Sign In $

MLB Grind Down: Sunday, September 16th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2018-09-16 06:12:45

Jump to Page 1 2 3

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.

Implied Run Totals

Ballpark Ratings

Chicago White Sox at Baltimore – 1:05 PM ET

Chicago White Sox Baltimore
whitesoxmlb Lucas Giolito baltimoremlb David Hess
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
CWS-105 9.5
Stats wOBA xwOBA HC% HR/9 K% GB% Stats wOBA xwOBA HC% HR/9 K% GB%
SP vs. Left (2016-17) 0.352 0.387 34.9% 1.34 15.0% 38.7% SP vs. Left (2016-17) 0.335 0.347 33.1% 1.90 15.2% 39.2%
SP vs. Right (2016-17) 0.328 0.333 31.8% 1.48 18.4% 48.9% SP vs. Right (2016-17) 0.362 0.349 29.4% 1.36 15.0% 30.1%

Pitcher Grind Down

Lucas Giolito
lucas-giolito-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings FantasyDraft
Salary: $7,800 Salary: $6,600 Salary:
Salary Rank: 13 of 30 Salary Rank: 21 of 30 Salary Rank:
Stats Starts SIERA ERA K% BB% GB% HC% SC% aFV SwS%
2017 7 4.49 2.38 19.0% 6.7% 45.0% 35.4% 19.2% 92.1 10.1%
2018 29 5.31 5.76 16.6% 11.5% 43.6% 33.4% 16.3% 92.5 8.5%
L14 3 4.23 4.91 22.6% 9.7% 48.8% 36.6% 22.0% 93.3 8.9%

What is up everyone. We are a little short-handed today, so I will be covering the Grind Down. With this being an NFL Sunday, this will be the shortest and sweetest Grind Down ever written. Without further adieu, let’s get rolling. Lucas Giolito has an elite matchup against the Orioles, but his upside is still limited. Given the tendency to walk batters at a high rate, he’s an easy fade.

Quick Breakdown: Thanks, but no thanks.

David Hess
david-hess-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings FantasyDraft
Salary: $6,800 Salary: $5,000 Salary:
Salary Rank: 22 of 30 Salary Rank: 25 of 30 Salary Rank:
Stats Starts SIERA ERA K% BB% GB% HC% SC% aFV SwS%
2018 16 5.17 5.17 15.1% 7.8% 34.9% 31.4% 19.0% 91.9 8.2%
L14 2 4.43 6.00 13.3% 0.0% 40.5% 44.7% 10.5% 92.0 9.9%

Hess is one of the worst starting pitchers in baseball. He doesn’t strike anyone out and he’s a fly-ball pitcher that gives up a lot of home runs. Even though we have two bad offenses squaring off, we have a potential game stack on our hands.

Quick Breakdown: Avoid Hess in all formats.

Batter Grind Down

Chicago White Sox

David Hess has allowed a .345+ xwOBA to both left and right-handed hitters this season. He has a high fly-ball rate and the White Sox see a small ballpark boost playing in Camden Yards. Yoan Moncada and Jose Abreu are both elite tournament plays.

Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)

# Player Bats xwOBA ISO HC% BB% K% GB% FD Pos. FD Sal. DK Pos. DK Sal. FDRFT Pos. FDRFT Sal.
1 Yoan Moncada SWITCH 0.326 0.189 38.1% 10.5% 33.7% 33.5% 2B $3,500 2B $4,100 N/A N/A
2 Yolmer Sanchez SWITCH 0.308 0.153 28.7% 7.4% 18.6% 47.3% 2B $2,800 3B $3,900 N/A N/A
3 Jose Abreu RIGHT 0.373 0.200 36.6% 6.1% 18.0% 43.2% 1B $3,700 1B $4,800 N/A N/A
4 Daniel Palka LEFT 0.325 0.261 37.6% 5.3% 33.0% 43.1% OF $3,000 OF $4,600 N/A N/A
5 Avisail Garcia RIGHT 0.316 0.197 33.0% 3.2% 26.3% 45.7% OF $2,900 OF $4,600 N/A N/A
6 Omar Narvaez LEFT 0.350 0.151 28.8% 10.0% 18.8% 40.7% C $2,800 C $3,600 N/A N/A
7 Tim Anderson RIGHT 0.272 0.167 29.4% 5.2% 25.7% 47.1% SS $3,100 SS $4,100 N/A N/A
8 Nick Delmonico LEFT 0.321 0.169 31.7% 8.0% 22.4% 41.6% OF $2,600 OF $3,700 N/A N/A
9 Ryan Cordell RIGHT 0.148 0.000 0.0% 0.0% 20.0% 50.0% OF $2,000 OF $4,100 N/A N/A
Team Averages 0.304 0.165 29.3% 6.2% 24.1% 43.6%

