MLB Grind Down: Tuesday, May 31st

The RotoGrinders MLB Grind Down will give you an in-depth analysis into the upcoming 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: As always, if you want to try a new DFS site, be sure to click through a RotoGrinders link and use our DraftKings promo code and FanDuel promo code to receive the best perks in the industry.

Houston at Arizona – 3:40 PM ET

Houston Arizona
Article Image Lance McCullers Article Image Patrick Corbin
RIGHT LEFT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
HOU -125 9.0
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.263 3 28.8% 8.6% SP vs. Left 0.267 2 30.8% 6.9%
SP vs. Right 0.321 8 22.2% 10.1% SP vs. Right 0.342 17 16.8% 5.5%

Pitcher Grind Down

Lance McCullers
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,300 Salary: $7,700
FPPG: 32.7 FPPG: 16.8
Pitcher Rating: 72.8 Pitcher Rank: 10
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 100.0 4.09 2.45 35.4% 18.8% 15.5% 59.1% 27.3% 27.3%
2016 3 96.3 4.29 4.60 30.0% 17.1% 12.8% 56.8% 24.3% 32.4%
2015 22 95.9 3.57 3.22 24.8% 8.3% 9.8% 46.5% 31.8% 28.9%

McCullers is a volatile pitcher that is going to have great outings at times and he is going to get shelled at other times. In his first 25 major league starts, he has a 3.65 SIERA with a strikeout rate right around 25%. The biggest issue has been his command, walking 17.1% of the batters that he has faced this season. There will be a time to buy low on McCullers, but that time is not today against the Diamondbacks. Not only is Arizona a top ten offense against right-handed pitching, but he has to face them in the pitcher-friendly Chase Field.

Patrick Corbin
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $7,000 Salary: $8,100
FPPG: 21.3 FPPG: 10.6
Pitcher Rating: 56.9 Pitcher Rank: 21
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 99.0 3.99 4.50 23.1% 11.5% 10.6% 58.8% 23.5% 38.2%
2016 10 93.9 4.29 4.21 16.8% 7.3% 8.8% 52.3% 29.5% 39.9%
2015 16 78.4 3.44 3.60 21.9% 4.8% 10.8% 46.9% 29.5% 31.5%

Corbin hasn’t been as effective this season, but he still sports a 4.29 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 16.8%. His swinging strike rate is down and he is giving up hard contact at a very high rate of 39.9%. Despite Houston’s numbers this season, yesterday was a great example of why we don’t like targeting lefties against the Astros. Their lineup is filled with right-handed hitters that absolutely mash left-handed pitching. Corbin is an easy fade in both cash games and tournaments.

Batter Grind Down

Houston

We are only two months into the season and like the Blue Jays, sometimes sample size can be an issue when comparing offensive statistics. Given the makeup of their lineup, the Astros should be one of the best offenses in baseball against left-handed pitching. George Springer, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Tyler White, and Evan Gattis all bat right-handed and all have a .188+ ISO against southpaws over the last two seasons. That bodes well for their matchup against Patrick Corbin in the hitter-friendly Chase Field.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 George Springer RIGHT 0.405 0.227 0.374 OF $3,600 OF $4,800
2 Jose Altuve RIGHT 0.423 0.188 0.282 2B $3,900 2B $5,100
3 Carlos Correa RIGHT 0.347 0.217 0.204 SS $3,900 SS $4,400
4 Colby Rasmus LEFT 0.335 0.183 0.219 OF $3,200 OF $3,600
5 Tyler White RIGHT 0.300 0.286 0.363 1B $2,300 1B $3,900
6 Marwin Gonzalez SWITCH 0.349 0.206 0.142 1B $2,600 1B/3B $3,100
7 Jason Castro LEFT 0.226 0.065 0.330 C $3,000 C $2,600
8 Jake Marisnick RIGHT 0.275 0.201 0.290 OF $2,400 OF $3,100
9 Lance McCullers RIGHT 0.000 0.000 P $8,300 P $7,700
Team Averages 0.296 0.175 0.276

Elite Plays – George Springer, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa

