You must be a member to view this Article.

MLB Grind Down: Wednesday, June 1st

The RotoGrinders MLB Grind Down will give you an in-depth analysis into the upcoming MLB schedule. This article will break down the numbers for every single game and give you analysis on which trends you can exploit. While matchups are a major factor in daily fantasy baseball, there are plenty of other factors to consider such as injuries, weather, and salaries.

The analysis should point you in the right direction, but it is still up to you to decipher the information and make your own selections. No sport has more variance than baseball. The best choice is not always the right choice but following the trends will win you money over time.

Note: As always, if you want to try a new DFS site, be sure to click through a RotoGrinders link and use our DraftKings promo code and FanDuel promo code to receive the best perks in the industry.

Chicago White Sox at NY Mets – 1:10 PM ET

Chicago White Sox NY Mets
whitesoxmlb Miguel Gonzalez nymetsmlb Jacob deGrom
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
NYM -190 7.0
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.359 16 17.6% 8.0% SP vs. Left 0.291 14 24.7% 5.2%
SP vs. Right 0.331 12 17.9% 8.3% SP vs. Right 0.222 5 26.4% 5.8%

Pitcher Grind Down

Miguel Gonzalez
miguel-gonzalez-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $6,900 Salary: $7,300
FPPG: 22.8 FPPG: 11.2
Pitcher Rating: 52.9 Pitcher Rank: 22
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 93.5 2.71 3.65 25.5% 0.0% 7.5% 44.4% 27.8% 27.0%
2016 5 92.6 4.33 4.50 18.9% 7.9% 10.6% 45.6% 35.6% 26.4%
2015 26 93.8 4.51 4.91 17.5% 8.2% 8.9% 40.3% 35.8% 28.6%

Gonzalez is coming off of back-to-back quality starts, but that doesn’t mean that we need to target him in DFS anytime soon. His numbers over the last two seasons are well below the league average for a right-handed pitcher. He has close to a 4.50 SIERA with a strikeout rate around 18% during that stretch. He has always struggled with giving too many home runs, as evidenced by his 28 home runs allowed since the start of last season. Even though the Mets’ lineup is missing some pieces, Gonzalez is too risky to use in DFS right now.

Jacob deGrom
jacob-degrom-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $10,100 Salary: $9,900
FPPG: 30.8 FPPG: 16.2
Pitcher Rating: 96.1 Pitcher Rank: 2
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 100.0 3.94 3.75 28.0% 12.0% 13.0% 25.9% 40.7% 37.9%
2016 8 93.5 4.22 2.81 18.8% 7.1% 11.4% 44.6% 32.4% 35.2%
2015 30 99.2 2.99 2.54 27.3% 5.1% 12.7% 44.4% 34.7% 26.3%

DeGrom grades out as the best pitching option in the early slate and the second best pitching option overall (behind Max Scherzer). He hasn’t had a great start to the season, but he seems to be slowly turning it around. The velocity is almost back up to where it was last season and his swinging strike rate is back in that elite territory. His command has been a bit off, but we can live with that given his massive strikeout upside. He draws an excellent matchup against the White Sox, who are ranked 24th in team wOBA and 25th in team ISO against right-handed pitching this season.

Batter Grind Down

Chicago White Sox

The White Sox have not fared well against right-handed pitching this season. It should come as no surprise that they have the lowest team total on the board tonight. Jacob deGrom hasn’t been in great form, but he is still a difficult matchup, especially when he is pitching at home in Citi Field. I am going to pull a complete fade of the White Sox, as deGrom has been tough on both left and right-handed hitters.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Adam Eaton LEFT 0.354 0.164 0.273 OF $3,200 OF $3,600
2 Jose Abreu RIGHT 0.364 0.215 0.267 1B $2,900 1B $3,200
3 Todd Frazier RIGHT 0.332 0.219 0.307 3B $3,500 3B $3,500
4 Melky Cabrera SWITCH 0.323 0.125 0.270 OF $2,900 OF $2,700
5 Brett Lawrie RIGHT 0.296 0.139 0.243 2B $2,400 2B $2,600
6 J.B. Shuck LEFT 0.290 0.076 0.294 OF $2,000 OF $2,500
7 Tyler Saladino RIGHT 0.269 0.109 0.339 SS $2,700 SS $2,700
8 Alex Avila LEFT 0.301 0.093 0.239 C $2,200 C $2,500
9 Miguel Gonzalez RIGHT 0.000 0.000 P $6,900 P $7,300
Team Averages 0.281 0.127 0.279

