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MLB Grind Down: Saturday, August 20th

by Andrew Cook (louiescards) Last Updated 2016-08-21 05:20:25

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.

Stackability Rating System:

GREEN – One of the top stacks of the day, viable in cash games and GPPs
YELLOW – A viable stack option in most formats, specifically GPPs
ORANGE – There are better stacks out there, but playable in large GPPs
RED – Not a recommended stack for cash games or GPPs

NY Mets at San Francisco – 4:05 PM ET

NY Mets San Francisco
nymetsmlb Bartolo Colon sanfranciscomlb Matt Moore
RIGHT LEFT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
SF -150 8.0
Stats wOBA HR All. HH% K% Stats wOBA HR All. HH% K%
SP vs. Left 0.316 24 33.8% 16.0% SP vs. Left 0.314 8 31.6% 17.3%
SP vs. Right 0.314 18 30.8% 16.9% SP vs. Right 0.327 22 32.0% 19.9%

Pitcher Grind Down

Bartolo Colon
bartolo-colon-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $7,400 Salary: $6,300
FPPG: 26.2 FPPG: 13.1
Pitcher Rating: 47.9 Pitcher Rank: 20
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 6 89.8 4.45 4.24 15.8% 4.1% 5.6% 42.9% 35.7% 37.1%
2016 24 86.4 4.38 3.38 16.0% 4.4% 5.3% 43.9% 32.5% 37.1%
2015 31 87.3 4.02 4.16 16.7% 2.9% 6.4% 42.3% 36.9% 29.0%

Bartolo Colon: Of the four options on this two-game slate, Colon offers the least amount of strikeout potential. Not only does Colon not tally them as often as the other three, but the Giants can be a tough squad to sit down via the strikeout as well. What this means for fantasy purposes is that Colon would have to absolutely shut San Francisco down and pitch deep into the game to be in play here, and his recent performances show that shutdown performances from him are unpredictable. In his last five games, Colon has two games where he pitched seven innings with eight strikeouts allowing a run in each. The problem is that in the other three, he totaled six strikeouts combined and allowed 11 runs (eight earned) which is a little too Jekyll and Hyde for my liking. He is the pitcher I like the least on the early slate.

Matt Moore
matt-moore-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,600 Salary: $8,400
FPPG: 29.5 FPPG: 15.1
Pitcher Rating: 70.1 Pitcher Rank: 6
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 5 104.6 5.11 3.41 22.6% 15.0% 9.9% 36.1% 42.2% 28.9%
2016 24 102.0 4.52 4.14 20.4% 8.6% 10.1% 36.7% 44.1% 32.0%
2015 12 88.0 4.67 5.43 16.6% 8.3% 9.9% 39.2% 38.7% 31.7%

Matt Moore: The good news is that Moore has pitched at least six innings in his last 13 starts. The bad news is that he continues to walk batters and get himself into trouble. What is crazy about playing a two-game slate is that a pitcher like Moore becomes one of the better options available, as I have him just behind Odorizzi in terms of rankings. There is strikeout potential here against the Mets, and New York has the second-lowest wOBA in the league for the second half, which is obviously something works in Moore’s favor. All things considered, he is probably your best bet for a secondary pitcher, and I can even see him in tournaments on FanDuel if you are splitting some teams up.

