Fantasy Forecaster updated Monday, Sept. 15, at 9:40 a.m. ET.
On tap: It's a last-gasp week for the Milwaukee Brewers, 19-27 in their past 46 games (entering play on Sept. 14), 1 1/2 games back in the National League wild-card race and five back in the NL Central race, who make trips to both St. Louis and Pittsburgh to play the two teams they trail within their division. The Brewers are 4-9 against these two teams since the beginning of July, and they haven't won a road game since Aug. 25, a span of eight consecutive road losses. Worse yet, the team has middling hitting ratings and poor pitching ratings, so any fantasy-related case for the Brewers hinges upon their playoff motivation. How lucky do you feel?
Speaking of motivation, playoff positioning is a critical factor in fantasy baseball planning during the season's final two weeks, as teams tend to rest players, shuffle rotations and/or audition youngsters for next season once their playoff fate is decided. We're sure to see three division races decided early in the week: As of the start of play on Sept. 14, the Los Angeles Angels had a magic number of four to clinch the American League West, the Baltimore Orioles a magic number of five to clinch the AL East and the Washington Nationals a magic number of six to clinch the National League East. The Angels, meanwhile, have a magic number of 10 to lock up the AL's No. 1 seed (and with it home-field advantage throughout the postseason), meaning that they could be playing nothing but meaningless games by the end of Week 24. The St. Louis Cardinals, meanwhile, had the next-lowest magic number, 11 to clinch the NL Central.
The following teams also all entered play on Sept. 14 not only still in contention for a playoff spot, but within five games in the standings of a playoff spot, meaning they'll be the most motivated to perform in Week 24: Cleveland Indians (five games back in AL wild-card race), Detroit Tigers (1/2 game ahead in AL Central), Kansas City Royals (1/2 game back in AL Central, one game ahead in AL wild-card race), New York Yankees (five back in AL wild-card race), Oakland Athletics (1 1/2 ahead for an AL wild-card spot), Seattle Mariners (one back in AL wild-card race), Toronto Blue Jays (four back in AL wild-card race), Atlanta Braves (three back in NL wild-card race), Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates (1 1/2 ahead in NL wild-card race, 3 1/2 back in NL Central) and San Francisco Giants (5 1/2 ahead in NL wild-card race, two back in NL West).
The following teams were either mathematically eliminated from the postseason or had elimination numbers of five or less as of the morning of Sept. 14: Boston Red Sox (eliminated), Chicago White Sox (elimination number of two), Houston Astros (eliminated), Minnesota Twins (eliminated), Tampa Bay Rays (elimination number of four), Texas Rangers (eliminated), Arizona Diamondbacks (eliminated), Chicago Cubs (elimination number of two) and Colorado Rockies (eliminated).
Quick click by section, if you're seeking advice in a specific area:
ESPN lineup deadlines | Interleague impact | Projected starting pitchers
Pitching scuttlebutt | Week 24 pitcher rankings | Pitching advantages
Hitting ratings | Hitting advantages
ESPN leagues: Lineup deadlines
Welcome to Week 1 of the championships in ESPN standard head-to-head leagues. This is the first of a two-week championship matchup between winners of Weeks 22-23 playoff matchups, with league titles decided by games scheduled beginning on Monday, Sept. 15, and concluding on Sunday, Sept. 28 (14 days total). Good luck to all of those in their league's championship games!
Fantasy owners in leagues with weekly transactions enjoy additional time to set their lineups in Week 24; the first game on Monday begins at 7:05 p.m. ET, Toronto Blue Jays at Baltimore Orioles. It is a week full of later start times, in fact. Tuesday's slate is entirely night games, while every game from Wednesday-Friday has a start time no earlier than 2:20 p.m. ET.
