With just 3.5 weeks remaining until the All-Star Break, wanted to run through and look at each team’s remaining series’ and schedules over the next three weeks. The goal here is to help us potentially plan out some of our lineups in advance and to possibly identify hitters we may want to target off the waiver wire based on scheduling / strength of opponent. Let’s break this down by division. I’ll list the number of games each team plays over the next three weeks, with their opponents listed. We’ll look at this from the perspective of traditional weekly moves leagues and bi-weekly NFBC leagues.
NL WEST
Arizona Diamondbacks (18 games)
- 6 Home (3 COL, 3 SFG)
- 7 Mixed (3 LAD, 4 @ SFG)
- 5 Mixed (2 @ LAD, 3 COL)
The Dbacks play all of their games between now and the break within their division. With this offense being one of the best ones against left-handed pitching (ie Ketel Marte, Eduardo Escobar), we’re always looking and hoping to see tons of lefties coming up. That may well be the case here, but sadly it’ll be facing many tough ones such as the Bumgarner and the trio of studs from the Dodgers (Kershaw, Hill, Ryu). That first week looks good but the following two are just average in terms of advantage for hitters. Keep an eye on someone like Jake Lamb as a pickup in deeper leagues as the Dbacks may face five-of-six righties next week.
Los Angeles Dodgers (19 games)
- 7 Home (4 SFG, 3 COL)
- 7 Road (3 @ ARI, 4 @ COL)
- 5 Home (2 ARI, 4 SDP)
With Corey Seager possibly sidelined for a while, we’ll see more consistent playing time for Chris Taylor. You also may want to consider adding a fringe Dodger in FAAB this week with Coors on the schedule the following week. That second week where they have seven on the road looks really good on paper.
San Francisco Giants (20 games)
- 7 Road (4 @ LAD, 3 @ ARI)
- 7 Home (3 COL, 4 ARI)
- 6 Mixed (3 @ SDP, 3 STL)
Not much to see here since there truly aren’t any relevant fantasy players on this team. The only guys over 10% owned in 12-team NFBC’s are Buster Posey, Brandon Belt and Kevin Pillar. Some tough pitching to boot, so not much to look forward to here. Five of six series’ within the division.
San Diego Padres (18 games)
- 6 Mixed (3 MLW, 3 @ PIT)
- 5 Road (2 @ BAL, 3 STL)
- 7 Mixed (3 SFG, 4 @ LAD)
A shame that the week they play the Orioles comes on a five-game week though you still may want to consider using fringe Padres then. Hopefully Luis Urias is promoted to give this team a boost offensively. You may want to stash in anticipation of that.
Colorado Rockies (18 games)
- 6 Road (3 @ ARI, 3 @ LAD)
- 7 Mixed (3 @ SFG, 4 v LAD)
- 5 Mixed (2 v HOU, 3 @ ARI)
The Rockies have played at home a lot lately and that cools down between now and the ASB with only two of six series’ at home and no all-home weeks. Some tough pitching in general for this group as well as tough bullpens so I’d expect a bit of a slow down offensively for Rockies’ bats. You still always play your studs though (Arenado, Blackmon, Dahl, Story, Murphy).
NL CENTRAL
Chicago Cubs (19 games)
- 6 Home (2 CHW, 4 NYM)
- 7 Mixed (4 ATL, 3 @ CIN)
- 6 Road (4 @ PIT, 2 @ CHW)
A very nice setup for the Cubs for the next three weeks with two-game series’ with their crosstown rivals at the bookends and a trip to Great American. Facing some tough starting pitchers with the Mets and Braves but we can still consider streaming guys like David Bote and Addison Russell. Cole Hamels should hopefully bounce back with a nice two-start week next week.
Milwaukee Brewers (20 games)
- 7 Mixed (3 @ SDP, 4 CIN)
- 6 Home (3 SEA, 3 PIT)
- 7 Road (4 @ CIN, 3 @ PIT)
An excellent schedule despite just one all-home week and that’s because they face the Reds and Pirates twice. The Pirates have the league’s worst team ERA (6.56) over the last month. Worst in all of baseball, in fact – and the Mariners have the second worst. There may be an opportunity to stream someone like Eric Thames and at this point, you should consider getting Travis Shaw on your squad if he’s sitting available in your 12-teamer. RHP Brandon Woodruff should technically line up for a two-start week (@ SDP, v CIN) then v PIT and @ CIN.