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – NONE

Stackability – NONE

NY Mets

The Mets may not have a high team total, but this is a very exploitable matchup. Miguel Gonzalez has a high fly-ball rate, which has turned into a high home run rate. Over the last two seasons, he has given up 28 home runs – 16 to left-handed hitters and 12 to right-handed hitters. The first four batters in this lineup are all strong plays today, as they each have at least a .330 wOBA over the last 14 days.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Curtis Granderson LEFT 0.372 0.225 0.365 OF $3,300 OF $4,000
2 Asdrubal Cabrera SWITCH 0.321 0.160 0.331 SS $3,500 SS $3,300
3 Michael Conforto LEFT 0.394 0.282 0.361 OF $3,300 OF $3,800
4 Neil Walker SWITCH 0.336 0.179 0.373 2B $3,200 2B $4,000
5 James Loney LEFT 0.308 0.076 1B $2,000
6 Juan Lagares RIGHT 0.263 0.085 0.327 OF $2,400 OF $2,500
7 Ty Kelly SWITCH 0.098 0.000 0.131 1B $2,200 3B/OF $2,000
8 Rene Rivera RIGHT 0.222 0.117 0.153 C $2,100 C $2,300
9 Jacob deGrom RIGHT 0.194 0.016 0.000 P $10,100 P $9,900
Team Averages 0.279 0.127 0.255

Elite Plays – Curtis Granderson, Michael Conforto, Neil Walker

Secondary Plays – Asdrubal Cabrera

Stackability – GPP

St. Louis at Milwaukee – 1:40 PM ET

St. Louis Milwaukee
stlouismlb Jaime Garcia milwaukeemlb Zach Davies
LEFT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
STL -150 9.0
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.268 2 21.6% 3.6% SP vs. Left 0.340 5 17.3% 11.5%
SP vs. Right 0.258 7 19.6% 7.6% SP vs. Right 0.323 4 15.9% 7.7%

Pitcher Grind Down

Jaime Garcia
jaime-garcia-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $8,500 Salary: $8,400
FPPG: 32.3 FPPG: 17.5
Pitcher Rating: 74.8 Pitcher Rank: 6
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 3 76.3 4.53 6.28 10.1% 8.7% 4.8% 63.0% 16.7% 34.6%
2016 10 89.0 3.48 3.47 22.2% 8.5% 9.7% 60.9% 19.5% 24.7%
2015 20 92.9 3.39 2.43 19.0% 5.9% 9.2% 61.2% 22.3% 27.1%

If you don’t trust Jacob deGrom and want to fade him in the early slate, Garcia is your next best option. He comes into the game in bad form, but overall he has had a very nice season. Through ten starts, he is sporting a 3.48 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 22.2%. He draws a decent matchup against the Brewers, who are ranked between 13th and 20th in team wOBA, team ISO, and team K% against southpaws this season. The main concern here is the ballpark. DeGrom gets to pitch in Citi Field while Garcia has to pitch in Miller Park.

Zach Davies
zach-davies-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $6,000 Salary: $6,100
FPPG: 20.1 FPPG: 8.9
Pitcher Rating: 36.5 Pitcher Rank: 27
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 82.5 3.68 4.91 20.0% 4.4% 7.3% 52.9% 35.3% 41.2%
2016 8 87.5 4.63 5.40 15.9% 8.2% 7.3% 46.6% 30.1% 39.7%
2015 6 89.8 4.34 3.71 17.3% 10.8% 10.0% 57.6% 21.2% 32.0%

Davies has shown better strikeout potential in his last few starts, but he is still an easy pitcher to avoid in DFS. In his last 14 major league starts (dating back to last season), he has a SIERA close to 4.50 with a strikeout rate just under 17%. He hasn’t been particularly effective against hitters from either side of the plate and he has to face a red-hot Cardinals’ offense that put up ten runs in this same ballpark last night.