Batter Grind Down

NY Mets

Mets: It has not been pretty for the Mets coming out of the All-Star break and the projected run total speaks to that a bit. Sure getting Yoenis Cespedes back is going to help them, but overall, we have a team that struggles to put hits together and have relied on the long ball to get by. If you are playing tournaments, it is obvious that you can grab exposure to each team, but the Mets are not exactly a prime target for me.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Jose Reyes SWITCH 0.321 0.145 0.307 SS $2,700 3B/SS $3,400
2 Asdrubal Cabrera SWITCH 0.316 0.134 SS $2,600 SS $2,500
3 Jay Bruce LEFT 0.297 0.183 0.270 OF $3,300 OF $3,300
4 Yoenis Cespedes RIGHT 0.358 0.238 OF $3,600 OF $4,300
5 Wilmer Flores RIGHT 0.421 0.301 0.337 3B $2,600 1B/3B $3,700
6 Curtis Granderson LEFT 0.272 0.133 0.168 OF $2,900 OF $2,900
7 Neil Walker SWITCH 0.336 0.174 0.505 2B $3,200 2B $4,700
8 Travis D’Arnaud RIGHT 0.364 0.190 0.343 C $2,500 C $2,800
9 Bartolo Colon RIGHT 0.111 0.000 0.173 P $7,400 P $6,300
Team Averages — 0.311 0.166 0.300 — — — —

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Yoenis Cespedes , Wilmer Flores

Stackability – Red

San Francisco

Giants: As crazy as it sounds, the Giants might just be a good play today. Sure, they do not typically turn out great fantasy performances, but with the low strikeout rate from Colon, this should be a time we see a ton of balls in play, which favors San Francisco. The Giants’ power is lacking overall, and it will take a bunch of hits to yield a big score, but we can certainly use pieces from this team if you do not like the idea of stacking.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Denard Span LEFT 0.347 0.128 0.292 OF $3,000 OF $4,400
2 Angel Pagan SWITCH 0.297 0.106 0.446 OF $2,900 OF $4,800
3 Brandon Belt LEFT 0.365 0.196 0.350 1B $3,300 1B $3,600
4 Buster Posey RIGHT 0.355 0.145 0.377 C $3,200 C $4,000
5 Brandon Crawford LEFT 0.338 0.206 0.377 SS $3,100 SS $4,900
6 Hunter Pence RIGHT 0.346 0.164 0.215 OF $2,900 OF $3,400
7 Eduardo Nunez RIGHT 0.332 0.132 0.379 3B $3,100 3B/SS $4,200
8 Joe Panik LEFT 0.343 0.154 0.336 2B $3,000 2B $4,100
9 Matt Moore LEFT 0.088 0.000 0.000 P $8,600 P $8,400
Team Averages — 0.312 0.137 0.308 — — — —

Elite Plays – Brandon Belt

Secondary Plays – Buster Posey , Angel Pagan , Brandon Crawford

Stackability – Orange

Texas at Tampa Bay – 6:10 PM ET

Texas Tampa Bay
texasmlb A.J. Griffin tampabaymlb Jake Odorizzi
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
TB -120 8.0
Stats wOBA HR All. HH% K% Stats wOBA HR All. HH% K%
SP vs. Left 0.403 13 44.5% 20.0% SP vs. Left 0.264 13 28.6% 26.1%
SP vs. Right 0.272 4 32.0% 20.7% SP vs. Right 0.335 26 30.4% 17.5%

Pitcher Grind Down

A.J. Griffin
a.j.-griffin-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $7,100 Salary: $7,200
FPPG: 25.1 FPPG: 12.4
Pitcher Rating: 56.1 Pitcher Rank: 13
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 5 93.4 4.58 5.53 19.3% 6.7% 9.9% 26.2% 44.0% 37.2%
2016 16 91.8 4.62 4.68 20.3% 8.9% 8.7% 31.9% 45.2% 38.4%

A.J. Griffin: We saw Griffin pitch into the seventh inning for the first time since April in his last start, but things were not exactly roses. He allowed 11 hits and six earned runs while striking out eight Tigers. There is not much you can look at in his numbers that suggest he is in play today other than the fact that we only have four options. I do like him slightly better than Colon because the Rays strike out so much, but I do not trust him to keep runners from crossing the plate either.

