MLB Grind Down: Saturday, August 16th Page Two
Toronto at Chicago White Sox
| Toronto | Chicago White Sox | ||||||||
| Mark Buehrle | Vegas Moneyline | John Danks | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | TOR (-120) | LEFT | 9.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.280 | 0.763 | 0.337 | 12.30% | SP vs. Left | 0.258 | 0.736 | 0.326 | 10.40% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.278 | 0.753 | 0.332 | 14.20% | SP vs. Right | 0.274 | 0.850 | 0.370 | 17.50% |
| Batter Splits | TOR BvP  | TOR vs L | Batter Splits | CHW BvP | CHW vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Mark Buehrle – If you like soft-tossing lefties, than this is the game for you! Buehrle’s early season success seems to be a thing of the past as he’s been unable to pitching to the fifth inning in back-to-back starts and has only had one quality start since the All-Star break. Over his last 11 starts, he owns a 1-6 record, 5.16 ERA and 1.70 WHIP. He’s pitched well against his former team in just two meetings since leaving them, but his recent struggles make him a less than desirable option tonight. Rating = 4
Salaries: $6500 FD, $12000 DD, $5300 DK, $64200 FF, $14200 SS, $12000 FTD
- John Danks – Danks has the honors of being the worst starting pitcher in MLB since the All-Star break, posting a 9.22 ERA in five starts and allowing at least four earned runs in each outing. This shouldn’t come as a huge shock either as, since the beginning of the 2012 season, he’s posted a 16-26 record, 4.99 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and just 5.81 K’s/9. He defeated this Toronto team in their only other meeting this season, but there just isn’t much to like here specially with E5 off of the DL. Rating = 3
Salaries: $5800 FD, $11150 DD, $4900 DK, $52200 FF, $14000 SS, $11150 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Toronto
Dioner Navarro – Navarro broke out of a mini slump with a pair of hits last night and has historically hit left-handed pitching quite well. He owns a .309 batting average since the All-Star break and has owned John Danks in the past, going 8 for 20 with a pair of doubles and three homeruns.
Additional Plays: Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Danny Valencia, Melky Cabrera, Jose Reyes
Chicago White Sox
Jose Abreu – He may be homerless so far during the month of August, but Abreu is still producing as he owns a .344 batting average since the All-Star break. He enters today’s matchup against a struggling Mark Buehrle with a .406 wOBA and .294 ISO against left-handed pitching. His raw power is undeniable and he won’t stay homerless for long.
Additional Plays: Alexei Ramirez, Dayan Viciedo
Houston at Boston
| Houston | Boston | ||||||||
| Brad Peacock | Vegas Moneyline | Rubby De La Rosa | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | BOS (-175) | RIGHT | 9.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.265 | 0.770 | 0.341 | 18.60% | SP vs. Left | 0.271 | 0.822 | 0.355 | 13.90% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.278 | 0.869 | 0.379 | 20.70% | SP vs. Right | 0.242 | 0.699 | 0.311 | 19.00% |
| Batter Splits | HOU BvP | HOU vs R | Batter Splits | BOS BvP | BOS vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Brad Peacock – Peacock brings an ugly 3-8 record and 5.25 ERA into tonight’s game at Fenway against the Red Sox…. And that’s the good news. After being decimated in each of his last two road starts his road numbers are as follows on the season: 1-5 record, 6.23 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and just 6.48 K’s/9. He was blasted in his only career visit to Fenway Park, giving up five earned runs over just 3.1 innings. Boston averages the most pitches per AB than any other team in baseball (4.04 pitches/AB) which further limits his fantasy outlook. He’s an easy avoid tonight. Rating = 2.5
Salaries: $5100 FD, $8850 DD, $5100 DK, $40000 FF, $13200 SS, $8850 FTD
- Rubby De La Rosa – De La Rosa enters tonight’s game on the heels of back-to-back impressive performances which has dropped his ERA to an impressive 3.21 through 11 starts. He has been extremely effective at Fenway Park this season where he owns a 3-1 record, 1.97 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in five starts. He’ll face an Astros team who owns just a .230 batting average this season against right handed pitching and whos 23.3% strikeout percentage is the 2nd worst in MLB. Rating = 5.5
Salaries: $6800 FD, $12200 DD, $5800 DK, $60800 FF, $18000 SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Houston
Chris Carter – With six multi-hit games out of his last 10, it’s safe to say that Carter is seeing the ball well right now as he owns a 1.158 OPS during the month of August. He’s smacked 15 homeruns since July 4th and his .276 ISO against right-handed pitching suggests that more is to come.
