The Daily Grind: Jose’s Favorite Cookies

And we’re back! Over six starters and (nearly) the entire Blue Jays lineup are my top waiver wire targets for tomorrow. Check out all my picks in Streaming Wars.

AGENDA

1. TDG Invitational
2. Weather Reports
3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse
4. SaberSim Says…
5. Cookies

1. The Daily Grind Invitational

Last Friday, omnist took the Invitational with no thanks to Masahiro Tanaka (-2.15 points). Instead, Mookie Betts, Allen Hanson, Andrew McCutchen, and Zach Eflin carried him to victory. Congrats and Leaderboard.

Any time I miss a day, participation in the Invitational goes way down. So take advantage of a likely large overlay. As always, we’re on FantasyDraft.

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

We have a storm watch in the northeast and Missouri. Baltimore and Philadelphia may have delayed starts. Current reports suggest the clouds will clear by 8:00pm, if not earlier. Kansas City and St. Louis are on more uncertain ground. Both games have a hint of postponement risk.

3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse

Main Slate: Fourteen games are in the main slate. Justin Verlander ($24,600) is the top billed arm. He hosts the Rockies – a team that generally crumples on the road. Lately, Verlander has ping-ponged between gems and disasters. If you like pretending patterns are real, he’s due for a gem. In a more general sense, I wouldn’t overreact to his terrible outing last week. He’s par value at this price.

I’m not keen to pay $22,900 for pitchers visiting Globe Life Park in mid-August. That’s the case with Pat Corbin. Many of Texas’ best hitters are left-handed so I like the matchup in a vacuum. I just have some concern about the park and price. Corbin should have an auto-win opposite Yovani Gallardo.

Corey Kluber ($22,100) is a steal despite visiting unfavorable Great American Ballpark. He appears to be over the mechanical troubles that led to a mid-season slump yet he’s still available at a discounted price. Like Corbin, Kluber is very likely to win this game.

James Paxton has is a little tougher against a hot Athletics roster. I view Paxton as an attractive volatility play. He’s as likely as the top three pitchers to produce the top point total, he’s just a little riskier on the downside.

Beyond the aces, we have a very healthy second tier of talented pitchers with good matchups. The priciest is J.A. Happ ($18,900) hosting the Rays. Remember, that means the game is at capricious Yankee Stadium.

In Philadelphia, volume play Rick Porcello ($18,000) is visiting strikeout guy Nick Pivetta ($14,900). Both sides of the equation lack a compelling narrative despite being usable. The best reason to try them is a low expected ownership. Pivetta is definitely more dangerous since the Red Sox aren’t especially strikeout prone.

Jameson Taillon ($17,700) finally isn’t underpriced. He’s still an attractive target against a diminished Twins offense. Since it’s a DH game, the Pirates need not worry about pinch hitters. Taillon is coming off a complete game. These days, it’s exceedingly rare to see a pitcher double up on long outings.

Others I’d consider using include Anibal Sanchez ($17,000), German Marquez ($15,800), Jaime Barria ($14,500), Trevor Richards ($14,000), and Gio Gonzalez ($13,600). Brett Kennedy flashed a few moments of brilliance despite a rough debut outing. There’s a chance he massively outperforms his $9,500 price tag.

Stack Targets: Kennedy, Jalen Beeks, Heath Fillmey, Sal Romano, Jason Vargas, Gallardo, Lucas Giolito, Andrew Cashner

4. SaberSim Says…

Verlander, Kluber, Paxton, Happ, and Corbin top the charts. Looks right to me. Kennedy, Alex Wood, Verlander, and Pivetta are playable bargains. On the hitting side, Paul Goldschmidt, J.D. Martinez, Freddie Freeman, Giancarlo Stanton, and Jose Ramirez lead the way. Bargain hunters should note Danny Jansen, Mike Mahtook, Jonathan Villar, and Franmil Reyes.

5. Cookies

Nick Castellanos is kind of lost on this bad Tigers team. I was hoping he’d get traded. Some of these swings tho…

I love watching all the cookies pitchers throw to Ramirez. This one is a rather plain sugar cookie.

In related Ramirez news, I called these “cloud cookies” as a kid. Ramirez doesn’t care for them.