MLB Grind Down: Thursday, September 11th
The RotoGrinders MLB Grind Down article will give you an in-depth analysis into the 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: Any Fantasy Point Average Listed Uses FanDuel Scoring. For more info on FanDuel’s MLB Scoring System,check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel Review
Minnesota at Cleveland
| Minnesota | Cleveland | ||||||||
| Ricky Nolasco | Vegas Moneyline | Corey Kluber | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | CLE (-151) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.337 | 0.941 | 0.409 | 13.10% | SP vs. Left | 0.246 | 0.711 | 0.313 | 26.70% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.305 | 0.858 | 0.371 | 18.80% | SP vs. Right | 0.215 | 0.553 | 0.246 | 27.30% |
| Batter Splits | MIN BvP  | MIN vs R | Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Kyle Gibson – Gibson is not a recommended fantasy option today. He has struggled all season with a 4.27 ERA and a very low K/9 of 5.2. He’s facing a very tough Indians offense that is ranked 5th in wOBA vs. RH pitching this season. It also doesn’t help that he will likely see little to no run support with Kluber on the mound. Rating = 4
Salaries: $5100 FD, $8550 DD, $5500 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD
- Corey Kluber – Kluber has been terrific this season with a 2.47 ERA and a K/9 of 9.8. He’s one of the best pitchers in the American League and has always pitched well at home. He walks very few batters and gives up very few HR’s. He’s a top option today in the early slate of games. Rating = 9
Salaries: $10300 FD, $20700 DD, $11500 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Minnesota
The Twins offense has been much better over the last month of play, but avoid all hitters against Corey Kluber.
Cleveland
Michael Brantley – The Indians are in a great spot today. Gibson has struggled with LH hitters this season and the Indians have a LH heavy lineup. Brantley is the best of the bunch as he is sporting a .398 wOBA against RH pitching.
Additional Plays: Carlos Santana, Jason Kipnis, Jose Ramirez
St. Louis at Cincinnati
| St. Louis | Cincinnati | ||||||||
| Lance Lynn | Vegas Moneyline | Johnny Cueto | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | CIN (-120) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.232 | 0.670 | 0.304 | 17.7% | SP vs. Left | 0.195 | 0.560 | 0.257 | 23.70% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.244 | 0.662 | 0.296 | 22.7% | SP vs. Right | 0.193 | 0.594 | 0.265 | 26.40% |
| Batter Splits | STL BvP | STL vs R | Batter Splits | CIN BvP | CIN vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Lance Lynn – Since the start of July, Lynn has posted an ERA right around 2.00. He has a respectable strikeout rate of 7.9 batters per 9 innings and he is only giving up 0.4 HR’s per 9. That should help him today in his matchup against the Reds in the HR-friendly Great American Ballpark. The Reds are ranked 27th in wOBA vs. RH pitching this season. The only issue here is that he may have a tough time picking up the win. Rating = 6
Salaries: $8300 FD, $16950 DD, $8800 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD
- Johnny Cueto – Cueto has been dominant all season long. He is boasting a 2.23 ERA with a K/9 of 8.9. He has kept his walks and HR’s down this season and has pitched well against any opponent that the schedule has thrown at him. Even though the Cardinals offense has been hot over the last few weeks, Cueto is still a top fantasy option. I have him ranked right behind Kluber and Sale in the early slate. Rating = 8
Salaries: $10400 FD, $19300 DD, $11200 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
St. Louis
Matt Adams – I’m not crazy about any of the Cardinals hitters today, but Adams loves the Great American Ballpark and has mashed RH pitching all season long. He’s still extremely cheap and could end up having a productive fantasy outing even against the tough Johnny Cueto.
Additional Plays: None
Cincinnati
There really aren’t any hitters that stand out on the Reds today. Lynn has held both LH and RH hitters under .305 wOBA this season.
Oakland at Chicago White Sox
| Oakland | Chicago White Sox | ||||||||
| Scott Kazmir | Vegas Moneyline | Chris Sale | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | CWS (-135) | LEFT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.255 | 0.664 | 0.300 | 22.2% | SP vs. Left | 0.152 | 0.363 | 0.171 | 37.80% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.223 | 0.628 | 0.281 | 20.5% | SP vs. Right | 0.215 | 0.607 | 0.272 | 28.30% |
| Batter Splits | OAK BvP | OAK vs L | Batter Splits | CHW BvP | CHW vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Scott Kazmir – Kazmir’s season has taken a turn for the worse. Since the start of August, he has an ERA well over 6.00 and his strikeouts have been nowhere to be found. It’s always a red flag when a high strikeout pitcher can’t seem to strike anyone out anymore. He faces a very capable White Sox offense today and will have a hard time picking up the win with Sale pitching opposite him. Avoid Kazmir in the early slate. Rating = 4
Salaries: $8000 FD, $16200 DD, $7300 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD
- Chris Sale – Sale is one of my favorite pitchers to watch. He dominates opposing lineups and makes hitters look silly at the plate. On the season, he owns a 2.09 ERA with an elite K/9 of 10.6. He walks very few batters (1.7 per 9) and gives up very few HR’s (0.6 per 9). The A’s offense is not what it used to be against LH pitching and I’m expecting a monster effort from Sale. Rating = 9.5
Salaries: $11000 FD, $20850 DD, $13000 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Oakland
Avoid all A’s against Chris Sale.
