Week 12 Hitting Planner

The Fantasy Baseball Hitting Planner is the essential guide to setting your lineup for the upcoming week. Every week, we provide you with favorable and unfavorable matchups, along with news and notes on lineups. The Pitching Planner, complete with upcoming two-start pitchers, will be posted on Sunday.

Don't forget to check out our Weekly Planner page, under the stats tab on your league pages. It has the weekly matchups for each team broken down by day, the number of games ahead for each team, and finally, the hitting and pitching stats for each team (broken down by home and away).

Weather planner: Taking into account all games with at least a 50 percent chance of precipitation according to Weather.com, there are no games in danger of being rained out.

This week's news and notes for each team:

Arizona Diamondbacks: Mark Reynolds is back on another hot streak and he remains among the NL RBI leaders. He's only active in 73 percent of CBSSports.com leagues. That figure should be higher ... Chris Snyder has just four RBI this month -- and three homers ... Justin Upton just can't shake his slump: three hits in his past 10 games (26 at-bats) with no RBI ... Eric Byrnes went through a heavy load of baseball related activity Friday and is close to a return. It's possible he could return this week, but Fantasy owners should give him a week to gage where he's at. He'll be ready to activate for Week 13 ... The D-Backs will face the A's at home and the Twins on the road in Week 12. The A's have posted the second best ERA in June (3.32) while the Twins have posted the second highest (6.71).

Atlanta Braves: Chipper Jones is still dealing with a small tear in his right quadriceps and is recovering after he took a foul ball to the face on Friday, but he should still be a safe start for the upcoming scoring period ... OF prospect Brandon Jones was called up this week and there are some rumblings out of Atlanta that the team may be trying to showcase the young talent to see if they can trade him. Fantasy owners can think about adding him in NL-only play as a possible stopgap ... Jeff Francoeur has been the team's hottest hitter over the last week with nine hits and a .391 average. Yunel Escobar is second with seven hits, but that has come in 28 at-bats (.250 average) ... The Braves will face the Rockies for a makeup game at Colorado (4.58 home ERA, 27th in MLB) on Monday against struggling pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez and then will travel to Texas for three (5.08 home ERA, 30th in MLB) before finishing the week with a three-game set against Seattle (5.03 road ERA, 22nd in MLB). This should be a solid week to start your marginal Braves hitters.

Baltimore Orioles: Nick Markakis struggled through May, really hurting the Fantasy owners that grabbed him as their No. 2 outfielder in mixed leagues. But so far this month, he's batting .417 in 12 games, with five doubles and a homer. If you reserved him, now is the time to activate him once again ... Manager Dave Trembley is going to stick with Melvin Mora in the third spot in the order over Markakis for now. The skipper favors Mora's experience in the prime spot for run production ... Luke Scott had four homers in his previous five games going into Saturday, tying him with Kevin Millar for the team lead (11) ... The Orioles have four players who have hit over .300 over the last week (Markakis, Scott, Brian Roberts and Aubrey Huff) ... The O's will face the Astros (4.31 June ERA, 20th in MLB) and the Brewers (3.66 June ERA, 7th in MLB).

Boston Red Sox: Manny Ramirez continues to deal with a tender right hamstring that the Red Sox will treat with kid gloves. It's very likely that he'll miss at least one game in Week 12 so that the injury doesn't flare up on him, but he still has to be kept active in most Fantasy formats ... Jacoby Ellsbury stole two bases on Saturday afternoon at Cincinnati, giving him 31 for the season. That tied Andy McConnell's team record for a rookie, which was set back in 1908. Ellsbury leads the majors in steals ... J.D. Drew's bat is heating up with four home runs in his last six games, adding nine RBI and a .381 average during that span. Get him active if he's on your bench ... Mike Lowell has two homers with eight RBI in the last week ... The Red Sox will face the Phillies (3.80 ERA, 7th in MLB) and Cardinals (4.12 ERA, 15th in MLB).

Chicago Cubs: With Alfonso Soriano out for six weeks with a broken hand, Ryan Theriot will move into the leadoff spot for the Cubs. He stole his team-leading 13th base on Friday and has reached base in 18 of his last 20 games ... Reed Johnson, who will see the majority of the at-bats in left field is also an option to lead off from time to time ... Mark DeRosa is tied for the team lead in hits over the last seven days with eight. He's hitting .421 during that span ... The Cubs will face the Rays for three on the road before taking on the cross-town rival White Sox for three at home. Rays pitching has cooled off recently with a 4.88 ERA in June. The White Sox, however, have the fourth best ERA this month (3.48).

