MLB Pitching Pulse 7-28-17

By: Jason Guilbault, Updated July 28, 2017

Each day of the MLB season will bring us some major price differences among starting pitchers on all sites. These price discrepancies and the site's roster differences can alter the way we use pitchers on each site, as well as how the field of opponents will use them. Listed below are five of today's top pitchers, each with their salary listed as well as the cafe value that takes into account both the total salary cap on the site and points-per-dollar. We've also provided some betting info for you reference. The higher the cafe value, the better the points-per-dollar play is.

Alex Wood

Alex Wood is coming off a horrendous start against the Atlanta Braves, but is in a great spot to rebound here. Wood has been terrific this season, boasting a 61.9% groundball rate with a 29% strikeout rate. Walks are never an issue with Wood, who has just a 7.5% walk rate. Wood's 13.2% swinging strike rate is a career high, and the Contact% at 72.5% (4% lower than his career average). Wood is a three pitch pitcher, and always has been. In prior seasons he had used his fastball/sinker 60% of the time. Since coming to Los Angeles, Wood has thrown it 52.6% of the time. In his first year with the Dodgers, Wood threw the curveball 29.2% of the time and his changeup just 17.7% of the time. This year, his curveball is used 24.9% of the time, while his changeup usage is up to 23%. Wood has over a 30% strikeout rate with the changeup and curveball, and has over a 17% swinging strike rate with both. A few tweaks to the usage, and Wood is generating elite numbers. With Kershaw down for a few weeks, Wood has the stuff to lead the way for this rotation. Now the matchup isn't a bad one either, San Francisco is bottom ten in wOBA and ISO against left-handed pitchers, with a 20.6% strikeout rate. San Francisco is also bottom ten against changeups and curveballs this season, and rank 27th in wOBA over the last 30 days.