When it comes to playing the matchups, I'm used to taking it week by week. Probable pitchers are constantly changing, so predicting any further out than that is a fool's errand.
But if you play in a Head-to-Head league, the playoffs are nigh, if not already here. It's about this time every year that people begin asking who they should stash away for the stretch run. So I'll play along, sizing up every team's remaining schedule and speculating which players could benefit most from it.
Understand, though, that speculation is all it is. Again, it's no use trying sort out which exact pitchers will start on which days, so for more confident recommendations, I advise you to check out my weekly pitcher and hitter sleepers, which will be released every Friday as usual. But if you're looking to get a jump on your competition, stashing away all the potential reinforcements ahead of time, then a little speculation may be just what you need.
What I've done here is count up which teams have the most remaining series against "bad" pitching staffs and which have the most remaining series against "bad" lineups. How do I classify such things? Mostly by runs, whether prevented or scored, but I do make my own judgments based on changes in personnel. For instance, the Mets certainly have a bad pitching staff now even if they haven't for most of the season.
The starting point for this exercise is next scoring period, the one that begins Monday, Aug. 28. From that point forward -- five scoring periods in all -- each team will play 10 series. The ones with the most series against "bad" pitching staffs and the ones with most series against "bad" lineups are listed below, along with some players who you may want to pick up in light of this information. For the most part, I've limited myself to those rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues, but I have highlighted a couple who are rostered in more.
You of course won't be able to add them all, and I want to stress that these recommended pickups are in no way meant to replace the studs who got you where you are. In fact, in a perfect world, you won't have to use any of them and can simply add them just so your competition won't use them against you.
Remaining series against 'bad' pitching staffs:
- Chicago Cubs: 6
- Chicago White Sox: 6
- Detroit Tigers: 6
- Minnesota Twins: 6
- Atlanta Braves: 5
- Baltimore Orioles: 5
- Cincinnati Reds: 5
- New York Yankees: 5
- Philadelphia Phillies: 5
- San Diego Padres: 5
- Seattle Mariners: 5
The production has gone from good to great since the Tigers made Carpenter a true everyday player, and with two remaining series against the White Sox and one each against the Angels, Athletics and Royals, even more good times are likely ahead.
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Even knowing the matchups are favorable, much of the Twins lineup is difficult to recommend because the lefty/righty distribution is unclear this far out. It doesn't matter for Lewis, who figures to be their starting third baseman either way.
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The second-half call-up has mostly just held his own so far, but we've seen glimpses of the power stroke that delivered so much damage in the minors. Particularly from the second week of September on, the matchups could set Encarnacion-Strand ablaze.
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Again, it's hard to say what exactly the lefty/righty distribution will be for the Twins' favorable matchups down the stretch, but Wallner tends to start against lefties more than, say, Edouard Julien or Max Kepler and has the most power of the three.
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Others (roster percentage in parentheses): Will Benson (27), Austin Hays (66), Edouard Julien (47), Eddie Rosario (56), Mike Tauchman (25), Joey Votto (36)
Remaining series against 'bad' lineups:
- Detroit Tigers: 7
- Chicago Cubs: 6
- Kansas City Royals: 6
- Chicago White Sox: 5
- Cincinnati Reds: 5
- Cleveland Guardians: 5
- Los Angeles Angels: 5
- Los Angeles Dodgers: 5
- Minnesota Twins: 5
- New York Yankees: 5
- San Diego Padres: 5
- Toronto Blue Jays: 5
Williams has been throwing with more conviction in recent starts, seeing his strikeouts spike as a result, but there's a chance the Guardians will shut him down if they slip too far behind the Twins. He's already reached a career high in innings.
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Skubal has looked dominant at times with his improved fastball velocity since rejoining the Tigers rotation in early July, and the remaining schedule suggests that even better days are ahead. It's worth noting, though, that his latest start was his first of six innings.
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This one is a bit speculative seeing as the Dodgers sent Pepiot back to the minors after his bulk relief appearance in a doubleheader Tuesday, but the rookie has big strikeout potential and should get a chance to fill Tony Gonsolin's void soon enough.
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Others (roster percentage in parentheses): Mike Clevinger (68), Clarke Schmidt (51), Brady Singer (62), Brandon Williamson (31), Bryan Woo (45)