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MLB Grind Down: Saturday, July 2nd

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.

Cleveland at Toronto – 1:07 PM ET

Editor’s Note: Zach McAllister will start for Cleveland instead of Trevor Bauer.

Cleveland Toronto
clevelandmlb Trevor Bauer torontomlb Marco Estrada
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
TOR -120 9.0
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.303 15 22.5% 10.5% SP vs. Left 0.274 22 18.9% 8.2%
SP vs. Right 0.303 15 23.0% 9.0% SP vs. Right 0.259 14 21.2% 8.6%

Pitcher Grind Down

Trevor Bauer
trevor-bauer-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,900 Salary: $11,400
FPPG: 28.2 FPPG: 14.9
Pitcher Rating: 56.1 Pitcher Rank: 15
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 6 108.0 3.53 2.01 25.0% 7.0% 9.4% 52.1% 30.8% 29.1%
2016 12 122.0 3.92 3.19 22.6% 8.1% 9.6% 50.0% 31.7% 33.5%
2015 30 95.6 4.20 4.55 22.9% 10.6% 9.6% 39.2% 40.7% 31.0%

At this point of the day it appears that the Indians will have to go to a bullpen starter after using Bauer for an extended appearance last night. While their pitcher will clearly not be in play, we will have to wait and see as to who they throw out their for the first few innings.

EDIT: McAllister will get the start today after the marathon game last night. He can safely be avoided as he has pitched solely out of the bullpen and has a tough matchup in Rogers Centre today.

Marco Estrada
marco-estrada-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,700 Salary: $9,800
FPPG: 36.1 FPPG: 20.4
Pitcher Rating: 54.3 Pitcher Rank: 16
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 5 99.8 4.22 3.58 26.6% 10.2% 12.4% 25.0% 56.3% 39.5%
2016 15 100.9 4.37 2.81 23.5% 10.0% 10.6% 34.8% 49.6% 33.3%
2015 28 104.0 4.64 3.13 18.1% 7.6% 9.9% 32.2% 52.3% 27.4%

This game features two pitchers that can rake up the strikeouts in any matchup as Estrada comes into this game with a 23.5% strikeout rate and a. He has an average 4.38 SIERA, which shows some regression is in order to his low 2.81 ERA. He is way too expensive this afternoon given the park factors and the matchup to give him use in cash game formats. His upside makes him tournament playable, but with risk attached.

Batter Grind Down

Cleveland

Estrada has kept batters from both sides of the plate to a wOBA under .270. The Indians come into this game with the tenth highest projected run total and the fifth highest of the early slate. While they do not have the most ideal matchup, the park puts a good number of Indians into play today.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Carlos Santana SWITCH 0.345 0.223 0.382 1B $4,000 1B $3,600
2 Jason Kipnis LEFT 0.374 0.177 0.355 2B $3,700 2B $3,800
3 Francisco Lindor SWITCH 0.351 0.161 0.402 SS $3,600 SS $3,700
4 Mike Napoli RIGHT 0.296 0.176 0.335 1B $3,400 1B $2,900
5 Jose Ramirez SWITCH 0.314 0.142 0.332 P $4,000 3B/OF $3,300
6 Lonnie Chisenhall LEFT 0.314 0.152 0.460 OF $3,100 OF $3,000
7 Yan Gomes RIGHT 0.264 0.175 0.317 C $2,600 C $2,500
8 Tyler Naquin LEFT 0.414 0.257 0.632 OF $3,900 OF $3,000
9 Rajai Davis RIGHT 0.316 0.149 0.371 OF $3,200 OF $3,600
Team Averages 0.332 0.179 0.398

Elite Plays – Carlos Santana (DK), Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor

