MLB Grind Down: Saturday, August 8th
The RotoGrinders MLB Grind Down article will give you an in-depth analysis into the 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.
Remember, these writeups are done prior to lineups being released, so make sure to check our Starting Lineups page to ensure the recommended options are playing.
Note: For more info on DFS MLB scoring systems on the two largest sites, check out our DraftKings review and FanDuel review.
Subscribe to our daily newsletter and lineup alerts for the most up-to-date DFS MLB news.
Toronto at NY Yankees – 1:05 PM EST
| Toronto | NY Yankees | ||||||||
 | David Price |  | Ivan Nova | ||||||
| LEFT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| TOR (-148) | 8.0 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.256 | 0.656 | 0.289 | 23.3% | SP vs. Left | 0.309 | 0.784 | 0.344 | 8.80% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.229 | 0.643 | 0.282 | 26.6% | SP vs. Right | 0.262 | 0.000 | 0.387 | 20.20% |
| Batter Splits | TOR BvP | TOR vs R | Batter Splits | NYY BvP | NYY vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
New York Yankees vs. LH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.337 (Rank: 3)
Strikeout Rate: 18.6% (Rank: 4)
David Price impressed big time in his first start since joining the Blue Jays. His 11-strikeout, one-earned-run performance is very exciting for Toronto fans as it looks like they got him during a pretty dominant stretch. Since the start of July, Price has a SIERA of 2.83 and a strikeout rate of 28.3% over six starts. He does get a tough matchup against the Yankees, who hit lefties well with a team wOBA of .331, but Price is still a top option for the early slate. Rating = 8
Salaries: $11,100 FD, $11,300 DK
Toronto Blue Jays vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.331 (Rank: 2)
Strikeout Rate: 18.8% (Rank: 7)
Nova has pitched decently in his seven starts this year and has a 3.10 ERA to show for it. His advanced stats show a bit of regression is in order as his SIERA sits at 4.50 and his 14.7% K rate limits his upside. He has one of the worst matchups on the board today against the Blue Jays and should be avoided this afternoon. Rating = 4.5
Salaries: $6,700 FD, $7,700 DK
Batter Grind Down
Toronto
Nova has really struggled against left-handed bats this year (.348 wOBA against), yet, lucky for him, this Blue Jays squad doesn’t have many to throw out there. With that said, Toronto is crushing the ball right now and are in play today in all formats, especially Donaldson who is on fire at the moment.
Elite Plays
Troy Tulowitzki
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.416 — ISO: 0.267 — OBP: 0.400
Jose Bautista
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.375 — ISO: 0.289 — OBP: 0.356
Josh Donaldson
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.380 — ISO: 0.224 — OBP: 0.350
Edwin Encarnacion
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.362 — ISO: 0.253 — OBP: 0.344
Secondary Plays:
Russell Martin
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.322 — ISO: 0.195 — OBP: 0.309
NY Yankees
Taking batters against Price is not always the wisest decision to make as he has held batters to a wOBA of under .284 from both sides of the plate. Yet, the Tigers are only small favorites in a game with a decent total of 8. You may get a few contrarian points by playing the big bats for the Yankees who have shown the ability to hit lefties very well this season.
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays:
Alex Rodriguez
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.456 — ISO: 0.356 — OBP: 0.444
Chris Young
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.458 — ISO: 0.312 — OBP: 0.418
San Francisco at Chicago Cubs – 4:05 PM EST
| San Francisco | Chicago Cubs | ||||||||
 | Matt Cain |  | Kyle Hendricks | ||||||
| RIGHT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| CHC (0) | 0.0 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.275 | 0.810 | 0.354 | 17.4% | SP vs. Left | 0.252 | 0.683 | 0.300 | 16.80% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.237 | 0.735 | 0.317 | 18.8% | SP vs. Right | 0.237 | 0.624 | 0.277 | 19.50% |
| Batter Splits | SFG BvP | SF vs R | Batter Splits | CHC BvP | CHC vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Chicago Cubs vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.299 (Rank: 24)
Strikeout Rate: 24.3% (Rank: 30)
Matt Cain seems to be slowly getting back into the groove as he spent the majority of the season on the DL. He comes into his seventh start of the year with a 4.27 SIERA, 16.7% strikeout rate, yet still seems to be on a short leash as he has not pitched past the sixth inning and has only made it 82 pitches max in his last two starts. Cain does have a good matchup as the Cubs notoriously strike out at a high clip (24.3%) and this game isn’t expected to be high scoring. Cain is a decent SP2, but Hendricks has a slight edge in this matchup today. Rating = 5.5
Salaries: $7,100 FD, $6,500 DK
San Francisco Giants vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.328 (Rank: 5)
Strikeout Rate: 17.6% (Rank: 4)
Hendricks responded well from two bad starts in a row with a solid effort against the Brewers. Hendricks has pitched well over the course of this season with a 3.43 SIERA and a serviceable 20.6% strikeout rate. He has a tough matchup against the Giants who have hit right-handed pitching very well this year, but looks like a decent SP2 on the day slate and a decent favorite in a game with a seven and a half total. Rating = 6
Salaries: $7,600 FD, $7,900 DK
Batter Grind Down
San Francisco
Wind does not appear to be blowing out this afternoon, which gives a big edge to the pitchers. This Giants squad does have some guys that can do some damage against righties, but Hendricks should pitch well today making the options secondary only.
