MLB Grind Down: Saturday, June 6th
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.
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Chicago Cubs at Washington – 12:05 PM EST
| Chicago Cubs | Washington | ||||||||
 | Jason Hammel |  | Joe Ross | ||||||
| RIGHT | Right | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| CHC -110 | 8 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.238 | 0.674 | 0.298 | 19.6% | SP vs. Left | ||||
| SP vs. Right | 0.219 | 0.642 | 0.282 | 25.1% | SP vs. Right | ||||
| Batter Splits | CHC vs R | Batter Splits | WAS BvP | WAS vs R | |||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Jason Hammel
Salaries: $9200 FD, $9300 DK
Washington Nationals vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.318 (Rank: 11)
Strikeout Rate: 20.7% (Rank: 10)
Hammel’s has been a very consistent starter for the Cubs once again this so far this year. He has a sub 3.00 ERA on the year, which is backed up by his .276 xFIP. Hammel backs this up with an elite 26.3% strikeout rate, which puts him in a position to have one of the highest upsides on this slate. He faces a Washington squad that has a solid wOBA of .318 against right-handed pitching, but does strikeout at a high rate (20.7%). The total is not out yet for this game, but if the wind is blowing in, Hammel makes a very solid play in all formats. Rating = 7.5 .
Joe Ross
Salaries: $5000 FD, $4600 DK
Chicago Cubs vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.301 (Rank: 20)
Strikeout Rate: 26.1% (Rank: 1)
Ross will be making his first career Major League start against the Cubs this afternoon. It is always tough to get a read on a guy like Ross who has not yet pitched at the big league level, but he was pitching well at the Double-A level and brings a decent strikeout rate with him. Yet, I would avoid him in his first start, even though he does get a good matchup against the swing-happy Cubs. Rating = 3.5
Batter Grind Down
Chicago Cubs
Anthony Rizzo
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.484 — ISO: .294 — OBP: 0.409
Analysis: Rizzo continues to mash right-handed pitching and has a ridiculous .484 wOBA and .294 ISO on the season. He is coming off a two home run game and will now get a great matchup against Ross who will be making his first start.
Secondary Plays:
Kris Bryant
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.382 — ISO: 0.194 — OBP: 0.395
Miguel Montero
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.329 — ISO: 0.148 — OBP: 0.362
Dexter Fowler
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.308 — ISO: 0.164 — OBP: 0.310
Washington
No Elite Plays
Secondary Plays:
Bryce Harper
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.506 — ISO: 0.440 — OBP: 0.465
Denard Span
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.406 — ISO: 0.213 — OBP: 0.385
Houston at Toronto – 1:07 PM EST
| Houston | Toronto | ||||||||
 | Brett Oberholtzer |  | Drew Hutchison | ||||||
| LEFT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| TOR-157 | 8.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.287 | 0.719 | 0.319 | 19.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.250 | 0.770 | 0.336 | 21.60% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.291 | 0.766 | 0.335 | 13.9% | SP vs. Right | 0.240 | 0.664 | 0.295 | 24.10% |
| Batter Splits | HOU BvP | HOU vs R | Batter Splits | TOR BvP | TOR vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Brett Oberholtzer
Salaries: $5500 FD, $5200 DK
Toronto Blue Jays vs. LH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.323 (Rank: 3)
Strikeout Rate: 20.2% (Rank: 14)
Oberholtzer is a subpar left-handed pitcher who has to go into a hitter friendly park against the Blue Jays who have one of the highest team wOBA against lefties (.323). Add that to the fact that he is still working his way back from an injury and he is an easy avoid this afternoon. Rating = 3.5
Drew Hutchison
Salaries: $8000 FD, $7000 DK
Houston Astros vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.315 (Rank: 15)
Strikeout Rate: 23.7% (Rank: 4)
Hutchison comes into this game with a 5.26 ERA on the year, but his xFIP of 3.71 shows that is should come down at some point. He brings a decent 19.9% K rate into this matchup against the Astros who strikeout at a very high 23.7% clip. Although the game is at Rogers Centre, Hutchison has a 2.97 ERA at home as opposed to his 7.80 ERA on the road. He is an average play today with a bit of risk on the afternoon slate. Rating = 5
Batter Grind Down
Houston
Luis Valbuena
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.336 — ISO: 0.263 — OBP: 0.295
Analysis: If you are looking for a cash game play out of the Astros, I would look somewhere else. If you want a guy with home run potential, Valbuena is in a solid spot. He now has 12 home runs on the season after hitting two in his last five games, but realize, during that span he is also only 3 of 14.
