MLB Grind Down: Sunday, April 26 - Page Two
Atlanta at Philadelphia
| Atlanta | Philadelphia | ||||||||
 | Trevor Cahill |  | Jerome Williams | ||||||
| RIGHT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| PHI (-113) | 8.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.338 | 0.921 | 0.402 | 0.131 | SP vs. Left | 0.289 | 0.787 | 0.348 | 0.174 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.222 | 0.662 | 0.303 | 0.286 | SP vs. Right | 0.259 | 0.72 | 0.32 | 0.155 |
| Batter Splits | ATL BvP | ATL vs R | Batter Splits | PHI BvP | PHI vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Trevor Cahill – At one point in his career, Cahill looked to be one of the games best young pitchers, but things have certainly changed since his 18 win season in 2010. On the surface, his 2014 was a disaster as he posted a 5.61 ERA in 110.2 innings, but his 3.83 xFIP was at least the reason for some hope among Braves fans. He’s been a ground ball machine throughout his career, but after getting lit up in each of his first two starts this season, that optimism is fading quickly. Cahill has racked up solid strikeout numbers throughout his career and the matchup against Philadelphia is definitely a plus, but there are way too many question marks here for my comfort level. Rating = 4.5
Salaries: $5700 FD, $5500 DK, $5150 FA, $ Vic, $8500 DD, $70700 FF
Jerome Williams – Williams spent time with three different teams in 2014, but he pitched very well once arriving in Philadelphia. In nine starts as a Phillie, Williams posted a 4-2 record with a 2.83 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. However, there’s just not much to get excited about here; Williams has never posted a strikeout rate above 6.42 K/9 and this Atlanta team knocked him around in their only meeting last season. The home matchup against a Braves team that posted the second worst wOBA against right-handed pitching in MLB last season is a plus, but he’s not one of my preferred options. Rating = 5
Salaries: $6200 FD, $5200 DK, $5000 FA, $ Vic, $8850 DD, $77400 FF
Batter Grind Down
Atlanta
Nick Markakis – Left-handed batters smacked Jerome Williams around for a .348 wOBA last season and Markakis has had his number in the past; going 6 for 13 with a pair of walks against the right-hander. He’s red-hot at the plate right now (16 hits in last 10 games) and still relatively cheap on many sites.
Secondary Plays:
Freddie Freeman
Philadelphia
Trevor Cahill was absolutely annialated by left-handed batters last season to the tune of a .402 wOBA, but none of these Phillies hitters approach “elite” territory right now
Secondary Plays:
Chase Utley, Cody Asche, Ryan Howard
Kansas City at Chicago White Sox
| Kansas City | Chicago White Sox | ||||||||
 | Edinson Volquez |  | John Danks | ||||||
| RIGHT | LEFT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| KCR (-125) | 8 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.231 | 0.728 | 0.321 | 0.174 | SP vs. Left | 0.251 | 0.709 | 0.317 | 0.104 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.228 | 0.634 | 0.286 | 0.172 | SP vs. Right | 0.27 | 0.811 | 0.355 | 0.166 |
| Batter Splits | KC BvP | KC vs L | Batter Splits | CWS BvP | CWS vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Edinson Volquez – Volquez has appealed his five game suspension, and therefore will be available to make his scheduled start today against the White Sox. He’s been awfully impressive with his new team this season, posting a 1.99 ERA and 0.75 WHIP through his first three starts. He dominated this Chicago White Sox team to open the season; allowing just one run through eight innings of work. While his strikeout rate plummeted last season (6.54 K/9), he finished 2014 with an impressive 13-7 record with a 3.04 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. Volquez posted a 5-1 record with a 2.20 ERA in 13 starts after the All-Star break last season and, considering the nice matchup and improved control to start the 2015 season, he’s is a solid option today. Rating = 6
Salaries: $8600 FD, $6100 DK, $6250 FA, $ Vic, $14150 DD, $ FF
John Danks – Not only is this matchup rather terrible, but so is John Danks. The Royals are the hardest team in MLB to strikeout and John Danks struggles about as much as any starter in MLB at picking up “K’s”. Danks has been burned by the longball throughout his career and this Royals offense has started off the season on quite a roll. While Danks did pitch well against Kansas City in their three meeting last season, he simply offers very little fantasy value and is not on my radar in any capacity today. Rating = 3
Salaries: $6200 FD, $5500 DK, $5000 FA, $ Vic, $8500 DD, $69000 FF
Batter Grind Down
Kansas City
Salvador Perez – Perez owns a .307 average and .844 OPS against left-handed pitching during his career. Today, with the very hittable John Danks on the mound for the White Sox who was hammered by right-handed hitters to the tune of a .355 wOBA last season, he’s an excellent option behind the plate.
