MLB Grind Down: Wednesday, May 20th
The RotoGrinders MLB Grind Down article will give you an in-depth analysis into the 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.
Remember, these writeups are done prior to lineups being released, so make sure to check our Starting Lineups page to ensure the recommended options are playing.
Note: Fantasy point averages listed use FanDuel scoring. For more info on FanDuel’s scoring system, check out the scoring systems section of our FanDuel review.
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Oakland at Houston – 2:10 PM EST
| Oakland | Houston | ||||||||
 | Jesse Hahn |  | Dallas Keuchel | ||||||
| RIGHT | LEFT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| HOU (-151) | 8.0 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.260 | 0.696 | 0.308 | 17.8% | SP vs. Left | 0.220 | 0.560 | 0.253 | 24.10% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.193 | 0.569 | 0.266 | 22.6% | SP vs. Right | 0.238 | 0.635 | 0.284 | 16.50% |
| Batter Splits | OAK BvP | OAK vs L | Batter Splits | HOU BvP | HOU vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Jesse Hahn (FanDuel: $6900, DraftKings: $5600)
Pitching Stats:
2015: SIERA: 3.90 — K Rate: 15.0% — K/9: 5.82 — BB Rate: 5.4% — FB Rate: 21.1% — HR/FB: 3.7%
2014: SIERA: 3.73 — K Rate: 22.9% — K/9: 8.59 — BB Rate: 10.5% — FB Rate: 27.5% — HR/FB: 7.5%
Houston Astros vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.314 (Rank: 13)
Strikeout Rate: 25.2% (Rank: 29)
Pitches per Plate Appearance: 3.82 (Rank: 12)
Analysis: We only have one early game on the schedule today, but it is included in the All-Day slate of games. Hahn takes the mound for the A’s, as they take on the Astros in the hitter-friendly Minute Maid Park. Hahn owns a 3.90 SIERA and a K/9 of 5.8 on the season. He has cut down on his walks this year, but unfortunately, he doesn’t have a high enough strikeout rate to deserve fantasy consideration. The Astros are a team that strikes out often, but they also hit a lot of home runs.
Pitcher Rating: 47.4
Dallas Keuchel (FD: $9400, DK: $8100)
Pitching Stats:
2015: SIERA: 3.36 — K Rate: 18.9% — K/9: 6.55 — BB Rate: 8.1% — FB Rate: 16.8% — HR/FB: 3.7%
2014: SIERA: 3.11 — K Rate: 18.1% — K/9: 6.57 — BB Rate: 5.9% — FB Rate: 19.3% — HR/FB: 9.6%
Oakland Athletics vs. LH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.269 (Rank: 28)
Strikeout Rate: 17.1% (Rank: 6)
Pitches per Plate Appearance: 3.88 (Rank: 7)
Analysis: Keuchel has been dominant at times this season. He currently boasts a 3.36 SIERA with a K/9 of 6.6. He produces the highest ground-ball rate of any starter in baseball, which really makes it tough for opponents to score runs against him. Keuchel doesn’t have the highest strikeout rate in baseball, but his ability to throw strikes and produce ground-ball outs allows him to pitch deep into games. The A’s offense was very intimidating in the early part of the season, but they are actually ranked 28th in wOBA against right-handed pitching. His strikeout potential is limited against Oakland, but he could be in line for the win.
