Matt Joyce- OF- PIT- Idea- Joyce has hit 11 of his 12 homers this season in 155 ABs against RH pitching. His slash line against them is .271/.402/.548. He will be facing Matt Garza and his slash line of .310/.386/.504 against LH hitting. This gives Joyce a significant edge. Value play- Draft Kings salary $4500
Carlos Ruiz- C- PHI- Trade- Ruiz owns slash lines of .250/.421/.409 against LH pitching and .264/.346/.331 against RH pitching. Although he is righthanded the Dodgers, who acquired Ruiz for A. J. Ellis, may feel more comfortable resting the switch hitting Yasmani Grandal a little more often than they have been. They could give Ruiz some starts not only against southpaws but also the occasional right-hander, as Grandal is hitting only .225 against them. Ruiz is still not going to challenge Grandal for the starting job, barring injury.
Mark Melancon- RP- WAS- FYI- The Nationals had lost every game since Melancon's last appearance Saturday so he was brought in last night to pitch the 9th inning, even though Washington had a 4-run lead. Max Scherzer had only thrown 95 pitches in 8 shutout IP but Dusty Baker decided to give Melancon a GF. He gave up a hit and didn't record a strikeout, but he did throw 10 of his 15 pitches for strikes. Melancon has only recorded Ks in 2 of his last 6 appearances so some fatigue may be something to be watching for.
James Loney- 1B- NYN- Hot- In a night where Lady Luck seemed to be smiling on several players she had been ignoring, Loney went 3-for-5 and scored 3 times. This raised his average from .266 to .272. It also brought Loney's BABIP from .283 to .290. His career mark is .307 so he still has room for more positive regression.
Randal Grichuk- OF- STL- Hot- Grichuk remained hot, going 2-for-4 with a double last night. He has gone 15-for-44 with 6 doubles and 5 homers since his latest call up earlier this month. Grichuk tends to be streaky and he's in a good one now.
Follow me on Twitter all season - @fantisticspaul
There are over 100 player news blurbs posted in the member area each morning. Members can read the rest of today's player news by clicking here. Not a member? Join today.
