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 7 (5/30-6/5) 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 – It’s a special week this week — the week the Rockies get to be at home in Coors Field. They’ll have seven games this week, all at home, and frankly, I don’t really care which teams they’re facing, it’s hard to pass up a full week at Coors. They’ll be up against the Marlins and Atlanta in Coors, which is a bit tough traditionally, but again, it’s seven games at Coors, I think you’re starting your Rockies hitters no matter what.
Atlanta hitters – Speaking of Atlanta, like I said, they’ll get four games in Coors Field this week, which is fantastic, but on top of that, they’ll get three games against the Diamondbacks, who own the fourth-worst team FIP in all of baseball. Dansby Swanson has been hot lately, slashing .356/.420/.578 over the past two weeks and warrants a start, as does William Contreras, who’s slashing .286/.375/.679 over the past two weeks.
Chicago Cubs hitters – This is mainly a volume play, because the Cubs have two double-headers this week, meaning they’re going to have nine games in total. Four of those games will be against the Brewers, who have a really tough pitching staff, and the other five will be against the Cardinals, who have a much more beatable staff. Either way, you don’t get nine-game weeks all that often, and in weekly leagues, it’s almost impossible to pass up that kind of volume.
Seattle Mariners hitters – The Mariners have six games this week, all against pretty beatable pitching staffs. They start with three games against the Orioles, who own the seventh-worst team FIP in baseball, and close with three games against the Rangers, who own the 10th-worst team FIP in baseball. Ty France has been hitting really well lately, slashing .375/.444/.625 over the past two weeks, and warrants a start.
Andrew McCutchen – The Brewers are going to be seeing four left-handed pitchers this week, which is great for Andrew McCutchen, who always hit lefties really well. On his career, McCutchen is a .306/.401/.551 hitter against left-handed pitchers.
AVOID
Philadelphia Phillies hitters – The Phillies have a bit of a tough week this week, starting off with three games against the Giants, who own the third-best team FIP in baseball, and closing with three games against the Angels, a series in which they’ll face Patrick Sandoval, who’s been pretty good this year. So that leaves essentially two games — a matchup against Chase Silseth and one against Michael Lorenzen — that seem workable for your Phillies hitters, and in weekly leagues, two games out of six means you should probably look elsewhere.
Pittsburgh Pirates hitters – The Pirates also have six games this week, starting with three against the Dodgers, who own the fourth-best team FIP in baseball. They’ll then close the week with three games against Arizona who, as I mentioned earlier, have a pretty beatable staff, but one of those games will be against Zac Gallen, who should prove to be a tough matchup. So again, we’re looking at basically two games out of the Pirates’ six that are worth your while.
Los Angeles Angels hitters – The Angels also have a tough week this week, starting off with three games against the Yankees, who own the best team FIP in all of baseball, and closing with three games against the Phillies, who own the seventh-best team FIP in all of baseball. The Angels are slated to face off against the likes of Jordan Montgomery, Nestor Cortes, and Zack Wheeler this week, so I’d dodge my Angels hitters if I could.
Rowdy Tellez – As I mentioned, the Brewers are going to see four lefties this week, and that’s going to make it tough to start Tellez in weekly leagues. It’s likely Tellez will sit against those lefties, and if he doesn’t, he’s struggled against lefties so far this year, slashing .207/.303/.345 against them so far this year.
Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)