MLB Grind Down: Saturday, May 23 - Page Two
Oakland at Tampa Bay – 4:10 PM EST
| Oakland | Tampa Bay | ||||||||
 | Kendall Graveman |  | Nate Karns | ||||||
| RIGHT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| TBR (-136) | 7.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.356 | 0 | 0.441 | 0.132 | SP vs. Left | 0.184 | 0.582 | 0.275 | 0.301 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.273 | 0.719 | 0.321 | 0.083 | SP vs. Right | 0.189 | 0.687 | 0.299 | 0.174 |
| Batter Splits | OAK BvP | OAK vs R | Batter Splits | TB BvP | TB vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Kendall Graveman
Salaries: $5400 FD, $5500 DK
2015: xFIP: 6.00 — Strikeout Rate: 8.4% — Walk Rate: 10.8% — Ground Ball Rate: 43.8%
2015: xFIP: 1.68 — Strikeout Rate: 13.6% — Walk Rate: 8.7% — Ground Ball Rate: 64.3%
Tampa Bay Rays vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.300 (Rank: 21)
Strikeout Rate: 20.8% (Rank: 12)
Analysis: Graveman is not on the radar tonight. He has yet to pitch more than five innings in his four starts and has allowed 15 earned runs over that span. His strikeouts are non-existent (8.4%) and even though he has had some success at the minor league levels, he is not an option today even with the decent matchup against the Rays in Tropicana. Rating = 5
Nate Karns
Salaries: $6600 FD, $7100 DK
Pitching Stats
2015: xFIP: 4.08 — Strikeout Rate: 23.3% — Walk Rate: 11.1% — Ground Ball Rate: 49.6%
2014: xFIP: 3.80 — Strikeout Rate: 26.5% — Walk Rate: 8.2% — Ground Ball Rate: 43.3%
Oakland A’s vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.327 (Rank: 4)
Strikeout Rate: 17.0% (Rank: 27)
Analysis: Karns has been a very serviceable starter for the Rays this year. He has allowed no more than two earned runs in six of his eight starts and has a very solid 23.3% strikeout rate as well. Karns has done a decent job keeping hitters off the base paths and has allowed a sub-.300 wOBA from both sides of the plate. He makes a decent option as a number two starter this afternoon. Rating = 6
Batter Grind Down
Oakland
None
Secondary Plays:
Stephen Vogt
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.447 — ISO: 0.324 — OBP: 0.417
Josh Reddick
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.439 — ISO: 0.252 — OBP: 0.421
Tampa Bay
Kevin Kiermaier
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.311 — ISO: 0.202 — OBP: 0.283
Analysis: This pick is contingent on Kiermaier batting leadoff today. If he is, he makes a great play at his price as Graveman has really struggled at getting left-handed bats out. He currently allows a wOBA of .471 to lefties, which places all the cheap lefties for the Rays in play today.
Secondary Plays:
David DeJesus
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.374 — ISO: 0.178 — OBP: 0.361
Evan Longoria
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.313 — ISO: 0.150 — OBP: 0.319
Minnesota at Chicago White Sox – 4:10 PM EST
| Minnesota | Chicago White Sox | ||||||||
 | Trevor May |  | Chris Sale | ||||||
| RIGHT | LEFT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| CHW (-185) | 7.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.322 | 0.869 | 0.38 | 0.189 | SP vs. Left | 0.201 | 0.481 | 0.223 | 0.34 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.288 | 0 | 0.351 | 0.19 | SP vs. Right | 0.218 | 0.626 | 0.279 | 0.284 |
| Batter Splits | MIN BvP | MIN vs L | Batter Splits | CWS BvP | CWS vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Trevor May
Salaries: $6200 FD, $5100 DK
Pitching Stats
2015: xFIP: 4.27 — Strikeout Rate: 16.7% — Walk Rate: 4.9% — Ground Ball Rate: 35.4%
2014: xFIP: 4.38 — Strikeout Rate: 20.7% — Walk Rate: 10.3% — Ground Ball Rate: 35.7%
Chicago White Sox vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.308 (Rank: 17)
Strikeout Rate: 19.8% (Rank: 18)
Analysis: May is has never been a guy usable for daily fantasy. He does not pitch deep into games, he allows way too many base runners, and does not strike out enough batters to combat his other problems. He is an easy player to avoid today. Rating = 3.5
Chris Sale
Salaries: $10000 FD, $10600 DK
Pitching Stats
2015: xFIP: 3.50 — Strikeout Rate: 24.4% — Walk Rate: 7.2% — Ground Ball Rate: 41.2%
2014: xFIP: 2.83 — Strikeout Rate: 30.4% — Walk Rate: 5.7% — Ground Ball Rate: 40.7%
Minnesota Twins vs. LH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.335 (Rank: 6)
Strikeout Rate: 17.7% (Rank: 23)
Analysis: Sale battled with Kluber in his last outing and has really come on strong in his last two outings. Sale is exactly the type of pitcher we like to target in DFS as he has the ability to pitch deep into games and can strikeout at an elite rate (24.4%). This is a great matchup for Sale as he has a sub three ERA against this Twins squad over the last three year with 56 strikeouts over 53.1 innings. Sale and Kluber are your top options for the afternoon slate due to being big favorites with solid matchups. Rating = 9
Batter Grind Down
Minnesota
None
Secondary Plays:
None
Chicago White Sox
Jose Abreu
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.374 — ISO: 0.190 — OBP: 0.368
Analysis: Abreu has not seen the power numbers that we were expecting this year from him, but he is still hitting well (.291 AVG) with a wOBA of .374 against right-handed pitching. The power should come eventually and today’s matchup against May, who has struggled, could be a perfect time to go deep.
