Sign In Get the App $ $

MLB Grind Down: Saturday, September 17th

by Ryan138 Last Updated 2016-09-18 01:25:22

Jump to Page 1 2 3

The RotoGrinders MLB Grind Down will give you an in-depth analysis into the upcoming MLB schedule. This article will break down the numbers for every single game and give you analysis on which trends you can exploit. While matchups are a major factor in daily fantasy baseball, there are plenty of other factors to consider such as injuries, weather, and salaries.

The analysis should point you in the right direction, but it is still up to you to decipher the information and make your own selections. No sport has more variance than baseball. The best choice is not always the right choice but following the trends will win you money over time.

Note: As always, if you want to try a new DFS site, be sure to click through a RotoGrinders link and use our DraftKings promo code and FanDuel promo code to receive the best perks in the industry.

Stackability Rating System:

GREEN – One of the top stacks of the day, viable in cash games and GPPs
YELLOW – A viable stack option in most formats, specifically GPPs
ORANGE – There are better stacks out there, but playable in large GPPs
RED – Not a recommended stack for cash games or GPPs

NY Yankees at Boston – 1:05 PM ET

NY Yankees Boston
Article Image Bryan Mitchell Article Image David Price
RIGHT LEFT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
BOS -260 9.0
Stats wOBA HR All. HC% K% Stats wOBA HR All. HC% K%
SP vs. Left (2016) 0.402 0 36.4% 21.4% SP vs. Left (2016) 0.310 6 30.3% 20.8%
SP vs. Right (2016) 0.351 0 38.9% 4.8% SP vs. Right (2016) 0.295 18 35.8% 26.1%

Pitcher Grind Down

Bryan Mitchell
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $5,400 Salary: $4,200
FPPG: 15.5 FPPG: 8.1
Pitcher Rating: 39.9 Pitcher Rank: 27
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HC%
L30 Days 1 80.0 4.88 0.00 10.5% 10.5% 6.3% 66.7% 20.0% 40.0%
2016 1 80.0 4.88 0.00 10.5% 10.5% 6.3% 66.7% 20.0% 40.0%
2015 2 298.0 3.97 6.37 20.3% 11.2% 8.7% 50.0% 21.9% 31.3%

Home (2015-16):—ERA: 4.35 — K%: 16.5% — wOBA Allowed: 0.322
Away (2015-16):—ERA: 7.07 — K%: 22.5% — wOBA Allowed: 0.390

Mitchell will make his third start of the year today. His first start went well, as he threw five shutout innings against a tough Blue Jays squad, while his second start ended after just two-and-one-third innings. The matchup today against the Red Sox makes him an easy fade, as they continue to be the top-ranked offense in baseball. As a heavy favorite, Mitchell is not in play in any format today.

David Price
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $10,600 Salary: $11,600
FPPG: 38.0 FPPG: 20.3
Pitcher Rating: 94.9 Pitcher Rank: 1
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HC%
L30 Days 5 101.8 3.53 1.85 26.4% 5.4% 11.6% 35.6% 48.3% 29.6%
2016 30 103.8 3.53 3.87 24.5% 5.4% 11.9% 44.3% 32.5% 34.6%
2015 32 105.9 3.27 2.45 25.3% 5.3% 11.9% 40.4% 36.4% 28.2%

Home (2015-16):—ERA: 3.46 — K%: 26.4% — wOBA Allowed: 0.296
Away (2015-16):—ERA: 2.79 — K%: 23.5% — wOBA Allowed: 0.277

Price is a pitcher that is really never a terrible play, as he always brings upside to the table. He currently sports a 24.8% strikeout rate on the year, pitches deep into games and is currently on a seven-game winning streak. His matchup today is not the worst (New York ranks 24th in wOBA against lefties), but he has struggled against the Yankees badly this year (17.1 innings pitched, 15 earned runs). With that said, he is a -260 favorite and makes a great cash game play, as the win should be clearly in play and a great tournament play due to this strikeout potential.