Jake Odorizzi
jake-odorizzi-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,800 Salary: $7,800
FPPG: 29.1 FPPG: 15.5
Pitcher Rating: 65.8 Pitcher Rank: 8
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 5 101.4 4.16 1.41 20.3% 4.7% 11.4% 35.5% 47.3% 24.5%
2016 25 101.5 4.11 3.72 22.2% 7.0% 9.7% 37.0% 44.3% 32.7%
2015 28 98.4 3.90 3.35 21.4% 6.6% 10.1% 37.3% 40.6% 27.0%

Jake Odorizzi: In my mind, Odorizzi is the top option on this slate despite having a slightly lower pitcher rank. In his last five starts, he has pitched 32 innings with 26 strikeouts while allowing just five earned runs. Most of the damage in his recent games has come by the way of the home run, and pitching at home in his spacious park, I like his chances at another solid outing, even with a tough matchup against a Rangers squad that is better than most realize.

Batter Grind Down

Texas

Rangers: The Rangers have it all in terms of solid wOBA and ISO while keeping opposing pitchers at bay pretty well. The problem today is their matchup is a tough one in Jake Odorizzi. This could be the perfect scenario to grab Rangers bats at a lower ownership if you are playing multiple tournament lineups, but outside of that, I would limit exposure in this one.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Jurickson Profar SWITCH 0.343 0.154 0.184 OF $2,900 1B/2B $2,800
2 Ian Desmond RIGHT 0.307 0.159 0.235 OF $3,700 OF $3,600
3 Carlos Beltran SWITCH 0.353 0.207 0.361 OF $3,500 OF $3,400
4 Adrian Beltre RIGHT 0.312 0.143 0.432 3B $3,200 3B $3,700
5 Rougned Odor LEFT 0.338 0.220 0.317 2B $3,700 2B $3,900
6 Jonathan Lucroy RIGHT 0.353 0.176 0.507 C $3,400 C $5,000
7 Mitch Moreland LEFT 0.354 0.229 0.365 1B $3,000 1B $3,000
8 Nomar Mazara LEFT 0.352 0.171 0.320 OF $3,000 OF $3,100
9 Elvis Andrus RIGHT 0.287 0.086 0.301 SS $2,700 SS $3,100
Team Averages — 0.333 0.172 0.336 — — — —

Elite Plays – Carlos Beltran

Secondary Plays – Jonathan Lucroy , Mitch Moreland

Stackability – Orange

Tampa Bay

Rays: It probably is no surprise based on what you have read so far that Tampa is my favorite offense in this early slate. Not only do they carry a decent wOBA coming in, but they are also able to do a ton of damage in a hurry with their .190 ISO against right-handed pitching. Sure, they will strikeout a good amount, but Griffin is a pitcher who is struggling on the mound, and I expect the Rays to give us some fantasy goodness here.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Mikie Mahtook RIGHT 0.238 0.103 0.206 OF $2,000 OF $2,200
2 Kevin Kiermaier LEFT 0.319 0.178 0.278 OF $2,900 OF $3,600
3 Evan Longoria RIGHT 0.335 0.198 0.480 3B $3,700 3B $4,600
4 Brad Miller LEFT 0.357 0.235 0.512 SS $3,700 SS $5,100
5 Matt Duffy RIGHT 0.326 0.129 0.323 SS $2,800 3B $3,200
6 Logan Morrison LEFT 0.316 0.183 0.428 1B $3,000 1B $3,200
7 Corey Dickerson LEFT 0.344 0.266 0.216 OF $2,900 OF $3,200
8 Steven Souza RIGHT 0.311 0.162 0.261 OF $2,900 OF $3,000
9 Luke Maile RIGHT 0.217 0.065 0.263 C $2,200 C $2,400
Team Averages — 0.307 0.169 0.330 — — — —

Elite Plays – Brad Miller

Secondary Plays – Evan Longoria , Kevin Kiermaier , Corey Dickerson , Logan Morrison

Stackability – Yellow

Houston at Baltimore – 7:05 PM ET

Houston Baltimore
houstonmlb Mike Fiers baltimoremlb Chris Tillman
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
BAL -140 9.5
Stats wOBA HR All. HH% K% Stats wOBA HR All. HH% K%
SP vs. Left 0.298 18 33.2% 21.2% SP vs. Left 0.309 11 30.1% 19.4%
SP vs. Right 0.345 28 36.3% 21.3% SP vs. Right 0.330 26 28.1% 16.9%

