MLB Grind Down: Sunday, August 20th
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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, FanDuel promo code, and FantasyDraft promo code to receive the best perks in the industry.
Stackability Rating System:
GREEN – A viable full stack in cash games and GPPs.
YELLOW – A viable mini-stack in cash games and full stack in GPPs.
ORANGE – A viable stack in large field GPPs.
RED – Not a recommended stack for cash games or GPPs.
LA Dodgers at Detroit – 1:10 PM ET
| LA Dodgers | Detroit | ||||||||||||||
 | Kenta Maeda |  | Justin Verlander | ||||||||||||
| RIGHT | RIGHT | ||||||||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||||||||
| LAD-140 | 9.5 | ||||||||||||||
| Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.316 | 0.315 | 31.1% | 8.9% | 18.6% | 40.4% | SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.282 | 0.289 | 29.5% | 9.7% | 28.4% | 30.9% | ||
| SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.256 | 0.253 | 25.7% | 4.6% | 30.4% | 43.8% | SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.289 | 0.305 | 33.5% | 6.0% | 23.4% | 35.8% | ||
Pitcher Grind Down
| Kenta Maeda | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $8,600 | Salary: | $9,400 | Salary: | $18,300 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 7 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 6 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 6 of 30 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 32 | 3.69 | 3.48 | 25.0% | 7.0% | 43.9% | 29.0% | 20.0% | |
| 2017 | 19 | 3.90 | 3.76 | 24.0% | 6.2% | 39.0% | 27.5% | 19.8% | |
| L30 | 5 | 3.68 | 1.98 | 24.8% | 5.5% | 45.3% | 30.3% | 15.8% | |
Rinse, lather, repeat with Kenda Maeda. I could say this every time he takes the mound. He’s a consistent pitcher with solid numbers across the board, and he never seems to be highly owned for DFS contests. He doesn’t beat himself with a lot of walks, he carries a respectable 24% strikeout rate, and he doesn’t allow a lot of hard contact. His ERA, SIERA, and xFIP are all below 4.00. He has given up more than three runs in a start just once since April. That is incredible, and it’s a run of performance that doesn’t get talked about as much as it should. The Tigers have lost six games in a row and are playing for the future at this point, so the matchup certainly shouldn’t scare us away.
Quick Breakdown: Don’t hesitate to use Maeda today in any format, especially if you don’t quite have the salary to fit in one of the elite pitching options.
| Justin Verlander | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $9,400 | Salary: | $8,700 | Salary: | $16,800 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 4 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 8 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 8 of 30 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 34 | 3.42 | 3.04 | 28.1% | 6.3% | 33.7% | 28.9% | 19.7% | |
| 2017 | 24 | 4.58 | 3.97 | 22.7% | 10.1% | 33.4% | 35.3% | 17.4% | |
| L30 | 5 | 3.62 | 1.80 | 28.5% | 6.6% | 28.7% | 25.0% | 22.7% | |
It has been a long time since I have rostered the aging Justin Verlander on a DFS squad, and that is certainly not going to change today. The Dodgers are on pace to break a major league record for wins in a season, with a mark of 87 wins and 34 losses, which equates to a .719 winning percentage. That’s not a team you want to mess with, especially since Verlander inexplicably costs $9,400 on FanDuel and $8,700 on DraftKings. You are paying for the name value here, as this is a pitcher with a 4.52 SIERA and 36% hard contact rate allowed this year. No thanks.
Quick Breakdown: If you like the odds of taking an overpriced pitcher with bad numbers in a terrible matchup, then Verlander is your man. If you don’t like those things, you can safely stay away.
Batter Grind Down
LA Dodgers
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Taylor | RIGHT | 0.394 | 0.346 | 0.252 | 36.0% | 10.0% | 26.8% | 39.9% | OF | $3,700 | 2B/OF | $4,600 | 2B | $9,000 |
| 2 | Corey Seager | LEFT | 0.374 | 0.401 | 0.197 | 47.1% | 14.6% | 20.6% | 41.7% | SS | $3,600 | SS | $4,700 | SS | $9,200 |
| 3 | Justin Turner | RIGHT | 0.374 | 0.391 | 0.155 | 35.5% | 11.4% | 10.2% | 29.7% | 3B | $3,700 | 3B | $4,700 | 3B | $9,300 |
| 4 | Curtis Granderson | LEFT | 0.355 | 0.338 | 0.261 | 32.8% | 14.8% | 21.9% | 30.1% | OF | $3,300 | OF | $4,800 | CF | $9,300 |
| 5 | Yasmani Grandal | SWITCH | 0.336 | 0.294 | 0.226 | 36.4% | 6.2% | 26.9% | 41.0% | C | $2,900 | C | $3,300 | C | $6,600 |
| 6 | Logan Forsythe | RIGHT | 0.259 | 0.292 | 0.031 | 31.5% | 14.5% | 27.5% | 47.7% | 2B | $3,200 | 2B/3B | $3,700 | 2B | $7,200 |
| 7 | Adrian Gonzalez | LEFT | 0.286 | 0.304 | 0.102 | 31.8% | 7.1% | 16.3% | 36.4% | 1B | $2,500 | 1B | $3,500 | 1B | $6,900 |
| 8 | Yasiel Puig | RIGHT | 0.374 | 0.355 | 0.263 | 35.5% | 9.6% | 19.6% | 46.8% | OF | $2,700 | OF | $3,500 | RF | $6,800 |
| 9 | Chase Utley | LEFT | 0.314 | 0.317 | 0.166 | 37.4% | 9.6% | 15.3% | 45.3% | 2B | $2,300 | 1B/2B | $3,000 | 2B | $6,000 |
The Dodgers continue to rock and roll both offensively and on the mound, but the injuries continue to mount. It’s impressive that they have continued to win games at the same pace despite the rash of injuries. Yu Darvish is going to miss his next start, and Cody Bellinger left yesterday’s game after rolling his ankle in the outfield. I would expect the team to be very cautious with Bellinger, and I don’t expect him to play today. Verlander has become a high fly ball pitcher who allows a lot of line drives and hard contact, so I like targeting power against him from either side of the plate. I don’t necessarily endorse a full stack, though, as he doesn’t get shelled all that often.