If you play in a league with daily transactions, take note of this week's earliest start times by day: Wednesday's first (of two) day games begins at 3:10 p.m. ET (Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies); Thursday's only day game begins at 3:35 p.m. ET (Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics); Friday's only day game begins at 2:20 p.m. ET (Dodgers at Chicago Cubs); Saturday's first two (of five) day games begin at 1:05 p.m. ET (Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals and Dodgers at Cubs); and Sunday's first (of 14) day game begins at 1:05 p.m. ET (Blue Jays at New York Yankees).
Interleague impact
This week's interleague series:
• Boston Red Sox at Pittsburgh Pirates (3 games, Tuesday-Thursday)
• Philadelphia Phillies at Oakland Athletics (3 games, Friday-Sunday)
Though David Ortiz has four starts at first base this season, and 10 there from 2013-14, don't be quick to assume he'll play there during the Red Sox's series at Pittsburgh. He missed two games with a foot injury in late August, and this late in the year in games with no relevance to the playoff race, the Red Sox have no need to test him at an unfamiliar position. Certainly it's a fair guess to assume he'll sit Wednesday's game against left-hander Francisco Liriano, and if he's to start even one of the three, it'd likely be Thursday's against tough right-hander Gerrit Cole. That's not to say that Ortiz should be benched in all formats -- three starts still warrants AL-only and deep-mixed consideration -- but he'll be less useful with fewer at-bats this week.
If Jimmy Rollins' hamstring heals in time, the designated hitter spot would be a natural place to ease him back in during the weekend series at Oakland's O.co Coliseum. That'd free up shortstop for Freddy Galvis, a mere NL-only desperation plug-in. If Rollins proves his health before that series, however, or is entirely ruled out for the week beforehand, the Phillies might use the DH to stash Ryan Howard or Marlon Byrd, freeing up first base or right field at-bats for Darin Ruf, Grady Sizemore or Tony Gwynn Jr. Ruf is the only one worth additional consideration as a result of the addition of the DH, as the team typically mixes and matches lineups as matchups dictate.
Projected starting pitchers
The chart below lists each of the 30 MLB teams' schedules and projected starting pitchers, and provides a projected Bill James Game Score for each day's starter. Pitchers scheduled to start at least twice this week are in gold/beige boxes.
Pitching scuttlebutt
• The Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago Cubs are all currently utilizing six-man rotations with no hints of a change in Week 24.
• Ubaldo Jimenez will make a spot start for the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday, the result of a Sept. 12 doubleheader forcing a need for a sixth starter for one turn. Bud Norris will then pitch on Wednesday and Kevin Gausman on Friday, and manager Buck Showalter said he would like to get his other starters some additional rest following Thursday's off day, meaning that their rotation beyond Gausman remains subject to change.
• Scott Carroll left his Sept. 13 start for the Chicago White Sox with a torn fingernail, and with the team off Thursday, it seems probable that the White Sox will skip his turn this time through and use a five-man rotation. If Carroll is able to pitch during Week 24, John Danks will lose his second scheduled start.
• Due to their Sept. 10 postponement and subsequent Sept. 11 doubleheader, the Cleveland Indians needed a sixth starter for Monday, granting Zach McAllister that assignment and skipping T.J. House's turn. Manager Terry Francona said, however, that House will not be used out of the bullpen during that turn through the rotation, instead being slotted back into the starting five during the weekend series at Minnesota. House will probably start Saturday, but could swap with Trevor Bauer on Friday.
• The Detroit Tigers kept Kyle Lobstein in regular rotation during Week 23, but his turn this week aligns perfectly with Thursday's off day, which is one day before their critical three-game series at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium. It is unclear whether they'll skip Lobstein's turn, but if they do, Rick Porcello would start Sunday's game and become a two-start pitcher.
• Brad Peacock (back) had his scheduled start for the Houston Astros on Monday scratched, and the team will go with five starters for now. It's possible that Peacock will slot back in sometime later in the week, in which case Nick Tropeano would lose his second scheduled start.
