There’s not much time left in the season, which means, if you’re still alive, you have to do whatever you can to gain an edge.
If that means picking up a red-hot bat, like Brandon Belt and dropping an ice-cold Yu Darvish or Kyle Hendricks, so be it.
You could also trying playing the matchups. Though it is not the be-all and end-all strategy, there are some lineups worth stacking up on as they face inferior pitching over the final two weeks. (And we’re not just talking about players on the Phillies, Rangers, Red Sox and Blue Jays when they face the Orioles’ league-worst pitching staff.) The goal is gain an advantage any way you can, whether its with players on your roster or lesser-owned guys on the waiver wire.
Here’s a look at three lineups that will have great matchups for the remainder of the season:
Reds
Ten of their final 12 games come against two of the worst pitching staffs in the majors. They will kick off their final homestand with three games against the Pirates, who own the fourth-worst ERA (5.34) of the second half (overall 5.05 ERA is third-worst) before facing the Nationals four times. Washington has the second-worst ERA (5.70) and the most home runs allowed (105) in the second half.
Cincinnati finishes with two games against at the White Sox, who own a 4.14 ERA since the break, and three more against the Pirates.
The versatile Kyle Farmer, who’s owned in about 20 percent of ESPN leagues and entered Friday hitting .301 with seven homers, 27 RBIs, 24 runs and a .823 OPS in the second half, could be a sneaky addition to your roster. He has hit .370 with a homer, eight RBIs, a stolen base and .886 OPS against the Pirates this season, and also owns a respectable .250 average and .925 OPS against the Nationals.
Tyler Naquin, who has four homers and 12 RBIs against Pittsburgh this year, the slumping Joey Votto, Nick Castellanos and Jonathan India should all be in your lineups. Even Mike Moustakas, who entered Friday hitting .184 since Aug. 6, deserves consideration since he is hitting .389 with a 1.167 OPS in 11 games vs. the Pirates this year.
Rockies
Colorado will play its next nine games at Coors Field, including three games against the Nationals, whom the Rockies played this weekend and who entered Friday with the eighth worst team ERA (4.74) in the majors.
The Rockies will also face the Dodgers and Giants for three games apiece before finishing up with three games on the road against the Diamondbacks, whose ERA (5.16) and home ERA (5.01) are the second-worst in the majors.
Though it may seem daunting to play Rockies hitters facing two of the top pitching staffs in the majors during the most crucial moments of the fantasy season, Roto Rage would like you to keep this in mind: Logic goes out the window when it comes to Coors Field. The Giants have allowed 30 runs in 48 ²/₃ innings (5.55 ERA) and seven homers in Denver this year, while the Dodgers’ staff allowed eight homers and maintained a 4.31 ERA over seven games.
That means keep C.J. Cron — who is hitting .315 with 18 homers, 61 RBIs and a 1.080 OPS at Coors Field — locked and loaded in your lineup. (Just an FYI: Despite hitting .227 on the road this year, he’s hitting .304 at Arizona’s Chase Field.)
The same goes for Trevor Story, Elias Diaz, Brendan Rodgers and Raimel Tapia — who is hitting .296 with five homers, 36 RBIs and nine stolen bases at the Rockies’ hitter-friendly park this year (and .407 with three stolen bases at Chase Field).
Mariners
Seven of their final 13 games will come against Oakland, which entered Friday with a 6.69 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP in September — both the worst marks in the majors. The Athletics also have given up the sixth-most homers (23) and the second-most earned runs (90), and opponents are hitting .310 against them (also the worst mark this month).
The other six games will come against the Angels, a team that owns the seventh-best ERA — which isn’t saying much since it’s 3.98 and opponents are still hitting .263 against them.
These matchups could be great news for rookie letdown Jarred Kelenic, Abraham Toro, Luis Torrens, Ty France (hitting .313 against Oakland this year) and Mitch Haniger, who is hitting .302 this month and .297 with eight homers and 24 RBIs against the Angels and A’s combined.
Big hits
Ranger Suarez SP/RP, Phillies
Owns a 1.59 ERA, 21-4 strikeout-walk rate and .203 opponents average over his first three starts this month.
Brandon Belt 1B, Giants
Entered Friday with a nine-game hit streak, going 16-for-39 (.410) with five homers, 11 RBIs, 12 runs and a 1.375 OPS in that span. Since Aug. 5, he is hitting .276 with 14 homers, 24 RBIs, 26 runs and a 1.035 OPS.
Jordan Lyles SP, Rangers
Though he has allowed the most homers in the majors (36) this year, he is 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA with a .174 opponents average over his past three starts.
Nicky Lopez 2B/SS, Royals
Had an 11-game hitting streak snapped Thursday. He was 21-for-49 (.429) with a homer, five RBIs, 12 runs, two stolen bases and a 1.002 OPS in that span.
Big whiffs
Yu Darvish SP, Padres
Despite a solid 62-13 strikeout-walk rate in his past 11 starts, he is 1-8 with a 7.67 ERA (46 ER over 54 innings), 17 homers allowed and a .274 opponents average.
Hunter Renfroe OF, Red Sox
Over his past six games before Friday, he is 2-for-23 (.087) with one home, one RBIs, 12 strikeouts and a .440 OPS.
Kyle Hendricks, SP, Cubs
No wins since Aug. 17, going 0-1 with 9.12 ERA, 16 strikeouts, 10 walks and a .307 opponents average over his past five starts.
Rafael Devers OF, Red Sox
Though he hit a respectable .245 and owned a .740 OPS in his first 14 games this month, he struck out 21 times.
Check swings
- Adrian Houser of the Brewers, owned in just 42 percent of ESPN leagues, is 6-1 with a 2.81 ERA, 50 strikeouts, just two homers allowed and a .212 opponents average over his past 14 appearances (13 starts). He is 2-0 with 0.00 ERA and .082 opponents average in his first two starts this month.
- Ian Happ continues to swing a red-hot bat for the Cubs, having had at least one hit in 11 of his first 14 games this month. He was 20-for-56 (.357) with five homers, 13 RBIs, a stolen base and a 1.114 OPS in that span. The versatile Cub hit .345 with 11 homers and a 1.131 OPS in 30 games since Aug. 13.
- In his first 56 games since the All-Star break, the Nationals’ Juan Soto struck out 31 times (12.6 percent of his at-bats) while walking a ridiculous 62 times (25.2 percent of his at-bats). He has walked in 20.8 percent of his at-bats this season while whiffing in just 14.4 percent, basically matching his numbers from the shortened 2020 season.
- If you’re looking to rack up some cheap steals in the final weeks, target players facing the White Sox, Yankees and Nationals. The Tigers are another team prone to allowing a good amount of thievery.
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Good Luck in Future En-Devers