Pitcher Rating: 65.8
Batter Grind Down
Oakland
NO ELITE PLAYS
Secondary Plays:
Billy Butler (FD: $2600, DK: $3700)
Position Eligibility: FD: — DK:
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.387 — ISO: 0.200 — wRC+: 152
2014 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.368 — ISO: 0.139 — wRC+: 137
Marcus Semien (FD: $3400, DK: $4100)
Position Eligibility: FD: — DK:
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.413 — ISO: 0.061 — wRC+: 171
2014 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.325 — ISO: 0.153 — wRC+: 105
Houston
NO ELITE PLAYS
Secondary Plays:
Jose Altuve (FD: $4400, DK: $5400)
Position Eligibility: FD: — DK:
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.325 — ISO: 0.153 — wRC+: 108
2014 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.340 — ISO: 0.100 — wRC+: 119
Luis Valbuena (FD: $3100, DK: $3600)
Position Eligibility: FD: — DK:
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.356 — ISO: 0.275 — wRC+: 129
2014 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.355 — ISO: 0.208 — wRC+: 124
Seattle at Baltimore – 7:05 PM EST
| Seattle | Baltimore | ||||||||
 | Roenis Elias |  | Wei-Yin Chen | ||||||
| LEFT | LEFT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| BAL (-130) | 8.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.222 | 0.666 | 0.301 | 24.7% | SP vs. Left | 0.250 | 0.663 | 0.294 | 16.90% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.256 | 0.744 | 0.330 | 19.4% | SP vs. Right | 0.253 | 0.732 | 0.320 | 18.30% |
| Batter Splits | SEA BvP | SEA vs L | Batter Splits | BAL BvP | BAL vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Roenis Elias (FD: $7000, DK: $6900)
Pitching Stats:
2015: SIERA: 4.02 — K Rate: 20.2% — K/9: 7.56 — BB Rate: 8.7% — FB Rate: 31.4% — HR/FB: 18.2%
2014: SIERA: 3.96 — K Rate: 20.6% — K/9: 7.86 — BB Rate: 9.2% — FB Rate: 34.0% — HR/FB: 10.1%
Baltimore Orioles vs. LH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.314 (Rank: 19)
Strikeout Rate: 16.3% (Rank: 2)
Pitches per Plate Appearance: 3.74 (Rank: 22)
Analysis: Elias takes the mound for the Mariners tonight in the hitter-friendly Camden Yards. He has a 4.02 SIERA on the season with a K/9 of 7.6. He can be a little erratic at times, but when he’s on, he can rack up the strikeouts. He draws a difficult matchup tonight against the Orioles, who are ranked 19th in wOBA (.314) and second in strikeout rate (16.3%) against left-handed pitching this season. He’s a small underdog (+120) in a game that features a high total of 8.5 runs.
Pitcher Rating:52.2
Wei-Yin Chen (FD: $7200, DK: $7000)
Pitching Stats:
2015: SIERA: 4.23 — K Rate: 19.5% — K/9: 7.17 — BB Rate: 8.1% — FB Rate: 46.7% — HR/FB: 10.7%
2014: SIERA: 3.85 — K Rate: 17.6% — K/9: 6.59 — BB Rate: 4.5% — FB Rate: 37.5% — HR/FB: 10.5%
Seattle Mariners vs. LH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.326 (Rank: 14)
Strikeout Rate: 17.0% (Rank: 5)
Pitches per Plate Appearance: 3.87 (Rank: 8)
Analysis: Chen is one of the many pitchers in the majors that is rarely used in daily fantasy baseball. He has a mediocre SIERA of 4.23 and an average K/9 of 7.2. He has a very high fly-ball rate (46.7%), which isn’t great when combined with his HR/FB rate of 10.7%. Even though the Mariners’ lineup consists primarily of left-handed hitters, they are still ranked 14th in wOBA (.326) and 5th in strikeout rate (17%) against left-handed pitching. The Mariners also take a lot of pitches, ranking eighth in P/PA on the season.
Pitcher Rating:56.5
Batter Grind Down
Seattle
Nelson Cruz (FD: $4500, DK: $5500)
Position Eligibility: FD: OF — DK: OF
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.876 — ISO: 0.955 — wRC+: 492
2014 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.416 — ISO: 0.255 — wRC+: 169
Analysis: Cruz homered in his first game back in Camden Yards. Orioles’ fans just sat and watched, as they looked back on what could have been last season. Cruz gets another game in his old stomping grounds tonight and this time he gets to face a southpaw that has given up a HR/9 of at least 1.1 in each of the last three seasons. Cruz is the premier play in the outfield tonight, as he is currently sporting a wOBA of .876 and an ISO of .955 against southpaws this season.
