Every Saturday Jorge Montanez’s Hitting Planner breaks down the schedule to identify the players and teams in the best situations to succeed.

There’s still plenty of baseball left with two months remaining in the season. No matter where you stand in your leagues, there’s still time to finish strong and win one week at a time. Every weekend I try to help you do just that with my hitting planner. This week we have some great venues to target as we see Coors Field and Camden Yards on the schedule. As usual, I rank each offense in the charts based on opposing matchups, venues, and number of games. Who’ve been the hottest hitters out of the All-Star break and can we trust them this week? Let’s dive right in and find out!

For more help getting ready for Week 17 check out Eric Cross’ Waiver Wire Adds, Nathan Dokken’s Starting Pitcher Rankings, and Paul Mammino’s Two-Start Pitchers.

AL Hitting Planner

AL East

Team Off. Rnk Games Home Away vs. RHP vs. LHP BAL 12 6 4(TOR) 2(SD) 4 2 BOS 9 7 3(TB) 4(NYY) 4 3 NYY 23 6 2(ARI) 4(BOS) 0 3 3 TB 28 5 2(MIA) 3(BOS) 3 2 TOR 3 7 0 3(KC) 4(BAL) 5 2

Baltimore has six games on the schedule this week as they go to San Diego for two games then go home for four games against the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays could be shipping out Marcus Stroman at the trade deadline, weakening an already mediocre pitching staff. Renato Nunez has had a hot month of July for the Orioles slashing .314/.392/.629 with seven home runs, with his 25th of the season coming Friday night. On the year, Nunez is hitting .251/.319/.510, not far off from the .258/.337/.532 with 27 home runs Eugenio Suarez has put up, and Nunez is only owned in 68% of leagues on Fantrax. Nunez has hit .275 with 14 of his home runs at hitter-friendly Camden Yards.

The Red Sox are one of only five teams with seven games this week thanks to a Saturday doubleheader against the Yankees. The Red Sox have been one of the hottest hitting teams in baseball, scoring 82 runs over the last two weeks. The only team ahead of them with 83 runs are the Yankees. The series should be one with plenty of offense. Michael Chavis returned to the lineup this week but could be one of the few who could struggle in the lineup as the Red Sox face three left-handed pitchers next week. Chavis has hit .205 against left-handed pitching on the season.

The Yankees play all six games at home this week with the Diamondbacks and Red Sox visiting. New York has been one of the hotter hitting teams but has a tough test ahead of them. The Yankees schedule includes Zack Greinke, Eduardo Rodriguez, Chris Sale, and David Price set to face them. The Boston trio are all left-handed. Aaron Judge has hit .381 this season against left-handed pitching and has had a good July with a .310 average and four home runs. Aaron Hicks has been hot as well hitting .300 with six home runs in the month.

The Tampa Bay Rays are one of five teams with only five games on the schedule. Two of those games will come against tough lefties David Price and Caleb Smith. No team has scored fewer runs than the Rays this month with only 33. Austin Meadows, Tommy Pham, and Avisail Garcia are just about the only Rays you can trust to play every day. Travis d’Arnaud has become a regular between catcher and first base and has hit .321 with six home runs in July. D’Arnaud is owned in only 54% of leagues on Fantrax and could be a valuable addition at the catcher position.

The Blue Jays get seven games this week and all are on the road. I’m liking the Blue Jays this week as they go to Kansas City for three followed by a four-game series at Camden Yards to face the Orioles. The Orioles have had one of the worst pitching staffs all season and have continued that trend with a league worse 5.66 team ERA in July. While Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has cooled off in July with a .240/.293/.480 slash line, I wouldn’t hesitate to start him this week along with other bats in the Toronto lineup such as Justin Smoak and Vladimir Gurrero Jr. Justin Smoak and Eric Sogard have been involved in trade rumors so they are names to monitor before Wednesday’s deadline.