Additional Plays: Jose Altuve, Jason Castro
Boston
David Ortiz – With Brad Peacock on the mound for the Red Sox, Big Papi moves up the charts as a top tier option today. He seems to be coming alive at the plate lately as he now has hits in four straight games. He’s 2 for 2 with a double and a walk in his three previous plate appearances against Peacock.
Additional Plays: Dustin Pedroia, Mike Napoli, Yoenis Cespedes, Brock Holt
Oakland at Atlanta
| Oakland | Atlanta | ||||||||
| Sonny Gray | Vegas Moneyline | Julio Teheran | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | OAK (-115) | RIGHT | 6.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.222 | 0.624 | 0.283 | 21.60% | SP vs. Left | 0.233 | 0.674 | 0.298 | 19.10% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.230 | 0.610 | 0.275 | 20.10% | SP vs. Right | 0.219 | 0.592 | 0.265 | 25.70% |
| Batter Splits | OAK BvP | OAK vs R | Batter Splits | ATL BvP | ATL vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Sonny Gray – Two of the games potential future aces will do battle tonight at Turner Field as Gray leads the Athletics into a battle with Teheran and the Braves. The Athletics have dropped three straight games in which Gray has started, but the right-hander still owns a 12-6 record to go along with a very impressive 2.86 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. This Braves team ranks #27 in MLB in wOBA against right-handed pitching (.295 wOBA) and Gray will also see a fantasy boost here as the DH is eliminated with the game at Turner Field. He’s been terrific on the road all season ( 5-2 with a 2.39 ERA) and I expect a big-time performance from him tonight against this strikeout prone Atlanta team. Rating = 7
Salaries: $8800 FD, $17700 DD, $9000 DK, $88600 FF, $27100 SS, $17700 FTD
- Julio Teheran – Teheran comes into tonight’s game on the heels of back-to-back forgetable outings and now owns a 1-3 record and 4.46 ERA since the All-Star break. However, his 2nd half struggles are completely unsupported by his advanced stats (3.15 xFIP in the 2nd half and 9.44 K’s/9). His sports a ridiculous 1.88 ERA at Turner Field through 12 starts this season, but will be tasked with taking on an Oakland Athletics team that leads MLB in runs scored. The matchup is clearly not ideal, but he can be filthy and is still in play today regardless. Rating = 6
Salaries: $8600 FD, $19100 DD, $8700 DK, $90900 FF, $26500 SS, $19100 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Oakland & Atlanta
With two very talented young pitchers doing battle, Vegas has set the over/under for this game at 6.5 and therefore I will not be targeting any batters from this game.
