More Week 12: Top two-start pitchers | SportsLine: Best and worst hitting matchups
Week 12 (June 11-17) is another week full of five-game matchups — five in all, including the Dodgers, which is a shame with so many of their borderline hitters paying such dividends recently.
That's not to say you can't start the resurgent Cody Bellinger, the now full-time Matt Kemp or the surprising Max Muncy — their matchups in those five games aren't so bad, after all — but they don't pass the sleeper test for a couple reasons. Bellinger and Kemp exceed the ownership threshold, of course, and Muncy ... well, in a week like this one you can do better than Muncy.
Look at the Marlins, for instance. A number of their hitters are also swinging the bat well, virtually their entire lineup is available in more than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues, and they're one of just nine teams playing seven games.
How many make the cut for this list? Let's find out.
Justin Bour hasn't offered much power of late, but he has hit safely in seven of eight games in June. Seven games against the Giants and Orioles pitching staffs might just be enough to set him off, getting him back to being the must-start player he was for much of last year.
It's amazing Brandon Crawford is still less than 80 percent owned given his recognizable name and the fact he's batting .447 (38 for 85) with 11 doubles and four homers in his past 24 games. It goes to show that even shortstop has depth to spare these days. But with seven games this week, including four against the Marlins, I'd venture to guess someone in your league could use Crawford.
Jeimer Candelario has been reliable for the Tigers this year, with an OPS approaching .900, so while he's healthy and swinging the bat well, he's a pretty easy choice to start. He has hit safely in 10 of his past 13 and has pitchers like Jake Odorizzi, Reynaldo Lopez, Lucas Giolito and James Shields on the schedule.
The Red Sox are another one of those teams playing seven games this week, and they're facing pitchers like David Hess, Andrew Cashner, Felix Hernandez and Wade LeBlanc. Mitch Moreland is playing every day now and boasts a .955 OPS. He's a no-brainer for this list.
An underrated contributor at the top of the Tigers lineup all season, Leonys Martin is playing some of his best ball right now, collecting three homers, a triple and four doubles for a 1.006 OPS over his past 12 games. Seems like a good time to face the Twins and White Sox starting rotations, which should benefit him just as it will Candelario.
After a blistering finish to April and start to May, C.J. Cron has fallen on hard times here in June, which isn't altogether unsurprising. But he's still batting .300 with a a .900 OPS against lefties and has three on the schedule this week — one in which the Rays are playing seven games.
Another hot hitter for the Marlins, Brian Anderson is now the 13th-best third baseman in points leagues for the season. Pretty good. A lot of it comes from doubles and walks, so the impact is less in traditional Rotisserie leagues, but with a .375 batting average over his past 24 games and a seven-game week coming up, he's startable anywhere.
After experimenting with a four-man outfield rotation earlier this year, the Reds have reverted to a primary three, and Scott Schebler happens to be one of them. They play only five games this week, but they're against pitchers like Ian Kennedy, Jason Hammel, Chad Kuhl and Ivan Nova. Also, Schebler is 18 for 39 (.462) with three homers over his past nine games.
David Peralta suffered some heavy BABIP regression in May, but he homered in three consecutive games to begin June, again over the weekend, and yes, the Diamondbacks are one of those teams playing seven games this week.
Derek Dietrich doesn't have a great deal of upside, but you may have heard the Marlins have favorable matchups this week. At 24 percent ownership, he's a widely available fill-in at any of three positions where he's eligible — one who's batting .390 (30 for 70) with five homers and seven doubles in his past 23 games.
Best hitter matchups for Week 12
1. Indians @CHW4, MIN3
2. Marlins SF4, @BAL3
3. Red Sox @BAL3, @SEA4
4. Phillies COL3, @MIL3
5. Tigers MIN3, @CHW3
Worst hitter matchups for Week 12
1. Athletics HOU3, LAA3
2. Royals CIN2, HOU3
3. Padres @STL3, @ATL4
4. Brewers CHC3, PHI3
5. Twins @DET3, @CLE3