Secondary Plays:
Justin Ruggiano (FD: $2600, DK: $3400)
Position Eligibility: FD: OF — DK: OF
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.337 — ISO: 0.190 — wRC+: 118
2014 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.362 — ISO: 0.207 — wRC+: 129
Baltimore
Adam Jones (FD: $3500, DK: $4400)
Position Eligibility: FD: OF — DK: OF
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.547 — ISO: 0.444 — wRC+: 259
2014 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.434 — ISO: 0.260 — wRC+: 182
Analysis: Jones is one of the best hitters in baseball when there is a left-handed pitcher on the mound. His numbers may not be as unbelievable as Nelson Cruz’s, but a .547 wOBA and a .444 ISO is nothing to scoff at. Jones has good splits at home and he draws a favorable matchup against Roenis Elias, who has given up a .330 wOBA to right-handed hitters this season. Load up on the right-handed bats in the Orioles’ lineup tonight.
Secondary Plays:
Jimmy Paredes (FD: $3200, DK: $4400)
Position Eligibility: FD: 2B — DK: 3B/OF
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.400 — ISO: 0.154 — wRC+: 157
2014 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.481 — ISO: 0.300 — wRC+: 217
Manny Machado (FD: $3500, DK: $4300)
Position Eligibility: FD: 3B — DK: 3B
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.253 — ISO: 0.087 — wRC+: 55
2014 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.281 — ISO: 0.125 — wRC+: 76
Steve Pearce (FD: $2800, DK: $3700)
Position Eligibility: FD: OF — DK: 1B/OF
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.212 — ISO: 0.000 — wRC+: 27
2014 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.472 — ISO: 0.378 — wRC+: 209
NY Yankees at Washington – 7:05 PM EST
| NY Yankees | Washington | ||||||||
 | Adam Warren |  | A.J. Cole | ||||||
| RIGHT | Right | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| WSN (-132) | 7.5 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.194 | 0.569 | 0.254 | 22.3% | SP vs. Left | 0.533 | 0.000 | 0.524 | 6.30% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.260 | 0.709 | 0.316 | 19.0% | SP vs. Right | 0.182 | 0.000 | 0.177 | 9.10% |
| Batter Splits | NYY BvP | NYY vs R | Batter Splits | WAS BvP | WAS vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Adam Warren (FD: $6700, DK: $4700)
Pitching Stats:
2015: SIERA: 4.73 — K Rate: 14.4% — K/9: 5.45 — BB Rate: 8.8% — FB Rate: 31.1% — HR/FB: 7.9%
2014: SIERA: 3.01 — K Rate: 23.5% — K/9: 8.69 — BB Rate: 7.4% — FB Rate: 31.0% — HR/FB: 6.0%
Washington Nationals vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.326 (Rank: 6)
Strikeout Rate: 21.0% (Rank: 20)
Pitches per Plate Appearance: 3.78 (Rank: 18)
Analysis: Warren has been a serviceable starter for the Yankees this season, but his numbers aren’t nearly as good as last season when he was pitching out of the bullpen. Through his first seven starts, he has posted a 4.73 SIERA with a low K/9 of 5.5. The strikeout potential just isn’t there with Warren and it doesn’t help that he’s facing a Nationals’ offense that is ranked 6th in wOBA against right-handed pitching this season.
Pitcher Rating:52.3
Jordan Zimmermann (FD: $9000, DK: $8900)
Pitching Stats:
2015: SIERA: 4.33 — K Rate: 15.2% — K/9: 5.79 — BB Rate: 5.1% — FB Rate: 34.6% — HR/FB: 3.8%
2014: SIERA: 3.15 — K Rate: 22.8% — K/9: 8.20 — BB Rate: 3.6% — FB Rate: 35.9% — HR/FB: 6.4%
New York Yankees vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.314 (Rank: 13)
Strikeout Rate: 19.7% (Rank: 13)
Pitches per Plate Appearance: 3.94 (Rank: 3)
Analysis: Granted it was in Petco Park, but Zimmermann is coming off of his best start of the season. He pitched six shutout innings against the Padres while striking out six batters. His velocity is down a bit this season, which could help explain why his swinging strike rate is at only 6.6%. Until he strings together a few quality outings in a row, I will not be paying the $9,000 price tag for him. He draws a fairly difficult matchup against the Yankees, who take a lot of pitches and are ranked right around the major league average in wOBA against right-handed pitching.