Pitcher Grind Down

Mike Fiers
michael-fiers-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $7,600 Salary: $5,700
FPPG: 24.6 FPPG: 11.8
Pitcher Rating: 53.5 Pitcher Rank: 14
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 5 94.4 3.91 4.34 22.1% 4.9% 8.9% 35.3% 43.5% 33.0%
2016 22 93.1 4.34 4.66 17.8% 5.6% 8.7% 40.4% 33.0% 36.7%
2015 30 101.4 3.84 3.69 23.7% 8.4% 9.8% 37.6% 42.1% 33.5%

Mike Fiers: The strikeouts are up for Fiers lately, which is a good sign, but unfortunately the runs are still crossing the plate too often. He has a tough matchup with the Orioles, and the fact that homers have been an issue of late is a real concern. Baltimore does strike out at a high rate, but we have plenty of other solid pitchers today, pushing Fiers way down the list of viable pitching options.

Chris Tillman
chris-tillman-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,300 Salary: $8,700
FPPG: 33.5 FPPG: 16.9
Pitcher Rating: 61.8 Pitcher Rank: 10
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 5 104.0 3.85 4.11 20.5% 5.7% 8.9% 48.3% 27.0% 36.0%
2016 25 99.9 4.42 3.46 20.6% 8.7% 9.0% 41.3% 36.6% 31.9%
2015 31 94.9 4.69 4.99 16.2% 8.6% 7.1% 43.5% 35.4% 26.9%

Chris Tillman: Whenever we have a large slate and there is a pitcher who is dealing with shoulder problems, it is best to avoid him, in my opinion. He will be taking on the Astros, who love to strike out, giving the opposing pitcher a bump up in that category and increasing their value. Tillman has a modest strikeout rate to this point and profiles as more of a secondary pitcher with the arms we have going today. Generally speaking, this is a play we would want some exposure to. With that said, his injury concerns have me fading him today.

Batter Grind Down

Houston

Astros: The Houston bats have not been good against right-handed pitching all season long, and despite a decent projected run total, I would use them in pieces more than a stack today. It will be interesting to see how Tillman looks dealing with the shoulder issues, but he was able to shut down this Astros team earlier in the year with relative ease.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 George Springer RIGHT 0.332 0.164 0.344 OF $3,800 OF $4,200
2 Alex Bregman RIGHT 0.208 0.094 0.348 3B $3,100 3B $3,900
3 Jose Altuve RIGHT 0.357 0.164 0.461 2B $4,000 2B $5,400
4 Carlos Correa RIGHT 0.366 0.215 0.412 SS $3,700 SS $5,000
5 Marwin Gonzalez SWITCH 0.298 0.138 0.256 1B $2,800 1B/3B $3,300
6 Evan Gattis RIGHT 0.315 0.212 0.369 C $3,100 C $3,300
7 A.J. Reed LEFT 0.290 0.169 0.368 1B $2,600 1B $3,500
8 Teoscar Hernandez RIGHT 0.231 0.077 0.285 OF $2,600 OF $2,600
9 Jason Castro LEFT 0.315 0.187 0.333 C $2,500 C $3,400
Team Averages — 0.301 0.158 0.353 — — — —