Cincinnati Reds (18 games)
- 7 Mixed (3 v HOU, 4 @ MLW)
- 5 Mixed (2 @ LAA, 3 CHC)
- 6 Home (4 MLW, 2 CLE)
Not a particularly enticing schedule with a five-game week mixed in but they do visit Miller Park for four next week which is nice. Good that Joey Votto is slowly climbing out of his slump but I’m thinking we’ll have to wait until after the All-Star Break for the full Yasiel Puig experience.
Pittsburgh Pirates (18 games)
- 5 Home (2 DET, 3 SDP)
- 6 Road (3 @ HOU, 3 @ MLW)
- 7 Home (4 CHC, 3 MLW)
Corey Dickerson is back and that crowds the outfield which means Melky Cabrera is all but pushed out entirely and Bryan Reynolds gets less starts. That said, the Pirates do have C-Dick on the block and are actively looking to trade him. Jung Ho Kang is back from the IL but has since lost his 3B gig in full to Colin Moran who has become an every-week play. Kevin Newman has been leading off for almost two weeks now with Kang filling in for him at SS on occasion.
St. Louis Cardinals (18 games)
- 7 Home (4 MIA, 3 LAA)
- 5 Mixed (2 OAK, 3 @ SDP)
- 6 Road (3 @ SEA, 3 @ SFG)
The most interesting thing here is how this rotation will set up outside of Mikolas, Hudson and Flaherty. Adam Wainwright is currently on the IL, Michael Wacha is back in the rotation from the bullpen and had a nice first start back, Alex Reyes is doing well in Triple-A and Daniel Ponce de Leon may or may not be up to grab a spot. Let’s see (hope?) Ponce up for Friday’s spot start and see how things go from there. Note that Jose Martinez could be a drop with this roster fully healthy and JoMart seeing very little action outside of pinch-hitting.
NL EAST
New York Mets (19 games)
- 7 Road (3 @ ATL, 4 @ CHC)
- 7 Mixed (4 @ PHI, 3 ATL)
- 5 Home (2 NYY, 3 PHI)
Team is going to have to make some tough decisions with this offense getting healthier (now Brandon Nimmo back soon, Robinson Cano on the mend). They’ve been giving steady playing time to both Todd Frazier and Adeiny Hechavarria, who’ve both performed well over the last couple weeks. The guy on the outside looking in when the team is at full strength is Carlos Gomez who I can see getting cut any day now. He’s hitting .227 and striking out at a 31 percent clip.
Philadelphia Phillies (20 games)
- 7 Mixed (4 @ WAS, 3 MIA)
- 7 Mixed (4 NYM, 3 @ MIA)
- 6 Road (3 @ ATL, 3 @ NYM)
All games within the division. Mets’ pitching is tough as-is, and Marlins now have a trio of studs (Lopez/Alcantara/Richards) which makes this not the best of matchups these days. Not to mention their home park. Not much to look forward to offensively in the next three weeks and my guess is you’ll see the true offensive explosions of the likes of Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins take place after the ASB.
Atlanta Braves (19 games)
- 6 Mixed (3 NYM, 3 @ WAS)
- 7 Road (4 @ CHC, 3 @ NYM)
- 6 Home (3 PHI, 3 MIA)
Just one home series in their next four. I’d consider sitting some of my fringe Braves this next week and then loading them back up starting with the series at Wrigley. Of course you continue to start the studs regardless. Mike Soroka lines up for four more starts before the break and looks like he’ll avoid @ CHC and v PHI which is the ideal scenario.
Washington Nationals (19 games)
- 7 Home (4 PHI, 3 ATL)
- 6 Road (3 @ MIA, 3 @ DET)
- 6 Home (3 MIA, 3 KCR)
We love these Nationals’ hitters against weak staffs with a bunch of left-handed pitching. They won’t see much of them over the next three weeks but after this PHI/ATL all-home week, love some of their matchups against the Marlins (2x) and two interleague matchups (Royals, Tigers). Continue to run your boy Howie Kendrick out there every week.
Miami Marlins (19 games)
- 7 Road (4 @ STL, 3 @ PHI)
- 6 Home (3 WAS, 3 PHI)
- 6 Road (3 @ WAS, 3 @ ATL)
Most of these Marlins aren’t even owned in 12-team formats though guys like Brian Anderson, Harold Ramirez and Garrett Cooper have been hitting well these last couple weeks. Expect a bit of a slow down with some tough pitching coming up within their division.