Elite Plays – Chris Taylor, Corey Seager
Secondary Plays – Yasmani Grandal, Curtis Granderson, Justin Turner
Stackability – YELLOW
Detroit
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ian Kinsler | RIGHT | 0.304 | 0.315 | 0.123 | 34.5% | 9.8% | 11.8% | 34.8% | 2B | $3,600 | 2B | $4,200 | 2B | $8,100 |
| 2 | Mikie Mahtook | RIGHT | 0.365 | 0.328 | 0.164 | 37.2% | 7.4% | 21.5% | 48.2% | OF | $2,900 | OF | $3,900 | CF | $7,800 |
| 3 | Justin Upton | RIGHT | 0.358 | 0.349 | 0.230 | 42.8% | 11.6% | 28.7% | 35.8% | OF | $4,100 | OF | $4,500 | LF | $8,700 |
| 4 | Miguel Cabrera | RIGHT | 0.306 | 0.387 | 0.169 | 44.8% | 9.6% | 20.1% | 40.5% | 1B | $3,300 | 1B | $3,000 | 1B | $6,000 |
| 5 | Nick Castellanos | RIGHT | 0.300 | 0.331 | 0.145 | 45.2% | 7.6% | 26.0% | 39.9% | 3B | $3,100 | 3B | $3,600 | 3B | $7,200 |
| 6 | Victor Martinez | SWITCH | 0.296 | 0.366 | 0.122 | 43.2% | 8.3% | 14.4% | 39.1% | C | $2,900 | 1B | $3,400 | 1B | $6,600 |
| 7 | James McCann | RIGHT | 0.279 | 0.320 | 0.130 | 41.9% | 6.9% | 23.6% | 38.8% | C | $2,600 | C | $3,500 | C | $6,900 |
| 8 | Alex Presley | LEFT | 0.357 | 0.334 | 0.103 | 37.0% | 8.3% | 16.7% | 48.1% | OF | $2,800 | OF | $3,000 | LF | $6,000 |
| 9 | Jose Iglesias | RIGHT | 0.279 | 0.252 | 0.112 | 30.2% | 4.4% | 15.0% | 53.7% | SS | $2,200 | SS | $2,800 | SS | $5,600 |
The Tigers still have some decent hitters in their lineup, but Maeda is not a pitcher that I often take any hitters against. He does a good job of keeping hitters off balance and limiting hard contact, and there’s really no reason to go here on a fairly large slate. Left-handers have the better numbers against him, but Detroit doesn’t have much to offer from the left side of the plate. This is a really good matchup for Maeda.
Elite Plays – None
Secondary Plays – Ian Kinsler, Miguel Cabrera
Stackability – ORANGE
Miami at NY Mets – 1:10 PM ET
| Miami | NY Mets | ||||||||||||||
 | Adam Conley |  | Jacob deGrom | ||||||||||||
| LEFT | RIGHT | ||||||||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||||||||
| NYM-162 | 8.0 | ||||||||||||||
| Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.338 | 0.308 | 27.5% | 7.6% | 13.7% | 45.8% | SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.285 | 0.300 | 31.9% | 7.8% | 23.7% | 43.3% | ||
| SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.326 | 0.327 | 35.4% | 10.9% | 21.7% | 36.9% | SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.298 | 0.286 | 33.2% | 5.8% | 29.1% | 47.5% | ||
Pitcher Grind Down
| Adam Conley | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $6,700 | Salary: | $5,700 | Salary: | $11,200 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 17 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 24 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 22 of 30 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 25 | 4.64 | 3.85 | 21.2% | 10.6% | 38.2% | 31.4% | 20.5% | |
| 2017 | 11 | 5.13 | 5.43 | 16.4% | 9.0% | 41.5% | 36.9% | 17.4% | |
| L30 | 5 | 4.80 | 3.48 | 15.7% | 6.0% | 44.9% | 39.2% | 16.7% | |
Adam Conley takes the ball for the Marlins this afternoon, and he has had his share of struggles since becoming a full-time pitcher in the major leagues. His numbers have actually gotten progressively worse throughout his three seasons, and that’s not a good sign for any pitcher. He does have a favorable matchup today against a Mets team that seems to trade away another hitter every day, but I can’t endorse a pitcher with a 5.36 SIERA, 15% strikeout rate, and 36% hard contact rate allowed this year.