Batter Grind Down

NY Yankees

The Yankees have the second-lowest team total of the day at just 3.58 runs. Unless you want to target Gary Sanchez as a righty catcher, there is not a whole lot to get excited about for the Yankees.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP HC% vs. LHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Brett Gardner LEFT 0.285 0.070 22.1% 0.275 OF $2,900 OF $2,800
2 Jacoby Ellsbury LEFT 0.264 0.087 25.6% 0.385 OF $3,000 OF $3,100
3 Gary Sanchez RIGHT 0.225 0.207 41.2% 0.304 C $3,900 C $3,800
4 Starlin Castro RIGHT 0.313 0.163 29.1% 0.322 2B $3,200 2B $3,400
5 Billy Butler RIGHT 0.294 0.107 28.6% 0.188 1B $2,400 1B $2,800
6 Didi Gregorius LEFT 0.347 0.150 22.8% 0.160 SS $3,100 SS $2,900
7 Chase Headley SWITCH 0.303 0.087 27.1% 0.325 3B $2,500 3B $2,600
8 Rob Refsnyder RIGHT 0.323 0.089 28.3% 0.309 1B $2,000 1B/OF $2,600
9 Tyler Austin RIGHT 0.161 0.000 60.0% 0.350 1B $2,300 1B $2,200
Team Averages — 0.279 0.107 31.6% 0.291 — — — —

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Gary Sanchez

Stackability – RED

Boston

The Red Sox are monster favorites today in a game with a total of nine runs. They have a projected team total of 5.42, which is the fourth-highest of the entire day against a pitcher who is coming off a struggling start. They are a great offense to target in all formats.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP HC% vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Dustin Pedroia RIGHT 0.367 0.136 34.5% 0.397 2B $3,500 2B $4,700
2 Xander Bogaerts RIGHT 0.338 0.141 28.9% 0.276 SS $3,800 SS $4,600
3 David Ortiz LEFT 0.441 0.357 46.6% 0.411 1B $4,500 1B $5,600
4 Mookie Betts RIGHT 0.382 0.220 33.8% 0.243 OF $4,100 OF $5,300
5 Hanley Ramirez RIGHT 0.334 0.172 36.1% 0.435 1B $3,500 1B $5,100
6 Travis Shaw LEFT 0.341 0.191 37.6% 0.450 3B $2,700 1B/3B $4,500
7 Sandy Leon SWITCH 0.369 0.167 38.4% 0.359 C $2,500 C $3,800
8 Jackie Bradley Jr. LEFT 0.383 0.270 39.7% 0.307 OF $3,400 OF $5,000
9 Andrew Benintendi LEFT 0.411 0.216 33.3% OF $2,900 OF $3,100
Team Averages — 0.374 0.208 36.5% 0.360 — — — —

Elite Plays – David Ortiz, Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts

Secondary Plays – Hanley Ramirez, Travis Shaw, Jackie Bradley

Stackability – GREEN

Washington at Atlanta – 1:05 PM ET

Washington Atlanta
Article Image Gio Gonzalez Article Image Josh Collmenter
LEFT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
WAS -170 8.0
Stats wOBA HR All. HC% K% Stats wOBA HR All. HC% K%
SP vs. Left (2016) 0.257 1 29.8% 20.0% SP vs. Left (2016) 0.384 3 31.4% 12.2%
SP vs. Right (2016) 0.323 18 34.0% 22.8% SP vs. Right (2016) 0.317 1 31.3% 21.4%

Pitcher Grind Down

Gio Gonzalez
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,600 Salary: $8,600
FPPG: 29.5 FPPG: 15.1
Pitcher Rating: 74.9 Pitcher Rank: 7
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HC%
L30 Days 6 89.2 3.42 4.40 22.8% 4.9% 8.6% 49.4% 22.5% 29.2%
2016 29 97.8 4.00 4.27 22.2% 7.6% 9.3% 46.4% 30.9% 33.1%
2015 31 95.1 3.77 3.79 22.3% 9.1% 9.8% 53.8% 26.6% 28.7%

Home (2015-16):—ERA: 3.85 — K%: 23.8% — wOBA Allowed: 0.303
Away (2015-16):—ERA: 4.19 — K%: 20.8% — wOBA Allowed: 0.318

Gio is an interesting pitcher, as he has decent numbers with a 4.00 SIERA and 22.8% strikeout rate, but he seems to let people down when he is in solid matchups. Today, he takes on a Braves squad that is ranked 28th in team wOBA against lefties. Still, they have been a much better offense lately, and Gio has struggled in his starts against the Braves this year (14.2 innings, 10 earned runs), which again makes him not an easy pitcher to play today. He is best used for tournament settings, as he is a big favorite against the Braves and should see a good amount of run support.

