The Daily Grind: Scherzzz

Ahoy there, the Streaming Wars are back. A rare instance when war is good for something.

AGENDA

1. TDG Invitational
2. Weather Reports
3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse
4. SaberSim Says…
5. More Evidence Against The DH

1. The Daily Grind Invitational

Clayton Kershaw was the red herring. Our winner, sjm26b opted for a 4.4 point upgrade on Kershaw by taking Dylan Bundy. Then he also picked Manny Machado, Justin Upton, J.D. Martinez, and Nelson Cruz. The result was a nice easy win. Congrats and Leaderboard.

Guess what? We’re playing on FantasyDraft tonight. 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

Watch out for storms in Baltimore. A delay is more likely than a postponement.

3. Pitchers to Use and Abuse

Main Slate: It’s a bruiser of a slate with all 15 games on the docket. Max Scherzer is far and away the best arm available, although it’s not like we’re bereft of choices if $26,400 proves too costly. Scherzer is usually well worth the price of admission. The challenge is determining if he’s going to be over-owned. With no clear cut second ace in the contest, I’m going to guess he’s around 40 percent owned on FantasyDraft (which is too high).

Next on the list is Masahiro Tanaka ($22,500). He’s hosting the Blue Jays. For a second straight season, Tanaka appears to be finishing on a high note. He’s coming off an eight-inning gem against the Mariners. Despite some positive signs, I’m unlikely to use him. I’d rather find another $3,900 for the upgrade to Scherzer – or go much cheaper.

Walker Buehler ($19,400) is visiting Jack Flaherty ($18,800). They’re the third and fourth most expensive. It’s a shame they cancel each other out. I prefer the Buehler side of the equation – he’s considerably more talented. Not that Flaherty is a stiff – he’s a quality pitcher too.

Jose Berrios ($18,000) has just two good outings over his last eight appearances. They both came against the Royals. Guess who he plays tonight? He’ll probably return some value.

Noah Syndergaard ($17,600) is heavily discounted because he’s visiting the Red Sox. Thor is having a strange season. Even the Phillies got to him last week. I figure this is probably par value in Boston. Sure, there’s upside for an ace quality outing, but most plausible outcomes are likely to be disappointing.

Matt Boyd ($16,400) is overpriced for a matchup against the Indians. It’s because he’s set to face homer prone Josh Tomlin. Don’t fall for the hype. Or lack of hype. Who said anything about hype?

Matt Shoemaker ($14,600) has looked good since returning from the disabled list. He’ll probably post 10 to 20 points opposite the Mariners. And hey look, that’s how he’s priced!

Chris Archer ($13,900) looks like a modest bargain in a visit to Milwaukee. It’s a tough matchup at a hitter’s venue, but Archer still has as much upside as Syndergaard with equivalent potential to disappoint us. However, he’s also much cheaper than Thor.

Stack Targets: Connor Sadzeck, Roenis Elias, Robbie Erlin, Marco Estrada, Luis Ortiz, Hector Velazquez, Tomlin, Jorge Lopez

4. SaberSim Says…

Scherzer, Cole Hamels, Berrios, Tyler Anderson, and Archer are the top rated pitchers. I completely missed Anderson ($13,100). He’s a fine play at AT&T Park. I’m not so keen about Hamels. Playable values include Anderson, Archer, Chris Stratton, and Gio Gonzalez. Mike Trout, Giancarlo Stanton, Rhys Hoskins, Jose Ramirez, and Andrew McCutchen are the preferred bats. Bargain hunters will notice, Logan Forsythe, Chris Davis, Mike Zunino, Daniel Murphy, and DJ Stewart.

5.More Evidence Against The DH

When an automatic out isn’t an automatic out.

Javier Baez shows us up.

Who needs a designated hitter.

I mean seriously, who needs it (link only).