AL Central

Team Off. Rnk Games Home Away vs. RHP vs. LHP CWS 14 6 3(NYM) 3(PHI) 5 1 CLE 16 6 3(HOU) 3(LAA) 0 6 0 DET 15 6 0 3(LAA) 3(TEX) 5 1 KC 19 6 3(TOR) 3(MIN) 5 1 MIN 7 6 3(KC) 3(MIA) 5 1

Things are looking good for Yoan Moncada this week as the White Sox face five of six right-handed pitchers. Moncada has hit .321 this season against right-handed pitching and has enjoyed a good month of July with a .280 average, five home runs, and two steals. James McCann had provided good value at the catcher position but has been cold with a .200 average in July and a concerning 42.6% strikeout rate. The White Sox go to Philadelphia where they will be without the designated hitter for three games. AJ Reed has been their DH over the last five games.

The Indians are back in the playoff picture, and it’s no coincidence that they’ve gone as Jose Ramirez has gone. Ramirez is back with a .338/.353/.675 slash line in July with six home runs and four steals. All six games come at home this week for the Indians with the Astros and Angels in town. Two of the matchups will come against Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole. With all six games coming against right-handed pitchers, Jordan Luplow won’t be seeing the field. Oscar Mercado has hit .296 against right-handed pitching this season.

Six games are on the schedule for the Tigers with three games against the Angels and Rangers on the road. While I’d typically like these matchups, I liked the Tigers matchups last week as well and they’ve let me down with only six runs in four games this week. Niko Goodrum has had a good July with a .303 average, three home runs, and four steals. Although it’s come with a .436 BABIP and 33.8% strikeout rate. The Tigers face five right-handed pitchers and Goodrum has significant splits, hitting .352 against lefties and .220 against righties.

When I wrote this article last week, Jorge Soler was hitting .340 in July. That is now down to .294 after getting only three hits in his last 21 at-bats. The matchups get a bit easier this week with three games at home to Toronto then a three-game series in Minnesota. If you are still holding Nicky Lopez, he’s got a .195 average against right-handed pitching this season and the Royals are set to face five righties. Alex Gordon has been a surprising source of batting average, runs, and RBI this season. Gordon has had a good month of July with a .351 average.

Nelson Cruz has been on fire with seven home runs in his last five games, including a three-homer game on Thursday. Cruz is going to present a tough lineup decision in weekly leagues as the Twins go to Miami for three games where they will be without the designated hitter. As hot as he’s been, he might be a sit. Max Kelper has hit .262 with 20 home runs against right-handed pitching and the Twins are set to face five righties.

AL West

Team Off. Rnk Games Home Away vs. RHP vs. LHP HOU 2 6 3(SEA) 3(CLE) 4 2 LAA 27 6 3(DET) 3(CLE) 5 1 OAK 17 5 3(MIL) 2(STL) 0 4 1 SEA 30 5 0 2(TEX) 3(HOU) 3 2 TEX 10 5 2(SEA) 3(DET) 0 3 2

The Astros start the week with a potential playoff preview with three games in Cleveland. Although they’ll miss matchups against Trevor Bauer and Mike Clevinger. They’ll then go home to face Seattle for three games. The Astros could put up plenty of runs this week with their only real challenge coming Tuesday against Shane Bieber. I had Yordan Alvarez as a sit this last week with no DH in St. Louis but you can safely put him back in your lineups. Yuli Gurriel has had the best month of July of everyone with 12 home runs and a .403 average.

The Angels start the week with nice matchups against the Tigers, missing a Matthew Boyd start. Outside of Boyd, the Tigers pitching staff has been among the worst. Things get a lot harder as they finish the week with three games against the Indians in which they face Trevor Bauer, Mike Clevinger, and Shane Bieber. Shohei Ohtani has hit .281 with two home runs and four steals in July. The Angels face five right-handed pitchers this week and Ohtani has hit .300 this season against righties.

Five games are on the schedule for the Athletics as they face the Brewers and Cardinals at home. Ramon Laureano enjoyed a breakout month with a .394 average, seven home runs, and three steals. Laureano has hit 16 of his 20 home runs against right-handed pitching. Four of the five games on the schedule are set to come against right-handed starters. Matt Olson has hit for a better average this month as well with a .284 mark and five home runs. While Olson has a .256 average on the year, he’s hitting closer to his expected batting average of .277 according to Baseball Savant. The Brewers are without Brandon Woodruff and the Athletics will miss Jack Flaherty in the Cardinals rotation.

