The daily grind: 8-3

The Daily Grind provides daily match-up advice based on my every-morning waiver wire search. I welcome advice to help make this column more effective. Ownership rates are from Yahoo!

The Fanduel picks are a mixture of Daily League specific advice and information for the more typical fantasy owner.

Today’s grind

Those in leagues with same-day moves should refer back to yesterday’s table.

The Fanduel Daily League Players of the Day are:

Pitcher (to start): It’s another day where the pitching options are dangerous. Joe Blanton has pitched very well lately, as he often does in the second half of the season. His match-up against the Diamondbacks isn’t a walk in the park, though.

Felix Doubront has been merely solid all season long. He has the top number I look for in a fantasy pitcher—about one strikeout per inning. He also has the second number—a tolerable walk rate. But the results just haven’t really been there all season. The Twins lean lefty with some of their better hitters, so it’s a solid match-up for him.

He’s on waivers in most leagues, but Dan Straily leads baseball in strikeouts this year and he’s making his debut.

Pitcher (bum): I disrespected the Braves yesterday and it prevented me from winning some Fanduel cash for once. Today I’ll overcompensate by placing Armando Galarraga on the bum list.

Jonathan Sanchez is always some kind of terrible. I’m shocked he’s still getting starts. He could challenge Nick Blackburn for most superbly bad pitcher of 2012. As such, the Giants should benefit.

The Rangers should bash Jeremy Guthrie to pieces.

Hitter (power): There’s quite a few power options. Jonny Gomes and Chris Carter are squared off against Brett Cecil and Scott Hairston draws Clayton Richard.

Hitter (speed): David Murphy’s not really a true speed threat, but he could swipe one if the Rangers aren’t too busy forming a conga line. Quintin Berry, Rajai Davis and Jemile Weeks have truer speed match-ups.

Tomorrow’s grind

Wei-Yin Chen will face the Rays tomorrow. He’s generally solid and is coming off a 12 strikeout performance.

Paul Maholm is rostered in way more leagues than he ought to be—41 percent. He has a middling option against the Astros.

If I had more balls, I’d recommend Mark Rogers against the Cardinals. Instead, I not-so-subtly hint that maybe you can make use of your cojones.

A few match-ups stand out as better than the rest. There is the usual mix of A’s hitters—Gomes, Carter and Weeks. If that’s not your style Travis Snider has a friendly match-up against Mike Leake. Last and potentially least, Craig Gentry will find himself facing Will Smith.

Reliever watch

Chris Perez blew just his second save of the season. Prior to the season, I had written him off as a Kevin Gregg-quality nightmare to manage, but he’s really helped out his owners.

Frank Francisco is nearing return, which shouldn’t mean anything but somehow does…