Congratulations! If you are reading this, you fall into three categories. 1. You had a BYE, and this is your first week. 2. You won last week with the suggestions of Razzball. 3. Hi Mom…thanks for reading again. Regardless of your reasoning, you are because you have some trust in the process. I hope that I have guided you through some murky waters, around treacherous falls, and into safe pastures. This game isn’t all too tough. We simply have to utilize a process, identify some advantageous matchups, and have more luck than the person we are playing. No need to dredge on, let’s get to Round 2!
What to look for!
- FAVORABLE TEAM MATCHUPS!
- SPARP(S) OF THE WEEK!
- R/L MATCHUPS TO EXPLOIT
- SAGNOF/SAGNOF (PART DEUX)
Favorable Team Matchups!
9 Games
CIN (vPIT/@STL)—Heavy RHP matchups early in the week, followed up by tough series vs StL with multiple LHP
8 Games
CLE (vLAA/vCWS/vMIN)–Lefty heavy to begin the week. Good RHP matchups v MINN. Cleveland only has 37 HR at home on the season.
MIA (vTEX/vPHI/@WSH)–Double header on Monday. Weak SP’s on the schedule
PIT (@CIN/@NYM)–Solid series in Cincy, but avoid the Mets matchups.
TB (@TOR/vTEX)–DH on Tues. Tough matchups vs TOR, but eases up vs TEX
TOR (vTB/vBAL)–DH on Tues. LHP heavy to begin the week, but 5 straight RHP to finish.
5 Games
BAL (@WSH/@TOR)–Hard series vs Tor limits the week even further
BOS (vNYY/vKC)–Skip Yankees series. KC is solid vs RHP
COL (@CWS/@CHC)–All on the road. Tough matchups Only 39 HR on the road as a team
MIL (@STL/vNYY)–Blend of RHP and LHP. Avoid for me
NYY (@BOS/@MIL)–All projected RHP. Hard to bench your stars regardless.
SEA (vSD/@LAA)–3 of the starters they will face are Yu, Clev, and Ohtani..I dont’ like it.
WSH (vBAL/vMIA)—Difficult matchups against both RHP and LHP. Avoid
SPARP(S) OF THE WEEK!
Hunter Brown-RP-HOU (@DET/vOAK) (35% rostered in Yahoo)– Filthy stuff (96 MPH slider), filthy matchups (Tigers and A’s), and RP eligible. When you mix a bunch of colors together, it just turns brown. Well, I guess when you mix a bunch of excellent opportunities and abilities, it also leads to Brown.
Kris Bubic-SP/RP-KC (@MIN/@BOS) (5% rostered in Yahoo)- Not required for the faint of heart. Bubic has been far from great on the season, but he has done a few things well. For starters, he has gone 5+ innings in 10 of his last 12 starts, with 9 of those allowing 3 ER or less. The matchups aren’t ideal, but if you are struggling with RP and/or want to roll the dice, here you go.
Bailey Falter-SP/RP-PHI (@MIA/@ATL) (26% rostered in Yahoo)- Great matchup against the Marlins in his 1st start of the week before he gets a tough one in the Braves. The winning pitcher in his past 4 starts, you have to go back to 7/24 for his last loss on the season, which coincidentally is the only time this season that he has allowed 4+ earned runs in an outing.
R/L MATCHUPS TO EXPLOIT
Oneil Cruz, SS, PIT (52% rostered in Yahoo)- I should know better than to assume that a Razzball reader would let Cruz sit on the waiver wire, but just in case! He’s been absolutely mashing the ball, evidenced by his 1st back-to-back multi-hit games of his career. The Pirates are lined up to play 8 games this week and even the Pirates aren’t dumb enough to not get him all of the ABs. Hopefully?
Jake Fraley, OF, CIN (19% rostered in Yahoo)- Recently mentioned in this article, yet still rostered in under 20% of leagues. Fraley can’t hit his way out of a paper bag against lefties, but luckily for him, he is scheduled to face a week’s worth of righties at the comfort of home. How has he done at home vs RHP you ask? .364/5HR/11RBI in 55 ABs.
Josh Jung, 3B, TEX (11% rostered in Yahoo)- Not sure if I want to risk rostering Jung in the playoffs, but if there is a potential spark that could propel you, Jung has it. He was tearing the cover off of the ball during his rehab assignments and should see solid playing time. Texas is lined up for 7 this week, with 5 of the matchups against LHP. If there was a chance for Jung to come out of the gates blazing, this could be it!
SAGNOF
Myles Straw, OF, CLE (17% rostered in Yahoo)- It hurts me to even recommend him, but desperate times call for desperate measures. There are few players in the league that can single-handedly win you the stolen base category, and Straw is one of them. His biggest issue has been his inability to steal 2nd or 3rd from the bench. Lucky for us, Straw has been hitting .273 over the past week, along with a .333 OBP. The Guardians are scheduled for 8 next week, and get three of the league’s worst teams against the stolen base! Enjoy
Raimel Tapia, OF, TOR (10% rostered in Yahoo)- Tapia is in line to see some more ABs this week with the unknown status of Lourdes Gurriel, and the bevy of RHP on the slate. I cannot expect Tapia to help across other categories, but with 8 games and a potential for a lot of ABs, the SB upside is there. How bad do you need them?
SAGNOF (PART DEUX)
Jose Leclerc, RP, TEX (5% rostered in Yahoo)- The guys at Reliever Recon know my undying love for Leclerc, and you should as well. I have been burnt so many times, yet I keep coming back for more. It is definitely not entirely his 9th inning, but he has been scoreless in 13 of last 14.
Pete Fairbanks, RP, TB (30% rostered in Yahoo) — How desperate are you for saves? Can you afford to stomach a reliever roulette? If so, grab Fairbanks. The Rays play 8 games and Pete has been filthy!
Jason Adam, RP, TB (51% rostered in Yahoo)- Adam will most likely be rostered, but if not, as mentioned above, the Rays play 8!
James Karinchak, RP, CLE (15% rostered in Yahoo)- This isn’t a play for saves, as much as it’s an opportunity to pick up ratio help. Holder of a 22 game scoreless streak, it appears that Special K has found his groove! With the Guardians set to play 8, if Clase needs a breather, it will be Karinchak getting the save!
