MLB Grind Down: Thursday, May 28 - Page Two
Cleveland at Seattle – 10:10 PM EST
| Cleveland | Seattle | ||||||||
 | Corey Kluber |  | James Paxton | ||||||
| RIGHT | LEFT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| CLE (-124) | 6.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.251 | 0.704 | 0.311 | 27.8% | SP vs. Left | 0.280 | 0.708 | 0.327 | 23.00% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.219 | 0.557 | 0.247 | 29.3% | SP vs. Right | 0.211 | 0.604 | 0.269 | 18.10% |
| 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
Corey Kluber (FD: $10500, DK: $11600)
Pitching Stats:
2015: IP: 69 — SIERA: 2.48 — K Rate: 29.5% — K/9: 10.72 — BB Rate: 4.3% — FB Rate: 28.8% — HR/FB: 7.8%
2014: IP: 235 — SIERA: 2.61 — K Rate: 28.3% — K/9: 10.27 — BB Rate: 5.4% — FB Rate: 30.6% — HR/FB: 7.4%
Seattle Mariners vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.299 (Rank: 23) — Strikeout Rate: 0.214 (Rank: 24) — wRC+: 93 (Rank: 16)
Pitches per Plate Appearance: 3.87 (Rank: 8)
Analysis: Kluber is dominating, no, annihilating his opponents. In his last three starts, he has struck out 37 batters, while only giving up a combined two earned runs. He has a 2.48 SIERA on the season with a K/9 of 10.7. I was hoping that the sites would adjust his salary for tonight’s game, but he’s still too cheap on both FanDuel and DraftKings. At his price point, he’s a very tough fade in cash games. He draws a favorable matchup against the Mariners, who are ranked 23rd in wOBA and 24th in strikeout rate against right-handed pitching this season.
Pitcher Rating:96.4
James Paxton (FD: $7300, DK: $7700)
Pitching Stats:
2015: IP: 53 — SIERA: 4.39 — K Rate: 18.1% — K/9: 6.88 — BB Rate: 9.3% — FB Rate: 37.7% — HR/FB: 9.8%
2014: IP: 74 — SIERA: 3.80 — K Rate: 19.5% — K/9: 7.18 — BB Rate: 9.6% — FB Rate: 22.6% — HR/FB: 6.4%
Cleveland Indians vs. LH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.324 (Rank: 11) — Strikeout Rate: 0.164 (Rank: 2) — wRC+: 109 (Rank: 10)
Pitches per Plate Appearance: 3.95 (Rank: 3)
Analysis: Paxton is an easy pitcher to avoid tonight. Not only does he have limited upside, but he draws a tough matchup against the Indians and he has to deal with Corey Kluber pitching opposite him. Run support will be limited, if there is any at all. If you need a pitcher in this price range, Ian Kennedy is a much stronger play tonight.
Pitcher Rating:52.8
Batter Grind Down
Cleveland
Michael Brantley (FD: $4300, DK: $4600)
Position Eligibility: FD: OF — DK: OF
2015 vs. LH Pitching: PA: 171 — wOBA: 0.410 — ISO: 0.230 — wRC+: 169
2014 vs. LH Pitching: PA: 676 — wOBA: 0.364 — ISO: 0.141 — wRC+: 138
Analysis: Brantley is one of the few left-handed hitters in baseball that is immune to the lefty/lefty matchup. He has hit southpaws well throughout his career and this season is no different. He has a .410 wOBA and a .230 ISO against lefties. The splits are also in his favor, as James Paxton has given up a much higher wOBA to batters that hit from the left side of the plate.
