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MLB Grind Down: Sunday, April 17th

by Sean Chard (maxdout) Last Updated 2016-04-19 18:38:33

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.

Seattle at NY Yankees – 1:05 PM

Seattle NY Yankees
Article Image Hisashi Iwakuma Article Image Masahiro Tanaka
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
NYY -148 7.5
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.303 8 21.0% 4.3% SP vs. Left 0.288 13 24.3% 4.9%
SP vs. Right 0.287 10 22.5% 4.6% SP vs. Right 0.287 13 21.5% 4.9%
Batter Splits Batter Splits
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

Hisashi Iwakuma
Article Image FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$8,900 Salary:$8,200
FPPG:27.0 FPPG:13.7
Pitcher Rating:
Statistics SIERA K% BB% HH% GB% O-wOBA O-K%
2015-16 3.39 21.7% 4.4% 27.9% 50.0% 6 11

Seattle pitching has handled the Yankees very well so far this series, winning both games thus far with a total of 3 runs against. They will go for the sweep today in New York. Hisashi Iwakuma makes his third start to the season this afternoon and is still looking for his first win. That may be tough to come by though facing the Yankees in New York and up against Masahiro Tanaka. Iwakuma is an above average pitcher (career 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, .238 BAA), who is capable of a strong game and completing the sweep for the Mariners, however there are better options to choose from today, even as a GPP tournament play.

Masahiro Tanaka
Article Image FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$9,100 Salary:$10,300
FPPG:25.0 FPPG:14.1
Pitcher Rating:
Statistics SIERA K% BB% HH% GB% O-wOBA O-K%
2015-16 3.39 22.8% 4.9% 30.5% 47.6% 17 26

Tanaka is one of the most expensive pitchers on the board today in daily fantasy baseball. So far this season he hasn’t paid off his high salary, with two starts that were no-decisions, and less than six innings pitched in both. However, this could be the game where he puts up a big fantasy score. Tanaka has dominated the Mariners in three previous career starts – 3 wins, 24 innings pitched (average of seven and two-thirds per start), 27 strikeouts, 2.35 ERA and 0.74 WHIP. He likely won’t be that popular in GPPs because of his very high salary, but paying up for him could lead to tournament victories.

Batter Grind Down

Seattle

The Mariners bats are an easy fade this afternoon, facing a tough pitcher, who they haven’t had much success against Tanaka. The one exception is Kyle Seager, who has two homers in nine career at-bats against him. On the flip side, Nelson Cruz and Robinson Cano are a combined 1/22 against Tanaka. Daily fantasy players can look elsewhere for players in their lineup for both the early-only and all-day slates.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Norichika Aoki LEFT 0.318 0.114 OF $2,600 OF $3,300
2 Ketel Marte SWITCH 0.338 0.092 SS $2,500 SS $3,300
3 Robinson Cano LEFT 0.358 0.194 2B $3,600 2B $4,000
4 Nelson Cruz RIGHT 0.374 0.248 OF $4,300 OF $3,900
5 Kyle Seager LEFT 0.321 0.163 3B $3,200 3B $3,600
6 Chris Iannetta RIGHT 0.251 0.130 C $2,800 C $2,500
7 Franklin Gutierrez RIGHT 0.383 0.347 OF $2,400 OF $2,900
8 Dae-ho Lee RIGHT 0.000 0.000 1B $2,500 1B $2,700
9 Leonys Martin LEFT 0.283 0.121 OF $2,600 OF $2,600
Team Averages — 0.292 0.157 — $2,944 — $3,200