Secondary Plays – Tyler White, Evan Gattis, Marwin Gonzalez

Stackability – Cash & GPP

Arizona

The Diamondbacks are ranked ninth in runs scored per game and they have the ninth highest team total on the board. They draw a boom or bust matchup against Lance McCullers, who can be great, but can also struggle at times. The sample size is still relatively small, but McCullers has been a reverse-splits pitcher over the last two seasons – allowing a .321 wOBA to right-handed hitters.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Jean Segura RIGHT 0.287 0.099 0.238 2B $3,100 2B $4,300
2 Michael Bourn LEFT 0.272 0.048 0.425 OF $2,300 OF $3,400
3 Paul Goldschmidt RIGHT 0.403 0.247 0.474 1B $4,200 1B $5,000
4 Jake Lamb LEFT 0.350 0.174 0.417 3B $3,600 3B $4,200
5 Welington Castillo RIGHT 0.306 0.179 0.196 C $2,700 C $2,900
6 Chris Owings RIGHT 0.274 0.096 0.388 OF $2,100 OF $3,400
7 Yasmany Tomas RIGHT 0.288 0.106 0.183 OF $3,000 OF $3,100
8 Patrick Corbin LEFT 0.261 0.053 0.440 P $7,000 P $8,100
9 Nick Ahmed RIGHT 0.248 0.112 0.321 SS $2,500 SS $2,500
Team Averages 0.299 0.124 0.342

Elite Plays – Paul Goldschmidt

Secondary Plays – Jake Lamb, Chris Herrmann

Stackability – GPP

San Diego at Seattle – 3:40 PM ET

San Diego Seattle
Article Image James Shields Article Image Hisashi Iwakuma
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
SEA -180 7.5
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.364 25 20.1% 10.7% SP vs. Left 0.311 9 20.1% 4.7%
SP vs. Right 0.297 15 28.4% 7.8% SP vs. Right 0.302 16 20.7% 5.0%

Pitcher Grind Down

James Shields
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,100 Salary: $9,800
FPPG: 32.0 FPPG: 17.1
Pitcher Rating: 58.7 Pitcher Rank: 19
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 105.0 3.19 2.84 24.5% 3.8% 10.5% 44.7% 31.6% 31.6%
2016 10 100.2 4.08 3.06 21.2% 8.7% 11.4% 48.1% 31.5% 31.0%
2015 33 101.1 3.72 3.91 25.1% 9.4% 12.4% 44.9% 34.4% 31.2%

There are two camps when it comes to Shields. One sees his high strikeout rate and is hoping that he will turn things around and the other sees his high walk rate and high home run rate and avoids him at all costs in DFS. Unless the matchup is too good to pass up, I tend to favor the second camp. Over his last two seasons, Shields has allowed 40 home runs in 43 starts. To make matters worse, the difference between his ERA and SIERA actually suggests some negative regression moving forward. I’m not a fan of him today against a left-handed heavy Mariners’ lineup.

Hisashi Iwakuma
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $9,000 Salary: $9,200
FPPG: 27.7 FPPG: 13.5
Pitcher Rating: 86.3 Pitcher Rank: 5
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 96.0 4.25 4.15 18.9% 5.7% 10.4% 31.6% 39.5% 27.5%
2016 10 94.2 4.31 4.33 18.1% 6.4% 9.2% 40.4% 35.8% 26.9%
2015 20 93.4 3.36 3.54 21.5% 4.1% 10.6% 50.4% 31.1% 26.9%

Iwakuma seems to be coming around. His statistics don’t leap off the page at us, but he doesn’t walk many batters and he has a strikeout rate right above 20% over the last two seasons. Iwakuma may be the happiest pitcher in all of baseball today, as he gets to face the Padres. Not only is San Diego ranked dead last in team wOBA against right-handed pitching, but they have one of the highest strikeout rates in the majors. If you are playing the early-only or the all-day slate, you can certainly anchor your lineups with Iwakuma.

Batter Grind Down

San Diego

The Padres scored two runs yesterday, so do we consider their offense to be in good form? It’s rare that we see a team that is ranked in the bottom five in all of the offensive categories listed below. Even though Hisashi Iwakuma has been in mediocre form this season, there is no reason to target any Padres today.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Jon Jay LEFT 0.284 0.093 0.336 OF $3,500 OF $3,200
2 Wil Myers RIGHT 0.317 0.179 0.284 1B $3,200 1B $3,600
3 Matt Kemp RIGHT 0.303 0.174 0.221 OF $2,800 OF $4,000
4 Yangervis Solarte SWITCH 0.334 0.167 0.409 3B $3,600 2B/3B $3,100
5 Melvin Upton RIGHT 0.322 0.159 0.225 OF $2,900 OF $3,400
6 Brett Wallace LEFT 0.366 0.215 0.374 1B $2,900 1B/3B $2,800
7 Derek Norris RIGHT 0.281 0.140 0.277 C $2,400 C $2,800
8 Alexei Ramirez RIGHT 0.266 0.099 0.228 SS $2,500 SS $2,500
9 Alexi Amarista LEFT 0.242 0.082 0.165 SS $2,300 2B/SS $2,300
Team Averages 0.302 0.145 0.280

