MLB Grind Down: Saturday, May 31st Page Two

by John Britt (jmbwngfn) Last Updated 2014-05-31 19:49:02

Colorado at Cleveland

Colorado					Cleveland
Franklin Morales		Vegas Moneyline			Trevor Bauer		Vegas Over/Under
LEFT		CLE (-115)			RIGHT		8.5
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.222	0.596	0.291	18.4%	SP vs. Left	0.224	0.858	0.393	13.6%
SP vs. Right	0.302	0.914	0.404	15.6%	SP vs. Right	0.273	0.827	0.364	26.4%
Batter Splits	COL BvP		COL vs R		Batter Splits	CLE BvP		CLE vs L
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Franklin Morales – Morales has been dreadful lately, owning a 7.09 ERA in May and his struggles haven’t been confined to just inside Coors Field. He’s surrendered at least three earned runs in six straight starts and has yet to reach 100 pitches in any start this season. The only redeaming aspect of this matchup is that Cleveland ranks deadlast in MLB in OPS against lefties (.636), but he’s still nothing more than a high-risk GPP flier today. Rating = 3.5

Salaries: $4700 FD, $10123 DS, $12800 DD, $5500 DK, $40000 FF, $13000 SS, $NA FTD

• Trevor Bauer – Bauer is still too risky for my liking for use in cash games, but he possesses elite strikeout potential (8 K’s in 4.1 innings against Baltimore in his last start) and has the potenial to be dominant if he can harness his control and avoid the longball. This Colorado team is far less intimidating away from Coors and Bauer has pitched quiet well in his two home starts this season, so give him a look if you’re seeking a boom or bust option. Rating = 5

Salaries: $5100 FD, $8609 DS, $11700 DD, $7900 DK, $76200 FF, $21900 SS, $9500 FTD

Batter Grind Down

Colorado

Troy Tulowitzki – He’s cooled off lately and hasn’t hit as well on the road as he has in Coors Field, but he’s still the most dangerous short-stop on the board and can certainly punish Trevor Bauer if his young arm is bold enough to challenge Tulo.

Additional Plays: Carlos Gonzalez, Justin Morneau

Cleveland

Ryan Raburn – Righties are blasting Morales this season to the tune of a .301 average and a .916 OPS and Raburn has historically been a lefty killer. He has a pair of hits in back-to-back games and is a great value option today at 2B.

• Additional Plays: Yan Gomes

NY Mets at Philadelphia

NY Mets					Philadelphia
Jacob Degrom		Vegas Moneyline			Kyle Kendrick		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		PHI (-125)			RIGHT		8.0
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.188	0.641	0.291	18.9%	SP vs. Left	0.267	0.736	0.326	14.6%
SP vs. Right	0.200	0.729	0.330	17.5%	SP vs. Right	0.288	0.731	0.332	13.1%
Batter Splits	NYM BvP		NYM vs R		Batter Splits	PHI BvP		PHI vs R
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Jacob DeGrom – DeGrom has been a pleasant surprise for the Mets this season, recording quality starts in each of his first three career starts (1.83 ERA through 19.2 innings). With that said, he’s yet to record a win and his advanced stats point to a quick decline in his results (.200 BABIP and 100% stand rate). He’s been struggling with his command and it’s only a matter of time until he gets burned by it. The Phillies do however rank near the bottom of MLB in OPS versus right-handed pitching this season, which makes DeGrom a decent option as a cheap GPP flier. Rating = 4.5

Salaries: $6200 FD, $12285 DS, $11300 DD, $7400 DK, $74600 FF, $19200 SS, $9800 FTD

• Kyle Kendrick – Kendrick earned his first win of the season in his last start, tossing 6.2 shutout innings against the Rockies. The Met’s knocked him around a bit for four runs in just 5.1 innings in their only other meeting this season but held them in check nicely last season (3-1 record with a 3.04 ERA in four starts). He’s pitched rather well this season at Citizens Bank Park (3.41 ERA), but he’s an average MLB pitcher and should be treated as such today. Rating = 5

Salaries: $5600 FD, $11587 DS, $11650 DD, $6700 DK, $57300 FF, $15200 SS, $9500 FTD

Batter Grind Down

NY Mets

Daniel Murphy – Lefties are crushing Kendrick this season to the tune of a .414 wOBA and Murphy should once again find himself hitting in the #2 spot for the Mets. He’s shown a lot of patience at the plate lately, drawing six walks over the last four games.

