	8.4%	10.1%	41.0%	40.0%	29.0%	7
2015	18	3.35	22.8%	10.6%	4.9%	48.3%	30.5%	23.7%	4

Buchholz has not looked good in his first six starts of the season. He has a 4.86 SIERA with a walk rate over 10%. His swinging strike rate is way down, which has led to a much lower strikeout rate of 16.8%. Basically, he is a wildcard at this point. Until he can rediscover his form from a season ago, he can be avoided in cash games. I’m a little intrigued for GPPs, but his price is high enough that I’m not looking to roster Buchholz in any league format tonight.

Batter Grind Down

Oakland

Athletics Offense
Team wOBA vs. RHP — 0.307 (23 of 30)
Team ISO vs. RHP — 0.146 (21 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 3.66 (22 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 4.13 (16 of 26)

The A’s see a nice ballpark boost tonight playing in Fenway Park. They draw a decent matchup against Clay Buchholz, who has struggled to start the season. Buchholz has held both left and right-handed hitters under a .310 wOBA over the last two seasons, but you can look to a few of the left-handed bats in this lineup.

Projected Lineup

#	Player	Bats	wOBA vs. RHP	ISO vs. RHP	wOBA L14	FD Position	FD Salary	DK Position	DK Salary
1	Billy Burns	SWITCH	0.301	0.093	0.255	OF	$3,000	OF	$4,200
2	Jed Lowrie	SWITCH	0.288	0.116	0.357	2B	$2,600	2B	$3,200
3	Josh Reddick	LEFT	0.365	0.191	0.383	OF	$3,000	OF	$3,900
4	Khris Davis	RIGHT	0.350	0.254	0.349	OF	$3,100	OF	$3,700
5	Stephen Vogt	LEFT	0.345	0.203	0.284	C	$2,700	C	$3,400
6	Danny Valencia	RIGHT	0.361	0.231	0.177	3B	$2,300	3B	$3,500
7	Billy Butler	RIGHT	0.307	0.132	0.213	1B	$2,200	1B	$3,500
8	Yonder Alonso	LEFT	0.321	0.108	0.382	1B	$2,300	1B	$3,200
9	Marcus Semien	RIGHT	0.290	0.148	0.378	SS	$2,500	SS	$3,400
	Team Averages	—	0.325	0.164	0.309	—	—	—	—

Elite Plays – Josh Reddick

Secondary Plays – Jed Lowrie, Stephen Vogt

Stackability – NONE

Boston

Red Sox Offense
Team wOBA vs. RHP — 0.319 (4 of 30)
Team ISO vs. RHP — 0.150 (11 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 5.03 (4 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 4.37 (10 of 26)

The Red Sox are one of the best offenses in baseball against right-handed pitching. Over the last two seasons, they are ranked fourth in team wOBA and 11th in team ISO. Even though their matchup against Sonny Gray is less than ideal, Boston has the tenth highest team total on the board at 4.37 runs. Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts, David Ortiz, and Hanley Ramirez have all been swinging hot bats with a .375+ wOBA over the last 14 days.

Projected Lineup

#	Player	Bats	wOBA vs. RHP	ISO vs. RHP	wOBA L14	FD Position	FD Salary	DK Position	DK Salary
1	Mookie Betts	RIGHT	0.344	0.183	0.253	OF	$4,000	OF	$4,500
2	Dustin Pedroia	RIGHT	0.356	0.155	0.377	2B	$3,200	2B	$4,000
3	Xander Bogaerts	RIGHT	0.324	0.104	0.373	SS	$3,900	SS	$4,000
4	David Ortiz	LEFT	0.423	0.336	0.431	1B	$3,900	1B	$4,900
5	Hanley Ramirez	RIGHT	0.317	0.155	0.391	1B	$3,600	1B	$4,100
6	Travis Shaw	LEFT	0.357	0.194	0.348	3B	$3,000	3B	$3,400
7	Brock Holt	LEFT	0.312	0.102	0.285	OF	$2,900	OF	$3,100
8	Jackie Bradley	LEFT	0.348	0.258	0.470	OF	$3,200	OF	$3,400
9	Christian Vazquez	RIGHT	0.270	0.158	0.293	C	$2,200	C	$2,900
	Team Averages	—	0.339	0.183	0.358	—	—	—	—