Quick Breakdown: Conley’s numbers aren’t good enough to vault him into consideration, even against the Mets.
| Jacob deGrom | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $10,400 | Salary: | $12,700 | Salary: | $24,600 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 1 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 1 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 1 of 30 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 24 | 3.66 | 3.04 | 23.7% | 6.0% | 45.6% | 31.3% | 19.0% | |
| 2017 | 23 | 3.44 | 3.21 | 29.2% | 7.5% | 45.1% | 33.9% | 20.7% | |
| L30 | 5 | 3.21 | 2.23 | 29.9% | 5.5% | 42.0% | 30.9% | 17.3% | |
On the other side of this game, Jacob deGrom is on the mound for the Mets and is one of the best pitchers going this afternoon. He seems to get ignored in the conversations regarding elite pitchers in the league, and that’s probably fair, but his numbers don’t fall too far short of that category. His 28.4% strikeout rate is well above league average, and his swinging strike rate has spiked to a career-best 13.6% this year. The hard contact rate is somewhat of a concern, but the Marlins have the lowest implied team total on the board today at just 3.5 runs.
Quick Breakdown: Fire up deGrom with confidence in all formats as the top overall pitcher of the day.
Batter Grind Down
Miami
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dee Gordon | LEFT | 0.317 | 0.260 | 0.075 | 19.1% | 5.0% | 14.0% | 56.3% | 2B | $2,700 | 2B | $3,600 | 2B | $7,200 |
| 2 | Giancarlo Stanton | RIGHT | 0.413 | 0.401 | 0.352 | 39.5% | 9.9% | 25.7% | 41.2% | OF | $4,400 | OF | $5,100 | RF | $9,900 |
| 3 | Christian Yelich | LEFT | 0.347 | 0.361 | 0.150 | 38.5% | 13.4% | 19.3% | 56.7% | OF | $2,800 | OF | $3,500 | CF | $6,900 |
| 4 | Marcell Ozuna | RIGHT | 0.390 | 0.369 | 0.272 | 42.9% | 8.1% | 22.3% | 44.0% | OF | $3,000 | OF | $4,000 | LF | $7,600 |
| 5 | J.T. Realmuto | RIGHT | 0.330 | 0.332 | 0.152 | 31.4% | 6.0% | 17.2% | 50.4% | C | $2,700 | C | $3,400 | C | $6,600 |
| 6 | Derek Dietrich | LEFT | 0.293 | 0.299 | 0.164 | 34.7% | 6.6% | 19.7% | 34.7% | 3B | $2,500 | 3B | $3,100 | 3B | $6,000 |
| 7 | Tomas Telis | SWITCH | 0.327 | 0.324 | 0.143 | 44.0% | 3.3% | 10.0% | 48.0% | 1B | $2,300 | 1B | $2,500 | C | $4,800 |
| 8 | Miguel Rojas | RIGHT | 0.293 | 0.301 | 0.029 | 16.1% | 8.8% | 9.6% | 48.4% | SS | $2,200 | SS | $2,200 | 2B | $4,100 |
| 9 | Adam Conley | LEFT | 0.188 | 0.178 | 0.000 | 0.0% | 7.1% | 42.9% | 83.3% | P | $6,700 | P | $5,700 | P | $11,200 |
Giancarlo Stanton might hit a home run, because he does that against a lot of pitchers (and deGrom does have an issue with hard contact). Outside of him, there’s no need to target hitters from the squad with the lowest team total on the board.
Elite Plays – None
Secondary Plays – Giancarlo Stanton
Stackability – RED
NY Mets
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. LH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juan Lagares | RIGHT | 0.328 | 0.308 | 0.156 | 38.5% | 5.4% | 21.6% | 32.0% | OF | $2,200 | OF | $2,900 | CF | $5,600 |
| 2 | Asdrubal Cabrera | SWITCH | 0.350 | 0.299 | 0.089 | 34.2% | 4.3% | 14.9% | 50.7% | 3B | $2,600 | 2B/SS | $3,100 | SS | $6,000 |
| 3 | Yoenis Cespedes | RIGHT | 0.339 | 0.354 | 0.284 | 46.0% | 8.1% | 23.0% | 28.0% | OF | $3,300 | OF | $4,300 | LF | $8,400 |
| 4 | Michael Conforto | LEFT | 0.329 | 0.335 | 0.247 | 40.7% | 8.1% | 35.4% | 35.2% | OF | $3,800 | OF | $4,300 | LF | $8,400 |
| 5 | Wilmer Flores | RIGHT | 0.343 | 0.296 | 0.267 | 40.3% | 2.1% | 16.8% | 36.4% | 2B | $3,000 | 1B/3B | $3,700 | 3B | $7,200 |
| 6 | Dominic Smith | LEFT | 1B | $2,300 | 1B | $3,000 | 1B | $6,000 | |||||||
| 7 | Travis d’Arnaud | RIGHT | 0.403 | 0.338 | 0.254 | 38.6% | 11.9% | 22.4% | 52.3% | C | $2,100 | C | $2,700 | C | $5,200 |
| 8 | Amed Rosario | RIGHT | 0.219 | 0.293 | 0.000 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 37.5% | 20.0% | SS | $2,400 | SS | $3,100 | SS | $6,000 |
| 9 | Jacob deGrom | RIGHT | 0.088 | 0.065 | 0.000 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 16.7% | 75.0% | P | $10,400 | P | $12,700 | P | $24,600 |
The overall profile for Adam Conley trends toward being splits-neutral, but he does walk a lot more right-handed hitters, and his batted ball profile also favors those traditional splits. He has allowed a 36% hard contact rate to RHBs this year and has an 11% walk rate and 15% strikeout rate against RHBs. I’m fine with targeting some righties against him, and you can even give the power lefties a look.