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays:
Buster Posey
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.394 — ISO: 0.176 — OBP: 0.406
Brandon Belt
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.370 — ISO: 0.223 — OBP: 0.356
Hunter Pence
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.382 — ISO: 0.217 — OBP: 0.364
Chicago Cubs
Cain has allowed five home runs in his first six starts this season, which could bode well for a Cubs squad that can go deep at a number of positions. It is a small sample size, but Cain has really struggled against lefties this year, which puts some of the young guys like Schwarber and Rizzo into an elite play category.
Elite Plays
Kyle Schwarber
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.490 — ISO: 0.317 — OBP: 0.464
Anthony Rizzo
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.386 — ISO: 0.255 — OBP: 0.379
Secondary Plays:
Kris Bryant
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.350 — ISO: 0.178 — OBP: 0.364
Chris Coghlan
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.341 — ISO: 0.188 — OBP: 0.345
LA Dodgers at Pittsburgh – 4:05 PM EST
| LA Dodgers | Pittsburgh | ||||||||
 | Mat Latos |  | Francisco Liriano | ||||||
| RIGHT | LEFT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| PIT (-127) | 7.0 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.250 | 0.668 | 0.293 | 17.1% | SP vs. Left | 0.229 | 0.648 | 0.291 | 28.00% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.228 | 0.663 | 0.293 | 20.5% | SP vs. Right | 0.203 | 0.605 | 0.274 | 26.00% |
| Batter Splits | LAD BvP | LA vs L | Batter Splits | PIT BvP | PIT vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Pittsburgh Pirates RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.306 (Rank: 18)
Strikeout Rate: 20.5% (Rank: 21)
Latos pitched well in his first start since joining the Dodgers. He will now go to Pittsburgh to face a Pirates offense that is middle of the road in both team wOBA and strikeout rate. Latos has pitched well over the last month as he has put up a SIERA of 3.30 to add to a decent 20.4% strikeout rate. Run support may be difficult today, so the win is not something to rely on, but this should be a low scoring game and Latos makes a decent SP2. Rating = 5.5
Salaries: $6,700 FD, $7,500 DK
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. LH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.326 (Rank: 5)
Strikeout Rate: 20.3% (Rank: 12)
Liriano has not pitched in ten days, but will look to continue his solid pitching against the Dodgers. Liriano is always in line for a solid effort as he brings his 27.8% strikeout rate into this matchup with Los Angeles who are ranked fifth in the league against lefties. With a high strikeout rate and a season SIERA of 3.02, Liriano is is the top option on the 4 pm slate. I have him just behind Syndergaard for the top option on the overall early slate. Rating = 8
Salaries: $10,200 FD, $10,900 DK
Batter Grind Down
LA Dodgers
This Dodgers squad has the lowest total on the early slate. Avoid them except for tournament play against Liriano who has held batters to a wOBA under .261 from both sides of the plate.
Elite Plays
None
Secondary Plays:
None
Pittsburgh
Latos has been solid this year and has a good matchup against this Pirates squad that has yet to get their offense going this year. McCutchen is in play on the short slate today.