Elite Plays – David Ortiz

Secondary Plays – Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts, Hanley Ramirez

Stackability – GPP

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati – 7:10 PM

Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%	Stats	wOBA	HR All.	K%	BB%
Pittsburgh					Cincinnati
			Jon Niese					Dan Straily
			LEFT					RIGHT
			Vegas Moneyline					Vegas Over/Under
			PIT -125					9.0
SP vs. Left	0.351	5	17.1%	4.7%	SP vs. Left	0.296	3	13.7%	15.7%
SP vs. Right	0.343	22	14.4%	8.2%	SP vs. Right	0.325	4	26.5%	6.1%

Pitcher Grind Down

Statistics	Starts	SIERA	K%	SS%	BB%	GB%	FB%	HH%	O-K%
Jon Niese
				FanDuel			DraftKings
				Salary:		$5,800	Salary:		$5,000
				FPPG:		20.7	FPPG:		8.3
				Pitcher Rating:		47.9	Pitcher Rank:		15
2016	6	4.64	16.2%	6.7%	9.1%	49.5%	34.2%	30.1%	7
2015	29	4.27	14.7%	5.8%	7.1%	54.5%	24.7%	29.7%	14

Niese has been one of the top pitchers to pick on this season. While he does produce a lot of ground ball outs, that’s about the only thing that he has going for him. He has a 4.64 SIERA with a low strikeout rate and a hard hit contact rate of 30.1%. He may be a small favorite tonight against the Reds, but the total for the game is set at 9.0 runs. Both of these pitchers can be avoided in what is expected to be a high scoring game.

Statistics	Starts	SIERA	K%	SS%	BB%	GB%	FB%	HH%	O-K%
Dan Straily
				FanDuel			DraftKings
				Salary:		$6,500	Salary:		$4,900
				FPPG:		20.7	FPPG:		11.2
				Pitcher Rating:		38.6	Pitcher Rank:		21
2016	4	4.45	21.0%	12.1%	11.3%	35.4%	41.8%	32.1%	4
2015	3	4.67	18.4%	9.6%	10.5%	41.5%	37.7%	28.3%	17

Straily may not have the best SIERA this season (4.45), but he has a swinging strike rate of 12.1%. He is walking a few too many batters, but you aren’t going to find many pitchers with his strikeout upside at this low of a price point. I’m not saying that you should be looking at Straily in cash games, but he is certainly worth a look in tournaments at a price of only $4,900 on DraftKings.

Batter Grind Down

Pittsburgh

Pirates Offense
Team wOBA vs. RHP — 0.316 (9 of 30)
Team ISO vs. RHP — 0.140 (26 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 5.03 (4 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 4.65 (6 of 26)

The Pirates have the sixth highest team total on the board tonight. They see a small ballpark boost playing in the Great American Ballpark and they hit right-handed pitching well as a team. The sample size is small, but over the last two seasons (seven starts), Straily has allowed a .325 wOBA to right-handed hitters. We always like targeting hitters against fly-ball pitchers and tonight presents a nice opportunity with the Pirates.

Projected Lineup

#	Player	Bats	wOBA vs. RHP	ISO vs. RHP	wOBA L14	FD Position	FD Salary	DK Position	DK Salary
1	John Jaso	LEFT	0.361	0.178	0.261	1B	$3,000	1B	$3,800
2	Andrew McCutchen	RIGHT	0.366	0.192	0.382	OF	$4,000	OF	$5,300
3	Gregory Polanco	LEFT	0.336	0.148	0.365	OF	$3,200	OF	$5,000
4	Starling Marte	RIGHT	0.358	0.161	0.394	OF	$4,000	OF	$5,300
5	Francisco Cervelli	RIGHT	0.334	0.086	0.347	C	$2,900	C	$3,600
6	Jung Ho Kang	RIGHT	0.359	0.178	0.516	3B	$3,000	3B/SS	$4,000
7	Josh Harrison	RIGHT	0.309	0.106	0.345	2B	$3,300	2B	$4,200
8	Jordy Mercer	RIGHT	0.264	0.068	0.312	SS	$2,600	SS	$3,400
9	Jon Niese	LEFT	0.205	0.022	0.354	P	$5,800	P	$5,000
	Team Averages	—	0.321	0.127	0.364	—	—	—	—