Chicago White Sox: Once again, Jim Thome will have to deal with limited at-bats next week with three games over the weekend at Wrigley Field against the Cubs. He'll also see limited at-bats in Week 13 with the White Sox headed to Dodger Stadium. His Fantasy owners will need a suitable replacement for the next two weeks ... Orlando Cabrera is 10-for-28 (.357) with a home run, three RBI and a .357 average over his last seven games ... Carlos Quentin is just 4-for-27 (.148) during that same span and is a candidate to be reserved in mixed leagues now that he's cooled off ... Alexei Ramirez is red hot over the last week, hitting 9-for-21 with a .429 average. He's available in 54 percent of leagues.

Cincinnati Reds: Jay Bruce leads all Reds hitters over the last week with seven hits, but is hitting just .259 in that span (7-for-27) ... Edwin Encarnacion has been the team's most efficient hitter (.333) in the last week ... For those in need of a stopgap at shortstop, Paul Janish's name may pop up among the free agents with the most at-bats over the last week. He's started the last six games, but is hitting just 1-for-21 (.048) through Saturday in those starts ... The Reds will face the Dodgers (3.72 June ERA, 11th in MLB) and the Yankees (4.26, 18th in MLB).

Cleveland Indians: Kelly Shoppach has three homers over the last week, which is three more home runs than Victor Martinez has all season. With Martinez expected to miss at least six weeks, Shoppach should be added in AL-only formats and in deeper mixed leagues if you need a stopgap ... Jamey Carroll has 11 hits in his last 19 at-bats (.579) and is the hottest hitter on the Indians heading into the week. However, he doesn't have much pop or run-production ability and his average figures to tail off. Don't invest too much on him in FAAB waiver leagues ... Shin-Soo Choo (available in 98 percent of leagues) has seven RBI in his last seven games, with five of them coming in back-to-back games Thursday and Friday. Expect the Indinas to keep him in the lineup while he's hot, but he's still the team's fourth outfielder.

Colorado Rockies: The Rockies have a makeup game against the Braves on Monday, giving them a full seven-game slate. All seven games will come at hitter-friendly Coors Field ... Ian Stewart is just 3-for-14 over the last week, but all three of those hits have been home runs and that kind of pop bodes well for a player with middle infield eligibility ... Garrett Atkins has eight hits over his last six games -- including four doubles and a home run ... The Rockies will face two middle of the road pitching staffs in Week 12 against the Indians (4.04, 12th in MLB) and Mets (4.10, 14th in MLB).

Detroit Tigers: Placido Polanco is on a tear (13-for-27) over the last week, leading the team with a .481 batting average ... Marcus Thames has three homers over the last week, but only four hits ... Ivan Rodriguez is getting plenty of rest these days. He hasn't played in back-to-back games since June 3-4 at Oakland, playing every other day since. The former Fantasy stud is only useful in AL-only leagues right now ... The Tigers will play six games on the road, with games at pitcher friendly parks in San Francisco and San Diego.

Florida Marlins: Jorge Cantu is one of the hottest hitters in baseball these days. He has 12 hits in his last 30 at-bats (.400) with seven RBI. Seven of those hits have been for extra bases (four homers, three doubles) ... Luis Gonzalez is struggling at the plate with just three hits in his last 21 at-bats (.143) ... Mike Jacobs is also slumping, hitting just .167 over the last week (3-for-18). Two of those hits, however, have been homers ... The Marlins will head out west for six games on the road against Seattle (4.63 ERA, 27th in MLB) and Oakland (3.40, 2nd in MLB). They'll get both ends of the pitching spectrum.

Houston Astros: Lance Berkman is starting to hit a little bit of a slide, going hitless in three straight games from June 11-13, a span of 11 at-bats. The NL MVP candidate should get that out of his system pretty quickly, though, and should obviously not be reserved in any format ... Hunter Pence is mired in a funk at the plate. He has just four hits in his last 25 at-bats (.160) ... The Astros will play six games on the road against a medicore Orioles rotation (4.33, 18th in MLB) and a pretty solid Rays staff (3.86).

