MLB Grind Down: Tuesday, April 22nd
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
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
| Cincinnati | Pittsburgh |
| Johnny Cueto | Vegas Moneyline | Edinson Volquez | Vegas Over/Under |
| RIGHT | CIN (-120) | RIGHT | 6.5 |
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
| SP vs. Left | 0.186 | 0.541 | 0.247 | 22.0% | SP vs. Left | 0.293 | 0.823 | 0.365 | 17.7% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.193 | 0.581 | 0.263 | 25.9% | SP vs. Right | 0.258 | 0.722 | 0.326 | 18.4% |
| Batter Splits | CIN BvP  | CIN vs R | Batter Splits | PIT BvP | PIT vs R |
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window |
Pitcher Grind Down
- Johnny Cueto – Cueto has been dominant so far this season with a 1.50 ERA and a very impressive 0.80 WHIP. Cueto has also struck out 35 batters in only 30 innings of work. Cueto is very much in play tonight against the Pirates in PNC Park which is a very pitcher-friendly ballpark. The total is set at only 6.5 runs and Cueto is a small favorite. Rating = 9
- Edison Volquez – Volquez has really pitched well this season, but we all seem to be waiting for him to come back down to Earth. In his first 3 starts, he has posted a 1.71 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP. I would not rule out taking Volquez in a big tournament, but last season he gave up an OPS of .823 to LH batters and he could struggle with Votto and Bruce. Rating = 5
Batter Grind Down
Cincinnati
- Joey Votto – As mentioned above, Volquez struggles against LH batters. Last season he gave up a .365 wOBA to LH batters and Votto has been very Votto-like early in the season with a .296 batting average and 4 HR’s. The Reds knocked Liriano around a bit last night and I expect them to do the same to Volquez.
Pittsburgh
- Cueto held LH and RH batters under a .270 wOBA last season. The fact that he held LH batters to a .247 wOBA is extremely impressive. Cueto looks unhittable right now and I will not be targeting any batters against him.
LA Angels at Washington
| LA Angels | Washington |
| Tyler Skaggs | Vegas Moneyline | Taylor Jordan | Vegas Over/Under |
| LEFT | WAS (-115) | RIGHT | 8.0 |
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
| SP vs. Left | 0.250 | 0.775 | 0.343 | 17.0% | SP vs. Left | 0.287 | 0.696 | 0.315 | 6.5% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.251 | 0.727 | 0.325 | 18.8% | SP vs. Right | 0.304 | 0.727 | 0.334 | 18.4% |
| Batter Splits | LAA BvP | LAA vs R | Batter Splits | WSN BvP | WSN vs L |
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window |
Pitcher Grind Down
- Tyler Skaggs – In the Spring, all we were hearing about Skaggs is that the velocity is back and that we should see him strike out a lot of batters this season. So far, that hasn’t exactly been the case as he only has 11 strikeouts over 21 innings pitched. Skaggs has given up at least 4 earned runs in each of his last two starts and with his low K-rate, he doesn’t have enough upside for a GPP play or a cash game play. Rating = 4
- Taylor Jordan – Jordan has a 5.94 ERA this season with a 1.79 WHIP. He has given up at least 5 earned runs in each of his last two starts and now has to face a very tough Angels’ lineup. Jordan had a low K-rate last season with only 5.1 K’s per 9 innings. Avoid both of the starting pitchers here and instead, target the batters against them. Rating = 3
Batter Grind Down
LA Angels
- Albert Pujols – Pujols is locked in right now and he is getting it done even if he is not getting hits. Pujols now has postitive fantasy points in each of his last 10 games. He has a nice matchup tonight against Jordan who gave up a .334 wOBA to RH batters last season.
Washington
- Jayson Werth – Werth hasn’t been great against LH pitching so far this season, but that’s just because it has been a very small sample size. Werth has an OPS over .900 against LH pitching over the last 3 seasons. I will be heavily targeting the RH batters from the Nationals tonight against Skaggs.
Kansas City at Cleveland
| Kansas City | Cleveland |
| James Shields | Vegas Moneyline | Danny Salazar | Vegas Over/Under |
| RIGHT | CLE (-110) | RIGHT | 7.5 |
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
| SP vs. Left | 0.236 | 0.625 | 0.282 | 21.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.228 | 0.602 | 0.278 | 32.4% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.257 | 0.697 | 0.316 | 20.5% | SP vs. Right | 0.276 | 0.888 | 0.379 | 26.7% |
| Batter Splits | KCR BvP | KCR vs R | Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs R |
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window |
Pitcher Grind Down
- James Shields – Shields is coming off of a very strong start against the Royals in which he pitched 8 innings of 1-run ball and struck out 12 batters. Tonight he faces a tough Indians lineup that can really hit RH pitching well as a team. Shields is a small favorite against Salazar, but I don’t love taking pitchers against this Indians’ offense that can put up runs quickly. Rating = 6
- Danny Salazar – This is an interesting matchup for Salazar because he is a high strikeout pitcher and the Royals are a low strikeout team. Salazar had a K/9 of 11.2 last season, but the Royals have struck out the fewest number of times in baseball this season. If the Royals can limit Salazar’s strikeouts, it would really hurt his fantasy value. I think he is best served as a GPP play tonight. Rating = 6
Batter Grind Down
Kansas City
- Norichika Aoki – While I won’t have a heavy exposure to many batters in this game, Aoki carries some value as a cash game play. Aoki has 7 hits in his last 5 games and already has 3 stolen bases this season. He should be able to reach base against Salazar who has a 1.92 WHIP so far this season.
