MLB Grind Down: Wednesday, May 7th - Page 2
Kansas City at San Diego
| Kansas City | San Diego | ||||||||
| James Shields | Vegas Moneyline | Andrew Cashner | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | SDP (-110) | RIGHT | 6.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.238 | 0.630 | 0.284 | 21.4% | SP vs. Left | 0.241 | 0.674 | 0.301 | 19.9% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.258 | 0.699 | 0.317 | 20.7% | SP vs. Right | 0.224 | 0.572 | 0.262 | 17.0% |
| Batter Splits | KCR BvP  | KCR vs R | Batter Splits | SDP BvP | SDP vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
James Shields – If Robbie Erlin and Jeremy Guthrie can throw a combined 15 innings and only allow 2 earned runs, I can’t wait to see what these two pitchers can do. The total of this game is set at only 6.5 runs which is the lowest on the schedule today. Shields has really pitched well this season with a 3.11 ERA and a K/9 of 8.4. He has a terrific matchup against the Padres who are ranked dead last against RH pitching this season (.258 wOBA). Rating = 9
Andrew Cashner – Cashner has a 2.72 ERA with a K/9 of 7.2. He has been close to unhittable at home with an ERA under 2.00 over his last 15 starts in Petco. While the Royals are not a great team offensively, Cashner does have a somewhat limited upside as the Royals have struck out the 2nd fewest times of any team this season. That said, I still think he makes a nice play on multi-pitcher sites. Rating = 7
Batter Grind Down
Kansas City / San Diego
With these two pitchers on the mound, you should be avoiding all batters in Petco today. Not only does Petco surrender the fewest runs of any ballpark in baseball, but there are two aces on the mound.
Minnesota at Cleveland
| Minnesota | Cleveland | ||||||||
| Ricky Nolasco | Vegas Moneyline | Danny Salazar | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | CLE (-155) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.276 | 0.769 | 0.343 | 16.9% | SP vs. Left | 0.247 | 0.660 | 0.300 | 31.3% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.259 | 0.661 | 0.296 | 19.9% | SP vs. Right | 0.272 | 0.843 | 0.363 | 27.2% |
| Batter Splits | MIN BvP | MIN vs R | Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Ricky Nolasco – The Twins have had a bigger impact on Nolasco than Nolasco has had on the Twins. The Twins starting rotation had the highest ERA in baseball last season could very well defend that title this season. Nolasco has a 5.82 ERA with a 1.62 WHIP this season. He is not a recommended fantasy option at this time, especially against the Indians who have a team .315 wOBA against RH pitching this season. Rating = 3
Danny Salazar – Salazar is off to a rocky start this season with a 5.93 ERA, but he is a high strikeout pitcher and he is trending in the right direction. Salazar has 37 K’s in only 30 innings of work tonight and faces a Twins offense that has really cooled off since the beginning of the season. Salazar is a big favorite here and I don’t mind targeting him on multi-pitcher sites. Rating = 7
Batter Grind Down
Minnesota
Brian Dozier – Dozier is a nice option at 2B today. He has both speed and power and Salazar is giving up a .983 OPS to RH batters this season.
Additional Plays: Trevor Plouffe
Cleveland
Michael Brantley – Brantley has nice power against RH pitching and a terrific matchup against Nolasco who has given up a .343 wOBA to LH batters. Brantley should see plenty of RBI opportunities tonight.
Additional Plays: Carlos Santana, Lonnie Chisenhall
Philadelphia at Toronto
| Philadelphia | Toronto | ||||||||
| Cliff Lee | Vegas Moneyline | Mark Buehrle | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| LEFT | TOR (-121) | LEFT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.209 | 0.496 | 0.235 | 21.4% | SP vs. Left | 0.255 | 0.710 | 0.327 | 13.4% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.254 | 0.685 | 0.299 | 25.9% | SP vs. Right | 0.282 | 0.744 | 0.329 | 16.3% |
| Batter Splits | PHI BvP | PHI vs L | Batter Splits | TOR BvP | TOR vs L | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Cliff Lee – Lee has a 3.00 ERA on the season with a 1.30 WHIP and a K/9 of of 8.4. He’s still one of the better pitchers in daily fantasy baseball, but I’m not a fan of targeting pitchers in the very hitter friendly Rogers Centre. Lee is actually a small underdog here and should only be targeted as a GPP play. Rating = 6
Mark Buehrle – Buehrle has really pitched well for the Blue Jays this season and has only had 1 bad outing all season. He is sporting a 2.25 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP. His K-rate is down from last season, but I think that has more to do with a small sample size than anything else. Buehrle draws a tough matchup tonight against the Phillies who are ranked 9th against LH pitching this season (.339 wOBA). Rating = 5
Batter Grind Down
Philadelphia
Carlos Ruiz – Ruiz is batting .400 against LH pitching this season and has a nice matchup against Buehrle who has given up a .327 wOBA to RH batters. Ruiz is cheap across the industry and is a great punt play at Catcher.