Secondary Plays:
Lorenzo Cain, Kendrys Morales
Chicago White Sox
Jose Abreu – Abreu has picked up a pair of hits in each of the last four games and is now hitting .317 with a 1.034 OPS thus far in his sophmore campaign. He posted a .394 wOBA and .250 ISO against right-handed pitching last season and owns a .336 career average at U.S. Cellular Field.
Secondary Plays:
Conor Gillaspie, Adam Eaton, Adam LaRoche
St. Louis at Milwaukee
| St. Louis | Milwaukee | ||||||||
 | Lance Lynn |  | Mike Fiers | ||||||
| RIGHT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| STL (-145) | 7.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.243 | 0.697 | 0.314 | 0.172 | SP vs. Left | 0.188 | 0.517 | 0.234 | 0.268 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.229 | 0.635 | 0.284 | 0.238 | SP vs. Right | 0.171 | 0.542 | 0.24 | 0.286 |
| Batter Splits | STL vs R | Batter Splits | MIL BvP | MIL vs R | |||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Lance Lynn – As a Cardinals fan, I’m likely biased, but Lance Lynn just continues to be one of the most under-appreciated starting pitchers in the big leagues. The former first round pick has won 49 games since the beginning of the 2012 season and just wrapped up a 2014 season that saw him posted a 2.74 ERA over 203.2 innings. While his advanced stats point to a small regression, his 3.81 xFIP and 8.00 K/9 are still more than servicable. Lynn has allowed just one earned run in each of his firs three starts to the season and his 20 strikeouts in 17.1 innings is fantasy gold. He’ll take on a Milwaukee team that owns the worst record in baseball thus far this season and who he mowed down last year in their four meetings (2-0 record with a 1.80 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 26 K’s in 25 innings). Rating = 7.5
Salaries: $8400 FD, $8800 DK, $6550 FA, $ Vic, $16650 DD, $126400 FF
Mike Fiers – Fiers pitched admirably against the Cardinals when they faced each other last week, but the start of the 2015 season hasn’t gone as he had planned. He’ll bring a 6.75 ERA and 1.70 WHIP into this start, but his .386 BABIP and 4.10 xFIP are both signals that Fiers will bounce back just fine. Prior to this season, he had been tremendous when given the chance with the big club, posting a 3.70 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 213.2 innings of work. Fiers mowed down this Cardinals team in their two meetings last season and owns more than a strikeout per inning during his career, so there’s plenty of upside. I want to see him get things together before trusting him in cash games, but he’s well worth a look in GPP’s. Rating = 5.5
Salaries: $ FD, $8200 DK, $6100 FA, $ Vic, $14350 DD, $101200 FF
Batter Grind Down
St. Louis
Fiers was very tough on both left and right-handed batters last season (.234 wOBA against and .240 wOBA against, respectively).
