Not gonna beat around the bush today, got a lot on my plate today, so not much of a narrative for this Hump Day.
Today we have a split slate of games, the usual Wednesday baseball. As usual, we will only focus on the night set of games, which features some stud pitchers in great situations and no Coors. The Yankees/Rangers game looks like it could be the top option for a high-scoring affair, but more on that later.
Don’t forget to check out dailybaseballdata.com for all BvP data for all MLB teams.
Brett Gardner – OF – Yankees – vs. Nick Martinez
BvP: 4-for-6, 2 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SB
Analysis: I believe the Yanks bats are the likely chalk in cash games and GPPs, and rightfully so. Let me tell you this now – Nick Martinez sucks. Plain and simple. Here’s how things are going for him this year.
| wOBA vs. L | Avg. vs. L | Hard vs. L | HR/9 vs. L | wOBA vs. R | Avg. vs. R | Hard vs. R | HR/9 vs. R | K/9 | GB/FB | BABIP | ERA | xFIP | SIERA |
| 0.415 | 0.316 | 35.3 % | 2.08 | 0.383 | 0.303 | 23.3 % | 1.04 | 3.46 | 2.08 | 0.311 | 5.54 | 6.59 | 5.81 |
As you can see, he’s cannon fodder. I like that term better than gas cans, so I might just stick with that. Anyway, Gardner has had his number early on and Martinez hasn’t gotten better against anyone and the short porch in right is a perfect place for Brett to park a bomb into the seats.
Jose Abreu – 1B – White Sox – vs. Ricky Nolasco
BvP: 4-for-11, 1 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Analysis: Abreu is not the greatest hitter against lefties. For whatever reason, that’s not his forte and people haven’t figured that out. I expect his .323 wOBA versus RH pitching overlooked tonight against another arm full of fodder in Ricky Nolasco. At home in a hitter’s park against Nolasco, who sports a .329 wOBA vs. right-handed bats. He’s also allowing 1.1 HR/9 to the same hand. White Sox are a sneaky play tonight and Abreu could lead the pack.
Eduardo Nunez – 3B/SS – Twins – vs. James Shields
BvP: 10-for-23, 1 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SB
Analysis: Facepalm. That’s what I do when I see James Shields on the slate. I should get excited that he’s here because he’s probably been the worst pitcher of anyone on the slate the past month and a half. Something isn’t right with him or he has the yips. Whatever it is, Eduardo Nunez should feast as should the Twins against Shields, who has allowed 34 runs in his last 5 starts. Yes, THIRTY FOUR RUNS! Get those Twinkies in your lineups because there should be lots of cream filling inside of them! That sounded really bad…
David Freese – 3B and Starling Marte – OF – Pirates – vs. Wade Miley
Freese BvP: 3-for-10, 2 BB
Marte BvP: 5-for-13, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Analysis: The BvP options are thin for the night slate, so I feel like I’ve had to scramble to find a few more picks to round out a full night of picks. Wade Miley isn’t the greatest of lefties, but the Pirates have been so spare of late. The only problem with this little BvP stack is that Miley is coming off the DL, so he may not be allowed to throw a full allotment of pitches. Hopefully, he doesn’t pitch much because these two have feasted. Marte is starting to feel it at the plate with 5 hits in the past four games. Freese has managed a few walks and three singles, but no power yet. I am hoping he’s due to launch one out despite the pitcher-friendly confines of SAFECO.
Max Scherzer – SP – Nationals – vs. Mets
PvB: 52-for-211, 12 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 25 RBI, 20 BB, 68 Ks
Analysis: All you need to know is the Mets are reeling. They are hurt and flailing at the plate. Once a RH monster of a lineup, now sees them in the bottom 10 offensively. Scherzer is Scherzer and double-digit strikeouts are likely at home. I don’t need to say much else to convince you that Scherzer is one of two top options on the slate.
Lastly, here’s tonight’s BvP lineup.
Analysis: Three yanks total with Manaea as my SP2. Couldn’t really fit any BvP plays with Max and Salazar together, so I didn’t want to be boring. Abreu not there, but don’t worry, I will have plenty of exposure to him tonight. Good luck all!
