MLB Grind Down: Wednesday, August 6th Page Two
NY Mets at Washington
| NY Mets | Washington | ||||||||
| Jonathon Niese | Vegas Moneyline | Doug Fister | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | WAS (-150) | RIGHT | 7 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | SP vs. Left | 0.267 | 0.706 | 0.311 | 14.40% | ||||
| SP vs. Right | SP vs. Right | 0.228 | 0.640 | 0.283 | 15.70% | ||||
| Batter Splits | NYM BvP  | NYM vs R | Batter Splits | WSN BvP | WSN vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jon Niese – Niese’s price tag is appealing, but I’m having a hard time putting him in my lineups with all of the other options on the schedule tonight. Niese has a 3.24 ERA (3.78 xFIP) on the season with a K/9 of 6.5. Tonight he faces a Nationals offense that is ranked 9th in wOBA vs. LH pitching this season. Rating = 5
Salaries: $6800 FD, $11950 DD, $6800 DK, $60000 FF, $18100 SS, $11950 FTD
- Doug Fister – Fister’s strikeouts are down this season, but the rest of his numbers look solid. He owns a 2.68 ERA and he’s walking very few batters. Fister gets a nice ballpark boost pitching at home in Nationals Park and he also gets a solid matchup against the Mets who are ranked 25th in wOBA against RH pitching. He’s one of the cheaper favorites available tonight. Rating = 7
Salaries: $8200 FD, $17100 DD, $7700 DK, $110100 FF, $23100 SS, $15850 FTD
Batter Grind Down
NY Mets
Lucas Duda – Duda is one of the hottest hitters in baseball. He has a wOBA close to .400 over the last month or so and most of his damage comes against RH pitching. The major DFS sites still have him listed at a reasonable price and I don’t mind him at all against Fister tonight.
Additional Plays: Daniel Murphy
Washington
Anthony Rendon – I don’t expect there to be too many runs scored in this one, but I do like Rendon against the lefty Jon Niese. Rendon is sporting an impressive .369 wOBA against southpaws this season and 2B is a position that is a little thin tonight.
Additional Plays: Jayson Werth
Detroit at NY Yankees
| Detroit | NY Yankees | ||||||||
| Justin Verlander | Vegas Moneyline | Chris Capuano | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | DET (-138) | LEFT | 9 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.230 | 0.677 | 0.302 | 17.30% | SP vs. Left | 0.293 | 0.814 | 0.357 | 13.90% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.320 | 0.859 | 0.376 | 16.10% | SP vs. Right | 0.243 | 0.726 | 0.317 | 22.50% |
| Batter Splits | DET BvP | DET vs L | Batter Splits | NYY BvP | NYY vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Justin Verlander – Verlander isn’t the ace that he used to be, but he can still be a solid #2 pitcher in the rotation. He still has good velocity and he’s coming off of a nice start against the Rockies at home. The biggest issue that I have with Verlander is that he’s not hitting his spots nearly as often this season. His K’s are down and his walks are up. Tonight he faces a Yankees offense that is very good at making contact which likely means he’ll be in for another subpar performance in terms of strikeouts. Rating = 5
Salaries: $7500 FD, $13050 DD, $6700 DK, $83500 FF, $19000 SS, $13050 FTD
- Chris Capuano – Capuano gave up 4 earned runs in his last outing and the Yankees are just hoping that he can give them some quality starts. He’s cheap, but he’s not a recommended fantasy option tonight against the Tigers who are ranked 1st in wOBA vs. LH pitching this season. The fact that this game is being played in the hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium doesn’t help either. Rating = 3
Salaries: $5100 FD, $9000 DD, $5200 DK, $ FF, $13000 SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Detroit
Miguel Cabrera – The Tigers feast on LH pitching and Miggy should come up to bat with plenty of RBI opportunities tonight. Miggy also has great numbers off of Capuano in his career going 9/23 with 4 HR’s. If you are spending up at 1B, Miggy is your top option.
Additional Plays: Ian Kinsler, Victor Martinez, Rajai Davis, Torii Hunter, J.D. Martinez
NY Yankees
Jacoby Ellsbury – Verlander has been a reverse splits pitcher this season, but if I’m targeting anyone against him, I’m targeting one of the speedy lefties in Ellsbury and Gardner. Both have multi-hit and stolen base potential against an aging Verlander.
Additional Plays: Brett Gardner, Brian McCann
Miami at Pittsburgh
| Miami | Pittsburgh | ||||||||
| Tom Koehler | Vegas Moneyline | Jeff Locke | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | PIT (-130) | LEFT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.219 | 0.599 | 0.272 | 18.80% | SP vs. Left | 0.175 | 0.453 | 0.201 | 7.70% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.236 | 0.715 | 0.319 | 17.60% | SP vs. Right | 0.284 | 0.789 | 0.345 | 18.50% |
| Batter Splits | MIA BvP | MIA vs L | Batter Splits | PIT BvP | PIT vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Tom Koehler – Koehler has pitched well at home this season, but has an ERA close to 5.00 on the road. He’s a decent pitcher in terms of strikeouts (6.8 per 9 innings), but he gives up 3.2 walks per 9 innings which is something that you can’t do against a speedy Pirates club. At his price point, I think there are some better options tonight. Rating = 4
Salaries: $6300 FD, $13500 DD, $6500 DK, $84600 FF, $18500 SS, $13500 FTD
- Jeff Locke – Locke hasn’t been sharp in his last 3 starts. He’s given up a combined 13 earned runs off of 26 hits. Granted, two of those starts were in hitter’s ballparks (Coors Field and Chase Field). His last 3 starts have brought his ERA up to 3.77 on the season which isn’t terrible for a pitcher at his price point. He has nice upside against a Marlins ballclub that strikes out at a 25% clip on the road this season. Rating = 5.5
Salaries: $5700 FD, $12400 DD, $6400 DK, $65800 FF, $17500 SS, $12400 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Miami
Giancarlo Stanton – This pick is pretty straightforward. Stanton is facing a lefty. Stanton has a .505 wOBA against southpaws this season and Locke has given up a .345 wOBA to RH hitters.