Elite Plays – Andrew McCutchen

Secondary Plays – John Jaso, Gregory Polanco, Starling Marte, Jung Ho Kang

Stackability – GPP

Cincinnati

Reds Offense
Team wOBA vs. LHP — 0.310 (20 of 30)
Team ISO vs. LHP — 0.152 (11 of 30)
Runs Per Game — 4.13 (18 of 30)
Projected Run Total — 4.35 (11 of 26)

The Reds are coming off of a nice offensive series against the Brewers. They will look to carry some of that momentum into tonight’s game against Jon Niese.

Projected Lineup

#	Player	Bats	wOBA vs. LHP	ISO vs. LHP	wOBA L14	FD Position	FD Salary	DK Position	DK Salary
1	Zack Cozart	RIGHT	0.374	0.211	0.337	SS	$3,600	SS	$4,100
2	Eugenio Suarez	RIGHT	0.384	0.216	0.250	3B	$2,900	3B	$4,600
3	Joey Votto	LEFT	0.405	0.178	0.394	1B	$3,800	1B	$4,500
4	Brandon Phillips	RIGHT	0.336	0.114	0.398	2B	$3,100	2B	$4,100
5	Jay Bruce	LEFT	0.280	0.148	0.285	OF	$3,600	OF	$4,000
6	Adam Duvall	RIGHT	0.265	0.088	0.329	OF	$3,200	OF	$3,500
7	Tucker Barnhart	SWITCH	0.214	0.018	0.246	C	$2,000	C	$2,300
8	Dan Straily	RIGHT	0.000	0.000	0.000	P	$6,500	P	$4,900
9	Billy Hamilton	SWITCH	0.293	0.153	0.260	OF	$2,600	OF	$4,300
	Team Averages	—	0.283	0.125	0.278	—	—	—	—

MLB Grind Down: Monday, May 9th

Detroit at Washington – 7:05 PM

Pitcher Grind Down

Batter Grind Down

Detroit

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – NONE

Stackability – NONE

Washington

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – Bryce Harper

Secondary Plays – Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman, Daniel Murphy

Stackability – NONE

Kansas City at NY Yankees – 7:05 PM

Pitcher Grind Down

Batter Grind Down

Kansas City

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Eric Hosmer, Kendrys Morales, Alex Gordon

Stackability – NONE

NY Yankees

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – Brian McCann

Secondary Plays – Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran

Stackability – GPP

Milwaukee at Miami – 7:10 PM

Pitcher Grind Down

Batter Grind Down

Milwaukee

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – NONE

Stackability – NONE

Miami

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – Derek Dietrich, Giancarlo Stanton

Secondary Plays – Christian Yelich, Justin Bour

Stackability – Cash & GPP

Oakland at Boston – 7:10 PM

Pitcher Grind Down

Batter Grind Down

Oakland

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – Josh Reddick

Secondary Plays – Jed Lowrie, Stephen Vogt

Stackability – NONE

Boston

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – David Ortiz

Secondary Plays – Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts, Hanley Ramirez

Stackability – GPP

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati – 7:10 PM

Pitcher Grind Down

Batter Grind Down

Pittsburgh

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – Andrew McCutchen

Secondary Plays – John Jaso, Gregory Polanco, Starling Marte, Jung Ho Kang

Stackability – GPP

Cincinnati

Projected Lineup

Elite Plays – Zack Cozart, Brandon Phillips

Secondary Plays – Eugenio Suarez, Joey Votto, Adam Duvall

Stackability – GPP

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