Elite Plays – Yoenis Cespedes, Asdrubal Cabrera
Secondary Plays – Michael Conforto, Travis D’Arnaud (value)
Stackability – YELLOW / GREEN
Seattle at Tampa Bay – 1:10 PM ET
| Seattle | Tampa Bay | ||||||||||||||
 | Yovani Gallardo |  | Blake Snell | ||||||||||||
| RIGHT | LEFT | ||||||||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||||||||
| TB -140 | 9.0 | ||||||||||||||
| Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.335 | 0.334 | 30.3% | 12.8% | 18.0% | 39.5% | SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.282 | 0.289 | 31.0% | 12.4% | 26.3% | 51.2% | ||
| SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.351 | 0.345 | 30.0% | 9.1% | 14.5% | 48.1% | SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.341 | 0.325 | 32.4% | 12.6% | 21.3% | 36.8% | ||
Pitcher Grind Down
| Yovani Gallardo | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $5,600 | Salary: | $5,500 | Salary: | $10,800 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 28 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 26 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 24 of 30 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 23 | 5.34 | 5.42 | 16.2% | 11.6% | 43.2% | 27.5% | 18.5% | |
| 2017 | 18 | 5.18 | 5.38 | 16.2% | 10.0% | 45.3% | 33.0% | 19.7% | |
| L30 | 4 | 6.40 | 4.29 | 11.7% | 12.8% | 39.4% | 31.0% | 16.9% | |
Gallardo is well past his prime, and he isn’t fooling a lot of hitters in his age 31 season. With a SIERA of 5.16, an xFIP of 5.09, and limited strikeout ability, there is no reason to put him on the DFS radar today. A matchup against the Rays does enhance strikeout upside, but that would officially be classified as grasping at straws.
Quick Breakdown: Gallardo can be avoided in all formats.
| Blake Snell | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $6,000 | Salary: | $5,900 | Salary: | $11,700 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 23 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 23 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 21 of 30 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 19 | 4.53 | 3.54 | 24.4% | 12.7% | 36.5% | 31.4% | 22.2% | |
| 2017 | 15 | 5.19 | 4.69 | 19.6% | 12.4% | 42.2% | 33.1% | 19.9% | |
| L30 | 5 | 4.49 | 4.39 | 20.5% | 8.0% | 45.6% | 26.3% | 21.3% | |
Snell is a promising young arm with potential, but he is still just 24 years old and is still trying to figure things out at the major league level. Like Gallardo, he has a SIERA and xFIP over 5.00, and Snell’s main problem is his command. He has a 12% walk rate this year, and it’s hard to succeed at this level with a number like that. I don’t mind this matchup at home against a Mariners squad that is average to below average against LHP, but it has been over a month since Snell has posted more than five strikeouts in a start. He’s just not there yet.
Quick Breakdown: If you are taking a pitcher in this game no matter what, I do prefer Snell over Gallardo, and there is upside somewhere in that right arm. However, the Mariners have scored seven runs in each of their last three games and are playing well right now. Snell is a deep risk/reward GPP option, at best.
Batter Grind Down
Seattle
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. LH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean Segura | RIGHT | 0.337 | 0.367 | 0.090 | 39.4% | 13.0% | 14.1% | 36.9% | SS | $3,500 | SS | $4,300 | SS | $8,400 |
| 2 | Guillermo Heredia | SWITCH | 0.368 | 0.297 | 0.143 | 29.8% | 6.5% | 13.1% | 42.9% | OF | $2,700 | OF | $3,200 | LF | $6,300 |
| 3 | Robinson Cano | LEFT | 0.272 | 0.310 | 0.114 | 29.6% | 6.3% | 13.3% | 52.2% | 2B | $3,800 | 2B | $4,100 | 2B | $8,000 |
| 4 | Nelson Cruz | RIGHT | 0.379 | 0.460 | 0.213 | 40.3% | 19.4% | 18.5% | 38.9% | OF | $4,600 | OF | $4,800 | RF | $9,300 |
| 5 | Kyle Seager | LEFT | 0.335 | 0.312 | 0.203 | 29.0% | 6.6% | 17.6% | 32.3% | 3B | $3,200 | 3B | $3,300 | 3B | $6,600 |
| 6 | Danny Valencia | RIGHT | 0.378 | 0.350 | 0.229 | 36.8% | 11.6% | 20.5% | 43.4% | 1B | $2,900 | 1B | $3,800 | 3B | $7,600 |
| 7 | Ben Gamel | LEFT | 0.325 | 0.259 | 0.146 | 33.8% | 2.9% | 29.4% | 48.5% | OF | $2,700 | OF | $3,300 | RF | $6,400 |
| 8 | Mitch Haniger | RIGHT | 0.280 | 0.337 | 0.125 | 18.9% | 7.7% | 21.2% | 40.5% | OF | $2,300 | OF | $3,500 | LF | $6,800 |
| 9 | Mike Zunino | RIGHT | 0.308 | 0.317 | 0.219 | 37.8% | 8.6% | 38.6% | 27.0% | C | $2,600 | C | $3,300 | C | $6,600 |
Blake Snell is your typical traditional splits lefty, and he has held LHBs to a .248 wOBA this year. Cross Robinson Cano, Yonder Alonso, and Kyle Seager off your list today. The RHBs are in play, though, as they have posted a much better wOBA against Snell to go along with more walks, fewer strikeouts, and more hard hits. The patient righties are the best plays, and Nelson Cruz owns great career numbers against lefties to go along with a team high 10.6% walk rate this year. He’s an elite option today. I will probably avoid the full stack here because the Mariners are a bit lefty-heavy, so they don’t match up the best against Snell.
