Interleague play is back in full swing once again as teams will see their first full week of action against the "other" league during Week 11.
With that in mind, Fantasy owners need to pay special attention to players on teams that will be losing and gaining the designated hitter spot in their respective lineups. With several American League teams playing all their games in National League stadiums -- Orioles, White Sox, Athletics, Rays and Rangers -- players like Andruw Jones, Luke Scott, Jack Cust and Vladimir Guerrero could see fewer at-bats.
On the other end of the spectrum, Arizona and the Mets will both be using the designated hitter spot six times in the upcoming scoring period, meaning all their offensive weapons should start the majority of the games. Keep that in mind when setting your lineups. Now, on to the Week 11 splits.
Five Strikes (Positive Splits)
Freddy An. Garcia, SP, Chicago White Sox
Upcoming
Schedule: June 15 start at Pittsburgh, June 20 start at Washington
Garcia
has won three straight starts and six of his last seven outings and at
6-3 with a 4.82 ERA on the season is undergoing a nostalgic return to
pitching at a high level for the White Sox. And if you look at the
splits for Week 11, there is no better time to have him in mixed-league
Fantasy starting lineups. Garcia is 19-8 with a 2.82 ERA for his career
during interleague play spanning 33 starts. He is one of the most
decorated interleague hurlers in the majors and was absolutely fantastic
back in 2005-06, when over a two-year span he went 7-0 over nine
interleague starts. He might have two road starts in the upcoming
scoring period but he's 2-0 with a 3.75 ERA over two career starts at
Pittsburgh's PNC Park.
Raul Ibanez, OF, Phillies
Upcoming Schedule:
Three games at N.Y. Yankees, Three games vs. Minnesota
Granted,
Ibanez has been disappointing this season with his .242 batting average,
three homers and 25 RBI over 190 at-bats. He's been slightly improved of
late, however, and Week 11 could be a breakout performance. Ibanez
struggled during interleague the first time around but is a career .286
hitter against the other league with 25 homers and 94 RBI over 500
career at-bats. Interestingly enough, however, Ibanez's most impressive
split has to do with his three-game series at new Yankee Stadium. Ibanez
was awesome there last season as he went 5 for 13 (.385) over three
games with a double, two homers and three RBI. The batting average is
his highest in any visiting park.
Rick Porcello, SP, Tigers
Upcoming Schedule: June
15 start vs. Washington, June 20 start vs. Arizona
Has Porcello been
downright dismal over his last few starts and for much of this season?
You bet he has. Porcello remains a promising young hurler but one who
has been in a funk for much of this year. That could begin to turn
around in Week 11, however, based on his splits. Porcello absolutely
loves pitching during interleague play. The Tigers will face two of the
poorer National League teams at home in the upcoming scoring period and
that bodes well for a nice bounce-back week. Porcello has never faced
the Nats or Diamondbacks but has gone 4-0 over five career interleague
starts over the past two seasons with a 2.12 ERA. Already this year,
Porcello beat the Dodgers on the road in L.A., allowing two runs on nine
hits over six solid innings.
Kevin Kouzmanoff, 3B, Athletics
Upcoming Schedule:
Three games at Chicago Cubs, Three games at St. Louis
We're certainly
not praising Kouzmanoff for his career splits at Wrigley Field and St.
Louis' Busch Stadium. He's 3 for 25 (.120) for his career in Chicago and
is a .243 hitter at Busch. Instead, we're going to gamble that his
combination of being quite hot at the moment and his penchant for
hitting during interleague play is going to override those splits and
equal a solid Fantasy Week 11 for Kouzmanoff. Entering Saturday's game
in San Francisco, Kouzmanoff was on a 12-game hitting streak and was
hitting .452 in June with three homers and eight RBI. Combine that with
his career .325 batting average during interleague play, including
already being 6 for 11 (.545) this season, and you have yourself a solid
start in any Fantasy league for the upcoming scoring period.
Jon Garland, SP, Padres
Upcoming Schedule: June
16 start vs. Toronto
With a 6-4 record and a 2.81 ERA, Garland is
having a fine season with the Padres. He will make only one start in
Week 11 but the splits suggest that you should be keeping him active in
the majority of mixed Fantasy leagues. That is because Garland is facing
Toronto, a team that he's owned over the years. Garland only has more
career wins against former division rivals Kansas City and Detroit, as
he's gone 11-2 over his career with a 3.96 ERA in 18 starts against the
Blue Jays. Over his last six starts against Toronto, Garland is 5-0 and
hasn't lost to the Jays since 2005.