Cleveland
- Jason Kipnis – Kipnis had a big evening last night with a HR and a double. He is batting .270 against RH pitching this season with half of those hits going for extra bases. Kipnis makes a nice tournament play tonight at 2B.
Baltimore at Toronto
| Baltimore | Toronto |
| Miguel Gonzalez | Vegas Moneyline | R.A. Dickey | Vegas Over/Under |
| RIGHT | TOR (-140) | RIGHT | 8.5 |
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
| SP vs. Left | 0.246 | 0.709 | 0.317 | 17.2% | SP vs. Left | 0.253 | 0.754 | 0.332 | 17.4% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.254 | 0.751 | 0.332 | 16.3% | SP vs. Right | 0.234 | 0.686 | 0.312 | 20.0% |
| Batter Splits | BAL BvP | BAL vs R | Batter Splits | TOR BvP | TOR vs R |
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window |
Pitcher Grind Down
- Miguel Gonzalez – Gonzalez is coming off of his best start of the season, but still has a 6.28 ERA with a 1.70 WHIP. He draws a tough matchup tonight against the Blue Jays in the Rogers Centre which gave up the 4th most runs and 3rd most HR’s last season. The run total is set at 8.5 runs and Gonzalez is a sizable underdog (+130). He should be avoided in all leagues. Rating = 2
- R.A. Dickey – Dickey has 4 starts under his belt this season. He has one start where he threw 7 scoreless innings and then he has 3 starts where he gave up at least 5 earned runs. That’s basically how it has been over the last year with Dickey. He will either pitch a gem or get shelled and give up 5 or 6 runs. That inconsistency rules him out as a cash game play, but Dickey is the ultimate GPP play tonight against the Orioles. Rating = 5
Batter Grind Down
Baltimore
- Chris Davis – When it comes to the knuckleball, most batters can either hit it or they can’t. Adam Jones is only 3/16 against Dickey in his career and should probably be avoided tonight. Davis on the other hand is 5/18 with a HR and 2 doubles. He should benefit from this hitter-friendly ballpark as well.
Toronto
- Jose Bautista – Bautista is not a player that is going to hit for average, but he certainly gets a hold of it when he makes contact. Gonalez gave up a .335 wOBA to RH batters last season and Joey Bats already has 6 HR’s this season, 4 of which came against RH pitching.
Chicago White Sox at Detroit
| Chicago White Sox | Detroit |
| Andre Rienzo | Vegas Moneyline | Justin Verlander | Vegas Over/Under |
| RIGHT | DET (-225) | RIGHT | 7.0 |
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
| SP vs. Left | 0.248 | 0.770 | 0.342 | 15.8% | SP vs. Left | 0.237 | 0.652 | 0.293 | 23.3% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.264 | 0.809 | 0.365 | 14.1% | SP vs. Right | 0.275 | 0.727 | 0.323 | 22.1% |
| Batter Splits | CHW BvP | CHW vs R | Batter Splits | DET BvP | DET vs R |
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window |
Pitcher Grind Down
- Charlie Leesman – Ignore the table above as it looks like Leesman will draw the start tonight, not Rienzo. Leesman had a 7.04 ERA in 8 games last season and is not a recommended fantasy option tonight against the Tigers. He is the biggest underdog on the board. Avoid him and target the Tigers’ bats. Rating = 2
- Justin Verlander – Verlander is one of the biggest favorites on the board tonight at -225. Verlander started the season off slow, but has put together two solid fantasy outings in a row. If he can keep his pitch count down early, he should be able to pitch deep into this game. He should also get plenty of run support making him one of the best pitching options available tonight. Rating = 9
Batter Grind Down
Chicago White Sox
- The White Sox have to face Verlander who has been dominant at Comerica throughout the years. There aren’t any players here that I will be using in my lineups.
Detroit
- Austin Jackson – While I love Miggy once again, I can’t keep featuring him as the daily play and have him keep letting us down. Instead A-Jax gets the nod as the top play here. His price is very cheap across the industry and he has a nice matchup against Leesman who gave up an .848 OPS to RH batters last season. Jackson should be batting 5th or 6th and should see plenty of RBI opportunities.
MLB Grind Down Page 1 – Page 2