• Danny Duffy (shoulder) is on track to rejoin the Kansas City Royals' rotation the next time his turn arrives on Tuesday, assuming he gets through a Sept. 14 bullpen session without incident. Liam Hendriks filled in for Duffy on Sept. 11 and would presumably do so again if needed.
• Tommy Milone (neck), originally projected to rejoin the Minnesota Twins' rotation on Sept. 14 and then pushed back to Monday of Week 24, has suffered a setback and his return date is now unclear. Anthony Swarzak will fill in on Monday, and the team can then revert to its previous order beginning on Tuesday, though it is unclear whether Milone would be ready to return by the weekend, whether the team will need to use Swarzak or Logan Darnell for another spot start, or whether the team will use Thursday's off day to pitch Ricky Nolasco on four days' rest on Sunday.
• The New York Yankees say that Masahiro Tanaka (elbow) could rejoin their rotation during their weekend series versus the Toronto Blue Jays (Thursday-Sunday). It is unclear whether he'd replace one of their current starters, presumably Shane Greene or Chris Capuano, or whether the team would move to a six-man rotation.
• The Oakland Athletics, seeking to line up their rotation for Game 162, the wild card play-in game and the American League Division Series, moved Scott Kazmir up to Tuesday, Sonny Gray up to Thursday and Jason Hammel back to Friday (meaning Gray is now lined up for Game 162). Kazmir is now the team's two-start pitcher for Week 24.
• The Tampa Bay Rays promoted Alex Colome from Triple-A Durham and will give him a start on Monday, resulting in a probable six-man rotation at least through Week 24. Jake Odorizzi might lose his second scheduled start as a result, though the team could instead skip Nathan Karns as a result of Thursday's off day, move Colome to the bullpen following his Monday start and still use Odorizzi on four days' rest on Sunday.
• The Toronto Blue Jays pushed back Marcus Stroman in their rotation to Monday, in order to maximize their matchups. Mark Buehrle pitched Sept. 14, meaning Stroman, not Buehrle, is now the first of two Blue Jays two-start pitchers for Week 24.
• The Chicago Cubs, currently employing a six-man rotation, want to give both Edwin Jackson (lat) and Eric Jokisch a start apiece before the season ends, though it is unclear whether that will happen during Week 24. More likely, especially with Jackson, it will happen during the final week.
• Neither Mat Latos (elbow) nor Dylan Axelrod (oblique) is expected to return this season, meaning the Cincinnati Reds will keep both Daniel Corcino and David Holmberg in their rotation for this week, with Corcino pitching Wednesday and Holmberg on Friday.
• Hyun-Jin Ryu (shoulder) is doubtful to make his scheduled Wednesday start for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Carlos Frias is expected to fill in for him.
• The Milwaukee Brewers demoted Jimmy Nelson from their rotation and will go with only five starters for Week 24.
• Though Rafael Montero made a spot start for the New York Mets on Sept. 10, he has been moved to the bullpen for now.
• Charlie Morton (sports hernia) will rejoin the Pittsburgh Pirates' rotation on Tuesday, replacing Vance Worley and making him the team's two-start pitcher for Week 24.
• The St. Louis Cardinals, looking to give both pitchers some additional rest, skipped Michael Wacha in their rotation on Sept. 14 and pushed John Lackey's Tuesday start back; Marco Gonzales replaced Wacha and might do so again on Saturday. Lackey will pitch on Friday, meaning Lance Lynn is now the Cardinals' two-start pitcher for Week 24.
• The San Diego Padres have announced their rotation only through their Sept. 12-14 series at Arizona's Chase Field, but that their order for that series excluded Joe Wieland suggests that Wieland will work in long relief and the team will stick with the five scheduled starters above for Week 24.