Elite Plays – Yoan Moncada (GPP), Jose Abreu (GPP)

Secondary Plays – Avisail Garcia (GPP), Omar Narvaez (GPP)

Stackability – YELLOW

Baltimore

Lucas Giolito has a low strikeout rate, a high walk rate, and he doesn’t induce ground balls at a high rate. He has allowed a .387 xwOBA to lefties and a .333 xwOBA to righties this season. Jonathan Villar and Trey Mancini are both elite tournament plays.

Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)

# Player Bats xwOBA ISO HC% BB% K% GB% FD Pos. FD Sal. DK Pos. DK Sal. FDRFT Pos. FDRFT Sal.
1 Cedric Mullins LEFT 0.297 0.208 28.4% 8.1% 12.8% 56.5% OF $2,700 OF $4,100 N/A N/A
2 Jonathan Villar SWITCH 0.292 0.117 30.0% 7.9% 26.0% 57.7% 2B $3,100 2B $4,500 N/A N/A
3 Adam Jones RIGHT 0.327 0.153 32.7% 4.6% 17.8% 43.9% OF $3,100 OF $4,200 N/A N/A
4 Trey Mancini RIGHT 0.375 0.185 37.2% 7.0% 23.4% 48.5% OF $3,100 1B/OF $3,900 N/A N/A
5 Chris Davis LEFT 0.294 0.127 35.5% 8.1% 35.8% 39.5% 1B $2,200 1B $3,100 N/A N/A
6 Tim Beckham RIGHT 0.299 0.123 32.6% 4.9% 25.1% 46.9% SS $2,500 3B/SS $3,500 N/A N/A
7 Renato Nunez RIGHT 0.301 0.160 29.2% 8.0% 26.1% 43.2% 3B $2,300 3B $3,800 N/A N/A
8 DJ Stewart LEFT 0.151 0.000 33.3% 0.0% 0.0% 33.3% OF $2,000 OF $2,900 N/A N/A
9 Caleb Joseph RIGHT 0.268 0.130 28.6% 3.5% 25.9% 44.4% C $2,000 C $2,700 N/A N/A
Team Averages 0.289 0.134 31.9% 5.8% 21.4% 46.0%

Elite Plays – Jonathan Villar (GPP), Trey Mancini (GPP)

Secondary Plays – Cedric Mullins (GPP), Chris Davis (GPP)

Stackability – YELLOW

NY Mets at Boston – 1:05 PM ET

NY Mets Boston
nymetsmlb Jacob deGrom bostonmlb Chris Sale
RIGHT LEFT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
BOS-190 7.5
Stats wOBA xwOBA HC% HR/9 K% GB% Stats wOBA xwOBA HC% HR/9 K% GB%
SP vs. Left (2016-17) 0.266 0.266 24.0% 0.47 29.2% 42.3% SP vs. Left (2016-17) 0.192 0.192 18.9% 0.00 40.0% 51.0%
SP vs. Right (2016-17) 0.208 0.248 31.6% 0.36 33.9% 48.9% SP vs. Right (2016-17) 0.241 0.244 27.8% 0.75 38.4% 43.8%

Pitcher Grind Down

Jacob deGrom
jacob-degrom-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings FantasyDraft
Salary: $11,900 Salary: $11,800 Salary:
Salary Rank: 1 of 30 Salary Rank: 2 of 30 Salary Rank:
Stats Starts SIERA ERA K% BB% GB% HC% SC% aFV SwS%
2017 31 3.44 3.53 28.9% 7.1% 45.3% 31.9% 21.3% 95.2 13.3%
2018 29 2.88 1.71 31.5% 5.8% 45.5% 27.6% 24.8% 95.9 15.1%
L14 2 2.95 2.08 31.9% 6.4% 48.3% 20.7% 34.5% 96.9 15.4%

DeGrom broke the major league record for consecutive quality starts. That feat will be put to the test on the road against the Red Sox. While deGrom is an elite pitcher in every sense of the word, this is an awful matchup and we aren’t getting a good enough discount.

