MLB Grind Down: Sunday, May 31 - Page Two
Toronto at Minnesota – 2:10 PM EST
| Toronto | Minnesota | ||||||||
 | Drew Hutchison |  | Ricky Nolasco | ||||||
| RIGHT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| TOR (-117) | 8.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.25 | 0 | 0.336 | 0.216 | SP vs. Left | 0.316 | 0.875 | 0.381 | 0.137 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.24 | 0.664 | 0.295 | 0.241 | SP vs. Right | 0.307 | 0.825 | 0.359 | 0.202 |
| Batter Splits | TOR BvP | TOR vs R | Batter Splits | MIN BvP | MIN vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Drew Hutchison – Hutchison entered his last start sporting an ugly 6.06 ERA through his first nine starts of the season, but his advanced stats (mainly a 3.72 xFIP) hinted that better results on their way. Those advanced stats proved to be correct as Hutchison was masterful against the White Sox, allowing just four hits (zero walks) during his complete game shutout performance. Today’s matchup inside the very spacious Target Field against a Twins team that owns just a .291 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season is a nice one, making Hutchison worth consideration in GPP’s or as a secondary arm on multi-pitcher sites..Rating = 6
Salaries: $8100 FD, $7500 DK
Ricky Nolasco – Nolasco won his fifth consecutive game on Monday, but don’t be fooled into thinking the 32-year-old has rediscovered himself as he’ll enter today’s game sporting a rather unsightly 5.12 ERA and 1.61 WHIP through six starts. His 3.95 xFIP suggests that he’s been rather unlucky so far this season, however, after serving up 1.25 HR/9 last season, he’s only been burned by the long-ball one time this season and I’m not willing to believe that will hold up over the course of the season. He’ll face a very dangerous Blue Jays lineup who own MLB’s second highest team wOBA (.333 wOBA) this season and I’ll be avoiding him in all formats. Rating = 3.5
Salaries: $6300 FD, $6200 DK
Batter Grind Down
Toronto
Jose Reyes – (Switch) – Reyes looks to be fully healthy now and has picked up at least one hit in all five games since returning to the Blue Jays lineup. He stole a base yesterday and is an excellent value today as left-handers have posted a .341 wOBA off of Nolasco throughout his mediocre career.
2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.324 wOBA: 0.115 ISO: 104 wRC+
Secondary Plays:
Jose Bautista – (RHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.387 wOBA: 0.227 ISO: 148 wRC+
Josh Donaldson – (RHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.324 wOBA: 0.149 ISO: 110 wRC+
Edwin Encarnacion – (RHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.392 wOBA: 0.291 ISO: 152 wRC+
Minnesota
No Elite Plays
Secondary Plays:
Brian Dozier – (RHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.335 wOBA: 0.161 ISO: 114 wRC+
Chicago White Sox at Houston – 2:10 PM EST
| Chicago White Sox | Houston | ||||||||
 | John Danks |  | Roberto Hernandez | ||||||
| LEFT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| HOU (-139) | 9 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.247 | 0.708 | 0.317 | 0.11 | SP vs. Left | 0.251 | 0.749 | 0.332 | 0.086 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.273 | 0.832 | 0.363 | 0.17 | SP vs. Right | 0.251 | 0.769 | 0.333 | 0.188 |
| Batter Splits | CWS BvP | CWS vs R | Batter Splits | HOU BvP | HOU vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
John Danks – In a battle between two of my least favorite pitchers in MLB today, John Danks will head to Houston to “square off” against Roberto Hernandez and the Astros. I’ll keep this short and get straight to the point; Danks is bad. He brings an ugly 5.69 ERA and 1.45 WHIP into today’s game and has already served up nine home runs in just 49 innings of work this season. Among qualified starters this season, Danks owns the league’s highest fly ball percentage (48.0%) which could be very problematic for him with the Crawford Boxes looming just 315 feet away. I’m staying far away, and I suggest you do the same. Rating = 2
Salaries: $6000 FD, $5300 DK
Roberto Hernandez – Hernandez started the season out pitching (surprisingly to me) somewhat effectively, but he was absolutely lit up by the Tigers in his last start and now owns a 4.77 ERA and 1.35 WHIP through nine starts this season. Hernandez can no longer sniff 90 MPH on the radar gun, but he has shown the ability to keep hitters off balance and force a bunch of ground balls by mixing in a solid changeup. Today’s matchup against the White Sox isn’t an intimidating one, but Hernandez offers very little strikeout potential and his recent struggles and long track-record of inconsistent performances makes him an easy pitcher for me to avoid today. Rating = 3.5
Salaries: $5600 FD, $4500 DK
Batter Grind Down
Chicago White Sox
Adam LaRoche – (LHB) – Roberto Hernandez has a long history of recorded struggles against left-handed batters, and LaRoche owned a .384 wOBA against right-handed pitching last season. He’s heating up at the plate (9 for his last 29) and is very reasonably priced across the industry.
