MLB Grind Down: Thursday June 18th - Page 3

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2014-06-19 15:29:41

Philadelphia at St. Louis

Philadelphia					St. Louis
David Buchanan		Vegas Moneyline			Shelby Miller		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		STL (-182)			RIGHT		8.0
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.277	0.724	0.327	14.0%	SP vs. Left	0.262	0.752	0.335	19.4%
SP vs. Right	0.300	0.907	0.399	18.7%	SP vs. Right	0.209	0.595	0.273	22.9%
Batter Splits	PHI BvP		PHI vs R		Batter Splits	STL BvP		STL vs R
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• David Buchanan – Buchanan has given up at least 3 earned runs in each of his last 4 starts. His ERA has risen to 5.97 on the season and he has yet to pitch 7 or more innings in any of his 5 starts. While the Cardinals’ offense has been average against RH pitching this season, they are still a formidable lineup, especially with Matt Adams back. Rating = 3

Salaries: $5000 FD, $8339 DS, $10300 DD, $5600 DK, $61000 FF, $13400 SS, $10300 FTD

• Shelby Miller – Miller is coming off of back to back solid outings against the Blue Jays and Nationals. Tonight he has a much easier matchup against a Phillies’ offense that is ranked 27th against RH pitching this season with a team .290 wOBA. Miller is one of the biggest favorites on the board and is a safe cash game play on all sites. Rating = 8

Salaries: $6900 FD, $15334 DS, $13750 DD, $8200 DK, $87400 FF, $21400 SS, $13750 FTD

Batter Grind Down

Philadelphia

Chase Utley – Miller’s biggest weakness is his inability to get LHB’s out. He has given up a .335 wOBA to batters from the left side since the start of last season. Utley has a .377 wOBA against RH pitching this season and his price has come down on most sites.

Additional Plays: Ryan Howard

St. Louis

Matt Adams – Today is the day of the Cardinals’ Matts. I like all three in today’s matchup against Buchanan. All three have a .345+ wOBA against RH pitching this season and all are cheap options at their respective positions.

Additional Plays: Matt Carpenter, Matt Holliday

Boston at Oakland

Boston					Oakland
Jake Peavy		Vegas Moneyline			Scott Kazmir		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		OAK (-165)			LEFT		7.5
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.246	0.748	0.330	20.2%	SP vs. Left	0.242	0.597	0.269	22.7%
SP vs. Right	0.258	0.717	0.316	18.5%	SP vs. Right	0.243	0.690	0.309	23.1%
Batter Splits	BOS BvP		BOS vs L		Batter Splits	OAK BvP		OAK vs R
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Jake Peavy – Peavy is having a rough 2014. Through 14 starts, he has a 4.53 ERA with a 1.45 WHIP. His K/9 is also down from that of the past two seasons. I want nothing to do with the swinging A’s when it comes to starting pitchers. Rating = 3

Salaries: $6600 FD, $11696 DS, $11000 DD, $6900 DK, $63500 FF, $15300 SS, $11000 FTD

• Scott Kazmir – Kazmir has been a great addition to the A’s starting rotation. He has already posted 11 quality starts in 14 outings and is sporting a 2.05 ERA on the season. You also have nice upside with Kazmir as he has a K/9 of 7.4 this season. I love the matchup against a slumping Red Sox offense. Rating = 8

Salaries: $8600 FD, $18885 DS, $17300 DD, $8400 DK, $129300 FF, $26400 SS, $17300 FTD

Batter Grind Down

Boston

Dustin Pedroia – I’m not a huge fan of BvP, but every once in a while the numbers are just too good to ignore. Pedroia is 18/35 with 7 XBH’s off of Kazmir in his career which is good enough for a 1.43 OPS.

Additional Plays: None

Oakland

Brandon Moss – Peavy has given up a .348+ wOBA to both LHB’s and RHB’s this season which means all hitters in the A’s lineup tonight are going to be in play. My favorite of the bunch is Moss who has a .381 wOBA against RH pitching this season.

Additional Plays: Coco Crisp, Yoenis Cespedes, John Jaso, Jed Lowrie