Secondary Plays:
Matt Carpenter, Kolten Wong, Matt Holliday
Milwaukee
No Elite Plays
Secondary Plays:
Adam Lind, Gerardo Parra, Jean Segura
Texas at LA Angels
| Texas | LA Angels | ||||||||
 | Nick Martinez |  | Hector Santiago | ||||||
| RIGHT | LEFT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| ** | 8 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.276 | 0.832 | 0.366 | 0.121 | SP vs. Left | 0.244 | 0.606 | 0.274 | 0.2 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.266 | 0.746 | 0.326 | 0.134 | SP vs. Right | 0.246 | 0.732 | 0.326 | 0.198 |
| Batter Splits | TEX BvP | TEX vs L | Batter Splits | ANA BvP | ANA vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Nick Martinez – On the surface, Martinez has been terrific thus far in 2015 as the right-hander owns a 0.45 ERA and 1.00 WHIP through his first three starts. However, his advanced stats are screaming for a regression, and considering he owned the worst xFIP among pitchers with 100+ innings in MLB last season (5.24 xFIP), it’s prbably coming very soon. He pitched rather well against the Angels in their four meetings last season, but this is a dangerous Angels lineup and Martinez simply have the strikeout potential to offset the risk . Rating = 3.5
Salaries: $ FD, $6000 DK, $4750 FA, $ Vic, $8500 DD, $ FF
Hector Santiago – While Martinez sported the worst xFIP in MLB last season, Santiago wasn’t far behind (7th worst among pitchers with 100+ innings) with his xFIP of 4.57. Santiago is also off to a solid start this year, posting a 2.45 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and allowing opposing hitters to only own a .191 BAA. Santiago really found his rhythm down the stretch last season and owned a 5-2 record with a 2.98 ERA in 12 starts after the All-Star break. His shown plenty of strikeout potential thus far during his young career, but the combination of spotty control and tons of fly balls (30.7 GB% last year) often sent him to the dugout early. Rating = 5
Salaries: $7100 FD, $6900 DK, $5000 FA, $ Vic, $8500 DD, $83200 FF
Batter Grind Down
Texas
Adrian Beltre – Beltre may be hitting just .179 this season, but he’s been one of the most consistent hitters in MLB over the past decade. Beltre posted a .421 wOBA against left-handed pitching last season and 6 for 17 with three home runs in his career against Hector Santiago.
Secondary Plays:
Jake Smolinski, Elvis Andrus
LA Angels
Kole Calhoun – Left-handed batters posted a .366 wOBA off of Nick Martinez last season and Calhoun has gone 3 for 8 with a double and a home run against them in their previous battles. WIth three hits in yesterday’s game, Calhoun is heating up and, as the leadoff batter for the Angels, should be in for a nice day at the plate.
Secondary Plays:
Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Matt Joyce
Houston at Oakland
| Houston | Oakland | ||||||||
 | Asher Wojciechowski |  | Drew Pomeranz | ||||||
| RIGHT | LEFT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| OAK (-150) | 8 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | SP vs. Left | 0.232 | 0.663 | 0.3 | 0.274 | ||||
| SP vs. Right | SP vs. Right | 0.195 | 0.563 | 0.259 | 0.218 | ||||
| Batter Splits | HOU BvP | HOU vs L | Batter Splits | OAK vs R | |||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Asher Wojciechowski – Wojciechowski will take the mound for the third start of his young career with the hopes of finally pitching into the fifth inning. He sports an ugly 6.00 ERA and 1.92 WHIP through his first 12 innings at the big leagues, but he has at least managed to also rack up 12 strikeouts. He was a 1st round pick in the 2010 draft, but after posting an average 4-4 record and 4.74 ERA at AAA Oklahoma City last season, he just doesn’t look to be ready for a full time starters gig in the big leagues just yet. He’ll take on a tough Oakland lineup that has racked up runs to start the season and I’ll be avoiding him in all formats. Rating = 2.5
Salaries: $5400 FD, $4400 DK, $4500 FA, $ Vic, $8500 DD, $65900 FF
Drew Pomeranz – Pomeranz has been knocked around for four earned runs in each of his last two starts, but his 1.06 WHIP and 2.87 xFIP are both indicators that he’s actually pitched much better than the numbers may indicate. The tall lefty has racked up 17 strikeouts in 17 innings and thrived away from Coors Field last season; posting a 2.35 ERA and 8.35 K/9 in 69 innings with the Athletics. While this Houston team may have had some success off of him last week, he mowed them down in their only meeting last season and the Astros have been the most strikeout prone team in the big leagues since the beginning of 2014. Rating = 6
Salaries: $5900 FD, $6600 DK, $5500 FA, $ Vic, $8950 DD, $86800 FF
Batter Grind Down
Houston
Jose Altuve – With a lefty on the mound against him, Altuve jumps up the rankings at 2B today. Last season’s batting champion went deep last night and has smacked a pair of hits in three straight games. He pounded left-handed pitching for a .440 wOBA last season.
Secondary Plays:
Jed Lowrie, George Springer
Oakland
Stephen Vogt – Vogt enters today’s game sporting a .364 average and 1.110 OPS and the left-handed catcher posted a .337 wOBA against right-handed pitching last year. He’s riding a four game hitting streak and has been swinging the bat out of the #3 hole for the Athletics most days this season.
Secondary Plays:
Sam Fuld, Billy Butler, Marcus Semien