2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.384 wOBA: 0.221 ISO: 146 wRC+
Secondary Plays:
Jose Abreu – (RHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.394 wOBA: 0.25 ISO: 153 wRC+
Adam Eaton – (LHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.344 wOBA: 0.119 ISO: 118 wRC+
Melky Cabrera – (Switch) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.358 wOBA: 0.151 ISO: 128 wRC+
Houston
Jose Altuve – (RHB) – Today’s matchup is the perfect storm for Altuve. Not only is the Astros’ second baseman hitting .400 off of left-handed pitching this season (after hitting .414 off of them in 2014), but right-handed batters have crushed John Danks for a .394 wOBA this season.
2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.44 wOBA: 0.151 ISO: 189 wRC+
Secondary Plays:
George Springer – (RHB) – 2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.342 wOBA: 0.194 ISO: 121 wRC+
Evan Gattis – (RHB) – 2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.419 wOBA: 0.271 ISO: 171 wRC+
LA Dodgers at St. Louis – 2:15 PM EST
| LA Dodgers | St. Louis | ||||||||
 | Brett Anderson |  | Carlos Martinez | ||||||
| LEFT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| STL (-109) | 7.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.339 | 0.753 | 0.337 | 0.118 | SP vs. Left | 0.278 | 0.85 | 0.365 | 0.145 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.25 | 0.676 | 0.293 | 0.184 | SP vs. Right | 0.236 | 0.61 | 0.276 | 0.294 |
| Batter Splits | LA BvP | LA vs R | Batter Splits | STL BvP | STL vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Brett Anderson – Anderson was a bit slow out of the gates this season, but has settled in nicely for the Dodgers and has posted a very impressive 2.12 ERA during his five starts in the month of May. While he may not be striking out a ton of batters (6.10 K/9), he’s staying out of trouble by forcing more ground balls than any other pitcher in baseball this season (68.4 GB%). He’ll face a Cardinals team that may make securing a “W” difficult, but St. Louis is ranked 20th in MLB in wOBA against left-handed pitching and own an exploitable 22.6 K% against southpaws as well. Anderson has proven to be a very capable pitcher when healthy and, at least for the time being, looks to be firing on all cylinders. Rating = 6
Salaries: $6700 FD, $6400 DK
Carlos Martinez – Martinez has back-to-back abysmal starts to open the month of May, but with those starts aside, he’s been extremely effective this season. He’ll take the mound at Busch Stadium owning a 4-2 record with a 3.56 ERA and 9.45 K/9 through his first nine starts. Martinez’ success is tied very closely to his command, but when he’s locating his mid-90’s fastball, he can look dominant. His high upside makes him a very nice GPP target, but his inconsistencies and the tough matchup against a dangerous Dodgers lineup makes him a little risky for cash game use. Rating = 6
Salaries: $8800 FD, $7300 DK
Batter Grind Down
LA Dodgers
No Elite Plays
Secondary Plays:
Adrian Gonzalez – (LHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.384 wOBA: 0.236 ISO: 150 wRC+
Joc Pederson – (LHB) – No 2014 stats
St. Louis
Matt Holliday – (RHB) – Holliday has reached base in every single game this season (44 games) and enters today’s game sporting a .318 average and .875 OPS on the season. He owned a .435 wOBA against left-handed pitching last season and is hitting .342 thus far at Busch Stadium in 2015.
2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.435 wOBA: 0.263 ISO: 183 wRC+
Secondary Plays:
Yadier Molina – (RHB) – 2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.348 wOBA: 0.165 ISO: 123 wRC+
Mark Reynolds – (RHB) – 2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.262 wOBA: 0.122 ISO: 60 wRC+
Matt Carpenter – (LHB) – 2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.327 wOBA: 0.098 ISO: 109 wRC+
Jhonny Peralta – (RHB) – 2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.384 wOBA: 0.212 ISO: 148 wRC+
Kansas City at Chicago Cubs – 2:20 PM EST
| Kansas City | Chicago Cubs | ||||||||
 | Yordano Ventura |  | Tsuyoshi Wada | ||||||
| RIGHT | LEFT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| CHC (0) | 0 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.236 | 0.678 | 0.302 | 0.193 | SP vs. Left | 0.193 | 0.537 | 0.244 | 0.213 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.245 | 0.69 | 0.309 | 0.213 | SP vs. Right | 0.259 | 0.775 | 0.339 | 0.219 |
| Batter Splits | KC BvP | KC vs L | Batter Splits | CHC BvP | CHC vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Yordano Ventura – With the wind forecasted to be blowing in hard from center at Wrigley today, Ventura suddenly looks like a nice option on the mound. The Royals flame-thrower owns a rather disappointing 4.64 ERA through his first nine starts, but his 3.72 xFIP falls right in line with his impressive rookie campaign from 2014. Ventura has forced a high percentage of ground balls this season (54.1 GB%) and has pitched at least seven innings (with at least 6 strikeouts) in each of his last three starts. His inconsistencies make him a bit risky, but his high upside lands him as a nice GPP target. Rating = 5.5
Salaries: $8300 FD, $7600 DK
Tsuyoshi Wada – We haven’t seen much of Wada this season, but he’s definitely been impressive in his limited opportunities. He’s posted a 2.70 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in his two previous starts in 2015 and owned a 3.25 ERA over 69.1 innings as a rookie last season. He’s shown high strikeout potential (15 K’s in 10 innings) but will have his hands full against this dangerous Kansas City lineup that owns the league’s lowest strikeout rate. Rating = 5.5
Salaries: $6500 FD, $6600 DK
Batter Grind Down
Kansas City
No Elite Plays – The wind blowing in this hard should help keep this one very low scoring.
