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 10 (6/7-6/13) 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, especially given how fluid things are this season. 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
Cincinnati Reds hitters – The Reds have six games this week, starting with a three-game series where they’ll face off against the Brewers and luckily dodge Corbin Burnes‘ turn in the rotation. Instead, they’ll likely face Adrian Houser, Brett Anderson, and Freddy Peralta, and of that group, only Peralta gives me a little pause. Then, they’ll finish off the week with a three-game series against the Rockies, and while they will face German Marquez (who is especially good on the road), I’m not worried about the rest of the matchups. Oh, yea, and all six games this week are at home in hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark, so make sure your Reds are out there. Over the past two weeks, Jonathan India has been hitting .391/.533/.565 and might be worth a snag if he’s available.
Cleveland hitters – Cleveland has just five games this week, but they’re five games that I think could be productive for their hitters. They start with a two-game series against the Cardinals where they’ll face Carlos Martinez and Adam Wainwright (neither of whom are all that scary to me) and they close the week with a three-game series against the Mariners who own the 13th-worst team FIP in baseball. Amed Rosario has been on a tear over the past two weeks, slashing .324/.410/.500, so make sure he’s in your lineups.
Los Angeles Dodgers hitters – The Dodgers have a six-game week this week, starting with three games against the Pirates, who own the ninth-worst team FIP in baseball, and closing with a three-game series against the Rangers. In that Rangers series, they’ll see Kyle Gibson, who does worry me a bit (and might be worth dodging in daily leagues), as well as Kolby Allard and Dane Dunning, neither of whom worry me all that much. Just about all the Dodgers hitters are widely-owned, so there isn’t a ton of value to be snagged off the waiver wire—just make sure your Dodgers are in your starting lineups this week.
Milwaukee Brewers hitters – The Brewers have six games this week, starting with three against the Reds, who own the sixth-worst team FIP in the league, and closing with three games against the Pirates and their aforementioned bad pitching staff. Avisail Garcia only has a .256 average over the past week but he’s got a .411 ISO over that time period and is worth a look this week.
Tim Anderson – The White Sox will face four left-handed pitchers this week out of the six games they play, which is good news for Tim Anderson, as he’s a career .321/.347/.509 hitter against lefties, so make sure he’s in your lineups this week.
AVOID
Baltimore Orioles hitters – The Orioles only have five games this week, which puts them at a disadvantage in weekly leagues already. On top of that, they’ll face some good pitching staffs, starting with a two-game series against the Mets where they’ll see David Peterson and Taijuan Walker. Then they’ll close with a three-game series against the Rays where they’ll see Rich Hill and Tyler Glasnow (as well as Josh Fleming, which I’m fine taking advantage of in daily leagues). There’s just not a lot of value to be taken from your Orioles hitters this week.
New York Mets hitters – The Mets also only have five games this week. As I mentioned before, they start with two games against the Orioles, and in daily leagues, I’d absolutely start my Mets there. They’ll see Bruce Zimmerman and Matt Harvey, so go nuts. But then they close the week with three games against the Padres where they’ll see Blake Snell, Joe Musgrove, and Chris Paddack. Given there are just two games out of the week worth taking advantage of with your Mets hitters, I’d avoid them in weekly leagues.
Pittsburgh Pirates hitters – The Pirates get six games this week and have a handful of tough pitching matchups. They start with three games against the Dodgers, where they’ll see Tony Gonsolin, Walker Buehler, and Julio Urias, and they close with three games against the Brewers, where they’ll see Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff. So overall, there’s not a lot of value to be had from your Pirates hitters (if you even have any on your team).
Atlanta hitters – Atlanta has six games this week, also against some tough pitchers. They start with three games against the Phillies where they’ll see both Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler. Then, they close with three games against the Marlins where they’ll see Sandy Alcantara and Pablo Lopez. So there are maybe two games this week worth using your Atlanta hitters in, so aside from your studs, I’d dodge them.
Brandon Lowe – The Rays have just five games this week, and four of those games will be against left-handed pitchers. Having just five games already puts your Rays hitters at a disadvantage, but having four of those games against lefties is especially bad for Lowe, as he’s a career .202/.272/.433 hitter against southpaws.
Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)