MLB Grind Down: Saturday, April 26th - Page 3
Miami at NY Mets
| Miami | NY Mets | ||||||||
| Kevin Slowey | Vegas Moneyline | Jenrry Mejia | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | NYM (-130) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.296 | 0.810 | 0.352 | 16.2% | SP vs. Left | 0.228 | 0.633 | 0.293 | 20.9% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.285 | 0.780 | 0.343 | 20.4% | SP vs. Right | 0.241 | 0.614 | 0.268 | 28.0% |
| Batter Splits | MIA BvP  | MIA vs R | Batter Splits | NYM BvP | NYM vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Kevin Slowey – Slowey was very solid in his first start of the season last week against Seattle, allowing two runs and only three hits over five innings. He also had plenty of success against the Mets last season, posting 3.26 ERA and fanning 19 batters over 19.1 innings. Generally his strikeout rate leaves a bit to be desired and he’ll likely be on a somewhat limited pitch count as he gets re-aquainted with life as a starting pitcher, making him only an option if he’s dirt cheap on the sites that require multiple starting pitchers. Rating = 4.5
- Jenrry Mejia – A deeper look at his numbers show that his early season success is likely unsustainable (.250 BABIP, 91.9 LOB%), but I still think he’s in a nice spot tonight with the Marlins coming to Citi Field. After four starts this season, he owns a 3-0 record with a sparkling 1.99 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 22.2 innings. Rating = 5.5
Batter Grind Down
Miami
Giancarlo Stanton – Stanton has cooled off a bit of late but has already racked up 27 RBI’s this season and has “double-dong” potential every night.
- Additional Plays: Christian Yelich
New York Mets
David Wright – Wright is the most dangerous hitter on the Mets and had a pair of hits last night. He’s 6 for 12 off of Slowey in his career with a double and a homerun.
- Additional Plays: Lucas Duda, Curtis Granderson
Cincinnati at Atlanta
| Cincinnati | Atlanta | ||||||||
| Mike Leake | Vegas Moneyline | David Hale | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | ATL (-113) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.266 | 0.730 | 0.325 | 13.7% | SP vs. Left | 0.275 | 0.717 | 0.329 | 18.3% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.249 | 0.659 | 0.299 | 16.6% | SP vs. Right | 0.241 | 0.569 | 0.250 | 25.5% |
| Batter Splits | CIN BvP | CIN vs R | Batter Splits | ATL BvP | ATL vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Mike Leake – When he’s not busy stealing T-Shirts from Macy’s, Leake is generally a fairly steady starting pitcher for the Reds. He was far better away from the Great American Ballpark last year, going 8-2 with a 2.81 ERA on the road. He has been a groundball machine so far this season, however, his low strikeout numbers really limit his fantasy upside. Rating = 5
- David Hale – Hale is a bit of a wildcard today as we simply don’t have that much data to rely on. He’s been successful in his short MLB career, but he’s not overpowering by any means and has shown control problems this year (9 walks in 15 innings this season). The Reds have a formidable offense and Hale would likely be best used as a GPP flier today rather than a cash game option. Rating = 4.5
Batter Grind Down
Cincinnati
Jay Bruce – Bruce is a very streaky hitter and happens to be swinging the bat well right now. He’s posted an OPS of 1.001 in Turner Field over the last three seasons.
- Additional Plays: Joey Votto, Billy Hamilton
Atlanta
Freddie Freeman – Freeman hasn’t had success against Leake in the past (0 for 8) but he’s destroying the baseball this season, posted a 1.001 OPS at Turner Field last year, and hit .334 against right-handed pitching in 2013.
- Additional Plays: Justin Upton, Dan Uggla
Philadelphia at Arizona
| Philadelphia | Arizona | ||||||||
| Cliff Lee | Vegas Moneyline | Bronson Arroyo | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | PHI (-127) | RIGHT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.216 | 0.513 | 0.242 | 21.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.296 | 0.847 | 0.367 | 11.8% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.251 | 0.677 | 0.295 | 26.6% | SP vs. Right | 0.238 | 0.646 | 0.292 | 17.4% |
| Batter Splits | PHI BvP | PHI vs R | Batter Splits | ARI BvP | ARI vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Cliff Lee – Despite the fact the the Diamondbacks have a few guys who rake left-handed pitching (Goldie and Hill, for starters), Lee still ranks as one of my favorite pitchers to target today. If you throw out his rough first start of the season, Lee has posted a 1.20 ERA with a 1.13 WHIP to go along with 37 strikeouts over his last 30 innings. He pitched seven scoreless innings against the D-Backs in their only meeting last season. Rating = 9
- Bronson Arroyo – He’s been absolutelty shelled in each of his last two outings (versus the Mets and the Cubs, nonetheless) and I doubt things will be any different tonight. He’s been destroyed by left-handed hitting his whole career and now that his fastball is averaging 85.8 MPH, even the righties are joining the party. He pitched very well against Philly last season, but i’m still avoiding him entirely tonight. Rating = 2
Batter Grind Down
Philadelphia
Chase Utley – As I mentioned above, Arroyo has all kinds of trouble retiring left-handed batters and that makes Utley my favorite play at second base today. He’s been crushing the ball all season and should really flourish in this matchup against Arroyo in the very hitter friendly Chase Field.