Elite Plays – Nelson Cruz
Secondary Plays – Jean Segura, Mitch Haniger
Stackability – YELLOW
Tampa Bay
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Kiermaier | LEFT | 0.347 | 0.273 | 0.176 | 32.5% | 9.4% | 20.5% | 49.1% | OF | $2,600 | OF | $3,700 | CF | $7,200 |
| 2 | Evan Longoria | RIGHT | 0.336 | 0.313 | 0.182 | 31.7% | 5.3% | 14.2% | 43.7% | 3B | $2,700 | 3B | $3,400 | 3B | $6,800 |
| 3 | Lucas Duda | LEFT | 0.370 | 0.381 | 0.278 | 42.4% | 14.0% | 24.8% | 27.9% | 1B | $3,200 | 1B | $3,900 | 1B | $7,600 |
| 4 | Steve Souza | RIGHT | 0.391 | 0.377 | 0.307 | 39.2% | 13.1% | 29.4% | 39.6% | OF | $3,300 | OF | $4,200 | RF | $8,100 |
| 5 | Logan Morrison | LEFT | 0.368 | 0.378 | 0.281 | 40.8% | 14.1% | 24.8% | 31.3% | 1B | $2,800 | 1B | $3,800 | 1B | $7,500 |
| 6 | Corey Dickerson | LEFT | 0.347 | 0.316 | 0.230 | 36.6% | 6.2% | 23.1% | 38.4% | OF | $2,900 | OF | $3,700 | LF | $7,200 |
| 7 | Wilson Ramos | RIGHT | 0.162 | 0.269 | 0.097 | 32.1% | 2.6% | 26.0% | 47.2% | C | $2,400 | C | $3,200 | C | $6,400 |
| 8 | Brad Miller | LEFT | 0.297 | 0.315 | 0.115 | 35.3% | 20.0% | 27.3% | 52.6% | 2B | $2,600 | 2B | $2,900 | 2B | $5,600 |
| 9 | Adeiny Hechavarria | RIGHT | 0.229 | 0.257 | 0.051 | 27.1% | 1.9% | 21.9% | 49.2% | SS | $2,200 | SS | $2,600 | SS | $5,200 |
There are a lot of smart people that don’t consider Gallardo a gas can, but he’s trending in that direction. The numbers just aren’t there, and he got blown up for eight runs over just four innings in his last start against the Orioles. The biggest risk with the Rays is the strikeout, but that concern is much more limited today. Gallardo is largely splits-neutral, so fire up hitters from either side of the plate. I like the Rays as a sneaky stack option on this Sunday slate.
Elite Plays – Lucas Duda, Evan Longoria, Steven Souza
Secondary Plays – Logan Morrison, Corey Dickerson
Stackability – YELLOW / GREEN
NY Yankees at Boston – 1:30 PM ET
| NY Yankees | Boston | ||||||||||||||
 | Sonny Gray |  | Rick Porcello | ||||||||||||
| RIGHT | RIGHT | ||||||||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||||||||
| BOS-105 | 9.5 | ||||||||||||||
| Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.295 | 0.307 | 27.7% | 7.0% | 20.6% | 54.4% | SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.296 | 0.312 | 37.0% | 4.1% | 21.5% | 37.1% | ||
| SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.334 | 0.324 | 34.6% | 9.2% | 20.7% | 55.5% | SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.314 | 0.321 | 32.2% | 3.9% | 20.8% | 44.9% | ||
Pitcher Grind Down
| Sonny Gray | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $8,700 | Salary: | $9,600 | Salary: | $18,600 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 6 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 5 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 5 of 30 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 22 | 4.32 | 5.69 | 18.2% | 8.1% | 53.9% | 33.6% | 16.1% | |
| 2017 | 18 | 3.80 | 3.39 | 23.5% | 8.2% | 56.3% | 28.3% | 17.9% | |
| L30 | 4 | 3.79 | 2.22 | 25.5% | 10.4% | 61.2% | 23.5% | 25.0% | |
Gray is acclimating well with his new team, and he continues to pitch well in a resurgent 2017 campaign. He has allowed exactly two runs in each of his three starts as a Yankee, though some of the peripherals haven’t been all that great. He has walked nine hitters over 17 innings as a Yankee, and that doesn’t bode well against a patient, low strikeout Red Sox team. Gray has had some difficult matchups since the trade, and he better get used to that pitching in the AL East. He’s a fine pitcher, but I can’t pay top dollar for him on the road against Boston.