Secondary Plays – Mike Napoli, Lonnie Chisenhall

Stackability – GPP

Toronto

This Toronto team is a small favorite today in a game with the third highest overall total on the early slate. Toronto has the second highest projected team total at 4.62 runs. While it is tough to look at just McAllister knowing he may only pitch a few innings, we know the front of the lineup will get him once and he has been mashed by righties this year allowing a wOBA of .396 to them on the year. This Toronto team should see a lot of different pitchers today and are in play in all formats and are extremely underpriced at DK.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Ezequiel Carrera LEFT 0.307 0.102 0.323 OF $3,300 OF $2,500
2 Devon Travis RIGHT 0.378 0.211 0.520 2B $2,800 2B $3,100
3 Josh Donaldson RIGHT 0.391 0.265 0.510 3B $4,500 3B $3,900
4 Edwin Encarnacion RIGHT 0.387 0.278 0.495 1B $3,900 1B $3,800
5 Michael Saunders LEFT 0.355 0.206 0.338 OF $3,000 OF $2,800
6 Kevin Pillar RIGHT 0.308 0.139 0.321 OF $2,700 OF $2,500
7 Justin Smoak SWITCH 0.332 0.220 0.126 1B $2,800 1B $2,600
8 Darwin Barney RIGHT 0.313 0.117 0.266 SS $2,400 2B/SS $2,000
9 Russell Martin RIGHT 0.308 0.176 0.349 C $2,500 C $2,500
Team Averages 0.342 0.190 0.361

Elite Plays – Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion, Ezequiel Carrera, Devon Travis

Secondary Plays – Russell Martin, Michael Saunders

Stackability – Cash & GPP

Texas at Minnesota – 2:10 PM ET

Texas Minnesota
texasmlb Chi Chi Gonzalez minnesotamlb Tyler Duffey
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
MIN -105 9.5
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.312 1 9.2% 10.5% SP vs. Left 0.306 5 24.1% 5.8%
SP vs. Right 0.272 5 11.8% 11.8% SP vs. Right 0.351 11 16.9% 6.7%

Pitcher Grind Down

Chi Chi Gonzalez
chi-chi-gonzalez-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $6,400 Salary: $4,000
FPPG: 6.0 FPPG: -2.0
Pitcher Rating: 25.2 Pitcher Rank: 30
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 1 87.0 5.56 9.00 7.7% 7.7% 8.1% 47.6% 23.8% 40.9%
2016 1 87.0 5.56 9.00 7.7% 7.7% 8.1% 47.6% 23.8% 40.9%
2015 10 104.8 5.59 3.90 10.7% 11.4% 6.8% 48.6% 31.1% 28.4%

The man with the name is pitching for the second time this year and his first start went close to expected. He allowed five earned runs on ten hits, while only striking out two in New York. The matchup gets much easier today against a Twins squad that is ranked 22nd and 19th in team wOBA and ISO against righties respectively, but there is no need to use him today in any format.

Tyler Duffey
tyler-duffey-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $5,700 Salary: $5,300
FPPG: 23.7 FPPG: 11.3
Pitcher Rating: 56.7 Pitcher Rank: 13
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 6 91.0 3.89 7.55 19.0% 4.2% 8.4% 45.9% 27.5% 33.0%
2016 12 94.8 3.95 5.59 19.1% 4.7% 8.4% 46.9% 29.0% 32.7%
2015 10 90.8 3.83 3.10 21.9% 8.3% 9.8% 49.7% 30.9% 26.6%

Duffey surprised a lot of daily fantasy players as he cruised through the Yankees lineup, pitching eight innings with eight strikeouts, while only allowing one earned run. Prior to that start, he had allowed at least four earned runs in his previous seven. He does come into this game with a solid SIERA of 3.95 and a strikeout rate of 19.1%. Expecting a repeat performance is tough to do as he has a tough matchup against the Rangers who rank in the top half of the league in both wOBA and ISO against righties and strikeout at the seventh lowest rate. Duffey can be avoided today unless you want to take advantage of his very low salary as an SP2.

Batter Grind Down

Texas

The line has shifted in Texas’ favor from when it opened yesterday, which shows Vegas does not think he will have a repeat stellar start. Duffey has allowed lefties a wOBA of .314 and righties a .374 wOBA, putting the majority of the Rangers in play for the early slate as they have the second highest projected run total of the early slate.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Shin-Soo Choo LEFT 0.384 0.195 0.346 OF $3,900 OF $4,100
2 Ian Desmond RIGHT 0.312 0.165 0.502 OF $3,800 OF $5,000
3 Nomar Mazara LEFT 0.358 0.189 0.264 OF $3,000 OF $3,600
4 Adrian Beltre RIGHT 0.311 0.144 0.368 3B $3,500 3B $4,100
5 Prince Fielder LEFT 0.357 0.155 0.408 1B $2,600 1B $3,700
6 Rougned Odor LEFT 0.325 0.215 0.341 2B $3,000 2B $4,200
7 Elvis Andrus RIGHT 0.281 0.079 0.302 SS $3,100 SS $3,600
8 Mitch Moreland LEFT 0.349 0.220 0.249 OF $2,400 1B $3,300
9 Robinson Chirinos RIGHT 0.307 0.195 0.182 C $2,200 C $2,900
Team Averages 0.332 0.173 0.329

