MLB Grind Down: Wednesday, April 9th - Page 3
NY Mets at Atlanta
| NY Mets | Atlanta | ||||||||
| Zack Wheeler | Vegas Moneyline | Ervin Santana | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | ATL (-138) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.259 | 0.764 | 0.346 | 19.2% | SP vs. Left | 0.247 | 0.669 | 0.301 | 17.3% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.230 | 0.620 | 0.284 | 19.7% | SP vs. Right | 0.227 | 0.650 | 0.291 | 20.6% |
| Batter Splits | NYM BvP  | NYM vs R | Batter Splits | ATL BvP | ATL vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Zack Wheeler – Wheeler has some command issues right now and until he gets the kinks out, I will continue to avoid him. The Braves have some powerful bats that hit from the left side of the plate and Wheeler gave up a .346 wOBA to LH batters last season. He does have a high K-rate though which puts him in play in tournaments. Rating = 4
- Ervin Santana – Santana will make his first start of the season and his first start as a member of the Braves. With Brandon Beachy and Kris Medlen both out for the year, the Braves are really hoping for Santana to step up and pitch well. Santana posted a 3.24 ERA last season with a 6.9 K/9. I don’t mind the matchup against the Mets. Rating = 7
Batter Grind Down
New York
- There just aren’t many bats on the Mets that stand out to me here. Santana was pretty good at containing both LH and RH batters last season.
- Additional Plays: None
Atlanta
- Freddie Freeman – Wheeler gave up a .346 wOBA and a .764 OPS to LH batters last season and Freeman is off to an extremely hot start to the season. Not only that, but Freeman hit 19 of his 23 HR’s off of RH pitching last season.
- Additional Plays: Jason Heyward, Chris Johnson
Pittsburgh at Chicago Cubs
| Pittsburgh | Chicago Cubs | ||||||||
| Wandy Rodriguez | Vegas Moneyline | Jason Hammel | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | PIT (-124) | RIGHT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.250 | 0.739 | 0.345 | 6.1% | SP vs. Left | 0.300 | 0.869 | 0.383 | 14.9% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.236 | 0.675 | 0.299 | 21.6% | SP vs. Right | 0.263 | 0.698 | 0.314 | 16.9% |
| Batter Splits | PIT BvP | PIT vs R | Batter Splits | CHC BvP | CHC vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Wandy Rodriguez – Rodriguez faced the Cubs in his first start of the season and gave up a few runs right out of the gate. He then settled in and pitched well for the remainder of the game. The Cubs are not a team that hits LH pitching well and I expect a better outing from Rodriguez here. He has a decent K-rate and will likely go overlooked today. Rating = 6
- Jason Hammel – Hammel really pitched well against the Pirates in his first start of the season and he has to love the fact that he is no longer pitching in the American League. Hammel was extremely solid to start the season last year and it looks like he could get off to a similar start this season. The total is set at 8.5 which concerns me, but I do think he has value as a tournament play. Rating = 5
Batter Grind Down
Pittsburgh
- Pedro Alvarez – It seems like every time Pedro makes the list of suggested plays in the Grind Down he ends up playing well. He had a big game last night in Wrigley and will look to back it up against Hammel who gave up a .383 wOBA and a .869 OPS to LH hitters last season.
- Additional Plays: Andrew McCutchen
Chicago
- Junior Lake – Lake crushed LH pitching last season to a tune of a .377 batting average. He has yet to record an RBI this season, but is one of the few RH bats that the Cubs can throw at Rodriguez.
- Additional Plays: Starlin Castro
LA Angels at Seattle
| LA Angels | Seattle | ||||||||
| Garrett Richards | Vegas Moneyline | Roenis Elias | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | LAA (-109) | LEFT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.281 | 0.747 | 0.337 | 16.4% | SP vs. Left | ||||
| SP vs. Right | 0.252 | 0.617 | 0.279 | 16.2% | SP vs. Right | ||||
| Batter Splits | LAA BvP | LAA vs L | Batter Splits | SEA BvP | SEA vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Garrett Richards – Richards is a young pitcher that has plenty of velocity. While he has only carried a 6.1 K/9 in his big league career, I expect that number to increase this season. The problem that I have with Richards tonight is that he gave up a .345 wOBA to LH batters last season and the Mariners lineup is stacked with LH hitters. I think there are better options at his price point. Rating = 5
- Roenis Elias – Elias pitched well in his major league debut by striking out 3 batters in 5 innings and picking up a win against the A’s. Elias is still unproven at the major league level though and I do not want to target him against the like of Trout, Hamilton, and Pujols. Rating = 4
Batter Grind Down
Los Angeles
- The total for this game is only set at 8.0 runs and Safeco Field is generally regarded as a pitcher’s ballpark. The Angels have a lot of firepower in their lineup and could make for a nice contrarian stack, but make average plays in cash games.