Batter Grind Down

St. Louis

When you think of teams that have power, the Cardinals don’t immediately come to mind. However, they are ranked second in team wOBA and first in team ISO against right-handed pitching this season. They are the top offense to target in the early slate, as they draw a favorable matchup against Zach Davies in the hitter-friendly Miller Park. Over his last 14 starts, Davies has allowed a .340 wOBA to left-handed hitters and a .323 wOBA to right-handed hitters.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Matt Carpenter LEFT 0.393 0.257 0.337 3B $3,700 3B $5,100
2 Aledmys Diaz RIGHT 0.398 0.250 0.240 SS $3,200 SS $3,700
3 Matt Holliday RIGHT 0.363 0.186 0.351 OF $3,300 OF $4,200
4 Stephen Piscotty RIGHT 0.350 0.169 0.420 OF $3,800 OF $4,900
5 Matt Adams LEFT 0.334 0.185 0.538 1B $3,400 1B $3,600
6 Jeremy Hazelbaker LEFT 0.350 0.262 0.110 OF $2,300 OF $4,300
7 Yadier Molina RIGHT 0.310 0.098 0.167 C $2,600 C $3,200
8 Kolten Wong LEFT 0.322 0.135 0.269 2B $2,300 2B $3,500
9 Jaime Garcia LEFT 0.124 0.000 0.220 P $8,500 P $8,400
Team Averages 0.327 0.171 0.295

Elite Plays – Matt Carpenter, Aledmys Diaz, Matt Holliday, Stephen Piscotty, Matt Adams

Secondary Plays – Jeremy Hazelbaker, Yadier Molina

Stackability – Cash & GPP

Milwaukee

The Brewers’ offense has been better than last season, but I suppose that isn’t saying a whole lot. They are ranked 14th in runs scored per game and they are currently projected to score the 13th most runs in this slate. While they do get to play at home, they draw a difficult matchup against Jaime Garcia, who has held both left and right-handed hitters under a .270 wOBA over the last two seasons. I see the Brewers strictly as GPP plays in this one.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Jonathan Villar SWITCH 0.398 0.188 0.415 SS $3,900 SS $4,500
2 Hernan Perez RIGHT 0.287 0.176 0.382 3B $2,500 3B $2,700
3 Ryan Braun RIGHT 0.421 0.247 0.387 OF $4,000 OF $5,200
4 Jonathan Lucroy RIGHT 0.269 0.100 0.334 C $3,500 C $3,900
5 Chris Carter RIGHT 0.319 0.216 0.217 1B $2,900 1B $3,600
6 Aaron Hill RIGHT 0.279 0.101 0.485 3B $2,900 2B/3B $3,200
7 Ramon Flores LEFT 0.209 0.000 0.290 OF $2,100 OF $3,000
8 Keon Broxton RIGHT 0.167 0.053 0.242 OF $2,200 OF $3,300
9 Zach Davies RIGHT 0.088 0.000 0.000 P $6,000 P $6,100
Team Averages 0.271 0.120 0.306

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Jonathan Villar, Hernan Perez, Ryan Braun, Jonathan Lucroy

Stackability – NONE

Minnesota at Oakland – 3:35 PM ET

Minnesota Oakland
minnesotamlb Pat Dean oaklandmlb Sean Manaea
LEFT LEFT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
OAK -130 8.5
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.299 0 12.5% 6.3% SP vs. Left 0.176 0 19.2% 7.7%
SP vs. Right 0.332 3 25.7% 5.7% SP vs. Right 0.411 5 13.7% 6.8%

Pitcher Grind Down

Pat Dean
patrick-dean-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $6,100 Salary: $7,500
FPPG: 27.8 FPPG: 14.9
Pitcher Rating: 65.9 Pitcher Rank: 14
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 96.5 3.29 2.77 27.1% 6.3% 7.3% 40.6% 40.6% 28.1%
2016 2 96.5 3.55 3.43 23.3% 5.8% 6.7% 39.3% 42.6% 34.4%

Dean is making his third start of the season. He has fared well in his first two, posting a 3.29 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 27.1%. While those numbers look awfully enticing, they are likely thanks to a limited sample size. In his last five seasons in the minors, he never had a strikeout rate higher than 14%. We can expect some serious regression moving forward and that could very well start today against the A’s.