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – NONE

Stackability – NONE

Seattle

The Mariners have quietly been humming offensively. They average the seventh most runs per game and they are ranked fifth in both team wOBA and team ISO against right-handed pitching this season. James Shields has been good against right-handed hitters, but he is one of the best pitchers in baseball to target left-handed hitters against. Over the last two seasons, he has allowed a .364 wOBA and 25 home runs to lefties.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Norichika Aoki LEFT 0.323 0.117 0.309 OF $3,400 OF $3,000
2 Seth Smith LEFT 0.346 0.187 0.352 OF $2,900 OF $3,000
3 Robinson Cano LEFT 0.371 0.218 0.412 2B $4,400 2B $4,700
4 Nelson Cruz RIGHT 0.372 0.226 0.437 OF $4,000 OF $4,100
5 Kyle Seager LEFT 0.344 0.189 0.391 3B $3,800 3B $3,400
6 Adam Lind LEFT 0.355 0.195 0.415 1B $2,600 1B $3,300
7 Franklin Gutierrez RIGHT 0.371 0.322 0.485 OF $2,800 OF $2,800
8 Chris Iannetta RIGHT 0.246 0.125 0.135 C $2,000 C $2,100
9 Luis Sardinas SWITCH 0.199 0.000 0.293 SS $2,200 3B/SS $2,000
Team Averages 0.325 0.175 0.359

Elite Plays – Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager

Secondary Plays – Norichika Aoki, Seth Smith, Nelson Cruz, Adam Lind

Stackability – Cash & GPP

Texas at Cleveland – 6:10 PM ET

Texas Cleveland
Article Image Colby Lewis Article Image Corey Kluber
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
CLE -170 7.5
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.326 18 14.4% 5.5% SP vs. Left 0.318 14 24.5% 6.5%
SP vs. Right 0.304 18 19.3% 4.3% SP vs. Right 0.242 13 29.7% 4.0%

Pitcher Grind Down

Colby Lewis
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $7,200 Salary: $7,100
FPPG: 30.3 FPPG: 15.7
Pitcher Rating: 47.6 Pitcher Rank: 26
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 91.0 4.95 4.50 14.6% 2.1% 7.1% 23.1% 51.3% 47.5%
2016 10 95.8 4.40 3.38 17.6% 5.1% 7.9% 34.4% 45.1% 39.1%
2015 33 96.4 4.43 4.66 16.5% 4.9% 8.2% 33.7% 44.2% 33.3%

Lewis’s start was pushed back to today. As I mentioned before his last outing, regression was eventually going to hit at some point this season. A .273 BABIP and a left on-base percentage of 83.6% is not sustainable for Lewis. He then went out and gave up six runs to the Angels in only five innings of work. Lewis can be effective at times, but his strikeout rate isn’t high enough to deserve fantasy consideration. As a large underdog on the board, he can be avoided in all league formats.

Corey Kluber
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $9,500 Salary: $10,400
FPPG: 36.5 FPPG: 20.3
Pitcher Rating: 90.7 Pitcher Rank: 3
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 105.5 2.85 1.88 25.9% 5.2% 11.4% 61.5% 25.6% 30.0%
2016 10 97.6 3.30 3.78 24.8% 5.9% 12.3% 52.5% 31.5% 29.7%
2015 32 102.3 2.98 3.49 27.7% 5.1% 12.9% 42.4% 35.9% 27.0%

The Kloobs has been in excellent form coming into tonight’s start. If you look at the pitching table above, every single box is blue and green. In his first ten starts this season, he owns a 3.30 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 24.8%. He has a lethal combination of a high strikeout rate, a high swinging strike rate, and a high ground ball rate. The Rangers are one of the toughest teams to strikeout in baseball, but I usually don’t factor that in as much with an elite pitcher like Kluber. He is the best pitching option in the early slate and I have him ranked third of the 30 pitchers taking the mound in the all-day slate.

