MLB Grind Down: Tuesday, June 3rd
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
Oakland at NY Yankees
| Oakland | NY Yankees | ||||||||
| Scott Kazmir | Vegas Moneyline | Hiroki Kuroda | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | OAK (-115) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.237 | 0.582 | 0.261 | 23.0% | SP vs. Left | 0.270 | 0.755 | 0.332 | 16.5% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.251 | 0.710 | 0.318 | 22.9% | SP vs. Right | 0.241 | 0.626 | 0.280 | 20.0% |
| Batter Splits | OAK BvP  | OAK vs R | Batter Splits | NYY BvP | NYY vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Scott Kazmir – Kazmir is coming off of a complete game, 8 strikeout performance against the Tigers. On the season he has a 2.36 ERA with a 0.97 WHIP and a K/9 of 7.0. Tonight he faces a Yankees’ offense that is ranked 15th against LH pitching. The upside is there, but he may have a tough time picking up the win. He’s in play on multi-pitcher sites and GPP’s. Rating = 6
Salaries: $8100 FD, $16762 DS, $15700 DD, $9200 DK, $109000 FF, $24700 SS, $12500 FTD
- Hiroki Kuroda – Kuroda struggles continue this season with a 4.57 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. Contrary to last season, Kuroda has really struggled at home with a 5.60 ERA. Tonight he faces an A’s offense that is ranked 3rd against RH pitching this season with a team .339 wOBA. His price has come down a bit, but I think there are better options at his price point. Rating = 4
Salaries: $7300 FD, $12393 DS, $13350 DD, $7700 DK, $70900 FF, $19200 SS, $12200 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Oakland
Brandon Moss – Moss against a RH pitcher is something that you have probably seen a lot of if you read the Grind Down every day. Moss has a .385 wOBA against RH pitching this season and draws a nice matchup against Kuroda who has given up a .332 wOBA to LHB’s.
Additional Plays: John Jaso, Coco Crisp, Josh Donaldson
NY Yankees
Alfonso Soriano – Soriano has been slumping of late, but all that means is that his price has come down. Soriano is always in play against LH pitching as he has a .365 wOBA against southpaws this season. He offers great value as a play in the OF.
Additional Plays: Derek Jeter
Boston at Cleveland
| Boston | Cleveland | ||||||||
| Jake Peavy | Vegas Moneyline | T.J. House | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | BOS (-116) | LEFT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.232 | 0.728 | 0.319 | 20.8% | SP vs. Left | 0.368 | 1.000 | 0.431 | 26.3% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.263 | 0.729 | 0.322 | 18.3% | SP vs. Right | 0.281 | 0.740 | 0.354 | 11.1% |
| Batter Splits | BOS BvP | BOS vs L | Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jake Peavy – Peavy has given up at least 5 earned runs in each of his last 5 starts. His ERA has risen to 4.50 on the season, but he does have a respectable K/9 of 6.9. Tonight he draws a tough matchup against the Indians who are ranked 5th against RH pitching this season with a team .335 wOBA. All of those LHB’s in the Indians’ lineup make me want to stay far away from Peavy tonight. Rating = 4
Salaries: $6600 FD, $12867 DS, $13050 DD, $6800 DK, $58600 FF, $17400 SS, $12500 FTD
- T.J. House – House will be making his 3rd career start tonight. So far this season he has a 4.05 ERA with 9 K’s over 13 innings of work. He is still largely unproven at the major league level. The Red Sox have won 7 of their last 8 games and House is a deep GPP play at best tonight. Rating = 3
Salaries: $4700 FD, $12448 DS, $8300 DD, $6000 DK, $66000 FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Boston
Jonny Gomes – Gomes is another player that often makes the Grind Down. He is always a value play in the OF and is one of my go-to plays when he is facing a lefty. This season he has a .377 wOBA against LH pitching and House is a rookie that could struggle with this Red Sox lineup.
Additional Plays: Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts
Cleveland
Jason Kipnis – Kipnis has been relatively quiet since coming back from his injury, but is still one of my favorite plays against RH pitching. He still has terrific power against righties and should once again be batting clean-up tonight. This is a great time to buy low on the 2B.
Additional Plays: Michael Brantley, Lonnie Chisenhall, Asdrubal Cabrera
Philadelphia at Washington
| Philadelphia | Washington | ||||||||
| David Buchanan | Vegas Moneyline | Jordan Zimmermann | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | WAS (-170) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.200 | 0.473 | 0.224 | 13.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.269 | 0.709 | 0.313 | 17.2% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.286 | 0.750 | 0.324 | 3.6% | SP vs. Right | 0.239 | 0.637 | 0.290 | 20.5% |
| Batter Splits | PHI BvP | PHI vs R | Batter Splits | WSN BvP | WSN vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- David Buchanan – Buchanan will be making his 3rd career start. He has a 3.86 ERA in his first 2 starts with 4 K’s over 11 innings of work. He comes into tonight’s game as one of the biggest underdogs on the schedule. His price is cheap, but there is not enough upside to warrant fantasy consideration tonight against the Nationals. Rating = 3
Salaries: $3000 FD, $10669 DS, $8900 DD, $5700 DK, $64000 FF, $13500 SS, $9500 FTD
- Jordan Zimmermann – Zimmermann has given up at least 3 earned runs in each of his last 4 starts. Something tells me that streak will end tonight. Zimmermann was terrific at home last season with a 2.61 ERA and I think this is a nice spot for a bounce back game. The Phillies are ranked 26th against RH pitching this season with a team .290 wOBA. Rating = 8
Salaries: $7700 FD, $13944 DS, $14300 DD, $7200 DK, $70600 FF, $20300 SS, $14800 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Philadelphia
Chase Utley – Zimmermann’s recent struggles combined with Utley’s .406 wOBA against RH pitching put him in play tonight. Utley has been raking against RH pitching all season long and is one of the safer cash game options at second.
