Schedule Notes: Halladay is the one Jay to play

There will be some significant differences in playing time for some teams this week.

One team in each league, the Blue Jays and the Cardinals, are scheduled for just five games. Five American League teams – Orioles, Tigers, Royals, Athletics and Rangers – and seven in the National League – Diamondbacks, Braves, Dodgers, Mets, Pirates, Padres and Nationals – would play seven. That’s 40 per cent more than Toronto and St. Louis, meaning that you’re at a disadvantage if you have hitters and relief pitchers from those teams in your lineup.

Making things even worse for the Cardinals is that all five of their games would be on the road. The effect shouldn’t be quite as bad for the Blue Jays hitters or team, because they’ll be at home all week – with RHP Roy Halladay on hand and scheduled to start twice.

There shouldn’t be pronounced differences in hitting or pitching levels in the two leagues. If anything, hitters should have a slight advantage in the AL and pitchers would have a bitter of an upper hand in the NL.

The only AL park that would be in use for seven games is at Detroit (Orioles four games, Twins three), where hitters have had a slight advantage. At one of the majors’ best parks, the White Sox would play all six of their games (Angels and Indians). Toronto has a pretty good pitchers’ park, but it would be in use for just five games (Yankees two, Orioles three).

In the NL, one of the majors’ best pitchers’ parks would be in use for seven games, at San Diego (Braves three, Mets four). Pitchers also usually have an advantage at Houston (Giants and Brewers three each) and Dodger Stadium, where LA would host seven games (Brewers three, Braves four). That also should mean a bad week for Brewers batters and even worse for those from the Braves. In other words, don’t expect one of streaky 1B Adam LaRoche’s big weeks.

Two NL parks that slightly favor hitters would be in use all week – for seven games at Washington (Pirates one, Marlins and Diamondbacks three each), and six at Philadelphia (Rockies and Marlins).


Pitchers scheduled to start at home twice this week are RHPs Halladay, Jose Contreras, Justin Verlander, Luke Hochevar, Hiroki Kuroda, Mat Latos, Tim Stauffer, Garrett Mock and J.D. Martin, and LHPs Jarrod Washburn, Mike Hampton, Clayton Kershaw, Jamie Moyer and Zach Duke. Our highest recommendations are Halladay, Verlander and Kershaw. Live longshots are Hochevar, Latos and Duke. They’re not highest recommendations because all three pitch for bad teams.