- Additional Plays: Ryan Howard, Domonic Brown, Jimmy Rollins
Arizona
As I mentioned above, Goldschmidt and Hill both crush left-handed pitching, but I’d prefer to not pick on Cliff Lee in this one.
Colorado at LA Dodgers
| Colorado | LA Dodgers | ||||||||
| Juan Nicasio | Vegas Moneyline | Paul Maholm | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | LAD (-120) | LEFT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.240 | 0.757 | 0.342 | 18.0% | SP vs. Left | 0.235 | 0.575 | 0.262 | 19.9% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.293 | 0.790 | 0.352 | 16.9% | SP vs. Right | 0.300 | 0.828 | 0.375 | 13.0% |
| Batter Splits | COL BvP | COL vs L | Batter Splits | LAD BvP | LAD vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Juan Nicasio – Nicasio is obviously a much more viable outside of Coors Field, but he’s still not an ideal fantasy option in any scenario. He did however have success against the Dodgers last year, posting a 2-0 record with a 1.65 ERA and a strikeout per inning in his three starts. There are several safer options, but Nicasio is capable of pulling a rabbit out of his hat every now and then. Rating = 4.5
- Paul Maholm – Maholm’s days of being a serviceable starting pitcher apear to passed him, as he continues to see his velocity decline. He’s still semi-effective against LHB, but has been beaten up by righties since the beginning of last season. He’s only struck out 6 batters in his first 17 innings pitched this season and there are certainly more reliable options on the board tonight. Rating = 4.5
Batter Grind Down
Colorado
Troy Tulowitzki – I usually tend to only target the Rockies hitters when they’re swinging the bat in Coors Field, but Tulo has hit left-handed pitching to the tune of a .935 OPS over the last three seasons and has abused Paul Maholm in the past (10 for 22 with four doubles and two homeruns).
- Additional Plays: Wilin Rosario
Los Angeles Dodgers
Hanley Ramirez – Ramirez has had two hits in each of the last three games and is 6 for 11 off of Nicasio in their past meetings.
- Additional Plays: Adrian Gonzalez, Andre Ethier
Texas at Seattle
| Texas | Seattle | ||||||||
| Colby Lewis | Vegas Moneyline | Felix Hernandez | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | SEA (-175) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.357 | 0.809 | 0.369 | 13.8% | SP vs. Left | 0.245 | 0.656 | 0.292 | 25.8% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.250 | 0.732 | 0.321 | 23.5% | SP vs. Right | 0.222 | 0.591 | 0.264 | 28.4% |
| Batter Splits | TEX BvP | TEX vs R | Batter Splits | SEA BvP | SEA vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Colby Lewis – Lewis squared off against the Marlins just two weeks ago and was roughed up a bit in that outing, allowing four earned runs and eight hits over 5.1 innings. He’s still recovering from hip surgery and, considering he’s struggling to touch 88mph on the radar gun with his fastball, it’s probably best to look elsewhere even if he’s pitching in the spacious Safeco Field. The fact that his counterpart in this one is King Felix just makes this decision even easier. Rating = 3.5
- Felix Hernandez – King Felix out dueled Yu Darvish in his only other meeting against Texas this season, only allowing one run over seven innings while striking out 9 Rangers. Texas had his number last season though, forcing Hernandez to an 0-4 record with a 7.57 ERA in their five meetings. I won’t dig too deep into last years numbers against the Rangers though, as we all know Felix is one of the games elite pitchers. Rating = 8.5
Batter Grind Down
Texas
It’s not wise to pick on Felix Hernandez in Safeco Field. Look elsewhere today.
Seattle
Kyle Seager – Seager broke out of his slump in a big way, blasting two homeruns on Wednesday and following that up with another two hit day last night. Seager’s price is reasonable and he’s had success against Colby Lewis in the past.
- Additional Plays: Robinson Cano, Justin Smoak