Pitcher Rating:65.3
Batter Grind Down
NY Yankees
NO ELITE PLAYS
Secondary Plays:
Brett Gardner (FD: $3500, DK: $4600)
Position Eligibility: FD: OF — DK: OF
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.358 — ISO: 0.124 — wRC+: 127
2014 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.340 — ISO: 0.197 — wRC+: 116
Mark Teixeira (FD: $3600, DK: $4200)
Position Eligibility: FD: 1B — DK: 1B
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.419 — ISO: 0.378 — wRC+: 169
2014 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.320 — ISO: 0.199 — wRC+: 102
Washington
Bryce Harper (FD: $6200, DK: $5700)
Position Eligibility: FD: OF — DK: OF
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.531 — ISO: 0.475 — wRC+: 240
2014 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.338 — ISO: 0.144 — wRC+: 115
Analysis: Keep on crushing Bryce, keep on crushing. In the month of May, Harper is batting 24-for-60 with ten home runs, three doubles, and a triple. During that stretch, he has amassed 15 RBIs and 19 runs. He has a .531 wOBA and a .475 ISO against right-handed pitching. Adam Warren has been tough against left-handed hitters, but he hasn’t faced many lefties with the type of power that Harper has in his bat.
Secondary Plays:
Denard Span (FD: $3600, DK: $4800)
Position Eligibility: FD: OF — DK: OF
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.447 — ISO: 0.234 — wRC+: 184
2014 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.353 — ISO: 0.125 — wRC+: 125
Ian Desmond (FD: $2800, DK: $4200)
Position Eligibility: FD: SS — DK: SS
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.310 — ISO: 0.130 — wRC+: 93
2014 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.324 — ISO: 0.178 — wRC+: 105
Minnesota at Pittsburgh – 7:05 PM EST
| Minnesota | Pittsburgh | ||||||||
 | Mike Pelfrey |  | Jeff Locke | ||||||
| RIGHT | LEFT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| PIT (-150) | 8.0 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.193 | 0.617 | 0.288 | 10.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.217 | 0.630 | 0.281 | 9.90% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.365 | 0.000 | 0.435 | 7.6% | SP vs. Right | 0.270 | 0.768 | 0.337 | 18.30% |
| Batter Splits | MIN BvP | MIN vs L | Batter Splits | PIT BvP | PIT vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Mike Pelfrey (FD: $6600, DK: $4400)
Pitching Stats:
2015: SIERA: 4.92 — K Rate: 9.9% — K/9: 3.92 — BB Rate: 8.7% — FB Rate: 25.2% — HR/FB: 9.1%
2014: SIERA: 6.45 — K Rate: 8.4% — K/9: 3.80 — BB Rate: 15.1% — FB Rate: 37.9% — HR/FB: 15.2%
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.296 (Rank: 24)
Strikeout Rate: 19.9% (Rank: 15)
Pitches per Plate Appearance: 3.81 (Rank: 15)
Analysis: Pelfrey has pitched better than I expected him to so far this season, but that’s not saying a whole lot. He still has a mediocre SIERA of 4.92 with a below average K/9 of 3.9. He walks nearly as many batters as he strikes out and he’s a sizable underdog (+140) tonight against the Pirates. Don’t be fooled by the “favorable” matchup against Pittsburgh; Pelfrey is not a viable fantasy option.