Back down to the bottom of the hitting planner rankings go the Mariners. After a week of good matchups they have only five games with two against the Rangers and three against the Astros. All five games are on the road. The week includes matchups against Mike Minor, Wade Miley, and Justin Verlander. I’m looking elsewhere for offense if possible.

Texas gets five games this week but should be able to take advantage of the matchups with two games against Seattle and three against the Detroit, all at home. Danny Santana has had a .417 average with five home runs and three steals since the All-Star break. That does come with a .536 BABIP and 30% strikeout rate, so regression is due to hit Santana. I’m riding the hot streak for one more week. Santana could be available with only 70% ownership in Fantrax and has multi-positional eligibility.

NL Hitting Planner

NL East

Team Off. Rnk Games Home Away vs. RHP vs. LHP ATL 5 7 4(CIN) 3(WSH) 6 1 MIA 29 6 1(ARI) 3(MIN) 2(TB) 6 0 NYM 13 6 0 3(CWS) 3(PIT) 6 0 PHI 11 6 3(SF) 3(CWS) 0 6 0 WAS 18 6 3(ATL) 3(ARI) 3 3

I’m loving the Braves this week on the hitting planner as they have a full seven-game schedule. The Braves start the week with three games in Washington and Max Scherzer is questionable to make his next start with back issues. Atlanta finishes the week with four games at home against the Reds. Josh Donaldson has come out of the All-Star break hot with a .325 average and five home runs. Ronald Acuna Jr. has a .294 average since the break and has been running every chance he gets with nine steals. Nick Markakis was hit by a pitch on Friday and could be placed on the IL. Austin Riley and Ender Inciarte have been splitting time in the outfield but if Markakis were to hit the IL, Inciarte could get full playing time. Inciarte is only owned in 50% of leagues on Fantrax but could be a play in deeper mixed roto leagues.

All six games will come against right-handed pitching for the Marlins this week. Garrett Cooper has hit .308 against right-handed pitching this year. I’m avoiding any Marlins if I can this week but if there’s anyone I like, its Cooper.

The Mets have six games on the road this week against the White Sox and Pirates. Both teams have been among the bottom nine in ERA during the month of July. All six games will come against right-handed starters. Dominic Smith benefits most from the schedule as he has been in a platoon with J.D. Davis. Smith has hit .284 with nine home runs against right-handed pitching. Smith is only owned in 24% of leagues and could be a good play in any leagues deeper than 12 teams. Michael Conforto, Robinson Cano, and Amed Rosario have been swinging the bat well since the All-Star break.

The Phillies get a nice six-game schedule at home against the Giants and White Sox. All six games come against right-handed pitching. Despite hitting only .220 since the break, Cesar Hernandez excels against right-handed pitching with a .302 average.

The Nationals get six games this week. They split the week with three righties and three lefties on the schedule. Howie Kendrick has hit .355 against left-handed starters and is in a platoon with Matt Adams at first base. Brian Dozier has a .325 average against left-handed pitching and could be started this week.

NL Central

Team Off. Rnk Games Home Away vs. RHP vs. LHP CHC 20 6 3(MIL) 3(STL) 6 0 CIN 8 7 3(PIT) 4(ATL) 5 2 MIL 21 6 0 3(OAK) 3(CHC) 4 2 PIT 26 6 3(NYM) 3(CIN) 4 2 STL 24 5 3(CHC) 2(OAK) 4 1

The Cubs get three games on the road against the Cardinals and three games at home against the Brewers. All six games come against right-handed starters. Kyle Schwarber leads off and has 19 home runs against right-handed pitchers. Anthony Rizzo has a .419 average since the break.

One of the five teams with seven games this week, the Reds find themselves ranked highly on the hitting planner. The Pirates pitching staff has been the fifth-worst as a team in July with a 5.23 ERA. Five of the seven games should come against right-handed starters, which would be good for someone like Jesse Winker, who has hit .271 and 14 home runs against righties. Since the All-Star break, Eugenio Suarez has a .326 average and seven home runs.

