MLB Grind Down: Wednesday, September 10th Page Three

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2014-09-10 22:09:41

San Diego at LA Dodgers

San Diego					LA Dodgers
Ian Kennedy		Vegas Moneyline			Dan Haren		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		LAD (-145)			RIGHT		7.0
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.235	0.694	0.306	25.50%	SP vs. Left	0.231	0.681	0.295	23.20%
SP vs. Right	0.257	0.715	0.317	24.20%	SP vs. Right	0.286	0.813	0.350	13.00%
Batter Splits	SDP BvP		SDP vs R		Batter Splits	LAD BvP		LAD vs R
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Ian Kennedy – Kennedy has been very hittable in recent starts. He has given up 3 or more earned runs in 4 of his last 5 starts. He still boasts an elite strikeout rate of 9.4 per 9 innings, but his current form does have me a bit concerned. His matchup is also concerning as the Dodgers are ranked 7th in wOBA vs. RH pitching this season. I like him as a tournament play, but think he is a bit too risky to target in cash games. Rating = 5

Salaries: $7800 FD, $14850 DD, $9300 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD

• Dan Haren – Haren has already faced the Padres 4 times this season. In those 4 starts, Haren has posted a 2.91 ERA with 19 K’s over 21 innings of work. Haren has pitched well since the start of August and is a sizable favorite in a game with a low run total. He has decent strikeout potential and a decent matchup against the Padres who still own the worst offense in baseball. Rating = 6

Salaries: $7300 FD, $15000 DD, $6600 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD

Batter Grind Down

San Diego

Seth Smith – Smith draws a nice matchup against Haren who has already given up 25 HR’s this season, 13 of which were to LH hitters. Smith has also hit Haren well in the past going 13/47 with 3 HR’s and 4 doubles.

Additional Plays: None

LA Dodgers

This is another situation where I don’t love the pitcher or the batters that are facing him. The Dodgers are good against RH pitching, but Kennedy is a very good pitcher. I’m avoiding both sides of this matchup.

Houston at Seattle

Houston					Seattle
Nick Tropeano		Vegas Moneyline			Hisashi Iwakuma		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		SEA (-260)			RIGHT		7.0
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left					SP vs. Left	0.273	0.692	0.304	18.70%
SP vs. Right					SP vs. Right	0.199	0.531	0.235	23.90%
Batter Splits	HOU BvP		HOU vs R		Batter Splits	SEA BvP		SEA vs R
Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window

Pitcher Grind Down

• Nick Tropeano – Tropeano will be making his major-league debut tonight. He’s not exactly a top prospect, but is getting rewarded for a very nice season at the Triple-A level where the young righty posted a 3.03 ERA and a K/9 of 8.7. He could be worth a flier in a tournament on FD at only $3,000, but I’ll be avoiding him for cash games as I like to take a wait and see approach in these situations. Rating = 4

Salaries: $3000 FD, $NA DD, $5600 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD

• Hisashi Iwakuma – Iwakuma should be one of the more popular plays at pitcher tonight. He owns a 2.97 ERA on the season with a K/9 of 7.4. My favorite reason to target Iwakuma is that he doesn’t walk many batters. He’s averaging a ridiculously low 0.8 walks per 9 innings. He draws a favorable matchup against the strikeout happy Astros who are ranked 21st in wOBA vs. RH pitching. Iwakuma is a no-brainer for cash games tonight. Rating = 9

Salaries: $9200 FD, $19450 DD, $10600 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD

Batter Grind Down

Houston

Avoid all Astros hitters against Hisashi Iwakuma. He has held both LH and RH hitters under a .305 wOBA this season.

Seattle

Kyle Seager – For whatever reason, the LH bats on the Mariners love to play at home. Seager owns a .385 wOBA against RH pitching this season and a .487 wOBA at home. He gets both tonight against the rookie Tropeano.

Additional Plays: Robinson Cano

Arizona at San Francisco

Arizona					San Francisco
Josh Collmenter		Vegas Moneyline			Ryan Vogelsong		Vegas Over/Under
RIGHT		SFG (-161)			RIGHT		7.0
Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%	Stats	Avg	OPS	wOBA	K%
SP vs. Left	0.298	0.790	0.346	13.80%	SP vs. Left	0.283	0.794	0.349	19.80%
SP vs. Right	0.204	0.623	0.274	19.70%	SP vs. Right	0.228	0.694	0.308	19.20%
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

• Josh Collmenter – Collmenter should be avoided tonight for 2 reasons. 1. He’s pitching on the road where he has posted a 5.46 ERA while giving up a .378 wOBA to his opponents this season and 2. He’s facing the Giants who have had the best offense in baseball over the last 30 days. Rating = 3

Salaries: $7100 FD, $12050 DD, $6700 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD

• Ryan Vogelsong – After a terrific month of August, Vogelsong got off to a terrible start in September. He gave up 8 earned runs in only 5 innings of work. We have to give him a pass though as this was a game in Coors Field where pitcher’s ERA’s go to die. Vogelsong has pitched well at AT&T Park all season with a 3.17 ERA. The Diamondbacks have the 2nd worst offense in baseball over the last 30 days and Vogelsong is extremely cheap. I think he makes a terrific #2 starter on multi-pitcher sites. Rating = 6.5

Salaries: $6600 FD, $12750 DD, $7000 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD

Batter Grind Down

Arizona

Ender Inciarte – The one D-Backs bat that I may have some exposure to tonight is Inciarte. He has decent pop in his bat and good speed as well. He also has the splits in his favor in this matchup as Vogelsong has given up a .349 wOBA to LH hitters this season.

Additional Plays: None

San Francisco

Buster Posey – Posey has only faced Collmenter 11 times in his career, but he’s certainly made the most of those plate appearances. He’s 8/11 against Collmenter with 2 HR’s.

Additional Plays: Pablo Sandoval