Batter Grind Down

Texas

The Rangers have one of the worst matchups on the board. In addition to a high strikeout rate, Corey Kluber has held left-handed hitters to a .318 wOBA and right-handed hitters to a .242 wOBA. With the fourth lowest run projection of the 30 teams playing today, the Rangers can be avoided in all league formats.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Jurickson Profar SWITCH 0.423 0.200 0.333 2B $2,200 2B/SS $2,700
2 Ian Desmond RIGHT 0.296 0.149 0.406 OF $4,000 OF $3,700
3 Prince Fielder LEFT 0.356 0.145 0.310 1B $3,200 1B $3,200
4 Adrian Beltre RIGHT 0.308 0.146 0.345 3B $3,900 3B $3,400
5 Nomar Mazara LEFT 0.398 0.241 0.435 OF $3,200 OF $3,500
6 Elvis Andrus RIGHT 0.283 0.082 0.332 SS $3,100 SS $2,900
7 Mitch Moreland LEFT 0.352 0.215 0.194 OF $3,200 1B $3,000
8 Jared Hoying LEFT 0.226 0.000 0.226 OF $2,200 OF $2,000
9 Bobby Wilson RIGHT 0.278 0.096 0.413 C $2,300 C $3,400
Team Averages 0.324 0.142 0.333

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – NONE

Stackability – NONE

Cleveland

The Indians’ team total of 4.16 runs seems a bit low. They have an excellent matchup against Colby Lewis, who has allowed 36 home runs over his last 43 starts. Lewis has also allowed a .326 wOBA to left-handed hitters and a .304 wOBA to right-handed hitters during that stretch.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Carlos Santana SWITCH 0.346 0.221 0.363 1B $3,700 1B $4,600
2 Jason Kipnis LEFT 0.381 0.171 0.273 2B $3,700 2B $4,500
3 Francisco Lindor SWITCH 0.335 0.138 0.370 SS $4,100 SS $4,900
4 Mike Napoli RIGHT 0.292 0.174 0.333 1B $3,600 1B $3,500
5 Jose Ramirez SWITCH 0.313 0.142 0.358 P $4,000 3B/OF $3,400
6 Juan Uribe RIGHT 0.300 0.131 0.355 3B $2,900 3B $2,700
7 Yan Gomes RIGHT 0.279 0.182 0.209 C $2,900 C $3,600
8 Marlon Byrd RIGHT 0.305 0.198 0.397 OF $2,600 OF $3,400
9 Rajai Davis RIGHT 0.318 0.160 0.418 OF $3,500 OF $4,000
Team Averages 0.319 0.169 0.342

Elite Plays – Carlos Santana, Jason Kipnis

Secondary Plays – Francisco Lindor, Mike Napoli, Jose Ramirez, Yan Gomes

Stackability – Cash & GPP

Boston at Baltimore – 7:05 PM ET

Boston Baltimore
Article Image Eduardo Rodriguez Article Image Kevin Gausman
LEFT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
BAL -120 9.0
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.350 7 19.8% 4.0% SP vs. Left 0.262 6 25.4% 6.5%
SP vs. Right 0.292 6 18.4% 8.1% SP vs. Right 0.361 17 18.6% 5.4%

Pitcher Grind Down

Eduardo Rodriguez
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $7,600 Salary: $6,100
FPPG: 29.7 FPPG: 0.0
Pitcher Rating: 49.0 Pitcher Rank: 25
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
2015 21 95.7 4.16 3.85 18.8% 7.1% 7.8% 43.0% 33.4% 31.4%

Rodriguez is making his first start of the season. In 21 starts in 2015, he posted a 4.16 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 18.8%. He has never shown massive strikeout potential and that’s unlikely to change in the majors. He does have an electric fastball, but he checks in as an underdog against the Orioles in a game that features a high total of 9.0 runs. With a full slate on tap, we don’t need to look to Rodriguez in cash games or GPPs tonight.

Kevin Gausman
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,200 Salary: $6,800
FPPG: 27.3 FPPG: 15.5
Pitcher Rating: 59.6 Pitcher Rank: 15
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 108.0 2.88 3.86 26.5% 4.1% 13.0% 50.0% 26.5% 20.6%
2016 7 101.1 3.69 3.24 21.6% 5.3% 11.6% 46.7% 35.2% 26.8%
2015 17 110.4 3.69 4.25 21.9% 6.2% 10.9% 44.4% 38.1% 27.4%

Gausman is off to a nice start this season, posting a 3.69 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 21.6%. My favorite statistic with Gausman is the fact that he is averaging over 107 pitches per start over the last two seasons. The Orioles don’t mind leaving him out there if he is pitching well. I point that out more as a reminder moving forward though, because I am certainly not recommending him tonight against the Red Sox. Boston has been on an absolute tear over the last few weeks.

