MLB Cash Game Picks : 8-22-15

Pitcher

While Zack Greinke is a fine cash game play tonight, I would also like to highlight Sonny Gray. The A's right-hander is not that far off from Greinke style numbers on the season. He ranks third in ERA, ranks top 10 in ground-ball percentage, and does a great job of limiting walks and home runs. The A's are slightly favored more than the Dodgers tonight, and I like Gray's odds of picking up a win over Greinke's chances. The Astros offense can be boom-or-bust at times, while the Rays have continuously struggled against right-handed pitching. They rank 24th in wRC+ against right-handed pitching, and have a 21.9% strikeout rate. There is no doubt Greinke has been a Cy Young candidate, but Gray is also in the mix for the American League. I just feel a tad bit safer with Gray over Greinke this evening.

Defense really let down Carlos Martinez in his last start, with two errors, that should of been chalked up as unearned, but were not. He is going to get a cupcake matchup against the Padres tonight, and with the lack of SP2 options on DraftKings, he is your top option. He has the second highest strikeout rate on the night slate among starting pitchers, and the Cardinals are decent favorites. San Diego has a 92 wRC+ against right-handed pitching, with an above average strikeout rate of 21.6%. He picked up a win earlier in the season against the Friars, allowing one earned run over six innings. Martinez should be a lock for a nice quality start, and he has plenty of upside in the strikeout department.

Catcher

Matt Barnes was burned in his first start of 2015, allowing six earned runs. Barnes has been floating around the bullpen for Boston this year, and he's allowed a .417 wOBA to right-handed bats. Barnes has shown little ability to get outs, but does have a decent swinging strike rate. He is still young, but has some talent. I don't believe we see him shut down this Royals team tonight. Salvador Perez is an excellent cheap play tonight. He has a .330 wOBA, and a .199 ISO against right-handed pitching this season. Outside of Travis d'Arnaud, for the Mets, there are not a lot of worthy options behind the dish.

First Base

I am in love in Edwin Encarnacion's DraftKings price tonight, and he gets to face a lefty. It was a very slow first half for E5, but he has flipped the switch, with a .435 wOBA in the second half. His batted ball stats are very impressive over the last month, with a 26.3% line drive rate, and a 44.7% hard hit ball rate. Safe to say Encarnacion is locked and loaded as one of the top first base options again. All the Blue Jays prices are very cheap tonight on DraftKings, which is surprising given they face a lefty. Andrew Heaney has been good during his short time in the majors this season, but I just have more faith in the Jays' bats. On FanDuel, I will likely look towards Joey Votto as a cheaper option than Encarnacion.

Second Base

The Phillies could actually be a sneaky team tonight, as their offense has been clicking these last few weeks. I will grab the leadoff man in this game, Cesar Hernandez. He is an excellent value play and has hit lefties very well in 2015. He has a .360 wOBA off southpaws with a 130 wRC+. Justin Nicolino has allowed 11 runs in the last three games and has just a 4.4% swinging strike rate in four starts this year. Hernandez has been a reliable value play over the course of the season, and that .400 OBP against lefties provides a safe floor.

Third Base

Well the Mets took advantage of Coors last night, and today they will face a lefty, Chris Rusin. The lefty is coming off of a complete game shutout against the Padres, in Coors, but I doubt he repeats anything close to those numbers. He has allowed a career .360 wOBA to right-handed bats with a 4.77 FIP. The Mets only really have a handful of right-handed bats capable of doing damage, and Juan Uribe will be one of them. Sure, the numbers above are not sexy, but he has a solid ISO and will find himself in a good lineup spot. Coors has not presented many value plays, due to the new industry pricing, but Uribe has slipped past being a platoon player. He has a .354 wOBA and a .233 ISO off lefties this season.

Shortstop

Troy Tulowitzki has not exactly lit Toronto ablaze since coming over, but give me Tulo at these prices against a lefty and I will take him every time. L.A. is definitely a step down park factor wise for the Jays, but that did not hinder their offense last night. He has a .384 wOBA off lefties this season, with a 47% hard hit ball rate. He is locked in every lineup for me on DraftKings, and on FanDuel, I am going cheaper with Alcides Escobar. He allows the extra bats from Coors.

Outfield

Well that escalated quickly! Yoenis Cespedes hit three round-trippers, and hit 60+ points on DraftKings. He will be extremely high owned in tonight's slate, due to recent success, and him facing a southpaw in Coors. Cespedes has monster power, but has been somewhat boom-or-bust against lefties in the past. I doubt he goes bust against a guy like Rusin, so you might as well make Cespedes your highest priced hitter. If Juan Lagares finds his way into the leadoff role, as he did last time they faced a lefty, he will be a great value option.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have seen a handful of lefties in the last week, and David Peralta has sat out those games. He will finally see a right-hander and hit in one of the premier parks for left-handed bats. Anthony DeSclafani has allowed a .345 wOBA to left-handed bats this year, with a 35% hard hit ball rate. Peralta offers monster upside tonight, and he has had a very safe floor against average righties this season. He has a .386 wOBA off right-handed pitching, with a .238 ISO. He has a .439 wOBA in the second half, and has been dialed in when in the lineup.

I am a big fan of the Orioles offense tonight, but a lot are very high priced. Gerardo Parra is somewhat expensive, but he just keeps on producing this season. He has a .385 wOBA off of right-handed pitching, with a .202 ISO. The power numbers have been great, and you can really link that to playing in Milwaukee and Baltimore this season. Kyle Gibson has an ERA over five on the road, and he's allowed a career .320 wOBA to left-handed bats with a 4.65 xFIP.