MLB Grind Down: Wednesday, April 15 - Page Two

by John Britt (jmbwngfn) Last Updated 2015-04-15 14:54:46

Detroit at Pittsburgh

Pitcher Grind Down

Alfredo Simon – Simon will take on his former Central Division rival in this interleague game and gets the added benefit of facing an opposing pitcher every nine hitters today. He showed a seamless transition into the starting pitching role last season with the Reds and amassed an impressive 15-10 record with a 3.44 ERA over 196.1 innings. However, his BABIP has been mysteriously low in each of the last two seasons and seem destined for a regression. His command can be spotty and his strikeout rate is not a fantasy asset (although Pittsburgh has been striking out at an alarming rate thus far in 2015), so he’s not the most desirable option on the board. Rating = 5

Francisco Liriano – Liriano burst on the MLB scene in Minnesota years ago and quickly appeared to be set for stardom, but things quickly fell apart for the left-hander and after several seasons seeing his ERA north of 5.00, he looked to be at the end of the road. The Pirates gave him second life prior to the 2013 season, and they’ve been handsomely rewarded as he owns a 23-18 record with a 3.19 ERA and 9.40 K/9 in 56 starts with the Buccos. The matchup today is a tough one as this Tigers lineup is loaded and their .344 wOBA against left-handed pitching last season trailed only the Colorado Rockies. Liriano has the stuff to excel against anyone, but his control issues are a major concern (4.49 BB/9 last season) and Detroit will be one of his toughest tasks of the season. Rating = 6

Batter Grind Down

Detroit

Ian Kinsler – V-Mart would be the preferred play here, but with the game in an NL Park, he’s unlikely to be in the lineup. Instead, I’ll be looking at the Tigers second basemen who owns a .305 average and .885 OPS during his career against left-handed pitching. Kinsler’s has some of the best protecting in the league behind him in this Detroit batting order and can wreak havoc on the base paths if given the opportunity.

Secondary Plays:Miguel Cabrera, Yoenis Cespedes

Pittsburgh

Andrew McCutchen – He’s off to a slow start, but we know that can’t last long. He posted a team-high .415 wOBA against right-handed pitching last season and crushed the ball at PNC Park

Secondary Plays:Pedro Alvarez, Gregory Polanco

Tampa Bay at Toronto

Pitcher Grind Down

Erasmo Ramirez – The Mariners finally ran out of patience with Erasmo Ramirez and shipped him off to the Tampa Bay Rays last month. After a rock solid rookie campaign that saw the then 21 year old post a 3.36 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 59 innings, Ramirez has failed to live up to the hype and owns a 5.47 ERA and 1.54 WHIP over the last 149.2 innings. Ramirez has really struggled with his command during his brief career (4.06 BB/9 last season) and will be punished in a hurry if he’s not on his game tonight against this very dangerous Toronto Lineup that owned a .336 wOBA at the Rogers Centre last season. Rating = 3

Mark Buehrle – Buerhle is undoubtedly an asset to the Toronto pitching staff, but he doesn’t do a whole lot to be an asset in your daily fantasy lineups. He’s pitched over 200 innings in each of 14 straight seasons and his win on Friday night was the 200th of his impressive career. Buehrle was terrific out of the gates last season, racking up a 10-6 record and a 2.64 ERA by the All-Star break, but seemed to wear out down the stretch as he finished the season with a respectable 13-10 record and 3.39 ERA. He squared off against this Tampa team on six occasions in 2014, and the results were great (2-0 record and 2.66 ERA over 40.2 innings). However, the left-hander owned the league’s worst strikeout rate among qualified pitchers last season (5.30 K/9) and that fact alone takes him out of consideration on the sites that heavily weigh the strikeout. Rating = 4.5

Batter Grind Down

Tampa Bay

Evan Longoria – Longoria has a long track record of destruction against left-handed pitching (a career .917 OPS) and Buehrle allowed a .332 wOBA against right-handed pitching last season. Longo showed off his patience at the plate yesterday by working three walks and is easily the biggest road block for Buehrle in this Tampa lineup.

Secondary Plays:Asdrubal Cabrera, Desmond Jennings

Toronto

Edwin Encarnacion – E5 hasn’t gotten out of the gates quickly this season, but he posted a .392 wOBA against right-handed pitching last season and thrived at the Rogers Centre, where he owned a .410 wOBA. Erasmo Ramirez was pounded by right-handed pitching last season to the tune of an .848 OPS and surrendered home runs at an alarming rate (1.55 HR/9).

