The Daily Grind: Necrotizing Scherzeritis

Jaime Barria has one of the most singable names in the league ~hi MAY bar EE UH! ~. He’s also one of the top waiver wire targets covered in the latest Streaming Wars.

AGENDA

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

1. The Daily Grind Invitational

We felt the wrath of Perge yesterday. Trevor Bauer, Wei-Yin Chen, Mike Zunino, and Edwin Encarnacion fueled the victory. Overall, it was a low scoring contest led by a host of pitchers. Congrats and Leaderboard.

Last night, for the first time since early June, we filled the Invitational. That’s good news – we want to be invited back next year. Today’s contest on FantasyDraft features the normal parameters – $2, no rake, and 52 entries. Remember, even if the contest fills, the expected value of an entry will never be lower than the actual cost of the entry. No rake baby! It’s the best deal in DFS.

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

Storms could muck around with the Braves and Nationals doubleheader. Cleveland and Chicago aren’t 100 percent safe either, although the reports aren’t too scary at this time. Check again later.

3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse

Main Slate: We have a 14 game slate tonight. Max Scherzer ($26,900) is tasked with anchoring the doubleheader. He’s opposed by Sean Newcomb ($20,300). From the vantage point of 9:40am, Scherzer definitely seems like the better play. Newcomb – usually a high risk, high reward dice roll – appears horrifically overpriced. I figure he should cost $16,000. The outcome of the first game could affect the value of either pitcher – especially if key hitters are taking a rest in the nightcap.

Carlos Carrasco ($22,200) is coming off a 7.1 inning, 10 strikeout performance against the Twins. He’s set to face… the Twins. Well, we know he can post some tasty point totals. I find Carrasco’s ownership is usually lower than I expected. Perhaps because he’s burned everybody a few too many times. He’s opposed by Adalberto Mejia who’s kind of bargain brand interesting for $10,100. He has decent swing-and-miss stuff. It’s yet to translate to major league success.

Zack Greinke ($19,400) hosting Nick Pivetta ($16,000) figures to be popular for so many reasons. Greinke is a solid bargain at this price. He’s one of the few pitchers capable of tossing a complete game (he hasn’t, but it’s an option). Pivetta won’t go more than six or seven innings, but he could reach double-digit strikeouts in the process. Lately, he’s been extremely homer prone which offers an opportunity to profit from another DBacks double-dong.

Rich Hill ($18,700) is back. The southpaw looked cooked earlier this year. He’s rebounded since returning from the disabled list, posting point totals ranging from the mid-teens to low-30s. He might get a few extra outs with the designated hitter in play. Then again, the Athletics are hot hot hot. I’d avoid Sean Manaea ($17,800).

And now, some pitchers with easy matchups. Miles Mikolas ($18,100) is visiting the Marlins. Andrew Heaney ($17,300) hosts the Tigers in what should be an auto-win. I suspect he’ll be the most popular pitcher. Chase Anderson ($15,000) is also playing host – he faces the Padres. CC Sabathia (14,700) is on the road against the White Sox. High floor, no ceiling worm burner Mike Montgomery is kicking in KC.

Stack Targets: Jacob Turner, Bartolo Colon, Alex Cobb, Chad Bettis, Jason Vargas, Clayton Richard, Sal Romano, Pablo Lopez, Brad Keller, Felix Hernandez, Drew Pomeranz

Remember Turner? He’s back with the Tigers. He’s also the reason Heaney has already been credited with the victory.

4. SaberSim Says…

Scherzer, Tyler Glasnow, Carrasco, Greinke, and Anderson are the top rated arms. Mikolas and Heaney are just outside the top five. Ignore that Glasnow recommendation. It relies on a six inning projection. He’ll actually throw something like 3.2 frames. Playable values include Anderson, Greinke, Bettis, and Mejia.

The hitter side of the ledger is headlined by Nelson Cruz in a return to his old Texas stomping grounds. He’s joined by Corey Dickerson, Justin Upton, Giancarlo Stanton, and Starling Marte. JUpton is one of the top values too along with Brandon Lowe, Jeff McNeil, and Amed Rosario.

5. FanEx Offer

The folks behind FanEx – a sports-based financial exchange – are offering a $10 bonus to new users. It’s not DFS nor is it traditional fantasy. Instead, you trade player stock. I’m planning to offer some FanEx content through my Patreon, and I’ve detailed more about the site and their offer in this introductory post.

In short, their product is very new. In software parlance, it’s an alpha. They need users to give feedback and to help them improve. While they’re offering me a piddling amount of money for recruiting users (seriously, like 50 cents for 10), I’m playing along because the concept is interesting. If it works out, we’ll have an advantage as early adopters who helped set the rules of the site. If it fizzles, well we only risked $10.

Remember, you have to tell me if you join or else you won’t get the $10 bonus.