MLB Grind Down: Saturday, September 6th Page Two
Kansas City at NY Yankees
| Kansas City | NY Yankees | ||||||||
| Danny Duffy | Vegas Moneyline | Brandon McCarthy | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | NYY (-125) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.128 | 0.360 | 0.170 | 18.00% | SP vs. Left | 0.292 | 0.750 | 0.331 | 21.00% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.219 | 0.651 | 0.292 | 19.30% | SP vs. Right | 0.271 | 0.757 | 0.328 | 20.80% |
| Batter Splits | KCR BvP  | KCR vs R | Batter Splits | NYY BvP | NYY vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Danny Duffy – Danny Duffy’s emergence is one of the main reasons the Royals find themselves leading the AL Central right now. Through 141.1 innings of work, he sports an impressive 2.42 ERA and 1.08 WHIP and he’s allowed two earned runs or less in 13 of his last 15 starts. He’s been nearly unhittable since the All-Star break, posting a 1.91 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in nine second half starts. Things won’t be easy for him today as he’ll head into Yankee Stadium to take on a New York team who had a bit of success against him in their only other meeting this year. His advanced stats point to a regression (4.42 xFIP and .232 BABIP) but I’m becoming a believer. Rating = 6.5
Salaries: $7200 FD, $12050 DD, $7700 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $12050 FTD
- Brandon McCarthy – After consecutive rough outings (in Detroit and in Toronto), McCarthy will be happy to return to Yankee Stadium where he’s been nearly unhittable since being acquired by the Yankees. In five home starts in New York, he owns a 4-1 record, 1.09 ERA and 0.91 WHIP while racking up 38 strikeouts over 33 innings of work. While his season long stat line doesn’t stand out as being impressive, he was the victim of some bad luck early this season with Arizona and his 2.85 xFIP is a better indicator of his pitching ability. This Royals team doesn’t strikeout often which limits his upside a bit, but he’s an excellent option to fill out your rotation on multi-pitcher sites. Rating = 6.5
Salaries: $7200 FD, $15000 DD, $8100 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $15150 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Kansas City
Alex Gordon – Gordon has really turned things on since the All-Star break, posting .301 average and a .899 OPS. He owns a solid .359 wOBA against right handed pitching, has homered four times over the last ten days and is also 5 for 12 in his career against McCarthy.
Additional Plays: Josh Willingham, Salvador Perez
NY Yankees
Mark Teixeira – It wouldn’t be wise to sniff any of the left-handed bats from the Yankees lineup against Duffy as they’ve own an ugly .170 wOBA against him this year, but right-handed bats have had some success. Teixeira owns a .918 OPS during his career against left-handed pitching and
Additional Plays: Derek Jeter
NY Mets at Cincinnati
| NY Mets | Cincinnati | ||||||||
| Dillon Gee | Vegas Moneyline | Johnny Cueto | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | CIN (-167) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.237 | 0.721 | 0.319 | 12.40% | SP vs. Left | 0.199 | 0.567 | 0.260 | 23.50% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.214 | 0.657 | 0.294 | 21.90% | SP vs. Right | 0.187 | 0.585 | 0.261 | 26.40% |
| Batter Splits | NYM BvP | NYM vs R | Batter Splits | CIN BvP | CIN vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Dillon Gee – After a very impressive (yet injury riddled) first half of the season, things have turned ugly for Gee since the All-Star break as he sports an unsightly 2-5 record and 5.20 ERA in nine second half starts. With that said, he still owns a very respectable 3.81 ERA on the season and has walked away with wins in each of his last two starts. He’ll take on a Cincinnati lineup who own the league’s worst wOBA since the All-Star break (.270 wOBA) and who Gee pitched admirably against in their only previous meeting this season. A shift from spacious Citi Field to the hitter friendly Great American Ballpark won’t help his fantasy value, and his modest strikeout totals also work against him but he’s still in play as a secondary option on multi-pitcher sites. Rating = 4.5
Salaries: $6600 FD, $11650 DD, $7100 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $11550 FTD
- Johnny Cueto – Cueto will look to continue his breakout season at home against a New York Mets team that ranks 28th in MLB with a .295 wOBA against right-handed pitching. He has pitched brilliantly all season at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, posting a 9-4 record, 1.97 ERA and 0.85 WHIP in 14 home starts. This Mets offense has been sputtering all season and now owns the leagues worth wOBA since the All-Star break. Cueto is a top tier option in all formats. Rating = 9
Salaries: $10200 FD, $19000 DD, $11200 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $18950 FTD
Batter Grind Down
NY Mets
Lucas Duda – While I won’t be targeting any Mets batters in cash games, Duda is worth consideration in GPP’s. He owns a .404 wOBA against right-handed pitching and has already smacked a homerun off of Cueto in their brief history.