Kansas City at Minnesota
| Kansas City | Minnesota | ||||||||
| Yordano Ventura | Vegas Moneyline | Phil Hughes | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | KCR (-110) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.253 | 0.705 | 0.313 | 19.20% | SP vs. Left | 0.249 | 0.650 | 0.284 | 22.80% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.251 | 0.706 | 0.314 | 21.60% | SP vs. Right | 0.321 | 0.796 | 0.347 | 19.90% |
| Batter Splits | KCR BvP | KCR vs R | Batter Splits | MIN BvP | MIN vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Yordano Ventura – With the Royals currently sitting atop the AL Central, they’ll turn to Yordano Ventura in hopes he can build upon his outstanding rookie season. The Royals have won each of his last four starts and he owns a 2.84 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 25.2 innings during that span. He allowed just one run on five hits over seven innings (with 7 strikeouts) against this Twins team a few weeks ago. Kansas City is rolling right now and, while there may be better options for cash games, Ventura is a strong play in all formats. Rating = 6.5
Salaries: $7600 FD, $14350 DD, $7100 DK, $91000 FF, $21400 SS, $14350 FTD
- Phil Hughes – Has has slowly developed into the top of the rotation type starter the Yankees had hoped for years ago, as over the last calender year he owns a very impressive 3.39 xFIP in 31 starts. He’ll bring a 12-8 record and 3.88 ERA into tonight’s battle with the division leading Kansas City Royals. However, his home vs road splits are rather drastic and unfortunately for him this start comes at Target Field where he sports a 5.71 ERA through 12 starts. It’s been well documented by now that this Royals team strikes out the least in MLB which also limits his fantasy value. Rating = 5
Salaries: $7900 FD, $13550 DD, $7800 DK, $92200 FF, $24500 SS, $13550 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Kansas City
Alcides Escobar – Righties are hitting .320 off of Hughes this season and Escobar came through in a big way last night, going 2 for 4 with a triple and three RBI’s. He’s had Phil Hughes’ number in their previous meetings, going 5 for 11 with a double and a homerun. He’s an excellent “punt” option at shortstop today.
Additional Plays: Alex Gordon, Jarrod Dyson
Minnesota
Danny Santana – Santana had his six game hitting streak snapped last night, but is still hitting .362 during the month of August. He owns a .390 wOBA against right-handed pitching and is clearly becoming accustomed to life as the Twins leadoff man.
Additional Plays: Joe Mauer, Oswaldo Arcia
Arizona at Miami
| Arizona | Miami | ||||||||
| Wade Miley | Vegas Moneyline | Henderson Alvarez | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | MIA (-150) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.252 | 0.746 | 0.333 | 16.70% | SP vs. Left | 0.256 | 0.641 | 0.281 | 15.40% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.256 | 0.745 | 0.325 | 22.50% | SP vs. Right | 0.276 | 0.727 | 0.324 | 13.80% |
| Batter Splits | ARI BvP | ARI vs R | Batter Splits | MIA BvP | MIA vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Wade Miley – Miley has been really burned by the longball this season, evidenced by his extremely high 16.7 HR/FB rate and his xFIP of 3.40 shows that he’s pitched much better this season than his current 4.61 ERA indicates. This Miami team swings the bat much better at home and possesses several players who hit left-handed pitching quite well but they also leads MLB in strikeout percentage (23.4%). Miley owns a 5-2 record and 3.00 ERA on the road this season but has proven to be prone to blow-up outings (see Aug 5th vs Kansas City). Rating = 5
Salaries: $6800 FD, $13900 DD, $8100 DK, $65400 FF, $23400 SS, $13900 FTD
- Henderson Alvarez – After a short stint on the DL with a shoulder injury, Alvarez will be activated for an important start tonight against Arizona. He is quitely putting together an extremely impressive season as he now owns a 8-5 record and 2.48 ERA through 22 starts. He’s been nearly unhittable at home this season, posting a 5-2 record with an ubsurd 1.48 ERA in 11 starts at Marlins Park. The Diamondbacks offense has gone dormant since Goldschmidt’s injury (.282 wOBA over the last 15 days) so the only thing preventing a higher rating here is the small injury concern. Rating = 6
Salaries: $7700 FD, $13450 DD, $6800 DK, $88200 FF, $19500 SS, $13450 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Arizona
Cliff Pennington – Pennington has returned to the lineup with a vengeance, as he homered last night and has now racked up nine hits and eight runs scored in just six games since coming off the DL. He’s thriving in the #2 hole of the Diamonbacks lineup and is another solid “punt” option at SS.
Additional Plays: Mark Trumbo, Miguel Montero, Ender Inciarte
Miami
Giancarlo Stanton – Wade Miley has served up the fifth most homeruns in baseball this season (22) and Stanton is tied for the MLB lead in HR’s (31). Stanton owns a ridiculous .469 wOBA against left-handed pitching this season, already has six homeruns in August, and owns a 1.055 OPS at Marlins Park.
Additional Plays: Casey McGehee, Jeff Baker, Marcell Ozuna