MLB Grind Down: Saturday, June 7th Page Two
Philadelphia at Cincinnati
| Philadelphia | Cincinnati | ||||||||
| Roberto Hernandez | Vegas Moneyline | Alfredo Simon | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | CIN (-137) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.286 | 0.846 | 0.382 | 15.0% | SP vs. Left | 0.232 | 0.731 | 0.330 | 15.2% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.263 | 0.686 | 0.317 | 20.3% | SP vs. Right | 0.208 | 0.523 | 0.253 | 17.7% |
| Batter Splits | PHI BvP  | PHI vs R | Batter Splits | CIN BvP | CIN vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Roberto Hernandez – He can change his name, but he can’t change the fact that he’s not that great of a pitcher. He’s had decent success this season by his standards (4.03 ERA) but his control has become a problem and it’s only a matter of time until he gets blasted. He had a tough outing against the Mets in his last time on the mound and I expect the Reds bats to come alive in this one. Rating = 3
Salaries: $5200 FD, $9568 DS, $9250 DD, $NA DK, $54100 FF, $13500 SS, $9500 FTD
- Alfredo Simon – After a lot of success out of the bullpen last season, Simon has transitioned nicely into the starting rotation this season. Through his first 11 starts he owns a 7-3 record with a very solid 3.03 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. He’s inducing a large number of ground balls this season which helps explain his low .235 BABIP, but a slight regression there seems enivitable. Simon’s strikeout rate has dipped to 5.53 K’s/9 this season which obviously suppresses his fantasy value a bit. Rating = 5
Salaries: $6100 FD, $12673 DS, $13850 DD, $ DK, $89000 FF, $20500 SS, $12700 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Philadelphia
Chase Utley – Alfredo has been less effective against lefties and Utley is always a solid play against right-handed pitching. So far this season he owns a .909 OPS versus righties.
- Additional Plays: Ryan Howard
Cincinnati
Jay Bruce – Lefties posted a .905 OPS against Hernandez last season and Bruce has reached base in all four prior meetings against him. His slow start to the season has lowered his asking price, but it’s only a matter of time until we start seeing his 30+ homerun power again.
- *Additional Plays:Skip Schumaker, Brandon Phillips, Billy Hamilton
Seattle at Tampa Bay
| Seattle | Tampa Bay | ||||||||
| Roenis Elias | Vegas Moneyline | Alex Cobb | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | TBR (-146) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.220 | 0.653 | 0.289 | 27.3% | SP vs. Left | 0.221 | 0.634 | 0.284 | 23.8% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.239 | 0.669 | 0.310 | 20.0% | SP vs. Right | 0.234 | 0.625 | 0.289 | 21.6% |
| Batter Splits | SEA BvP | SEA vs R | Batter Splits | TBR BvP | TBR vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Roenis Elias – Elias was nearly flawless in his last start, tossing a three hit shutout against a tough Detroit Tigers lineup. That start lowered his ERA to 3.53 on the season and garnered the attention of many fantasy baseball players. He’ll do battle with a Tampa Bay team who are in the midst of a free-fall and whose bats have been ice-cold lately. He’s been a bit too inconsistent for me to trust in cash games, but he’s very reasonably priced on most sites and has a nice ceiling in this matchup. Rating = 6
Salaries: $6300 FD, $13888 DS, $10650 DD, $NA DK, $87200 FF, $22400 SS, $11300 FTD
- Alex Cobb – Cobb has stumbled a bit lately, but still sports a nice 3.19 ERA and 1.06 WHIP on the young season. He has top of the rotation type stuff, as evidenced by his 11-3 record and 2.76 ERA during 2013. Since the beginning of last season Cobb has been brilliant at Tropicana Field; posting a 7-1 record with a 2.65 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 102 K’s in 102 innings. He has a nice matchup on tap this afternoon against the Mariners, and is a strong option t oday despite the Rays recent struggles. Rating = 7.5
Salaries: $7500 FD, $16445 DS, $13250 DD, $ DK, $94600 FF, $21700 SS, $14800 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Seattle
Robinson Cano – Cano has hit Cobb hard in the past, going 7 for 21 with a double and three longballs. He’s hitting .344 this season against right-handed pitching and is having much more success away from Safeco Field.
Additional Plays: Kyle Seager
Tampa Bay
Evan Longoria – Longo brings a six game hitting streak into this afternoons contest and has a long track record of destroying left-handed pitching. He’s hitting .391 so far during the month of June and .348 so far this season at the Trop.
