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Grab Dodgers bats in daily fantasy for Aug. 26 – ESPN
Starting pitcher projected Game Scores for August 26 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Statistics | Past 21 Days | ||||||||||
| GS | Team | Name | T | Opp | W-L | ERA | WHIP | W-L | ERA | WHIP | |
| 75 |  |
Chris Sale | L | Bos | 12-7 | 3.34 | 1.03 | 3-1 | 4.05 | 0.90 | |
| 75 |  |
Max Scherzer | R | SD | 11-10 | 2.79 | 0.93 | 0-2 | 6.86 | 1.62 | |
| 74 |  |
Carlos Carrasco | R | Mil | 12-9 | 3.53 | 1.06 | 1-1 | 1.47 | 0.68 | |
| 69 |  |
Felix Hernandez | R | Oak | 14-8 | 3.74 | 1.23 | 2-2 | 8.18 | 1.91 | |
| 68 |  |
David Price | L | @Tex | 12-4 | 2.40 | 1.08 | 3-0 | 1.78 | 0.96 | |
| 68 |  |
Johnny Cueto | R | Bal | 9-8 | 2.70 | 0.98 | 2-2 | 2.70 | 1.07 | |
| 66 |  |
Chris Archer | R | Min | 11-9 | 2.77 | 1.01 | 2-1 | 3.95 | 1.13 | |
| 60 |  |
Tyson Ross | R | @Wsh | 8-9 | 3.32 | 1.38 | 1-1 | 3.00 | 1.38 | |
| 59 |  |
Michael Pineda | R | Hou | 9-7 | 3.97 | 1.22 | — | — | — | |
| 55 |  |
Chris Bassitt | R | @Sea | 1-5 | 2.48 | 1.03 | 1-1 | 1.59 | 0.92 | |
| 54 |  |
Collin McHugh | R | @NYY | 13-7 | 3.96 | 1.28 | 0-2 | 1.80 | 1.05 | |
| 53 |  |
John Lackey | R | @Ari | 10-8 | 2.99 | 1.20 | 1-2 | 4.10 | 1.29 | |
| 52 |  |
Justin Verlander | R | LAA | 1-6 | 3.86 | 1.16 | 0-3 | 2.00 | 1.00 | |
| 52 |  |
Jimmy Nelson | R | @Cle | 10-9 | 3.60 | 1.22 | 2-0 | 2.81 | 1.01 | |
| 50 |  |
Bartolo Colon | R | @Phi | 10-11 | 4.90 | 1.30 | 1-1 | 4.62 | 1.34 | |
| 49 |  |
Shelby Miller | R | Col | 5-10 | 2.50 | 1.17 | 0-2 | 2.84 | 1.22 | |
| 49 |  |
Kyle Hendricks | R | @SF | 6-5 | 4.03 | 1.22 | 1-0 | 7.24 | 1.90 | |
| 48 |  |
Jake Peavy | R | ChC | 3-6 | 4.35 | 1.29 | 1-2 | 4.76 | 1.41 | |
| 48 |  |
Hector Santiago | L | @Det | 7-7 | 2.91 | 1.17 | 0-2 | 4.09 | 1.09 | |
| 48 |  |
Tyler Duffey | R | @TB | 2-1 | 4.60 | 1.47 | 2-1 | 4.60 | 1.47 | |
| 47 |  |
Wei-Yin Chen | L | @KC | 7-6 | 3.13 | 1.19 | 2-0 | 2.59 | 1.23 | |
| 47 |  |
Jerad Eickhoff | R | NYM | 1-0 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 1-0 | 0.00 | 1.00 | |
| 46 |  |
Brett Anderson | L | @Cin | 7-8 | 3.52 | 1.32 | 2-2 | 5.48 | 1.48 | |
| 46 |  |
Rick Porcello | R | @CWS | 5-11 | 5.81 | 1.44 | — | — | — | |
| 45 |  |
Yohan Flande | L | @Atl | 3-1 | 3.94 | 1.20 | 2-0 | 4.34 | 1.18 | |
| 45 |  |
Colby Lewis | R | Tor | 14-5 | 4.29 | 1.18 | 3-1 | 3.67 | 1.15 | |
| 44 |  |
Jeff Locke | L | @Mia | 6-8 | 4.56 | 1.44 | 0-2 | 6.43 | 1.57 | |
| 44 |  |
Patrick Corbin | L | StL | 3-3 | 4.09 | 1.32 | 1-0 | 5.63 | 1.88 | |
| 43 |  |
Kendry Flores | R | Pit | 1-2 | 4.97 | 1.58 | 1-2 | 7.00 | 1.67 | |
| 39 |  |
David Holmberg | L | LAD | 1-3 | 6.57 | 1.74 | 0-3 | 7.71 | 1.87 | |
| GS: The pitcher’s projected “Game Score,” from Bill James’ original formula, which accounts for past history (three years’ worth as well as past 21 days), opponent and ballpark. A Game Score of 50 typically is typically regarded a quality start; anything over 70 is exceptional, anything under 30 poor. A “*” means that the author has adjusted projections. T: Pitcher throws left-handed or right-handed. Opp: The pitcher’s opponent for the day. W-L: Pitcher’s win-loss record. ERA: Pitcher’s earned run average. WHIP: Pitcher’s average number of walks plus hits surrendered per inning. | |||||||||||
Elite
What a slate: seven aces, one ace short of a pinochle deck. Our Game Score rankings do a pretty good job of ordering the hurlers by skills. Therefore it would take a particularly favorable scenario to jump someone from the bottom of the list to the top. Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Chris Archer has the softest matchup of the group along with enjoying the significant home field advantage Tropicana Field provides. The Minnesota Twins visit St. Petersburg, toting an elevated 23 percent whiff rate and a vapid .279 weighted on-base average (wOBA) against right-handers. Both of these are the worst marks of the seven opposing offenses in their respective scenarios rendering Archer the top chalk play for both cash and tournament play.