Additional Plays: None
Cincinnati
Devin Mesoraco – Mesoraco has gone deep in back-to-back games and is now sporting a .388 wOBA against right-handed pitching. He owns a .321 batting average in day games today and has power potential that few catchers can match.
Additional Plays: Billy Hamilton, Jay Bruce
Chicago White Sox at Cleveland
| Chicago White Sox | Cleveland | ||||||||
| Jose Quintana | Vegas Moneyline | Corey Kluber | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | CLE (-163) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.236 | 0.641 | 0.283 | 21.10% | SP vs. Left | 0.250 | 0.728 | 0.321 | 26.90% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.255 | 0.657 | 0.293 | 19.90% | SP vs. Right | 0.218 | 0.562 | 0.250 | 27.30% |
| Batter Splits | CHW BvP | CHW vs R | Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jose Quintana – Quintana will get a chance at redemption against a Cleveland team who roughed him up for six earned runs just last week. He’ll head to Progressive Field for the first time this season despite meeting up with the Indians already three times this season, and he sports a 2-0 record with a 1.53 ERA there in his three career starts. While he had a forgettable August, he still owns a solid 3.44 ERA after 28 starts this season and this lefty heavy Cleveland team ranks #26th in wOBA against left-handed pitching. Rating = 5
Salaries: $7100 FD, $14250 DD, $7400 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $14200 FTD
- Corey Kluber – Kluber’s Cy Young caliber season has taken a turn for the worse lately, as he’s taken a loss in each of his last three starts and bottomed out on Monday when he allowed five runs to the Tigers before exiting after 2.2 innings of work. Word coming out of the Indians dressing room are that he’s dealing with mechanical problems and they feel like they’ve identified his problems. While there is no doubt some added risk with him right now, he does own a 12-5 record, 2.65 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 9.36 K’s/9 over 26 home starts dating back to the beginning of last season. Rating = 5.5
Salaries: $9900 FD, $20300 DD, $11500 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $20850 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Chicago White Sox
Jose Abreu – The hottest hitter in baseball extended his hitting streak to 14 games last night, and is now hitting .389 since the All-Star break. He owns a ridiculous .283 ISO and .415 wOBA against right handed pitching. If that’s not enough, he has also punished Corey Kluber this season as well, going 6 for 13 with a double and a homerun.
Additional Plays: Adam Eaton, Conor Gillespie
Cleveland
Yan Gomes – With a lefty on the mound (Quintana) for the White Sox, Gomes jumps towards the top of the catcher rankings today. He owns a .352 average against left-handed pitching this season and is hitting .357 since the All-Star break.
