MLB Grind Down: Wednesday, September 3rd Page Two
Boston at NY Yankees
| Boston | NY Yankees | ||||||||
| Anthony Ranaudo | Vegas Moneyline | Hiroki Kuroda | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | BOS (-145) | RIGHT | 8.5 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | SP vs. Left | 0.248 | 0.686 | 0.303 | 14.00% | ||||
| SP vs. Right | SP vs. Right | 0.247 | 0.672 | 0.297 | 18.70% | ||||
| Batter Splits | BOS BvP  | BOS vs R | Batter Splits | NYY BvP | NYY vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Anthony Ranaudo – In his first 3 career starts, Ranaudo has posted a 4.50 ERA with a K/9 of only 3.5. Ranaudo has really pitched well in this minors over the last couple of seasons, but draws a tough matchup against a Yankees offense that is LH heavy. Ranaudo has struggled to keep the ball in the park in his first few major league starts and the short porch in right could come into play tonight with all of the LH hitters on the Yankees. Rating = 4
Salaries: $4200 FD, $10150 DD, $6000 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD
- Hiroki Kuroda – Kuroda is probably the best mid-range pitching option available tonight. On the season he owns a 3.88 ERA with a K/9 of 6.0. He has managed to keep his walks low (1.9 per 9 innings) and he has given up few HR’s this season (0.8 per 9 innings). Tonight he faces a Red Sox offense that is ranked 23rd in wOBA vs. RH pitching. The run support should also be there with Ranaudo on the mound for the Red Sox. Rating = 6
Salaries: $7100 FD, $13200 DD, $7800 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Boston
David Ortiz – Ortiz is in a great spot tonight. Not only does he get a huge ballpark boost with the short porch in right field, but he also gets a favorable matchup against Kuroda whom he has really hit well in his career (11/20 with 5 XBH’s).
Additional Plays: Yoenis Cespedes
NY Yankees
Jacoby Ellsbury – Ellsbury has been swinging a hot bat. He has 15 hit and 10 RBI’s in his last 10 games and draws a favorable matchup against the rookie righty Ranaudo. Ellsbury’s stolen base potential also goes up when he’s facing a RH pitcher.
Additional Plays: Brett Gardner, Brian McCann, Mark Teixeira
Detroit at Cleveland
| Detroit | Cleveland | ||||||||
| Justin Verlander | Vegas Moneyline | Danny Salazar | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | CLE (-122) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.229 | 0.685 | 0.305 | 18.60% | SP vs. Left | 0.223 | 0.639 | 0.289 | 26.50% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.331 | 0.885 | 0.387 | 16.20% | SP vs. Right | 0.293 | 0.844 | 0.366 | 22.60% |
| Batter Splits | DET BvP | DET vs R | Batter Splits | CLE BvP | CLE vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Justin Verlander – Verlander just hasn’t been able to kick it into that extra gear that we have seen in year’s past. He owns a very pedestrian 4.68 ERA with a low K/9 of 6.9. He hasn’t fared well in his starts against the Indians this season and should have a tough outing against them tonight as they are ranked 5th in wOBA vs. RH pitching this season. Keep avoiding Verlander until he can string together a few quality starts. Rating = 5.5
Salaries: $7500 FD, $13250 DD, $7200 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD
- Danny Salazar – Salazar owns an elite strikeout rate. He is averaging 9.5 K’s per 9 innings, but has a mediocre ERA of 4.23. I’m not a huge fan of his matchup against the Tigers tonight. The Tigers are one of the best offenses in all of baseball and are ranked 4th in wOBA vs. RH pitching. Salazar is also a reverse splits pitcher which doesn’t bode well for his matchup against a RH heavy Tigers lineup. Rating = 5
Salaries: $7200 FD, $14050 DD, $7300 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Detroit
Miguel Cabrera – Tonight is a great night to pay up for Miggy. After getting a couple of days off, he has been locked in with 6 hits over his last 2 games. He also draws a favorable matchup against Salazar who has given up a .366 wOBA to RH hitters.
Additional Plays: Victor Martinez, Ian Kinsler, J.D. Martinez
Cleveland
Michael Brantley – Brantley is no stranger when it comes to facing Verlander. He has faced him 48 times in his career and he has recorded 17 hits off of him. Brantley has mashed RH pitching all season long and is in a great spot against the struggling Verlander.
Additional Plays: Carlos Santana, Michael Bourn
Cincinnati at Baltimore
| Cincinnati | Baltimore | ||||||||
| Dylan Axelrod | Vegas Moneyline | Miguel Gonzalez | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | BAL (-155) | RIGHT | 8.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | SP vs. Left | 0.261 | 0.787 | 0.346 | 14.80% | ||||
| SP vs. Right | SP vs. Right | 0.261 | 0.777 | 0.344 | 18.50% | ||||
| Batter Splits | CIN BvP | CIN vs R | Batter Splits | BAL BvP | BAL vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Dylan Axelrod – Axelrod is coming off of an excellent outing against the Cubs. After pitching out of trouble in the 1st inning, he cruised for another 4 innings to end his day with 5 scoreless frames and 8 strikeouts. He’s still a risky fantasy option though, especially considering his matchup against a very talented Orioles offense. Axelrod can safely be avoided in all leagues. Rating = 4
Salaries: $4200 FD, $14050 DD, $5800 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD
- Miguel Gonzalez – Gonzalez owns a 3.61 ERA on the season, but has a 4.58 xFIP. He owns a low K/9 of 6.3 and he gives up a good number of walks and HR’s. While he does draw a favorable matchup against the Reds, he can safely be avoided in all leagues. Rating = 5
Salaries: $6400 FD, $12250 DD, $6400 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Cincinnati
Billy Hamilton – Hamilton already has 55 SB’s on the season. He has a great chance to get #56 tonight against Miguel Gonzalez who has given up 10 SB’s which is more than the league average for a starting pitcher.
