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 let’s take a look at the hitters to start and avoid in Week 19 (8/7-8/13) 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. 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
Los Angeles Dodgers hitters – The Dodgers have six games this week, starting with one game against the Padres where they’ll face Seth Lugo, who’s been good lately (but not good enough that I’m benching guys against him). Then, they’ll have two games against the Diamondbacks, who own the ninth-worst team FIP in baseball and closing with four games against the Rockies, who own the worst team FIP in the league. Unfortunately, those games against the Rockies aren’t in Coors Field, but their pitching staff is still bad enough that it poses a great matchup for your Dodgers hitters. James Outman has been hitting well lately, slashing .385/.568/.577 over the past two weeks and is worth a look this week.
Milwaukee Brewers hitters – The Brewers have six games this week, and all six are slated to be solid matchups. They start the week off with three games against the Rockies, who as I mentioned earlier, have the worst team FIP in the league, and they close with three games against the White Sox, who own the fifth-worst team FIP in baseball. In deeper leagues, Brice Turang might be worth a look this week as he’s been hot lately, slashing .343/.410/.457 over the past two weeks.
Chicago White Sox hitters – Speaking of the White Sox, they’re worth starting this week as well. As I mentioned earlier, they’ve got three games against the Brewers, who own the 11th-worst team FIP in baseball, and they start the week off with three games against the Yankees, who own the 12th-worst team FIP in the league. And even better, in that Yankees series they’ll miss Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodón. They will see Gerrit Cole, so that might be one to dodge, but other than that, it should be a good week for your White Sox hitters. Andrew Vaughn is worth a start this week as he’s been hot lately, slashing .303/.324/.515 over the past two weeks.
Boston Red Sox hitters – The Red Sox have a full seven-game week this week, starting with four games against the Royals, who own the sixth-worst team FIP in baseball. Then, they’ll close with three games against the Tigers, and while they’ll see Eduardo Rodriguez in that series (which I’d avoid in daily leagues), the other two matchups they’ll have will be against Matt Manning and Joey Wentz who don’t worry me all that much. Jarren Duran has been hitting well lately, slashing .289/.325/.526 over the past two weeks and is worth a look this week.
AVOID
Baltimore Orioles hitters – The Orioles have six games this week, starting with three against the Astros where they’ll see Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, and Hunter Brown, all of whom can prove to be tough matchups. Then, they’ll have three games against the Mariners, who own the best team FIP in all of baseball, so I’d avoid my Orioles hitters this week.
Seattle Mariners hitters – Speaking of the Mariners, they’ve only got five games this week, with two against the Padres, who own the 12th-best team FIP in the league, and the three I mentioned earlier against the Orioles, who own the eighth-best team FIP in baseball. Given the tough matchups and the five-game week, I’d avoid my Mariners hitters this week.
San Diego Padres hitters – The Padres have six games this week, starting with one against the Dodgers, two against the Mariners, and three against the Diamondbacks. Here’s a list of some of the pitchers they’re slated to face this week: Tony Gonsolin, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, and Zac Gallen. In daily leagues, the other two D’Backs games where they’ll see Ryne Nelson and Brandon Pfaadt are fine to start your Padres hitters, but in weekly leagues, I’m seeing basically two games where I’m comfortable starting my Padres, so I’d avoid them this week.
Arizona Diamondbacks hitters – I’ve mentioned the D’Backs a few times here, but they’re worth avoiding this week as well. They have just five games, which already puts them at a disadvantage, and even worse, they’re slated to face a lineup of Julio Urías, Bobby Miller, Blake Snell, Rich Hill, and Seth Lugo. I’m not especially worried about Hill and Miller (though Miller has his moments), but that’s about it. As I said earlier, Lugo has been good, not enough that I’m specifically benching my guys against him, but taken in the larger context of a short week with some tough matchups, it makes your D’Backs hitters worth avoiding.