MLB Grind Down: Sunday, August 3rd

by Ryan138 Last Updated 2014-08-04 11:39:49

The RotoGrinders MLB Grind Down article will give you an in-depth analysis into the 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: Any Fantasy Point Average Listed Uses FanDuel Scoring. For more info on FanDuel’s MLB Scoring System,check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel Review

Texas at Cleveland

Texas					Cleveland
Yu Darvish		Vegas Moneyline			Trevor Bauer		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		TEX (-110)			RIGHT		7.5
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.244	0.721	0.321	30.30%	SP vs. Left	0.272	0.758	0.336	23.10%
SP vs. Right	0.219	0.587	0.260	30.10%	SP vs. Right	0.272	0.792	0.344	21.00%
Batter Splits	TEX BvP		TEX vs R		Batter Splits	CLE BvP		CLE vs R
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Yu Darvish – A few aces are going this Sunday and Darvish looks to be leading the charge. He has an overall 2.90 ERA on the season with a 1.22 WHIP. His K/9 of 11.27 puts Darvish into an elite category of fantasy. The home runs he is allowing recently are a bit concerning, but he has the stuff to completely shut down any offense in the league. He is a small favorite today against Bauer, and the matchup is tough (Indians are 5th in the league in team wOBA against RH pitching), which drops his value a bit, but is still a great play. Rating = 8

Salaries: $11100 FD, $21100 DD, $11200 DK, $127700 FF, $30200 SS, $21100 FTD

• Trevor Bauer – Bauer comes into this matchup with a 4.25 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. He is coming off one of his worst performances of the year giving up 5 earned runs while only lasting 4.1 innings. He does get a great matchup with the Rangers bats who are 21st in the league in team wOBA. Even with the matchup, he is up against Darvish so the win will be very difficult to come by today. You can avoid him, unless you want to take a GPP flier. Rating = 4

Salaries: $6200 FD, $13300 DD, $6300 DK, $69900 FF, $19700 SS, $13300 FTD

Batter Grind Down

Texas

Adrian Beltre – This is a perfect matchup for Beltre as Bauer has allowed a wOBA of .344 to RH bats and Beltre has crushed all types of pitching this year (wOBA of .381 to RH pitching).

Additional Plays: Shin-Soo Choo Jim Adduci

Cleveland

Although Darvish has not been completely shutting down teams, I will not pay up for the Cleveland bats today.

Colorado at Detroit

Colorado					Detroit
Jorge De La Rosa		Vegas Moneyline			Anibal Sanchez		Vegas Over/Under
LEFT		DET (-200)			RIGHT		8.5
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.181	0.475	0.215	27.2%	SP vs. Left	0.213	0.565	0.252	21.30%
SP vs. Right	0.254	0.801	0.352	15.1%	SP vs. Right	0.240	0.680	0.301	15.60%
Batter Splits	COL BvP		COL vs R		Batter Splits	DET BvP		DET vs L
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Jorge De La Rosa – De La Rosa continues to post great numbers at Coors, but has a 5.28 ERA away from the hitter friendly park. He will take that ERA into a tough matchup against the Tigers who have the highest team average (.286) in the league against LH pitching. De La Rosa can safely be avoided today. Rating = 3

Salaries: $6800 FD, $12200 DD, $7000 DK, $88500 FF, $19500 SS, $12200 FTD

• Anibal Sanchez – Sanchez has really struggled a bit recently. He has allowed 21 earned runs in his last 5 starts and has had a very tough time keeping runners off the base pads. In the month of July, he had a 6.03 ERA to go along with allowing hitters to a .301 BA. He takes on a Colorado team that is not good offensively away from Coors park, and is the biggest favorite on the board today. For his salary, he makes a great multi-pitcher play today, but tough for cash games. Rating = 7

Salaries: $7200 FD, $13950 DD, $7700 DK, $82700 FF, $21300 SS, $13950 FTD

Batter Grind Down

Colorado

Corey Dickerson – Anytime the Rockies are taking on a RH pitcher, Dickerson is in play. He has struggled a bit recently which has depressed his salary, but he has an overall wOBA of .417 against righties.

Additional Plays: Charlie Blackmon

Detroit

Miguel Cabrera – Yesterday, both Miggy and Vmart went deep. I could see the same thing happening today and you need at least one of these guys in your lineup today.

Additional Plays: Victor Martinez Torii Hunter Rajai Davis Ian Kinsler

Cincinnati at Miami

Cincinnati					Miami
Mike Leake		Vegas Moneyline			Jacob Turner		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		MIA (-106)			RIGHT		7.5
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.307	0.854	0.373	14.9%	SP vs. Left	0.270	0.769	0.339	8.50%
SP vs. Right	0.230	0.627	0.277	21.1%	SP vs. Right	0.339	0.876	0.381	21.10%
Batter Splits	CIN BvP		CIN vs R		Batter Splits	MIA BvP		MIA vs R
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Mike Leake – Leake had allowed 4 earned runs in 3 straight starts prior to shutting down the Diamondbacks in his last start while striking out 8. He has an overall 3.53 ERA on the season and has consistently gone at least 6 innings in his last 5 starts as well. He has a great matchup in pitcher friendly Marlins Park, which is home to a team that strikes out at a 24.2% clip against RH pitchers. He makes a decent option today as his low 6.95 K/9 should get a small boost.