Quick Breakdown: The matchup keeps Gray behind deGrom and Salazar on the list of aces today. His upside is capped against a Boston team that limits the strikeout upside for opposing pitchers.
| Rick Porcello | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $8,400 | Salary: | $7,900 | Salary: | $15,200 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 9 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 11 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 12 of 30 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 33 | 3.78 | 3.15 | 21.2% | 3.6% | 43.1% | 30.0% | 16.9% | |
| 2017 | 24 | 4.10 | 4.63 | 21.1% | 4.6% | 38.2% | 40.8% | 16.7% | |
| L30 | 5 | 3.93 | 4.18 | 22.4% | 4.5% | 39.6% | 31.3% | 15.6% | |
That Cy Young form just isn’t coming back for Rick Porcello. He continues to post league average numbers, with his low walks being the only saving grace that he really has. Even though he has pitched well in two of his three starts against the Yankees this year, I want no part of a pitcher that allows a ton of hard contact and is facing the team with the second highest team wOBA against RHP this year. There is a reason why the Yankees have a team total approaching five runs today.
Quick Breakdown: Porcello can safely be avoided in all formats, as there’s a ton of risk and very little upside with him today.
Batter Grind Down
NY Yankees
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brett Gardner | LEFT | 0.359 | 0.343 | 0.208 | 34.5% | 12.4% | 18.6% | 40.6% | OF | $3,200 | OF | $3,800 | LF | $7,500 |
| 2 | Aaron Hicks | SWITCH | 0.382 | 0.332 | 0.224 | 30.2% | 16.9% | 16.9% | 44.2% | OF | $3,300 | OF | $3,900 | CF | $7,600 |
| 3 | Aaron Judge | RIGHT | 0.426 | 0.420 | 0.317 | 45.1% | 15.4% | 32.1% | 36.4% | OF | $4,200 | OF | $5,400 | RF | $10,400 |
| 4 | Didi Gregorius | LEFT | 0.379 | 0.287 | 0.243 | 27.0% | 3.6% | 13.2% | 40.3% | SS | $3,200 | SS | $4,100 | SS | $8,000 |
| 5 | Gary Sanchez | RIGHT | 0.359 | 0.360 | 0.219 | 36.0% | 7.7% | 24.3% | 44.4% | C | $3,900 | C | $4,800 | C | $9,300 |
| 6 | Chase Headley | SWITCH | 0.352 | 0.329 | 0.139 | 31.8% | 12.1% | 24.9% | 43.7% | 1B | $3,200 | 1B/3B | $3,700 | 3B | $7,200 |
| 7 | Todd Frazier | RIGHT | 0.324 | 0.345 | 0.184 | 28.6% | 13.2% | 22.2% | 38.9% | 3B | $3,300 | 3B | $3,400 | 3B | $6,800 |
| 8 | Jacoby Ellsbury | LEFT | 0.327 | 0.320 | 0.135 | 25.6% | 9.7% | 14.1% | 47.4% | OF | $3,500 | OF | $4,000 | CF | $7,600 |
| 9 | Ronald Torreyes | RIGHT | 0.282 | 0.246 | 0.088 | 19.9% | 2.4% | 13.7% | 50.0% | 2B | $2,500 | 2B/SS | $3,400 | 2B | $6,600 |
I teased this in the section above, but I saved the numbers to post here. Rick Porcello is allowing hard contact at a 41% clip this year. That is amazing and horrendous at the same time. His line drives have spiked, and he has never been a massive strikeout pitcher. He is largely splits-neutral, so we are simply looking for power here. It’s hard to trust Aaron Judge at this point, and with his massive slump he is a GPP-only play right now. If you are a BvP believer, Jacoby Ellsbury has a .486 career wOBA against Porcello with four home runs in 34 at bats. He’s nowhere near the hitter he used to be, and he’s not cheap in DFS for some reason, but that was worth mentioning.
