The Daily Grind: Day of Aces

All I want from life is to trade Jon Lester for a halfway decent closer. Like Ken Giles. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.

AGENDA

1. Another Interruption of Service
2. Weather Reports
3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse
4. SaberSim Says…
5. TDG Invitational Returns!

1. Another Interruption of Service

By pure happenstance, the All Star Break coincided with the first of three vacations in the span of a month (early July through early August). Tomorrow marks the beginning of the next vacation. I’ll still post a couple Grinds as time allows, but there will be no Invitationals during this period. Thank you for understanding. Or not understanding. Either way, you have my thanks.

“Thanks,” it can be said, are an intangible good. Or it can not be said. Either way…

2. Weather Reports

Cincinnati, Minnesota, and Colorado are storm risks today. The forecast says things should clear up in Cincy after a couple hours while the other two venues are a 50 percent risk for most of the evening. Monitor accordingly.

3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse

Main Slate: Fourteen of 15 games are a part of the evening contest. Sorry Cubs fans. It’s a hell of a day for pitchers. Chris Sale tops the charts versus the Angels. He’s closely followed by Max Scherzer in Arizona and Alex Wood hosting the Braves. The gap between Sale/Scherzer and Wood is actually fairly substantial. On a rate basis, they’re the same. On average, the proven aces stay in the game much longer. Wood is still capable of posting the top point total.

If you prefer to pay less than $10,000 for a pitcher, you’re in luck. Yu Darvish runs just $9,700 for a visit to pitcher friendly Tampa Bay. Corey Dickerson and Logan Morrison have cooled enough for us not to worry about Darvish.

Jeff Samardzija has some of the best peripherals in the league. Unfortunately, his actual ERA leaves something to be desired. Despite a few too many meltdowns, Shark is always a complete game threat. He has a lovely matchup versus the Padres at AT&T Park. You’ll find Trevor Cahill starting for the Pad People. He’s looked like an ace at times, although we can’t count on more than six innings.

Zack Godley’s price is just $8,400 – ostensibly because he’s opposed by Scherzer and a tough Nationals offense. Godley has been handling difficult opponents all season. He’s emerged as a solid number two quality pitcher in a league where those no longer exist.

To be honest, I’m probably going to pay for one of the above. If somebody told me I had to reach into the bargain bin, I’d pull out Matt Garza. He’s visiting a usually terrible Phillies offense. As a veteran, Garza is allowed to pitch deep into his outings – when he’s not getting hammered by the opposition. A sneaky 40 point night is within reach.

Stack Targets: Trevor Williams, Jeff Hoffman, Homer Bailey, Ubaldo Jimenez, James Shields, Andrew Moore, Jose Urena, Paul Blackburn, Ricky Nolasco, Jaime Garcia, Marco Estrada, Trevor Bauer

4. SaberSim Says…

Scherzer, Sale, Samardzija, Darvish, and Aaron Nola are the top ranked pitchers. I’m steering clear of Nola, mostly because the Brewers offense is quite volatile. If he cost $7,100, that’s exactly the sort of gamble that wins tournaments. Unfortunately, he costs $9,100 which means I can roster a comparable pitcher for less money. Or pay slightly more for Darvish.

Hitters include Giancarlo Stanton, Joey Votto, Bryce Harper, Starling Marte, and Charlie Blackmon. I get that the Pirates are visiting Coors Field, but Marte isn’t that good. Zack Granite, Brian McCann, Josh Reddick, and Alex Avila are some of the best values.

5. The Daily Grind Invitational

DraftKings leader jschweitzer joined us on FanDuel for a victory. He combined some very productive Baltimore bats with Luis Severino. Leaderboard.

One more on FanDuel.