AL WEST
Los Angeles Angels (20 games)
- 7 Road (4 @ TOR, 3 @ STL)
- 6 Home (2 CIN, 4 OAK)
- 7 Road (4 @ TEX, 3 @ HOU)
No truly clean weeks on the schedule as each week has a tough series mixed in, though they do play more games than most teams over this stretch. Note that Justin Bour is back. He struggled mightily earlier this season, got his groove back in the minors and crushed a bomb in his first game back. He’ll play mostly against righties though. Luis Rengifo continues to play a lot despite mediocre results. He swiped bags in the minors but hasn’t been running at all in the majors. He’s a borderline 15-team guy.
Oakland Athletics (18 games)
- 6 Home (3 BAL, 3 TBR)
- 6 Road (2 @ STL, 4 @ LAA)
- 6 Mixed (3 MIN, 3 @ SEA)
We have to love it anytime we see the Orioles on the schedule. Outisde of that, not the best setup for these bats over the next three weeks as they visit mostly ‘pitchers’ parks and may not see many lefty arms outside the Rays and Mariners. That means less possibilities of streaming fringe lefty crushers like Chad Pinder and Mark Canha.
Houston Astros (18 games)
- 7 Road (3 @ CIN, 4 @ NYY)
- 6 Home (3 PIT, 3 SEA)
- 5 Mixed (2 @ COL, 3 LAA)
We’re playing all of our Astros regardless and hope to see George Springer and Jose Altuve back soon (assuming Carlos Correa isn’t back until after the break). One of the best schedules on paper through the break with a great week next week in two hitters’ parks (Great American, Yankee Stadium) and a two-game trip in Coors in that final week before the break.
Seattle Mariners (19 games)
- 7 Road (3 KCR, 4 BAL)
- 6 Road (3 @ MLW, 3 @ HOU)
- 6 Home (3 STL, 3 OAK)
Here you have it. The single best week coming up facing Royals and Orioles’ pitching. Edwin Encarnacion owners have to love his eight homers these past two weeks and this series coming up. Second on the team in homers over that span is backup catcher Tom Murphy who has been playing more often giving Omar Narvaez some well-deserved rest. Murphy is a viable streamer these next few weeks if you’re desperate for a second catcher. It may also be time to pick up Kyle Seager, though he’s a shell of his former self and may be already owned in most of your leagues.
Texas Rangers (20 games)
- 7 Home (4 CLE, 3 CHW)
- 6 Road (3 @ DET, 3 @ TBR)
- 7 Mixed (4 LAA, 3 @ MIN)
We have to love Rangers’ bats anytime they have an all-home week and that’s the case next week with four against the Indians and three facing the White Sox. All in all, not the best schedule likely having to tangle with Matthew Boyd and some tough pitching (Rays – best ERA in baseball, Angels and Twins).
AL CENTRAL
Detroit Tigers (18 games)
- 5 Road (2 @ PIT, 3 @ CLE)
- 6 Home (3 TEX, 3 WAS)
- 7 Mixed (4 @ CHW, 3 BOS)
A very tough schedule outside of the Pirates and White Sox here facing tough pitching from the Indians, Nationals and Red Sox. Very little to get excited about from an offensive perspective yet I do expect Christin Stewart to continue his hot run and hit a few homers. Sadly, Nick Castellanos will have to wait until after the break to see some bad left-handed pitching (which is what suits him best).
Minnesota Twins (19 games)
- 7 Mixed (3 BOS, 4 @ KCR)
- 6 Mixed (3 TBR, 3 @ CHW)
- 6 Mixed (3 @ OAK, 3 TEX)
This offense has been incredible as they have more homers than every team in the majors outside of the Mariners and are second behind the Dodgers in Team WAR (16.5). This entire offense is essentially owned in most formats with the exception at this point being Jason Castro who is still 15-team viable. Just lock in your Twins’ bats for these next three weeks and don’t think much about it.
Chicago White Sox (17 games)
- 5 Road (2 @ CHC, 3 @ TEX)
- 6 Mixed (3 @ BOS, 3 MIN)
- 6 Home (4 DET, 2 CHC)
Nothing particularly appealing here though we continue to play Jose Abreu, Yoan Moncada and Eloy Jimenez every week. Tim Anderson has slumped mightily after a red-hot April and over the last two weeks has a brutal slash line (.222/.238/.378) but he’s hard to bench when you need stolen bases. A very middle of the road schedule for this group.