Kansas City Royals: Jose Guillen is in the midst of his best offensive stretch of the season. He has 15 hits in his last 29 at-bats (.517) with four homers, four doubles and 12 RBI in that span. He should be starting in all leagues right now ... Mike Aviles is making the most of his chance to start everyday at shortstop after the Royals simply had enough of Tony Pena's light hitting. He has seven hits in his last 25 at-bats (.280) and is available in 95 percent of CBSSports.com ... The Royals will face the Cardinals (4.12 ERA, 15th in MLB) on the road for three and the Giants (4.26, 17th in MLB) for three at home.

L.A. Angels: Maicer Izturis is having a nice stretch at the plate lately. He has nine hits in his last six games with four RBI and a home run. He had a 12-game hitting streak heading into play Saturday and was 22-for-50 (.440) during that span ... Gary Matthews has nine hits in his last 19 at-bats (.474) ... Vladimir Guerrero has three home runs in the last week, hitting 9-for-22 (.409) in six games ... Torii Hunter has just five hits in his last 24 at-bats (.208) ... Howie Kendrick has six hits in his last 24 at-bats (.250) ... The Angels will face the Mets (4.10 ERA, 14th in MLB) and the Phillies (3.80 ERA, 7th in MLB).

L.A. Dodgers: Juan Pierre is one of the hottest hitters on the team, hitting .346 over the last week. He's turned the hot hitting into stolen bases with a steal in five of his last six games. Now is a great time to activate him in head-to-head leagues, and he should already have been active in most Rotisserie formats for his speed ... The Dodgers have hit just three home runs in the last six games, meaning they should be due for some homers at a very good hitting park in Cincinnati before heading home to face a solid Indians staff.

Milwaukee Brewers: Corey Hart is the hottest hitter on the team lately, hitting 9-for-26 (.346) over the last week with three doubles, three homers and seven RBI ... Bill Hall is the coldest hitter on the team with just two hits in his last 17 at-bats (.118) ... J.J. Hardy has a strained left rotator cuff and was expected to be out until at least Tuesday against Toronto. He could conceivably still play a full week, but is an injury risk start in Fantasy ... The Brewers will face the third best pitching staff in baseball against Toronto (3.47 ERA) before taking on a much more hitter-friendly lineup against Baltimore (4.33 ERA, 18th in MLB).

Minnesota Twins: Justin Morneau is hitting for average and driving in runs. He has 10 hits in his last 29 at-bats (.345) with thre doubles, a triple and seven RBI ... Brendan Harris has just four hits in his last 28 at-bats (.143) with one RBI. Even in AL-only leagues, there are better options out there. ... Michael Cuddyer continues to struggle at the plate. He has just four hits in his last 22 at-bats (.182) with a hand injury to boot. He was hit in the hand Friday and was not in the lineup Saturday at Milwaukee. X-rays were negative, but he could be a risky start for the upcoming scoring period ... The Twins will face Washington (4.58 ERA, 24th in MLB) and Arizona (3.63 ERA, 5th in MLB).

N.Y. Yankees: Robinson Cano's slump has continued into mid-June. He has just five hits in his last 29 at-bats (.172) after a pinch-hit single Saturday at Houston ... Derek Jeter is in a slump of his own, with just six hits in his last 31 at-bats (.194) ... Melky Cabrera has six hits in his last 28 at-bats (.214) despite going 2-for-2 Saturday at Houston ... The Yankees were forced to rotate days off for Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Jason Giambi over the weekend in the interleague series against Houston in an NL park, but won't have that problem next week with six home games against the Padres and Reds.

N.Y. Mets: Carlos Delgado isn't hearing many boos at Shea Stadium lately, at least none directed at him. He's been the team's hottest hitter with nine hits in his last 24 at-bats (.375) ... Endy Chavez is getting everyday at-bats again in both corner outfield slots, but with Trot Nixon getting called up, his at-bats could be about to get cut into ... David Wright has just four hits in his last 27 at-bats (.148). The Mets have hit just three home runs in the last seven days ... The Mets will face three top-of-the line pitchers in Anaheim (Jered Weaver, John Lackey and Jon Garland), but will also have favorable matchups at Colorado.

