NBA Playoffs Series Preview: Cavaliers vs. Celtics
Alex Christenson
Data in baseball runs deeper and is more comprehensive than in any other sport. These are the stats I find most relevant to Friday’s DFS slate.
1. Six of the nine projected starters in the Milwaukee lineup strike out at least 27% of the time against LHPs
There is some power in this lineup as well, but Carlos Rodón should be able to take advantage of this Brewers lineup from a strikeout perspective, as he has a 31% K% on the year. So if he is able to avoid the power, he has slate-breaking upside here.
2. Carlos Rodón has allowed an ISO of .102 or lower to both sides of the plate
Just to confirm that the point of Rodón ’s upside has been clearly stated, he has been excellent at preventing power this year.
3. In limited action, Elvin Rodriguez has allowed a .346 ISO or LHHs and a .400 ISO to RHHs, while also maintaining an wxISO of .312
Elvin Rodriguez may be the worst pitcher on the slate by a fair margin, and Cleveland has quite a few underpriced bats. Josh Naylor, José Ramírez, Andrés Giménez and Nolan Jones have .195 ISOs or higher against RHPs this season, and Franmil Reyes sits at .170.
4. The Royals have just one hitter in their projected lineup with an ISO above .132
The Royals are expected to be without a handful of regular starts as Whit Merrifield, Hunter Dozier, Salvador Perez and Andrew Benintendi are all expected to be out due to injury and/or vaccination status. Kevin Gausman should not see a whole lot of trouble in this lineup, as five of nine hitters are striking out 21% of the time or more, and two of the four not in that sample are making their debut.
5. The Detroit Tigers have zero hitters in their expected lineup with an ISO above .140
This is arguably the worst team in baseball, and the argument may not be very difficult to make. This sets up to be great spot for Triston McKenzie, who comes with strikeout upside but at times struggles with power prevention.