Pitcher Rating:42.0
Jeff Locke (FD: $6600, DK: $5900)
Pitching Stats:
2015: SIERA: 4.21 — K Rate: 17.4% — K/9: 6.75 — BB Rate: 8.1% — FB Rate: 30.6% — HR/FB: 13.2%
2014: SIERA: 4.07 — K Rate: 16.2% — K/9: 6.10 — BB Rate: 7.3% — FB Rate: 29.6% — HR/FB: 13.4%
Minnesota Twins vs. LH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.333 (Rank: 8)
Strikeout Rate: 17.5% (Rank: 7)
Pitches per Plate Appearance: 3.81 (Rank: 16)
Analysis: Locke has been a serviceable starter for the Pirates this season. His numbers aren’t going to jump off the page. He has a 4.21 SIERA with a K/9 of 6.8. He has an average fly-ball rate with a slightly above-average HR/FB rate. He draws a difficult matchup tonight against the Twins, who are ranked 8th in wOBA (.333) and 7th in strikeout rate (17.5%) against left-handed pitching this season. Locke is a sizable favorite here, but we’ve seen what the Twins can do to left-handed pitchers (see: Francisco Liriano and Chris Sale).
Pitcher Rating:54.5
Batter Grind Down
Minnesota
Brian Dozier (FD: $3800, DK: $4600)
Position Eligibility: FD: 2B — DK: 2B
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.398 — ISO: 0.255 — wRC+: 157
2014 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.351 — ISO: 0.203 — wRC+: 126
Analysis: The Twins offense had a field day against Francisco Liriano last night and they will look to keep it rolling tonight against Jeff Locke. All of the right-handed bats in the Twins’ lineup are in play, as Locke has given up a .337 wOBA to right-handed hitters this season. Dozier currently owns a .398 wOBA with a .255 ISO against southpaws.
Secondary Plays:
Trevor Plouffe (FD: $2500, DK: $3800)
Position Eligibility: FD: 3B — DK: 3B
2015 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.392 — ISO: 0.260 — wRC+: 153
2014 vs. LH Pitching: wOBA: 0.343 — ISO: 0.152 — wRC+: 120
Pittsburgh
Andrew McCutchen (FD: $3900, DK: $5200)
Position Eligibility: FD: OF — DK: OF
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.315 — ISO: 0.164 — wRC+: 99
2014 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.415 — ISO: 0.225 — wRC+: 170
Analysis: As I mentioned in yesterday’s Grind Down, McCutchen’s .239 BABIP is not sustainable. He’s been terribly unlucky and it’s only a matter of time before he regresses back to the mean (he’s had a .355+ BABIP in each of the last three seasons). McCutchen has hit right-handed pitching well throughout his career and he draws a favorable matchup tonight against Mike Pelfrey, who has given up a .435 wOBA to right-handed hitters this season.
Secondary Plays:
Neil Walker (FD: $2800, DK: $3900)
Position Eligibility: FD: 2B — DK: 2B
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.350 — ISO: 0.147 — wRC+: 123
2014 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.364 — ISO: 0.222 — wRC+: 135
Jung-Ho Kang (FD: $2700, DK: $3700)
Position Eligibility: FD: SS — DK: SS
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.338 — ISO: 0.105 — wRC+: 115
LA Angels at Toronto – 7:07 PM EST
| LA Angels | Toronto | ||||||||
 | Jered Weaver |  | Drew Hutchison | ||||||
| RIGHT | RIGHT | ||||||||
| Vegas Moneyline | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||||
| TOR (-119) | 9.0 | ||||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.258 | 0.744 | 0.328 | 18.4% | SP vs. Left | 0.254 | 0.000 | 0.344 | 21.40% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.219 | 0.624 | 0.277 | 16.3% | SP vs. Right | 0.243 | 0.673 | 0.298 | 24.50% |
| Batter Splits | ANA BvP | ANA vs R | Batter Splits | TOR BvP | TOR vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Jered Weaver (FD: $7400, DK: $7400)
Pitching Stats:
2015: SIERA: 4.71 — K Rate: 11.5% — K/9: 4.26 — BB Rate: 2.9% — FB Rate: 41.7% — HR/FB: 12.3%
2014: SIERA: 4.18 — K Rate: 19.0% — K/9: 7.13 — BB Rate: 7.3% — FB Rate: 47.9% — HR/FB: 8.9%
Toronto Blue Jays vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.318 (Rank: 10)
Strikeout Rate: 21.2% (Rank: 21)
Pitches per Plate Appearance: 3.82 (Rank: 13)
Analysis: Weaver has looked great in his last two starts, but I’m still not believing it. His fastball tops out at around 85 MPH, which has led to an extremely low K/9 of 4.3. His 4.71 SIERA and 41.7% fly-ball rate also doesn’t help. The Blue Jays’ offense is ranked 10th in wOBA (.318) against right-handed pitching this season and Weaver has to face them in the Rogers Centre, which is one of the best hitter’s venues in all of baseball.