Elite Plays – Carlos Correa

Secondary Plays – Jose Altuve , Evan Gattis , George Springer

Stackability – Orange

Baltimore

Orioles: This is a beautiful matchup for Baltimore today, as Fiers is struggling to keep the ball in the park and the Orioles specialize in that department. You will see a lot of blue in the projected lineup today, and that generally means we have a high probability of runs in bunches. The thing I like most about this Orioles squad is you can go a number of ways with your stack so be creative with guys like Pedro Alvarez and Jonathan Schoop.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Adam Jones RIGHT 0.347 0.211 0.369 OF $3,600 OF $5,000
2 Hyun-Soo Kim LEFT 0.396 0.130 0.326 OF $3,100 OF $4,000
3 Manny Machado RIGHT 0.383 0.246 0.414 3B $4,100 3B/SS $4,800
4 Chris Davis LEFT 0.380 0.304 0.401 1B $3,600 1B $4,700
5 Mark Trumbo RIGHT 0.344 0.218 0.266 OF $3,700 OF $4,800
6 Pedro Alvarez LEFT 0.350 0.253 0.388 3B $3,300 1B $4,900
7 Matt Wieters SWITCH 0.315 0.157 0.290 C $2,700 C $3,600
8 Jonathan Schoop RIGHT 0.358 0.225 0.291 2B $3,100 2B $4,000
9 J.J. Hardy RIGHT 0.282 0.125 0.384 SS $2,400 SS $3,600
Team Averages — 0.351 0.208 0.348 — — — —

Elite Plays – Manny Machado , Chris Davis

Secondary Plays – Adam Jones , Pedro Alvarez , Jonathan Schoop , Mark Trumbo

Stackability – Green

Miami at Pittsburgh – 7:05 PM ET

Miami Pittsburgh
miamimlb David Phelps pittsburghmlb Chad Kuhl
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
PIT -135 8.0
Stats wOBA HR All. HH% K% Stats wOBA HR All. HH% K%
SP vs. Left 0.329 10 32.2% 19.3% SP vs. Left 0.374 2 35.6% 14.1%
SP vs. Right 0.273 7 31.1% 23.3% SP vs. Right 0.226 1 31.6% 21.6%

Pitcher Grind Down

David Phelps
david-phelps-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $6,400 Salary: $6,100
FPPG: 9.1 FPPG: 5.0
Pitcher Rating: 59.8 Pitcher Rank: 12
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 3 129.3 3.59 1.69 32.6% 13.5% 10.3% 47.9% 31.3% 25.0%
2016 3 391.3 3.10 2.48 30.9% 9.7% 9.7% 44.7% 36.0% 25.6%
2015 19 97.8 4.49 4.50 16.0% 6.9% 4.5% 41.8% 35.2% 34.2%

David Phelps: Phelps may not be pitching deep into games yet, but he is making the most of his time on the mound with a 30% strikeout rate this season. He was able to pitch into the sixth inning against the Reds, striking out eight batters in the process. His price should make him a pretty popular choice today, as he faces a Pirates squad that is not exactly lighting up the score board this season. He is someone you can roster in most formats, and I especially like him as a secondary option paired with one of the big boys today.

Chad Kuhl
chad-kuhl-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $6,400 Salary: $6,800
FPPG: 26.2 FPPG: 12.8
Pitcher Rating: 51.8 Pitcher Rank: 17
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 2 97.5 4.22 3.00 18.8% 8.3% 7.2% 54.3% 25.7% 22.9%
2016 6 84.7 4.71 3.73 17.1% 7.0% 8.3% 39.4% 42.6% 34.0%

Chad Kuhl: Kuhl has flown under the radar a bit lately despite three straight games of six or more innings, at least four strikeouts, and two or fewer runs allowed. Facing a pretty weak Marlins team, Kuhl could actually be a solid pivot to his opposition today given the similarity in price. It should be noted that Kuhl does not have the strikeout upside of Phelps, but he does have a team that is favored in Vegas today, creating opportunity for that win bonus.