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Kyle Seager

NY Yankees

The Yankees are loaded with left-handed batters, and many of them have had some success against Iwakuma including Beltran (3 for 5) and McCann (2 for 5 with a homer). Overall, Iwakuma does hold LHB largely in check, but the Yankees bats are relentless against right-handed pitching (see the wOBA numbers above), and they can pile up the runs.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Jacoby Ellsbury LEFT 0.294 0.102 OF $3,400 OF $4,200
2 Brett Gardner LEFT 0.318 0.140 OF $2,900 OF $3,900
3 Alex Rodriguez RIGHT 0.345 0.217 3B $2,900 1B/3B $3,500
4 Mark Teixeira SWITCH 0.402 0.342 1B $3,400 1B $4,100
5 Brian McCann LEFT 0.339 0.220 C $3,300 C $3,400
6 Carlos Beltran SWITCH 0.353 0.193 OF $3,200 OF $3,500
7 Chase Headley SWITCH 0.297 0.101 3B $2,700 3B $3,300
8 Starlin Castro RIGHT 0.296 0.132 2B $2,800 2B $3,100
9 Didi Gregorius LEFT 0.312 0.123 SS $2,500 SS $2,900
Team Averages — 0.328 0.174 — $3,011 — $3,544

Elite Plays – Mark Teixeira

Secondary Plays – Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran, Brett Gardner

Atlanta at Miami – 1:10 PM

Atlanta Miami
Article Image Jhoulys Chacin Article Image Jarred Cosart
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
MIA -134 7.5
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.388 3 12.7% 11.1% SP vs. Left 0.307 3 19.0% 11.8%
SP vs. Right 0.220 1 30.0% 4.3% SP vs. Right 0.348 7 12.8% 11.0%
Batter Splits Batter Splits
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

Jhoulys Chacin
Article Image FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$6,000 Salary:$6,600
FPPG:42.0 FPPG:26.5
Pitcher Rating:
Statistics SIERA K% BB% HH% GB% O-wOBA O-K%
2015-16 3.75 21.8% 7.5% 36.2% 48.4% 26 6

Chacin makes his second career start for the Atlanta Braves, and will look to build on an impressive debut for them in Washington on Tuesday – 6 innings, 8 strikeouts, 0 runs, 0 BBs. He’ll look to perform well against another East division rival today when the Braves head to Miami. His low salary and strong first start will appeal to some as a tournament play, although he does have limited strikeout upside, and he has not fared well against the Marlins in his career.

Jarred Cosart
Article Image FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$6,200 Salary:$5,500
FPPG:14.0 FPPG:6.3
Pitcher Rating:
Statistics SIERA K% BB% HH% GB% O-wOBA O-K%
2015-16 4.72 15.8% 11.4% 27.8% 55.6% 26 2

Cosart won the Marlins’ fifth starter job out of spring training, but the outlook for him wasn’t that positive. Cosart has a poor strikeout to walk rate (1.4:1 in 2015) and that limits his abilities to go deep in games, and limits his upside for daily fantasy purposes. Even with lower price and facing the Braves, there isn’t much to like with Cosart today.

Batter Grind Down

Atlanta

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Mallex Smith LEFT 0.143 0.000 OF $2,200 OF $3,600
2 Nick Markakis LEFT 0.352 0.098 OF $3,300 OF $3,900
3 Freddie Freeman LEFT 0.382 0.230 1B $3,000 1B $4,400
4 Adonis Garcia RIGHT 0.319 0.174 3B $2,400 3B $2,900
5 Kelly Johnson LEFT 0.319 0.172 3B $2,000 2B/OF $3,000
6 A.J. Pierzynski LEFT 0.333 0.142 C $2,100 C $3,300
7 Erick Aybar SWITCH 0.283 0.073 SS $2,100 SS $3,400
8 Jace Peterson LEFT 0.297 0.095 2B $2,000 2B $3,200
9 Bud Norris RIGHT 0.099 0.000 P $5,800 P $7,400
Team Averages — 0.281 0.109 — $2,388 — $3,463

After losing their first nine games, the Braves have won their past two against the Marlins. The offense has been a big part of that, and led by Nick Markakis in the leadoff spot (.341 BA, .963 OPS). Freddie Freeman got off to an awful start at the plate but he is turning things around with RBI hits in his past two games. He also has three hits (including a home run) in nine career at-bats against Cosart. Either of those two bats could be a target for cash game lineups, and they could be combined with Gordon Beckham for a mini-stack of the first three batters in the Braves order.