Elite Plays – Shin-Soo Choo, Nomar Mazara, Ian Desmond

Secondary Plays – Adrian Beltre, Prince Fielder, Rougned Odor

Stackability – Cash & GPP

Minnesota

Minnesota has a solid matchup against Chi Chi who has struggled in his short time in the majors. He has allowed lefties a wOBA of .312 in his career making guys like Joe Mauer and Robbie Grossman in play, while the other big bats up front should be used today as well as the Twins sport the highest projected run total of the early slate.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Eduardo Nunez RIGHT 0.347 0.132 0.344 SS $3,900 3B/SS $5,100
2 Joe Mauer LEFT 0.318 0.114 0.183 1B $3,000 1B $3,700
3 Miguel Sano RIGHT 0.370 0.248 OF $3,000 OF $4,600
4 Brian Dozier RIGHT 0.321 0.197 0.555 2B $3,300 2B $5,300
5 Trevor Plouffe RIGHT 0.305 0.177 0.349 3B $3,100 3B $4,200
6 Robbie Grossman SWITCH 0.330 0.178 0.232 OF $3,100 OF $4,100
7 Max Kepler LEFT 0.339 0.222 0.390 OF $3,100 OF $3,200
8 Kurt Suzuki RIGHT 0.274 0.082 0.514 C $2,400 C $3,600
9 Byron Buxton RIGHT 0.288 0.156 0.156 OF $2,900 OF $4,100
Team Averages 0.321 0.167 0.340

Elite Plays – Brian Dozier, Robbie Grossman, Joe Mauer

Secondary Plays – Miguel Sano, Eduardo Nunez, Trevor Plouffe

Stackability – Cash & GPP

Milwaukee at St. Louis – 2:15 PM ET

Milwaukee St. Louis
milwaukeemlb Jimmy Nelson stlouismlb Adam Wainwright
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
STL -170 8.0
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.357 19 17.5% 11.0% SP vs. Left 0.309 2 18.8% 5.4%
SP vs. Right 0.277 11 20.0% 7.7% SP vs. Right 0.310 6 16.8% 6.1%

Pitcher Grind Down

Jimmy Nelson
jimmy-nelson-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $6,900 Salary: $5,400
FPPG: 27.6 FPPG: 13.5
Pitcher Rating: 37.1 Pitcher Rank: 26
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 5 88.2 6.18 5.87 9.7% 12.3% 4.8% 47.1% 32.9% 37.2%
2016 16 93.3 4.93 3.60 17.2% 10.3% 6.8% 47.3% 32.5% 35.1%
2015 30 93.0 4.09 4.11 19.7% 8.6% 10.0% 50.6% 29.4% 28.9%

Jimmy Nelson sports a high 4.94 SIERA and a low 17.2% strikeout rate after his first 16 starts this season. While he has struggled at times, the more worrisome stat is the fact that he has not pitched passed the sixth inning since May. That could cause trouble as he now has to face a Cardinals offense that is has been one of the best offenses in baseball against right-handed pitching (fourth in wOBA and second in ISO). Avoid Nelson this afternoon.

Adam Wainwright
adam-wainwright-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,300 Salary: $7,500
FPPG: 24.4 FPPG: 11.5
Pitcher Rating: 80.1 Pitcher Rank: 6
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 5 94.6 3.56 3.69 25.4% 7.1% 10.8% 45.8% 27.7% 31.3%
2016 16 93.4 4.43 5.04 17.6% 6.3% 8.1% 42.3% 31.3% 30.5%
2015 4 95.8 3.45 1.61 18.0% 3.6% 7.8% 51.2% 22.6% 21.8%

Just when we thought that Waino was starting to round a corner and get back to form, he has two rough starts in a row finished off by allowing six earned runs to the Royals in his last start. He still has an ERA over 5.00 on the season (4.43 SIERA) and his strikeout rate continues to reach close to career lows (17.6%). The matchup is decent against the Brewers who are around league average against righties, making Wainwright an option as an SP2 today as he should be able to bounce back here today.