Tristan's Week 24 pitcher rankings: Top 75
1. Clayton Kershaw (LAD) -- Fri-@CHC (Doubront)
2. Max Scherzer (DET) -- Mon-@MIN (Swarzak), Sun-@KC (Shields)
3. Chris Sale (CWS) -- Wed-@KC (Ventura)
4. Stephen Strasburg (WSH) -- Mon-@ATL (Santana), Sat-@MIA (Cosart)
5. Felix Hernandez (SEA) -- Thu-@LAA (Weaver)
6. Corey Kluber (CLE) -- Tue-@HOU (Tropeano), Sun-@MIN (TBD)
7. Madison Bumgarner (SF) -- Wed-@ARI (Delgado)
8. Jacob deGrom (NYM) -- Mon-MIA (Cosart), Sun-@ATL (Santana)
9. David Price (DET) -- Wed-@MIN (Gibson)
10. Johnny Cueto (CIN) -- Tue-@CHC (Arrieta)
11. Francisco Liriano (PIT) -- Wed-BOS (Buchholz)
12. Hisashi Iwakuma (SEA) -- Mon-@LAA (Shoemaker), Sat-@HOU (McHugh)
13. A.J. Burnett (PHI) -- Tue-@SD (Kennedy), Sun-@OAK (Kazmir)
14. Tyson Ross (SD) -- Thu-PHI (Kendrick)
15. Cole Hamels (PHI) -- Wed-@SD (Stults)
16. Alex Wood (ATL) -- Wed-WSH (Gonzalez)
17. Carlos Carrasco (CLE) -- Wed-@HOU (Oberholtzer)
18. Marcus Stroman (TOR) -- Mon-@BAL (Chen), Sat-@NYY (Capuano)
19. Alex Cobb (TB) -- Wed-NYY (McCarthy)
20. Zack Greinke (LAD) -- Thu-@CHC (Wada)
21. James Shields (KC) -- Mon-CWS (Danks), Sun-DET (Scherzer)
22. Danny Salazar (CLE) -- Thu-@HOU (Feldman)
23. Mike Fiers (MIL) -- Wed-@STL (Wainwright)
24. Drew Hutchison (TOR) -- Tue-@BAL (Jimenez), Sun-@NYY (Pineda)
25. Jeff Samardzija (OAK) -- Wed-TEX (Holland)
26. Collin McHugh (HOU) -- Mon-CLE (McAllister), Sat-SEA (Iwakuma)
27. Matt Shoemaker (LAA) -- Mon-SEA (Iwakuma), Sat-TEX (Lewis)
28. Adam Wainwright (STL) -- Wed-MIL (Fiers)
29. Lance Lynn (STL) -- Tue-MIL (Peralta), Sun-CIN (Simon)
30. Tanner Roark (WSH) -- Tue-@ATL (Harang), Sun-@MIA (Eovaldi)
31. Jake Arrieta (CHC) -- Tue-CIN (Cueto)
32. Jon Lester (OAK) -- Sat-PHI (Williams)
33. Scott Kazmir (OAK) -- Tue-TEX (Tepesch), Sun-PHI (Burnett)
34. Ervin Santana (ATL) -- Mon-WSH (Strasburg), Sun-NYM (DeGrom)
35. Gio Gonzalez (WSH) -- Wed-@ATL (Wood)
36. Yusmeiro Petit (SF) -- Sat-@SD (Cashner)
37. Ian Kennedy (SD) -- Tue-PHI (Burnett), Sun-SF (Vogelsong)
38. Julio Teheran (ATL) -- Fri-NYM (Wheeler)
39. Jordan Zimmermann (WSH) -- Fri-@MIA (Koehler)
40. Andrew Cashner (SD) -- Mon-PHI (Williams), Sat-SF (Petit)
41. Gerrit Cole (PIT) -- Thu-BOS (Workman)
42. Doug Fister (WSH) -- Thu-@MIA (Hand)
43. Sonny Gray (OAK) -- Thu-TEX (Martinez)
44. Michael Pineda (NYY) -- Tue-@TB (Odorizzi), Sun-TOR (Hutchison)
45. Tim Hudson (SF) -- Fri-@SD (Despaigne)
46. Kevin Gausman (BAL) -- Fri-BOS (Webster)
47. Dan Haren (LAD) -- Tue-@COL (Matzek), Sun-@CHC (Wood)
48. Mike Minor (ATL) -- Sat-NYM (Niese)
49. Zack Wheeler (NYM) -- Fri-@ATL (Teheran)
50. John Lackey (STL) -- Fri-CIN (Holmberg)
51. Jarred Cosart (MIA) -- Mon-@NYM (DeGrom), Sat-WSH (Strasburg)
52. Josh Collmenter (ARI) -- Tue-SF (Peavy)
53. Derek Holland (TEX) -- Wed-@OAK (Samardzija)