Additional Plays: Marlon Byrd
Toronto
Jose Bautista – The Blue Jays don’t have great numbers off of Cliff Lee, but Joey Bats is always a threat to hit a HR, especially in the Rogers Centre. This season Bautista is batting .423 against southpaws with a 1.33 OPS.
Additional Plays: Jose Reyes, Edwin Encarnacion
Houston at Detroit
| Houston | Detroit | ||||||||
| Brad Peacock | Vegas Moneyline | Rick Porcello | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | DET (-210) | RIGHT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.276 | 0.852 | 0.379 | 17.6% | SP vs. Left | 0.292 | 0.781 | 0.348 | 15.3% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.213 | 0.662 | 0.297 | 25.5% | SP vs. Right | 0.239 | 0.609 | 0.270 | 23.4% |
| Batter Splits | HOU BvP | HOU vs R | Batter Splits | DET BvP | DET vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Brad Peacock – Peacock is not a recommended fantasy option tonight. He has an ERA over 5.00 on the season and has given up 12 walks in his last 3 starts. You do not want to target a pitcher that is struggling with his command against an offense like the Tigers. Rating = 2
Rick Porcello – Porcello is having a very Porcello-like season. He has a 3.66 ERA with a 1.00 WHIP and a K/9 of 6.2. He typically flies under the radar in daily fantasy because his ERA and K-rate are pretty average. He draws a terrific matchup tonight against the Astros who are ranked 23rd against RH pitching this season and have the highest K% of any team against RH pitching at 24.8%. Porcello should be able to rack up an extra strikeout or two tonight. Rating = 8
Batter Grind Down
Houston
Jason Castro – Castro has nice power against RH pitching and Porcello has always struggled against batters from the left side of the plate. Last season Porcello gave up a .348 wOBA to LH batters.
Additional Plays: Dexter Fowler
Detroit
Miguel Cabrera – Miggy is locked in right now and is my favorite position play on the schedule tonight. He has 17 hits in his last 10 games and has a terrific matchup against Peacock. Miggy should have plenty of RBI opportunities and I see him exceeding value even with his hefty price tag.
Additional Plays: Victor Martinez, Austin Jackson, Torii Hunter, Ian Kinsler
Baltimore at Tampa Bay
| Baltimore | Tampa Bay | ||||||||
| Bud Norris | Vegas Moneyline | Cesar Ramos | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | TBR (-127) | LEFT | 7.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.304 | 0.856 | 0.377 | 15.4% | SP vs. Left | 0.258 | 0.670 | 0.306 | 20.4% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.253 | 0.652 | 0.300 | 22.9% | SP vs. Right | 0.232 | 0.654 | 0.304 | 16.4% |
| Batter Splits | BAL BvP | BAL vs L | Batter Splits | TBR BvP | TBR vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
Bud Norris – Norris has a 3.94 ERA this season with a 1.30 WHIP and 20 K’s over 29 innings of work. He is a pitcher that is going to give his team a chance to win, but he is also going to give up 2-3 runs in the process. Norris is a small underdog tonight and makes an average fantasy option against the Rays who are ranked 9th against RH pitching this season. Rating = 4
Cesar Ramos – Ramos has a 2.91 ERA through his first 4 starts of the season. His low ERA doesn’t tell the whole story though. He is not a pitcher that is going to pitch deep into games (5 IP’s is his max this season) and he has a low K-rate. He is the favorite tonight, but I’m not sure that he will last long enough to be eligible for the win. Rating = 4
Batter Grind Down
Baltimore
J.J. Hardy – Hardy has not hit lefties well this season, but it’s a very small sample size (15 at-bats). He’s hit southpaws well in his career though including against this lefty. Hardy has 2 career HR’s off of Ramos and makes a nice punt play at SS.
Additional Plays: Adam Jones
Tampa Bay
Matt Joyce – Norris really struggles against LH batters (.390 wOBA given up) and the lefties of the Rays all have great numbers off of Norris in their career. Joyce is batting .320 against RH pitching and is batting .400 at home this season. He is my top value play in the OF tonight.
Additional Plays: David DeJesus, James Loney, Evan Longoria