Each week, I’ll be taking a look at five hitting matchups you should take advantage of and five hitting matchups you should avoid. Here are the batters you should start and avoid for Week 6 (8/31-9/6) 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.
Extra note: Big thanks to Rich Holman for taking over this column the past two weeks while I was on vacation
START
New York Yankees hitters – There are a handful of teams this week that have eight-game weeks thanks to some doubleheaders and the Yankees are one of them. They start the week with a three-game series against the Rays where they’ll dodge both Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. Then they’ll get one game against the Mets where they’ll miss Jacob deGrom, and finish out the week with four games against the Orioles in Camden Yards in three days. That’s a lot of games and a lot of matchups that could be very advantageous for your Yankees hitters. I know that, like, most of the lineup is on the IL, but whoever you’ve got in the Yankees lineup, I’d start them.
Pittsburgh Pirates hitters – The Pirates also get an eight-game week this week, starting with one game against the Brewers to finish off their four-game series against them, three against the Cubs, and then four against the Reds in Great American Ballpark, one of which is a doubleheader. The pitching matchups aren’t incredible, but they’re good enough that, mixed with the volume of games, it’s worth starting your Pirates. Most of the lineup has been struggling the past couple weeks, I think this could be a good week for them to break out of that slump. If you’re looking for a catcher to stream, Jacob Stallings has been hitting .500/.520/.625 over the past two weeks.
Washington Nationals hitters – The Nats also get the pleasure of an eight-game week this week, starting with a four-game series against the Phillies, who have the fifth-worst team ERA in baseball, and finishing with a four-game series against the Braves, which includes a doubleheader. Again, volume is the big draw here (as is a four-game series against a bad Phillies pitching staff). Over the past two weeks, Howie Kendrick is slashing .353/.400/.647 and is worth a look, as is Luis Garcia, who’s been hitting .333/.353/.455 during that same timespan.
Atlanta Braves hitters – The Braves don’t get an eight-game week, but they do get a seven-game week thanks to the aforementioned doubleheader against the Nats, and in that series against the Nats, they get to avoid both Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin. They also start the week off with a three-game series against the Red Sox who own the worst team ERA in all of baseball, so it’s definitely a good week to start your Braves.
Wilmer Flores – The Giants only get five games this week, but three, potentially four of them, will be against lefties, which is good news for Flores, as he’s slashing .297/.341/.730 against lefties so far this year.
AVOID
Detroit Tigers hitters – The Tigers have just a five-game week this week, with a two-game series against the Brewers and a three-game series against the Twins. In that Twins series, they’ll face Kenta Maeda, Randy Dobnak, and Jose Berrios, all of whom are tough matchups. I’m not all that worried about the Brewers series for Tigers hitters, so in a daily league I think they’re fine, but in a weekly league, there’s not enough value here.
Philadelphia Phillies hitters – The Phillies have a full, seven-game week, but it’s a tough one. They start with a four-game series against the Nationals where they’ll face Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin, and then they’ll have three games against the Mets where they’ll get to see Jacob deGrom. There are a few matchups that might be worth it in daily leagues, but on the whole, this isn’t a great week for your Phillies hitters.
Miami Marlins hitters – The Marlins also get a five-game week this week, with two games against the Blue Jays (with one of those games against Hyun-Jin Ryu), and three games against the Rays where they’ll see both Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. Again, not a whole lot of value to be had from your Marlins hitters this week.
Kansas City Royals hitters – The Royals start their week with a three-game series against the Indians where they’ll face Shane Bieber, Mike Clevinger, and Triston McKenzie, and close with a four-game series against the White Sox, who own the fifth-best team ERA in baseball right now, all of which adds up to a tough week for your Royals hitters.
Brandon Crawford – As previously mentioned, the Giants will face three, potentially four lefties this week in their five-game week, which is bad news for Crawford, as he’s slashing .227/.346/.273 against lefties this year. Crawford’s been a hot bat lately, so if you picked him up for the hot streak, you might wanna bench him for this week.
Featured Image by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)