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 6 (5/23-5/29) 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
Chicago Cubs hitters – The Cubs get six games this week, starting with four games against the Cincinnati Reds who own the worst team FIP in all of baseball. They’ll then have two games against the White Sox where they’ll face Dallas Keuchel and Johnny Cueto, neither of whom are particularly scary. All in all, it’s a pretty good week for your Cubs, so make sure they’re in your lineup.
Colorado Rockies hitters – Normally if I’m recommending Rockies hitters, that means they’re playing in Coors Field, but they’re actually on the road this week. So why am I recommending them? Because they get three games against the Pirates, who have the eighth-worst team FIP in baseball, and four games against the Nationals, who have the second-worst team FIP in baseball. Even away from Coors, the Rockies will luckily face some pretty bad pitching staffs. Brendan Rodgers is slashing .341/.372/.512 over the past two weeks and definitely warrants a start.
Los Angeles Dodgers hitters – The Dodgers also get to face some pretty bad pitching staffs this week, starting with three games against the aforementioned Nationals and ending with four games against the Diamondbacks, who own the ninth-worst team FIP in all of baseball. Basically everyone in the Dodgers’ lineup is widely owned, so make sure you’ve got your Dodgers out there this week.
Yadiel Hernandez – The Nats will get four left-handed pitchers this week, which is good news for Yadiel Hernandez, who’s been hitting .421/.450/.526 against lefties so far this year and is a career .314/.363/.505 hitter against lefties.
AVOID
St. Louis Cardinals hitters – The Cardinals have six games this week, starting with two against the Blue Jays, where they’ll see Jose Berrios and Kevin Gausman, both of whom are tough matchups. Then they’ll face the Brewers for four games, who own the third-best team FIP in all of baseball.
Tampa Bay Rays hitters – The Rays also have six games this week, starting with two against the Marlins, where they’ll see Pablo Lopez and Trevor Rogers. Then, they’ll have four games against the Yankees, where they’ll see Nestor Cortes, Luis Severino, Jameson Taillon, and Gerrit Cole, all of which adds up to a pretty bad week for your Rays hitters.
New York Mets hitters – The Mets have six games this week, starting with three against the Giants, who own the second-best team FIP in baseball, and closing with three against the Phillies, who own the seventh-best team FIP in baseball. All in all, I’d dodge my Mets hitters this week.
Miami Marlins hitters – The Marlins have just five games this week, starting with two against the Rays, where they’ll see Shane McClanahan and Drew Rasmussen, both of whom are very good, and closing with three games, against Atlanta, who own the sixth-best team FIP in all of baseball.
Josh Bell – As mentioned, the Nats get four lefties this week, and that’s always bad news for Josh Bell, who is a career .236/.330/.415 hitter against lefties.
Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)