Josh Collmenter
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $4,000 Salary: $4,000
FPPG: 6.3 FPPG: 2.9
Pitcher Rating: 39.6 Pitcher Rank: 28
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HC%
2016 0 0.0 4.66 4.84 17.5% 11.3% 6.8% 47.7% 30.8% 31.3%
2015 12 160.4 4.71 3.79 12.6% 4.8% 6.9% 34.5% 40.0% 31.6%

Home (2015-16):—ERA: 4.31 — K%: 13.5% — wOBA Allowed: 0.342
Away (2015-16):—ERA: 3.43 — K%: 13.3% — wOBA Allowed: 0.326

Collmenter is being called up for the start today in what will be his first appearance since late July. He was used only out of the bullpen this year, and he has a 4.86 SIERA to go along with a low 17.5% strikeout rate. He is not trustable as far as pitch counts are concerned and should be avoided in all formats against a solid Nationals offense.

Batter Grind Down

Washington

Collmenter has allowed a wOBA of .317-plus to batters from both sides of the plate this year including a .384 wOBA to lefty bats. That bodes well for two of the top bats in the lineup in Daniel Murphy and Bryce Harper who should be licking their chops against Collmenter today.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP HC% vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Trea Turner RIGHT 0.392 0.232 32.3% 0.376 OF $4,100 2B/OF $5,400
2 Jayson Werth RIGHT 0.296 0.145 33.3% 0.218 OF $3,800 OF $3,500
3 Daniel Murphy LEFT 0.423 0.262 41.3% 0.441 2B $3,900 2B $5,400
4 Bryce Harper LEFT 0.358 0.198 33.8% 0.300 OF $3,700 OF $5,000
5 Anthony Rendon RIGHT 0.344 0.190 37.8% 0.348 3B $3,600 3B $4,200
6 Wilson Ramos RIGHT 0.354 0.164 34.6% 0.284 C $3,500 C $4,000
7 Ryan Zimmerman RIGHT 0.272 0.140 33.8% 0.219 1B $3,000 1B $3,000
8 Danny Espinosa SWITCH 0.298 0.135 30.2% 0.173 SS $2,700 SS $2,800
9 Gio Gonzalez LEFT 0.172 0.029 17.4% 0.219 P $8,600 P $8,600
Team Averages — 0.323 0.166 32.7% 0.286 — — — —

Elite Plays – Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, Trea Turner

Secondary Plays – Jayson Werth, Anthony Rendon

Stackability – ORANGE

Atlanta

Gio has been able to shut down lefties this year (.257 wOBA allowed), but has struggled a bit against righties, as he has allowed a .323 wOBA to them on the season. The Braves have the third-lowest team total on the entire day, making them a tough offense to target unless you are looking for value.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP HC% vs. LHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Ender Inciarte LEFT 0.310 0.058 16.7% 0.315 OF $2,900 OF $3,400
2 Adonis Garcia RIGHT 0.322 0.090 28.4% 0.340 3B $2,600 3B $3,100
3 Freddie Freeman LEFT 0.363 0.200 43.4% 0.446 1B $3,600 1B $4,500
4 Matt Kemp RIGHT 0.381 0.286 31.6% 0.437 OF $3,400 OF $4,600
5 Nick Markakis LEFT 0.278 0.073 34.0% 0.372 OF $2,800 OF $3,700
6 Tyler Flowers RIGHT 0.335 0.145 39.7% 0.305 C $2,300 C $3,200
7 Gordon Beckham RIGHT 0.319 0.157 28.6% 0.197 2B $2,000 2B/3B $2,700
8 Dansby Swanson RIGHT 0.511 0.500 40.0% 0.355 SS $2,900 SS $2,600
9 Josh Collmenter RIGHT P $4,000 P $4,000
Team Averages — 0.352 0.189 32.8% 0.346 — — — —

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Adonis Garcia, Freddie Freeman

Stackability – RED

Milwaukee at Chicago Cubs – 4:05 PM ET

Milwaukee Chicago Cubs
Article Image Zach Davies Article Image Jake Arrieta
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
CHC -270 9.0
Stats wOBA HR All. HC% K% Stats wOBA HR All. HC% K%
SP vs. Left (2016) 0.329 9 33.8% 19.0% SP vs. Left (2016) 0.259 6 30.5% 25.1%
SP vs. Right (2016) 0.287 9 33.1% 20.7% SP vs. Right (2016) 0.245 8 21.5% 22.6%