Elite Plays – Nick Markakis

Secondary Plays – Freddie Freeman, Gordon Beckham

Miami

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Dee Gordon LEFT 0.330 0.087 2B $3,800 2B $4,700
2 Marcell Ozuna RIGHT 0.277 0.113 OF $3,000 OF $3,700
3 Christian Yelich LEFT 0.360 0.140 OF $3,900 OF $4,300
4 Giancarlo Stanton RIGHT 0.366 0.275 OF $4,800 OF $5,300
5 Martin Prado RIGHT 0.310 0.095 3B $2,900 3B $3,600
6 Justin Bour LEFT 0.356 0.244 1B $2,500 1B $3,300
7 Jacob Realmuto RIGHT 0.286 0.131 C $2,400 C $3,200
8 Adeiny Hechavarria RIGHT 0.273 0.085 SS $2,500 SS $2,900
9 Tom Koehler RIGHT 0.134 0.023 P $7,200 P $6,300
Team Averages — 0.299 0.133 — $3,225 — $3,875

The Marlins have lost three straight games, and their offense has been sputtering overall. Their offensive lead – Giancarlo Stanton – has been cold in that stretch (although he’s drawn four walks) and he will be tough to pay up for today, especially when factoring in that he is 1 for 10 career vs Chacin. There are some other players to look at though, starting with Justin Bour who homered yesterday and is batting .333/.438/.556 on the season. In the lead-off spot, Dee Gordon is always a threat for a multiple hit/run/SB game, and that is true again today. Christian Yelich has also gotten off to a strong start and can be added to a Marlins stack, or used as a one-off play.

Elite Plays – Dee Gordon, Justin Bour

Secondary Plays – Christian Yelich

Chicago White Sox at Tampa Bay – 1:10 PM

Chicago White Sox Tampa Bay
Article Image Jose Quintana Article Image Matt Moore
LEFT LEFT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
TB -112 7.5
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.279 5 22.1% 4.9% SP vs. Left 0.327 4 12.4% 6.2%
SP vs. Right 0.319 11 20.4% 5.2% SP vs. Right 0.362 7 19.6% 8.7%
Batter Splits Batter Splits
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

Jose Quintana
Article Image FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$8,300 Salary:$9,200
FPPG:37.0 FPPG:19.9
Pitcher Rating:
Statistics SIERA K% BB% HH% GB% O-wOBA O-K%
2015-16 3.61 20.8% 5.2% 27.2% 46.7% 6 20

Jose Quintana has delivered three straight seasons with 200 innings with an ERA in the low to mid 3s. He’s off to a good start in 2016, with a win a just three runs allowed in two starts. He’ll have another road start today in Tampa Bay, and the White Sox are slight underdogs. With a full slate of 15 games, Quintana will rank in the middle of the pack for pitchers to focus on today.

Matt Moore
Article Image FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$6,000 Salary:$7,900
FPPG:28.5 FPPG:16.3
Pitcher Rating:
Statistics SIERA K% BB% HH% GB% O-wOBA O-K%
2015-16 4.54 17.4% 8.0% 31.8% 39.1% 29 9

Matt Moore is a pitcher of interest for tournament play today. He has many of the elements we look for in an upside play on the mound, including strikeout upside, a good chance at the win, and a low salary. Prior to his Tommy John surgery in 2014, we saw many big games from Moore. He seems to be fully back on track following that now, and he could be back to that form this season.