54. Chris Tillman (BAL) -- Sun-BOS (Kelly)
55. Jason Hammel (OAK) -- Fri-PHI (Buchanan)
56. Alfredo Simon (CIN) -- Mon-@CHC (Wood), Sun-@STL (Lynn)
57. Justin Verlander (DET) -- Sat-@KC (Vargas)
58. Hector Santiago (LAA) -- Fri-TEX (Baker)
59. Dallas Keuchel (HOU) -- Fri-SEA (Young)
60. Jake Peavy (SF) -- Tue-@ARI (Collmenter)
61. Jake Odorizzi (TB) -- Tue-NYY (Pineda)
62. Clay Buchholz (BOS) -- Wed-@PIT (Liriano)
63. Danny Duffy (KC) -- Tue-CWS (Bassitt)
64. Chris Archer (TB) -- Sun-CWS (Danks)
65. Phil Hughes (MIN) -- Fri-CLE (Bauer)
66. Jose Quintana (CWS) -- Fri-@TB (Karns)
67. Yordano Ventura (KC) -- Wed-CWS (Sale)
68. Matt Garza (MIL) -- Sat-@PIT (Volquez)
69. T.J. House (CLE) -- Sat-@MIN (May)
70. R.A. Dickey (TOR) -- Thu-@NYY (Greene)
71. Jered Weaver (LAA) -- Thu-SEA (Hernandez)
72. Shelby Miller (STL) -- Thu-MIL (Lohse)
73. Miguel Gonzalez (BAL) -- Sat-BOS (De La Rosa)
74. Brandon McCarthy (NYY) -- Wed-@TB (Cobb)
75. Jason Vargas (KC) -- Sat-DET (Verlander)
Two-start options for AL-/NL-only leagues:
Roenis Elias (SEA) -- Tue-@LAA (Rasmus), Sun-@HOU (Tropeano)
Nate Eovaldi (MIA) -- Tue-@NYM (Colon), Sun-WSH (Roark)
Tyler Matzek (COL) -- Tue-LAD (Haren), Sun-ARI (Miley)
Charlie Morton (PIT) -- Tue-BOS (Ranaudo), Sun-MIL (Peralta)
Wily Peralta (MIL) -- Tue-@STL (Lynn), Sun-@PIT (Morton)
Ryan Vogelsong (SF) -- Mon-@ARI (Miley), Sun-@SD (Kennedy)
Jerome Williams (PHI) -- Mon-@SD (Cashner), Sat-@OAK (Lester)
Travis Wood (CHC) -- Mon-CIN (Simon), Sun-LAD (Haren)
No-thank-yous, among two-start pitchers:
Christian Bergman (COL) -- Mon-LAD (Hernandez), Sat-ARI (Cahill)
Chris Capuano (NYY) -- Mon-@TB (Colome), Sat-TOR (Stroman)
John Danks (CWS) -- Mon-@KC (Shields), Sun-@TB (Archer)
Roberto Hernandez (LAD) -- Mon-@COL (Bergman), Sat-@CHC (Turner)
Wade Miley (ARI) -- Mon-SF (Vogelsong), Sun-@COL (Matzek)
Cory Rasmus (LAA) -- Tue-SEA (Elias), Sun-TEX (Tepesch)
Nick Tepesch (TEX) -- Tue-@OAK (Kazmir), Sun-@LAA (Rasmus)
Nick Tropeano (HOU) -- Tue-CLE (Kluber), Sun-SEA (Elias)
Pitching advantages
• Though the Washington Nationals might have a playoff spot wrapped up as early as Monday, uncertainty in their bullpen means that current fill-in closer Drew Storen might be their pitcher most likely to capitalize upon another favorable week of pitching matchups. Storen is 3-for-3 in save chances since Rafael Soriano was demoted from the role, has 12 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings and nine holds, four saves and a 1.42 ERA in 22 appearances since the All-Star break. This isn't to say that Nationals starters aren't worth your while, as three games at Atlanta's Turner Field and four at Miami's Marlins Park are great matchups for them, as well, but by the weekend they might begin shuffling their rotation to align for the postseason.