Pitcher Grind Down

Zach Davies
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $7,500 Salary: $6,500
FPPG: 29.3 FPPG: 15.0
Pitcher Rating: 53.4 Pitcher Rank: 20
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HC%
L30 Days 6 95.8 3.87 4.84 22.2% 5.1% 10.8% 36.8% 36.8% 37.7%
2016 26 93.3 4.10 3.87 19.9% 5.8% 8.4% 44.9% 33.5% 33.4%

Home (2015-16):—ERA: 3.89 — K%: 21.1% — wOBA Allowed: 0.306
Away (2015-16):—ERA: 3.77 — K%: 16.8% — wOBA Allowed: 0.297

Davies has been better recently and is on a decent four-start streak where he has allowed just six runs over 26.1 innings pitched. He doesn’t have a huge strikeout rating (19.9%), which makes him a difficult play against a Cubs squad that is ranked third in runs per game and also has a huge run total as the wind does appear to be blowing out to right center. The weather factor alone today makes him an easy fade.

Jake Arrieta
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $11,000 Salary: $10,700
FPPG: 38.6 FPPG: 21.1
Pitcher Rating: 86.5 Pitcher Rank: 4
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HC%
L30 Days 5 96.8 5.17 4.60 17.7% 13.7% 9.3% 55.4% 26.5% 23.8%
2016 28 100.7 3.95 2.91 23.8% 9.6% 10.2% 53.6% 27.7% 25.5%
2015 33 104.2 2.75 1.77 27.1% 5.5% 11.1% 56.2% 22.8% 22.1%

Home (2015-16):—ERA: 2.30 — K%: 27.6% — wOBA Allowed: 0.239
Away (2015-16):—ERA: 2.24 — K%: 23.8% — wOBA Allowed: 0.236

Arrieta has had an overall disappointing second half of the season in terms of what Cubs fans expected of him. Even so, he does have a 3.95 SIERA on the year to go along with a solid 23.8% strikeout rate. He gets a solid matchup against the Brewers, who are ranked in the bottom third in the league in many of the offensive categories below and strikeout at the highest rate in the majors against righties at 25.4%. Price and Arrieta are in very similar spots today and are basically 1a and 1b for top pitching options in the day slate.

Batter Grind Down

Milwaukee

The Brewers are an easy fade today against Arrieta, who has allowed a wOBA of under .259 to batters from both sides of the plate this year. The Brewers have the lowest projected team total of the day and should be avoided.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP HC% vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Jonathan Villar SWITCH 0.341 0.150 34.8% 0.369 3B $3,400 3B/SS $4,100
2 Scooter Gennett LEFT 0.310 0.141 29.9% 0.355 2B $2,700 2B $3,100
3 Ryan Braun RIGHT 0.363 0.219 32.9% 0.333 OF $3,000 OF $4,000
4 Chris Carter RIGHT 0.328 0.238 40.1% 0.401 1B $3,100 1B $3,100
5 Domingo Santana RIGHT 0.308 0.146 36.0% 0.452 OF $3,000 OF $3,500
6 Orlando Arcia RIGHT 0.231 0.112 22.2% 0.344 SS $2,900 SS $2,700
7 Jake Elmore RIGHT 0.226 0.000 16.7% 0.411 2B $2,000 OF $2,200
8 Manny Pina RIGHT 0.369 0.200 39.1% 0.328 C $2,400 C $2,200
9 Zach Davies RIGHT 0.107 0.000 14.3% 0.000 P $7,500 P $6,500
Team Averages — 0.287 0.134 29.6% 0.333 — — — —