Batter Grind Down

Milwaukee

The matchup with Wainwright could be a boom or bust option. Vegas thinks bust as the Brewers have a projected team total of just 3.59, which is the second lowest of the early slate. On the year, Waino has allowed a .314+ wOBA from both sides of the plate. They are a tough offense to play in this matchup and I will not be looking much their way unless you want to run a stack assuming Waino struggles again.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Jonathan Villar SWITCH 0.338 0.118 0.333 SS $3,200 SS $4,400
2 Scooter Gennett LEFT 0.308 0.131 0.358 2B $3,000 2B $3,700
3 Ryan Braun RIGHT 0.359 0.211 0.497 OF $3,800 OF $4,700
4 Jonathan Lucroy RIGHT 0.351 0.168 0.293 C $3,400 C $4,000
5 Chris Carter RIGHT 0.325 0.245 0.347 1B $3,400 1B $3,600
6 Kirk Nieuwenhuis LEFT 0.315 0.183 0.387 OF $2,700 OF $3,400
7 Aaron Hill RIGHT 0.316 0.140 0.383 3B $2,800 2B/3B $3,200
8 Ramon Flores LEFT 0.260 0.061 0.257 OF $2,200 OF $2,500
9 Jimmy Nelson RIGHT 0.111 0.016 0.000 P $6,900 P $5,400
Team Averages 0.298 0.141 0.317

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Ryan Braun

Stackability – None

St. Louis

The Cardinals are a top offense in the league against right-handed pitching this season. They are heavy favorites and have the fourth highest projected team total on the early slate. Nelson has allowed a wOBA of .328 to lefties and .325 to righties this year, putting the majority of the top half of the lineup in play today.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Matt Carpenter LEFT 0.408 0.271 0.516 2B $4,300 2B/3B $5,400
2 Aledmys Diaz RIGHT 0.398 0.233 0.453 SS $4,000 SS $4,800
3 Matt Holliday RIGHT 0.354 0.174 0.352 OF $3,400 OF $4,200
4 Stephen Piscotty RIGHT 0.338 0.166 0.315 OF $3,800 OF $4,400
5 Jhonny Peralta RIGHT 0.325 0.122 0.193 3B $3,200 3B $4,100
6 Yadier Molina RIGHT 0.297 0.091 0.153 C $2,700 C $2,600
7 Brandon Moss LEFT 0.345 0.260 0.395 1B $3,800 1B/OF $4,600
8 Kolten Wong LEFT 0.322 0.127 0.297 OF $2,600 2B/OF $2,900
9 Adam Wainwright RIGHT 0.237 0.263 0.000 P $8,300 P $7,500
Team Averages 0.336 0.190 0.297

Elite Plays – Matt Carpenter, Matt Holliday, Brandon Moss

Secondary Plays – Aledmys Diaz, Kolten Wong (if batting second again), Jhonny Peralta

Stackability – Cash & GPP

Chicago White Sox at Houston – 4:10 PM ET

Chicago White Sox Houston
whitesoxmlb Chris Sale houstonmlb Doug Fister
LEFT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
HOU -105 8.0
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.278 2 32.7% 5.0% SP vs. Left 0.343 19 13.0% 6.7%
SP vs. Right 0.277 34 29.0% 5.0% SP vs. Right 0.308 9 16.9% 5.7%

Pitcher Grind Down

Chris Sale
chris-sale-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $11,200 Salary: $12,700
FPPG: 44.8 FPPG: 24.7
Pitcher Rating: 80.2 Pitcher Rank: 5
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 5 110.6 3.67 3.93 23.4% 5.0% 10.9% 38.4% 34.3% 37.4%
2016 16 107.7 3.57 2.79 24.6% 5.2% 9.9% 40.3% 37.3% 28.8%
2015 31 107.2 2.52 3.41 32.1% 4.9% 14.6% 42.6% 35.3% 25.1%

Chris Sale is the other elite option taking the mound today. Yet, as I said in Fernandez matchup, there are a few reasons Fernandez is the number one option. Sale comes into this game with a SIERA of 3.57, but his strikeout rate continues to be at a career low mark of 24.6%. Add that to the fact that he has a boom or bust matchup against the Astros who have a bunch of power, but also strikeout at a 24.5% clip against righties. You can make the case for Sale this afternoon as he is about 1k cheaper at both main sites than Fernandez, but Jofer seems to be a safer option.