Sean Manaea
sean-manaea-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $6,200 Salary: $7,100
FPPG: 16.0 FPPG: 6.2
Pitcher Rating: 56.6 Pitcher Rank: 18
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 94.0 5.11 5.68 14.3% 7.1% 6.9% 34.1% 47.7% 31.8%
2016 6 81.0 4.85 7.03 14.7% 7.0% 8.0% 40.9% 40.0% 32.4%

Manaea’s first stint in the majors hasn’t exactly gone as planned. In his first six starts, he has a 4.85 SIERA (7.03 ERA) with a strikeout rate under 15%. He has had the opposite problem as Pat Dean, as his strikeout rate has drastically gone down since being called up to the majors. I know that he is pitching at home and that he is a favorite against a team that doesn’t hit left-handed pitching well, but you don’t need to go down to Manaea in the early slate. The risk outweighs the potential reward right now.

Batter Grind Down

Minnesota

The Twins are one of the worst offenses in baseball against left-handed pitching. That is a bit surprising to me with all of the quality right-handed bats in their lineup, but I digress. They come into today’s game with the 15th highest team total on the board. They draw a favorable matchup against Sean Manaea, who has allowed a .411 wOBA to right-handed hitters in his first six starts of the season.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Eduardo Nunez RIGHT 0.297 0.205 0.394 SS $3,300 3B/SS $3,600
2 Brian Dozier RIGHT 0.337 0.209 0.248 2B $3,100 2B $3,500
3 Joe Mauer LEFT 0.312 0.123 0.421 1B $3,400 1B $3,900
4 Byung Ho Park RIGHT 0.219 0.100 0.137 1B $2,900 1B $3,200
5 Robbie Grossman SWITCH 0.279 0.125 0.431 OF $2,800 OF $2,000
6 Trevor Plouffe RIGHT 0.337 0.180 0.171 3B $2,600 3B $3,400
7 Oswaldo Arcia LEFT 0.280 0.000 0.320 OF $2,600 OF $3,000
8 Kurt Suzuki RIGHT 0.266 0.071 0.197 C $2,000 C $2,500
9 Byron Buxton RIGHT 0.151 0.057 OF $2,100 OF $2,200
Team Averages 0.275 0.119 0.290

Elite Plays – Brian Dozier

Secondary Plays – Eduardo Nunez, Byung Ho Park, Robbie Grossman, Trevor Plouffe

Stackability – GPP

Oakland

The A’s have not hit left-handed pitching well as a team, but we don’t really care about that if there are individual hitters that can mash lefties. Jed Lowrie, Danny Valencia, and Khris Davis all bat from the right side and all have at least a .329 wOBA against southpaws over the last two seasons. The sample size is obviously still small, but Pat Dean has allowed a .332 wOBA to right-handed hitters this season.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Coco Crisp SWITCH 0.276 0.103 0.330 OF $3,200 OF $2,700
2 Billy Burns SWITCH 0.318 0.093 0.202 OF $2,900 OF $2,800
3 Jed Lowrie SWITCH 0.341 0.182 0.370 2B $2,600 2B $2,800
4 Danny Valencia RIGHT 0.391 0.223 0.336 3B $3,200 3B $2,900
5 Khris Davis RIGHT 0.329 0.257 0.473 OF $3,300 OF $2,900
6 Billy Butler RIGHT 0.310 0.155 0.289 1B $2,500 1B $2,600
7 Josh Phegley RIGHT 0.336 0.174 0.754 C $2,300 C $2,500
8 Marcus Semien RIGHT 0.372 0.188 0.263 SS $3,000 SS $2,900
9 Jake Smolinski RIGHT 0.347 0.220 0.238 OF $2,400 OF $2,400
Team Averages 0.336 0.177 0.362