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Jonathan Villar

Stackability – RED

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs opened as the biggest favorites of the entire slate at a monster line of -270. They have a big-time run total of 5.48, which is the third-highest of the entire day. Davies has struggled a bit more against lefties (.329 wOBA allowed) than righties (.287). But with the wind blowing out, the entire offense is in play today.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP HC% vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Dexter Fowler SWITCH 0.355 0.165 27.9% 0.361 OF $4,000 OF $4,600
2 Kris Bryant RIGHT 0.391 0.254 42.0% 0.250 3B $4,000 3B/OF $4,600
3 Anthony Rizzo LEFT 0.410 0.286 39.7% 0.393 1B $4,200 1B $5,200
4 Ben Zobrist SWITCH 0.348 0.167 33.2% 0.307 2B $3,200 2B $4,100
5 Addison Russell RIGHT 0.314 0.159 30.0% 0.321 SS $2,600 SS $3,500
6 Jorge Soler RIGHT 0.327 0.190 31.4% 0.309 OF $2,500 OF $4,000
7 Jason Heyward LEFT 0.275 0.088 26.2% 0.163 OF $3,000 OF $3,100
8 Miguel Montero LEFT 0.302 0.158 29.3% 0.431 C $2,400 C $3,100
9 Jake Arrieta RIGHT 0.298 0.200 35.0% 0.439 P $11,000 P $10,700
Team Averages — 0.336 0.185 32.7% 0.330 — — — —

Elite Plays – Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Dexter Fowler, Ben Zobrist

Secondary Plays – Addison Russell, Jayson Heyward

Stackability – GREEN

Detroit at Cleveland – 4:10 PM ET

Detroit Cleveland
Article Image Justin Verlander Article Image Carlos Carrasco
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
CLE -132 8.0
Stats wOBA HR All. HC% K% Stats wOBA HR All. HC% K%
SP vs. Left (2016) 0.276 14 26.3% 31.0% SP vs. Left (2016) 0.313 11 38.5% 24.9%
SP vs. Right (2016) 0.284 14 32.3% 23.4% SP vs. Right (2016) 0.292 10 34.5% 25.2%

Pitcher Grind Down

Justin Verlander
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $9,700 Salary: $10,400
FPPG: 39.8 FPPG: 22.3
Pitcher Rating: 79.2 Pitcher Rank: 5
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HC%
L30 Days 6 109.0 3.30 2.95 30.1% 3.9% 11.6% 23.0% 59.0% 42.6%
2016 30 107.7 3.54 3.33 27.0% 6.1% 11.8% 33.3% 47.7% 29.6%
2015 20 107.5 3.95 3.37 21.1% 6.0% 10.0% 34.6% 45.5% 23.0%

Home (2015-16):—ERA: 3.55 — K%: 26.2% — wOBA Allowed: 0.280
Away (2015-16):—ERA: 3.07 — K%: 22.6% — wOBA Allowed: 0.277

Verlander has turned in a solid season up to this point and has a 3.53 SIERA and elite 27% strikeout rate to show for it. The problem with Verlander today is the tough matchup against the Indians, who rank fifth in wOBA and seventh in ISO against right-handed pitching. Verlander has been terrible against the Indians this year (9.18 ERA in three starts), which makes me nervous about using him much in this matchup against Carrasco and Cleveland. Arrieta and Price are much better options for not a whole lot more salary and are both safer options.

Carlos Carrasco
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $10,200 Salary: $9,900
FPPG: 35.8 FPPG: 19.5
Pitcher Rating: 94.1 Pitcher Rank: 2
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HC%
L30 Days 5 99.6 2.34 2.97 31.9% 2.2% 13.9% 51.6% 27.5% 38.5%
2016 23 94.0 3.39 3.15 25.6% 5.7% 12.2% 49.0% 31.9% 35.5%
2015 30 92.6 2.74 3.63 29.6% 5.9% 14.0% 51.2% 29.8% 27.5%

Home (2015-16):—ERA: 4.69 — K%: 24.6% — wOBA Allowed: 0.340
Away (2015-16):—ERA: 2.29 — K%: 31.0% — wOBA Allowed: 0.235

Carrasco has been hit or miss for a number of starts this season. While he has looked mostly solid (3.44 SIERA, 25.1% strikeout rate), he has also pitched four innings or less in three of his last ten starts. Opposite of many pitchers in the early slate, Carrasco has had great success this season against his opponent and has a 0.51 ERA in three starts against Detroit. He makes a solid tournament target this afternoon who will likely be very low owned in comparison to the bigger aces in better matchups.

Batter Grind Down

I like Carrasco a lot in this spot against the Tigers. He is a slight favorite today, and the Tigers have a projected team total of just 3.81, which is the seventh-lowest total of the day. Their bats are too expensive to trust in a tough matchup against Carrasco.

