MLB Grind Down: Sunday, April 13th - Page 2
Pittsburgh at Milwaukee
| Pittsburgh | Milwaukee | ||||||||
| Charlie Morton | Vegas Moneyline | Kyle Lohse | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | MIL (-133) | RIGHT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.309 | 0.756 | 0.370 | 17.4% | SP vs. Left | 0.269 | 0.768 | 0.339 | 16.4% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.221 | 0.552 | 0.254 | 18.0% | SP vs. Right | 0.249 | 0.639 | 0.284 | 15.5% |
| Batter Splits | PIT BvP  | PIT vs R | Batter Splits | MIL BvP | MIL vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Charlie Morton – Morton pitched well against the Brewers last season, but they were a Braun-less bunch and Morton comes into this game as a decent sized underdog. Morton keeps his ERA down, but is much better in PNC Park than he is on the road. Miller Park surrendered the 6th most runs of any ballpark last season. The good news for Morton is that the Brewers have very few LH batters in their lineup which is his biggest weakness. Rating = 5
- Kyle Lohse – Lohse is a pitcher that has trouble keeping the ball in the ballpark. He gave up 28 HR’s last season and unfortunately has to pitch half of his starts in Miller Park which surrendered the 5th most HR’s last season. Lohse did still manage to pitch well at home though as he posted a sub 3.00 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP in 16 starts at Miller Park last season. He has a decent matchup against Pirates, but is not the safest cash game play available. Rating = 6
Batter Grind Down
Pittsburgh
- Neil Walker – Last season Lohse gave up a .339 wOBA and a .768 OPS to LH batters. Walker is a switch hitter that hit from a higher average from the left side of the plate last season.
- Additional Plays: Pedro Alvarez, Jose Tabata
Milwaukee
- Scooter Gennett – Morton is extremely good at keeping RH batters in check as he held them to a .254 wOBA last season. His numbers against LH batters didn’t fare as well as he gave up a .370 wOBA. The Brewers have 3 LH batters in their lineup today and all 3 make great punt options.
- Additional Plays: Lyle Overbay, Logan Schafer
Kansas City at Minnesota
| Kansas City | Minnesota | ||||||||
| Jason Vargas | Vegas Moneyline | Kevin Correia | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | KCR (-130) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.312 | 0.754 | 0.332 | 13.8% | SP vs. Left | 0.292 | 0.784 | 0.346 | 13.3% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.251 | 0.721 | 0.324 | 17.7% | SP vs. Right | 0.303 | 0.803 | 0.352 | 12.6% |
| Batter Splits | KCR BvP | KCR vs R | Batter Splits | MIN BvP | MIN vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jason Vargas – Vargas is off to a great start this season. In his first two starts he has struck out 8 batters in 15 innings of work while only giving 1 earned run in each start. Vargas did struggle on the road last season though as he posted a 4.82 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. Vargas is not a high strikeout pitcher and the Twins have actually scored the 3rd most runs so far this season. Rating = 4
- Kevin Correia – Correia is not a pitcher that is used very often in daily fantasy baseball. He is one of the few starting pitchers in baseball with a sub 5.00 K/9. With such a low strikeout rate, it makes every run that he gives up hurt that much more. He is not a recommended fantasy option today against the Royals who have actually struck out the fewest times this season. Rating = 2
Batter Grind Down
Kansas City
- Eric Hosmer – Correia is equally bad against LH and RH batters so all Royals’ bats are in play today. Hosmer hit for a .292 average against RH pitching last season with 38 XBH’s. He is one of my favorite plays today in cash games.
- Additional Plays: Alex Gordon, Salvador Perez, Billy Butler
Minnesota
- Trevor Plouffe – Vargas gave up a .324 wOBA to RH batters last season and Plouffe has great power against LH pitching. Plouffe has an .849 OPS against LH pitching over the last 3 seasons and is off to a hot start this season.
- Chris Colabello – Colabello has been one of my favorite punt plays this season. He is still cheap across the industry and he has really hit well in big spots. Colabello already has 14 RBI’s and is batting .462 against LH pitching this season.