Quick Breakdown: I hope the streak continues, but I’ll be looking elsewhere.

Chris Sale
chris-sale-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings FantasyDraft
Salary: $11,500 Salary: $11,000 Salary:
Salary Rank: 3 of 30 Salary Rank: 3 of 30 Salary Rank:
Stats Starts SIERA ERA K% BB% GB% HC% SC% aFV SwS%
2017 32 2.58 2.90 36.2% 5.1% 38.7% 29.7% 18.5% 94.4 14.9%
2018 24 2.27 1.96 38.7% 5.8% 45.0% 26.2% 28.9% 94.9 16.0%
L14 1 2.56 0.00 40.0% 0.0% 0.0% 50.0% 50.0% 96.4 23.1%

Sale only threw 27 pitches in his first start back from injury, so there’s next to no chance of him seeing a full complement of pitches today. I would expect somewhere in the three-to-four inning range.

Quick Breakdown: Avoid Sale in all formats.

Batter Grind Down

NY Mets

The Mets see a ballpark boost playing in Fenway and they get to use the DH. Chris Sale is an awful matchup, but he will likely be on a pitch count. Unfortunately, the Mets didn’t receive the pricing discount most teams get when facing Sale.

Projected Lineup (Splits vs. LH Pitching)

# Player Bats xwOBA ISO HC% BB% K% GB% FD Pos. FD Sal. DK Pos. DK Sal. FDRFT Pos. FDRFT Sal.
1 Amed Rosario RIGHT 0.309 0.146 32.0% 5.1% 21.9% 45.9% SS $3,000 SS $3,800 N/A N/A
2 Jeff McNeil LEFT 0.463 0.139 44.1% 9.8% 4.9% 50.0% 2B $3,700 2B $3,900 N/A N/A
3 Michael Conforto LEFT 0.329 0.216 34.7% 7.7% 33.1% 52.0% OF $3,500 OF $4,000 N/A N/A
4 Wilmer Flores RIGHT 0.322 0.090 30.7% 6.8% 8.2% 34.7% 1B $2,800 1B $3,500 N/A N/A
5 Todd Frazier RIGHT 0.267 0.118 33.3% 10.3% 27.6% 43.1% 3B $3,000 3B $3,900 N/A N/A
6 Brandon Nimmo LEFT 0.295 0.164 40.6% 9.6% 34.8% 54.4% OF $3,300 OF $3,900 N/A N/A
7 Dominic Smith LEFT 0.216 0.273 22.2% 0.0% 16.7% 44.4% 1B $2,300 1B/OF $3,500 N/A N/A
8 Austin Jackson RIGHT 0.264 0.016 29.9% 7.9% 29.3% 49.4% OF $2,500 OF $3,000 N/A N/A
9 Kevin Plawecki RIGHT 0.334 0.149 42.4% 13.0% 25.9% 48.5% C $2,300 C $3,300 N/A N/A
Team Averages 0.311 0.146 34.4% 7.8% 22.5% 46.9%

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – None

Stackability – RED

Boston

Boston let us down all last week. It would make all the sense in the world for their offense to finally show up against Jacob deGrom. I don’t like targeting pitchers against elite offenses and I don’t like targeting offenses against elite pitchers. This is a stay-away for me.

Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)

# Player Bats xwOBA ISO HC% BB% K% GB% FD Pos. FD Sal. DK Pos. DK Sal. FDRFT Pos. FDRFT Sal.
1 Mookie Betts RIGHT 0.445 0.262 44.2% 11.9% 14.2% 34.2% OF $4,400 OF $5,100 N/A N/A
2 Andrew Benintendi LEFT 0.396 0.195 29.9% 12.4% 14.2% 37.9% OF $3,500 OF $4,400 N/A N/A
3 Mitch Moreland LEFT 0.410 0.218 36.5% 11.1% 20.6% 40.7% 1B $2,800 1B $3,500 N/A N/A
4 J.D. Martinez RIGHT 0.449 0.327 44.8% 11.2% 22.2% 44.1% OF $4,300 OF $4,900 N/A N/A
5 Xander Bogaerts RIGHT 0.383 0.259 37.6% 6.8% 16.5% 46.1% SS $3,400 SS $4,200 N/A N/A
6 Rafael Devers LEFT 0.325 0.196 36.1% 8.0% 24.4% 44.2% 3B $2,700 3B $3,200 N/A N/A
7 Ian Kinsler RIGHT 0.333 0.185 31.2% 8.2% 11.9% 37.3% 2B $2,600 2B $3,500 N/A N/A
8 Sandy Leon SWITCH 0.253 0.117 26.2% 3.1% 26.9% 40.8% C $2,000 C $2,500 N/A N/A
9 Jackie Bradley LEFT 0.379 0.182 41.6% 10.0% 22.4% 39.8% OF $2,500 OF $3,400 N/A N/A
Team Averages 0.375 0.216 36.5% 9.2% 19.3% 40.6%