• Speaking of good closer matchups, the Kansas City Royals' Greg Holland-Wade Davis duo will be under the microscope during three critical games against the Detroit Tigers during the weekend. Davis is in the midst of a streak of 30 2/3 scoreless innings, during which time he has 15 holds, three saves and 42 strikeouts. Any fantasy owner can find a place for those statistics in his/her lineup, whether Holland remains healthy enough to close all week with Davis his setup man or whether Davis needs to fill in again.
• Here are this week's Streamer's Delight picks (pitchers must be available in at least 75 percent of ESPN leagues as of our publishing time on Friday):
1. Yusmeiro Petit (@SD, Saturday): A fly-ball pitcher (40.8 percent rate since the beginning of 2013) at Petco Park (0.77 homers-per-nine ratio)? Yes please. Petit is the week's -- maybe the season's -- most obvious streaming choice, pitching quality starts in two of his past three starts, both of which were comparably good matchups.
2. Drew Hutchison (@BAL, Tuesday): He's 2-for-2 in quality starts with a total of 13 shutout innings pitched at Baltimore's Camden Yards this season, and current Baltimore Orioles combined are lifetime .175/.229/.275 hitters with a 25.2 percent strikeout rate against him. Incidentally, care to guess which Oriole (minimum 10 PAs) has the highest career OPS against Hutchison? Chris Davis (.782), now suspended for the remainder of the regular season.
3. Hector Santiago (TEX, Friday): He certainly seems to have the Texas Rangers' number, with three wins, three quality starts, a 3.16 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in nine career games; current Rangers combined have lifetime .232/.297/.427 slash rates against him. He also has a 2.93 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in home games this season.
4. Dillon Gee (MIA, Wednesday): He's 3-0 with three quality starts and a 2.30 ERA in five career games versus the Miami Marlins, and he's 33-for-52 in quality starts with a 3.29 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 54 career games at Citi Field.
5. Jerome Williams (@SD, Monday): He's 3-for-6 in quality starts with a 3.44 ERA for the Philadelphia Phillies, and now battles a San Diego Padres team that has batted just .223/.302/.288 in its past 10 games at Petco Park.
6. Kyle Kendrick (@SD, Thursday): On a bad day for streaming, look to Petco Park for a pitch-to-contact starter's matchup opportunity. Kendrick tossed a quality start versus these Padres on June 12 (6 IP, 7 H, 1 ER), and he threw one in his most recent outing at Petco on June 25, 2013 (8 IP, 7 H, 2 ER).
Hitting ratings
The chart below lists each of the 30 teams' total number of scheduled games, home games and games versus right- and left-handed pitchers, and provides a matchup rating for the week's games in terms of overall offense, offense for left- and right-handed hitters and base stealing. Matchup ratings for each individual game are listed under the corresponding date.
