Easy roads
Target soft schedules for late fantasy push
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 redhot 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 MLB. 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.)
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.