Secondary Plays:Jose Bautista, Jose Reyes, Dalton Pompey

Philadelphia at NY Mets

Pitcher Grind Down

Jerome Williams – Jerome Williams pitched for three different teams in 2014 and finished the season with a lackluster 4.77 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over 115 innings of work. Considering that those numbers fall pretty well right in line with his numbers from 2012 and 2013, it’s pretty safe to say that he’s nothing more than a back-of-the-rotation innings eater at this point in his career. The move to the National League at the end of last season did help, as Williams posted a solid 2.83 ERA in nine starts for Philadelphia to close out the season. The matchup against a rather unimposing Mets lineup isn’t bad, but his 16.5% K% just doesn’t offer much upside. Rating = 4

Jonathon Niese – Niese is often overlooked, but he very quietly compiled a 3.40 ERA in his 30 starts last season. The soft-tossing lefty absolutely thrived at the spacious Citi Field, posting an impressive 2.70 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 14 home starts. He’ll take on a Phillies team that ranked 25th in wOBA against left-handed pitching last season (.299 wOBA) and who he mowed down in four starts last season (2-0 record with a 2.57 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 23 K’s over 28 innings). His ceiling is capped by the limited strikeout potential, but he’s well worth consideration if you’re looking to fill out your rotation on multi-pitcher sites. Rating = 5.5

Batter Grind Down

Philadelphia

Carlos Ruiz – Harvey had a rough night against Matt Harvey last night, but the veteran catcher owned an impressive .372 wOBA against left-handed pitching last season. He’ll find himself right in the heart of the Phillies batting order and has had success off of Niese in the past, going 10 for 29 with a home run.

Secondary Plays:Jeff Francouer

NY Mets

Lucas Duda – Duda was tremendous versus right-handed pitching last season, posting a .394 wOBA and .270 ISO. He smacked a pair of doubles last night and owns a .345 average on the young season.

Secondary Plays:David Wright, Daniel Murphy

Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs

Pitcher Grind Down

Jason Marquis – Marquis was surprisingly effective against the Cardinals on Friday night, but don’t get carried away here. The curtain looked to be closing on the career of Marquis after three straight subpar seasons from 2010-2012, but then the right-hander looked to be saved when he landed with the Padres and pitched admirably in 2013. However, after 20 starts (and a 4.05 ERA) his season an elbow injury ended his season and Tommy John surgery cost him all of 2014 as well. He’s fought his way back to the big league’s, and while his story is inspiring, his fantasy outlook is not. He’s never been a pitcher who missed many bats and owns a 4.91 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 37 career starts at Wrigley Field. Rating = 3.5

Travis Wood – Wood had a career year in 2013, posting a 3.11 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 32 starts but sabermetric fans weren’t sold and pointed at his .248 BABIP and 4.51 xFIP as indicators for a regression. Unfortunately for Wood, they were right. He labored through most of the 2014 season and, when all was said and done, he owned an 8-13 record with an unsightly 5.03 ERA and 1.53 WHIP. However, the Reds did struggle against left-handed pitching last season (.299 wOBA) and Wood thrived against them in their three meetings so he at least has that going for him. His erratic command and middle-of-the-road strikeout numbers leave him to be a bit too untrustworthy for my liking. Rating = 4

Batter Grind Down

Cincinnati

Todd Frazier – Travis Wood was smashed by righties to the tune of a .372 wOBA last season and Frazier is off to a nice start this season with nine RBI’s already in just eight games. He already owns two career home runs off of Wood and is a top tier option at the hot corner.

Secondary Plays:Devin Mesoraco, Marlon Byrd, Brandon Phillips

Chicago Cubs

Anthony Rizzo – Not only did Rizzo crush right-handed pitching last season (.391 wOBA) but he also swung a hot stick at Wrigley Field (.412 wOBA at home). The home matchup against Jason Marquis makes him a great target at 1B.

Secondary Plays:Dexter Fowler, Jorge Soler

Oakland at Houston

Pitcher Grind Down

Drew Pomeranz – While his career numbers are hindered by his time with the Rockies, Pomeranz was terrific for the Athletics last season in a limited workload. The left-hander posted a 2.35 ERA and 1.12 WHIP while nearly striking out a batter per inning. Pomeranz was dominant in his first start this season, tossing seven innings of shutout ball while only allowing a pair of hits (with 6 K’s) against the Mariners. While the Astros somewhat surprisingly owned the 6th best wOBA against left-handed pitching last season, Pomeranz cruised to an easy victory against them in their only meeting; allowing just one unearned run in 7.1 innings while racking up nine strikeouts. He’ll most certainly have a low ownership percentage and that makes him a terrific GPP option. Rating = 6

Collin McHugh – McHugh entered the 2014 season sporting an ugly 0-12 record with a 9.33 ERA and 1.84 WHIP over 73.1 career innings. However a modified approach on the mound that had him become less reliant on his fastball and more reliant on his two breaking pitches (slider/curveball) produced dramatically improved results. The new version of McHugh thrived in 2014; posting an 11-9 record with a sparkling 2.73 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 9.14 K/9 over 25 starts. This may be a pesky Oakland lineup that he’ll be facing tonight, but the A’s bats were awfully quiet on the road last season (.298 team wOBA on the road) and McHugh blew them away in their only meeting last season (8.2 innings, 2 hits allowed, 1 run, 3 walks with 7 K’s). With limited quality pitching options on the board, he’s definitely in play. Rating = 6.5

Batter Grind Down

Oakland

Collin McHugh is a ground ball machine and kept both righties and lefties in check last season. I’m not avoiding any Oakland hitters, but none of them jump off the page for me either.

Secondary Plays:None

Houston

Jose Altuve – The small Astros second baseman has absolutely crushed left-handed pitching during his career and posted an incredible .440 wOBA against southpaws last season. He’ll leadoff for this Astros team and is the catalyst for the Houston offense.

Secondary Plays:George Springer, Jed Lowrie

MLB Grind Down Page 2 – Page 3