Elite Plays
Andrew McCutchen
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.383 — ISO: 0.220 — OBP: 0.390
Secondary Plays:
Gregory Polanco
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.309 — ISO: 0.135 — OBP: 0.325
Neil Walker
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.333 — ISO: 0.165 — OBP: 0.331
Houston at Oakland – 4:05 PM EST
| Houston | Oakland | ||||||||
 | Collin McHugh |  | Jesse Chavez | ||||||
| RIGHT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| HOU (-127) | 7.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.226 | 0.627 | 0.278 | 20.7% | SP vs. Left | 0.261 | 0.716 | 0.316 | 18.40% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.250 | 0.705 | 0.310 | 23.3% | SP vs. Right | 0.248 | 0.682 | 0.300 | 24.30% |
| Batter Splits | HOU BvP | HOU vs R | Batter Splits | OAK BvP | OAK vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Oakland Athletics vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.305 (Rank: 21)
Strikeout Rate: 17.6% (Rank: 5)
McHugh has been pretty good this year for the Astros. He has 13 wins and a lot of it is due to his decent 3.93 SIERA after 22 starts. His strikeout rate is down this year at 18.2%, which may limit his upside a lot today as he takes on the Athletics who strikeout at a very low 17.6% rate. He is a solid SP2 today. Rating = 6
Salaries: $8,600 FD, $8,800 DK
Houston Astros vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.323 (Rank: 8)
Strikeout Rate: 24.2% (Rank: 29)
Chavez has struggled recently and has a SIERA of 4.61 over the last month of play. Chavez’s strikeout rate of 17.3% does not help his upside, but the matchup may as the Astros strikeout at a 24.2% clip. Chavez is a risk/reward play this afternoon against the Astros and should be used for tournament play only. Rating = 5.5
Salaries: $7,300 FD, $6,600 DK
Batter Grind Down
Houston
Chavez has had some struggles recently and this Houston Astros squad can put up runs quickly with most of their lineup having the ability to go deep. Chavez has really struggled against lefties (.338 wOBA against), which makes Tucker and Lowrie elite plays.
Elite Plays
Preston Tucker
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.389 — ISO: 0.266— OBP: 0.351
Jed Lowrie
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.301 — ISO: 0.113— OBP: 0.364
Secondary Plays:
Carlos Correa
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.374— ISO: 0.263 — OBP: 0.331
Carlos Gomez
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.347 — ISO: 0.185 — OBP: 0.321
Oakland
McHugh has pitched well this year and is a slight favorite in this matchup against the A’s with a total of just seven and a half. I think he pitches well, but there are some cheap options that should be in decent spots in the order that could be worth a look as secondary plays.
Elite Plays
Stephen Vogt
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.362 — ISO: 0.224 — OBP: 0.358
Secondary Plays:
Josh Reddick
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.373 — ISO: 0.194 — OBP: 0.360
Billy Burns
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.295 — ISO: 0.079 — OBP: 0.315
Texas at Seattle – 4:10 PM EST
| Texas | Seattle | ||||||||
 | Martin Perez |  | Mike Montgomery | ||||||
| LEFT | LEFT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| SEA (-121) | 7.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.209 | 0.584 | 0.262 | 25.4% | SP vs. Left | ||||
| SP vs. Right | 0.296 | 0.791 | 0.348 | 12.4% | SP vs. Right | ||||
| Batter Splits | TEX BvP | TEX vs L | Batter Splits | SEA BvP | SEA vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Seattle Mariners vs. LH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.303 (Rank: 19)
Strikeout Rate: 20.2% (Rank: 11)
Perez is not someone we need to look to target for daily fantasy purposes. Although he is coming off his strongest performance of the season, Perez still has a SIERA of 4.19 in limited starts and a very low 12.2% strikeout rate. This Mariners squad has been playing much better offensively recently and Perez is an easy avoid unless you are looking for an extremely cheap tournament option. Rating = 3.5
Salaries: $5,900 FD, $4,400 DK
Texas Rangers vs. LH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.300 (Rank: 21)
Strikeout Rate: 22.9% (Rank: 25)
Montgomery may have finally rebounded from a very tough stretch in the during the month of July. Over the course of his first season, Montgomery holds a SIERA of 4.23, a below average strikeout rate of 17.6% and a high walk rate of 8.5%. The Rangers are a much weaker squad against left-handed pitching, yet it is too tough to trust either of the pitching options in this game. Rating = 4.5
Salaries: $7,500 FD, $7,600 DK
Batter Grind Down
Texas
Montgomery has held batters to a wOBA of under .297 from both sides of the plate this year. They are not a great left-handed hitting squad this year, yet do have some bats that could return some value today.
Elite Plays
Adrian Beltre
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.325 — ISO: 0.165 — OBP: 0.328
Delino Deshields Jr.
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.319 — ISO: 0.131 — OBP: 0.340
Secondary Plays:
Prince Fielder
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.338 — ISO: 0.180 — OBP: 0.339
Seattle
Depending on the games included in your early slate, this may be a spot where we want to target our batters in. Seattle looks to have one of the better matchups on the board against Perez who has allowed right-handed bats a wOBA of .379 on the season.
Elite Plays
Nelson Cruz
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.496 — ISO: 0.344 — OBP: 0.467
Franklin Gutierrez
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.375— ISO: 0.209 — OBP: 0.348
Austin Jackson
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.326— ISO: 0.176 — OBP: 0.309
Secondary Plays:
Kyle Seager
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.362— ISO: 0.200 — OBP: 0.333