Batter Grind Down

Boston

The Red Sox average more runs per game than any team in baseball. They also have the highest team wOBA against right-handed pitching. I don’t love the matchup against Kevin Gausman, but they do get to face him in a hitter-friendly ballpark. Gausman is a reverse-splits pitcher, allowing a .361 wOBA and 17 home runs to right-handed hitters over the last two seasons. Xander Bogaerts is looking to extend his hitting streak to 24 games tonight.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Mookie Betts RIGHT 0.352 0.191 0.404 OF $4,400 OF $5,400
2 Dustin Pedroia RIGHT 0.355 0.155 0.395 2B $4,100 2B $4,500
3 Xander Bogaerts RIGHT 0.338 0.115 0.444 SS $4,700 SS $5,100
4 David Ortiz LEFT 0.431 0.346 0.517 1B $4,800 1B $5,500
5 Hanley Ramirez RIGHT 0.314 0.141 0.262 1B $3,900 1B $4,000
6 Jackie Bradley LEFT 0.375 0.271 0.470 OF $4,500 OF $4,400
7 Travis Shaw LEFT 0.358 0.201 0.293 3B $3,900 1B/3B $3,900
8 Christian Vazquez RIGHT 0.241 0.095 0.214 C $2,300 C $3,000
9 Blake Swihart SWITCH 0.320 0.136 0.356 C $2,500 C/OF $3,300
Team Averages 0.343 0.183 0.373

Elite Plays – Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts

Secondary Plays – Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Jackie Bradley

Stackability – GPP

Baltimore

The Orioles have the eighth highest team ISO against left-handed pitching this season. They come into tonight’s contest with the fifth highest team total on the board. Eduardo Rodriguez pitched fairly well in his rookie season, but he is still inexperienced at the major league level. All of the right-handed hitters from this lineup are in play tonight.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Joey Rickard RIGHT 0.372 0.214 0.245 OF $2,600 OF $3,200
2 Manny Machado RIGHT 0.343 0.181 0.362 SS $4,200 3B/SS $4,900
3 Adam Jones RIGHT 0.290 0.158 0.163 OF $3,000 OF $3,600
4 Chris Davis LEFT 0.340 0.197 0.255 1B $3,900 1B $3,800
5 Mark Trumbo RIGHT 0.364 0.280 0.339 OF $3,800 OF $4,800
6 Matt Wieters SWITCH 0.291 0.129 0.481 C $3,200 C $3,600
7 Jonathan Schoop RIGHT 0.270 0.104 0.295 2B $3,400 2B $2,800
8 Nolan Reimold RIGHT 0.344 0.145 0.294 OF $2,600 OF $3,000
9 Paul Janish RIGHT 0.148 0.043 0.188 SS $2,000
Team Averages 0.307 0.161 0.291

Elite Plays – Manny Machado, Adam Jones

Secondary Plays – Mark Trumbo, Jonathan Schoop

Stackability – GPP

Washington at Philadelphia – 7:05 PM ET

Washington Philadelphia
Article Image Joe Ross Article Image Aaron Nola
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
WAS -115 7.0
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.343 5 16.7% 10.5% SP vs. Left 0.298 7 18.0% 7.4%
SP vs. Right 0.226 6 24.1% 3.6% SP vs. Right 0.256 9 28.1% 3.9%

Pitcher Grind Down

Joe Ross
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,100 Salary: $8,500
FPPG: 26.1 FPPG: 13.5
Pitcher Rating: 77.3 Pitcher Rank: 8
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 103.0 3.23 2.13 21.2% 5.8% 11.7% 59.5% 18.9% 29.0%
2016 9 93.6 4.21 2.52 18.6% 7.2% 10.0% 46.2% 30.4% 25.9%
2015 13 88.7 3.66 3.64 22.0% 6.7% 11.9% 49.8% 33.8% 30.2%

Ross has a 2.52 ERA on the season, but we can expect a little regression moving forward. The good news is that tonight he gets to face a Phillies’ offense that is ranked 28th in team wOBA, 27th in team ISO, and 20th in strikeout rate against right-handed pitching this season. If Ross can pitch around the left-handed hitters in this lineup, he will have a good chance to post 6+ strikeouts and potentially pick up a win. He is one of the better values on the board tonight.