Elite Plays – Danny Valencia

Secondary Plays – Coco Crisp, Danny Valencia, Jed Lowrie, Khris Davis

Stackability – GPP

Texas at Cleveland – 6:10 PM ET

Texas Cleveland
texasmlb Cole Hamels clevelandmlb Trevor Bauer
LEFT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
CLE -105 8.0
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.280 4 22.9% 8.6% SP vs. Left 0.314 15 21.8% 11.3%
SP vs. Right 0.309 30 25.0% 7.1% SP vs. Right 0.318 13 22.9% 9.2%

Pitcher Grind Down

Cole Hamels
cole-hamels-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $10,000 Salary: $10,400
FPPG: 37.8 FPPG: 19.5
Pitcher Rating: 72.7 Pitcher Rank: 8
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 3 103.3 3.42 4.19 24.4% 6.7% 13.2% 50.8% 28.8% 48.3%
2016 10 103.2 3.56 3.34 25.0% 8.6% 13.5% 52.1% 26.6% 30.8%
2015 32 104.5 3.45 3.65 24.4% 7.1% 13.3% 47.7% 31.4% 27.0%

The final game in the early slate is between the Rangers and Indians. Hamels enters the contest in solid form, posting a 3.56 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 25% in his first ten starts of the season. He has largely been overlooked by the DFS community thus far, largely in part thanks to the high over/unders in the games that he has pitched in. I expect him to have a low ownership again today, making him a nice GPP option in the early slate. The Indians have struggled a bit against southpaws this season, ranking 18th in team wOBA and 24th in team ISO.

Trevor Bauer
trevor-bauer-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $7,600 Salary: $7,200
FPPG: 19.2 FPPG: 9.3
Pitcher Rating: 68.5 Pitcher Rank: 12
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 100.5 5.62 5.73 7.4% 7.4% 6.0% 47.7% 31.8% 34.1%
2016 6 136.0 4.13 4.34 20.5% 9.0% 9.8% 48.1% 32.6% 37.2%
2015 30 95.6 4.20 4.55 22.9% 10.6% 9.6% 39.2% 40.7% 31.0%

Bauer has been inconsistent this season. The one way that we don’t want to describe our pitchers in DFS is inconsistent. We need those guaranteed points from our pitchers and Bauer just hasn’t given us that recently. In his first six starts of the season, he has a 4.13 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 20.5%. I’m not saying that he can’t have a nice outing today, but I will be avoiding him against the Rangers, who are one of the most difficult teams to strikeout in baseball.

Batter Grind Down

Texas

The Rangers are a mediocre offense against right-handed pitching. They come into today’s game with the tenth lowest team total on the board. They draw a decent matchup against Trevor Bauer, who has given up a .314 wOBA to left-handed hitters and a .318 wOBA to right-handed hitters over the last two seasons. There aren’t any Rangers’ hitters that stand out as must plays, but I don’t mind mixing in a bat or two into my lineups.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Jurickson Profar SWITCH 0.423 0.200 0.333 2B $2,200 2B/SS $3,200
2 Ian Desmond RIGHT 0.296 0.149 0.406 OF $4,200 OF $4,800
3 Prince Fielder LEFT 0.356 0.145 0.310 1B $3,100 1B $3,800
4 Adrian Beltre RIGHT 0.308 0.146 0.345 3B $3,700 3B $4,100
5 Nomar Mazara LEFT 0.398 0.241 0.435 OF $3,400 OF $4,100
6 Mitch Moreland LEFT 0.352 0.215 0.194 OF $3,000 1B $3,400
7 Elvis Andrus RIGHT 0.283 0.082 0.332 SS $3,200 SS $3,500
8 Jared Hoying LEFT 0.226 0.000 0.226 OF $2,200 OF $2,000
9 Bryan Holaday RIGHT 0.299 0.155 0.273 C $2,700 C $2,200
Team Averages 0.327 0.148 0.317

