MLB Grind Down: Tuesday, September 16th Page Three
LA Dodgers at Colorado
| LA Dodgers | Colorado | ||||||||
| Dan Haren | Vegas Moneyline | Tyler Matzek | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | LAD (-132) | LEFT | 10.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.227 | 0.665 | 0.289 | 23.00% | SP vs. Left | 0.162 | 0.477 | 0.218 | 27.10% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.284 | 0.806 | 0.348 | 13.30% | SP vs. Right | 0.287 | 0.836 | 0.366 | 13.90% |
| Batter Splits | LAD BvP  | LAD vs L | Batter Splits | COL BvP | COL vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Dan Haren – Haren is a fly ball pitcher that will be playing in the most hitter-friendly ballpark in baseball. He’s been better in his recent starts, but the line is set at 10.0 runs for a reason. Avoid Haren tonight against the Rockies. Rating = 3
Salaries: $7600 FD, $15900 DD, $7900 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD
- Tyler Matzek – Matzek has not pitched well this season and draws an extremely tough matchup against the Dodgers in Coors Field. He should not be on your fantasy radar tonight. Rating = 2
Salaries: $5500 FD, $14950 DD, $7100 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
LA Dodgers
Matt Kemp – The Dodgers put up 11 runs last night in Coors and will look to have another big offensive outing tonight against Tyler Matzek who has given up a .366 wOBA to RH hitters this season. This game is littered with viable fantasy options, but Kemp takes the cake as the top play as he has been red hot over his last 10 games with 14 hits (4 HR’s) and 10 RBI’s.
Additional Plays: Dee Gordon, Yasiel Puig, Hanley Ramirez, Scott Van Slyke, Justin Turner
Colorado
Corey Dickerson – Dickerson has mashed RH pitching this season to the tune of a .314 batting average and a .403 wOBA. He has a great chance to homer tonight against the fly-ball pitcher Dan Haren who has already given up 25 HR’s this season.
Additional Plays: Charlie Blackmon, Michael Cuddyer, Josh Rutledge, Justin Morneau, Wilin Rosario
San Francisco at Arizona
| San Francisco | Arizona | ||||||||
| Jake Peavy | Vegas Moneyline | Josh Collmenter | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | SFG (-133) | RIGHT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.258 | 0.807 | 0.352 | 18.40% | SP vs. Left | 0.291 | 0.774 | 0.341 | 13.60% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.259 | 0.715 | 0.315 | 19.70% | SP vs. Right | 0.205 | 0.619 | 0.273 | 19.70% |
| Batter Splits | SFG BvP | SFG vs R | Batter Splits | ARI BvP | ARI vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jake Peavy – Peavy seems to have found the fountain of youth. He has been dominant in his last 4 starts. He has only given up a combined 2 earned runs while striking out 24 batters. In his last start against the Diamondbacks, he struck out 8 batters while only giving up a single earned run. The only concern here is that this game will be played in Chase Field which is a much more hitter-friendly ballpark than AT&T Park. The total for this game is low, but something tells me the Diamondbacks offense shows up to play tonight. Rating = 5.5
Salaries: $8000 FD, $15450 DD, $8800 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD
- Josh Collmenter – Collmenter has not pitched well on the road this season, but luckily for him he gets to pitch at home tonight. He has posted a 2.80 ERA at home while holding opponents to a .199 batting average. While those numbers are promising, his matchup is less than appealing. The Giants have the best offense in baseball over the last 30 days. Rating = 5
Salaries: $7100 FD, $12000 DD, $6900 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
San Francisco
Buster Posey – Posey is typically targeted against LH pitching, but tonight he gets to face an average righty in a hitter-friendly Chase Field. Posey has hit Collmenter well in the past going 9/17 with 2 HR’s a double against him in his career.
Additional Plays: Pablo Sandoval
Arizona
Miguel Montero – Montero is a bargain tonight against Jake Peavy who has given up a .352 wOBA to batters from the left side of the plate. Peavy has also struggled on the road as he has given up a .351 wOBA to his opponents. Montero should be batting 5th tonight and see plenty of opportunities to drive in runs.
Additional Plays: A.J. Pollock
Texas at Oakland
| Texas | Oakland | ||||||||
| Nick Tepesch | Vegas Moneyline | Scott Kazmir | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | OAK (-240) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.239 | 0.723 | 0.320 | 11.00% | SP vs. Left | .250 | – | 0.293 | – |
| SP vs. Right | 0.313 | 0.870 | 0.383 | 10.60% | SP vs. Right | 0.220 | – | 0.279 | – |
| Batter Splits | TEX BvP | TEX vs R | Batter Splits | OAK BvP | OAK vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Nick Tepesch – Tepesch is one of the worst starting pitchers to toe the rubber tonight. On the season he owns a 4.47 ERA with an incredibly low K/9 of 4.1. He walks too many batters and he gives up too many HR’s. That’s not a great combination for tonight’s matchup against the A’s who excel in both of those categories. Tepesch is a +220 underdog for a reason. Rating = 3
Salaries: $5000 FD, $8950 DD, $5500 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD
- Scott Kazmir – Kazmir is the biggest favorite on the board tonight. He is expected to see plenty of run support with Tepesch on the mound and he has an extremely favorable matchup against the Rangers whose lineup just looks awful at this point in the season. While the Rangers are ranked 5th in wOBA vs. LH pitching, this lineup isn’t scaring anyone. Kazmir is coming off of a terrific start in which he struck out 7 batters over 8 innings of work. He should be in line for 7+ solid innings of work and should be in line for the win. Rating = 8
Batter Grind Down
Texas
Adrian Beltre is in play tonight against the lefty Scott Kazmir, but there are better options at 3B for cash games. Use Beltre as a tournament play and avoid the rest of the Rangers offense.