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – None

Stackability – ORANGE

Toronto at NY Yankees – 1:05 PM ET

Toronto NY Yankees
torontomlb Thomas Pannone nyyankeesmlb Lance Lynn
LEFT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
NYY-220 9.5
Stats wOBA xwOBA HC% HR/9 K% GB% Stats wOBA xwOBA HC% HR/9 K% GB%
SP vs. Left (2016-17) 0.378 0.343 15.4% 0.00 31.8% 25.0% SP vs. Left (2016-17) 0.368 0.359 37.2% 0.98 15.4% 52.4%
SP vs. Right (2016-17) 0.282 0.303 26.6% 1.83 10.1% 31.7% SP vs. Right (2016-17) 0.305 0.294 34.5% 0.81 27.8% 47.4%

Pitcher Grind Down

Thomas Pannone
thomas-pannone-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings FantasyDraft
Salary: $5,900 Salary: $4,300 Salary:
Salary Rank: 28 of 30 Salary Rank: 28 of 30 Salary Rank:
Stats Starts SIERA ERA K% BB% GB% HC% SC% aFV SwS%
2018 3 5.25 4.13 14.9% 6.9% 30.7% 24.7% 26.0% 88.5 10.0%
L14 1 5.34 1.93 15.4% 7.7% 31.0% 20.7% 41.4% 88.4 9.3%

Pannone has a low strikeout rate and is an extreme fly-ball pitcher. He goes on the road to face a Yankees’ team that leads the majors in home runs hit. There is no need to even consider Pannone.

Quick Breakdown: Avoid Pannone in all formats.

Lance Lynn
lance-lynn-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings FantasyDraft
Salary: $7,400 Salary: $7,000 Salary:
Salary Rank: 17 of 30 Salary Rank: 19 of 30 Salary Rank:
Stats Starts SIERA ERA K% BB% GB% HC% SC% aFV SwS%
2017 33 4.85 3.43 19.7% 10.1% 44.0% 29.2% 21.1% 91.8 9.0%
2018 27 4.34 5.01 22.6% 11.1% 49.6% 35.7% 20.1% 93.1 10.0%
L14 2 3.53 7.45 19.5% 2.4% 43.8% 28.1% 28.1% 93.4 8.2%

Lynn has been a decent pickup for the Yankees and his advanced numbers suggest some positive regression moving forward. I don’t hate his matchup against the Blue Jays, since they will roll out a right-handed heavy lineup and Lynn has been tough on righties.

Quick Breakdown: Lynn is viable as an SP2 in all formats.

Batter Grind Down

Toronto

Lance Lynn is an easy matchup to break down. He has been tough on right-handed hitters (including a .294 xwOBA), but has allowed a .359 xwOBA and a 37% hard contact rate to lefties. Far from core plays, Billy McKinney and Rowdy Tolez are intriguing tournament plays.

Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)