Doug Fister
doug-fister-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $7,600 Salary: $9,200
FPPG: 30.3 FPPG: 15.1
Pitcher Rating: 51.6 Pitcher Rank: 20
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 5 101.0 4.16 2.45 18.8% 4.5% 7.1% 45.9% 41.8% 30.0%
2016 15 98.1 4.67 3.36 15.8% 7.3% 5.8% 48.4% 32.9% 29.8%
2015 15 110.3 4.47 4.19 14.0% 5.4% 5.2% 44.6% 34.1% 29.5%

Fister has actually turned his season around a bit lately as he has dropped his ERA to a solid 3.36 over the last month and a half or so and now is a slight favorite against Sale today. Yet, his advanced statistics left a bit to be desired as he has a SIERA of 4.67 and a very low strikeout rate of 15.8%. I can see using him as an SP2 today, but I don’t love it.

Batter Grind Down

Chicago White Sox

Fister has had a bit of resurgence, but he has allowed lefties to hit him hard this year as he has allowed them a wOBA of .373 on the season. The White Sox have some decent options, but have a low projected team total of under 4.00. Temper your expectations against Fister today.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Tim Anderson RIGHT 0.368 0.236 0.326 SS $3,000 SS $3,500
2 Adam Eaton LEFT 0.350 0.163 0.330 OF $3,200 OF $3,900
3 Jose Abreu RIGHT 0.362 0.217 0.349 1B $3,800 1B $3,400
4 Todd Frazier RIGHT 0.327 0.218 0.300 3B $3,500 3B $3,900
5 Dioner Navarro SWITCH 0.276 0.115 0.348 C $3,000 C $2,500
6 Brett Lawrie RIGHT 0.297 0.148 0.407 2B $3,100 2B $3,600
7 Avisail Garcia RIGHT 0.291 0.108 0.245 OF $2,600 OF $2,700
8 J.B. Shuck LEFT 0.285 0.099 0.255 OF $2,900 OF $2,700
9 Tyler Saladino RIGHT 0.278 0.134 0.399 SS $3,000 3B/SS $2,900
Team Averages 0.315 0.160 0.329

Elite Plays – Jose Abreu

Secondary Plays – Tim Anderson, Adam Eaton

Stackability – None

Houston

Houston actually comes into this game as slight favorites, yet it becomes very difficult to pay their salaries against Sale today. They have a projected team total of 4.03, which is an average total for the afternoon slate. Sale has kept batters to a wOBA of under .270 from both sides of the plate making the Astros deep tournament plays only.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 George Springer RIGHT 0.389 0.225 0.346 OF $4,500 OF $3,800
2 Marwin Gonzalez SWITCH 0.357 0.205 0.370 1B $3,500 1B/3B $3,200
3 Jose Altuve RIGHT 0.417 0.176 0.494 2B $4,100 2B $5,200
4 Carlos Correa RIGHT 0.345 0.213 0.491 SS $4,400 SS $4,100
5 Carlos Gomez RIGHT 0.305 0.129 0.355 OF $3,800 OF $2,600
6 Evan Gattis RIGHT 0.305 0.212 0.388 C $2,900 C $2,900
7 Luis Valbuena LEFT 0.289 0.169 0.466 3B $3,100 3B $2,600
8 Jake Marisnick RIGHT 0.282 0.196 0.267 OF $2,100 OF $2,200
9 Danny Worth RIGHT 0.303 0.143 0.198 3B $2,200 2B/SS $2,200
Team Averages 0.332 0.185 0.375

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – None

Stackability – None

Detroit at Tampa Bay – 4:10 PM ET

Detroit Tampa Bay
detroitmlb Justin Verlander tampabaymlb Blake Snell
RIGHT LEFT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
DET -125 8.0
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.277 13 23.1% 6.6% SP vs. Left 0.339 0 20.0% 17.1%
SP vs. Right 0.301 16 22.7% 5.9% SP vs. Right 0.314 0 14.8% 8.2%

Pitcher Grind Down

Justin Verlander
justin-verlander-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,800 Salary: $10,900
FPPG: 35.6 FPPG: 19.2
Pitcher Rating: 77.6 Pitcher Rank: 7
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 5 101.2 3.90 4.73 22.4% 4.5% 10.1% 35.1% 48.9% 28.1%
2016 16 106.1 3.76 4.30 25.2% 6.6% 11.3% 34.4% 46.8% 28.7%
2015 20 107.5 3.95 3.37 21.1% 6.0% 10.0% 34.6% 45.5% 23.0%

Verlander had been solid this season prior to getting lit up last Sunday for eight earned runs in just 4.2 innings. He comes into this game with a 3.77 SIERA, while posting a four percent increase in his strikeout rate from last year (25.2%). He gets a solid matchup against the Rays who rank 24th in team wOBA against righties, while having a high ISO and striking out at the second highest clip. Verlander is in a good spot, but looks a bit too expensive on DK, but the price could be right at FD where he is over $2000 cheaper.

