MLB Grind Down: Tuesday, June 17th
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
LA Angels at Cleveland
| LA Angels | Cleveland | ||||||||
| Matt Shoemaker | Vegas Moneyline | Josh Tomlin | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | CLE (-113) | RIGHT | 9.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.300 | 0.855 | 0.378 | 23.2% | SP vs. Left | 0.242 | 0.739 | 0.322 | 19.4% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.148 | 0.444 | 0.198 | 25.8% | SP vs. Right | 0.231 | 0.585 | 0.260 | 19.4% |
| Batter Splits | LAA BvP  | LAA vs R | Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Matt Shoemaker – Shoemaker has been a pretty average pitcher so far this season. He is sporting a 4.19 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP. He hasn’t pitched more than 6 innings in a single game this season and draws a tough matchup against the Indians who are ranked 3rd against RH pitching this season. It also doesn’t help that Shoemaker has struggled against LHB’s and the majority of the Indians’ lineup is lefties. Rating = 3
Salaries: $5300 FD, $11336 DS, $10500 DD, $5800 DK, $77400 FF, $13000 SS, $10700 FTD
- Josh Tomlin – Tomlin has pitched 3 quality starts in his last 4 outings, but is still a below average option in terms of starting pitching options tonight. Tomlin has a 3.33 ERA on the season with a 1.07 WHIP. He faces an Angels team that is ranked 8th against RH pitching this season. Rating = 4
Salaries: $4900 FD, $11125 DS, $12950 DD, $6800 DK, $89900 FF, $21800 SS, $13700 FTD
Batter Grind Down
LA Angels
Kole Calhoun – Calhoun should be batting leadoff again tonight. He has hit RH pitching well this season with a .356 wOBA. He is facing the RHP Tomlin who has given up a .322 wOBA to LHB’s.
Additional Plays: Josh Hamilton, Mike Trout
Cleveland
Jason Kipnis – This is a great matchup for the LHB’s of the Indians. As mentioned above, Shoemaker is giving up a .378 wOBA to lefties this season. Kipnis is my favorite of the group though as his price is depressed across the industry.
Additional Plays: Michael Brantley, Carlos Santana, Lonnie Chisenhall
Toronto at NY Yankees
| Toronto | NY Yankees | ||||||||
| Marcus Stroman | Vegas Moneyline | Masahiro Tanaka | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | NYY (-170) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.377 | 0.959 | 0.424 | 10.7% | SP vs. Left | 0.225 | 0.576 | 0.257 | 21.5% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.275 | 0.684 | 0.301 | 27.3% | SP vs. Right | 0.205 | 0.599 | 0.266 | 36.0% |
| Batter Splits | TOR BvP | TOR vs R | Batter Splits | NYY BvP | NYY vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Marcus Stroman – Stroman has now appeared in 8 games in his career (3 starts) and has posted a 5.18 ERA with a 1.53 WHIP and 21 K’s over 24 innings of work. While the Yankees’ offense has been disappointing this season, they have been better of late and are finally starting to get healthy. Stroman is a big underdog and can be avoided in all leagues. Rating = 4
Salaries: $4600 FD, $11811 DS, $9100 DD, $5500 DK, $75200 FF, $15100 SS, $8550 FTD
- Masahiro Tanaka – Tanaka his incredible first season in the majors. He owns a 2.02 ERA with a 0.94 WHIP and a K/9 of 9.9. While the matchup against the Blue Jays is a tough one (Blue Jays are ranked 2nd against RH pitching), Tanaka faced them earlier in the season and struck out 8 batters over 7 innings of work while only giving up 2 earned runs. I think he can put up a similar performance tonight. Rating = 8
Salaries: $11200 FD, $24884 DS, $21450 DD, $11800 DK, $168200 FF, $33000 SS, $25050 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Toronto
I’ll be avoiding all Blue Jays’ bats tonight against Tanaka who has held both LHB’s and RHB’s under a .270 wOBA.
NY Yankees
Mark Teixeira – The sample size is small, but Stroman is giving up a .424 wOBA to LHB’s. Teixeira has had good power from the left side of the plate this season with a .360 wOBA. I’m calling a Teixeira HR tonight.