Pitcher Rating:39.7
Drew Hutchison (FD: $7500, DK: $7200)
Pitching Stats:
2015: SIERA: 3.97 — K Rate: 19.8% — K/9: 8.08 — BB Rate: 7.3% — FB Rate: 32.8% — HR/FB: 11.4%
2014: SIERA: 3.59 — K Rate: 23.4% — K/9: 8.97 — BB Rate: 7.6% — FB Rate: 45.2% — HR/FB: 9.7%
LA Angels of Anaheim vs. RH Pitching: (2015)
wOBA: 0.270 (Rank: 30)
Strikeout Rate: 20.1% (Rank: 16)
Pitches per Plate Appearance: 3.75 (Rank: 21)
Analysis: Hutchison has pitched well this season with a 3.97 SIERA and a K/9 of 8.1. Even though we typically like to avoid taking pitchers at the Rogers Centre, Hutchison has actually had much better splits at home than he has on the road. He has a career 3.61 xFIP with a K/9 of 9.7 at the Rogers Centre. He draws a fantastic matchup tonight against the Angels, who are ranked dead last in wOBA (.270) against right-handed pitching this season. The total for this game is high, but I still like Hutchison as a tournament play and as an SP2 on multi-pitcher sites.
Pitcher Rating:68.1
Batter Grind Down
LA Angels
Kole Calhoun (FD: $2900, DK: $4400)
Position Eligibility: FD: OF — DK: OF
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.337 — ISO: 0.158 — wRC+: 121
2014 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.348 — ISO: 0.190 — wRC+: 129
Analysis: Calhoun was one of the many players that hit a home run last night. I mentioned in yesterday’s Grind Down that he is hitting a lot more line drives this season, which should eventually result in more hits. He has a .337 wOBA and a .158 ISO against right-handed pitching and he should be batting clean-up against Drew Hutchison, who has given up a .344 wOBA to left-handed hitters this season.
Secondary Plays:
Mike Trout (FD: $5100, DK: $5700)
Position Eligibility: FD: OF — DK: OF
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.381 — ISO: 0.259 — wRC+: 151
2014 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.404 — ISO: 0.283 — wRC+: 168
Erick Aybar (FD: $2400, DK: $3600)
Position Eligibility: FD: SS — DK: SS
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.271 — ISO: 0.026 — wRC+: 75
2014 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.320 — ISO: 0.103 — wRC+: 110
Toronto
Ezequiel Carrera (FD: $2200, DK: $3500)
Position Eligibility: FD: OF — DK: OF
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.346 — ISO: 0.107 — wRC+: 118
2014 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.253 — ISO: 0.091 — wRC+: 56
Analysis: This pick is based on the hope that he will be batting leadoff tonight. Devon Travis is still dealing with a shoulder injury and the Blue Jays will likely try to get as many left-handed hitters in their lineup as possible. Carrera will make a great value play tonight if he does bat leadoff. He draws a favorable matchup against Jered Weaver, who has given up a .328 wOBA to left-handed hitters this season.
Secondary Plays:
Jose Bautista (FD: $4900, DK: $4700)
Position Eligibility: FD: OF — DK: OF
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.368 — ISO: 0.244 — wRC+: 134
2014 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.387 — ISO: 0.227 — wRC+: 148
Justin Smoak (FD: $2200, DK: $2900)
Position Eligibility: FD: 1B — DK: 1B
2015 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.292 — ISO: 0.163 — wRC+: 82
2014 vs. RH Pitching: wOBA: 0.276 — ISO: 0.150 — wRC+: 77