Batter Grind Down

Chicago White Sox

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Adam Eaton LEFT 0.303 0.069 OF $3,100 OF $3,300
2 Jimmy Rollins SWITCH 0.349 0.149 SS $2,700 SS $3,700
3 Jose Abreu RIGHT 0.299 0.124 1B $3,600 1B $4,300
4 Todd Frazier RIGHT 0.373 0.342 3B $3,700 3B $4,300
5 Melky Cabrera SWITCH 0.256 0.091 OF $2,800 OF $3,800
6 Brett Lawrie RIGHT 0.355 0.189 2B $2,400 2B $3,700
7 Avisail Garcia RIGHT 0.321 0.113 OF $2,800 OF $3,300
8 Alex Avila LEFT 0.204 0.032 C $2,200 1B/C $2,700
9 Austin Jackson RIGHT 0.332 0.153 OF $2,600 OF $3,500
Team Averages — 0.310 0.140 — $2,878 — $3,622

The White Sox are off to an 8-3 start, although that is largely due to their league leading team ERA. They do have a very potent offense, but it has not exploded yet. The offense is also heavily right-handed, with batters that rake against LHP. Moore is a very capable pitcher, but the Sox bats could get to him. Not many of their big bats have faced Moore before, including Abreu and Frazier, although Melky Cabrera is 5 for 10 off him.

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Jose Abreu, Todd Frazier, Melky Cabrera

Tampa Bay

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Logan Forsythe RIGHT 0.404 0.306 2B $3,100 2B $3,700
2 Brandon Guyer RIGHT 0.371 0.182 OF $2,000 OF $3,100
3 Evan Longoria RIGHT 0.390 0.217 3B $2,900 3B $4,200
4 Steve Pearce RIGHT 0.269 0.155 OF $2,200 1B/OF $2,900
5 Desmond Jennings RIGHT 0.276 0.034 OF $2,500 OF $3,100
6 Steve Souza RIGHT 0.348 0.214 OF $2,900 OF $3,600
7 Tim Beckham RIGHT 0.304 0.220 SS $2,100 2B/SS $2,800
8 Kevin Kiermaier LEFT 0.269 0.103 OF $2,300 OF $2,800
9 Curt Casali RIGHT 0.348 0.290 C $2,100 C $2,900
Team Averages — 0.331 0.191 — $2,456 — $3,233

Many of the Rays batters have had success against Jose Quintana, and they could be an under-the-radar stack today. Logan Forsythe is 4/5 versus Quintana with a homer and five RBIs, while Evan Longoria, Steve Pearce and Desmond Jennings have also hit him well. A potential Rays stack is also very inexpensive, which will allow for high priced bats or an Ace starter elsewhere in your lineup.

Elite Plays – Logan Forsythe

Secondary Plays – Evan Longoria, Steve Pearce, Desmond Jennings, Steven Souza

NY Mets at Cleveland – 1:10 PM

NY Mets Cleveland
Article Image Steven Matz Article Image Corey Kluber
LEFT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
CLE -150 7.5
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.346 0 18.2% 15.9% SP vs. Left 0.322 11 25.5% 6.6%
SP vs. Right 0.304 5 22.9% 4.2% SP vs. Right 0.243 13 29.2% 3.7%
Batter Splits Batter Splits
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

Steven Matz
Article Image FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$7,700 Salary:$7,100
FPPG:-13.0 FPPG:-13.1
Pitcher Rating:
Statistics SIERA K% BB% HH% GB% O-wOBA O-K%
2015-16 3.84 21.6% 7.4% 21.9% 46.4% 13 6


After a stellar six start debut last season there was a lot of hype around Steven Matz coming into 2016. He was hit hard though in his first start of the season (7 ER in 1.2 IP against Miami), and we’ll wait and see how he bounces back from that. Even though his ownership level will be near zero, there isn’t much upside in using Matz in tournament lineups today, when on the road and facing Corey Kluber.

Corey Kluber
Article Image FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$10,600 Salary:$10,600
FPPG:25.5 FPPG:13.2
Pitcher Rating:
Statistics SIERA K% BB% HH% GB% O-wOBA O-K%
2015-16 3.04 27.2% 5.2% 26.8% 42.8% 21 16


Corey Kluber hasn’t been sharp so far this season, losing his first two starts and giving up seven earned runs. We know that Kluber can go off for a double-digit strikeout game at any time, which makes him always worth consideration as a (high priced) tournament play. For cash game lineups, he’s less of a sure thing, but he should get his first victory of the season today.

