MLB Grind Down: Saturday, September 13th Page Three

by John Britt (jmbwngfn) Last Updated 2014-09-13 14:57:00

Minnesota at Chicago White Sox

Minnesota					Chicago White Sox
Logan Darnell		Vegas Moneyline			Scott Carroll		Vegas Over/Under
LEFT		CWS (-120)			RIGHT		9.0
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left					SP vs. Left	0.294	0.846	0.370	8.60%
SP vs. Right	0.283	0.933	0.394	20.70%	SP vs. Right	0.297	0.773	0.344	13.40%
Batter Splits	MIN BvP		MIN vs R		Batter Splits	CHW BvP		CHW vs L
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Logan Darnell – Darnell has been solid at AAA Rochester this season, but things certainly haven’t converted well to MLB for him. All three of his career starts have ended in disaster and he sports an ugly 8.64 ERA thus far. On the bright side, he seems to have solid strikeout potential but i’ll be avoiding him today in all formats. Rating = 3

Salaries: $5000 FD, $8150 DD, $5000 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD

• Scott Carroll – With a 5-10 record and 4.92 ERA on the season, there isn’t much to get excited about regarding Carroll’s fantasy outlook. On top of those ugly numbers, he brings just 4.14 K’s/9 to the table. He’s also been dreadful at U.S. Cellar Field, posting a 5.92 ERA in seven starts. He has pitched quite well against the Minnesota Twins this season (2.70 ERA over 16.2 innings) but i’ll be staying away.

Salaries: $5000 FD, $10550 DD, $5200 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD

Batter Grind Down

Minnesota

Oswaldo Arcia – Lefties own a .370 wOBA off of Scott Carroll this season and Arcia has thrived against right-handed pitching (.354 wOBA). He’s smacked two homeruns already this week and owns an .827 OPS since the beginning of August.

Additional Plays:Joe Mauer, Kennys Vargas, Danny Santana, Brian Dozier

Chicago White Sox

Jose Abreu – Abreu rocks an impressive .436 wOBA against left-handed pitching this season and moves towards the top of the 1B rankings today with Logan Darnell on the mound for the Twins. His .266 ISO is versus lefties is elite and he’s hitting .361 since the All-Star break.

Additional Plays: Alexei Ramirez, Avisail Garcia

San Diego at Arizona

San Diego					Arizona
Tyson Ross		Vegas Moneyline			Chase Anderson		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		SDP (-113)			RIGHT		7.5
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.223	0.625	0.285	23.90%	SP vs. Left	0.203	0.678	0.300	19.10%
SP vs. Right	0.225	0.633	0.286	24.20%	SP vs. Right	0.300	0.839	0.366	23.70%
Batter Splits	SDP BvP		SDP vs R		Batter Splits	ARI BvP		ARI vs R
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Tyson Ross – Ross is having a terrific season thus far, posting a 13-13 record with a 2.66 ERA and 8.01 K’s/9. However, he’ll once again be faced with the most dramatic park shift possible as he’ll leave Petco Park and head into the hitter friendly Chase Field. While his numbers on the road are by no means bad (3.52 ERA), he’s clearly much more effective inside the spacious Petco Park. He’s pitched admirably against the Diamondbacks this season, going 1-1 with a 2.88 ERA in four starts. He doesn’t come cheap and isn’t in San Diego tonight, so i’ll be looking elsewhere in cash games. Rating – 6.5

Salaries: $8900 FD, $17300 DD, $9800 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $17550 FTD

• Chase Anderson – The Arizona Diamondbacks have to be pleased with what they’ve seen from Chase Anderson this season. Through his first 19 career starts he owns an 8-6 record to go along with a solid 3.71 ERA and 8.19 K’s/9. With an xFIP of 3.66, there is plenty of reason to believe he can sustain his early success. He’s been excellent in each of his last two starts and gets a nice fantasy boost with MLB’s weakest offensive team (San Diego) coming to Chase Field. Rating = 6

Salaries: $6700 FD, $13050 DD, $6900 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $12350 FTD

Batter Grind Down

San Diego

As stated above, Anderson has been solid and there is very little fantasy appeal in this San Diego lineup. Gyorko, Solarte, Grandal and Spangenburg have been solid lately and are viable GPP targets.

Arizona

A.J. Pollock – Pollock owns a .396 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season and had a monster game last night, going 3 for 4 with a homerun and four RBI’s. He hasn’t skipped a beat since returning to action and still carries a very reasonable price tag on many sites.

Additional Plays: Jake Lamb, Mark Trumbo

Houston at LA Angels

Houston					LA Angels
Scott Feldman		Vegas Moneyline			Jered Weaver		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		LAA (-200)			RIGHT		7.5
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.274	0.734	0.322	13.10%	SP vs. Left	0.254	0.716	0.318	18.60%
SP vs. Right	0.261	0.728	0.322	14.50%	SP vs. Right	0.206	0.630	0.281	16.80%
Batter Splits	HOU BvP		HOU vs R		Batter Splits	LAA BvP		LAA vs R
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

Scott Feldman – I’m not sure what’s gotten into Scott Feldman recently, but it seems to be working. In his last eight starts he owns a 4-2 record, 2.92 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. That successful string of starts has dropped his ERA on the season down to a respectable 3.99. With that said, his 5.28 K’s/9 leave a lot to be desired and he’s been blasted for 10 runs in just 10 innings of work at Angels Stadium this season. This is a dangerous Anaheim lineup and there is just not enough upside for me to buy into Feldman’s recent success. Rating = 4

