MLB Grind Down: Saturday, July 26th Page Two

by John Britt (jmbwngfn) Last Updated 2014-07-28 17:44:17

Chicago White Sox at Minnesota

Chicago White Sox					Minnesota
Chris Sale		Vegas Moneyline			Logan Darnell		Vegas Over/Under
LEFT		CWS (-170)			LEFT		7.5
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.135	0.327	0.170	32.3%	SP vs. Left	0.000	0.000	0.000	33.3%
SP vs. Right	0.240	0.646	0.293	25.4%	SP vs. Right	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.0%
Batter Splits	CHW BvP		CHW vs L		Batter Splits	MIN BvP		MIN vs L
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Chris Sale – Sale continues his spectacular 2014, as his latest gem against the Royals has pushed his record to 9-1 and ERA down to 2.03 on the season. The Twins are the most patient team in MLB (4.05 pitches per plate appearance) and have actually gotten to Sale a bit lately, as he owns a 4.66 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in three starts against them since the beginning of last season. With that said, Sale is simply too good to ignore and makes for a very solid play in all formats. Rating = 8

Salaries: $10500 FD, $NA DS, $21950 DD, $12300 DK, $154200 FF, $32400 SS, $21950 FTD

• Logan Darnell – Darnell will make his first career MLB start today against the White Sox. He’s been solid at AAA Rochester, posting a 3.43 ERA in 17 starts. He’s racked up 73 strikeouts in 94.1 innings, but his 1.44 WHIP stands out as a red-flag. While I don’t feel comfortable using him in cash games, the White Sox do rank #25th in MLB in wOBA against left-handed pitching, so he could be worth a flier in GPP’s. Rating = 3.5

Salaries: $5000 FD, $ DS, $8400 DD, $5700 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD

Batter Grind Down

Chicago White Sox

Jose Abreu – Abreu launched his 30th homerun of the season last night to extend his hitting streak to 15 games. He sports a .384 wOBA against left-handed pitching and a ridiculous ISO of .310. He’s hitting .333 during the month of July and has should have plenty of chances to do damage against the inexperienced Logan Darnell.

Additional Plays:

Minnesota

Chris Sale can be filthy and I won’t be targeting any Minnesota hitters against him.

San Diego at Atlanta

San Diego					Atlanta
Odrisamer Despaigne		Vegas Moneyline			Julio Teheran		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		ATL (-177)			RIGHT		7.0
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.173	0.499	0.240	13.1%	SP vs. Left	0.255	0.726	0.322	18.5%
SP vs. Right	0.180	0.456	0.226	12.9%	SP vs. Right	0.216	0.567	0.265	25.7%
Batter Splits	SDP BvP		SDP vs R		Batter Splits	ATL BvP		ATL vs R
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Odrisamer Despaigne – After nearly tossing a no-hitter against the Mets in his last start, Despaigne will likely no longer fly under the radar in fantasy. Through his first five career starts, he brings a terrific 1.31 ERA into tonight’s game against Atlanta. This Braves team has really struggled against right-handed pitching this season and also strikes out frequently, however Despaigne has not racked up strikeouts yet in his young career (4.5 K’s/9). His 4.39 xFIP indicates and regression is imminent and I’d prefer to roster him when he’s on the mound at Petco Park. Rating = 5

Salaries: $5700 FD, $NA DS, $13350 DD, $6700 DK, $85300 FF, $22400 SS, $NA FTD

• Julio Teheran – Teheran grabs the best matchup on the board tonight, as this Padres offense is simply anemic as they rank dead last in nearly every notable offensive category. Teheran enters this game on the heals off an 11 strikeout performance against the Marlins and now owns a ridiculous 1.23 ERA at Turner Field in 10 starts this season. His strikeout rate has steadily risen throughout the season and has now reached a very respectable 7.97 K’s/9. He’s a great play in all formats and an ideal target for cash games. Rating = 9.5

Salaries: $9100 FD, $ DS, $19800 DD, $9800 DK, $103200 FF, $28600 SS, $19500 FTD

Batter Grind Down

San Diego

There are better options out there than any of these San Diego batters against Teheran

Atlanta

Justin Upton – Upton loves batting at Turner Field as he owns a 1.025 OPS at home this season. He’s hitting .385 since the All-Star break and has a reputation for being an extremely streaky hitter.

Additional Plays: Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward

Cleveland at Kansas City

Cleveland					Kansas City
Zach McAllister		Vegas Moneyline			Jeremy Guthrie		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		KCR (-120)			RIGHT		8.5
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.256	0.747	0.332	17.6%	SP vs. Left	0.317	0.871	0.384	12.5%
SP vs. Right	0.258	0.716	0.320	18.6%	SP vs. Right	0.233	0.614	0.283	14.0%
Batter Splits	CLE BvP		CLE vs R		Batter Splits	KCR BvP		KCR vs R
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Zach McAllister – McAllister pitched quite well in his last start, allowing just one run on three hits in 5.1 innings against the Tigers. However, he still sports a 5.28 ERA on the season. He defeated this Royals team earlier this season, but its worth noting that Kansas City has struck out nearly 100 times less than any other team in baseball this season which really limits McAllisters fantasy upside. Rating = 3.5

Salaries: $5500 FD, $NA DS, $9350 DD, $5200 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD

• Jeremy Guthrie – Guthrie pitched admirably in his last start, but had been hammered in each of the two starts prior (one of them versus this Cleveland team). He has really struggled against left-handed pitching in his career and the Indiansrank #2 in MLB in wOBA versus right-handed pitching and they’re able to load up from the left-side of the plate, so this matchup is scary. The Indians have roughed him up each time they’ve seen him this season, and there isn’t much reason to believe things will be much different tonight. Rating = 3

Salaries: $5500 FD, $ DS, $10150 DD, $6000 DK, $44800 FF, $15500 SS, $10150 FTD

Batter Grind Down

Cleveland

Jason Kipnis – While Kipnis hasn’t had as strong of a season as most were expecting, he’s still an excellent option at 2B today. Jeremy Guthrie has a long track record of struggles against left-handed batters and Kipnis has really had his number, going 10 for 17 with a pair of doubles and two longballs.