• Additional Plays: David Wright

Philadelphia

Chase Utley – Utley is a great play anytime he’s facing a right-handed pitcher as he owns a .341 batting average and .961 OPS against them this season. He has also crushed baseballs during day games this year; posting a 1.231 OPS over 60 at bats.

Additional Plays: Ryan Howard

Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee

Chicago Cubs					Milwaukee
Jason Hammel		Vegas Moneyline			Wily Peralta		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		MIL (-145)			RIGHT		7.5
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.279	0.810	0.360	15.0%	SP vs. Left	0.265	0.727	0.327	16.6%
SP vs. Right	0.229	0.614	0.276	20.5%	SP vs. Right	0.260	0.673	0.310	16.7%
Batter Splits	CHC BvP		CHC vs R		Batter Splits	MIL BvP		MIL vs R
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Jason Hammel – In my opinion, Hammel is a very underrated pitcher and his days in the AL East and also pitching at Coors Field have scewed his career numbers. Now, safely pitching at Sea Level in the National League, he’s posted a 3.08 ERA, .90 WHIP and a respectable 54 K’s in 64 innings. He dominated this Milwaukee team when they met earlier this season; tossing seven shutout innings while allowing only three hits and fanning seven batters. He’s a fine play on the sites that don’t put too much emphasis on the “W”. Rating = 6

Salaries: $6400 FD, $13117 DS, $13600 DD, $8800 DK, $90200 FF, $23200 SS, $13300 FTD

• Wily Peralta – Peralta hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his five starts this month, and yet he’s been a tough-luck loser in three of those starts. He was outdueled by Hammel in their last meeting where he allowed three runs in seven innings of work. While I’d like to see his mid-90’s fastball equate to a strikeout rate greater than its current 6.93 K’s/9, he’s still a solid play today against this Cubs team that struggles to score on the road and that ranks 29th in the league in OPS against right-handed pitching this season. Rating = 6.5

Salaries: $6900 FD, $17321 DS, $13750 DD, $8600 DK, $80300 FF, $23000 SS, $14100 FTD

Batter Grind Down

Chicago Cubs

Starlin Castro – While you can debate the validility of BvsP as in indicator of future success, it’s hard to ingore the fact that Castro is 9 for 19 with a double and pair of homeruns off of Peralta. He’s crushed Milwaukee pitching all season (.444 average and 1.242 OPS in 27 ABs)

• Additional Plays: Anthony Rizzo

Milwaukee

Ryan Braun – Braun is riding a current six game hitting streak that has seen him rack up 13 hits, 7 runs, and 7 RBI’s. He sports a career .955 OPS at Miller Park and has had success against Hammel in the past (5 for 11)

• Additional Plays: Carlos Gomez

Atlanta at Miami

Atlanta					Miami
Ervin Santana		Vegas Moneyline			Jacob Turner		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		ATL (-116)			RIGHT		7.5
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.253	0.694	0.310	17.4%	SP vs. Left	0.251	0.694	0.320	12.2%
SP vs. Right	0.232	0.649	0.290	22.3%	SP vs. Right	0.297	0.805	0.360	16.5%
Batter Splits	ATL BvP		ATL vs R		Batter Splits	MIA BvP		MIA vs R
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Ervin Santana – Santana was terrific to start the season with his new team, but things have turned rather ugly for him lately. He’s surrendered at least five earned runs in each of his last three starts and now sports a rather unsightly 6.00 ERA during the month of May. He pitched admirably against these Marlins earlier this season, allowing three runs over six innings with 5 K’s. His recent struggles make him tough to trust for use in cash games, but we’ve seen his upside this season which makes him a decent target in GPP’s. Rating = 5