Elite Plays – Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorius
Secondary Plays – Aaron Judge (GPP only), Aaron Hicks, Jacoby Ellsbury
Stackability – YELLOW
Boston
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eduardo Nunez | RIGHT | 0.348 | 0.275 | 0.141 | 26.4% | 2.9% | 10.6% | 52.2% | 2B | $3,400 | 3B/OF | $4,300 | 3B | $8,400 |
| 2 | Andrew Benintendi | LEFT | 0.353 | 0.343 | 0.187 | 38.3% | 10.6% | 16.1% | 36.9% | OF | $4,100 | OF | $4,600 | LF | $9,000 |
| 3 | Mookie Betts | RIGHT | 0.336 | 0.328 | 0.194 | 35.6% | 9.5% | 10.7% | 40.4% | OF | $4,000 | OF | $4,700 | RF | $9,200 |
| 4 | Hanley Ramirez | RIGHT | 0.324 | 0.356 | 0.167 | 34.3% | 8.4% | 18.9% | 42.8% | 1B | $3,000 | 1B | $3,800 | 1B | $7,600 |
| 5 | Rafael Devers | LEFT | 0.393 | 0.351 | 0.256 | 40.0% | 10.4% | 16.7% | 51.4% | 3B | $3,700 | 3B | $4,400 | 3B | $8,700 |
| 6 | Xander Bogaerts | RIGHT | 0.317 | 0.268 | 0.130 | 31.0% | 7.1% | 18.0% | 48.0% | SS | $3,000 | SS | $3,800 | SS | $7,500 |
| 7 | Mitch Moreland | LEFT | 0.325 | 0.381 | 0.192 | 42.0% | 10.2% | 22.9% | 38.8% | 1B | $3,000 | 1B | $3,500 | 1B | $6,900 |
| 8 | Sandy Leon | SWITCH | 0.279 | 0.276 | 0.138 | 35.2% | 7.5% | 24.5% | 37.5% | C | $2,600 | C | $3,000 | C | $6,000 |
| 9 | Jackie Bradley Jr. | LEFT | 0.306 | 0.329 | 0.166 | 37.9% | 9.1% | 24.4% | 40.6% | OF | $3,000 | OF | $3,800 | CF | $7,500 |
Even though I don’t love Sonny Gray as a pitching option today, I am not going wild to target hitters against him. He’s done a good job of limiting hard contact this year, and there are other pitchers that are much more attackable today. Gray has held both LHBs and RHBs to a sub-.295 wOBA this season, which is very respectable. He gets a lot of ground balls and doesn’t have discernible splits favoring hitters from either side. Don’t overpay for the name brand Boston hitters.
Elite Plays – None
Secondary Plays – Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers, Andrew Benintendi
Stackability – ORANGE
Cincinnati at Atlanta – 1:35 PM ET
| Cincinnati | Atlanta | ||||||||||||||
 | Luis Castillo |  | Sean Newcomb | ||||||||||||
| RIGHT | LEFT | ||||||||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||||||||
| CIN-105 | 9.5 | ||||||||||||||
| Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | Stats | wOBA | xwOBA | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.276 | 0.253 | 28.8% | 10.1% | 21.0% | 54.4% | SP vs. Left (2016-17) | 0.358 | 0.369 | 29.2% | 8.1% | 23.0% | 39.1% | ||
| SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.331 | 0.290 | 29.3% | 10.8% | 26.2% | 61.3% | SP vs. Right (2016-17) | 0.312 | 0.317 | 27.4% | 14.3% | 23.3% | 40.4% | ||
Pitcher Grind Down
| Luis Castillo | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $7,300 | Salary: | $8,400 | Salary: | $16,400 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 14 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 9 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 9 of 30 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 10 | 4.20 | 3.73 | 23.7% | 10.4% | 57.9% | 29.0% | 21.0% | |
| L30 | 6 | 4.64 | 4.10 | 19.2% | 10.6% | 58.4% | 27.9% | 22.1% | |
The Reds and Braves had a fun 11-8 shootout on Saturday night, and both teams will be looking for long outings from their pitchers today. I enjoy watching Luis Castillo pitch, as he is a young arm with a ton of potential, some of which is already coming to the forefront. In 11 major league starts, he has racked up a 24.4% strikeout rate and 12% swinging strike rate, both of which are solidly above league average. He does a good job of limiting hard contact, and the only problem is his command. Walks are an issue, and that gives him some risk of a total implosion, but we have yet to see him give up more than four runs in a start. He is coming off an impressive outing against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, and he’s one of my favorite cheaper pitchers on the board today.
Quick Breakdown: Castillo is more viable at $7,300 on FanDuel than at $8,400 on DraftKings, but I like his upside and will be considering him this afternoon — especially in GPP formats.
| Sean Newcomb | |||||||||
 | FanDuel | DraftKings | FantasyDraft | ||||||
| Salary: | $7,600 | Salary: | $7,700 | Salary: | $15,300 | ||||
| Salary Rank: | 12 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 12 of 30 | Salary Rank: | 11 of 30 | ||||
| Stats | Starts | SIERA | ERA | K% | BB% | GB% | HC% | SC% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 11 | 4.78 | 4.45 | 23.2% | 12.6% | 40.0% | 27.9% | 17.6% | |
| L30 | 5 | 5.05 | 4.67 | 25.2% | 15.5% | 31.8% | 28.6% | 15.7% | |
This is going to be a fun matchup between two young pitchers with a lot of talent. We have two 24 year olds matching up in this game, but Newcomb has had a little more trouble adjusting to the major league level. His overall profile isn’t that much different from Castillo’s, except Newcomb is just slightly worse across the board. His walk rate is almost 13%, and he doesn’t get the healthy dose of ground balls that Castillo does. There’s a reason that the Reds are road favorites in this game, and I can’t endorse Newcomb just yet.
Quick Breakdown: If you are looking to take a flier on a young pitcher in this game, Castillo is the preferred option on the other side. Newcomb is not cheap enough to consider as a pitching option in this matchup.