Additional Plays: Casey McGehee
Pittsburgh
Neil Walker – Walker has done most of his damage from the left side of the plate this season. He has a .374 wOBA against RH pitching and has hit 14 of his 15 HR’s off of righties. I like the matchup against Koehler who has struggled away from Marlins Park.
Additional Plays: Josh Harrison
Baltimore at Toronto
| Baltimore | Toronto | ||||||||
| Wei-Yin Chen | Vegas Moneyline | Drew Hutchison | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | BAL (-109) | RIGHT | 9 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.298 | 0.764 | 0.337 | 15.20% | SP vs. Left | 0.266 | 0.800 | 0.349 | 18.30% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.260 | 0.754 | 0.327 | 18.20% | SP vs. Right | 0.247 | 0.681 | 0.302 | 24.10% |
| Batter Splits | BAL BvP | BAL vs R | Batter Splits | TOR BvP | TOR vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Wei-Yin Chen – The Rogers Centre is the AL’s version of Coors Field which is basically another way to say that I like to avoid taking pitchers in games that are played here. It’s an extremely favorable ballpark to both LH and RH hitters and the Blue Jays are the 2nd best hitting team in all of baseball at home. Chen should be avoided in all league formats. Rating = 3
Salaries: $7100 FD, $13700 DD, $6900 DK, $110400 FF, $21600 SS, $13700 FTD
- Drew Hutchison – Hutchison has had some glaring home/road splits this season. He’s been horrid at home with a 7.71 ERA. That does not bode well for his matchup tonight against the Orioles whose offense finally appears to be heating up. Despite a high strikeout rate, I’ll be avoiding Hutchison tonight against the Orioles. Rating = 4
Salaries: $5800 FD, $11300 DD, $5500 DK, $52600 FF, $15800 SS, $11300 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Baltimore
Nick Markakis – Hutchison has given up a .351 wOBA to LH hitters this season and Markakis continues to churn out solid fantasy performance after solid fantasy performance. He has 10 hits over his last 5 games and his high floor makes a great cash game play tonight.
Additional Plays: Adam Jones, Nelson Cruz, Manny Machado
Toronto
Jose Bautista – Chen has given up a .327 wOBA to RH hitters this season while Bautista has crushed LH pitching to a tune of a .484 wOBA. The matchup combines for an average wOBA of .405. You’ll have to pay up for him, but a single swing of his bat could make him worth his hefty price tag.
Additional Plays: Jose Reyes, Melky Cabrera, Dioner Navarro, Danny Valencia, Steve Tolleson
Cleveland at Cincinnati
| Cleveland | Cincinnati | ||||||||
| Danny Salazar | Vegas Moneyline | Mat Latos | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | CIN (-108) | RIGHT | 7 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.238 | 0.678 | 0.303 | 28.00% | SP vs. Left | 0.183 | 0.506 | 0.225 | 15.60% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.313 | 0.910 | 0.391 | 21.70% | SP vs. Right | 0.189 | 0.562 | 0.255 | 16.30% |
| Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs R | Batter Splits | CIN BvP | CIN vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Danny Salazar – Salazar has pitched well in each of his last 3 starts. He is a high strikeout pitcher that often times struggles with his command. From a fantasy perspective, you’d like to see him cut down on his 3.5 walks per 9 innings. I’m a little worried about his matchup tonight in the HR-friendly Great American Ballpark because he is a fly ball pitcher that gives up a HR on 11% of fly balls. He’s facing a depleted Reds offense, but is probably best served as a GPP play. Rating = 6
Salaries: $7500 FD, $13950 DD, $7100 DK, $84600 FF, $21200 SS, $13950 FTD
- Mat Latos – Latos’ ERA of 3.07 looks solid, but his strikeouts are down and his 4.39 xFIP suggests some regression. Latos is only generating a swinging strike rate of 7.6% which is way below that of the past few seasons. I’m going to avoid him tonight against an Indians offense that is ranked 3rd in wOBA against RH pitching. Rating = 4.5
Salaries: $7800 FD, $14950 DD, $8700 DK, $94600 FF, $24400 SS, $14950 FTD
Batter Grind Down
Cleveland
Michael Brantley – Brantley is on a tear right now and it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon. He has 12 hits over his last 6 games and is batting .354 against RH pitching with a .420 wOBA.
Additional Plays: Jason Kipnis, Carlos Santana, Lonnie Chisenhall
Cincinnati
Devin Mesoraco – What’s not to like about a HR hitter playing in a HR-friendly ballpark against a fly ball pitcher? Salazar has given up a .396 wOBA to RH hitters this season and Mesoraco has already hit 16 HR’s off of RH pitching this season.
Additional Plays: Todd Frazier, Billy Hamilton