MLB Grind Down: Sunday, May 31 - Page Three
Atlanta at San Francisco – 4:05 PM EST
| Atlanta | San Francisco | ||||||||
 | Julio Teheran |  | Madison Bumgarner | ||||||
| RIGHT | LEFT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| SFG (-180) | 6.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.259 | 0.753 | 0.329 | 0.186 | SP vs. Left | 0.22 | 0.554 | 0.247 | 0.307 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.224 | 0.628 | 0.279 | 0.23 | SP vs. Right | 0.24 | 0.678 | 0.298 | 0.226 |
| Batter Splits | ATL BvP | ATL vs L | Batter Splits | SF BvP | SF vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Julio Teheran – Teheran has arguably been the most disappointing pitcher in the league thus far this season as the 24-year-old enters his 11th start of the season with a 4.91 ERA and 1.56 WHIP. After stringing together a pair of very promising starts last week, he was annihilated by the Dodgers in his last start when they hung eight earned runs on him before knocking him out of the game after just 4.1 innings. Teheran was a 14-game winner with a 2.98 ERA last season, and his .342 BABIP and 4.14 xFIP are at the very least small reasons for optimism. Today he’ll take on a Giants team that not only owns MLB’s third-best team wOBA against right-handed pitching (.327), and who also roughed him up in both meetings last season. While I do think he’s going to turn things around to some degree very soon, I’m not at all convinced it’ll start today. Rating = 4.5
Salaries: $8100 FD, $9100 DK
Madison Bumgarner – Bumgarner has shown no Ill-effects from his heavy workload last season and the Giants’ ace enters today’s game with a rock solid 6-2 record, 3.00 ERA and 1.13 WHIP after ten starts. Today he’ll turn his attention to a Braves team that MLB’s 29th ranked wOBA against left-handed pitching this season (.265 team wOBA) while also posting an ugly 22.9 K%. Bumgarner defeated them in both meetings last season and owns a 2.53 ERA at the spacious AT&T Park this season. With a somewhat limited number of quality pitching options in today’s slate, Bumgarner is my clear #1 target. Rating = 9
Salaries: $10000 FD, $10300 DK
Batter Grind Down
Atlanta
No Elite Plays
Secondary Plays:
None
San Francisco
Brandon Belt – (LHB) – Left-handers have blasted Teheran this season for a .452 wOBA, and Belt owns a .323 average and .982 OPS against right-handed pitching this year. Belt is hitting .330 with a 1.035 OPS during the month of May and yet still comes with a reasonable asking price on most sites.
2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.335 wOBA: 0.24 ISO: 120 wRC+
Secondary Plays:
Brandon Crawford – (LHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.275 wOBA: 0.133 ISO: 79 wRC+
Buster Posey – (RHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.366 wOBA: 0.164 ISO: 141 wRC+
Hunter Pence – (RHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.341 wOBA: 0.182 ISO: 123 wRC+
Joe Panik – (LHB) –
NY Yankees at Oakland – 4:05 PM EST
| NY Yankees | Oakland | ||||||||
 | Adam Warren |  | Jesse Chavez | ||||||
| RIGHT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| OAK (-130) | 7.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.193 | 0.554 | 0.248 | 0.217 | SP vs. Left | 0.249 | 0.666 | 0.298 | 0.186 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.245 | 0.704 | 0.314 | 0.193 | SP vs. Right | 0.23 | 0.651 | 0.289 | 0.257 |
| Batter Splits | NYY BvP | NYY vs R | Batter Splits | OAK BvP | OAK vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Adam Warren – Warren picked up his third straight quality start on Tuesday night against the Kansas City Royals and will bring a respectable 3.91 ERA and 1.21 WHIP into this afternoon’s battle with the Oakland Athletics. Warren’s armed with a devastating slider that he was able to use to rack up 8.69 K/9 last season, but he’s not missing nearly as many bats so far in 2015 (5.68 K/9). He’ll benefit from the nice park shift with this game at the Oakland Coliseum, but he has struggled on the road lately (2-7 record with a 4.80 ERA in 65.2 road innings since the beginning of 2014). Rating = 5
Salaries: $6900 FD, $5200 DK
Jesse Chavez – Chavez may sport just a 1-5 record, but his 2.44 ERA and 1.06 WHIP are both proof that those losses have not been his fault. He was brilliant in his last start, allowing just one unearned run against a very dangerous Detroit lineup, but was ultimately the tough-luck loser of a 1-0 decision. Chavez has thrived at the Coliseum lately, posting a 2.64 ERA over 88.33 innings since the beginning of last season. With decent strikeout potential and a pair of victories over this Yankees team in their two meetings last season, he’s definitely in play today. Rating = 6
Salaries: $8000 FD, $6500 DK
Batter Grind Down
NY Yankees
Brett Gardner – (LHB) – The Yankees leadoff man has cooled off a bit at the plate lately, but is hitting .300 against right-handed pitching this season and has already stolen 12 bases off of right-handed pitchers this season.