Batter Grind Down
Cincinnati
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. LH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Billy Hamilton | SWITCH | 0.207 | 0.196 | 0.065 | 16.8% | 1.4% | 26.4% | 45.9% | OF | $3,400 | OF | $4,100 | CF | $8,000 |
| 2 | Zack Cozart | RIGHT | 0.487 | 0.389 | 0.356 | 41.3% | 10.7% | 13.1% | 34.9% | SS | $3,400 | SS | $4,300 | SS | $8,400 |
| 3 | Joey Votto | LEFT | 0.412 | 0.412 | 0.301 | 33.0% | 17.6% | 14.1% | 43.6% | 1B | $4,600 | 1B | $5,100 | 1B | $9,900 |
| 4 | Adam Duvall | RIGHT | 0.420 | 0.375 | 0.352 | 34.9% | 8.3% | 21.7% | 41.0% | OF | $3,900 | OF | $4,500 | IF/OF | $8,800 |
| 5 | Eugenio Suarez | RIGHT | 0.389 | 0.367 | 0.255 | 45.5% | 15.0% | 25.7% | 43.9% | 3B | $3,700 | 3B | $4,200 | 3B | $8,100 |
| 6 | Scooter Gennett | LEFT | 0.272 | 0.221 | 0.147 | 27.7% | 4.2% | 29.2% | 47.8% | 2B | $2,800 | 2B/OF | $4,100 | 2B | $8,100 |
| 7 | Patrick Kivlehan | RIGHT | 0.339 | 0.330 | 0.218 | 30.0% | 12.7% | 23.8% | 50.0% | OF | $2,100 | OF | $3,000 | IF/OF | $6,000 |
| 8 | Stuart Turner | RIGHT | 0.143 | 0.305 | 0.150 | 31.3% | 0.0% | 20.0% | 37.5% | C | $2,200 | C | $2,100 | C | $4,200 |
| 9 | Luis Castillo | RIGHT | 0.292 | 0.089 | 0.000 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 66.7% | 100.0% | P | $7,300 | P | $8,400 | P | $16,400 |
The Reds quietly rank sixth in the league in ISO against left-handed pitching this year, so they have some sneaky upside against a hit-or-miss young pitcher that walks a lot of guys. We don’t have a ton of data on Newcomb just yet, so it’s hard to put faith in his splits, but he hasn’t trended strongly toward favoring hitters from either side as of yet. I will side with the patient hitters against a pitcher with control problems, which puts Joey Votto into play despite the lefty/lefty matchup. Outside of him, I will simply look for a power bat or two. The Reds have a team total around five today, so the full stack is also in play, though I prefer other teams on this large slate.
Elite Plays – Joey Votto, Adam Duvall
Secondary Plays – Zack Cozart, Eugenio Suarez
Stackability – YELLOW
Atlanta
Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)
| # | Player | Bats | wOBA | xwOBA | ISO | HC% | BB% | K% | GB% | FD Pos. | FD Sal. | DK Pos. | DK Sal. | FDRFT Pos. | FDRFT Sal. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ender Inciarte | LEFT | 0.318 | 0.280 | 0.094 | 25.2% | 6.6% | 14.3% | 42.2% | OF | $3,300 | OF | $4,400 | CF | $8,400 |
| 2 | Brandon Phillips | RIGHT | 0.327 | 0.310 | 0.155 | 26.4% | 4.1% | 11.1% | 49.8% | 2B | $2,700 | 2B | $3,500 | 2B | $6,900 |
| 3 | Freddie Freeman | LEFT | 0.463 | 0.444 | 0.339 | 35.5% | 14.8% | 16.2% | 34.8% | 1B | $4,100 | 1B/3B | $4,700 | 1B | $9,200 |
| 4 | Matt Kemp | RIGHT | 0.358 | 0.354 | 0.206 | 35.8% | 4.4% | 22.4% | 47.4% | OF | $2,800 | OF | $4,100 | LF | $8,000 |
| 5 | Nick Markakis | LEFT | 0.334 | 0.344 | 0.120 | 35.9% | 11.3% | 18.2% | 46.7% | OF | $2,700 | OF | $3,600 | RF | $7,200 |
| 6 | Tyler Flowers | RIGHT | 0.363 | 0.338 | 0.166 | 40.4% | 7.0% | 23.5% | 38.5% | C | $2,800 | C | $3,400 | C | $6,800 |
| 7 | Ozzie Albies | SWITCH | 0.219 | 0.254 | 0.034 | 36.0% | 6.3% | 15.6% | 36.0% | 2B | $2,600 | 2B | $3,400 | 2B | $6,800 |
| 8 | Dansby Swanson | RIGHT | 0.236 | 0.286 | 0.076 | 28.7% | 9.1% | 22.8% | 50.7% | SS | $2,300 | SS | $3,300 | SS | $6,600 |
| 9 | Sean Newcomb | LEFT | 0.092 | 0.069 | 0.000 | 0.0% | 5.6% | 66.7% | 66.7% | P | $7,600 | P | $7,700 | P | $15,300 |
Castillo gets a lot of strikeouts and has a ground ball rate of 52%+ against hitters from both sides of the plate. He’s not a guy that I want to pick on very much, though the Braves carry a much more dangerous offense with both Freddie Freeman and Matt Kemp now healthy. Freeman leads the team with a walk rate over 12% this year, so he matches up the best against the sometimes wild Castillo.