# Player Bats xwOBA ISO HC% BB% K% GB% FD Pos. FD Sal. DK Pos. DK Sal. FDRFT Pos. FDRFT Sal.
1 Billy McKinney LEFT 0.412 0.226 35.4% 9.9% 21.1% 39.6% OF $2,800 OF $3,600 N/A N/A
2 Lourdes Gurriel RIGHT 0.336 0.152 32.5% 3.8% 22.5% 40.5% SS $3,000 2B/SS $3,800 N/A N/A
3 Justin Smoak SWITCH 0.402 0.262 39.5% 15.7% 26.7% 33.5% 1B $3,000 1B $4,200 N/A N/A
4 Randal Grichuk RIGHT 0.347 0.276 36.8% 5.7% 24.3% 34.7% OF $3,100 OF $4,200 N/A N/A
5 Rowdy Tellez LEFT 0.454 0.588 42.9% 0.0% 17.6% 21.4% 1B $2,700 1B $3,900 N/A N/A
6 Kevin Pillar RIGHT 0.345 0.171 34.3% 3.6% 19.3% 34.8% OF $2,600 OF $3,500 N/A N/A
7 Aledmys Diaz RIGHT 0.349 0.188 33.1% 3.9% 13.1% 41.0% 3B $2,900 3B/SS $3,900 N/A N/A
8 Devon Travis RIGHT 0.324 0.131 30.4% 5.3% 19.0% 54.1% 2B $2,600 2B $3,500 N/A N/A
9 Danny Jansen RIGHT 0.286 0.174 18.0% 10.9% 14.5% 35.9% C $2,300 C $3,400 N/A N/A
Team Averages 0.362 0.241 33.7% 6.5% 19.8% 37.3%

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Billy McKinney (GPP), Rowdy Tellez (GPP)

Stackability – ORANGE / YELLOW

NY Yankees

Thomas Pannone is a low-strikeout southpaw that has a very high fly-ball rate. This should be a great spot for the Yankees’ offense. Their lineup is loaded with right-handed firepower and they play in one of the best hitter’s parks in baseball.

Projected Lineup (Splits vs. LH Pitching)

# Player Bats xwOBA ISO HC% BB% K% GB% FD Pos. FD Sal. DK Pos. DK Sal. FDRFT Pos. FDRFT Sal.
1 Andrew McCutchen RIGHT 0.382 0.186 43.0% 11.9% 20.8% 41.5% OF $3,400 OF $4,800 N/A N/A
2 Giancarlo Stanton RIGHT 0.445 0.336 58.3% 11.1% 26.1% 40.6% OF $4,300 OF $4,900 N/A N/A
3 Aaron Hicks SWITCH 0.388 0.270 46.5% 12.3% 19.2% 35.7% OF $3,700 OF $4,600 N/A N/A
4 Miguel Andujar RIGHT 0.316 0.221 31.3% 6.0% 17.2% 42.6% 3B $4,000 3B $4,300 N/A N/A
5 Didi Gregorius LEFT 0.291 0.167 31.3% 6.8% 13.0% 46.8% SS $4,000 SS $5,300 N/A N/A
6 Gleyber Torres RIGHT 0.392 0.340 50.0% 10.3% 27.6% 29.2% 2B $3,600 2B $4,300 N/A N/A
7 Gary Sanchez RIGHT 0.424 0.250 34.0% 15.0% 22.5% 34.0% C $3,100 C $4,500 N/A N/A
8 Luke Voit RIGHT 0.339 0.176 39.1% 5.6% 30.6% 34.8% 1B $3,400 1B $4,100 N/A N/A
9 Brett Gardner LEFT 0.290 0.087 27.3% 9.2% 21.1% 51.1% OF $3,100 OF $4,100 N/A N/A
Team Averages 0.363 0.226 40.1% 9.8% 22.0% 39.6%

Elite Plays – Andrew McCutchen, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks, Gary Sanchez

Secondary Plays – Miguel Andujar, Gleyber Torres

Stackability – GREEN

Detroit at Cleveland – 1:10 PM ET

Detroit Cleveland
detroitmlb Francisco Liriano clevelandmlb Shane Bieber
LEFT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
CLE-260 9.0
Stats wOBA xwOBA HC% HR/9 K% GB% Stats wOBA xwOBA HC% HR/9 K% GB%
SP vs. Left (2016-17) 0.219 0.308 27.4% 0.71 21.7% 57.4% SP vs. Left (2016-17) 0.380 0.374 50.7% 1.08 26.1% 32.4%
SP vs. Right (2016-17) 0.372 0.389 34.7% 1.65 17.4% 44.8% SP vs. Right (2016-17) 0.284 0.277 37.8% 0.75 24.0% 56.6%

Pitcher Grind Down

Francisco Liriano
francisco-liriano-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings FantasyDraft
Salary: $6,400 Salary: $5,100 Salary:
Salary Rank: 25 of 30 Salary Rank: 24 of 30 Salary Rank:
Stats Starts SIERA ERA K% BB% GB% HC% SC% aFV SwS%
2017 18 5.09 5.66 19.4% 12.1% 44.9% 29.6% 16.8% 92.9 9.6%
2018 23 5.21 4.65 18.2% 12.9% 47.0% 33.4% 16.7% 92.0 10.1%
L14 3 4.47 3.52 20.0% 10.0% 51.1% 36.7% 12.2% 92.7 8.9%

Liriano should not be targeted in DFS. Not now. Not ever.