- Additional Plays: None
Seattle
- Robinson Cano – Cano is hitting .391 on the season and draws a very nice matchup against Richards who has really struggled against LH batters in his career. Cano hit 20 of his 27 HR’s off of RH pitching last season.
- Additional Plays: Kyle Seager, Brad Miller, Abraham Almonte
Detroit at LA Dodgers
| Detroit | LA Dodgers | ||||||||
| Anibal Sanchez | Vegas Moneyline | Josh Beckett | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | LAD (-135) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.247 | 0.671 | 0.302 | 26.3% | SP vs. Left | 0.318 | 0.882 | 0.402 | 19.4% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.207 | 0.541 | 0.244 | 28.0% | SP vs. Right | 0.261 | 0.778 | 0.339 | 22.7% |
| Batter Splits | DET BvP | DET vs R | Batter Splits | LAD BvP | LAD vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Anibal Sanchez – Sanchez is one of the best fantasy pitchers in baseball. He plays on a team that gives him plenty of run support, he posted a K/9 of 9.9 last season, and he had one of the lowest ERA’s in baseball (2.57). This is a nice matchup for him against the Dodgers and he should be considered the top overall pitcher on the board. Rating = 10
- Josh Beckett – This will be Beckett’s first start of the season as he has been dealing with an ankle injury. It will be interesting to see if Beckett can bounce back after an awful season last year. He posted a 5.89 ERA last season while allowing opponents to hit for a .289 batting average. With this being his first start, he should be avoided. Rating = 4
Batter Grind Down
Detroit
- Miguel Cabrera – Beckett gave up a .339 wOBA to RH batters last season and Miggy will make him pay for any small mistake that he makes tonight. Miggy is 1B and 3B eligible on some sites and makes a great play tonight.
- Additional Plays: Victor Martinez, Torii Hunter
Los Angeles
- Targeting batters against one of the best pitchers in baseball is typically not a profitable strategy. Avoid all Dodgers tonight.
- Additional Plays: None
Arizona at San Francisco
| Arizona | San Francisco | ||||||||
| Bronson Arroyo | Vegas Moneyline | Tim Lincecum | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | SFG (-147) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.295 | 0.854 | 0.368 | 12.1% | SP vs. Left | 0.235 | 0.656 | 0.304 | 24.1% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.219 | 0.590 | 0.269 | 18.2% | SP vs. Right | 0.260 | 0.738 | 0.334 | 21.8% |
| Batter Splits | ARI BvP | ARI vs R | Batter Splits | SFG BvP | SFG vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Bronson Arroyo – Arroyo only managed to pitch 4 innings in his first start of the season after giving up 5 hits and 2 walks to the Giants. Now he gets to face them again, but this time at AT&T Park. Arroyo doesn’t offer a great K-rate and he is a large underdog tonight at +137. You don’t have to look far to find better options than Arroyo. Rating = 3
- Tim Lincecum – Lincecum gave up 8 hits and 4 earned runs in his first start of the season, but that was certainly not surprising. Lincecum has really struggled on the road over the past couple of years, but he has pitched much better at home. Lincecum always offers a high strikeout rate, but he is probably better suited as a GPP play only tonight. Rating = 6
Batter Grind Down
Arizona
- Paul Goldschmidt – Goldy absolutely owns Lincecum. He has faced Lincecum 23 times in his career and has 12 hits including 6 HR’s. He already took Lincecum deep once this season and will look to do the same again tonight. It’s hard to ignore numbers like that.
- Additional Plays: Aaron Hill, Miguel Montero
San Francisco
- Brandon Belt – Speaking of owning pitchers, Belt has had Arroyo’s number. In 9 at bats against Arroyo, Belt has 5 hits including 2 HR’s. Belt has been on fire to start the season and should be targeted heavily tonight.
- Additional Plays: Hunter Pence