Additional Plays: Michael Brantley, Lonnie Chisenhall, Carlos Santana

Kansas City

Alex Gordon – Gordon has come out of the break swinging a hot bat, posting a .367 batting average in eight games. Gordon has had success against McAllister in the past, going 4 for 12 with two doubles and a homerun.

Additional Plays: Lorenzo Cain, Salvador Perez

Miami at Houston

Miami					Houston
Tom Koehler		Vegas Moneyline			Jarred Cosart		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		HOU (-115)			RIGHT		8.0
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.225	0.639	0.292	16.7%	SP vs. Left	0.229	0.634	0.292	17.4%
SP vs. Right	0.265	0.750	0.338	17.2%	SP vs. Right	0.278	0.726	0.326	10.4%
Batter Splits	MIA BvP		MIA vs R		Batter Splits	HOU BvP		HOU vs R
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Tom Koehler – Despite being quite inconsistent, Koehler still owns a very solid 3.85 ERA and 1.22 WHIP through twenty starts. He has not pitched very well on the road this season, but he is met with a very nice matchup today against a George Springer-Less Astros team who ranks #26 in MLB in wOBA versus right-handed pitching and who lead the league in strikeout percentage. He’s in play today as a value play on multi-pitcher sites as well as in GPP’s. Rating = 5.5

Salaries: $6300 FD, $NA DS, $13450 DD, $6800 DK, $79400 FF, $18400 SS, $13450 FTD

• Jarred Cosart – After stringing together ten solid starts during the months of May and June (7-3 record with a 3.09 ERA) things have turned a bit ugly for Cosart in lately. In three starts during July he owns a 8.04 ERA and 2.23 WHIP. He’s consistently fighting with his control where his 3.82 BB/9 ranks 6th worse among qualified pitchers, and that has been a catalyst to his recent struggles. This Marlins offense has proven to be far less menacing away from Marlins Park and owns a 24% K% against right-handed pitching this season, but Cosart’s recent struggles and mediocre strikeout numbers don’t leave him with a ton of fantasy appeal tonight. Rating = 4.5

Salaries: $6200 FD, $ DS, $11450 DD, $5700 DK, $65100 FF, $14800 SS, $11450 FTD

Batter Grind Down

Miami

Giancarlo Stanton – With Cosart struggling, Stanton immediately becomes a great high-ceiling play today. He’s had multiple hits in back-to-back games and is now hitting .310 since the All-Star break. he has as much raw power as anyone in the league and leads this Marlins team in wOBA against right-handed pitching (.368)

Additional Plays: Christian Yelich, Jarrod Saltalamacchia

Houston

This is a pretty watered down lineup now without George Springer. Tom Koehler has reverse splits and I simply don’t see much fantasy value here.

Boston at Tampa Bay

Boston					Tampa Bay
John Lackey		Vegas Moneyline			Jeremy Hellickson		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		BOS (-105)			RIGHT		7.5
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.236	0.659	0.291	20.6%	SP vs. Left	0.272	0.771	0.338	18.2%
SP vs. Right	0.267	0.744	0.328	20.8%	SP vs. Right	0.278	0.759	0.336	17.9%
Batter Splits	BOS BvP		BOS vs R		Batter Splits	TBR BvP		TBR vs R
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• John Lackey – After a string of three rough starts, Lackey has bounced back nicely with very strong performances in each of his last two outings. He has dominated this Tampa Bay team twice this season, posting a 1.20 ERA over 15 innings of work. Lackey owns a respectable 20.7 K%, but this suddenly red-hot Tampa team is rather tough to strikeout but he’s still a fine option to fill out your rotation on multi-pitcher sites. Rating = 5

Salaries: $8100 FD, $NA DS, $14400 DD, $8700 DK, $99700 FF, $24000 SS, $14400 FTD

• Jeremy Hellickson – Hellickson will make his second start of the season tonight against the Red Sox. He pitched admirably in his first start, allowing just one run before being pulled from the game after 84 pitches in the fifth inning. Hellickson owns a 20-15 record to go along with a 3.39 ERA in 50 starts during his career at Tropicana Field. He pitched quite well against the Red Sox last year, posting a 3.44 ERA and a .98 WHIP while racking up 20 strikeouts in just 18.1 innings. With that said, I’ll want to see him work off the “ring rust” before deploying him into my lineups. Rating = 4.5

Salaries: $5000 FD, $ DS, $10150 DD, $6300 DK, $61300 FF, $ SS, $ FTD

Batter Grind Down

Boston

David Ortiz – Ortiz appears to be heating up as he’s racked up four homeruns over the last five games. He’ll be licking his chops to get into the batters box to face Hellickson as he’s brutalized him to the tune of 9 for 24 with three career homeruns.

Additional Plays: Shane Victorino

Tampa Bay

Evan Longoria – Longoria has racked up nine RBI’s in the last six games and has had plenty of success against Lackey in the past, going 13 for 37 with three doubles and a pair of homeruns.

Additional Plays: Kevin Kiermaier, Matt Joyce, Ben Zobrist

PAGE THREE IS IN PROGRESS, CHECK BACK SOON

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