MLB Grind Down: Saturday, June 8th Page Two
Houston at Minnesota
| Houston | Minnesota | ||||||||
| Collin McHugh | Vegas Moneyline | Samuel Deduno | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | HOU (-113) | RIGHT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.260 | 0.716 | 0.319 | 18.5% | SP vs. Left | 0.230 | 0.624 | 0.291 | 17.3% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.270 | 0.728 | 0.324 | 21.6% | SP vs. Right | 0.303 | 0.768 | 0.350 | 12.4% |
| Batter Splits | HOU BvP  | HOU vs R | Batter Splits | MIN BvP | MIN vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Collin McHugh – McHugh has been one of the most surprising pitchers so far of the 2014 season. He entered the season with a career ERA of 8.94 yet has posted a 2.54 ERA through his first eight starts this season. His .248 BABIP points to a regression, but this matchup against a Twins team that strikeouts out a lot is a plus. I still don’t quite trust him enough for cash game lineups, but his high ceiling is perfect for GPP’s. Rating = 6
Salaries: $7100 FD, $16758 DS, $NA DD, $10500 DK, $50900 FF, $27200 SS, $10400 FTD
- Samuel Deduno – Since moving into the starting rotation, Deduno has racked up a 2-2 record to go along with a 4.36 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. The matchup against a strikeout prone Houston team is a plus, but it’s not nearly as attractive as it was last season. Deduno is an average MLB pitcher and should be treated as such today. Rating = 5
Salaries: $5600 FD, $10889 DS, $ DD, $6300 DK, $76800 FF, $13000 SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Houston
George Springer – Righties have hit .280 off of Deduno in his career and Springer is proving to be a very dangerous hitter. He owns an .846 OPS versus right-handed pitching so far in his young career and has thrived away from Houston (1.011 road OPS).
Additional Plays: Jose Altuve
Minnesota
Josh Willingham – Willingham has posted a 1.021 OPS against right-handed pitching so far this season and has been locked in at the plate lately. He has hits in 10 of his last 11 games and is hitting .371 over that stretch with four homeruns and 12 RBI’s.
Additional Plays: Joe Mauer, Josmil Pinto
NY Yankees at Kansas City
| NY Yankees | Kansas City | ||||||||
| Hiroki Kuroda | Vegas Moneyline | James Shields | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | NYY (-121) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.266 | 0.748 | 0.329 | 16.1% | SP vs. Left | 0.241 | 0.636 | 0.288 | 20.6% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.240 | 0.621 | 0.277 | 20.1% | SP vs. Right | 0.270 | 0.734 | 0.329 | 20.0% |
| Batter Splits | NYY BvP | NYY vs R | Batter Splits | KCR BvP | KCR vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Hiroki Kuroda – After a very forgetable April, Kuroda has turned things around and owns a 3.59 ERA since the beginning on May. He pitched very well against the Royals last season in their only meeting, allowing only two runs in 7.2 innings. Kuroda has faired well away from Yankee Stadium all season, but he’ll face a Royals team that is proving to be the hardest team in MLB to strikeout this season. Rating = 5
Salaries: $7200 FD, $12559 DS, $NA DD, $8000 DK, $79000 FF, $18900 SS, $12100 FTD
- James Shields – “Big Game” James Shields has not been having things go his way lately as he has struggled mightily in each of his last four starts. Many of these Yankees hitters are very familiar with Shields from his days in the AL East with Tampa, but he was able to mow them down in both starts against them last season. He’s still very capable of racking up strikeouts and the Yankees are ranked 28th in MLB in OPS against right-handed pitching this season. Rating = 6
Salaries: $8100 FD, $17558 DS, $ DD, $9000 DK, $80000 FF, $23300 SS, $14500 FTD
Batter Grind Down
NY Yankees
Brian McCann – McCann is off to a very slow start with his new team, but posted a an .869 OPS versus right-handed pitching last season. He’s one of the only Yankees who’s had any success off of James Shields, going 3 for 5 with a walk.
Additional Plays: Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner
Kansas City
Alex Gordon – Gordon doubles again yesterday to extend his current hitting streak to six games and has also drawn at least one walk in each of those games. He’s hitting .313 this season against right-handed pitching and has crushed Kuroda in the past (6 for 8 with a pair of doubles).
Additional Plays: Salvador Perez, Eric Hosmer
Miami at Chicago Cubs
| Miami | Chicago Cubs | ||||||||
| Henderson Alvarez | Vegas Moneyline | Jake Arrieta | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | MIA (-115) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.266 | 0.701 | 0.314 | 13.4% | SP vs. Left | 0.223 | 0.672 | 0.307 | 18.4% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.243 | 0.592 | 0.274 | 14.6% | SP vs. Right | 0.259 | 0.728 | 0.334 | 20.0% |
| Batter Splits | MIA BvP | MIA vs R | Batter Splits | CHC BvP | CHC vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Henderson Alvarez – Alvarez hasn’t allowed an earned run in any of his last three starts which has lowered his ERA to just 2.62. He’ll take on a Cubs team that ranks #29th in the league in OPS versus right-handed pitching. The matchup is great and the wind is forecasted to be blowing in, but with just 5.36 K’s/9 this season he’s a better play on the sites that factor WHIP into their scoring. Rating = 7
Salaries: $7100 FD, $15477 DS, $NA DD, $7800 DK, $89300 FF, $20300 SS, $12300 FTD
- Jake Arrieta – Arrieta has been a pleasant surprise for the Cubs as he’s posted a 3.00 ERA and 28 K’s over his first six starts. In what should be good news for his strikeout potential, he’ll take on a Miami team who leads the National League in strikeouts. While I don’t think he can sustain such a low ERA for long, he’s still in play today on multi-pitcher sites if the price is right. Rating = 5
Salaries: $5500 FD, $13131 DS, $ DD, $7100 DK, $71200 FF, $16900 SS, $11500 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Miami
Giancarlo Stanton – The wind is forecasted to be blowing in rather hard at Wrigley, which certinly hurts the offensive outlook of this game, but Stanton can hit the ball out of any park at any time. I don’t necessarily love paying his huge salary in cash games, but his multi homerun power makes him a strong GPP option.