Batter Grind Down

NY Mets

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Curtis Granderson LEFT 0.374 0.215 OF $2,800 OF $3,800
2 David Wright RIGHT 0.342 0.117 3B $3,000 3B $3,600
3 Yoenis Cespedes RIGHT 0.378 0.254 OF $4,000 OF $4,000
4 Lucas Duda LEFT 0.350 0.224 1B $2,500 1B $3,700
5 Neil Walker SWITCH 0.332 0.178 2B $2,800 2B $3,400
6 Michael Conforto LEFT 0.368 0.244 OF $2,700 OF $3,000
7 Asdrubal Cabrera SWITCH 0.319 0.164 SS $2,700 SS $3,000
8 Travis D’Arnaud RIGHT 0.317 0.171 C $2,600 C $3,100
9 Alejandro De Aza LEFT 0.339 0.167 OF $2,300 OF $2,900
Team Averages — 0.347 0.193 — $2,822 — $3,389

Fade, fade, fade. There is no reason to roster any Mets against the 2014 Cy Young winner Kluber. The Mets batters (except Cespedes) haven’t had much success against Kluber, who is an effective pitcher against both left-handed and right-handed batters.

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – None

Cleveland

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Francisco Lindor SWITCH 0.391 0.199 SS $3,500 SS $3,800
2 Jose Ramirez SWITCH 0.260 0.095 P $4,000 2B/SS $3,100
3 Jason Kipnis LEFT 0.289 0.118 2B $3,700 2B $3,700
4 Mike Napoli RIGHT 0.408 0.289 1B $3,100 1B $3,800
5 Carlos Santana SWITCH 0.320 0.098 1B $3,000 1B $3,800
6 Yan Gomes RIGHT 0.256 0.121 C $2,600 C $3,100
7 Marlon Byrd RIGHT 0.328 0.213 OF $3,100 OF $3,800
8 Juan Uribe RIGHT 0.350 0.238 3B $2,200 3B $3,300
9 Tyler Naquin LEFT 0.887 0.000 OF $2,000 OF $3,100
Team Averages — 0.388 0.152 — $3,022 — $3,500

This is the first time all the Indians hitters have seen the rookie Matz, with the exception of Marlon Byrd (1 for 3 with a strikeout). That said, they certainly will have a detailed scouting report, and considering what the Marlins’ bats did to Matz, the Indians are definitely a team worth stacking for some tournament lineups. The Tribe will load up their lineup with right handed bats on Sunday, and there are multiple stacks options available, with all of Rajai Davis, Francisco Lindor, Mike Napoli, Carlos Santana and Yan Gomes as players to target.

Elite Plays – Francisco Lindor, Mike Napoli

Secondary Plays – Carlos Santana, Rajai Davis, Jason Kipnis

Milwaukee at Pittsburgh – 1:35 PM

Milwaukee Pittsburgh
Article Image Zach Davies Article Image Juan Nicasio
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
PIT -158 8.0
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.214 1 21.7% 15.0% SP vs. Left 0.414 1 20.6% 19.6%
SP vs. Right 0.323 1 13.9% 7.6% SP vs. Right 0.276 2 27.9% 8.6%
Batter Splits Batter Splits
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

Zach Davies
Article Image FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$5,900 Salary:$6,800
FPPG:28.0 FPPG:0.0
Pitcher Rating:
Statistics SIERA K% BB% HH% GB% O-wOBA O-K%
2015-16 4.34 17.3% 10.8% 32.0% 57.6% 12 16

The Brewers will call up Zach Davies to make a spot start on Sunday. Davies made six starts last season, with mediocre results (3.71 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 1.6:1 K/BB ratio). Even despite his low salary, he isn’t a pitcher we’re looking at for daily fantasy baseball play, due to his limited upside and being on the road and Pittsburgh.

