The Daily Grind: My Grapes, They Are Sour

The Dodgers decision not to start Kyle Garlick led to a chain reaction of roster tinkering that cost me over 60 points. I would have finished second in TDGI – even with a toasted Garlick. My grapes, they are sour.

AGENDA

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

1.The Daily Grind Invitational

Unlike me, yisman overcame a -9.8 point performance from David Price. However, that was his second-place roster. Yisman also won the contest by pairing Jacob deGrom, Jack Flaherty, Charlie Blackmon, and Manny Machado. Sometimes the obvious plays (i.e. Coors Field) are the best plays. Congrats and Leaderboard.

We’re doing our usual thing on FantasyDraft. See ya there.

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

Nothing to see here.

3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse

Gerrit Cole ($22,900) is the top priced pitcher which makes perfect sense since the Blue Jays have one of the worst offenses. Both overall and especially against right-handed pitching.

The other ace of the slate, Max Scherzer ($22,100) looks like a slightly more attractive play to me. He’ll host the Diamondbacks. I see a similar floor and mean outcome with a more accessible ceiling for Scherzer. Mostly, I’m splitting hairs, these are both excellent matchups and values. I’ll probably avoid Robbie Ray ($19,800) only because he’s priced rather aggressively. If you’re feeling contrarian tonight, he makes sense as an ace.

Speaking of overpriced, I’m not touching Lucas Giolito ($21,500) at home against the Yankees. It’s funny though that Giolito and Glasnow’s careers have almost mirrored. First they were indistinguishable as top pitching prospects, then they were both comparably terrible, and now they’re looking like studly studs again. Anyway, I prefer the CC Sabathia ($14,500) side of this matchup if we’re hunting value.

I don’t know why Blake Snell ($19,500) costs so little. I haven’t observed FDraft discounting teams against the Angels even I usually mentally adjust away at least one expected strikeout. Despite the Angels penchant for making contact, this is a very playable price. I also like Andrew Heaney ($16,800) tonight. The Rays are a roughly league-average offense against southpaws.

Nick Pivetta ($17,200) has turned in a couple zesty outings since returning from a minor league tune up. The Braves are a difficult opponent, but at least the game isn’t at Citizen’s Bank Park. I see a lot of hype for Max Fried ($14,000) and I simply don’t get it. He’s not for me.

Eduardo Rodriguez ($15,500) has a win bonus in his pocket. All he need do is toss five or more innings to collect it. Hopefully he’ll also strike out over a batter per inning.

Steven Matz ($14,000) also records over a punch out per frame. He’s set to face what looks like a loaded Cardinals offense. I mention this because I was called out yesterday for describing them as a challenging matchup. I tend to think they will be a challenging matchup, but it’s also true they haven’t been one.

This week on the hit show Boring Pitchers Are Relevant When Facing The Giants, Zach Davies ($13,700) wanders into Oracle Park and walks away with upwards of 20 points. Wholesome fun for the entire family.

I know Marco Gonzales is riding the struggle bus. A $10,100 price tag seems aggressively low. He almost can’t help providing decent value. Ditto Aaron Sanchez for a measly $9,400. They face the Athletics and Astros respectively. One last bargain to consider is Tyler Mahle ($13,200). He should receive plentiful run support.

Favorite Plays: Scherzer, Cole, Heaney, Pivetta, ERod, Matz

Yea, I can’t seem to decide today. What of it?

Stack Targets: Gonzalez, Ryan Carpenter, Shelby Miller, Sanchez, Dan Straily, Cal Quantrill, Jeff Hoffman, Drew Pomeranz, Steven Brault, Fried

4. SaberSim Says…

Cole, Scherzer, Snell, Rich Hill, and Heaney are the top-rated arms. I decided to steer clear of Kyle Hendricks at Hill. Too much offense. As for the bargains, Mahle, Matz, Scherzer, Cole, and ERod top the charts. Go to Coors for your hitters – Charlie Blackmon, David Dahl, Trevor Story, Nolan Arenado, and J.D. Martinez are best. Valueland is headlined by Jack Mayfield, Jose Ramirez (yes, that Jose Ramirez), Austin Dean, Jason Kipnis, and Christin Stewart.

5.First Pitch

It’s surprising to me that Ichiro never hit a cycle. His skill set was so well-suited to cycling.

Cavan Biggio was one of my most vociferous recommendations yesterday so I was happy to see this performance.

Just a little ceremonial first pitch note: If you’re not sure you can throw the ball straight, it’s ok to take the pitch from the grass in front of the mound.