Additional Plays: Carlos Ruiz
Washington
Adam LaRoche – LaRoche is a terrific play at 1B tonight. On the season he has an incredible .436 wOBA against RH pitching. He’s also been swinging a hot bat with 12 hits and 4 walks over this last 10 games. I like the matchup against the rookie RHP Buchanan.
Additional Plays: Jayson Werth, Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman (expected to be back in the lineup tonight)
Toronto at Detroit
| Toronto | Detroit | ||||||||
| Drew Hutchison | Vegas Moneyline | Anibal Sanchez | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | DET (-135) | RIGHT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.248 | 0.747 | 0.327 | 19.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.233 | 0.635 | 0.287 | 26.2% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.240 | 0.704 | 0.317 | 24.8% | SP vs. Right | 0.205 | 0.544 | 0.246 | 27.0% |
| Batter Splits | TOR BvP | TOR vs R | Batter Splits | DET BvP | DET vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Drew Hutchison – Hutchison has a 3.88 ERA on the season with a 1.26 WHIP and an impressive K/9 of 8.2. He has pitched very well away from home this season with a 2.33 ERA. All of that being said, he is not a recommended play tonight against Miguel Cabrera and the Tigers who are ranked 6th against RH pitching with a team .331 wOBA. Rating = 4
Salaries: $5700 FD, $13211 DS, $11250 DD, $7200 DK, $85300 FF, $20400 SS, $12200 FTD
- Anibal Sanchez – Sanchez finally looks like he is back in 2013 form. He’s looked great in his last 2 starts and has a 2.49 ERA on the season with a WHIP under 1.00. While this isn’t the best matchup on the board (Blue Jays are ranked 1st against RH pitching), Sanchez has held LHB’s and RHB’s under a .290 wOBA. Sanchez is in play on multi-pitcher sites. Rating = 6
Salaries: $8600 FD, $17978 DS, $14550 DD, $8900 DK, $109000 FF, $23700 SS, $16000 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Toronto
Adam Lind – Lind is sporting an impressive .490 wOBA against RH pitching this season. He typically bats 4th or 5th against righties and is a nice value option at 1B tonight against the RHP Sanchez.
Additional Plays: Juan Francisco, Melky Cabrera
Detroit
Victor Martinez – V-Mart makes a terrific play on sites that still have him listed as a catcher and makes a decent play on sites that don’t. He has a .386 wOBA against RH pitching this season and has 13 hits over his last 9 games.
Additional Plays: Miguel Cabrera
Tampa Bay at Miami
| Tampa Bay | Miami | ||||||||
| Chris Archer | Vegas Moneyline | Henderson Alvarez | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | TBR (-115) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.251 | 0.718 | 0.323 | 21.4% | SP vs. Left | 0.269 | 0.708 | 0.318 | 13.0% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.223 | 0.572 | 0.267 | 18.2% | SP vs. Right | 0.239 | 0.589 | 0.274 | 14.8% |
| Batter Splits | TBR BvP | TBR vs R | Batter Splits | MIA BvP | MIA vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Chris Archer – The Marlins’ offensive numbers at home continue to astound most people in baseball. Marlins Park is one of the more pitcher-friendly ballparks in baseball, yet the Marlins continue to rake at home. Vegas isn’t giving in to the numbers though as the total for this game is set at 7.5 runs. Archer has pitched well in each of his last 3 starts and makes a nice tournament play tonight. Rating = 5
Salaries: $7500 FD, $17968 DS, $12900 DD, $7400 DK, $87200 FF, $NA SS, $12300 FTD
- Henderson Alvarez – Alvarez has been terrific at home this season with a 1.85 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP, and a K/9 of 5.5. This Rays’ offense has been ice cold over the last 10 days and Alvarez has a cheap price tag across the industry. He has a somewhat limited upside thanks to his low K-rate, but he is in play on multi-pitcher sites. Rating = 6
Salaries: $6700 FD, $11803 DS, $12100 DD, $6300 DK, $62200 FF, $16200 SS, $12100 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Tampa Bay
Matt Joyce – Joyce has always hit RH pitching well and this season is no different. He has a .358 wOBA against righties which leads all Rays’ batters.
Additional Plays: Ben Zobrist, James Loney
Miami
Garrett Jones – Jones is having a terrific season in Miami. He has a .382 wOBA against RH pitching this season and should be in the heart of the order tonight against Archer who has given up a .323 wOBA to LHB’s.
Additional Plays: Giancarlo Stanton