What’s up, everyone!
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.
If you’d like to learn more about when it becomes less risky to stream hitters (and pitchers), and when certain team stats start to stabilize during the year, check out this article.
So here’s who you should start and avoid in Week 3 (4/25-5/1) 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
New York Yankees hitters – The Yankees get a pretty solid week this week, starting off with three games against the Orioles where they’ll see Jordan Lyles, Tyler Wells, and Bruce Zimmerman, and then three games against the Royals where they’ll see Kris Bubic, Carlos Hernandez, and Daniel Lynch. None of those matchups worry me at all, so start your Yankees.
San Francisco Giants hitters – The Giants only have five games this week, but it’s five games I think you can take advantage of. They’ll start the week with two games against the A’s where they’ll see Daulton Jefferies and Paul Blackburn, and then they’ll have three games against the Nationals, where they’ll see Patrick Corbin, Josiah Gray, and Joan Adon. Gray can be a tough matchup sometimes, but generally, this looks like a good week for the Giants. Joc Pederson has been hot to start the year, slashing .317/.349/.561 so far, so make sure he’s out there.
Los Angeles Dodgers hitters – The Dodgers get a pretty sweet week, starting off with three games against the Diamondbacks, where they’ll see Merrill Kelly, Zach Davies, and Zac Gallen, and they’ll close with three games against the Tigers where they’ll see Matt Manning, Tyler Alexander, and Eduardo Rodriguez. E-Rod can definitely be a tricky matchup, but that’s about it, so start your Dodgers.
Milwaukee Brewers hitters – The Brewers have an odd week. It’ll be seven games, starting with one game against the Giants where they’ll see Carlos Rodon. That’s a tough one, but other than that, this is a good week for the Brewers, as they’ll have three games against the Pirates and three games against the Cubs, none of which is a particularly scary matchup.
Gio Urshela – The Twins are slated to face four left-handed pitchers in their six games this week, which is good news for Urshela, who owns a .279/.320/.441 line against lefties on his career and hit .293/.317/.466 against them last year.
AVOID
Oakland Athletics hitters – The A’s have just five games this week, two of which will be against the Giants and their excellent pitching staff. The other three will be against the Guardians, where they’ll see Aaron Civale, Shane Bieber, and Triston McKenzie. Bieber is definitely a tough matchup, and Civale and McKenzie both have the potential to be tough too. So, all in all, it’s a week to avoid your A’s.
Arizona Diamondbacks hitters – The Diamondbacks have seven games this week, which normally would be exciting, but it’ll be seven tough matchups. They start with three games against the Dodgers, who own the second-best team FIP in baseball, and then four games against the Cardinals, who own the seventh-best team FIP in baseball. Not that you’re starting a ton of D’Backs as it is, but I’d avoid them for sure this week.
Chicago Cubs hitters – The Cubs have six games this week, starting with three against Atlanta, where they’ll see Max Fried, Charlie Morton, and Kyle Wright, and closing with three against the Brewers, where they’ll see Adrian Houser, Eric Lauer, and Corbin Burnes. I’m not all that afraid of Houser, but all the other matchups look to be tough, so I’d avoid my Cubs this week.
Pittsburgh Pirates hitters – The Pirates have six games this week, starting with three against the Brewers, where they’ll see Brandon Woodruff, Aaron Ashby, and Freddy Peralta, and closing with three games against the Padres, where they’ll see Yu Darvish, Sean Manaea, and Joe Musgrove. There are a couple of matchups in there that are okay, but overall, it’s not a great week to start your Pirates.
Max Kepler – As previously mentioned, the Twins are slated to face four lefties this week, which isn’t good for Kepler, as he’s struggled mightily against lefties in his career, slashing .210/.286/.350 against them.
Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)