Secondary Plays:
Adam LaRoche
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.350 — ISO: 0.146 — OBP: 0.389
Melky Cabrera
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.317 — ISO: 0.042— OBP: 0.359
Adam Eaton
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.281 — ISO: 0.103— OBP: 0.297
Cincinnati at Cleveland – 4:10 PM EST
| Cincinnati | Cleveland | ||||||||
 | Anthony DeSclafani |  | Corey Kluber | ||||||
| RIGHT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| CLE (-192) | 7 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.31 | 0 | 0.399 | 0.154 | SP vs. Left | 0.251 | 0.704 | 0.311 | 0.278 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.192 | 0.543 | 0.24 | 0.2 | SP vs. Right | 0.219 | 0.557 | 0.247 | 0.293 |
| Batter Splits | CIN BvP | CIN vs R | Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Anthony DeSclafani
Salaries: $6600 FD, $5600 DK
Pitching Stats
2015: xFIP: 4.59 — Strikeout Rate: 17.5% — Walk Rate: 10.8% — Ground Ball Rate: 40.9%
2014: xFIP: 3.80 — Strikeout Rate: 17.8% — Walk Rate: 3.4% — Ground Ball Rate: 35.5%
Cleveland Indians vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.316 (Rank: 11)
Strikeout Rate: 18.3% (Rank: 25)
Analysis: After starting the year off well, DeSclafani has really dropped off recently. He has allowed at least three earned runs in his last four starts, while not going more than six innings or striking out more than five batters. The win will be difficult against Kluber today, as well as the matchup against an Indians squad full of lefties, whom DeSclafani has struggled against this year (wOBA of .405). Rating = 4
Corey Kluber
Salaries: $10500 FD, $11300 DK
Pitching Stats
2015: xFIP: 2.47 — Strikeout Rate: 30.4% — Walk Rate: 4.8% — Ground Ball Rate: 49.0%
2014: xFIP: 2.57 — Strikeout Rate: 28.3% — Walk Rate: 5.4% — Ground Ball Rate: 48.0%
Cincinnati Reds vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.302 (Rank: 19)
Strikeout Rate: 20.2% (Rank: 14)
Analysis: Kluber has been brilliant in his last two starts. 30 strikeouts, 17 innings and one earned run allowed is quite the feat. Prior, he was struggling mightily, after watching him pitch a good portion of the last two games, he looks unhittable. I fully expect Kluber to continue his dominance today against the Reds. Kluber is a top option, especially on sites that reward strikeouts. Rating = 8.5
Batter Grind Down
Cincinnati
None
Secondary Plays:
None
Cleveland
Jason Kipnis
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.471 — ISO: 0.190 — OBP: 0.487
Analysis: As much as I like the matchup for Altuve this afternoon, Kipnis looks to be the best option at the second base spot. He is mashing the ball at the moment and has 17 hits over his last ten games. He has a prime matchup against DeSclafani, who has allowed lefties a wOBA of .405 on the year.