Salaries: $8400 FD, $20199 DS, $16150 DD, $8500 DK, $90200 FF, $22600 SS, $14600 FTD

• Jacob Turner – Turner flashed some of the skillset that made him one of the games brightest prospects in his last start, where he tossed 6.1 innings of shutout ball against the Brewers. With that said, he only managed to rack up a pair of strikeouts in that start and still owns a 5.35 ERA and 1.54 WHIP on the season. He probably shouldn’t be trusted in cash games, but is an option as a GPP flier against this strikeout prone Atlanta team. Rating = 4.5

Salaries: $4800 FD, $10599 DS, $8850 DD, $6600 DK, $53100 FF, $16000 SS, $11300 FTD

Batter Grind Down

Atlanta

Justin Upton – Upton had his seven game hitting streak snapped last night but he’s hitting .400 since May 18th and righties are abusing Turner to the tune of a .411 wOBA this season. He’s already taken him deep once in their brief history and is in a nice spot to do some damage today

• Additional Plays: Freddie Freeman

Miami

Garrett Jones – Jones has cooled off a bit, but still owns a .922 OPS versus right-handed pitching this season. He’s only squared off against Santana three times in his career, but has reached base in all three plate appearances with one of those resulting in a homerun.

• Additional Plays: Giancarlo Stanton

Baltimore at Houston

Baltimore					Houston
Chris Tillman		Vegas Moneyline			Dallas Keuchel		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		HOU (-120)			LEFT		8.0
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.252	0.740	0.329	19.0%	SP vs. Left	0.262	0.686	0.311	28.9%
SP vs. Right	0.234	0.721	0.317	22.2%	SP vs. Right	0.279	0.756	0.337	16.1%
Batter Splits	BAL BvP		BAL vs L		Batter Splits	HOU BvP		HOU vs R
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Chris Tillman – After a complete game shutout of the KC Royals, Tillman has been blasted in each of his last two outings; giving up 14 runs in just 6.2 innings. If you ignore his first two starts to the season (both of which were very strong) he’s posted a 7.07 ERA and 1.76 WHIP in the eight starts since. Tillman took a loss against Houston a few weeks back and has pitched rather poorly on the road all season (6.20 road ERA). Facing the Astros used to be a recipe for fantasy success, but that’s not necessarily the case any longer. He’s worth consideration as a GPP option, but I’ll be staying away. Rating = 4

Salaries: $6900 FD, $17205 DS, $12850 DD, $6900 DK, $NA FF, $16400 SS, $11700 FTD

• Dallas Keuchel – To say Keuchel has been impressive this season would be an understatement as he enters tonight’s game with a 6-2 record, 2.55 ERA, .98 WHIP and is averaging more than 7 innings of work per start. He’s really turned things on lately, postng a 4-1 record and 1.79 ERA in May. I’m not quite sure how he’s doing it and I have my doubts that he can keep it up, but it’s hard to argue with his production. I likely won’t be using him today (specially in cash games), but I sure wouldn’t blame you if you decided to. Rating = 5.5

Salaries: $8100 FD, $20909 DS, $15750 DD, $10300 DK, $141600 FF, $29600 SS, $12100 FTD

Batter Grind Down

Baltimore

Nelson Cruz – This game features two of the hottest hitting outfielders in baseball. Cruz brings an 11 game hitting streak into this game that has seen him hit seven homeruns and drive in 12 runs. He’s hitting .389 versus left-handed pitching so far this season and is 4 for 9 with a homerun in his career against Keuchel.

Additional Plays: Adam Jones

Houston

George Springer – He was finally held in check last night, but with seven homeruns in the seven games prior, it’s clear that Springer is a star in the making. It’s a small sample size still, but Springer has handled the bat much better against right-handed pitching in his career and he owns a 1.071 OPS during the month of May.

Additional Plays: Jason Castro

MLB Grind Down Page 2 – Page 3