Quick Breakdown: Avoid Liriano in all formats.

Shane Bieber
shane-bieber-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings FantasyDraft
Salary: $9,200 Salary: $9,200 Salary:
Salary Rank: 5 of 30 Salary Rank: 6 of 30 Salary Rank:
Stats Starts SIERA ERA K% BB% GB% HC% SC% aFV SwS%
2018 17 3.40 4.32 25.1% 4.6% 44.4% 44.3% 10.0% 92.9 11.5%
L14 3 3.07 3.44 28.0% 5.3% 44.0% 46.0% 14.0% 93.7 13.0%

Bieber is coming off of a great start against the Rays and we’ve been harping on positive regression for weeks. He now gets to face a strikeout-prone Tigers’ offense at home in a game where he is a massive favorites. Sign me up.

Quick Breakdown: Bieber is an elite play in all formats.

Batter Grind Down

Detroit

Shane Bieber is an above-average major league pitcher. His one weakness is left-handed hitters and the only hitter that I ever feel good about rostering in DFS is Nick Castellanos and he obviously bats from the right side of the plate.

Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)

# Player Bats xwOBA ISO HC% BB% K% GB% FD Pos. FD Sal. DK Pos. DK Sal. FDRFT Pos. FDRFT Sal.
1 Jeimer Candelario SWITCH 0.284 0.167 32.9% 11.7% 26.7% 38.2% 3B $3,200 3B $4,100 N/A N/A
2 Christin Stewart LEFT 0.283 0.091 42.9% 8.3% 33.3% 28.6% OF $2,100 OF $3,900 N/A N/A
3 Nick Castellanos RIGHT 0.383 0.195 48.0% 6.9% 23.7% 33.8% OF $3,800 OF $4,200 N/A N/A
4 Victor Martinez SWITCH 0.338 0.087 38.2% 7.0% 9.9% 39.0% C $2,200 1B $3,100 N/A N/A
5 Jim Adduci LEFT 0.282 0.135 36.7% 3.8% 22.6% 45.8% 1B $2,300 1B $3,400 N/A N/A
6 James McCann RIGHT 0.283 0.096 38.5% 5.4% 24.5% 38.7% C $2,000 C $2,700 N/A N/A
7 Ronny Rodriguez RIGHT 0.263 0.086 34.2% 7.8% 24.1% 49.4% SS $2,600 2B/SS $3,100 N/A N/A
8 Dawel Lugo RIGHT 0.310 0.081 41.9% 7.5% 15.0% 61.3% 2B $2,100 2B $3,600 N/A N/A
9 JaCoby Jones RIGHT 0.296 0.174 32.6% 4.2% 32.4% 41.1% OF $2,200 OF $3,700 N/A N/A
Team Averages 0.302 0.124 38.4% 7.0% 23.6% 41.8%

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – None

Stackability – ORANGE

Cleveland

Francisco Liriano has been ‘turrible against right-handed hitters this season, allowing a .389 xwOBA and a 35% hard contact rate. The Indians’ offense is littered with viable options for both cash games and tournaments and a full stack should absolutely be on your radar.

Projected Lineup (Splits vs. LH Pitching)