Salaries: $8200 FD, $14050 DD, $7600 DK, $81900 FF, $22500 SS, $14050 FTD

• Jacob Turner – Turner has not been good on the season. He has a high ERA (5.69) and high WHIP (1.59(. He also does not go deep into games. Even against a sputtering offense like the Reds, Turner is not in play. Rating = 4

Salaries: $5500 FD, $9150 DD, $5900 DK, $ FF, $14100 SS, $9150 FTD

Batter Grind Down

Cincinnati

Devin Mesoraco – Mesoraco has been crushing RH pitching all year long for a .287 AVG and .600 SLG. He also has 2 home runs in the last week.

Additional Plays: Jay Bruce Billy Hamilton Todd Frazier

Miami

Christian Yelich – Leake has really struggled against LH bats all season (.373 wOBA) making Yelich a great play today.

Additional Plays: Giancarlo Stanton

San Francisco at NY Mets

San Francisco					NY Mets
Madison Bumgarner		Vegas Moneyline			Bartolo Colon		Vegas Over/Under
LEFT		SFG (-119)			RIGHT		6.5
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.242	0.611	0.267	32.6%	SP vs. Left	0.246	0.654	0.288	17.90%
SP vs. Right	0.255	0.713	0.314	21.2%	SP vs. Right	0.270	0.710	0.311	18.20%
Batter Splits	SFG BvP		SFG vs R		Batter Splits	NYM BvP		NYM vs L
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Madison Bumgarner – Bumgarner has been very inconsistent recently and is coming off a very poor performance against the Pirates (5 ER, 4 IN). Bumgarner has also had a very rough July with a 4.95 ERA (which includes two starts with 1 earned run combined). Bumgarner will look to bounce back from these poor outing with a start against the Mets in pitcher friendly Citi Field. This looks to be a great spot for a bounce back for Bumgarner, but throwing him in all cash games is a bit too risky at the moment. Rating = 8

Salaries: $8800 FD, $18000 DD, $9200 DK, $99500 FF, $26300 SS, $18000 FTD

• Bartolo Colon – Colon has really pitched well this year and has a 3.88 ERA and 1.16 WHIP on the year. Colon has pitched great at Citi Field with a 5-4 record and a 2.62 ERA. This looks to be shaping up as a pitchers duel today and the win might be tough to come by. Colon’s 6.73 K/9 does depress his value a bit, but is cheap at many outlets and is a decent play today. Rating = 7

Salaries: $8000 FD, $15150 DD, $7500 DK, $94400 FF, $22700 SS, $15150 FTD

Batter Grind Down

San Francisco

Pablo Sandoval – Sandoval would be a GPP only play today as he has hit RH pitching well this year, but does have a tough matchup in a game that should be low scoring.

NY Mets

Even though I don’t fully trust Bumgarner, I don’t think the Mets will get to him today. The total is at 6’ and the Mets bats can be avoided.

Philadelphia at Washington

Philadelphia					Washington
Cole Hamels		Vegas Moneyline			Stephen Strasburg		Vegas Over/Under
LEFT		WAS (-148)			RIGHT		6.5
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.202	0.580	0.266	24.8%	SP vs. Left	0.242	0.654	0.289	23.00%
SP vs. Right	0.229	0.646	0.286	25.4%	SP vs. Right	0.272	0.738	0.323	31.10%
Batter Splits	PHI BvP		PHI vs R		Batter Splits	WSN BvP		WSN vs L
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Cole Hamels – There is no denying that Hamels has been one of the best starting pitchers in the league in the last 2 months. He has gone 5-1, while allowing 15 earned runs in 12 starts. He continues to pitch deep into games while striking out at a nice rate of 9.18 K/9. This game looks to be the top pitching matchup on the board and both guys should pitch well, making Hamels a much better play on sites where the win is not heavily weighted. Rating = 8

Salaries: $9800 FD, $20150 DD, $10600 DK, $125100 FF, $30800 SS, $20150 FTD

• Stephen Strasburg – Strasburg has clear home and road splits that make him a much better play when pitching at Nationals Park. He has a 2.62 ERA (4.68 Away) at home and will be taking on a Phillies squad that he has dominated this year. In three starts, he has a 1.93 ERA in 18.2 innings while striking out 25 batters. Strasburg makes a top option on a day where a lot of studs are going. He is a big favorite and is facing the Phillies who are 23rd in the league in team wOBA against RH pitching Rating = 9

Salaries: $9300 FD, $18200 DD, $9300 DK, $86900 FF, $27400 SS, $18200 FTD

Batter Grind Down

Philadelphia

I will be avoiding the Phillies bats today.

Washington

Bats need to be avoided in this game as a 2-1 game looks eminent.

MLB Grind Down Page 1 – Page 2

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