The Daily Grind: How To Ring A Bell

Ding, Ding, Ding. That’s how to ring a bell. But how does one ring a Josh Bell. Tune in to find out.

AGENDA

1. TDG Invitational
2. Weather Reports
3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse
4. SaberSim Says…
5. How To Ring A Bell

1.The Daily Grind Invitational

Great news, we’ve shaken off the rust. We’re back on FantasyDraft for a no rake GPP. It’s $2 with 52 spots and a max of two entries per person. It might fill fast so claim your spots early. See ya tonight.

Congrats to PacingPete for winning our brief foray back to DraftKings. He combined Brad Peacock and Julio Urias with an effective Mariners stack and Ronald Acuna. It was a low scoring night.

If you have not signed up for FantasyDraft, please use this referral link for tracking purposes. If I understand properly, by using the referral, you will receive a 10 percent return on any rakes you pay.

2. Weather Reports

Light rain and cold weather could spoil Max Scherzer’s outing. We might see both clubs roll out the backup crew if they opt to play through the sprinkles. Oakland has a modest risk of rain too. As always, check back later. In both cases, the forecast improve. Or not.

3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse

The aces are back led by Max Scherzer ($22,800) versus the Phillies. His opponent and the ready availability of alternate aces could make Scherzer a low-owned pitcher. I’ll consider using him. His opponent, Zach Eflin ($12,700), probably deserves slightly more respect than his current price tag. That said, it’s a very uphill battle to victory.

Justin Verlander ($22,400) will be the popular one. He’s visiting Shelby Miller and the Rangers. His odds of a win are probably over 50 percent (we’ll see what SaberSim says). Need I say more? Nah.

Chris Sale’s ($20,500) shaky debut and intentionally withheld velocity have everybody in a tizzy. And frankly, I’m probably out for tonight versus the Athletics. It’s a tenacious lineup with much the same characteristics as the Mariners unit that torched him last week.

Blake Snell ($18,500) is going to be hugely popular – mostly because he’s a $22,000-quality pitcher at an enormous discount. He’s not even facing a tough opponent. If Kyle Freeland ($15,100) were a Yankee, we’d still use Snell at this price. Even at Yankee Stadium. And the Yankees lineup is far more intimidating than the Rockies (at least it was before half the lineup hit the injured list). In any case, everyone is going to love Snell tonight.

Jose Berrios ($18,700) won’t slip through the cracks, but the availability of Verlander and Snell could keep Berrios’ ownership to a sane rate. A matchup against the Royals is pure gold. I also don’t hate the Brad Keller ($13,600) side of the coin. I expect him to post something in the neighborhood of 15 points, marking him as a modest bargain.

Like Berrios, Hyun-Jin Ryu ($17,700) will be used. Just not as much as an easy pairing against the Giants would usually imply. Some DFSers with long memories might run away from Madison Bumgarner ($16,900). Hell, they might even use him. I’ll pass.

Others to consider in bargain territory include Marcus Stroman ($16,300) versus the Orioles, Zack Greinke ($14,700) at Eric Lauer ($14,700), and Trevor Cahill ($12,700) at Marco Gonzales ($11,800). Stroman had an encouraging 2019 debut. Plus… the Orioles. Greinke was a mess last week, but he’s succeeded with sub-90 mph velocity for a couple years now. Lauer was pulled after 70 pitches. I think he’ll be carefully managed, thus I’m out. Cahill has an apparently tricky matchup. Who knew? Gonzales is mostly tasked with avoiding Mike Trout.

Favorite Plays: Verlander, Snell, Berrios, Ryu, Cahill

I suppose I’m looking at two natural pairings tonight. Verlander and Cahill or pick two of the others. Now you know my plan, what’s yours?

Stack Targets: Andrew Trashner, Miller, Eflin, Mike Fiers, Greinke

Yea, I said good things about Eflin and suggested maybe we shouldn’t panic about Greinke. However, Eflin has to contend with weather, Scherzer, and a stacked Nationals lineup. That could turn sideways fast. Then again, the Phillies bullpen is one of the best in the league. As for Greinke, if he’s still in homer mode, skipping a Padres stack will cost you stacks of cash.

Apparently, David Hess was far too much for the piteous Bleu Cheese offense so maybe Andrew Cashner will prove to be as well. Hess, for what it’s worth, was sitting two mph above last season.

4. SaberSim Says…

Sale, Scherzer, Snell, Verlander, and Greinke top the charts for the Sim. Machines don’t care about one start or missing velocity. Values include Jason Vargas, Cashner, Greinke, Cahill, and Gonzales. Well, the end of the list went as expected, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I grabbed a couple Vargas shares to use against the Marlins.

5. How To Ring A Bell

Presented without comment.