Aaron Nola
Article Image FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,900 Salary: $10,600
FPPG: 39.3 FPPG: 22.5
Pitcher Rating: 85.6 Pitcher Rank: 6
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 97.0 3.38 2.77 20.7% 5.2% 12.4% 57.5% 22.5% 28.6%
2016 10 95.0 2.77 2.86 26.8% 4.6% 10.5% 56.3% 24.1% 22.5%
2015 13 85.9 3.66 3.59 21.4% 6.0% 8.6% 47.6% 32.4% 28.8%

Nola is an exciting, young pitcher to watch. In his first ten starts of the season, he has a 2.77 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 26.8%. He produces an elite ground ball rate and he doesn’t give up a lot of hard contact. He may be a small underdog tonight against the Nationals, but the upside is still there. Washington is ranked 22nd in team wOBA against right-handed pitching this season. I want to say that Nola is a better GPP target, but you can even given him a look in cash games.

Batter Grind Down

Washington

The Nationals are a below-average offense against right-handed pitching this season. They come into tonight’s game with the seventh lowest team total on the board. They draw a difficult matchup against Aaron Nola, who has held both left and right-handed hitters under a .300 wOBA over the last two seasons.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Ben Revere LEFT 0.300 0.076 0.300 OF $2,900 OF $3,100
2 Jayson Werth RIGHT 0.276 0.124 0.304 OF $2,900 OF $3,000
3 Bryce Harper LEFT 0.459 0.343 0.268 OF $3,900 OF $4,700
4 Daniel Murphy LEFT 0.375 0.212 0.423 2B $4,000 2B $3,900
5 Ryan Zimmerman RIGHT 0.305 0.178 0.403 1B $3,500 1B $3,300
6 Anthony Rendon RIGHT 0.312 0.114 0.468 3B $4,200 3B $3,800
7 Wilson Ramos RIGHT 0.291 0.137 0.334 C $3,300 C $3,100
8 Danny Espinosa SWITCH 0.294 0.156 0.239 SS $2,400 SS $2,300
9 Joe Ross RIGHT 0.122 0.026 0.000 P $8,100 P $8,500
Team Averages 0.304 0.152 0.304

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy

Stackability – NONE

Philadelphia

The Phillies are an easy offense to avoid, especially when there is a game being played in Coors Field. On the season, they are ranked 28th in team wOBA against right-handed pitching. The one area to potentially attack this matchup is with the left-handed hitters. Over the last two seasons, Joe Ross has allowed a .343 wOBA to batters from that side of the plate.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Odubel Herrera LEFT 0.358 0.137 0.294 OF $3,600 OF $3,700
2 Cesar Hernandez RIGHT 0.288 0.071 0.243 2B $2,200 2B $2,600
3 Maikel Franco RIGHT 0.339 0.186 0.304 3B $2,800 3B $3,400
4 Tommy Joseph RIGHT 0.274 0.292 0.369 1B $2,000 1B $3,400
5 Cameron Rupp RIGHT 0.275 0.125 0.407 C $2,600 C $2,600
6 Freddy Galvis SWITCH 0.297 0.124 0.373 SS $2,800 SS $3,100
7 Tyler Goeddel RIGHT 0.326 0.145 0.379 OF $2,000 OF $3,300
8 Aaron Nola RIGHT 0.122 0.029 0.000 P $8,900 P $10,600
9 Peter Bourjos RIGHT 0.245 0.115 0.243 OF $2,200 OF $2,600
Team Averages 0.280 0.136 0.290

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Odubel Herrera

Stackability – NONE


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About the Author

Notorious
Derek Farnsworth (Notorious)

Derek Farnsworth (aka Notorious) is a lead RotoGrinders Expert and one of the most recognizable names and faces in all of DFS. Before joining the RotoGrinders team, Derek received a Master’s Degree from the University of Utah. When he’s not busy providing content, he’s dominating the DFS industry as evidenced by his consistent top rankings in several sports and multiple Live Final appearances. Noto provides expert NBA, NFL, MLB, and PGA analysis for RotoGrinders Premium members on a daily basis and has also been nominated for five different Fantasy Sports Writer’s Association (FSWA) awards. Follow Noto on Twitter – @RG_Notorious