MLB Grind Down: Tuesday, August 19th
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
Arizona at Washington
| Arizona | Washington | ||||||||
| Chase Anderson | Vegas Moneyline | Stephen Strasburg | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | WAS (-235) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.185 | 0.615 | 0.273 | 18.10% | SP vs. Left | 0.236 | 0.635 | 0.281 | 24.30% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.298 | 0.881 | 0.381 | 22.40% | SP vs. Right | 0.268 | 0.730 | 0.320 | 31.10% |
| Batter Splits | ARI BvP  | ARI vs R | Batter Splits | WSN BvP | WSN vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Chase Anderson – We have a full slate of games tonight and it is your LAST chance to qualify for DraftKings Baseball Championship in Atlantis. Make sure to take a shot or two at the qualifiers as the event is going to be a once in a lifetime trip. Now, let’s get back to baseball. Anderson has pitched well this season with a 3.16 ERA and a K/9 of 7.8, but he finds himself drawing the short stick tonight. He’s a huge underdog with Strasburg on the mound which really hurts his value in cash games. Rating = 5
Salaries: $7000 FD, $13600 DD, $6700 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $13600 FTD
- Stephen Strasburg – Strasburg is an automatic plug-in for me when he is pitching at home. This season he is sporting a 2.41 ERA at Nationals Park with an incredible K/9 of 13.1. He is also holding opponents to a .233 batting average at home. The Diamondbacks are not an offense that scares me in the slightest and Strasburg should be considered the #1 pitching option on the board. Rating = 9.5
Salaries: $9400 FD, $19600 DD, $9900 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $19600 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Arizona
Avoid all Diamondbacks against Strasburg.
Washington
Jayson Werth – Anderson has had some serious reverse splits this season. He has given up a .390 wOBA to RH hitters despite being a RH pitcher. Werth’s price is down across the industry and now is a great time to buy low on the talented outfielder.
Additional Plays: Anthony Rendon, Adam LaRoche
Houston at NY Yankees
| Houston | NY Yankees | ||||||||
| Brett Oberholtzer | Vegas Moneyline | Chris Capuano | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | NYY (-158) | LEFT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.259 | 0.660 | 0.292 | 21.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.308 | 0.834 | 0.366 | 13.40% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.292 | 0.775 | 0.338 | 13.0% | SP vs. Right | 0.222 | 0.660 | 0.290 | 24.30% |
| Batter Splits | HOU BvP | HOU vs L | Batter Splits | NYY BvP | NYY vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Brett Oberholtzer – Oberholtzer is a sizable underdog tonight in a game that features a high run total. That’s typically not the criteria that I like to see from my starting pitcher. Oberholtzer owns an ERA right around 4.00 and he’s only averaging 5.6 strikeouts per 9 innings. He’s facing a Yankees offense that makes good contact and strikes out at one of the lowest rates in baseball. Rating = 4
Salaries: $6000 FD, $10450 DD, $6300 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $10450 FTD
- Chris Capuano – Capuano can safely be avoided in this game as well. He’s actually pitched much better than most could have expected, but he’s facing an Astros offense that is ranked 4th in wOBA vs. LH pitching this season. The Astros are no longer an offense that I like taking mediocre pitchers against. I’ll be avoiding both pitchers here. Rating = 4
Salaries: $5700 FD, $10000 DD, $5600 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Houston
Jose Altuve – Altuve is mashing LH pitching this season to a tune of a .424 batting average and a .444 wOBA. Not only is he a high OBP guy, but he also gets a ton of steals which boosts his fantasy value even more.
Additional Plays: Chris Carter, Robbie Grossman
NY Yankees
Carlos Beltran – Beltran should be batting in the heart of the Yankees order tonight and I expect him to see quite a few RBI opportunities if that’s the case. Oberholtzer hasn’t pitched great this season and Beltran still hits lefties well (.332 wOBA vs. southpaws this season).
Additional Plays: Mark Teixeira
Seattle at Philadelphia
| Seattle | Philadelphia | ||||||||
| Hisashi Iwakuma | Vegas Moneyline | A.J. Burnett | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | SEA (-150) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.280 | 0.700 | 0.307 | 18.1% | SP vs. Left | 0.246 | 0.808 | 0.357 | 15.90% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.195 | 0.520 | 0.229 | 23.9% | SP vs. Right | 0.245 | 0.672 | 0.300 | 21.50% |
| Batter Splits | SEA BvP | SEA vs R | Batter Splits | PHI BvP | PHI vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Hisashi Iwakuma – Iwakuma is one of the better pitching options on the board tonight as aces are hard to come by. In his last 3 starts, he has only given up a combined 2 earned runs while striking out 15 batters. He’s one of the more consistent pitchers in daily fantasy baseball and he draws a favorable matchup against the Phillies who are ranked 28th in wOBA vs. RH pitching. Iwakuma has pitched well on the road this season and should be able to mow through this weak Phillies lineup. Rating = 8
Salaries: $9000 FD, $19650 DD, $9600 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $19650 FTD
- A.J. Burnett – Burnett is trending in the wrong direction. His velocity and strikeout rate are both down, while his ERA and batting average against him is going up. The Mariners have been much better offensively over the last month of play and have plenty of LH hitters to throw at Burnett who is giving up a .358 wOBA to lefties this season. This is a bad matchup for him, even though it’s at home. Rating = 5
Salaries: $6700 FD, $14000 DD, $7400 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $14000 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Seattle
Dustin Ackley – Ackley had a big game last night going 4/5 with 2 doubles and an RBI. He has been swinging a hot bat over the last month or so and draws another favorable matchup against Burnett who, as mentioned above, really struggles against LH hitters.