Hitting advantages
• Here are this week's "volume plays," defined as the teams that play the most home games, or games against right- or left-handed starters:
Home games: Houston Astros 7, Los Angeles Angels 7, Chicago Cubs 7, Colorado Rockies 7, San Diego Padres 7, Baltimore Orioles 6, Kansas City Royals 6, Minnesota Twins 6, Oakland Athletics 6, Tampa Bay Rays 6, Atlanta Braves 6, Pittsburgh Pirates 6, St. Louis Cardinals 6. No other team plays more than four home games.
Versus RH: Miami Marlins 7, Houston Astros 6, New York Yankees 6, Chicago Cubs 6, Pittsburgh Pirates 6, San Diego Padres 6. Fifteen teams face five right-handed starters.
Versus LH: Los Angeles Dodgers 5, Kansas City Royals 3, Tampa Bay Rays 3, Arizona Diamondbacks 3, Philadelphia Phillies 3. Nine teams face two left-handed starters.
• Anytime the Los Angeles Dodgers face a slew of left-handed starting pitchers, it's a boon to platoon man Scott Van Slyke. A .283/.407/.630 hitter (including eight of his 10 home runs) against lefties this season, Van Slyke has started 35 of the team's 36 games against a lefty starter, and each of his past 12 starts occurred against a southpaw. Carl Crawford's owners won't like to hear that; Crawford, a .261/.308/.377 career hitter against lefties, hasn't started a game against one since Aug. 12 -- Van Slyke manned first base then -- missing six starts against his weaker platoon side since that date. Even in shallow-mixed leagues, the case can be easily made that Van Slyke warrants your start ahead of Crawford, but in NL-only leagues, expect Crawford to tally enough at-bats, and potentially capitalize upon favorable stolen-base matchups against Colorado Rockies catcher Wilin Rosario, to be worth your start, as well.
Van Slyke isn't the only Dodgers hitter to benefit from the lefty-heavy schedule: Hanley Ramirez is a .283/.383/.489 hitter against lefties, his wOBA split 44 points in favor of that side; and Dee Gordon is a .293/.344/.388 hitter against lefties, his wOBA split 18 points. In addition, though their 2014 splits don't reveal as significant an advantage, Matt Kemp's .334/.396/.559 lifetime rates versus lefties and Juan Uribe's .170 isolated power versus lefties make their matchups in Week 24 stand out.
• Remember my note about the Arizona Diamondbacks' favorable rest-of-season hitting schedule from earlier this week? This is the weekly schedule that drove it; four games at Colorado's Coors Field, plus a Monday game against Ryan Vogelsong, who is 1-3 with a 5.63 ERA and 1.64 WHIP in 10 starts against them since the beginning of 2012. Their deep sleeper of the week is Cody Ross, who has started three of the Diamondbacks past five games and has batted .279/.318/.500 in 33 career games at Coors; but this pertains more to deep-mixed and NL-only owners.
It's right-handed, power-oriented Diamondbacks bats who stand out: Mark Trumbo has five home runs and 13 RBIs in six career games at Coors, while Aaron Hill has .327/.382/.505 slash rates in 25 games there. And if Hill sneaks in starts at third base, that'll free up second base for Chris Owings, a .351 hitter against lefties this year.
• Among American League teams, the Cleveland Indians' path to the postseason is probably their bats ... or at least this week it is. They'll play four games at hitter-friendly Houston's Minute Maid Park before finishing with three at Minnesota's Target Field against the Minnesota Twins' last-in-the-majors-since-the-All-Star-break pitching staff (5.23 ERA). Remember, this is a team that hits right-handed pitching (.318 team wOBA) better than left-handed pitching (.295), so a week with five games against right-handed starters plays right into their hands.
Against the Twins this season, look at these Indians' stats: Yan Gomes is a .371/.378/.886 hitter in 12 games; Carlos Santana a .310/.431/.619 hitter in 16 games; David Murphy a .364/.382/.515 hitter in 11 games; Mike Aviles a .375/.364/.563 hitter in 10 games; and Michael Brantley a .304/.373/.457 hitter in 16 games.