Detroit

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP HC% vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Ian Kinsler RIGHT 0.341 0.188 34.1% 0.416 2B $3,200 2B $4,500
2 Cameron Maybin RIGHT 0.354 0.104 22.2% 0.256 OF $2,800 OF $3,600
3 Miguel Cabrera RIGHT 0.385 0.243 39.8% 0.437 1B $3,200 1B $4,900
4 Victor Martinez SWITCH 0.351 0.197 40.9% 0.282 C $2,900 1B $3,400
5 J.D. Martinez RIGHT 0.401 0.239 38.5% 0.323 OF $3,200 OF $3,600
6 Justin Upton RIGHT 0.303 0.180 38.0% 0.380 OF $3,000 OF $3,600
7 James McCann RIGHT 0.226 0.067 26.1% 0.244 C $2,300 C $2,800
8 Erick Aybar SWITCH 0.279 0.089 22.3% 0.350 SS $2,200 SS $3,200
9 Jose Iglesias RIGHT 0.261 0.051 12.4% 0.294 SS $2,200 SS $2,300
Team Averages — 0.322 0.151 30.5% 0.331 — — — —

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Miguel Cabrera, Ian Kinsler

Stackability – RED

Cleveland

The Indians have a 4.19 projected run total which is in the bottom third of totals in the league today. I don’t love Verlander today, but it is hard to trust the bats on the Indians today as well.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP HC% vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Carlos Santana SWITCH 0.370 0.274 38.2% 0.388 1B $3,400 1B $4,400
2 Jason Kipnis LEFT 0.350 0.202 38.4% 0.333 2B $3,300 2B $3,900
3 Francisco Lindor SWITCH 0.361 0.144 26.5% 0.342 SS $3,400 SS $3,900
4 Mike Napoli RIGHT 0.344 0.251 35.3% 0.299 1B $3,600 1B $3,700
5 Jose Ramirez SWITCH 0.355 0.142 25.5% 0.361 P $4,000 P $4,000
6 Coco Crisp SWITCH 0.309 0.176 24.1% 0.347 OF $2,600 OF $3,400
7 Tyler Naquin LEFT 0.385 0.255 41.5% 0.341 OF $2,900 OF $3,300
8 Roberto Perez RIGHT 0.265 0.114 23.0% 0.297 C $2,300 C $2,400
9 Michael Martinez SWITCH 0.272 0.103 22.7% 0.351 SS $2,100 2B/OF $2,300
Team Averages — 0.335 0.185 30.6% 0.340 — — — —

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor

Stackability – RED

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati – 4:10 PM ET

Pittsburgh Cincinnati
Article Image Jameson Taillon Article Image Anthony DeSclafani
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
CIN -125 9.0
Stats wOBA HR All. HC% K% Stats wOBA HR All. HC% K%
SP vs. Left (2016) 0.300 4 32.6% 18.6% SP vs. Left (2016) 0.367 11 30.4% 21.3%
SP vs. Right (2016) 0.287 6 33.9% 22.8% SP vs. Right (2016) 0.225 3 31.8% 22.2%

Pitcher Grind Down

Jameson Taillon
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $7,300 Salary: $6,800
FPPG: 28.0 FPPG: 15.4
Pitcher Rating: 77.2 Pitcher Rank: 6
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HC%
L30 Days 5 83.6 3.46 4.18 22.3% 4.5% 9.3% 52.6% 26.9% 30.0%
2016 15 86.3 3.48 3.27 20.6% 3.7% 8.5% 53.5% 24.6% 33.2%

Home (2015-16):—ERA: 2.78 — K%: 19.6% — wOBA Allowed: 0.276
Away (2015-16):—ERA: 4.09 — K%: 22.1% — wOBA Allowed: 0.322

Taillon has had a great start to his young career, as he sports a 3.47 SIERA after his first 15 starts. His strikeout rate of 20.6% makes him a decent play in all formats today, but he is pitching in a hitter’s park against the Reds, which takes a bit of value away, but not enough that should scare you away from playing him as his price makes him a solid SP2 this afternoon.

