The Daily Grind: No Sale On Sale

Why didn’t anybody tell me “Waiver Wars” is a better name than “Streaming Wars?” Anyway, I’m calling it Waiver Wars now. It’s the same content.

AGENDA

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

1. The Daily Grind Invitational

Due to a long drive, I wasn’t involved in what I can only assume was a massively overlayed Thursday contest. Could somebody send me 1. the top five performers 2. the number of entrants. Grazi. Leaderboard.

And guess what? We’re 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

The Mariners-Rangers game is an endangered species. It’ll go extinct well before contests lock. Pittsburgh is also at some risk for a storm interruption. As of now, a mid-game delay is more likely than outright postponement.

3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse

Main Slate: Jacob deGrom is the big name in our 14 games evening contest. The Cubs and White Sox battle for Chicago during the afternoon. Anyway, back to deGrom. He looks like a modest bargain for $24,300. deGrom is opposed by Joe Ross ($11,100) and the Nationals. Aside from failing to record a strikeout, Ross looked decent in his 2018 debut last week. I think he’s playable at this price.

Next up is Gerrit Cole ($22,900) who’s also reasonably priced opposite a cheap Andrew Heaney ($15,500). The Angels southpaw is inexpensive because of the matchup. Obviously. Cole seems like a safe play after the Angels melted under the harsh Oakland sun yesterday.

Chris Sale tossed three innings last time out. He may be up to four or five innings this time. Not worth it for $21,400. Trevor Bauer ($19,400) is also unplayable due to an anticipated abbreviated outing.

German Marquez ($20,700) is visiting Zack Greinke ($18,800). As much as I’ve enjoyed riding Marquez’s hot streak to a healthy pot of gold, we’ve reached the end of the line when he costs more than Greinke at Chase Field.

Rich Hill ($18,500) is on a long streak of solid performances. A high strikeout game could be in the offing. However, I’m not terribly keen about this price tag. Nor do I care for Eric Lauer ($11,300).

I forgot to eat breakfast. That’s why I’m hungry.

Madison Bumgarner has proven to be frustrating this season. I’m inclined to roll the dice on a rebound at Busch Stadium. He’ll cost $17,900. John Gant ($13,600) is a hefty regression candidate, but his funky approach could thwart a useless Giants lineup.

Down in bargain country, Sean Reid-Foley has mixed in a couple sparkling gems to otherwise bad performances. He’s a decent GPP play for $13,000.

Other pitchers worthy of consideration include Jose Berrios ($17,800), Luis Castillo ($17,000), Julio Teheran ($16,200), CC Sabathia ($14,500), and that’s it.

Stack Targets: Yefry Ramirez, Lauer, Francisco Liriano, Sean Reid-Foley, Ian Kennedy, Ivan Nova, Wei-Yin Chen, Nick Pivetta

I skipped Erasmo Ramirez and Ariel Jurado for rain reasons

4. SaberSim Says…

Hill, Cole, deGrom, Sale, and Castillo are the preferred arms tonight. That was… unexpected. Top values include Gant, Hill, and Sabathia. Nelson Cruz, Aaron Judge, Mitch Haniger, Ronald Acuna, and Christian Yelich are the top bats. Be careful with Judge. Bargain hunters can turn to Christin Stewart, Jay Bruce, Victor Martinez, Jim Adduci, and Hunter Dozier.

5. Fun

Do it all.

Have a day.

Play in the dirt.

(I break down this last clip for Surreal MLB)

6. Bonus

For the pure gamblers out there, friend of the column Matt Meiselman evaluates the early line movement for today’s action. I regularly consult with Matt for information from Vegas.