# Player Bats xwOBA ISO HC% BB% K% GB% FD Pos. FD Sal. DK Pos. DK Sal. FDRFT Pos. FDRFT Sal.
1 Francisco Lindor SWITCH 0.402 0.219 42.8% 11.0% 12.2% 45.4% SS $4,400 SS $5,700 N/A N/A
2 Michael Brantley LEFT 0.330 0.104 25.8% 3.5% 9.9% 50.0% OF $4,000 OF $4,500 N/A N/A
3 Jose Ramirez SWITCH 0.343 0.216 36.5% 7.8% 9.6% 38.2% 2B $4,700 2B/3B $5,600 N/A N/A
4 Edwin Encarnacion RIGHT 0.375 0.159 44.6% 17.1% 18.6% 28.9% 1B $3,900 1B $4,500 N/A N/A
5 Josh Donaldson RIGHT 0.337 0.163 44.4% 12.2% 32.7% 51.9% 3B $3,500 3B $4,800 N/A N/A
6 Yandy Diaz RIGHT 0.231 0.067 29.2% 0.0% 20.0% 54.2% 1B $2,900 1B/3B $3,800 N/A N/A
7 Brandon Guyer RIGHT 0.347 0.224 34.2% 9.5% 16.4% 35.4% OF $2,200 OF $3,500 N/A N/A
8 Yan Gomes RIGHT 0.387 0.212 46.5% 8.1% 25.2% 29.6% C $2,700 C $4,100 N/A N/A
9 Jason Kipnis LEFT 0.286 0.128 30.3% 9.3% 20.0% 28.6% OF $3,300 2B/OF $3,800 N/A N/A
Team Averages 0.338 0.166 37.1% 8.7% 18.3% 40.2%

Elite Plays – Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion

Secondary Plays – Brandon Guyer, Yandy Diaz, Yan Gomes

Stackability – YELLOW / GREEN

Oakland at Tampa Bay – 1:10 PM ET

Oakland Tampa Bay
oaklandmlb Mike Fiers tampabaymlb Diego Castillo
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
TBD 8.5
Stats wOBA xwOBA HC% HR/9 K% GB% Stats wOBA xwOBA HC% HR/9 K% GB%
SP vs. Left (2016-17) 0.314 0.347 40.2% 1.71 19.8% 39.2% SP vs. Left (2016-17) 0.278 0.342 47.9% 1.37 25.3% 43.8%
SP vs. Right (2016-17) 0.311 0.343 36.8% 1.47 19.6% 41.2% SP vs. Right (2016-17) 0.238 0.278 32.4% 0.33 26.6% 45.1%

Pitcher Grind Down

Mike Fiers
michael-fiers-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings FantasyDraft
Salary: $8,000 Salary: $8,200 Salary:
Salary Rank: 11 of 30 Salary Rank: 11 of 30 Salary Rank:
Stats Starts SIERA ERA K% BB% GB% HC% SC% aFV SwS%
2017 28 4.52 5.22 21.8% 9.2% 42.9% 30.1% 20.1% 89.7 9.1%
2018 28 4.19 3.29 19.7% 5.1% 40.2% 38.5% 15.4% 89.3 8.6%
L14 3 3.96 4.60 22.2% 6.4% 44.4% 48.9% 6.7% 89.9 6.4%

Fiers is a streak pitcher that has been in fairly good form over the last month of play. His biggest issue has always been the long ball, so he makes sense to target in big ballparks like this one. Add in the fact that the Rays have a high k-rate and Fiers becomes a decent tournament target.

Quick Breakdown: Fiers is viable as a GPP play.

Diego Castillo
diego-castillo-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings FantasyDraft
Salary: $5,500 Salary: $4,400 Salary:
Salary Rank: 30 of 30 Salary Rank: 27 of 30 Salary Rank:
Stats Starts SIERA ERA K% BB% GB% HC% SC% aFV SwS%
2018 6 3.61 3.45 26.1% 9.6% 44.5% 38.7% 19.3% 97.3 12.9%
L14 3 3.72 1.50 27.3% 9.1% 35.7% 21.4% 35.7% 99.3 8.8%

The Rays have yet to announce a starter, which means is will be another bullpen start. We don’t have to deal with this headache.

Quick Breakdown: Avoid any and all Rays’ pitchers and move on.

Batter Grind Down

Oakland

The A’s aren’t playing in the best hitter’s park around and they are facing a pitcher that will be named later (potentially Diego Castillo again). If the starter is announced and has serious splits one way or another, you could look to the A’s. If not, there are better spots to target.

Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)

# Player Bats xwOBA ISO HC% BB% K% GB% FD Pos. FD Sal. DK Pos. DK Sal. FDRFT Pos. FDRFT Sal.
1 Nick Martini LEFT 0.343 0.108 35.0% 10.9% 19.3% 42.5% OF $2,500 OF $3,200 N/A N/A
2 Matt Chapman RIGHT 0.380 0.275 44.0% 10.2% 22.7% 36.1% 3B $4,100 3B $4,400 N/A N/A
3 Jed Lowrie SWITCH 0.352 0.221 37.5% 12.4% 19.2% 34.1% 2B $3,600 2B $4,100 N/A N/A
4 Khris Davis RIGHT 0.407 0.307 45.2% 7.3% 25.8% 36.4% OF $4,200 OF $4,700 N/A N/A
5 Matt Olson LEFT 0.385 0.251 49.4% 10.4% 25.8% 33.1% 1B $3,800 1B $3,900 N/A N/A
6 Stephen Piscotty RIGHT 0.368 0.218 44.0% 5.1% 18.7% 44.4% OF $3,700 OF $4,200 N/A N/A
7 Ramon Laureano RIGHT 0.431 0.328 57.8% 5.6% 28.2% 44.4% OF $3,400 OF $4,300 N/A N/A
8 Marcus Semien RIGHT 0.308 0.100 29.2% 7.9% 17.7% 42.6% SS $3,300 SS $4,000 N/A N/A
9 Jonathan Lucroy RIGHT 0.311 0.068 35.8% 5.6% 12.9% 43.3% C $2,500 C $2,900 N/A N/A
Team Averages 0.365 0.208 42.0% 8.4% 21.1% 39.7%

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Matt Chapman, Jed Lowrie, Khris Davis, Matt Olson

Stackability – ORANGE / YELLOW

Tampa Bay

Mike Fiers is a pitcher that we want to target with power hitters. Unfortunately, the Rays are a little short-handed in that department. Ji-Man Choi and Tommy Pham are intriguing large-field GPP targets, but this isn’t a game that we want a lot of exposure to.

Projected Lineup (Splits vs. RH Pitching)

# Player Bats xwOBA ISO HC% BB% K% GB% FD Pos. FD Sal. DK Pos. DK Sal. FDRFT Pos. FDRFT Sal.
1 Mallex Smith LEFT 0.304 0.124 29.2% 9.1% 17.4% 48.1% OF $3,200 OF $4,300 N/A N/A
2 Matt Duffy RIGHT 0.312 0.079 31.3% 6.7% 16.8% 51.2% 3B $2,900 3B $3,900 N/A N/A
3 Ji-Man Choi LEFT 0.398 0.275 46.0% 11.6% 26.8% 40.4% 1B $3,400 1B $4,100 N/A N/A
4 Tommy Pham RIGHT 0.351 0.171 47.9% 9.5% 25.9% 51.0% OF $3,300 OF $4,600 N/A N/A
5 Joey Wendle LEFT 0.323 0.134 36.3% 5.2% 17.8% 46.7% 3B $2,900 2B $3,900 N/A N/A
6 Willy Adames RIGHT 0.286 0.134 30.3% 9.3% 26.9% 50.0% SS $2,800 SS $3,600 N/A N/A
7 Kevin Kiermaier LEFT 0.287 0.173 35.8% 6.4% 22.1% 47.2% OF $2,500 OF $4,300 N/A N/A
8 Jake Bauers LEFT 0.340 0.194 44.1% 14.8% 26.4% 43.8% 1B $2,400 1B/OF $3,500 N/A N/A
9 Nick Ciuffo LEFT 0.243 0.364 22.2% 13.3% 20.0% 33.3% C $2,100 C $3,200 N/A N/A
Team Averages 0.316 0.183 35.9% 9.5% 22.2% 45.7%

Elite Plays – None

Secondary Plays – Ji-Man Choi (GPP), Tommy Pham (GPP)

Stackability – ORANGE / YELLOW

Note: Unless noted, all statistics in the Grind Down are from the 2018 season.

Jump to Page 1 2 3

About the Author

Notorious
Derek Farnsworth (Notorious)

Derek Farnsworth (aka Notorious) is a lead RotoGrinders Expert and one of the most recognizable names and faces in all of DFS. Before joining the RotoGrinders team, Derek received a Master’s Degree from the University of Utah. When he’s not busy providing content, he’s dominating the DFS industry as evidenced by his consistent top rankings in several sports and multiple Live Final appearances. Noto provides expert NBA, NFL, MLB, and PGA analysis for RotoGrinders Premium members on a daily basis and has also been nominated for five different Fantasy Sports Writer’s Association (FSWA) awards. Follow Noto on X – @RG_Notorious