Additional Plays: Casey McGehee, Marcell Ozuna
Chicago Cubs
Anthony Rizzo – Rizzo has a pair of hits in each of the last three games and has homered four times in the last seven games. He owns a 0.377 wOBA versus right-handed pitching this season and owns a 1.011 OPS at Wrigley Field
- Additional Plays: None
Cleveland at Texas
| Cleveland | Texas | ||||||||
| Justin Masterson | Vegas Moneyline | Joe Saunders | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | CLE (-112) | LEFT | 10.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.263 | 0.729 | 0.334 | 18.1% | SP vs. Left | 0.221 | 0.567 | 0.253 | 22.0% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.190 | 0.501 | 0.252 | 30.8% | SP vs. Right | 0.336 | 0.941 | 0.414 | 11.1% |
| Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs L | Batter Splits | TEX BvP | TEX vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Justin Masterson – Fresh off of seven shutout innings and 10 strikeouts against the Red Sox in his last start, Masteron will take on the Rangers in Arlington today. He has struggled all season on the road, where he owns an 0-3 record with a 5.73 ERA in six starts. He’s a much better pitcher than his current stats this season indicate and he dominated the Rangers the only time he faced them last season. I don’t love the matchup, but I am expecting Masterson to return to his 2013 form which saw him post a 3.16 ERA. Rating = 6
Salaries: $6700 FD, $9580 DS, $NA DD, $6700 DK, $69300 FF, $16500 SS, $10300 FTD
- Joe Saunders – Despite a rather terrible 1.84 WHIP, Saunders has somehow managed to keep his ERA at a respectable 3.68. Today he’ll do battle with an Indians team that led MLB in OPS versus left-handed pitching last season, but that has really struggled with them this year. Saunders has really struggled against right-handed batters recently, but the good news today is that the Indians are loaded with left-handed bats. With that said, he is not on my radar today and I’ll be passing. Rating = 4
Salaries: $5000 FD, $9206 DS, $ DD, $6600 DK, $49300 FF, $13000 SS, $10700 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Cleveland
Carlos Santana – It’s not easy recommending a guy who owns a .171 average on the season, but he’s reasonably priced on most sites and is finally showing signs of life. He reached base four times yesterday and launched his seventh homerun of the season. Santana owns a career .836 OPS versus left-handed pitching.
Additional Plays: Yan Gomes, Ryan Raburn
Texas
Shin-Soo Choo – Masterson has historically struggled against lefties and Choo has had success against him in their few prior meetings. He’s been cold at the plate lately, but a 1.011 OPS against right-handed pitching last season.
- Additional Plays: Elvis Andrus
Chicago White Sox at LA Angels
| Chicago White Sox | LA Angels | ||||||||
| Jose Quintana | Vegas Moneyline | C.J. Wilson | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | LAA (-170) | LEFT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.254 | 0.709 | 0.315 | 20.5% | SP vs. Left | 0.178 | 0.493 | 0.234 | 26.9% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.248 | 0.671 | 0.300 | 19.3% | SP vs. Right | 0.260 | 0.714 | 0.326 | 19.4% |
| Batter Splits | CHW BvP | CHW vs L | Batter Splits | LAA BvP | LAA vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jose Quintana – Quintana has somewhat quitely developed into a very effective pitcher for the White Sox. Since last years All-Star Break he’s posted a very impressive 3.28 ERA over 159 innings. The Rangers rank near the top of the league in OPS versus left-handed pitching, which obviously dampens Quintana’s fantasy value a bit today. Rating = 5.5
Salaries: $6200 FD, $14225 DS, $NA DD, $7800 DK, $79500 FF, $20400 SS, $11300 FTD
- C.J. Wilson – Wilson was inexplicably rocked by the Astros in his last outing, and his control issues continue to be a problem for him. He’s pitched extremely well at home this season, posting a 4-1 record with a 2.66 ERA. C.J. is averaging nearly a strikeout per inning today and sees a nice fantasy boost today with the extremely strikeout prone Chicago White Sox in town. Rating = 7.5
Salaries: $8100 FD, $17966 DS, $ DD, $10700 DK, $96800 FF, $25000 SS, $14400 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Chicago White Sox
Dayan Viciedo – He’s been ice-cold at the plate, but perhaps squaring off against a lefty will get him going. He owns a career .887 OPS versus left-handed pitching and tends to find himself hitting in the cleanup spot against them.
Additional Plays: Alexei Ramirez, Jose Abreu
LA Angels
Albert Pujols – Pujols has had success against Quintana in the past, going 3 for 9 with a double and a homerun. He owns a career OPS of 1.041 against left-handed pitching and is reasonably priced.
Additional Plays: Mike Trout, Howie Kendrick, Chris Iannetta