Additional Plays: Desmond Jennings, Yunel Escobar, Sean Rodriguez
LA Dodgers at Colorado
| LA Dodgers | Colorado | ||||||||
| Zack Greinke | Vegas Moneyline | Jhoulys Chacin | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | LAD (-133) | RIGHT | 9.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.252 | 0.700 | 0.315 | 20.9% | SP vs. Left | 0.270 | 0.730 | 0.324 | 11.6% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.219 | 0.591 | 0.270 | 24.7% | SP vs. Right | 0.242 | 0.667 | 0.298 | 18.8% |
| Batter Splits | LAD BvP | LAD vs R | Batter Splits | COL BvP | COL vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Zack Greinke – While Greinke is one of the games best pitchers, I won’t be splurging for his high salary today against the Rockies in Coors Field. He’s routinely pitched much better at home than he has on the road and owns a 4.58 career ERA in Denver. He’s still on the radar as a contrarian GPP play, but there are better options in his price range for cash games. Rating = 6
Salaries: $9900 FD, $18225 DS, $20650 DD, $NA DK, $128200 FF, $27900 SS, $17900 FTD
- Jhoulys Chacin – Chacin is off to a rough start this season; posting a 0-4 record to go along with a 5.51 ERA and 1.50 WHIP through his first six starts. He has struggled at home over the past few years and current Dodgers own a .922 OPS off of him in the past. With just 5.51 K’s/9 this season, he’s an easy avoid. Rating = 3
Salaries: $5200 FD, $8758 DS, $9750 DD, $ DK, $53000 FF, $13000 SS, $12200 FTD
Batter Grind Down
LA Dodgers
Hanley Ramirez – Hanley had a pair of hits, a pair of RBI’s and a pair of stolen bases last night. He hit .409 at Coors Field last season and can still be found for a much more reasonable asking price than the opposing shortstop in this one.
Additional Plays: Adrian Gonzalez, Yasiel Puig, Dee Gordon, Andre Ethier
Colorado
Troy Tulowitzki – Facing Greinke is obviously not an easy task, but that doesn’t change the fact that Tulo
Additional Plays: Drew Stubbs, Charlie Blackmon
NY Yankees at Kansas City
| NY Yankees | Kansas City | ||||||||
| David Phelps | Vegas Moneyline | Danny Duffy | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | KCR (-132) | LEFT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.234 | 0.693 | 0.316 | 23.1% | SP vs. Left | 0.164 | 0.400 | 0.198 | 16.7% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.296 | 0.778 | 0.356 | 18.0% | SP vs. Right | 0.210 | 0.643 | 0.303 | 19.1% |
| Batter Splits | NYY BvP | NYY vs L | Batter Splits | KCR BvP | KCR vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- David Phelps – Phelps was knocked around a bit in his last start, giving up six runs in six innings against the Mariners and wasn’t much better against the Cardinals in the start before. He sports a very solid 8.22 K’s/9 over the last two years, but will square off against a Royals team that strikes out way less than any other team in MLB. Rating = 4.5
Salaries: $5300 FD, $12324 DS, $10500 DD, $5500 DK, $66200 FF, $13000 SS, $NA FTD
- Danny Duffy – Duffy has been terrific this season, posting a 3.05 ERA in 41.1 innings. In his last start, he only allowed one hit over six scoreless innings against the Cardinals. That’s the good news, now here comes the bad; his .205 BABIP is certainly unsustainable and 3.92 BB/9 is a huge concern. The Yankees rank 5th in MLB in OPS versus left-handed pitching which puts another dent into his fantasy appeal. Rating = 4
Salaries: $5400 FD, $9414 DS, $9150 DD, $6200 DK, $83000 FF, $15100 SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
NY Yankees
Mark Teixeira – Teixeira owns a .928 OPS versus left-handed pitching and has had success against Duffy in their few previous meetings.
Additional Plays: Alfonso Soriano, Derek Jeter, Carlos Beltran
Kansas City
Alex Gordon – Gordon is swinging a hot bat right now, posting a 1.309 OPS so far during the month of June. He hits right-handed pitching very well and should once again find himself right in the heart of the Royals batting order.
Additional Plays: Eric Hosmer
Boston at Detroit
| Boston | Detroit | ||||||||
| Jon Lester | Vegas Moneyline | Max Scherzer | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | DET (-137) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.242 | 0.686 | 0.301 | 28.0% | SP vs. Left | 0.233 | 0.675 | 0.298 | 25.1% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.253 | 0.689 | 0.310 | 20.4% | SP vs. Right | 0.176 | 0.517 | 0.236 | 33.2% |
| Batter Splits | BOS BvP | BOS vs R | Batter Splits | DET BvP | DET vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jon Lester – Lester was brilliant in his last start, striking out 12 Rays while tossing seven shutout innings. He also pitched quite well against the Tigers in their only other meeting this season, but took a loss as Scherzer and the Tigers escaped with a 1-0 victory. A number of these Tigers bats have had success against him in the past which makes me like some of the other pitchers in his high price-range better. Rating = 7
Salaries: $8900 FD, $18205 DS, $16000 DD, $10500 DK, $102700 FF, $28400 SS, $NA FTD
- Max Scherzer – Things have turned ugly for Scherzer lately, as he’s posted a 7.32 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in his last three starts. With that said, he’s still an elite pitcher and offers strikeout potential that very few other arms can match. He held the Red Sox scoreless at Fenway Park when they met earlier this season and has been nearly unhittable at home this year (4-0 record with a 1.54 ERA). I’m not too worried about his recent struggles, which makes him a strong option in both cash games and GPP’s. Rating = 8
Salaries: $10400 FD, $20551 DS, $18450 DD, $10000 DK, $101000 FF, $27000 SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Boston
David Ortiz – If you’re going to pick against Scherzer, it makes sense to pick a lefty as they’d have much more success against him recently. Ortiz fits that bill and has hammered him in the past (8 for 17 with three homeruns).
- Additional Plays: A.J. Pierzynski
Detroit
Victor Martinez – V-Mart has mashed left-handed pitching to the tune of a .404 batting average and a 1.139 OPS. He’s also beaten up on Jon Lester in the past, going 7 for 16 with a double, a triple and a homerun.
- Additional Plays: Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler, Torri Hunter