Oakland
Josh Donaldson – Donaldson is typically targeted against LH pitching, but draws a great matchup against Tepesch who has given up a .383 wOBA to RH hitters. Donaldson is one of the only third basemen with multi-HR potential. He should go overlooked against a righty which makes him one of my favorite tournament plays.
Additional Plays: Coco Crisp, Josh Reddick, Derek Norris
Seattle at LA Angels
| Seattle | LA Angels | ||||||||
| Roenis Elias | Vegas Moneyline | Cory Rasmus | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | LAA (-118) | RIGHT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.206 | 0.650 | 0.295 | 25.00% | SP vs. Left | 0.233 | 0.681 | 0.296 | 28.60% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.251 | 0.726 | 0.323 | 19.80% | SP vs. Right | 0.198 | 0.572 | 0.259 | 23.40% |
| Batter Splits | SEA BvP | SEA vs R | Batter Splits | LAA BvP | LAA vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Roenis Elias – Elias continues to pitch well, but he continues to have problems with his command. He walks too many batters which ends up driving his pitch count up. This is why he hasn’t pitched more than 6 innings in any of his last 10 starts. While I do like the strikeout potential that he brings to the table, I don’t like the matchup against the Angels who may be the hottest team in baseball. The Angels are ranked 3rd in wOBA vs. LH pitching and 8th in wOBA over the last 30 days. Rating = 4
Salaries: $6700 FD, $13200 DD, $8200 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD
- Cory Rasmus – Rasmus has pitched well at the major league level, although his sample size is still extremely limited. In 27 appearances this season, he has posted a 2.80 ERA with a K/9 of 9.4. We can’t expect these numbers as a starter, but still he has shown that he can strike out batters at this level. The issue with Rasmus is that he is still in bullpen mode. He hasn’t thrown more than 51 pitches in any of his last 10 appearances. He would need a near perfect outing just to be eligible for the win. Rating = 3
Salaries: $5000 FD, $8750 DD, $5800 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Seattle
Robinson Cano – The Mariners will likely see Rasmus for a few innings and then spend the rest of the game against the Angels bullpen. In these situations, I like to target hitters that hit RH and LH pitching well. Cano fits the bill and has been swinging a hot bat with 11 hits (2 HR’s) over his last 10 games.
Additional Plays: Austin Jackson
LA Angels
David Freese – Freese is a great value play at 3B tonight. He has been red hot with 13 hits and 8 RBI’s over his last 10 games. He also provides some nice upside in his matchup against Elias who has already given up 13 HR’s to batters from the right side of the plate this season. As long as Freese is batting 5th, he remains an excellent fantasy option tonight.
Additional Plays: Mike Trout, Howie Kendrick
Philadelphia at San Diego
| Philadelphia | San Diego | ||||||||
| A.J. Burnett | Vegas Moneyline | Ian Kennedy | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | SDP (-135) | RIGHT | 6.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.241 | 0.768 | 0.342 | 19.00% | SP vs. Left | 0.244 | 0.713 | 0.314 | 25.40% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.254 | 0.706 | 0.313 | 21.90% | SP vs. Right | 0.260 | 0.714 | 0.317 | 24.10% |
| Batter Splits | PHI BvP | PHI vs R | Batter Splits | SDP BvP | SDP vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- A.J. Burnett – The final game of the night will be played in the pitcher-friendly Petco Park. Pitchers see a huge ballpark boost in Petco as that stadium can make an average pitcher look great. Burnett has been a boom or bust option all season long, but he has struck out 31 batters over his last 4 starts. He draws a great matchup against the Padres and offers great upside for the price. He’s in play for tournaments as well as a #2 starter on multi-pitcher sites. Rating = 6.5
Salaries: $7400 FD, $14350 DD, $8400 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD
- Ian Kennedy – On the season, Kennedy owns a 3.77 ERA (3.40 xFIP) with an elite strikeout rate of 9.3 batters per 9 innings. Tonight he faces a Phillies offense that has struggled to score runs all season. They are ranked 29th in wOBA against RH pitching and 23rd in wOBA on the road. They also gave up a complete game shutout to Andrew Cashner last night on only 92 pitches. Expect a strong bounce back game from Kennedy after posting two subpar outings in a row. Rating = 7
Salaries: $7700 FD, $14850 DD, $8900 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Philadelphia / San Diego
With a full slate of games (including a game in Coors Field), you can avoid both offenses in this one. The total is set at 6.5 runs which is the lowest on the board tonight.