Secondary Plays:
Carlos Santana (FD: $3700, DK: $4000)
Position Eligibility: FD: 1B — DK: 1B/C
2015 vs. LH Pitching: PA: 185 — wOBA: 0.284 — ISO: 0.018 — wRC+: 82
2014 vs. LH Pitching: PA: 660 — wOBA: 0.381 — ISO: 0.198 — wRC+: 150
Ryan Raburn (FD: $2400, DK: $2600)
Position Eligibility: FD: OF — DK: OF
2015 vs. LH Pitching: PA: 76 — wOBA: 0.436 — ISO: 0.271 — wRC+: 187
2014 vs. LH Pitching: PA: 212 — wOBA: 0.264 — ISO: 0.138 — wRC+: 68
Seattle
NO ELITE PLAYS
Secondary Plays:
NONE
Atlanta at San Francisco – 10:15 PM EST
| Atlanta | San Francisco | ||||||||
 | Shelby Miller |  | Chris Heston | ||||||
| RIGHT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| SFG (-135) | 6.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.227 | 0.673 | 0.298 | 0.164 | SP vs. Left | 0.34 | 0 | 0.382 | 0.107 |
| SP vs. Right | 0.206 | 0.629 | 0.282 | 0.185 | SP vs. Right | 0.209 | 0.556 | 0.254 | 0.27 |
| Batter Splits | ATL BvP | ATL vs R | Batter Splits | SF BvP | SF vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Shelby Miller (FD: $9300, DK: $9300)
Pitching Stats:
2015: IP: 60 — SIERA: 3.81 — K Rate: 20.7% — K/9: 7.20 — BB Rate: 7.8% — FB Rate: 32.7% — HR/FB: 5.8%
2014: IP: 183 — SIERA: 4.60 — K Rate: 16.6% — K/9: 6.25 — BB Rate: 9.6% — FB Rate: 41.0% — HR/FB: 9.9%
San Francisco Giants vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.327 (Rank: 2) — Strikeout Rate: 0.175 (Rank: 5) — wRC+: 112 (Rank: 2)
Pitches per Plate Appearance: 3.72 (Rank: 26)
Analysis: The huge difference between Miller’s 1.50 ERA and his 3.81 SIERA has made him arguably the most overpriced pitcher in daily fantasy baseball. Call me crazy, but I refuse to pay over $9,000 for a pitcher that has a low strikeout rate, a high walk rate, and an average SIERA. I am not on the Miller bandwagon and I’ll be fading him tonight against a very competent Giants’ offense.
Pitcher Rating:60.3
Chris Heston (FD: $6500, DK: $6100)
Pitching Stats:
2015: IP: 54 — SIERA: 3.61 — K Rate: 18.5% — K/9: 7.17 — BB Rate: 6.0% — FB Rate: 24.1% — HR/FB: 14.6%
2014: IP: 5 — SIERA: 4.50 — K Rate: 16.7% — K/9: 6.75 — BB Rate: 12.5% — FB Rate: 0.0% — HR/FB: 0.0%
Atlanta Braves vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.311 (Rank: 14) — Strikeout Rate: 0.160 (Rank: 2) — wRC+: 94 (Rank: 14)
Pitches per Plate Appearance: 3.76 (Rank: 20)
Analysis: Heston has pitched well this season with a 3.61 SIERA and a K/9 of 7.2. He’s a small favorite in tonight’s contest against the Braves, but this isn’t a great pitching matchup. The Braves hit right-handed pitching well and they have the second-lowest strikeout rate against pitchers of that handedness this season. There are better pitching options for both cash games and tournaments tonight.
Pitcher Rating:61.7
Batter Grind Down
Atlanta
Cameron Maybin (FD: $2800, DK: $3100)
Position Eligibility: FD: OF — DK: OF
2015 vs. RH Pitching: PA: 130 — wOBA: 0.346 — ISO: 0.126 — wRC+: 119
2014 vs. RH Pitching: PA: 272 — wOBA: 0.286 — ISO: 0.087 — wRC+: 85
Analysis: A few weeks ago, there is no way I would have thought to recommend Maybin as an elite play, but here we are. He has been red hot in the month of May, batting .307 with a .379 wOBA. Chris Heston has been efficient against hitters from the right side of the plate, but Maybin is cheap enough that I’m not too concerned with the matchup. He offers great value if you need to punt in the outfield tonight.
Secondary Plays:
Freddie Freeman (FD: $3300, DK: $4300)
Position Eligibility: FD: 1B — DK: 1B
2015 vs. RH Pitching: PA: 192 — wOBA: 0.383 — ISO: 0.189 — wRC+: 144
2014 vs. RH Pitching: PA: 708 — wOBA: 0.388 — ISO: 0.188 — wRC+: 150
Jace Peterson (FD: $2500, DK: $3100)
Position Eligibility: FD: 2B — DK: 2B/3B
2015 vs. RH Pitching: PA: 159 — wOBA: 0.297 — ISO: 0.059 — wRC+: 86
2014 vs. RH Pitching: PA: 58 — wOBA: 0.080 — ISO: 0.000 — wRC+: -56
San Francisco
NO ELITE PLAYS
Secondary Plays:
Buster Posey (FD: $4000, DK: $4200)
Position Eligibility: FD: C — DK: 1B/C
2015 vs. RH Pitching: PA: 182 — wOBA: 0.372 — ISO: 0.148 — wRC+: 142
2014 vs. RH Pitching: PA: 605 — wOBA: 0.366 — ISO: 0.164 — wRC+: 141
Hunter Pence (FD: $3100, DK: $4400)
Position Eligibility: FD: OF — DK: OF
2015 vs. RH Pitching: PA: 46 — wOBA: 0.441 — ISO: 0.258 — wRC+: 189
2014 vs. RH Pitching: PA: 708 — wOBA: 0.341 — ISO: 0.182 — wRC+: 123