If you’re unfamiliar with this article series, each week I take a look at some hitting matchups you should take advantage of and some hitting matchups you should avoid, based on who the hitters will likely be facing on the mound.
So here’s who you should start and avoid in Week 17 (8/2-8/8) of the fantasy baseball season.
Notes: All pitching matchups mentioned here are based on projections as of this post’s publication. It is entirely possible that the actual matchups could change for any number of reasons. Keep in mind, this article is geared toward middle-of-the-road players, meaning you should be starting top-of-the-line bats regardless of the matchup. Always start your studs.
START
Colorado Rockies hitters – The Rockies have six games this week and guess what? They’re all at home in Coors Field, so you know what that means—get your Rockies in your starting lineups. Now, it’s worth mentioning that three of those games will be against the Marlins, who have a very good pitching staff. But I have a hard time telling you not to start your Rockies when they get six games in Coors, including three games against the Cubs, whose pitching staff doesn’t scare me at all. Brendan Rodgers has been slashing .278/.316/.583 over the past two weeks and warrants a start this week.
Chicago Cubs hitters – As previously mentioned, the Cubs get three games in Coors Field this week, which is awesome. They close the week against the White Sox, which is normally a pitching staff I’d avoid. However, in that series, they’ll face Dallas Keuchel and Dylan Cease, neither of whom scares me enough that I’m going to advise you to sit your Cubs (especially in combination with the Coors games). They will face Lucas Giolito, however, so in daily leagues, I’d dodge that matchup. Patrick Wisdom is almost certainly getting plenty of playing time now that the Cubs have jettisoned half their team, and he’s been slashing .268/.388/.512 over the past two weeks.
Toronto Blue Jays hitters – This is a pure volume play. The Blue Jays have a doubleheader against the Red Sox on Saturday, which means they get a total of eight games this week—four against Cleveland and four against the Red Sox. Cleveland’s pitching staff is pretty middle of the road and the Red Sox’s staff is on the better side of that middle part of the road, so neither is an incredible matchup, but given neither pitching staff is overly scary and the eight-game week, I like the volume you can get out of your Blue Jays this week.
Chicago White Sox hitters – The White Sox have six games this week, starting with three against the Royals, who own the 11th-worst team FIP in baseball, and closing with three games against the Cubs, who own the sixth-worst team FIP in baseball. Andrew Vaughn has been slashing .341/.383/.500 over the past two weeks and warrants a start this week.
Amed Rosario – Four out of Cleveland’s seven games this week will be against left-handed pitchers, which is good news for Amed Rosario, who is a career .299/.338/.469 hitter against lefties.
AVOID
Arizona Diamondbacks hitters – The Diamondbacks have a full week this week with seven games but against some tough pitching staffs. They’ll start with four games against the Giants, who own the second-best team FIP in baseball, and they’ll close with three games against the Padres, who own the 11th-best team FIP in baseball. I’d dodge most of my D’Backs players this week.
Baltimore Orioles hitters – The Orioles get six games this week, starting with three games against the Yankees, who own the seventh-best team FIP in the league, a series in which the Orioles will get to see Gerritt Cole. Then, the Orioles will close out the week with three games against the Rays, who own the best team FIP in baseball. So pretty much aside from probably Cedric Mullins, Trey Mancini, and maybe Ryan Mountcastle, I’d avoid any Orioles this week.
Seattle Mariners hitters – Seattle essentially has the reverse of the Orioles’ schedule, starting their week with three games against the Rays and ending it with four games against the Yankees, so for the same reasons I’m avoiding my Orioles hitters, I’m avoiding my Mariners hitters.
Kansas City Royals hitters – The Royals have six games this week, starting with three games against the White Sox where they’ll see Lucas Giolito, Carlos Rodón, and Lance Lynn, and closing with three games against the Cardinals where they’ll see Adam Wainwright and Kwang Hyun Kim. All in all, it’s going to be a tough week for Royals hitters.
Myles Straw – Thinking about grabbing Myles Straw now that he’s on Cleveland? I think that’s a good idea, but I don’t know that he’s going to be a good start this week. As previously mentioned, four out of Cleveland’s seven games will be against lefties, and on Straw’s career, he’s slashing .206/.282/.235 against lefties.
Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)