In most H2H leagues, this is the final week of the regular season. I reflect on this week as I have watched Pujols and Molina make their final journey around the MLB before they leave for good. Well, as far as we know! Pujols has gone on record that even if he doesn’t get to 700, he will retire. I believe that about as much as I believed he was 19 when he joined the Cardinals. I think it would be an awesome situation to watch Albert come back next year (if he doesn’t get 700 this year) and have all of America watching his every AB in hopes of 700. Then again, the swan song for Pujols and Molina hasn’t exactly been one that I had imagined.
I can remember when Mariano Rivera was retiring, he was getting rocking chairs made of broken bats, gold records, and terrifying sand sculptures. Derek Jeter received a ticker tape parade with every stadium he visited, and yet Pujols and Molina pale in comparison. Sure, Molina doesn’t deserve the send-off that Jeter or Mo had gotten, but Pujols deserves so much more than what he has gotten. Hell, the Red Sox and the Cubs gave him the same gift, the #5 from their scoreboards.
Regardless of how the other MLB teams are sending off Yadi and The Machine, I will hopefully send you, the reader, off into the playoffs with the greatest gift of all. Knowledge. So without further ado, the final Getting Ahead In Head To Head!
What to look for!
- FAVORABLE TEAM MATCHUPS!
- SPARP(S) OF THE WEEK!
- R/L MATCHUPS TO EXPLOIT
- SAGNOF/SAGNOF (PART DEUX)
Favorable Team Matchups!
7 Games
ARI (vPHI/vMIL)
BOS (@MIN/vTEX)
LAD (@MIA/@NYM/vSD)
MIL (vPIT/@ARI)
5 Games
HOU (@TEX/@LAA)
TB (@MIA/vNYY)
SPARP(S) OF THE WEEK!
Mitch White-SP/RP-TOR (vCHC) (7% rostered in Yahoo)- A stream dream as the Cubs rank 18th in runs scored v RHP on the road since 8/1. White’s only issue is that he has gone less than 5 in his past three starts. The good news is that he is more than capable of giving us the 5 innings we need considering the Cubs don’t take too many walks (6%) and do the majority of their damage via the HR. White has now gone 24 innings without allowing an HR.
Austin Voth-SP/RP-BAL (vOAK) (10% rostered in Yahoo)- This should seem like a walk in the park for Voth after his previous three starts (TOR/CWS/HOU). Despite getting into trouble during the start vs. CWS, he managed to keep them under 3 runs. That was Voth’s 11th start with allowing 3ER or less.
Jose Quintana-SP/RP-STL (vCHC) (40% rostered in Yahoo)- Quintana will be looking to right the ship after a disastrous outing against the D’Backs. Luckily, he gets the “revenge game” narrative against the Cubs. Obviously, I am kidding, but it should be a great matchup. Quintana will be looking to induce ground balls to allow his Gold Glove defense behind him to do their thing, and the Cubs have the 2nd highest GB% (49%) over the past month.
R/L MATCHUPS TO EXPLOIT!
Albert Pujols, 1B/DH, STL (44% rostered in Yahoo)- Probably late to the party, but you can let Pujols carry you into the Playoffs one final time! The Machine has been on a tear over the past 3 weeks that I haven’t seen in quite some time. Entering the season, nobody doubted his ability to hit LHP, but for him to put up one of the greatest 10-game stretches of his career is special. This week, the Cardinals will travel to Cincinnati and host the Cubs at Busch. Pujols has dominated the Cubs for his career, and he faces 3 lefties this week. You could do worse, Mang!
Randal Grichuk, OF, COL (48% rostered in Yahoo)- Grichuk has been hot since the Calendar turned to August, with a line of 12/4/9/.316. Granted, the Rockies aren’t at home this week, but they do get to travel to Coors Light (Great American Ballpark). Randall has been playing every day and has the luxury of facing three lefties. The matchups aren’t the best against Atlanta, but if you desperately need some power, get him in your lineup over the weekend when he visits Cincy and a couple of lefties.
Jose Trevino, C, NYY (21% rostered in Yahoo)- If you have been streaming catchers or just punting the position, Trevino could be your savior this week. He isn’t playing every day, but he is getting a 65/35 split. This week the Yankees will get 4 LHP over their 6 games. Trevino, since Aug. 1st, has been crushing lefties. Despite the small sample size, he went .500 with 2 HR.
Nelson Cruz, DH, WSH (50% rostered in Yahoo)- There is a decent chance that Nelly was dumped in your league after allowing Father Time to catch up to him finally. Like 50% of your league mates, Father Time has switched to Fantasy Football and forgot about Cruz. Since Aug 1st, Cruz has been playing well but has done a lot of damage to LHP. The Nats will square off against 3 of them this week, and Cruz will look to keep up his hot ways. For the month, he is hitting .421 with 2HR against LHP.
SAGNOF
Sam Haggerty, OF, SEA (5% rostered in Yahoo)- Pay attention this weekend to see if Haggerty is back in the lineup as expected. Haggerty has had an incredible second half and has shown he can steal bases in bunches.
Bubba Thompson, OF, TEX (2% rostered in Yahoo)- If you need SBs to win and get in, Thompson could be your guy. He’s playing daily, stealing bases at a decent clip, and getting the Red Sox over the weekend. The Sox have allowed the 7th most SB on the season.
SAGNOF(PART DEUX)
Rafael Montero, RP, HOU (34% rostered in Yahoo)– Presley is on the IL with neck stiffness, and it appears the ‘Stros are going to give Montero the first look. Houston only plays 5 next week, but SAGNOF, right?
Brandon Hughes, RP, CHC (16% rostered in Yahoo)- He has the role in Chicago. Nothing more to say.
Luis Garcia, RP, SDP (15% rostered in Yahoo)- While Josh Hader works through his issues, it is a “committee” in San Diego. I would believe that Garcia will see the majority of the opps.