The next best setup belongs to Johnny Cueto as the Kansas City Royals host the Baltimore Orioles. This is an intriguing call since the perception is the Orioles have a potent attack but they do most of their damage at home as evidenced by a .301 road wOBA against righties in tandem with a high 24 percent whiff rate.
Carlos Carrasco takes the third spot as he and the Cleveland Indians entertain the Milwaukee Brewers. For the season the Brewers sport a league average wOBA and strikeout rate against righties when away from Miller Park, however since the All-Star break that slips to a weak .274 wOBA and jumps to a generous 24 percent whiff clip.
Conspicuously absent from the top three are the two highest ranked pitchers according to projected Game Score, Chris Sale and Max Scherzer. Keeping Sale from higher consideration is facing a Boston Red Sox squad that’s been scoring a lot of runs as of late while Scherzer quite frankly hasn’t thrown the ball well lately. Also missing is Felix Hernandez, another ace scuffling as of late. All three are capable of dominating any opponent at any time but on this day take a back seat to a trio of arms more deserved of a DFS roster spot. The final ace is David Price, who’s the only starter taking the hill in a road tilt as the Toronto Blue Jays visit Arlington to face the Texas Rangers. The Rangers fan at a league average rate but handle southpaws well, especially since the break as witnessed by a huge .399 wOBA.
Solid
He has only one win to show for it but since July 24, Justin Verlander has pitched quite well, tossing 43 innings with 37 punch outs to only six bases on balls. Over those six outings, the right-hander has allowed more than one run just once. Next on the docket for the Detroit Tigers veteran is a home encounter with the Los Angeles Angels. The Halos don’t provide Verlander with appreciable strikeout upside but their .298 wOBA on the road when facing righties yields him as a solid cash game option.
While Chris Bassitt has enjoyed some good fortune with respect to batting average on balls in play and home run per fly ball, his peripherals suggest that once his luck turns he’ll still be solid. Next up for the Oakland Athletics right-hander is a road date with the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners have hit righties hard since the break but also offer some strikeout upside. There’s some risk but Bassitt profiles as a solid option for either cash or GPP play, especially on two-pitcher DFS sites.
The wild card on the ledger is Michael Pineda making his first start since July 24, missing time with a sore forearm. The opponent is the Houston Astros and their bloated strikeout rate though to be fair, since the All-Star break they’ve been whiffing at a below average clip.
Streamers
Hot Spots
On one hand, a 2.50 ERA should have resulted in more wins for Shelby Miller. On the other, his actual ERA is about a run lower than it should be based on a 3.28 FIP and 3.85 xFIP. Regardless, he’s worthy of a start with the Colorado Rockies opposing the Atlanta Braves in Turner Field.
The logical reason Miller’s victory trails that of some relievers is a lack of run support. As such, not only is Miller a streaming candidate but so is his mound foe, Yohan Flande. Some may point to the Colorado Rockies southpaw’s numbers being better at home, but when home is Coors Field, it’s safe to assume that won’t last. What’s important is the Braves offense is below average versus left-handers.
Cold Streams
The great — and frustrating — thing about baseball is a couple of the lower ranked pitchers are going to throw gems, but the problem is none of the remaining games provide a tangible hint where those many emanate. Each one has something that elevates the risk above that of a usual streaming option (which by definition has some intrinsic risk or else it would be a solid option. As always, please feel free to pose specific questions in the comments for the tweeners not discussed. With that said, the only option without a plausible means to contribute is David Holmberg taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Colby Lewis, Wei-Yin Chen and Patrick Corbin concern me a lot, but I can conjure some scenarios where I’d use them.