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Jurickson Profar, Adrian Beltre, Nomar Mazara

Stackability – NONE

Cleveland

The Indians are ranked below the major league average in team wOBA, team ISO, and team K% against southpaws this season. They come into the game with the 13th lowest team total on the board. The only statistic that really stands out in their matchup against Cole Hamels is the fact that he has allowed 30 home runs to right-handed hitters over the last two seasons.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. LHP ISO vs. LHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Rajai Davis RIGHT 0.322 0.202 0.418 OF $3,400 OF $3,300
2 Jason Kipnis LEFT 0.283 0.116 0.273 2B $3,500 2B $3,300
3 Francisco Lindor SWITCH 0.390 0.171 0.370 SS $4,000 SS $4,200
4 Mike Napoli RIGHT 0.391 0.267 0.333 1B $3,400 1B $4,400
5 Carlos Santana SWITCH 0.302 0.086 0.363 1B $3,500 1B $3,800
6 Jose Ramirez SWITCH 0.284 0.092 0.358 P $4,000 3B/OF $3,100
7 Juan Uribe RIGHT 0.342 0.191 0.355 3B $2,900 3B $2,900
8 Marlon Byrd RIGHT 0.361 0.216 0.397 OF $2,800 OF $3,500
9 Yan Gomes RIGHT 0.253 0.125 0.209 C $2,800 C $2,800
Team Averages 0.325 0.163 0.342

Elite Plays – NONE

Secondary Plays – Rajai Davis, Francisco Lindor, Mike Napoli, Carlos Santana

Stackability – NONE

Boston at Baltimore – 7:05 PM ET

Boston Baltimore
bostonmlb Joe Kelly baltimoremlb Mike Wright
RIGHT RIGHT
Vegas Moneyline Vegas Over/Under
BOS -110 9.5
Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB% Stats wOBA HR All. K% BB%
SP vs. Left 0.316 7 19.9% 9.0% SP vs. Left 0.401 7 14.1% 7.3%
SP vs. Right 0.371 12 19.6% 9.8% SP vs. Right 0.326 7 15.6% 9.4%

Pitcher Grind Down

Joe Kelly
joe-kelly-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $7,700 Salary: $5,300
FPPG: 24.0 FPPG: 10.4
Pitcher Rating: 49.1 Pitcher Rank: 24
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 99.0 3.57 3.97 28.9% 11.5% 9.6% 53.3% 26.7% 33.3%
2016 5 83.4 4.52 6.30 25.5% 15.7% 11.0% 51.7% 22.4% 36.2%
2015 25 95.1 4.23 4.82 18.8% 8.4% 7.5% 45.6% 29.4% 35.6%

Kelly has looked better in his last couple of starts, but his high walk rate this season is a big red flag. In his first five starts, he has walked 15.7% of the batters that he has faced. He draws a difficult matchup tonight against the Orioles in the hitter-friendly Camden Yards. With the over/under set at 9.5 runs, both of the pitchers in this game are very risky fantasy options.

Mike Wright
mike-wright-300x200 FanDuel DraftKings
Salary: $6,400 Salary: $4,400
FPPG: 20.8 FPPG: 9.7
Pitcher Rating: 38.2 Pitcher Rank: 26
Statistics Starts PitchPS SIERA ERA K% BB% SS% GB% FB% HH%
L14 Days 2 97.0 5.15 4.50 15.2% 10.9% 5.7% 44.1% 32.4% 38.2%
2016 8 100.4 4.57 5.05 17.1% 8.0% 6.6% 43.0% 33.8% 27.6%
2015 9 87.2 5.28 6.04 12.8% 8.8% 7.3% 37.7% 42.9% 29.7%

Wright is off to a rough start this season, posting a 4.57 SIERA with a strikeout rate of 17.1%. He hasn’t been getting enough swings and misses and he continues to give up hard contact. There are many reasons to fade Wright tonight, but the biggest has to be his matchup – the Red Sox have the best offense in baseball.

