MLB Grind Down: Saturday, April 12th - Page 3
Houston at Texas
| Houston | Texas | ||||||||
| Jarred Cosart | Vegas Moneyline | Tanner Scheppers | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | TEX (-160) | RIGHT | 9.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.182 | 0.527 | 0.248 | 18.5% | SP vs. Left | 0.258 | 0.669 | 0.312 | 18.4% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.260 | 0.755 | 0.337 | 6.1% | SP vs. Right | 0.219 | 0.585 | 0.287 | 18.1% |
| Batter Splits | HOU BvP  | HOU vs R | Batter Splits | TEX BvP | TEX vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jarred Cosart – Cosart really got in trouble against the Yankees in his last start and I’m afraid he may have a similar outing tonight against the Rangers in Arlington. This is one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in baseball and Cosart is a big underdog that may not see much run support. He should be avoided in all leagues. Rating = 3
- Tanner Scheppers – Scheppers has a nice matchup against the strike-out happy Astros, but neither pitcher makes very much sense as a cash game play. This game features one of the highest totals of the night and both teams should be able to put runs up on the board. Scheppers has given up at least 8 hits in each of his first two starts and is only a recommended play if you can find him at an extreme value. Rating = 5
Batter Grind Down
Houston
- Dexter Fowler – It’s a small sample size, but Scheppers is giving up a .433 batting average to batters from the left side of the plate in his two starts. Fowler has been the best hitter in this Astros lineup this season and makes a solid value play in the OF.
- Additional Plays: Jason Castro, Jose Altuve
Texas
- Alex Rios – Cosart is a RH pitcher, but actually gave up a higher wOBA and OPS to RH batters last season. Rios is good against RH pitching and gives you a nice combination of the ability to hit HR’s and steal bases. He is batting 3rd with Beltre out.
- Additional Plays: Prince Fielder, Mitch Moreland
LA Dodgers at Arizona
| LA Dodgers | Arizona | ||||||||
| Zack Greinke | Vegas Moneyline | Wade Miley | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | LAD (-125) | LEFT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.250 | 0.718 | 0.323 | 20.2% | SP vs. Left | 0.264 | 0.686 | 0.307 | 17.6% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.214 | 0.553 | 0.255 | 22.1% | SP vs. Right | 0.256 | 0.720 | 0.322 | 17.5% |
| Batter Splits | LAD BvP | LAD vs L | Batter Splits | ARI BvP | ARI vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Zack Greinke – Greinke is one of the best pitchers in baseball when he is pitching in Dodgers Stadium, but his numbers have taken a dip on the road. Last year he posted a 3.21 ERA which is pretty solid, but much higher than his ERA at home. Today he faces a tough D-Backs lineup that really hits well in Chase Field. Greinke makes a nice tournament play because he does have the upside to provide you with double-digit K’s, but there are better options for your cash game lineups. Rating = 6
- Wade Miley – Miley did not pitch great at home last season with a 4.15 ERA in Chase Field. He draws a very tough matchup tonight against the Dodgers who hit LH pitching very well. Even the LH batters in the Dodgers lineup all hit for a high average against LH pitching. Miley is not a recommended play tonight. Rating = 4
Batter Grind Down
Los Angeles
- Hanley Ramirez – Miley gave up a .322 wOBA to RH batters last season and Ramirez is red hot right now as he is sporting a 7 game hitting streak and has 3 multi-hit games during that stretch. Hanley has great power and can also steal bases. He’s the top SS on the board tonight.
- Additional Plays: Yasiel Puig
Arizona
- There aren’t any D-Back bats that I would target for cash games, but you can always give Paul Goldschmidt a look in tournaments. He has the ability to hit HR’s off of any starting pitcher in this league.