Secondary Plays:
Jose Altuve
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.439 — ISO: 0.115 — OBP: 0.283
Preston Tucker
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.280 — ISO: 0.240 — OBP: 0.321
Toronto
Jose Bautista
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.417 — ISO: 0.324 — OBP: 0.390
Analysis: All the major players for the Blue Jays are in play this afternoon as they have a solid matchup against Oberholtzer. Bautista makes a great option in all formats today as he has gone yard in each of his last two games and hits in his last nine games. He, along with all the other power righties, make great plays today.
Secondary Plays:
Josh Donaldson
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.554 — ISO: 0.400 — OBP: 0.477
Chris Colabello
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.563 — ISO: 0.458 — OBP: 0.462
Jose Reyes
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.121 — ISO: 0.000 — OBP: 0.136
Edwin Encarnacion
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.317 — ISO: 0.114 — OBP: 0.341
Texas at Kansas City – 2:10 PM EST
| Texas | Kansas City | ||||||||
 | Wandy Rodriguez |  | Yordano Ventura | ||||||
| LEFT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| KC-158 | 8 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.268 | 0.830 | 0.360 | 16.1% | SP vs. Left | 0.236 | 0.678 | 0.302 | 19.30% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.254 | 0.837 | 0.361 | 19.4% | SP vs. Right | 0.245 | 0.690 | 0.309 | 21.30% |
| Batter Splits | TEX BvP | TEX vs R | Batter Splits | KCR BvP | KC vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Wandy Rodriguez
Salaries: $6700 FD, $5900 DK
Kansas City Royals vs. LH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.332 (Rank: 5)
Strikeout Rate: 13.9% (Rank: 30)
Wandy Rodriguez continues to work his way through each of his starts without really having a blowup. Last year, Wandy was awful in the few starts he was able to make. This year, he holds a 3.55 ERA with a 4.16 xFIP to go along with a respectable 20.0% strikeout rate. Rodriguez does have to face the Royals, who have hit even the elite pitchers hard this year and have the lowest strikeout rate against lefties by far (13.9%). The matchup alone takes Wandy out of consideration today. Rating = 4
Yordano Ventura
Salaries: $8400 FD, $7900 DK
Texas Rangers vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.315 (Rank: 13)
Strikeout Rate: 20.3% (Rank: 12)
Ventura has had a bit of an up and down season so far for the Royals. In ten starts, Ventura has allowed four or more earned runs in five stars and has allowed two or less in his other five. This has resulted in a 4.26 ERA, but does have a solid 3.64 xFIP. He has had at least six strikeouts in his last four starts, which is always a positive for DFS purposes. I do think the Royals are able to put up a few runs on Wandy this afternoon, which should put Ventura in line for a win, which boosts his upside a bit. He makes a decent tournament play today. Rating = 6
Batter Grind Down
Texas
Prince Fielder
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.439 — ISO: 0.188 — OBP: 0.442
Analysis: Fielder is having the type of season the Rangers hoped for when they got him last year. He is batting .352 and is mashing right-handed pitching for a wOBA of .439. He has a good matchup against Ventura who has pitched well, but has allowed a wOBA of .349 to lefties on the year.
Secondary Plays:
Joey Gallo
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 1.235 — ISO: 1.333 — OBP: 1.000
Kansas City
Lorenzo Cain
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.424 — ISO: 0.190 — OBP: 0.439
Analysis: Cain is in a great spot today against Wandy Rodriguez who has pitched well, but has shown in the past that he could be lit up for a number of runs. Cain has a wOBA of .424 against lefties on the season and although he has not been hitting the ball too well recently, I think he should be in the middle of a few runs that are scored by the Royals today.
