The Daily Grind: Martinezes Unite!
For now we Grind. Later we chat.
AGENDA
- Something Something Martinez
- Weather Reports
- Pitchers to Use and Abuse
- SaberSim Says…
- TDG Invitational Returns!
1. Something Something Martinez
Perhaps you’ve heard that J.D. Martinez did something impressive yesterday.
Martinez joins Scooter Gennett in the exclusive four-homers-in-2017 club. Elsewhere, Carlos Martinez tossed a complete game shutout. Go Martinezes!
2. Weather Reports
Two venues are at risk of postponement today. Baltimore and Atlanta have a fairly high risk of storms, but there’s a chance they’ll miss the actual ballpark and/or clear out in time for a game. In New York, late storms could bring about an early end to a meaningless game against the Phillies.
3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse
Main Slate: Jacob deGrom is the priciest pitcher thanks to a soft matchup against Ben Lively and the Phillies. Philadelphia blew through the bullpen yesterday so they’re at risk of another meltdown. deGrom isn’t an ideal pitcher for a $12,600 price tag – he’s more of a $10,500 guy. While he has more than his share of 35 DK point performances (i.e. very good), the majority of his outings are in the 10 to 20 point range (i.e. $7,500 quality).
Stephen Strasburg is coming off a complete game masterpiece. He’ll be very popular in his matchup against Odrisamer Despaigne. A win is likely. Elsewhere in ace-land, Justin Verlander is making his Astros debut opposite Ariel Miranda. He’ll be popular too.
Kyle Hendricks has been better than you think, and he’s visiting pitcher friendly PNC Park. The Pirates offense has very little to fear. Hendricks’ command is in Maddux-mode.
Don’t fall for Danny Salazar. Yes, the matchup against the White Sox couldn’t be better, but he’s doomed to have a short outing. Similarly, Garrett Richards is very talented, has a good matchup opposite the Athletics, and probably won’t pitch beyond the fifth inning.
Robert Stephenson represents the maximum in volatility. He’s a homer prone strikeout pitcher hosting a powerful, strikeout prone offense at the Greatest American Smallpark. Everything points to either 10 strikeouts, four home runs, or both.
A whole slew of other pitchers are worth a try. That’s how a 15 game slate should look. Steven Brault was quite good in the minors and costs just $5,000. He could surprise versus the Cubbies. Jason Vargas, Miguel Gonzalez, Eduardo Rodriguez, Marco Estrada, and Michael Wacha are all $7,000 or less.
Stack Targets: Brault, Despaigne, Lively, Ty Blach, David Holmberg, Anibal Sanchez, Ariel Miranda, Tyler Chatwood, Jeremy Hellickson, Travis Wood, Bartolo Colon, Stephenson, Julio Teheran
4. SaberSim Says…
deGrom, Salazar, Strasburg, Verlander, and Zack Greinke are the top rated arms. I ignored Greinke because of his price and a pairing against the Dodgers. As I warned, be wary of Salazar. SaberSim has him projected over six innings which is flat out wrong.
Bats include Nolan Arenado, Edwin Encarnacion, Mike Trout, Charlie Blackmon, and Mark Reynolds. Ozzie Albies, Nick Williams, Greg Bird, Steve Pearce, and Max Moroff are some of the best values.
5. The Daily Grind Invitational
Yesterday’s attempt at a mini-contest didn’t get off the ground. We’ll return to DraftKings today for a 20 user contest. Tuesdays seem to be the one day that fill.
You can follow me on twitter @BaseballATeam
Greinke may or may not be the right choice but the Dodgers are not currently to feared. They have a .303 wOBA over the last 30 days and .290 over the last 14 days. They were decimated by Robbie Ray last night – forget about runs or hits, they only managed 6 balls in play the 1st 6 innings. Greinke faced the Dodgers just last week and went 6 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 HR, 6 K, 2 BB as the DBacks coasted to an easy 8-1 win.