Additional Plays: Jay Bruce, Devin Mesoraco
Baltimore
Adam Jones – Axelrod has only pitched in 2 games this season, so his splits are tough to trust as it’s such a small sample size. He did however give up a .397 to RH hitters last season. Jones has good power against RH pitching and should see plenty of RBI opportunities.
Additional Plays: Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis
NY Mets at Miami
| NY Mets | Miami | ||||||||
| Jacob Degrom | Vegas Moneyline | Tom Koehler | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | MIA (-113) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.242 | 0.688 | 0.310 | 21.20% | SP vs. Left | 0.223 | 0.606 | 0.275 | 19.70% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.227 | 0.608 | 0.271 | 24.30% | SP vs. Right | 0.248 | 0.739 | 0.329 | 17.60% |
| Batter Splits | NYM BvP | NYM vs R | Batter Splits | MIA BvP | MIA vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Jacob Degrom – There aren’t any pitchers that really stand out in the evening slate, but deGrom certainly deserves roster consideration. He has had a terrific rookie season with a 2.94 ERA and a K/9 of 8.4. Tonight he faces a strikeout happy Marlins team in a pitcher-friendly Marlins Park. He has great upside and is very affordable on both FD and DK. Rating = 7.5
Salaries: $8200 FD, $18650 DD, $9000 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD
- Tom Koehler – Koehler has some great home splits this season. He owns a 2.69 ERA with 56 K’s over 77 innings of work at Marlins Park this season. The Mets offense broke out in last night’s game, but have been a disappointment on the season. They are ranked 26th in wOBA vs. RH pitching this season. He has terrific value on multi-pitcher sites. Rating = 6
Salaries: $6700 FD, $13600 DD, $6500 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
NY Mets
David Wright – Wright is really the only Mets bat that stands out tonight. Wright had a huge game last night going 3/4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI’s. He’s had some success off of Koehler in the past and is a nice value play at 3B.
Additional Plays: Juan Lagares
Miami
Giancarlo Stanton is always in play for tournaments, but I’ll be avoiding all Marlins in cash games. deGrom has held both LH and RH hitters under a .310 wOBA this season.
Toronto at Tampa Bay
| Toronto | Tampa Bay | ||||||||
| Marcus Stroman | Vegas Moneyline | Chris Archer | Vegas Over/Under | ||||||
| RIGHT | TBR (-132) | RIGHT | 7.0 | ||||||
| Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% | Stats | Avg | OPS | wOBA | K% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP vs. Left | 0.228 | 0.664 | 0.295 | 20.50% | SP vs. Left | 0.226 | 0.621 | 0.284 | 21.40% |
| SP vs. Right | 0.268 | 0.645 | 0.288 | 20.50% | SP vs. Right | 0.266 | 0.690 | 0.310 | 22.10% |
| Batter Splits | TOR BvP | TOR vs R | Batter Splits | TBR BvP | TBR vs R | ||||
| Batter Split Links Above Open In Pop-Up Window | |||||||||
Pitcher Grind Down
- Marcus Stroman – After a couple of subpar outings, Stroman bounced back nicely in his last start. He only gave up a single earned run while striking out 6 batters against the Red Sox. Tonight he travels to Tampa to take on the Rays who are ranked 18th in wOBA vs. RH pitching this season. While I do like the upside that Stroman provides, he has struggled on the road this season and is best served as a GPP play tonight.
Salaries: $7200 FD, $12000 DD, $6600 DK, $NA FF, $NA SS, $NA FTD
- Chris Archer – Archer is looking to bounce back after getting roughed up by the Red Sox in his last start. Overall, Archer has had a very solid 2014 season. He owns a 3.40 ERA with a K/9 of 8.4. He does walk quite a few batters (3.5 per 9 innings), but he is only giving up 0.36 HR’s per 9. I think he’s in play tonight against the Blue Jays who are a much different ball club away from home. Rating = 6.5
Salaries: $8100 FD, $14900 DD, $9400 DK, $ FF, $ SS, $ FTD
Batter Grind Down
Toronto
Jose Reyes – Reyes is always in play vs. RH pitching. He’s a nice source of speed (24 SB’s) and power (7 HR’s) and is the top option at SS tonight if you want to take a different route than Danny Santana of the Twins.
Additional Plays: Adam Lind
Tampa Bay
Ben Zobrist, Evan Longoria, and Matt Joyce are all in play, but none really stand out as Stroman has managed to keep both LH and RH hitters in check this season.