Secondary Plays:
Salvador Perez
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.350 — ISO: 0.208 — OBP: 0.302
Alcides Escobar
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.260 — ISO: 0.043 — OBP: 0.286
Eric Hosmer
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.326 — ISO: 0.141 — OBP: 0.341
Milwaukee at Minnesota – 2:10 PM EST
| Milwaukee | Minnesota | ||||||||
 | Matt Garza |  | J.R. Graham | ||||||
| RIGHT | Right | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| MIN -138 | 8.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.232 | 0.680 | 0.304 | 18.1% | SP vs. Left | ||||
| SP vs. Right | 0.248 | 0.702 | 0.310 | 18.4% | SP vs. Right | ||||
| Batter Splits | MIL vs R | Batter Splits | MIN BvP | MIN vs R | |||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Matt Garza
Salaries: $6500 FD, $6100 DK
Minnesota Twins vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.290 (Rank: 29)
Strikeout Rate: 21.8% (Rank: 6)
This whole Brewers squad seems to be struggling this year and that includes Matt Garza. Garza has an ERA of over five and an xFIP of 4.39. He has been susceptible to the major blowup as he has allowed 19 earned runs in his previous three games before pitching five shut out innings in his last start against the Diamondbacks in relief. With a strikeout rate at career lows (16.6) and a walk rate at a career high (10.4%), we can simply avoid Garza today. Rating = 4.5
J.R. Graham
Salaries: $4500 FD, $4000 DK
Milwaukee Brewers vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.295 (Rank: 23)
Strikeout Rate: 21.4% (Rank: 7)
Graham will be looking to make this first start of the season as he has made 14 relief appearances so far this year. During this span, Graham does sport a 3.10 ERA and a 19.5% strikeout rate. The problem here, as always with a reliever making his first start, is the short leash as his highest pitch count this year has been 60. You can avoid him due to his extremely low ceiling tonight. Rating = 4
Batter Grind Down
Milwaukee
Adam Lind
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.382 — ISO: 0.231 — OBP: 0.371
Analysis: Lind has been a great play this year when facing a subpar righty as he has had a low salary for most of the season, and has home run potential. He is coming off a huge six runs batted in performance yesterday and now gets to face Graham who has no starting experience.
Secondary Plays:
Ryan Braun
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.369 — ISO: 0.257 — OBP: 0.340
Gerardo Parra
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.317 — ISO: 0.156 — OBP: 0.305
Minnesota
Brian Dozier
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.350 — ISO: 0.226 — OBP: 0.333
Analysis: The problem with the Twins this year is their lack of lefty bats in this lineup. Therefore, we have to use guys like Dozier when plus matchups are in front of us. Garza is a perfect pitcher to attack as he has allowed ten home runs already on the year and is allowing a wOBA of .360 to right-handed bats.
Secondary Plays:
Torii Hunter
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.346 — ISO: 0.174 — OBP: 0.338
Trevor Plouffe
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.324 — ISO: 0.180 — OBP: 0.308
Joe Mauer
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.304 — ISO: 0.057 — OBP: 0.258
San Francisco at Philadelphia – 3:05 PM EST
| San Francisco | Philadelphia | ||||||||
 | Madison Bumgarner |  | Severino Gonzalez | ||||||
| LEFT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| SF -177 | 7 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.220 | 0.554 | 0.247 | 30.7% | SP vs. Left | 0.536 | 1.331 | 0.571 | 6.50% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.240 | 0.678 | 0.298 | 22.6% | SP vs. Right | 0.250 | 0.000 | 0.276 | 24.40% |
| Batter Splits | SF vs R | Batter Splits | PHI BvP | PHI vs L | |||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Madison Bumgarner
Salaries: $10200 FD, $10500 DK
Philadelphia Phillies vs. LH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.313 (Rank: 17)
Strikeout Rate: 18.0% (Rank: 25)
Bumgarner has been solid since his early season struggles for the Giants and has a 3.12 ERA and 3.66 xFIP. He continues to stike batters out at a respectable rate for fantasy purposes (21.3%) and is doing a good job of keeping runners off the basepaths. Bumgarner has one of the best matchups on the board today against the Phillies and is also a huge favorite (-185). He makes for the safest cash game play of the afternoon slate. Rating = 8.5
Severino Gonzalez
Salaries: $5300 FD, $5200 DK
San Francisco Giants vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.322 (Rank: 5)
Strikeout Rate: 17.5% (Rank: 26)
After four starts this year, Gonzalez has not made it passed the fifth inning, has allowed 13 earned runs for an ERA of 6.88 and is struggling to get any left-handed bats out (.571 wOBA). He is not an option today. Rating = 2.5
Batter Grind Down
San Francisco
Brandon Belt
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.424 — ISO: 0.264 — OBP: 0.401
Analysis: Severino Gonzalez has been awful against left-handed bats so far this year. He has a wOBA of .500+ in a small sample size this season and now has to face a Giants squad with some solid lefty hitters. Belt has crushed righties on the season for a wOBA of .424 and is in a great spot this afternoon.
Secondary Plays:
Joe Panik
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.350 — ISO: 0.138 — OBP: 0.361
Buster Posey
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.361 — ISO: 0.160 — OBP: 0.376
Brandon Crawford
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.335 — ISO: 0.193 — OBP: 0.329
Angel Pagan
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.277 — ISO: 0.080 — OBP: 0.291
Philadelphia
No Elite Plays
Secondary Plays:
No Secondary Plays