- Additional Plays: Brian Dozier
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis
| Chicago Cubs | St. Louis | ||||||||
| Edwin Jackson | Vegas Moneyline | Michael Wacha | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | STL (-225) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.293 | 0.801 | 0.364 | 18.9% | SP vs. Left | 0.210 | 0.539 | 0.245 | 22.1% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.273 | 0.743 | 0.333 | 16.2% | SP vs. Right | 0.229 | 0.654 | 0.290 | 26.3% |
| Batter Splits | CHC BvP | CHC vs R | Batter Splits | STL BvP | STL vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Edwin Jackson – Jackson is one of those pitchers that is only a viable fantasy options a few times a year. The matchup has to be right and that’s just not the case today against the Cardinals. Jackson posted a 5.36 ERA on the road last season and will have a very tough time getting any kind of run support with Wacha on the mound opposite him. Jackson is a +215 underdog and should not be on your radar. Rating = 2
- Michael Wacha – Wacha may be the safest cash game play on the schedule. He is a huge favorite and has a very favorable matchup against the Cubs. Wacha posted a 2.78 ERA with a K/9 of 9.1 last season and is off to an even better start in 2014. Wacha dominates at Busch Stadium and should be targeted in all leagues. Rating = 10
Batter Grind Down
Chicago
- Additional Plays: None
St. Louis
- Matt Holliday – Holliday is off to a slow start this season and his price is depressed on most fantasy sites. He has a great matchup today against Jackson who gave up a .333 wOBA to RH batters last season. You heard it here first: Holliday hits his first HR of the season today.
- Additional Plays: Matt Carpenter, Kolten Wong, Yadier Molina
Houston at Texas
| Houston | Texas | ||||||||
| Brett Oberholtzer | Vegas Moneyline | Martin Perez | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | TEX (-210) | LEFT | 9.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.272 | 0.697 | 0.309 | 15.8% | SP vs. Left | 0.279 | 0.717 | 0.328 | 18.0% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.219 | 0.626 | 0.278 | 15.7% | SP vs. Right | 0.270 | 0.729 | 0.322 | 15.7% |
| Batter Splits | HOU BvP | HOU vs L | Batter Splits | TEX BvP | TEX vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Brett Oberholtzer – I will make this one short. Obertholtzer has struggled in his first two starts and now has to face the Rangers in Arlington. He is a +200 underdog that is not a recommended play in any leagues. Rating = 2
- Martin Perez – Perez pitched well in Rangers Ballpark (which is now Globe Life Park) last season with a 3.36 ERA. He should receive plenty of run support today and he faces an Astros offense that has struck out the 3rd most times of any team this season. Rating = 7
Batter Grind Down
Houston
- Jose Altuve – Altuve is very solid against LH pitching. Last season he hit for a .287 average with 15 XBH’s. Altuve also has nice speed as he has 35 stolen bases on the season. He makes a nice hedge play if you are targeting Perez in cash games.
- Additional Plays: None
Texas
- Alex Rios – Rios hit for an OPS of .889 last season and makes a terrific play against Oberholtzer tonight. Rios has nice power against LH pitching and also still has good speed and will steal a base or two every now and then.
- Additional Plays: Elvis Andrus, Prince Fielder
NY Mets at LA Angels
| NY Mets | LA Angels | ||||||||
| Bartolo Colon | Vegas Moneyline | C.J. Wilson | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | LAA (-150) | LEFT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.255 | 0.665 | 0.291 | 14.4% | SP vs. Left | 0.173 | 0.506 | 0.234 | 29.2% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.275 | 0.658 | 0.290 | 16.3% | SP vs. Right | 0.266 | 0.726 | 0.330 | 18.6% |
| Batter Splits | NYM BvP | NYM vs L | Batter Splits | LAA BvP | LAA vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Bartolo Colon – Colon has given up 15 hits in his first two starts, but he has only given up 3 earned runs and he has yet to give up a walk. The old guy can still pitch. I’m not crazy about his matchup against the Angels though. He is a sizable underdog and he is not recommended outside of a deep tournament play. Rating = 5
- C.J. Wilson – Weaver was well on his way to a quality start before the 7th inning. After giving up a few hits, he was pulled the bullpen then gave up the lead. Hopefully that will not be the case with Wilson tonight. Wilson posted a 2.57 ERA at home last season and have a nice matchup against the Mets who aren’t great against LH pitching. Rating = 8
Batter Grind Down
New York
- Additional Plays: None
Los Angeles
- Mike Trout – Trout is always in play thanks to his ability to crush both LH and RH pitching as well as his ability to both hit HR’s and steal bases. Trout is expensive, but makes a nice play once again.
- Additional Plays: Kole Calhoun