No team will have an advantage in games played this week. Every team is scheduled to play six games. All of those will be interleague games except for the Braves’ series at Cincinnati Tuesday-Thursday and the Pirates at Colorado Friday-Sunday.
Instead, the advantage generally will be with batters, and it should be a big advantage. Nine teams would play all six games at home. Of the nine home parks in play all week, four of them are among the nine best hitters’ parks in the majors. Seven of the nine home teams play in the top half of hitters’ parks. Two of the six best pitchers’ parks will be in play: at Minnesota (Pirates and Astros three games each) and San Diego (Mariners and Athletics).
The week’s very best hitters’ park could be at Boston (Marlins and Braves), because designated hitters will be used there. However, Fenway Park could have competition for the top scoring spot from parks at Cincinnati (Braves and White Sox), Colorado (Rays and Pirates) and Wrigley Field (White Sox and Indians). Note that Braves and White Sox batters could do well (and pitchers not so well) because they’ll be playing in hitters’ parks all week.
Other parks favoring hitters this week will be at Kansas City (Diamondbacks and Cardinals), Philadelphia (Blue Jays and Orioles) and San Francisco (Angels and Rangers).
Pitchers scheduled to start at home twice this week are RHPs Tim Wakefield, Gil Meche, Carlos Zambrano, Aaron Harang and Kevin Correia, and LHPs Glen Perkins, Jorge DeLaRosa, Cole Hamels and Barry Zito.
As I said, it’s not likely to be a good week for pitchers, but I have to have a highest recommendation. Hamels is that man. And if you’re willing to go out on a shaky limb, try DeLaRosa as a live longshot.
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