Secondary Plays:
Carlos Santana
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.342 — ISO: 0.183 — OBP: 0.368
Michael Brantley
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.358 — ISO: 0.160 — OBP: 0.376
Milwaukee at Atlanta – 4:10 PM EST
| Milwaukee | Atlanta | ||||||||
 | Mike Fiers |  | Shelby Miller | ||||||
| RIGHT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| ATL (-115) | 7 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.219 | 0.639 | 0.283 | 0.262 | SP vs. Left | 0.227 | 0.673 | 0.298 | 0.164 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.215 | 0.65 | 0.285 | 0.305 | SP vs. Right | 0.206 | 0.629 | 0.282 | 0.185 |
| Batter Splits | MIL BvP | MIL vs R | Batter Splits | ATL vs R | |||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Mike Fiers
Salaries: $7600 FD, $8600 DK
Pitching Stats
2015: xFIP: 3.35— Strikeout Rate: 27.7% — Walk Rate: 8.5% — Ground Ball Rate: 38.8%
2014: xFIP: 3.15 — Strikeout Rate: 27.7% — Walk Rate: 6.2% — Ground Ball Rate: 33.3%
Atlanta Braves vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.314 (Rank: 13)
Strikeout Rate: 15.5% (Rank: 29)
Analysis: Fiers is a high strikeout pitcher (27.7%) who has shown the potential for some big-time fantasy performances. He has also shown the ability to amass a high pitch count early on and has yet to pitch more than 6.1 innings this season. He has an average matchup today against the Braves who are 13th in team wOBA. The problem will be the strikeouts, as the Braves have one of the lowest K rates in the league at 15.5%, which depresses his value this afternoon. Rating = 6
Shelby Miller
Salaries: $9500 FD, $9300 DK
Pitching Stats
2015: xFIP: 3.74 — Strikeout Rate: 20.9% — Walk Rate: 7.8% — Ground Ball Rate: 50.4%
2014: xFIP: 4.47 — Strikeout Rate: 16.6% — Walk Rate: 9.6% — Ground Ball Rate: 39.9%
Milwaukee Brewers vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.295 (Rank: 24)
Strikeout Rate: 22.2% (Rank: 5)
Analysis: Shelby came one out away from a no-hitter against the Marlins earlier this week. Miller has been extremely solid for his new club and has yet to allow more than two earned runs in his eight starts, has two complete games and has a solid strikeout rate of 20.9%. He gets a Brewers squad that has improved offensively, but still has a sub .300 wOBA against righties and strikeout at a high 22.2% rate. He makes a solid play that is priced under the elite options this afternoon. Rating = 7.5
Batter Grind Down
Milwaukee
None
Secondary Plays:
Adam Lind
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.406 — ISO: 0.265— OBP: 0.394
Ryan Braun
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.391 — ISO: 0.298 — OBP: 0.344
Atlanta
Freddie Freeman
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.381 — ISO: .186 — OBP: 0.379
Analysis: Any time Freeman takes the field against a non-elite righty, he is in play. He is usually low-owned across the industry, and has a wOBA close to .400 against righties.
Secondary Plays:
Nick Markakis
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.352 — ISO: 0.054 — OBP: 0.417
A.J. Pierzynski
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.337 — ISO: 0.171 — OBP: 0.337
San Francisco at Colorado – 4:10 PM EST
| San Francisco | Colorado | ||||||||
 | Chris Heston |  | Jordan Lyles | ||||||
| RIGHT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| SFG (-120) | 10 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.34 | 0 | 0.382 | 0.107 | SP vs. Left | 0.287 | 0.837 | 0.37 | 0.14 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.209 | 0.556 | 0.254 | 0.27 | SP vs. Right | 0.236 | 0.662 | 0.293 | 0.176 |
| Batter Splits | SF BvP | SF vs R | Batter Splits | COL BvP | COL vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Chris Heston
Salaries: $6600 FD, $5000 DK
Pitching Stats
2015: xFIP: 3.30 — Strikeout Rate: 20.0% — Walk Rate: 12.5% — Ground Ball Rate: 52.0%
2014: xFIP: 4.01 — Strikeout Rate: 16.7% — Walk Rate: 5.9% — Ground Ball Rate: 47.1%
Colorado Rockies vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.322 (Rank: 8)
Strikeout Rate: 20.8% (Rank: 13)
Analysis: Heston is a young pitcher that will be making his second career start at Coors. In his first start, he allowed six earned runs on 11 hits, and struggled like most pitchers do in a debut. Avoid him today in a game with the highest total on the slate. Rating = 3
Jordan Lyles
Salaries: $5400 FD, $4100 DK
Pitching Stats
2015: xFIP: 4.58 — Strikeout Rate: 12.9% — Walk Rate: 10.2% — Ground Ball Rate: 50.7%
2014: xFIP: 3.98 — Strikeout Rate: 16.5% — Walk Rate: 8.4% — Ground Ball Rate: 51.7%
San Francisco Giants vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.324 (Rank: 7)
Strikeout Rate: 17.2% (Rank: 26)
Analysis: The one guy I think I like less than Heston on this slate may be Lyles. He strikes very few batters out, walks a lot of batters and has an xFIP of 4.58. Avoid him this afternoon. Rating = 2.5
Batter Grind Down
San Francisco
Brandon Belt
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.443 — ISO: 0.253— OBP: 0.429
Analysis: Belt was a great play yesterday and came through in a big way with three hits, a double and a home run. He is in basically the same spot as yesterday and is a top option at the first base position.
Secondary Plays:
All 1-6 hitters are in play
Colorado
Carlos Gonzalez
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.303 — ISO: 0.173— OBP: 0.297
Analysis: We are still waiting for CarGo to really bust out in a big way. He is getting at-bats back in the top of the order and has a cheap price across the industry considering he is batting in Coors.
Secondary Plays:
All 1-6 hitters are in play