Kansas City Royals (20 games)
- 7 Mixed (3 @ SEA, 4 MIN)
- 7 Road (3 @ CLE, 4 @ TOR)
- 6 Mixed (3 CLE, 3 @ WAS)
It’s never good when you have to see Indians’ pitchers in two of your next four series’ but that doesn’t stop us from playing our studs here (Adalberto Mondesi, Whit Merrifield). Alex Gordon has cooled off of late (.242 BA and just two homers this past month), while Merrifield has just two swipes over the past month compared to Mondesi who has 12 over that span. At some point, the bat of Ryan O’Hearn will have to awaken or he’ll get sent down to Triple-A. O’Hearn has above average exit velocity and hard hit rate but his xStats (xBA, xwOBA, xSLG) are all near the worst marks in the entire league. Let’s see if he picks up the pace here in the power department in this stretch.
Cleveland Indians (18 games)
- 7 Mixed (4 @ TEX, 3 DET)
- 6 Mixed (3 KCR, 3 @ BAL)
- 5 Road (3 @ KCR, 2 @ CIN)
One of my favorite set-ups over the next three weeks with some very dicey rotations and poor bullpens for these Indians’ bats to face. Particularly liking the idea of Jose Ramirez finally heating up and Carlos Santana continuing to crush bombs. Arguably the best three-week stretch for any of these teams which means we may want to consider streaming guys like Jake Bauers, Roberto Perez and even (gulp) Jason Kipnis.
AL EAST
New York Yankees (17 games)
- 6 Home (3 TBR, 4 HOU)
- 5 Mixed (3 TOR, 2 @ BOS)
- 6 Road (2 @ NYM, 4 @ TBR)
No seven-game weeks for this crew but they will likely get Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge back for these final three weeks before the break. We can safely assume that Kendrys Morales gets cut if no further injuries hit and that Cameron Maybin or Clint Frazier will be the odd man out even though they’ve been hitting better than veteran Brett Gardner lately.
Boston Red Sox (17 games)
- 6 Mixed (3 @ MIN, 3 TOR)
- 5 Home (3 CHW, 2 NYY)
- 6 Road (3 @ TOR, 3 @ DET)
A great mix of studly bats and it’s actually been Xander Bogaerts carrying them on offense lately (.340 BA, .402 OBP this past month). Mitch Moreland should make his way back from the IL at some point in the next couple weeks but he continues to be someone we can’t rely on much in any format. Rookie Michael Chavis is hitting .223 with a .279 OBP this past month after an incredibly hot start. My guess is he’ll get his bat going again before they come close to demoting him. This is one of the better schedules on paper over the next three weeks.
Tampa Bay Rays (20 games)
- 7 Road (3 @ NYY, 4 @ OAK)
- 6 Mixed (3 @ MIN, 3 v TEX)
- 7 Home (3 BAL, 4 NYY)
This offense continues to fire on all cylinders and is one of the league’s most improved with the additions of Austin Meadows, Tommy Pham, Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe and Avisail Garcia. You’re always starting this bunch and personally I look for heavy mostly-RHP weeks so I can stream Ji-Man Choi who I feel is an underappreciated fantasy asset. The seven-game road week next week isn’t ideal, but love their schedule the following two weeks.
Toronto Blue Jays (20 games)
- 7 Mixed (4 LAA, 3 @ BOS)
- 7 Mixed (3 @ NYY, 4 KCR)
- 6 Home (3 BOS, 3 BAL)
A team of headaches and tough-to-time hitters across the board. Randal Grichuk is hitting .188 over the past month, most fantasy owners expected more from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and this team offers no upside with stolen bases as their 16 to-date is tied with the Cubs for the least in the league (for reference, the Royals lead the league with 64). The one platoon advantage we always look for here is Justin Smoak when the team doesn’t have many lefties to face. Looks like Smoak might be one to bench next week with possibly four left-handed starters taking the mound against the Jays.
Baltimore Orioles (18 games)
- 7 Road (3 @ OAK, 4 @ SEA)
- 5 Home (2 SDP, 3 CLE)
- 6 Road (3 @ TBR, 3 @ TOR)
Last, certainly not least, we can look to a few key Orioles’ bats when facing left-handed pitching. They have four bats with ISO’s over .250 against southpaws – Pedro Severino (.370), Renato Nunez (.317), Keon Broxton (.261) and Trey Mancini (.253). They’ll possibly see up to four lefties in their seven games next week.