After a week at home, the Brewers spend the six-game week on the road against the Athletics and Cubs. Keston Hiura has hit .469 since the break with three home runs and three steals. Hiura should be universally owned by now and should be a top-10 second baseman going forward. Lorenzo Cain has turned his season around with a .302 average, two home runs, and two steals since the All-Star break.

Josh Bell hasn’t looked like Josh Bell since the All-Star break with no home runs and a .171 average. So, Starling Marte is doing his best Josh Bell impression with five home runs and a .340 average. In fact, Marte is just about the only Pirate hitting the ball out of the park as Jung Ho Kang is the only other Pirate with a home run since the break.

Yes, Paul Goldschmidt is indeed back. Goldy has hit a home run in every game this week so far. The Cardinals are heating up as they find themselves atop the NL central. Although this week could be a challenge with only five games on the schedule. Four of those games will come against right-handed starters. The Cardinals have collectively been one of the worst teams against right-handed pitching.

NL West

Team Off. Rnk Games Home Away vs. RHP vs. LHP ARI 22 6 3(WSH) 1(MIA) 2(NYY) 3 3 COL 6 6 3(LAD) 3(SF) 0 4 2 LAD 1 7 4(SD) 3(COL) 5 2 SD 25 6 2(BAL) 4(LAD) 4 2 SF 4 6 0 3(PHI) 3(COL) 5 1

The Diamondbacks have six games this week with one game on Monday wrapping up a series with the Marlins. The two games in New York to face the Yankees could be games to target for the Diamondbacks offense. Although things get much harder in the week when they’re scheduled to face Patrick Corbin, Stephen Strasburg, and Max Scherzer. Half of the games come against left-handed starters. The Diamondbacks have been the second-best hitting team against lefties with a collective .287 average. While he’s been cold since the break, Eduardo Escobar has a .368 average against left-handed pitching.

Coors is back on the menu. After a week away from home, the Rockies have a six-game homestand against division foes Los Angeles and San Francisco. Luckily, the Rockies won’t face Clayton Kershaw or Walker Buehler. I’d be getting all my Rockies shares in my lineup this week including Ryan McMahon, who’s hit .311 and four home runs since coming back from the All-Star break.

The Dodgers get the number one spot on the hitting planner as everything looks to be lining up for them this week. One of the few teams with seven games, they start with a three-game series against the Rockies in Colorado. The Padres then come into town for a four-game set. I’d want as many Dodgers as I can get this week, including newly called up Will Smith. Smith is set to take over catching duties and should be picked up everywhere as I can see him producing top ten numbers at the position for the rest of the year.

Manny Machado will have some extra motivation this week when the Orioles go into San Diego to face the Padres. Machado has hit well since the break with five home runs and a .327 average. Fernando Tatis Jr. has a .321 average in that span but it comes with a .500 BABIP and 37.9% strikeout rate. I would be picking up Manny Margot in all roto leagues at this point. Margot has four steals since the All-Star break and has walked an encouraging 21.2% of the time. I wouldn’t give up on Luis Urias just yet. His .063 average comes with a .071 BABIP and 20% walk rate to a 10-percent strikeout rate.

The Giants continue to get it done with six extra-inning wins since the All-Star break. San Francisco completed a four-game sweep of the Rockies last week and return for three games. The Giants go to Philadelphia to face the Phillies for three games where they will miss Aaron Nola’s start. The Giants platoon players more than just about any team outside of Tampa Bay. This week they get five of six right-handed pitchers on the schedule. This is good news for someone like Alex Dickerson, who has hit .469 with two home runs since the break.

Hopefully, you’re finding Jorge’s Hitting Planner useful. For more great analysis check out all of our fantasy baseball content.

Jorge Montanez is a lifelong sports fan but new to the fantasy industry, joining Fantrax HQ as a writer in June of 2019. Jorge co-hosts the Bases Loaded Podcast, a fantasy baseball podcast covering everything fantasy baseball on a weekly basis. He was raised in Stockton, CA but now resides in Los Angeles, where you can find him at a ballpark playing catch with his two sons on the weekends. Follow Jorge @jmontanez90 on Twitter where he’ll be happy to give his take and answer questions on all things fantasy.

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