Batter Grind Down

Miami

Marlins: This Miami offense is one of the main reasons we would think twice about Phelps today on sites where the win bonus is important. There is not much to like here, and Kuhl has been a very effective in his short time in the rotation. All things considered, there is not a lot of reason to like this Miami squad offensively today.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Dee Gordon LEFT 0.324 0.076 0.326 2B $3,400 2B $4,700
2 Martin Prado RIGHT 0.312 0.102 0.448 3B $3,300 3B $4,200
3 Christian Yelich LEFT 0.375 0.172 0.310 OF $3,500 OF $4,800
4 Marcell Ozuna RIGHT 0.305 0.145 0.247 OF $3,600 OF $3,700
5 Ichiro Suzuki LEFT 0.268 0.045 0.346 OF $2,800 OF $3,700
6 Derek Dietrich LEFT 0.362 0.177 0.378 1B $2,800 2B $3,400
7 J.T. Realmuto RIGHT 0.316 0.119 0.321 C $2,800 C $4,000
8 Adeiny Hechavarria RIGHT 0.271 0.079 0.237 SS $2,400 SS $2,600
9 David Phelps RIGHT 0.137 0.000 0.000 P $6,400 P $6,100
Team Averages — 0.297 0.102 0.290 — — — —

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Dee Gordon , Christian Yelich , Derek Dietrich

Stackability – Red

Pittsburgh

Pirates: Pittsburgh has been one of the more underachieving teams in the league offensively this year. Despite having a solid core of outfielders, the lineup as a whole has never hit its stride and has been a letdown for fantasy purposes. With that said, we have Andrew McCutchen starting to heat up lately which has gone largely unnoticed.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Josh Harrison RIGHT 0.293 0.102 0.333 2B $3,200 2B $4,200
2 Starling Marte RIGHT 0.351 0.153 0.267 OF $3,700 OF $4,900
3 Andrew McCutchen RIGHT 0.355 0.184 0.428 OF $3,700 OF $4,600
4 Gregory Polanco LEFT 0.333 0.164 0.220 OF $3,400 OF $4,800
5 David Freese RIGHT 0.328 0.142 0.356 1B $2,900 1B/3B $4,200
6 John Jaso LEFT 0.336 0.140 0.398 1B $2,500 1B $3,300
7 Francisco Cervelli RIGHT 0.325 0.080 0.466 C $2,700 C $3,800
8 Jordy Mercer RIGHT 0.272 0.077 0.238 SS $2,300 SS $3,200
9 Chad Kuhl RIGHT 0.000 P $6,400 P $6,800
Team Averages — 0.324 0.130 0.301 — — — —

Elite Plays – Andrew McCutchen

Secondary Plays – Gregory Polanco , John Jaso , Starling Marte

Stackability – Orange

St. Louis at Philadelphia – 7:05 PM ET

St. Louis Philadelphia
stlouismlb Luke Weaver philadelphiamlb Jeremy Hellickson
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
STL -125 9.0
Stats wOBA HR All. HH% K% Stats wOBA HR All. HH% K%
SP vs. Left 0.351 0 33.3% 12.5% SP vs. Left 0.336 17 31.3% 17.5%
SP vs. Right 0.427 1 16.7% 20.0% SP vs. Right 0.308 25 29.8% 21.4%

Pitcher Grind Down

Luke Weaver
luke-weaver-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $6,000 Salary: $4,100
FPPG: 15.0 FPPG: 6.8
Pitcher Rating: 44.1 Pitcher Rank: 23
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 1 85.0 5.84 4.50 16.7% 16.7% 8.2% 54.5% 27.3% 25.0%
2016 1 85.0 5.84 4.50 16.7% 16.7% 8.2% 54.5% 27.3% 25.0%

Luke Weaver: As a Cardinals fan it was great to see Weaver battle through some tough spots in his first career start. As a realist, it was also easy to see that he could struggle at this level right now. The thing is, we have him in a matchup with one of the worst hitting teams in the league at a fantastic price. I would not touch Weaver in cash today, but he does make for a great secondary tournament option to pair with a stud pitcher or get those big bats you want. If he is attacking more against this Phillies team, there is potential for a strikeout bump, but for now the walk is likely to get him in trouble at times.

