MLB Grind Down: Wednesday, April 16th - Page 2
Chicago Cubs at NY Yankees
| Chicago Cubs | NY Yankees | ||||||||
| Travis Wood | Vegas Moneyline | Michael Pineda | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | NYY (-155) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.215 | 0.594 | 0.278 | 22.3% | SP vs. Left | 0.333 | 0.833 | 0.360 | 25.0% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.225 | 0.641 | 0.291 | 16.4% | SP vs. Right | 0.100 | 0.300 | 0.127 | 20.0% |
| Batter Splits | CHC BvP  | CHC vs R | Batter Splits | NYY BvP | NYY vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Travis Wood – Wood is a very solid pitcher that never seems to get any credit. Last season he posted a 3.11 ERA with a 1.14 ERA and a K/9 of 6.5. He has also pitched well in his first 2 starts of the season. I don’t love the matchup against the Yankees though and Wood is not used to facing a DH. I think he could make a contrarian tournament play, but should be avoided in cash games. Rating = 4
- Michael Pineda – The Yankees have to be excited about the way Pineda has started the season. He has only given up 2 earned runs in his first 2 starts and has struck out 12 batters in 12 innings of work. Pineda has a nice matchup against a less than potent Cubs’ offense. Pineda’s pitch count was up to 94 last game and we could finally see him pitch past the 6th inning. Rating = 7
Batter Grind Down
Chicago
- Anthony Rizzo – Rizzo is in play for two reasons. 1. He crushes RH pitching. Last season he had 105 hits against RH pitching and 50 of them went for extra bases. 2. The short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium.
- Additional Plays: None
NY Yankees
- Alfonso Soriano – Soriano can largely be avoided when facing a RH pitcher, but is always in play when he is facing a lefty. Soriano hit for a .298 average and an OPS of .904 against LH pitching last season. He will likely be batting 4th or 5th today and should see plenty of RBI opportunities.
- Additional Plays: Carlos Beltran
Atlanta at Philadelphia
| Atlanta | Philadelphia | ||||||||
| Julio Teheran | Vegas Moneyline | Cliff Lee | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | ATL (-122) | LEFT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.283 | 0.806 | 0.357 | 17.5% | SP vs. Left | 0.223 | 0.533 | 0.252 | 18.8% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.209 | 0.553 | 0.263 | 25.3% | SP vs. Right | 0.247 | 0.675 | 0.294 | 26.4% |
| Batter Splits | ATL BvP | ATL vs L | Batter Splits | PHI BvP | PHI vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Julio Teheran – Teheran hasn’t gotten off to the fast start that many of us were expecting, but he certainly hasn’t been awful. In his 3 starts this season he has posted a 2.84 ERA with a 1.37 WHIP. Last season Teheran posted a K/9 of 8.3. Teheran is actually a small favorite over Lee and the Phillies today and if he can manage to pitch around Utley, this should be his strongest start of the season. Rating = 7
- Cliff Lee – Lee is a high strikeout pitcher, but he has given up a ton of hits this season. He has given up at least 8 hits in each of his 3 starts and has a WHIP of 1.67. The good news here is that Lee is excellent against LH batters (.252 wOBA last season) which should neutralize both Heyward and Freeman’s bats. Lee makes an intriguing tournament play, but may be a bit risky for cash games.
Batter Grind Down
Atlanta
- Justin Upton – In his last 5 games, Upton has 11 hits (4 HR’s), 9 runs, and 8 RBI’s. Those are numbers that some batters would be happy with over the course of a month. With Lee struggling against RH batters this season, Upton could be in for a big day.
- Additional Plays: Evan Gattis
Philadelphia
- Chase Utley – Speaking of batters that are red hot, there may not be a hitter in baseball that is more locked in than Utley. He is batting .489 this season and has had 5 straight multi-hit games. His stellar play should continue against Teheran who gave up a .357 wOBA to LH batters last season.
- Additional Plays: Ryan Howard
Cleveland at Detroit
| Cleveland | Detroit | ||||||||
| Zach McAllister | Vegas Moneyline | Anibal Sanchez | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | DET (-133) | RIGHT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.254 | 0.744 | 0.333 | 17.8% | SP vs. Left | 0.256 | 0.686 | 0.308 | 26.0% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.259 | 0.698 | 0.315 | 17.9% | SP vs. Right | 0.196 | 0.523 | 0.237 | 28.0% |
| Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs R | Batter Splits | DET BvP | DET vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Zach McAllister – McAllister is a much better pitcher than given credit for. Last season he posted an ERA well under 4.00 and had a K/9 of 6.8. He also plays on an Indians team that gives their starting pitchers plenty of run support. That said, I don’t love the matchup against the Tigers in Comerica Park. He is a sizable underdog and may have a hard time picking up a win with Sanchez pitching opposite him. Rating = 4
- Anibal Sanchez – Sanchez has not had typical Sanchez type of starts this season. He hasn’t pitched more than 5 innings in either game and hasn’t struck out more than 6 batters. I think both of those change tonight against the Indians. Last season Sanchez posted a 2.70 ERA with a K/9 of 10.6 in 14 starts at Comerica Park. He also pitched well against the Indians who have a very similar lineup to last season. Rating = 8
Batter Grind Down
Cleveland
- Last season Sanchez held LH batters to a .308 wOBA and RH batters to a .237 wOBA. He had an ERA under 3 in 3 starts against them and is a dominant pitcher at home. I’m avoiding all Indians bats tonight.