Chicago White Sox
Jose Abreu – Kamzir’s splits against LH and RH hitters on the season look solid, but as mentioned above, he hasn’t been the same pitcher since the start of August. Abreu can hit for power and for average and finds himself in a favorable matchup today.
Additional Plays: Alexei Ramirez, Avisail Garcia
Arizona at San Francisco
| Arizona | San Francisco | ||||||||
| Randall Delgado | Vegas Moneyline | Jake Peavy | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | SFG (-175) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.205 | 0.654 | 0.291 | 22.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.258 | 0.809 | 0.352 | 18.00% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.257 | 0.773 | 0.343 | 27.1% | SP vs. Right | 0.258 | 0.715 | 0.315 | 19.10% |
| Batter Splits | ARI BvP | ARI vs R | Batter Splits | SFG BvP | SFG vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Randall Delgado – Delgado pitched well in his last starts. He struck out 2 batters over 5 innings of work without giving up a HR. He only threw 61 pitches though as he is primarily used out of the bullpen. He has very pedestrian numbers on the season with a 5.40 ERA. He gives up a lot of walks and draws a tough matchup against the Giants who have been the best offense in baseball over the last 30 days. Rating = 4
Salaries: $5200 FD, $11250 DD, $6400 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD
- Jake Peavy – Peavy has been sharp in his last 3 starts. He has only given up a single earned run while striking out 16 batters. He has always been a pitcher that feels more comfortable at home and you can’t ask for a better matchup than the Diamondbacks who have the 2nd worst offense in baseball over the last 30 days. Pair him with Sale or Kluber if you are playing on multi-pitcher sites. Rating = 6.5
Salaries: $7700 FD, $14600 DD, $7600 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Arizona
Ender Inciarte – Inciarte seems to be the only bat in the Diamondbacks offense that seems to care. He has really hit RH pitching well this season and gives you a cheap source of speed and power. I like his matchup against Peavy who has given up a .353 wOBA to LH hitters this season.
Additional Plays: Miguel Montero
San Francisco
Buster Posey – Delgado has been a reverse splits pitcher this season. He has given up a .343 wOBA to RH hitters while holding LH hitters under a .300 wOBA. Posey has been swinging a hot bat and is the top catching option in the early slate.
Additional Plays: Hunter Pence, Pablo Sandoval
Tampa Bay at NY Yankees
| Tampa Bay | NY Yankees | ||||||||
| Alex Cobb | Vegas Moneyline | Michael Pineda | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | NYY (-110) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.205 | 0.574 | 0.259 | 22.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.208 | 0.601 | 0.260 | 22.10% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.254 | 0.650 | 0.296 | 23.8% | SP vs. Right | 0.202 | 0.497 | 0.220 | 12.90% |
| Batter Splits | TBR BvP | TBR vs R | Batter Splits | NYY BvP | NYY vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Alex Cobb – Cobb takes the mound for the Rays tonight. He has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since the start of August. He has posted an ERA below 1.50 while holding batters to a .235 batting average. He owns a elite strikeout rate of 8.6 batters per 9 innings and is producing a solid 56.8% ground ball rate. The only issue that I have with him tonight is that he is facing a Yankees offense that makes great contact. They like to put the ball in play and make pitchers work for outs. That said, Cobb is really the #1 ace on the mound tonight. Rating = 7
Salaries: $8500 FD, $16650 DD, $10400 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD
- Michael Pineda – Dating back to before his suspension, Pineda hasn’t given up more than 2 earned runs in 10 straight starts. On the season he owns a 1.80 ERA, but his 3.70 xFIP does suggest some regression. Pineda is not a high strikeout pitcher, but he owns a respectable K/9 of 6.1. He could be a very sneaky play tonight against a Rays offense that is ranked dead last in wOBA over the last 30 days. His price on FanDuel seems a bit too cheap if you want to plug him in as a tournament play. Rating = 6
Salaries: $5900 FD, $14450 DD, $8600 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Tampa Bay
Evan Longoria – Longoria loves Yankee Stadium. Since the start of 2011, he owns close to a .300 batting average and a .900 OPS. While the splits aren’t necessarily in his favor against Pineda, Longoria has a knack of playing well in tough matchups.
Additional Plays: Matt Joyce
NY Yankees
Jacoby Ellsbury – Cobb has been very efficient against LH hitters this season, but Ellsbury deserves a look in the OF tonight. He is swinging a hot bat with 6 XBH’s over his last 10 games and he is always a threat to steal with a righty on the mound.
Additional Plays: None
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