Secondary Plays:
Chicago Cubs
No Elite Plays – The wind blowing in this hard should help keep this one very low scoring.
Secondary Plays:
Dexter Fowler – (RHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.333 wOBA: 0.116 ISO: 114 wRC+
Anthony Rizzo – (LHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.391 wOBA: 0.253 ISO: 149 wRC+
Kris Bryant – (RHB) – No 2014 stats
Boston at Texas – 3:05 PM EST
| Boston | Texas | ||||||||
 | Joe Kelly |  | Wandy Rodriguez | ||||||
| RIGHT | LEFT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| TEX (-114) | 9.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.235 | 0.647 | 0.296 | 0.168 | SP vs. Left | 0.268 | 0 | 0.36 | 0.161 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.259 | 0 | 0.341 | 0.177 | SP vs. Right | 0.254 | 0.837 | 0.361 | 0.194 |
| Batter Splits | BOS BvP | BOS vs L | Batter Splits | TEX BvP | TEX vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Joe Kelly – Joe Kelly was blasted for seven earned runs in just 1.2 innings of work in his last start, and now owns a very ugly 6.245 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. With top prospect Eduardo Rodriguez throwing a gem in his MLB debut on Thursday, Kelly will need to “right the ship” quickly or risk losing his rotation spot. He’ll take on this Texas team for the second time in 10 days, and he’ll be hoping for a similar outcome as their last meeting where he allowed just two runs in seven innings while picking up seven strikeouts. For as bad as this season has been for Kelly, his peripheral numbers don’t raise too many red flags. He’s armed with a mid-90’s fastball, generates a large number of ground balls (47.1 GB%), has modest strikeout numbers (7.90 K/9) and his .3.99 xFIP is definitely serviceable. He’s been very volatile this season and is off my radar for cash games, but Kelly is an intriguing GPP option. Rating = 4.5
Salaries: $6700 FD, $4800 DK
Wandy Rodriguez – Not much was expected from Wandy when the Rangers signed him this offseason, but the left-hander has definitely exceeded expectations. He’ll defeated this Boston team last week, allowing just one runs in 6.2 innings and now owns a solid 3.60 ERA and 1.23 WHIP on the season. The numbers don’t really back it up, but this Red Sox team is loaded with guys who swing the bat very well against left-handed pitching and Wandy’s 4.30 xFIP and five free-passes in his last start are both concerning. Rating = 4.5
Salaries: $6700 FD, $5400 DK
Batter Grind Down
Boston
Dustin Pedroia – (RHB) – Pedroia picked up another hit in yesterday’s game to extend his hitting streak to ten games. He owns a career .305 average against left-handed pitching during his career.
2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.322 wOBA: 0.151 ISO: 102 wRC+
Secondary Plays:
Hanley Ramirez – (RHB) – 2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.383 wOBA: 0.194 ISO: 150 wRC+
Mookie Betts – (RHB) – 2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.37 wOBA: 0.155 ISO: 136 wRC+
Mike Napoli – (RHB) – 2014 vs LH Pitching: 0.407 wOBA: 0.173 ISO: 162 wRC+
Texas
Prince Fielder – (LHB) – Fielder has proven to be fully healthy this season and brings a .361 average and .981 OPS into today’s game against the Red Sox. He’s hitting .400 with a 1.049 OPS against right-handed pitching this season and should have plenty of opportunities for damage against the struggling Joe Kelly.
2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.301 wOBA: 0.078 ISO: 86 wRC+
Secondary Plays:
Josh Hamilton – (LHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.305 wOBA: 0.138 ISO: 99 wRC+
Adrian Beltre – (RHB) – 2014 vs RH Pitching: 0.366 wOBA: 0.16 ISO: 131 wRC+