- Additional Plays: None
Detroit
- Miguel Cabrera – Miggy’s price has come down across the industry and tonight is a great time to buy low on the MVP. He’s only batting .225 on the season, but that number will come up soon enough. McAllister gave up a .315 wOBA to RH batters last season and Miggy was a beast at home as he hit for a .366 average in Comerica last season.
- Additional Plays: Victor Martinez, Ian Kinsler
Washington at Miami
| Washington | Miami | ||||||||
| Tanner Roark | Vegas Moneyline | Jose Fernandez | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | MIA (-140) | RIGHT | 6.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.264 | 0.653 | 0.299 | 13.7% | SP vs. Left | 0.191 | 0.546 | 0.257 | 26.2% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.169 | 0.382 | 0.174 | 24.2% | SP vs. Right | 0.170 | 0.467 | 0.217 | 30.1% |
| Batter Splits | WSN BvP | WSN vs R | Batter Splits | MIA BvP | MIA vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Tanner Roark – Roark is a talented young RH pitcher that has a decent matchup against the Marlins in Marlins Park. The issue here is that Jose Fernandez is starting opposite him and this Marlins’ offense has been on fire at home this season. The total of this game is set at only 6.5 runs so he could make a sleeper in a GPP if the price is right. That said, he will likely receive little to no run support. Rating = 4
- Jose Fernandez – Fernandez was close to unhittable at Marlins Park last season. In 15 home starts he posted a 1.19 ERA with a 0.86 WHIP and a K/9 of 9.9. The Nationals have some good bats in their lineup, but that doesn’t concern me here, Fernandez should be treated as the top pitching option on the board. Rating = 10
Batter Grind Down
Washington
- Fernandez should mow through this lineup. I’m avoiding the Nats in all leagues.
- Additional Plays: None
Miami
- Giancarlo Stanton – Stanton is arguably the most feared batter in the bigs right now. He already has 5 HR’s and 21 RBI’s this season. He looks much more engaged this season and seems to have a new attitude. Keep targeting him tonight if you can afford him.
- Additional Plays: Christian Yelich
Seattle at Texas
| Seattle | Texas | ||||||||
| Felix Hernandez | Vegas Moneyline | Yu Darvish | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | TEX (-122) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.251 | 0.671 | 0.298 | 25.7% | SP vs. Left | 0.215 | 0.646 | 0.294 | 29.2% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.225 | 0.591 | 0.265 | 28.0% | SP vs. Right | 0.167 | 0.536 | 0.248 | 37.6% |
| Batter Splits | SEA BvP | SEA vs R | Batter Splits | TEX BvP | TEX vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Felix Hernandez – This game features two of the best pitchers in baseball in one of the most hitter friendly ballparks. The total is set at 7.0 runs which is the lowest that I can ever remember for a game in Arlington. King Felix had his struggles against the Rangers last season. Of any team that he faced more than once, the Rangers were the team that he had the highest ERA against (7.57). I think he pitches better than that here, but I’m not confident that he will be in line for the win with Darvish starting opposite him. Rating = 6
- Yu Darvish – Darvish owns the highest K-rate in baseball. Last season he had a K/9 of 11.9 to go along with his 2.83 ERA. When you talk about pitchers that have a high upside, Darvish tops that list. He may not get much run supports, but I think a run or two will be enough for him to pick up the win. Rating = 9
Batter Grind Down
Seattle / Texas
- Even though this game will be played in the hitter friendly Globe Life Park, I don’t expect either team to do much offensively. You can safely ignore the batters here.
- Additional Plays: None
Toronto at Minnesota
| Toronto | Minnesota | ||||||||
| R.A. Dickey | Vegas Moneyline | Mike Pelfrey | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | TOR (-141) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.251 | 0.748 | 0.330 | 17.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.263 | 0.749 | 0.333 | 16.1% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.232 | 0.674 | 0.307 | 20.2% | SP vs. Right | 0.338 | 0.820 | 0.365 | 13.2% |
| Batter Splits | TOR BvP | TOR vs R | Batter Splits | MIN BvP | MIN vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- R.A. Dickey – Dickey’s season is taking a very similar path to that of last season. He has given up at least 5 earned runs in 2 starts and threw a 7 inning shutout in his other start. Consistency and command are two of his biggest problems. He either seems to pitch great or get blown up and there are rarely performances in between. The Twins have actually scored the 5th most runs this season and I’m not a huge fan of the knuckle-baller today. Rating = 5
- Mike Pelfrey – Pelfrey has the combination that we want to stay away from in DFS. He has a high ERA and a low K-rate. Pelfrey gave up a .333 wOBA to LH batters and a .365 wOBA to RB batters last season. With the Blue Jays bats heating up, Pelfrey should not be on your radar tonight. Rating = 2
Batter Grind Down
Toronto
- Edwin Encarnacion – As mentioned above, Pelfrey really struggles against RH batters. Last season he gave up an OPS of .820 to batters from the right side of the plate. After a slow start to the season, E5 has 5 hits in his last 2 games. His price is depressed and this is a very favorable matchup.
- Additional Plays: Jose Bautista, Melky Cabrera, Adam Lind, Dioner Navarro
Minnesota
- Joe Mauer – Last season Dickey gave up a .330 wOBA to LH batters last season and has already given up at least 5 earned runs in 2 of his first 3 starts. Mauer hits for a very high average against RH pitching (.324 last season).
- Additional Plays: Jason Kubel