Juan Nicasio
Article Image FanDuel: DraftKings:
Salary:$7,400 Salary:$6,100
FPPG:28.5 FPPG:14.2
Pitcher Rating:
Statistics SIERA K% BB% HH% GB% O-wOBA O-K%
2015-16 3.80 25.4% 12.4% 23.2% 41.7% 20 22


Juan Nicasio impressed everyone with an outstanding spring training (15 scoreless innings, 24 Ks), and continued that dominance in his first start of the season – win over St. Louis, 6 innings, 7 strikeouts, 2 hits, 0 BBs. His second start was a bad one (4 ER in 3 IP), although that was in Detroit, which is a tough matchup. Today’s matchup is much more favorable with Nicasio and the Pirates at home to the Brewers. Milwaukee has struck out 105 times in their first 11 games, and their lineup features several high-strikeout batters (Chris Carter, Ryan Braun, Domingo Santana to name a few). Nicasio will be a popular play in tournaments today, and he could also be a possible option (although somewhat risky) for cash game lineups also.
h2. Batter Grind Down

Milwaukee

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Domingo Santana RIGHT 0.301 0.159 OF $2,800 OF $3,200
2 Jonathan Villar SWITCH 0.353 0.090 SS $2,700 SS $3,500
3 Ryan Braun RIGHT 0.351 0.204 OF $4,200 OF $4,200
4 Jonathan Lucroy RIGHT 0.330 0.137 C $2,900 C $3,700
5 Chris Carter RIGHT 0.324 0.258 1B $3,000 1B $3,500
6 Aaron Hill RIGHT 0.279 0.122 3B $2,100 3B $3,000
7 Scooter Gennett LEFT 0.314 0.132 2B $2,900 2B $4,000
8 Taylor Jungmann RIGHT 0.308 0.037 P $6,900 P $6,900
9 Keon Broxton RIGHT 0.115 0.000 OF $2,100 OF $3,400
Team Averages — 0.297 0.127 — $3,289 — $3,933

No Brewers hitter has had much success against Nicasio, and that was before his pitching repertoire was remade this season in Pittsburgh. With Nicasio giving up several runs last game, he’s not the most reliable pitcher, and the Brewers could be a contrarian stack today. Overall though, there isn’t much to like for them in this matchup.

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Scooter Gennett

Pittsburgh

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 John Jaso LEFT 0.363 0.177 1B $3,100 1B $3,200
2 Andrew McCutchen RIGHT 0.374 0.194 OF $4,300 OF $4,600
3 David Freese RIGHT 0.330 0.139 3B $3,000 3B $3,200
4 Starling Marte RIGHT 0.347 0.157 OF $3,800 OF $4,400
5 Francisco Cervelli RIGHT 0.338 0.093 C $2,600 C $3,100
6 Gregory Polanco LEFT 0.330 0.137 OF $3,300 OF $4,100
7 Josh Harrison RIGHT 0.303 0.097 2B $2,800 2B $3,600
8 Jordy Mercer RIGHT 0.251 0.066 SS $2,200 SS $2,800
9 Jon Niese LEFT 0.183 0.025 P $6,300 P $6,400
Team Averages — 0.313 0.121 — $3,138 — $3,625


Whenever a mediocre starter is called up to make a spot start, the batters for the opposing team are definitely worth looking at. That is the case today for the Pirates, who have a well-balanced lineup that can pile up the runs. The Pirates faced Zach Davies once in 2015, and they lit him up for six runs over 3.2 innings, en route to a 10-2 win. Many Pirates batters are in play today, including all three of their outfielders – Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco and others.

Elite Plays – Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte

Secondary Plays – Gregory Polanco, Francisco Cervelli, John Jaso

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About the Author

maxdout
Sean Chard (maxdout)

Sean Chard (maxdout) is a Daily Fantasy Sports veteran, starting back during the 2011/12 NHL season. He lives in the Toronto area so naturally he is a fan of the Blue Jays, Raptors and Maple Leafs. maxdout is a grinder for all DFS sports and most notably NHL and MLB. His biggest DFS result to date is a 7th place finish in the FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Championship in 2013. He can be found on twitter at @maxdoutDFS.