2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.34 wOBA: 0.197 ISO: 116 wRC+
Secondary Plays:
Mark Teixeira – (Switch) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.32 wOBA: 0.199 ISO: 102 wRC+
Chase Headley – (Switch) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.312 wOBA: 0.129 ISO: 100 wRC+
Oakland
Josh Reddick – (LHB) – Reddick picked up three hits in last night’s game and finds himself in a nice spot once again today. He’s hitting .366 average and 1.061 OPS against right-handed pitching this season and has thrived at the Oakland Coliseum where he’s hitting .385.
2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.367 wOBA: 0.239 ISO: 140 wRC+
Secondary Plays:
Stephen Vogt – (LHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.337 wOBA: 0.148 ISO: 119 wRC+
Cleveland at Seattle – 4:10 PM EST
| Cleveland | Seattle | ||||||||
 | Danny Salazar |  | J.A. Happ | ||||||
| RIGHT | LEFT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| SEA (-111) | 7 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.235 | 0.699 | 0.308 | 0.309 | SP vs. Left | 0.251 | 0.795 | 0.348 | 0.242 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.274 | 0.774 | 0.337 | 0.247 | SP vs. Right | 0.258 | 0.735 | 0.323 | 0.182 |
| Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs L | Batter Splits | SEA BvP | SEA vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Danny Salazar – He has a blister issue worth monitoring, but Salazar looks set to make his scheduled start today against the Mariners in Safeco Field. The 25-year-old has followed up a breakout 2014 campaign by posting a very solid 5-1 record with a 3.65 ERA and 1.14 WHIP through his first eight starts of the season. However, his advanced stats hint that he’s only reached the tip of the iceberg of his potential as his 2.47 SIERA trails only Clayton Kershaw. If that wasn’t impressive enough, his 32.2 K% is the highest in MLB among qualified starters this season and also leads the Majors in O-Swing%, indicating that no pitcher in baseball is more success at getting batters to chase bad pitches. The one knock on him has been his propensity to serve up the long ball (8 HR’s allowed already this season) but some of that risk is alleviated thanks to the spacious grounds at Safeco Field. He’s a bit inconsistent still, and the blister issue is a small concern, but he’s still a nice option in all formats and perfectly suited for GPP use. Rating = 7
Salaries: $9300 FD, $8500 DK
J.A. Happ – With Taijuan Walker struggling as an MLB starter and Hisashi Iwakuma landing on the DL, J.A. Happ has been a bright spot in the Mariners’ rotation so far in 2015. The veteran left-hander owns a 3.71 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP after nine starts this season and has thrived at Safeco Field where he’s 2-1 with a 2.05 ERA in four home starts this season. Today he’ll face a left-handed loaded Indians team who he mowed down in their only meeting last season (one run over seven innings). He’s not going to post a ton of strikeouts, but his success at Safeco shouldn’t be completely ignored. Rating = 5.5
Salaries: $7300 FD, $6700 DK
Batter Grind Down
Cleveland
Ryan Raburn – (RHB) – Raburn isn’t an “elite” play by the standard definition of the word, but he does happen to be one of the best values on the board today with a lefty on the mound for the Mariners. Not only does Raburn own a career .810 OPS against southpaws, but he also typically finds himself in the cleanup spot for the Indians when they face a left-handed pitcher.
2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.264 wOBA: 0.138 ISO: 68 wRC+
Secondary Plays:
Yan Gomes – (RHB) – 2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.38 wOBA: 0.186 ISO: 149 wRC+
Michael Brantley – (LHB) – 2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.364 wOBA: 0.141 ISO: 138 wRC+
Seattle
No Elite Plays
Secondary Plays:
Kyle Seager – (LHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.376 wOBA: 0.221 ISO: 147 wRC+
Nelson Cruz – (RHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.356 wOBA: 0.254 ISO: 128 wRC+
Robinson Cano – (LHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.382 wOBA: 0.166 ISO: 151 wRC+
Seth Smith – (LHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.357 wOBA: 0.186 ISO: 133 wRC+
Detroit at LA Angels – 8:05 PM EST
| Detroit | LA Angels | ||||||||
 | David Price |  | Matt Shoemaker | ||||||
| LEFT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| DET (-113) | 7.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.255 | 0.647 | 0.288 | 0.229 | SP vs. Left | 0.245 | 0.717 | 0.313 | 0.208 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.234 | 0.652 | 0.286 | 0.264 | SP vs. Right | 0.236 | 0.679 | 0.297 | 0.249 |
| Batter Splits | DET BvP | DET vs R | Batter Splits | ANA BvP | ANA vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
David Price – Priced tossed seven shutout innings against the Athletics in his last start to pick up his fourth win of the season and lower his ERA to 2.97 on the young season. He’ll head to Southern California today to take on an Anaheim team that owns MLB’s 29th ranked team wOBA this season. Price has been terrific on the road this season, posting a 3-0 record with a 1.82 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in five road starts. He’s proven to be a strikeout-per-inning type of pitcher throughout his career and is a rock solid option in all formats today. Rating = 8.5
Salaries: $10800 FD, $10800 DK
Matt Shoemaker – Shoemaker very quietly posted an impressive 16-4 record with a 3.04 ERA and 1.07 WHIP as a rookie last season, and despite a rough start to the 2015 season, certainly looked capable of matching those numbers during his last start. Shoemaker mystified the San Diego Padres, allowing just four hits while tossing seven shutout innings. He may sport a 5.44 ERA after nine starts this season, but most of the damage against him as come via the home run and his 3.83 xFIP suggests that better fortunes await him. He was splendid at Angel Stadium last season, posting a 9-3 record with a 2.10 ERA over 81.1 innings and was able to shut down this Tigers lineup in their only meeting last season. With that said, this is a very dangerous Detroit lineup and therefore Shoemaker lands on my GPP-only list. Rating = 5.5
Salaries: $8000 FD, $7800 DK
Batter Grind Down
Detroit
Miguel Cabrera – (RHB) – Right-handed batters own a .360 wOBA off of Shoemaker this season, and there are few more intimidating right-handers in the league than Mr. Cabrera. The Tigers’ slugger owns a .333 average this season and has posted a .424 wOBA off of right-handed pitching.