Batter Grind Down

Boston

The Red Sox are ranked first in runs scored per game and first in team wOBA against right-handed pitching. They draw an excellent matchup against Mike Wright, who has allowed a .401 wOBA to left-handed hitters and a .326 wOBA to right-handed hitters. The Red Sox are one of the top offenses to target tonight outside of the two teams playing in Coors Field. Xander Bogaerts will look to extend his hitting streak to 25 games tonight.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Mookie Betts RIGHT 0.352 0.191 0.404 OF $4,400 OF $5,400
2 Dustin Pedroia RIGHT 0.355 0.155 0.395 2B $3,700 2B $4,700
3 Xander Bogaerts RIGHT 0.338 0.115 0.444 SS $4,300 SS $5,300
4 David Ortiz LEFT 0.431 0.346 0.517 1B $4,900 1B $5,500
5 Hanley Ramirez RIGHT 0.314 0.141 0.262 1B $3,600 1B $4,300
6 Travis Shaw LEFT 0.358 0.201 0.293 3B $3,900 1B/3B $4,200
7 Chris Young RIGHT 0.440 0.000 0.401 P $5,500 P $6,200
8 Blake Swihart SWITCH 0.320 0.136 0.356 C $2,700 C/OF $3,500
9 Christian Vazquez RIGHT 0.241 0.095 0.214 C $2,300 C $3,200
Team Averages 0.350 0.153 0.365

Elite Plays – Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, David Ortiz

Secondary Plays – Dustin Pedroia, Travis Shaw

Stackability – Cash & GPP

Baltimore

The Orioles have really hit right-handed pitching well as a team this season, ranking sixth in team wOBA and fourth in team ISO. They draw a favorable matchup against Joe Kelly, who has allowed a .316 wOBA to left-handed hitters and a .371 wOBA to right-handed hitters. Feel free to load up on hitters from both teams in this game, as it is expected to be one of the highest scoring contests in the evening slate.

Projected Lineup

# Player Bats wOBA vs. RHP ISO vs. RHP wOBA L14 FD Position FD Salary DK Position DK Salary
1 Adam Jones RIGHT 0.331 0.196 0.163 OF $2,900 OF $3,800
2 Hyun Soo Kim LEFT 0.408 0.120 0.413 OF $2,500 OF $3,600
3 Manny Machado RIGHT 0.393 0.253 0.362 SS $4,200 3B/SS $5,400
4 Chris Davis LEFT 0.395 0.320 0.255 1B $3,900 1B $4,600
5 Mark Trumbo RIGHT 0.335 0.184 0.339 OF $3,700 OF $4,500
6 Matt Wieters SWITCH 0.337 0.164 0.481 C $3,200 C $3,900
7 Jonathan Schoop RIGHT 0.357 0.238 0.295 2B $3,300 2B $3,900
8 Nolan Reimold RIGHT 0.334 0.191 0.294 OF $2,800 OF $3,200
9 Ryan Flaherty LEFT 0.271 0.134 0.221 2B $2,300 3B $2,900
Team Averages 0.351 0.200 0.314

Elite Plays – Manny Machado

Secondary Plays – Adam Jones, Hyun Soo Kim, Chris Davis, Mark Trumbo

Stackability – GPP


Are you an incentives member? Come check out the MLB Expert Chat from 5:30 – 6:00 PM ET.


Jump to Page 1 2 3

About the Author

Notorious
Derek Farnsworth (Notorious)

Derek Farnsworth (aka Notorious) is a lead RotoGrinders Expert and one of the most recognizable names and faces in all of DFS. Before joining the RotoGrinders team, Derek received a Master’s Degree from the University of Utah. When he’s not busy providing content, he’s dominating the DFS industry as evidenced by his consistent top rankings in several sports and multiple Live Final appearances. Noto provides expert NBA, NFL, MLB, and PGA analysis for RotoGrinders Premium members on a daily basis and has also been nominated for five different Fantasy Sports Writer’s Association (FSWA) awards. Follow Noto on X – @RG_Notorious