Anthony DeSclafani
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,300 Salary: $8,300
FPPG: 35.0 FPPG: 18.8
Pitcher Rating: 72.9 Pitcher Rank: 9
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HC%
L30 Days 5 98.4 3.62 2.57 22.5% 2.9% 10.4% 38.6% 37.6% 32.0%
2016 17 99.9 3.91 2.93 21.7% 5.1% 9.7% 39.5% 37.5% 31.0%
2015 31 94.0 4.08 4.05 19.2% 7.0% 9.5% 45.1% 33.6% 31.4%

Home (2015-16):—ERA: 4.20 — K%: 20.3% — wOBA Allowed: 0.339
Away (2015-16):—ERA: 3.08 — K%: 19.9% — wOBA Allowed: 0.292

DeSclafani gets the start for the Reds this afternoon. He comes into the game with a decent 3.91 SIERA and 21.7% strikeout rate. His matchup against the Pirates is solid as they are ranked 18th in wOBA and 27th in ISO against righties. The Reds are slight favorites today, making DeSclafani a decent play, but the price is a bit tough to play.

Batter Grind Down

Pittsburgh

If you want to attack DeSlafani, it should be from the left side of the plate. He has shut down righties this year (.225 wOBA allowed), while lefties have mashed him for a .367 wOBA allowed. This puts guys like Jaso, Joyce, and Polanco in play today.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP HC% vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 John Jaso LEFT 0.330 0.123 29.0% 0.277 1B $3,200 1B $3,100
2 Matt Joyce LEFT 0.394 0.253 38.3% 0.329 OF $2,100 OF $3,400
3 Andrew McCutchen RIGHT 0.322 0.163 36.0% 0.338 OF $3,900 OF $4,400
4 Gregory Polanco LEFT 0.338 0.212 37.4% 0.209 OF $3,400 OF $4,000
5 Jung-Ho Kang RIGHT 0.379 0.275 41.4% 0.591 3B $3,600 3B $4,800
6 Sean Rodriguez RIGHT 0.322 0.219 41.4% 0.388 OF $2,900 2B/OF $4,000
7 Francisco Cervelli RIGHT 0.292 0.046 23.4% 0.345 C $2,800 C $2,700
8 Jordy Mercer RIGHT 0.294 0.103 25.1% 0.254 SS $2,500 SS $3,200
9 Jameson Taillon RIGHT 0.038 0.000 8.3% 0.000 P $7,300 P $6,800
Team Averages — 0.301 0.155 31.1% 0.303 — — — —

Elite Plays – Gregory Polanco

Secondary Plays – Matt Joyce, John Jaso, Josh Bell

Stackability – RED

Cincinnati

Taillon has allowed a .300 wOBA to lefties on the year, while keeping righties down to a wOBA of .287. The Reds do have a high projected run total of 4.65, which is the tenth-highest total of the day. Its tough to love their offense, especially on the early slate, which has two really solid offenses in great spots today.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP HC% vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Jose Peraza RIGHT 0.323 0.075 22.8% 0.347 SS $2,800 OF/SS $4,300
2 Steve Selsky RIGHT 0.146 0.000 14.3% 0.000 OF $2,000 OF $2,800
3 Joey Votto LEFT 0.417 0.244 41.6% 0.436 1B $4,000 1B $5,500
4 Adam Duvall RIGHT 0.338 0.270 38.5% 0.211 OF $2,700 OF $4,500
5 Brandon Phillips RIGHT 0.327 0.124 28.3% 0.404 2B $3,100 2B $4,200
6 Scott Schebler LEFT 0.318 0.158 35.3% 0.358 OF $3,100 OF $3,400
7 Eugenio Suarez RIGHT 0.302 0.148 34.5% 0.352 3B $3,000 3B $3,800
8 Ramon Cabrera SWITCH 0.254 0.086 22.0% 0.256 C $2,200 C $3,000
9 Anthony DeSclafani RIGHT 0.111 0.000 25.0% 0.000 P $8,300 P $8,300
Team Averages — 0.282 0.123 29.1% 0.263 — — — —

Elite Plays – Joey Votto

Secondary Plays – Jose Peraza, Adam Duvall

Stackability – ORANGE

Want to discuss strategy for today’s games? Head over to the RotoGrinders Forums

Jump to Page 1 2 3

Page 3 will be posted shortly!

About the Author

Ryan138
Ryan138

Ryan (Ryan138) is from Chicago and has been playing fantasy sports for over 10 years. He has been playing daily fantasy sports for over 2 years since he was introduced to Daily Joust in late 2010. In the last year, Ryan has risen into the Top 100 of the RotoGrinders leaderboards by playing at DraftDay, DraftKings and FanDuel in all the major sports.