2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.385 wOBA: 0.203 ISO: 148 wRC+
Secondary Plays:
Anthony Gose – (RHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.295 wOBA: 0.074 ISO: 84 wRC+
Yoenis Cespedes – (RHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.337 wOBA: 0.187 ISO: 117 wRC+
LA Angels
No Elite Plays
Secondary Plays:
Mike Trout – (RHB) – 2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.398 wOBA: 0.248 ISO: 164 wRC+ *
David Freese* – (RHB) – 2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.382 wOBA: 0.17 ISO: 153 wRC+
Pittsburgh at San Diego – 9:10 PM EST
| Pittsburgh | San Diego | ||||||||
 | Jeff Locke |  | Odrisamer Despaigne | ||||||
| LEFT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| SDP (-105) | 7.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.224 | 0.632 | 0.282 | 0.113 | SP vs. Left | 0.243 | 0.681 | 0.307 | 0.11 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.267 | 0.76 | 0.334 | 0.185 | SP vs. Right | 0.240 | 0.672 | 0.299 | 0.183 |
| Batter Splits | PIT BvP | PIT vs R | Batter Splits | SD BvP | SD vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Jeff Locke – Locke was sharp in his last outing, holding the Miami Marlins scoreless over 5.2 innings and picking up his third win of the season. The Pirates lefty will bring an uninspiring 4.70 ERA and 1.45 WHIP into tonight’s start against the San Diego Padres, but his 3.91 xFIP falls right in line with his solid season in 2014 (7-6 record with a 3.91 ERA). His 7.32 K/9 is acceptable and the matchup in the very pitcher friendly Petco Park against a Padres team that owns MLB’s 18th ranked team wOBA against left-handed pitching is a nice one. He doesn’t have the highest of ceilings, but he’s an OK option as a secondary arm on the multi-pitcher sites. Rating = 5
Salaries: $7100 FD, $6300 DK
Odrisamer Despaigne – Fresh off of arguably his best start of the season, Despaigne will draw the start tonight against the Pirates. While his 5.23 ERA and 1.31 WHIP so far in 2015 won’t inspire a ton of confidence, he does own a 2.91 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over 77.1 career innings at the very pitcher-friendly Petco Park. Despaigne’s 4.57 K/9 is bit of a liability in daily fantasy baseball, but the Pirates own just a .290 team wOBA away from PNC Park, so Despaigne is in play tonight as a secondary arm on multi-pitcher sites if the asking price is right. Rating = 5
Salaries: $5300 FD, $5700 DK
Batter Grind Down
Pittsburgh
Andrew McCutchen – (RHB) – His slow start to the season is officially a thing of the past as McCutchen is sizzling at the plate lately. He owns a .330 average and .994 OPS during the month of May and his early season struggles have kept his asking price in check.
2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.415 wOBA: 0.225 ISO: 170 wRC+
Secondary Plays:
Neil Walker – (Switch) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.364 wOBA: 0.222 ISO: 135 wRC+
Gregory Polanco – (LHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.326 wOBA: 0.123 ISO: 110 wRC+
San Diego
Justin Upton – (RHB) – Upton posted a ridiculous .423 wOBA and .311 ISO against left-handed pitching last season and brings a seven-game hitting streak into tonight’s game against Jeff Locke. It’s a limited sample size, but Upton has punished Locke in the past, going 3 for 7 with a pair of home runs. 2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.423 wOBA: 0.311 ISO: 174 wRC+
Secondary Plays:
Matt Kemp – (RHB) – 2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.336 wOBA: 0.196 ISO: 117 wRC+
Derek Norris – (RHB) – 2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.379 wOBA: 0.159 ISO: 148 wRC+