Salaries: $6800 FD, $11450 DD, $6600 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $9800 FTD

• Jered Weaver – On the surface there is a lot to like here; 1) Weaver owns a 16-8 record and 3.58 ERA on the season, 2) This game is in Anaheim where Weaver has posted an 8-4 record and 2.69 ERA in 16 home starts, and 3) He’ll take on the Houston Astros. However, things haven’t been so great for Weaver lately as he owns a 4.17 ERA and 1.48 WHIP over his last nine starts and his 4.47 xFIP points to a continued regression. While the Astros do strike out with regularity, Weaver’s fastball no longer approaches 90 MPH and these Houston bats have come alive recently. Rating = 5.5

Salaries: $7600 FD, $14350 DD, $7600 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $14550 FTD

Batter Grind Down

Houston

Jason Castro – Lefties have had more success off of Weaver and Castro has had success against him in the past (3 for 9 with a double and a homerun)

Additional Plays: Chris Carter, Jose Altuve, Dexter Fowler

LA Angels

• Howie Kendrick – Kenrick is locked in at the plate right now and, with a pair of hits last night, extended his hitting streak to nine games. He’s now hitting .447 during the month of September and has had a lot of success against Feldman in their past meetings, going 11 for 25 with a double and a homerun.

Additional Plays: Mike Trout, Cole Calhoun, Erick Aybar

LA Dodgers at San Francisco

LA Dodgers					San Francisco
Zack Greinke		Vegas Moneyline			Tim Hudson		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		LAD (-118)			RIGHT		6.5
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.250	0.652	0.287	23.30%	SP vs. Left	0.271	0.742	0.325	12.10%
SP vs. Right	0.239	0.680	0.300	27.50%	SP vs. Right	0.241	0.624	0.273	18.70%
Batter Splits	LAD BvP		LAD vs R		Batter Splits	SFG BvP		SFG vs R
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Zack Greinke – Greinke has been one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball this season; his ERA in the 1st half was 2.73, his ERA so far in the 2nd Half is 2.72 and his xFIP on the season is 2.74. Greinke has dominated the Giants in all three prior meetings this season, posting a 3-0 record, 1.80 ERA and fanning 26 batters in 20 innings of work. This Giants offense has been hot for weeks now, but i’m still a believer that good pitching beats good hitting. Rating = 8

Salaries: $9800 FD, $19000 DD, $11000 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $19050 FTD

• Tim Hudson – Ignore his 9-10 record on the season, because even at 39 years old, Tim Hudson has still proven to be an invaluable piece to the Giants rotation. After two rough road starts in a row, he’ll take the mound with an ERA north of 3.00 for just the fourth time this season. Facing off against Greinke is no easy task, the Dodgers have hit right-handed pitching quite well (.324 team wOBA, and his strikeout upside is clearly limited, but Hudson is still a nice secondary option on multi-pitcher sites. Rating = 5.5

Salaries: $6800 FD, $15000 DD, $7200 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $15800 FTD

Batter Grind Down

LA Dodgers

Adrian Gonzalez – Gonzalez had his eight game hitting streak snapped last night, but he’s still hitting .328 since the All-Star break. He’s mashed right-handed pitching this season to the tune of a .384 wOBA and has lit up Tim Hudson in the past, going 10 for 23 with a pair of longballs.

Additional Plays: Carl Crawford, Justin Turner, Dee Gordon, Juan Uribe

San Francisco

Greinke is one of the top pitching options of the day and I won’t be picking against him.

Oakland at Seattle

Oakland					Seattle
Sonny Gray		Vegas Moneyline			Felix Hernandez		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		SEA (-155)			RIGHT		6.0
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.222	0.639	0.289	21.10%	SP vs. Left	0.199	0.514	0.232	24.30%
SP vs. Right	0.240	0.622	0.281	17.80%	SP vs. Right	0.198	0.594	0.263	29.60%
Batter Splits	OAK BvP		OAK vs R		Batter Splits	SEA BvP		SEA vs R
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Sonny Gray – In total, Sonny Gray has put together a terrific sophmore season for the Athletics, owning a 13-8 record and 3.22 ERA through 29 starts. However, he seems to be wearing down as the season goes on and has posted a 1-4 record, 5.32 ERA and 1.48 WHIP over his last seven starts. Gray’s numbers against the Mariners this season are solid, but they roughed him up pretty badly last week and I’m not willing to pay the high asking price for him right now (specially considering the fact that Felix Hernandez is on the opposing mound). Rating = 5.5

Salaries: $8200 FD, $16700 DD, $8800 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $17650 FTD

• Felix Hernandez – King Felix will take the mound against the Oakland Athletics at Safeco Field, and is my top pitching option of the night. He owns a 9-3 record, 2.13 ERA and .88 WHIP in 15 home starts this season. He’s also completely dominated this Oakland lineup, posting a 4-0 record and a 2.15 ERA in five starts against them. This once red hot Oakland lineup is ranked #28th in MLB in wOBA over the last month (.279 wOBA) so don’t let them scare you off. Rating = 9

Salaries: $10800 FD, $21050 DD, $12000 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $22100 FTD

Batter Grind Down

Oakland

As mentioned above, this offense has gone cold and it’s just not wise to pick on King Felix, so I will be looking elsewhere for bats

Seattle

• Kyle Seager – Seager will take on a struggling version of Sonny Gray today and he owns an impressive .385 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season. He owns a .931 OPS at Safeco Field and has had success against Gray in the past.

Additional Plays:Robinson Cano, Dustin Ackley, Kendrys Morales

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