- Additional Plays: None
Detroit at San Diego
| Detroit | San Diego | ||||||||
| Justin Verlander | Vegas Moneyline | Ian Kennedy | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | DET (-140) | RIGHT | 6.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.230 | 0.641 | 0.288 | 23.3% | SP vs. Left | 0.261 | 0.811 | 0.355 | 22.3% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.279 | 0.740 | 0.329 | 21.5% | SP vs. Right | 0.251 | 0.700 | 0.327 | 19.0% |
| Batter Splits | DET BvP | DET vs R | Batter Splits | SDP BvP | SDP vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Justin Verlander – Verlander has not fanned enough batters in the early going to justify his extremely expensive price tag. He only has 5 K’s in his first two starts combined. He does draw a very nice matchup against the Padres though and Petco Park may be exactly what he needs to get going. It also doesn’t hurt that this game will be played under NL rules so he will get to face the opposing pitcher in the lineup. Verlander should bounce back tonight and is one of the best pitcher plays available. Rating = 9
- Ian Kennedy – Kennedy has pitched well early on in the season and had great numbers last year at Petco. He may not be the favorite here, but he makes for a very interesting GPP play as Cashner shut out this Tigers’ lineup in Petco last night. Kennedy struggles against LH batters, but the Tigers don’t have many solid LH hitters in their lineup. If he can get a couple of runs to support his cause, he could pick up an unexpected win tonight. Rating = 6
Batter Grind Down
Detroit / San Diego
- This game features the lowest run total of the night at only 6.5 runs. Neither offense is in a great position to put up a lot of runs and I’ll be avoiding the batters from this game altogether.
- Additional Plays: None
NY Mets at LA Angels
| NY Mets | LA Angels | ||||||||
| Jonathon Niese | Vegas Moneyline | Jered Weaver | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | LAA (-173) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.232 | 0.630 | 0.288 | 17.7% | SP vs. Left | 0.226 | 0.631 | 0.287 | 19.6% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.296 | 0.755 | 0.339 | 16.7% | SP vs. Right | 0.257 | 0.749 | 0.328 | 17.6% |
| Batter Splits | NYM BvP | NYM vs R | Batter Splits | LAA BvP | LAA vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jonathon Niese – Niese is one of the bigger underdogs tonight and he will likely to see little to no run support. The Angels are a team that really hits LH pitching well and Niese struggled on the road last season. Rating = 3
- Jered Weaver – Weaver was very solid at home last season with a 2.59 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. Weaver has a solid K-rate and a nice matchup against the Mets who have really struggled to score runs at times this season. Weaver has an ERA of 6.00 on the season, but has had some bad luck as he has only given up 11 hits in 12 innings of work. Rating = 8
Batter Grind Down
New York
- David Wright – I’m not crazy about any of the Mets bats today, but Weaver did give up a .328 wOBA to RH batters last season and Wright is one of the best hitters in baseball. If you are not sold on Weaver, it may not be a bad idea to get Wright into your lineups.
- Additional Plays: None
Los Angeles
- Mike Trout – Niese gave up a .339 wOBA to RH batters last season and there aren’t any better RH batters than Trout with the exception of Miguel Cabrera. Trout is my top play of the day if you can find a way to get him in your lineups.
- Additional Plays: David Freese, Howie Kendrick
Oakland at Seattle
| Oakland | Seattle | ||||||||
| Sonny Gray | Vegas Moneyline | Erasmo Ramirez | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | OAK (-120) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.223 | 0.614 | 0.279 | 22.3% | SP vs. Left | 0.299 | 0.817 | 0.362 | 16.1% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.213 | 0.521 | 0.232 | 28.7% | SP vs. Right | 0.240 | 0.684 | 0.309 | 19.4% |
| Batter Splits | OAK BvP | OAK vs R | Batter Splits | SEA BvP | SEA vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Sonny Gray – Even though Gray picked up a win against the Mariners in his last start, he had to pitch out of a lot of trouble and this matchup does not suit him well. Not only is it on the road, but the Mariners have LH batters littered throughout their lineup. The M’s lineup is very tough against a RH pitcher. Gray is expensive today and I would much rather target Jered Weaver at a similar price point.
- Erasmo Ramirez – Ramirez is not a reliable pitcher. He has scored negative fantasy points in 3 of his last 5 starts and has a tough matchup against the A’s who really hit RH pitching well. Ramirez should be avoided in all leagues. Rating = 3
Batter Grind Down
Oakland
- Brandon Moss – Another subpar RH pitcher and another recommendation for Moss. Moss is batting .334 against RH pitching this season with 9 RBI’s in only 34 at-bats. Erasmo gave up an extremely high wOBA of .362 to LH batters last season.
- Additional Plays: Jed Lowrie
Seattle
- Robinson Cano – Cano has not hit a HR yet, but he is batting .324 and has already recorded 4 multi-hit games this season. I have a feeling that Gray will really struggle with this Mariners’ lineup tonight.
- Additional Plays: Justin Smoak, Abraham Almonte