The Daily Grind: A Failure to Merge

I nearly forgot to say a few words about the dissolution of the proposed FanDuel-DraftKings merger. It is our burden to carry on without the departed. They will be sorely missed by the living.

To be honest, I was looking forward to seeing who stepped up as the new second best site. I’m ready for a slightly different approach to gain popularity.

AGENDA

1. Chat Today
2. Weather Reports
3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse
4. SaberSim Says…
5. TDG Invitational Returns!

1. Chat Today

Tuesday chats will return this afternoon (time still pending) with a slightly extended edition to make up for a couple missed weeks. Except, there’s just one problem… My computer is dying. More specifically, my actual computer is fine, but the hard wired connection to the power brick is damaged. I have to position it just so for the power to flow. I ordered the part a week ago, but it’s yet to ship. I think I’ll be without a computer pretty soon. Possibly this afternoon. So if I don’t show up, you now know why.

2. Weather Reports

Games in Boston and Minnesota look as if they may be delayed. However, the current forecast says it is likely they’ll play.

3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse

Main Slate: We’re to be gifted a full 15 game contest this evening, headlined by Clayton Kershaw at the White Sox. They’ve actually hit well versus southpaw pitchers, but Kershaw has his own special classification outside the usual lefty/righty dichotomy. He costs a budget busting $14,000.

By comparison, Robbie Ray looks downright affordable at $11,200. He’s visiting Cincinnati. The issue with Ray is a tendencies to throw a lot of pitches by the sixth inning. It’s not an every time sort of thing like with Lance McCullers, but it is all too common. Even throwing just six innings, he’ll sometimes still return value on this price.

Speaking of short outings, it doesn’t matter how many batters Brad Peacock strikes out. The risk of fewer than five innings is far too high to justify a $10,300 salary. He has a decent matchup against the Mariners.

And here’s the problem… Mike Clevinger and Michael Wacha are also overpriced at $9,100 and $9,500 respectively. After them, you’ll find a hot, spoiled mess. Maybe J.A. Happ or Ivan Nova an silence the Red Sox or Brewers. Seems like a risky proposition to me. Alternatives include John Lackey visiting Sean Newcomb or the usually mediocre Dylan Bundy.

Stack Targets: Miguel Gonzalez, Bartolo Colon, Chris Smith, Travis Wood, Luis Cessa, Sam Gaviglio, Jesse Chavez, Edwin Jackson, Junior Guerra, Matt Boyd, Brian Johnson, Sal Romano, Adam Conley, Rafael Montero, Ty Blach, Tyson Ross, Dinelson Lamet, Antonio Senzatela, Vince Velasquez

4. SaberSim Says…

Kershaw, Ray, Newcomb, Blake Snell, and Peacock are the top rated pitchers. I dislike Snell’s poor command. The big bats include Mike Trout, Wil Myers, Josh Donaldson, Paul Goldschmidt, and Nolan Arenado. Values include Kole Calhoun, Zack Granite, Josh Phegley, Myers, and Miguel Cabrera.

5. The Daily Grind Invitational

Hoehne2 captured the victory with a meager 125 points – 42 of which were supplied by Jon Lester. Welcome to Pattingtonbear who arrived with a sixth place finish. Here’s a leaderboard.

We’re on DraftKings today.