This week's greatest advantage in games played goes to the six American League teams -- Red Sox, Tigers, Royals, Athletics, Rangers and Blue Jays -- scheduled for seven games. That's 40 per cent more than the Rays, who would play just five games. Their disadvantage means that it's not a good week for you to have Tampa Bay batters and relief pitchers in your lineup.
The National League also has six teams -- Cubs, Brewers, Phillies, Pirates, Padres and Giants -- scheduled for seven games, giving them a slight advantage over the 10 teams that would play six times.
Two teams in each league are scheduled to play seven games at home. Kansas City would host seven games (Red Sox four, Twins three) in a relatively good hitters' park. The others -- Toronto (Orioles three, Mariners four); Milwaukee (Cubs three, Phillies four), and Pittsburgh (Padres one, Reds and Dodgers three each) have home parks slightly favoring pitchers.
The best hitters' parks in use for six games this week are at Arizona (Giants and Padres), Colorado (Padres and Cardinals) and the south side of Chicago (Twins and Tigers). Parks at Washington (Dodgers and Phillies) and Cleveland (Tigers and Orioles) slightly favor hitters.
Other National League parks that would slightly favor pitchers for six games are at Florida (Phillies and Mets) and Houston (Cardinals and Reds). The Angels have a neutral park that would host the Yankees and Athletics for three games each.
Overall, those parks would indicate a slight advantage for hitters in the AL and for pitchers in the NL. However, because batters will be going against so many Triple-A and tired major league pitchers, I'd say hitters should have the edge this week in the majors.
Pitchers scheduled to start twice at home this week are RHPs Zack Greinke, Dirk Hayhurst, Josh Johnson, Yorman Bazardo, Bud Norris, Braden Looper, David Bush, Daniel McCutchen and Livan Hernandez, and LHPs John Danks, Lenny DiNardo, Joe Saunders, David Purcey, Doug Davis and Jorge De La Rosa. Because there also will be a number of Triple-A batters in lineups this week, the best major league pitchers should dominate more than usual. My highest recommendations are Greinke, Johnson, Danks, Saunders and De La Rosa. For a live longshot, try Looper. If you really need some good innings and have to gamble on a pitcher, try Hernandez. If he did well, you could gloat over your intelligence or prescience, but whatever you do, don't hold me responsible. Take all the credit if he comes through and blame somebody else if he bombs, which is a 2:1 or more proposition.
Overall, it should be a good week for pitchers. The only teams scheduled to play seven games at home are the Dodgers (against the Cardinals for three games, Cubs four), Mets (Giants one, Braves and Phillies three each) and Padres (Cubs three, Cardinals four). San Diego is one of the majors' most extreme pitchers' parks, and Dodger Stadium and Citi Field favor pitchers but to a lesser degree. There would be six games at Houston (Marlins and Diamondbacks) and Pittsburgh (Brewers and Reds) which also tend to be pitchers' parks. Note that it should be a bad week for Cubs batters in hostile pitchers' parks. Even in the American League, scheduled to play all six at games are the Athletics (Yankees and Tigers), Rays (Orioles and Rangers) and Blue Jays (Red Sox and Angels). Oakland has an extreme pitchers' park; Tampa Bay and Toronto are slightly less pitcher-friendly.
The best hitters' parks that would be in play for all six games would belong to the White Sox (Royals and Orioles in this week's most extreme hitting conditions), Indians (Angels and Mariners) and Nationals (Rockies and Brewers).
The best hitters' parks in use for all six games would be at Baltimore (Athletics and Angels) and Arizona (Mets and Dodgers).
Pitchers scheduled to start at home twice this week are RHPs Fausto Carmona, Vin Mazzaro, Tommy Hanson, Bud Norris, Charlie Haeger, Chad Billingsley, Livan Hernandez, Kevin Hart, Kevin Correia, Cesar Carrillo and Craig Stammen, and LHPs Mark Buehrle, David Price, Ricky Romero and Oliver Perez. My highest recommendations are Hanseon Romero, with other young live longsots in Hart, Carrillo and Price.
No comments:
Post a Comment