Additional Plays: Jacoby Ellsbury, Yangervis Solarte
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh
| Cincinnati | Pittsburgh | ||||||||
| Johnny Cueto | Vegas Moneyline | Brandon Cumpton | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | CIN (-135) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.183 | 0.502 | 0.231 | 24.1% | SP vs. Left | 0.305 | 0.738 | 0.338 | 17.8% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.175 | 0.529 | 0.245 | 26.5% | SP vs. Right | 0.250 | 0.576 | 0.270 | 13.5% |
| 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 bounced back nicely in his last start by striking out 12 batters over 6 scoreless innings against the Dodgers. He’s been one of the best pitchers in baseball so far this season with a 1.85 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP. He also owns an impressive K/9 of 9.7. Tonight he faces the Pirates who have been pretty average against RH pitching this season. Cueto is in play in all leagues. Rating = 9
Salaries: $10300 FD, $22320 DS, $20700 DD, $10900 DK, $134400 FF, $32600 SS, $23400 FTD
- Brandon Cumpton – Cumpton has struggled this season. In his 6 starts, he has posted a 6.06 ERA with a 1.55 WHIP and a K/9 of 5.3. While the Reds’ offense has been disappointing this season, they are finally healthy and Cumpton could have a hard time getting any run support with Cueto pitching opposite him. Rating = 4
Salaries: $4300 FD, $9485 DS, $8800 DD, $5200 DK, $64200 FF, $13000 SS, $7850 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Cincinnati
Joey Votto – The sample size is small, but Cumpton has given up a .338 wOBA to LHB’s this season. Votto has always had great power against RH pitching and this season is no different as he has a .385 wOBA against righties.
Additional Plays: Jay Bruce, Billy Hamilton
Pittsburgh
I will be avoiding all Pirates’ bats tonight against Cueto who has held both LHB’s and RHB’s under a .245 wOBA this season.
Houston at Washington
| Houston | Washington | ||||||||
| Dallas Keuchel | Vegas Moneyline | Tanner Roark | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | WAS (-125) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.254 | 0.667 | 0.303 | 28.1% | SP vs. Left | 0.216 | 0.623 | 0.283 | 16.4% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.275 | 0.746 | 0.332 | 16.2% | SP vs. Right | 0.218 | 0.507 | 0.231 | 22.3% |
| Batter Splits | HOU BvP | HOU vs R | Batter Splits | WSN BvP | WSN vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Dallas Keuchel – Keuchel has been one of the best pitchers in the American League this season. He is sporting a 2.38 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP and a K/9 of 7.5. I think he is in play tonight, even against a Nationals’ offense that has really turned it on over the last few weeks. Keuchel may not be the safest play in cash games, but has great upside as a tournament play. Rating = 7
Salaries: $8300 FD, $18546 DS, $18150 DD, $9800 DK, $112600 FF, $28900 SS, $19750 FTD
- Tanner Roark – Roark has been terrific at Nationals Park this season with a 1.55 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP in 6 starts. Roark is in play tonight on multi-pitcher sites as the Astros are below average against RH pitching this season and are striking out at a 23% clip. Rating = 6
Salaries: $6600 FD, $17222 DS, $15850 DD, $8200 DK, $114400 FF, $23700 SS, $16450 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Houston
Even tough Roark isn’t exactly an ace, he has been dominant at home and has held both LHB’s and RHB’s under a .290 wOBA this season. I’ll be avoiding all Astros’ bats here.
Washington
Jayson Werth – This is expected to be a low scoring game, but Werth does stand out here. He has a .406 wOBA against LH pitching this season and has been swinging a hot bat with 12 hits over his last 10 games.
Additional Plays: None
Kansas City at Detroit
| Kansas City | Detroit | ||||||||
| Yordano Ventura | Vegas Moneyline | Max Scherzer | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | DET (-145) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.240 | 0.675 | 0.300 | 19.8% | SP vs. Left | 0.233 | 0.668 | 0.295 | 25.0% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.237 | 0.668 | 0.298 | 21.7% | SP vs. Right | 0.180 | 0.529 | 0.240 | 33.0% |
| Batter Splits | KCR BvP | KCR vs R | Batter Splits | DET BvP | DET vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Yordano Ventura – Ventura had his best outing in his last 7 starts, but still only struck out 3 batters which is concerning. He has now struck out only 10 batters over his last 4 starts. There has been talk about his diminishing velocity early in games and that’s enough for me to avoid him tonight, especially considering the fact that he is facing the Tigers in Comerica. Rating = 4
Salaries: $7600 FD, $14950 DS, $14700 DD, $7400 DK, $70900 FF, $20800 SS, $15150 FTD
- Max Scherzer – After 4 subpar starts in a row, Scherzer threw a gem against the White Sox in his last outing. He threw a complete game shutout while striking out 8 batters. I’m a little mixed on his matchup tonight, but certainly think he is in play. The Royals are not a powerful offense, but they strike out fewer than any team in baseball. Hopefully Scherzer can have better luck than Verlander did on the mound last night. Rating = 8
Salaries: $10700 FD, $22604 DS, $18600 DD, $10300 DK, $129400 FF, $29600 SS, $20100 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Kansas City
There are a lot of bad matchups tonight and this is one of them. I’ll be avoiding all batters against Scherzer who has held both LHB’s and RHB’s under a .300 wOBA this season.
Detroit
Miguel Cabrera – I don’t have to say much to convince you that the best hitter in baseball is in play tonight, but I will anyway. Miggy has a .423 wOBA against RH pitching this season and has always hit well in Comerica.
Additional Plays: Ian Kinsler, Victor Martinez