Five 7-10 Splits (Negative Splits)
Juan L. Rivera, OF, L.A. Angels
Upcoming Schedule:
Three games vs. Milwaukee, Three games at Chicago Cubs
Rivera was
already the odd man out in a crowded outfield during the previous
interleague series in L.A. against the Dodgers, with the Angels choosing
to give Hideki Matsui some starts in the
absence of a designated hitter. With three more games coming at an NL
ballpark in Week 11, Rivera should see some more time on the pine.
What's more, his splits suggest the Angels should shy away from his use
as well. So far this season Rivera is just 1 for 9 during interleague
play and he's just a .235 career hitter over 17 at-bats against the
Brewers. He's not much better overall against the Cubs at .257 for his
career, and he's really bad at Wrigley Field with a .208 average over 24
at-bats with just four RBI and a .250 slugging percentage. Wrigley has
been the toughest National League park for Rivera to hit in with at
least 10 plate appearances.
Matt Holliday, OF, Cardinals
Upcoming Schedule:
Three games vs. Seattle, Three games vs. Oakland
Holliday is
struggling at the moment as he entered Saturday batting .174 over his
previous 23 at-bats and Week 11 doesn't figure to be a good opportunity
to bust through. We clearly cannot suggest sitting Holliday but it is
something to consider when you look at the splits. Holliday might be a
career .318 hitter during interleague play, but most of that came early
in his career with Colorado. Last season with the A's and Cardinals he
hit just .269 over 67 interleague at-bats and has gone just 3 for 13
(.231) thus far this year. Holliday will get a chance to hit against a
former team and former division rival in Week 11 and has hit well
against the A's for his career. Unfortunately, his .213 career average
over 47 at-bats against the Mariners marks his lowest average against
any team in the majors by almost 30 points.
Yovani Gallardo, SP, Brewers
Upcoming Schedule:
June 19 start at Colorado
Gallardo gave up four runs over six innings
and got a no-decision in his only interleague start earlier this season.
He will make just one start in Week 11 and the splits say to sit the
normal must-start Fantasy ace in Colorado. Gallardo, 6-2 with a 2.41 ERA
this season, is 0-3 over three career starts against the Rockies with a
7.45 ERA. While that ERA is poor, it doesn't even come close to his
numbers while pitching in Colorado's hitter-friendly Coors Field. In his
only start at Coors, Gallardo lasted just 2 2/3 innings and allowed 11
earned runs on 12 base hits, including two homers, with three walks and
just one strikeout. With that scarily-high 5.625 WHIP for that
performance, Gallardo must still have bad memories of his trip to Denver.
Jerry Hairston, INF, Padres
Upcoming Schedule:
Three games vs. Toronto, Three games vs. Baltimore
Hairston has had
his moments this season but his .230 batting average, three homers and
20 RBI certainly make him expendable. Still, with an extensive
background playing in the American League, you might think he's worth
using during interleague play. Not in Week 11, though. Hairston, a
former Oriole, is just a .239 career hitter against the Blue Jays, his
former AL East division rivals. Last season he saw 27 at-bats against
the Jays and managed just five hits (.185). His worst split, however,
comes against his former team. Since leaving the Orioles, he's never
been able to hit against them, going just 2 for 25 (.080) over 13 games.
He has a .148 on-base percentage against Baltimore and slugs at .120.
Ty Wigginton, INF, Orioles
Upcoming Schedule:
Three games at San Francisco, Three games at San Diego
Wigginton
hasn't homered since May 22 and is stuck on 13 for the year. He's not
nearly as hot as he was earlier in the season and Week 11 could be a
mighty bad week for the unexpected Fantasy star. Wigginton is a career
.278 hitter during interleague play but has gone just 3 for 16 (.188)
thus far this season. With 52 career at-bats at San Diego's PetCo Park,
Wigginton is just a .192 hitter with a .222 on-base percentage.
Incredibly, Wigginton is even worse in San Francisco, where he is just 5
for 34 (.147) during his career with a .265 slugging percentage. He's
been poor against the Giants and Padres for his career regardless of
where he's faced them and the splits just doesn't bode well for a solid
Week 11 performance.
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