Additional Plays: Michael Brantley, Lonnie Chisenhall, Jason Kipnis
Toronto at Boston
| Toronto | Boston | ||||||||
| J.A. Happ | Vegas Moneyline | Clay Buchholz | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | BOS (-130) | RIGHT | 9.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.252 | 0.856 | 0.371 | 23.10% | SP vs. Left | 0.287 | 0.800 | 0.356 | 16.40% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.270 | 0.767 | 0.337 | 18.80% | SP vs. Right | 0.258 | 0.698 | 0.306 | 19.10% |
| Batter Splits | TOR BvP | TOR vs R | Batter Splits | BOS BvP | BOS vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- J.A. Happ – Happ enters tonight’s game against the Red Sox with a 4.37 ERA, but he’s pitched much better since the break where he owns a 3.51 ERA in eight second half starts. He’ll head into Fenway Park to take on a Red Sox team who he’s already defeated twice this season (2-0 record with a 3.71 in three starts versus Boston). However, he sports rather dramatic home vs road splits this season and unfortunately for him this game is on the road where he sports a 5.60 ERA in 10 starts. Rating = 4.5
Salaries: $6600 FD, $12650 DD, $6800 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $12050 FTD
- Clay Buchholz -Is coming off an impressive CGSO against the Rays. He still owns a 5.40 ERA on the season. I still can’t trust Buchholz against the Jays Rating = 3
Salaries: $6700 FD, $13000 DD, $7000 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $12600 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Toronto
Joes Bautista*-Joey Bats has been lighting the world on fire lately. Over the last 7 days he is sporting a .600 wOBA and has hit 4 home runs. I look for him to continue his hot streak tonight against Buchholz.
Additional Plays: Adam Lind, Colby Rasmus, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Reyes
Boston
Dustin Pedroia – Pedroia has handled the bat very well versus left-handed pitching in his career (.309 career average) and things have been no different against J.A. Happ as he’s 5 for 15 with a pair of doubles and a homerun off of Him in his career. He may be having a down season, but he’s still a nice option at 2B today.
Additional Plays: Mike Napoli, Yoenis Cespedes, David Ortiz
Atlanta at Miami
| Atlanta | Miami | ||||||||
| Alex Wood | Vegas Moneyline | Nathan Eovaldi | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | ATL (-112) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.252 | 0.673 | 0.302 | 25.00% | SP vs. Left | 0.295 | 0.782 | 0.341 | 15.70% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.231 | 0.647 | 0.288 | 23.90% | SP vs. Right | 0.238 | 0.626 | 0.278 | 18.40% |
| Batter Splits | ATL BvP | ATL vs R | Batter Splits | MIA BvP | MIA vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Alex Wood – The scene may be shifting to South Florida, but Alex Wood certainly hopes the results of this game mirror that of last Sunday’s meeting against the Marlins. He dominated the Marlins in that game, tossing 8 shutout innings while fanning 12 Marlins in the process. He’s now lowered his ERA to 2.92 on the season thanks to a 2.28 ERA over nine second half starts. His worst start of the season came at the hands of the Marlins in this stadium, but his recent success makes him a solid option regardless. Rating = 6.5
Salaries: $8400 FD, $16900 DD, $9200 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $15850 FTD
- Nathan Eovaldi – He may have been out-dueled by Alex Wood earlier this week, but it was still a nice bounce-back outing for Eovaldi after being roughed up by the Angels in his prior start. He’s picked up losses in each of his last four starts, but has had decent success against the Braves this season (2.34 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in five starts). The Braves rank near the bottom of MLB in both wOBA and strikeout percentage against right-handed pitching, but Eovaldi owns a just a 1-6 ERA and 5.50 ERA during the second half and I simply don’t trust him right now. Rating = 4.5
Salaries: $6000 FD, $12250 DD, $6600 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $12100 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Atlanta
Jason Heyward – Lefties have posted a .341 wOBA against Eovaldi this season and Jason Heyward has worn him out in the past, going 11 for 29 with a double and a triple. He owns a solid .369 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season and has posted a .320 batting average since the All-Star break.
Additional Plays: Freddie Freeman
Miami
Giancarlo Stanton Stanton owns a .472 wOBA against lefties on the season.
Christian Yelich – Yelich sports a .328 batting average since the All-Star break. He’s been better at Marlins Park this season and has had success against Wood in the past (7 for 16).
Additional Plays: Giancarlo Stanton