Jeremy Hellickson
jeremy-hellickson-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $7,300 Salary: $7,900
FPPG: 30.0 FPPG: 15.8
Pitcher Rating: 53.4 Pitcher Rank: 15
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 5 88.8 4.37 2.30 17.5% 4.2% 10.1% 35.2% 39.6% 19.2%
2016 24 92.0 4.06 3.65 20.5% 5.5% 11.2% 39.7% 35.1% 26.2%
2015 27 91.8 4.14 4.62 19.0% 6.8% 10.3% 42.4% 36.5% 34.3%

Jeremy Hellickson: It has been a bit of everything for Hellickson this year with stretches holding his opponents to low production but minimal strikeouts, to times where he was striking out hitters in bunches but also getting tagged. One thing is clear to me and that is the fact Saint Louis is not the same team we saw in the first half offensively and can be attacked with pitching a bit more. With that said, I am not sure Hellickson is that player and the fact that he had this start pushed back is a concern as well.

Batter Grind Down

St. Louis

Cardinals: There is a ton of Brandon Moss talk here in Saint Louis, and with good reason. He has basically put this offense on his back for the majority of the last month or so and continues to produce solid numbers. Overall, the Cardinals are a team I like today, but not quite enough to list them as a top stack.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Greg Garcia LEFT 0.317 0.124 0.100 2B $2,200 2B/SS $2,700
2 Stephen Piscotty RIGHT 0.335 0.169 0.312 OF $3,500 OF $3,900
3 Matt Carpenter LEFT 0.402 0.264 0.294 2B $3,900 2B/3B $4,900
4 Brandon Moss LEFT 0.349 0.265 0.360 1B $3,800 1B/OF $4,800
5 Yadier Molina RIGHT 0.309 0.098 0.424 C $3,100 C $3,500
6 Jhonny Peralta RIGHT 0.323 0.130 0.335 SS $3,200 3B/SS $3,400
7 Jedd Gyorko RIGHT 0.315 0.211 0.355 3B $2,900 2B/3B $4,200
8 Randal Grichuk RIGHT 0.355 0.269 0.503 OF $3,300 OF $4,000
9 Luke Weaver RIGHT 0.000 P $6,000 P $4,100
Team Averages — 0.338 0.191 0.298 — — — —

Elite Plays – Brandon Moss

Secondary Plays – Matt Carpenter , Randal Grichuk , Yadier Molina

Stackability – Yellow

Philadelphia

Phillies: The Phillies continue to let their fans down and are nothing more than a filler-type team with a couple of options available. Weaver did walk three hitters in just four innings, which could be an opportunity for Herrera to make things happen tonight. All things considered, we are best just avoiding them outside of a risky tournament stack.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Odubel Herrera LEFT 0.349 0.146 0.304 OF $2,700 OF $4,600
2 Freddy Galvis SWITCH 0.287 0.124 0.355 SS $2,200 SS $4,600
3 Maikel Franco RIGHT 0.324 0.191 0.286 3B $2,900 3B $4,500
4 Ryan Howard LEFT 0.329 0.253 0.526 1B $3,100 1B $4,500
5 Cameron Rupp RIGHT 0.299 0.151 0.391 C $3,100 C $4,800
6 Aaron Altherr RIGHT 0.354 0.224 0.271 OF $3,000 OF $4,600
7 Peter Bourjos RIGHT 0.277 0.146 0.303 OF $2,400 OF $2,900
8 Taylor Featherston RIGHT 0.174 0.090 0.118 SS $2,100 2B/3B $2,800
9 Jeremy Hellickson RIGHT 0.202 0.018 0.351 P $7,300 P $7,900
Team Averages — 0.288 0.149 0.323 — — — —

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Odubel Herrera , Ryan Howard

Stackability – Red

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About the Author

louiescards
Andrew Cook (louiescards)

Andrew “LouiesCards” Cook is a DFS veteran who has been playing since 2009. You will see him grinding MLB, NBA, and NFL with a main focus on DraftKings. Over the years he has held several roles at RotoGrinders helping write articles and features, both in-front and behind-the-scenes. Andrew was able to throw the first pitch out at a St. Louis Cardinals game, courtesy of DraftKings. You can follow Andrew on twitter @louiescards