A new week brings on a whole new group of match-ups and we’re lucky enough to get a fairly long list of games from which to choose. If this week is anything like what we saw over the weekend, then the daily fantasy baseball salary cap games are going to be highly competitive as we saw, not just a number of hitters go off, but pitchers as well. On Saturday alone, there were three complete games thrown. Also, the two-wild card system has made these final months of the season incredibly competitive as the imbalanced schedule brings you a number of series that will have immense playoff ramifications. Here’s a look at some of the data you’ll want to check out before making your final decisions today.
Arizona Diamondbacks at Pittsburgh Pirates
Arizona rookie Wade Miley continues to impress this year with his 2.98 ERA and ability to stifle lefties at a .211 clip this season. But the Pirates are a determined team this year and he’ll have to contain the likes of Andrew McCutchen who is batting .357 with four doubles over his last 41 at-bats and rookie sensation Starling Marte who is batting .273 with two home runs against southpaws since he’s been up. Veteran lefty Erik Bedard has a 2.72 ERA at home this year and is holding the opposition to a .205 average at PNC Park. But Aaron Hill seems to have his number, batting .318 with one home run in 22 at-bats, and he’ll also have to watch for Miguel Montero who is red-hot, batting .405 with four home runs and a double over his last 37 at-bats.
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New York Yankees at Detroit Tigers
Right-hander Ivan Nova is coming off his worst start of the season in which he gave up nine earned runs in just five innings. But he is 7-1 with a 3.32 ERA on the road this year despite right-handers hitting .305 against him. It’s a tough Tigers lineup he’s dealing with as Miguel Cabrera is batting .283 over his last 46 at-bats with five home runs and a double while table-setter Austin Jackson is batting .310 with one home run and 11 walks in his last 53 plate appearances. While ace right-hander Justin Verlander is holding the opposition to a .201 batting average, he has a 5.11 ERA in two starts against the Yankees this year and they are batting a collective .314 against him. Ichiro Suzuki is batting .333 with a home run, a double and a triple over 51 at-bats against Verlander while Derek Jeter is batting .334 with one home run over 32 at-bats against him.
Texas Rangers at Boston Red Sox
July and August have not been kind to Yu Darvish who is 1-3 with a 6.82 ERA over his last five starts. Yet he’s still holding right-handers to a .196 batting average this season. But it’s lefty Adrian Gonzalez to worry about as he is batting .354 with two home runs and two doubles over his last 48 at-bats. If you need a cheap sleeper, maybe check out Pedro Ciriaco who is batting .303 with a home run and a triple over his last 33 at-bats. Veteran right-hander Aaron Cook takes the mound with a 5.96 home ERA and is allowing the opposition a .302 batting average against him. While he may fare a little better against righties, the Texas lineup is so dangerous that he has to be wary of them all. Ian Kinsler is batting .333 with two home runs and two doubles over his last 51 at-bats while David Murphy is crushing the ball at a .438 clip with seven doubles in 38 at-bats.
Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers
In three starts against the Brewers this season, Bronson Arroyo is 2-0 with a 2.66 ERA and is holding them to a .189 average so far. Rickie Weeks is batting .146 over 41 at-bats against him but does have two home runs and three doubles. Meanwhile, there is a saving grace here as Ryan Braun is batting .283 with four home runs and two doubles over 46 at-bats against him. Yovani Gallardo hasn’t fared as well against the Reds in his three starts this year, going 1-2 with a 4.08 ERA and a .258 batting average against. Drew Stubbs is only batting .227 against him over 22 at-bats but does have a home run, but look out for Jay Bruce who is on a six-game hit streak and is batting a robust .462 with two home runs and two doubles over 26 at-bats against Gallardo.
San Francisco Giants at St. Louis Cardinals
Matt Cain’s ERA might jump to 3.56 on the road this year, but he’s still holding hitters to a .234 average and is killing righties with a .184 BAA. Matt Holliday has three home runs off Cain over the course of 37 at-bats, but he is only batting .189 against him. Rafael Furcal, who is just back from a few games off with a back injury, is batting .278 against Cain and has two doubles over 38 trips to the plate. St. Louis 13-game winner Lance Lynn continues to surprise people this season and has himself a 2.79 ERA at home while holding the opposition to a .206 average. He’ll certainly have his hands full with guys like Buster Posey who is batting .400 with four home runs and three doubles over his last 45 at-bats and, of course, Melky Cabrera who is batting .314 with a home run, three doubles and a triple over his last 51 at-bats.
Los Angeles Angels at Oakland A’s
Oakland’s run of amazing comeback wins could be put on hold here with Jered Weaver on the hill for the Angels. He’s faced the A’s twice this season already and has a 0.61 ERA, holding them to a .154 average with 10 strikeouts. Shaving cream pie magnet Coco Crisp is batting just .158 in 38 at-bats against Weaver while Brandon Inge is batting just .200 with no extra-base hits. Rookie right-hander Jarrod Parker has faced the Angels once this year and has a 1.29 ERA to show for it. But right-handers are batting .251 against him and there are no two better righties to have to deal with than Albert Pujols who is batting .365 with seven home runs and six doubles over his last 52 at-bats and Mike Trout who is hitting .320 with four home runs, two double sand a triple over his last 50 at-bats.
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Howard Bender has been covering fantasy sports for over ten years on a variety of web sites, including his own, The Fantasy Baseball Buzz. You can follow him on Twitter at @rotobuzzguy or for direct questions or comments you can email him at rotobuzzguy@gmail.com.
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