Blake Snell
blake-snell-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $7,400 Salary: $7,200
FPPG: 24.3 FPPG: 11.0
Pitcher Rating: 38.7 Pitcher Rank: 25
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L30 Days 3 99.7 5.72 4.11 13.0% 13.0% 4.7% 46.3% 24.1% 22.8%
2016 4 97.3 5.18 3.54 16.7% 11.5% 5.1% 42.4% 30.3% 26.1%

Snell has now made four starts in his early career and had a solid 3.54 ERA to show for it. With that said, he has allowed too many base runners (11.5% walk rate) and has had a bit of luck on his side as his SIERA sits at 5.19. He has also not struck people out even close to his minor league numbers so far. He has a tough matchup against some mashing right-handed bats in this Tigers lineup that is ranked tenth and eighth in team wOBA and ISO against lefties respectively. He can be seen as a cheap tournament option if he can put his skill set together, but with maybe too much risk today.

Batter Grind Down

Detroit

The Tigers have a decent team total of 4.15 against Snell today who has allowed righties to a wOBA of .314 in his short career. Miguel Cabrera is always in play against lefties, while Victor Martinez is a great tournament option as well.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Ian Kinsler RIGHT 0.370 0.171 0.227 2B $3,700 2B $4,000
2 Cameron Maybin RIGHT 0.353 0.134 0.339 OF $3,300 OF $3,800
3 Miguel Cabrera RIGHT 0.353 0.175 0.412 1B $4,100 1B $4,500
4 Victor Martinez SWITCH 0.385 0.158 0.369 C $3,700 1B $3,800
5 Nick Castellanos RIGHT 0.376 0.242 0.388 3B $3,600 3B $4,200
6 Justin Upton RIGHT 0.274 0.137 0.323 OF $2,800 OF $2,700
7 James McCann RIGHT 0.376 0.250 0.308 C $2,400 C $2,900
8 Mike Aviles RIGHT 0.281 0.088 0.232 2B $2,100 2B/OF $2,700
9 Jose Iglesias RIGHT 0.347 0.126 0.304 SS $2,600 SS $3,100
Team Averages 0.346 0.165 0.322

Elite Plays – Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez

Secondary Plays – Cameron Maybin, Ian KInsler

Stackability – None

Tampa Bay

Tampa is always a solid source of value against left-handed pitching, but goes back to an average offense against righties as evidenced by being shut down last night to Fulmer. They have a projected run total of just 3.85 against Verlander today and should only be used as a source of value high up in the lineup.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Logan Forsythe RIGHT 0.325 0.113 0.335 2B $3,500 2B $3,400
2 Brad Miller LEFT 0.339 0.193 0.421 SS $3,200 SS $3,600
3 Evan Longoria RIGHT 0.320 0.186 0.322 3B $3,800 3B $3,500
4 Logan Morrison LEFT 0.316 0.180 0.271 1B $3,300 1B $3,200
5 Brandon Guyer RIGHT 0.302 0.130 0.815 OF $3,100 OF $3,200
6 Desmond Jennings RIGHT 0.292 0.139 0.331 OF $2,400 OF $2,900
7 Corey Dickerson LEFT 0.350 0.280 0.245 OF $3,100 OF $3,000
8 Oswaldo Arcia LEFT 0.308 0.183 0.484 OF $2,700 OF $3,300
9 Hank Conger SWITCH 0.328 0.195 0.301 C $2,200 C $2,400
Team Averages 0.320 0.178 0.392

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Brad Miller, Logan Morrison

Stackability –


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About the Author

Ryan138
Ryan138

Ryan (Ryan138) is from Chicago and has been playing fantasy sports for over 10 years. He has been playing daily fantasy sports for over 2 years since he was introduced to Daily Joust in late 2010. In the last year, Ryan has risen into the Top 100 of the RotoGrinders leaderboards by playing at DraftDay, DraftKings and FanDuel in all the major sports.