Welcome back to Splitsville for Week 7 of the Fantasy season. With the beginning of interleague play for 2010 upon us, we have become immersed in the mixed-up world of American League pitchers hitting and the designated hitter in the National League.
We've studied the numbers and come up with some of Major League Baseball's best and worst splits regarding interleague play. Now, on to the Week 7 splits.
Five Strikes (Positive Splits)
Bobby Abreu, OF, L.A. Angels
Upcoming Schedule:
Two games at Texas, Two games at Chicago White Sox, Three games at St.
Louis
Abreu has played 200 career games of interleague play and holds
a career .306 batting average in those contests. Abreu is among the best
all-time in home runs hit during interleague play with 28 and he's
driven in 128 runs over 754 at-bats. Abreu last faced the Cardinals in
2006, but nevertheless is 32 for his last 86 (.372) against them. He's
never played in the new Busch Stadium but hit .339 over 112 at-bats at
the old one. Abreu has struggled in Texas, but as far as US Cellular
Field goes, he's been great there with a .370 batting average over 73
at-bats, including 25 RBI. Abreu won't be sitting during interleague
play due to the pitcher hitting because that honor will likely be
bestowed upon Hideki Matsui, who is much
less likely to play the field.
Brad Bergesen, SP, Orioles
Upcoming Schedule: May
17 start vs. Kansas City, May 22 start at Washington
Bergesen might
not be owned in many leagues, especially after starting 0-2 after two
starts with a 12.19 ERA and getting sent down to the minors to work on
his stuff. He's back now, however, and has won three straight starts,
allowing just one run in the last two spanning 14 1/3 innings. He's
definitely pitching well and has been great in interleague play during
his short career. Bergesen has gone 2-0 in interleague play over four
starts with a 3.67 ERA. He's 1-0 against the Nationals over two starts
and is also 1-0 against the Royals with a 1.29 ERA. Bergesen doesn't
have tons of experience but he's playing well and the splits suggest a
great two-start Week 7.
Jason Giambi, 1B, Rockies
Upcoming Schedule: Two
games at Chicago Cubs, Two games at Houston, Three games at Kansas City
Giambi
is going to be getting his first interleague at-bats this season in
Kansas City, meaning he'll likely remain in the lineup for the whole
series as the designated hitter. That is good news for the Rockies
because Giambi has 44 career interleague home runs and is among the best
active home-run hitters in the history of interleague play. He has a
career .274 interleague batting average and has driven in 137 runs over
636 at-bats. Just last year he homered four times in 54 interleague ABs.
Giambi also owns Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium, where he's hit .323
over the course of his career with 14 homers and 44 RBI over 192
at-bats. For the one interleague series alone, Giambi is worth a major
boost in Fantasy value this week.
Freddy An. Garcia, SP, Chicago White Sox
Upcoming
Schedule: May 17 start at Detroit, May 22 start vs. Florida
One
of the best interleague pitchers of all time, Garcia is 19-7 in
interleague play with a 2.57 ERA over 32 games started. His strikeouts
go up and his walks down against the other league. Garcia also isn’t bad
at Detroit’s Comerica Park, where he’s 7-3 with a 3.84 ERA over 12
starts. Garcia has been pitching well of late with two straight wins and
four runs allowed in those wins spanning 13 innings. He lost his first
two starts of the year but has been nothing but solid since. As a
two-start pitcher who owns interleague play, Garcia looks like a very
good option for Week 7.
Casey McGehee, 3B, Brewers
Upcoming Schedule: Two
games at Cincinnati, Two games at Pittsburgh, Three games at Minnesota
Ranking
second in the National League in RBI with 32 this season, McGehee has
been worth starting each and every week. That goes double in Week 7 as
interleague begins. McGehee only has one year of interleague experience,
but boy was it a good one. In 49 at-bats last season, McGehee hit .429
during interleague play with three homers and 11 RBI. His slugging
percentage was .694. Surprisingly, 19 of those interleague at-bats came
against the Twins. McGehee batted .368 against Minnesota with one of the
homers and five of the RBI. Plus, with seven road games this week,
McGehee has always hit better away from Milwaukee. A career .271 hitter
at Miller Park, he bats .320 everywhere else.
Five 7-10 Splits (Negative Splits)
Pedro Feliz, 3B, Astros
Upcoming Schedule: Two
games at L.A. Dodgers, Two games vs. Colorado, Three games vs. Tampa Bay
There
are probably a few reasons not to start Feliz in Week 7. One being his
.220 batting average with just one homer and 12 RBI over 118 at-bats
this season. Heading into interleague play, however, it is interesting
to note that Feliz has always been bad against the other league. Feliz
hit .188 last season in interleague play and is a career .216 hitter in
that regard. With more strikeouts (70) than RBI (62), Feliz might even
be benched for a game or two in the Tampa Bay series. Feliz is a career
.226 hitter at Dodger Stadium as well.
Todd Helton, 1B, Rockies
Upcoming Schedule: Two
games at Chicago Cubs, Two games at Houston, Three games at Kansas City
Helton
is a career .306 hitter in interleague play, so why are we telling you
he might be a good sit this week? Helton is no spring chicken and the
Rockies are likely going to be asking him to DH during the three-game
series in Kansas City. This is new territory for the future Hall of
Famer and Helton has only ever gotten five plate appearances as a
designated hitter before in his career. He reached base just once, on a
walk, and went 0 for 4 with strikeout in the other ABs. Also consider
that Helton is a career. 235 hitter at Wrigley Field in Chicago and is
an .083 hitter over 12 at-bats at KC's Kauffman Stadium.
Joel Pineiro, SP, L.A. Angels
Upcoming Schedule:
May 21 start at St. Louis
Last season a member of the Cardinals,
Pineiro is returning to St. Louis for the first time since leaving.
Unfortunately, it comes as part of interleague play, where he has
struggled for quite some time now. Pineiro has not won an interleague
start since 2006 and is 0-5 since over seven starts with the Cardinals
in 2008 and 2009.
Nick Swisher, OF, N.Y. Yankees
Upcoming Schedule:
Two games vs. Boston, Two games vs. Tampa Bay, Three games at N.Y. Mets
Swisher
has been playing good baseball this season with a .293 batting average,
seven homers and 24 RBI for the Yankees over 123 at-bats. Unfortunatley,
his Week 7 must be keeping him up at night because his splits are a
nightmare. Let's begin with interleague play, where Swisher is just a
career .203 hitter over 301 at-bats. Last season with the Yankees,
Swisher saw 56 at-bats against the National League and only managed
eight hits (.143). He's struck out 80 times in interleague play and has
driven in just 38 runs over that span with 61 hits. Swisher faces two AL
East opponents and the Mets in Week 7 and he stinks against all of them.
He is a career .239 hitter against Boston over 188 at-bats -- he's
hitting .375 this season with two homers -- and is just a career .125
hitter against the Mets over 32 at-bats.
Edwin Jackson, SP, Diamondbacks
Upcoming Schedule:
May 17 start at Florida, May 22 start vs. Toronto
Jackson earned his
only interleague victory back in 2007 but still went 1-2 that year with
the Rays against the National League with a 9.88 ERA. Since joining the
Diamondbacks, his prowess during interleague play has been no better. He
has made seven interleague starts the last two years and has gone 0-2
with 20 runs and 18 walks over 43 1/3 innings. If you want more proof
Jackson could struggle this week, he holds a 7.94 ERA for his career
over 5 2/3 innings against the Marlins in Florida and is 0-3 against the
Fish overall with an 11.48 ERA over four career appearances.
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