Additional Plays: Kyle Seager, Robinson Cano
Philadelphia
There aren’t any Phillies bats that really stand out tonight. Iwakuma pitches well against both LH and RH hitters and they are swinging cold bats right now.
Atlanta at Pittsburgh
| Atlanta | Pittsburgh | ||||||||
| Aaron Harang | Vegas Moneyline | Francisco Liriano | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | PIT (-150) | LEFT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.287 | 0.763 | 0.338 | 16.4% | SP vs. Left | 0.277 | 0.794 | 0.349 | 29.40% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.235 | 0.669 | 0.296 | 19.6% | SP vs. Right | 0.212 | 0.660 | 0.297 | 24.10% |
| Batter Splits | ATL BvP | ATL vs L | Batter Splits | PIT BvP | PIT vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Aaron Harang – The Harangatang bandwagon has not only come to a screeching halt, but the pieces of the wagon are spread out across the trail as it just couldn’t handle everyone jumping off at the same time. He hasn’t pitched terribly, but he’s coming off of a rough outing against the Dodgers and now has to face a very speedy Pirates offense. With a ton of options at pitcher, you don’t need to waste a roster spot on Harang. Rating = 4
Salaries: $6600 FD, $14600 DD, $6800 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $14600 FTD
- Francisco Liriano – Liriano’s velocity is back and the strikeouts have followed. He has 30 K’s over his last 4 starts and has only given up 7 combined earned runs during that stretch. Liriano has always had terrific stuff, his problem is his command. That said, he looks to be in great form and he gets to face a Braves offense that strikes out at a 24% clip against LH pitching this season which is one of the highest in baseball. Liriano has always pitched well in PNC Park and has terrific upside tonight against the Braves. I think Iwakuma is a better cash game play, but Liriano is a better GPP play. Rating = 7.5
Salaries: $7400 FD, $14550 DD, $9400 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $14550 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Atlanta
Chris Johnson – It’s hard to believe, but Johnson is sporting a .474 wOBA against LH pitching this season which is one of the highest in all of baseball. If you are looking for a salary cap relief option at 3B, you could do worse than Johnson.
Additional Plays: Evan Gattis
Pittsburgh
Josh Harrison – After an incredibly hot stretch that lasted almost 3 weeks, Harrison finally appears to have cooled off. Luckily for us, his price has taken a breather as well. You can finally afford to get him in your lineup and I love the matchup against Aaron Harang who has not pitched well in his last few starts.
Additional Plays: Gregory Polanco
Detroit at Tampa Bay
| Detroit | Tampa Bay | ||||||||
| Max Scherzer | Vegas Moneyline | Chris Archer | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | DET (-116) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.251 | 0.713 | 0.316 | 22.8% | SP vs. Left | 0.218 | 0.610 | 0.280 | 20.60% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.223 | 0.631 | 0.279 | 33.6% | SP vs. Right | 0.272 | 0.702 | 0.315 | 21.30% |
| Batter Splits | DET BvP | DET vs R | Batter Splits | TBR BvP | TBR vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Max Scherzer – I have a feeling Scherzer is going to get overlooked a bit tonight. He’s much more expensive that Strasburg who has similar upside, and he’s on the road pitching against a Rays offense that has been the 3rd best offense over the last 30 days. Great pitching typically beats good hitting and I expect that to be the case for Scherzer tonight who is one of the best strikeout pitchers in all of baseball. That said, I think Strasburg is a much better play when you factor in the big discount. Rating = 8
Salaries: $10900 FD, $20750 DD, $12700 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $20750 FTD
- Chris Archer – Archer has really looked sharp in the month of August. He has a 2.37 ERA with 27 K’s over 19 innings of work through his first 3 starts of the month. I love targeting Archer at home, but a matchup against the Tigers is not a favorable one. The Tigers are ranked 12th in wOBA vs. RH pitching this season and have a lot of firepower in their lineup. It also doesn’t help that Scherzer is pitching opposite him. Rating = 6.5
Salaries: $8100 FD, $15100 DD, $8200 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $15100 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Detroit / Tampa Bay
This game has one of the lowest totals on the board tonight and both pitchers have been dominant in their last few outings. I’ll be avoiding both offenses tonight.