Oakland Athletics: Mark Ellis is on a hot streak with 10 hits in his last 25 at-bats (.400) with four doubles and a home run ... Jack Hannahan is seeing regular at-bats around the infield, but has only two hits in his last 22 at-bats (.091) and is not a recommended option off the waiver wire ... Carlos Gonzalez is seeing some decent production at the plate, but with Ryan Sweeney back from the disabled list, his at-bats could begin to dwindle ... The A's will start the week against two of the best pitchers in the league (Brandon Webb and Dan Haren) at Arizona before taking on a Marlins staff that has posted a 5.18 ERA in June.

Philadelphia Phillies: Ryan Howard ended a 49 at-bat homerless drought Friday at St. Louis in the team's 20-2 rout with a pair of long homers. His 17 homers and 54 RBI somewhat offset his .212 batting average. Howard has 10 RBI in his last six games ... Carlos Ruiz four hits and four RBI in the same game, but he hadn't had a hit since June 7 at Atlanta prior to that and continues to platoon with Chris Coste ... The Phillies will face two top-10 pitching staffs (Boston and the L.A. Angels of Anaheim). Think about reserving your marginal Phillies this week due to the tough matchups.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Ryan Doumit is on a 10-for-22 (.455) hot streak over his last six games, best on the team. That streak includes four home runs and seven RBI ... Jack Wilson is enjoying his best stretch of the season and can be thought of as a decent stopgap in NL-only play. He's hitting .348 over his last seven games (8-for-23) ... Freddy Sanchez hast just four hits in his last 26 at-bats (.154) ... Xavier Nady has just four hits in his last 20 at-bats (.200).

San Diego Padres: They started the season as the worst offense in the majors, but they are slowly coming around (well, just the Nats and Royals are scoring less than the Padres this season). But in May, the Padres ranked 20th in runs scored, and they are 17th so far in June.

1. Jody Gerut, CF -- The Jim Edmonds signing was a failure that they wisely bailed on. Gerut leads the team in hitting (.375) in June.
2. Edgar Gonzalez, 2B -- Adrian's big brother turns 30 on Saturday, and he holding onto the second base job until Tadahito Iguchi (shoulder) returns in July.
3. Brian Giles, CF -- Strange numbers ahead. In 32 games hitting in the leadoff spot, he hit just .271 -- but he had three homers and 16 RBI. Then, in 32 games in the third spot of the order, he's batting .342 -- but with only one homer and 10 RBI.
4. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B -- One of the strangest surprises of the season? He leads the NL -- and is second in the majors -- with 60 RBI, despite being on the 28th-ranked offense.
5. Kevin Kouzmanoff, 3B -- He had five homers in a seven-game stretch in late May, but he has just five hits total in 11 June games so far.
6. Paul McAnulty, LF -- He's a stout left fielder with just 12 RBI this season -- and despite being their starter, he's not even owned in one percent of CBSSports.com leagues.
7. Khalil Greene, SS -- His May was much better than his April, but his power is so inconsistent right now. Only two RBI in 10 June games.
8. Michael Barrett, C -- Platooning with Luke Carlin, Barrett is still hitting below .200 after coming back from injury.

San Francisco Giants: Fred Lewis, Ray Durham and John Bowker have been the hottest hitters for the Giants over the last week, which goes to show how slow their offense has gone. Lewis has nine hits in his last 30 at-bats (.300) with a home run while Durham has nine hits in 25 at-bats (.360). Bowker has two home runs among his seven hits over the last week with seven RBI. Bowker is getting the majority of starts at first base and is available in 94 percent of leagues. Consider him a good low-risk investment ... Bengie Molina has cooled off, hitting just .190 in the last week with just one extra-base hit ... Aaron Rowand has five hits in his last 25 at-bats (.200).

Seattle Mariners: The Mariners have hit just two home runs over their last six games ... Perhaps their offensive luck will take a turn for the better in the upcoming scoring period when they face a Marlins pitching staff with a 4.53 ERA (22nd in MLB) and a banged up Braves staff (4.67 ERA in June) ... Kenji Johjima has six hits in his last four games, going 6-for-15 (.400) in that span ... Ichiro Suzuki has eight hits in his last 22 at-bats (.364) ... Adrian Beltre has only two hits in his last 20 at-bats (.100).

St. Louis Cardinals: With Albert Pujols on the disabled list, Chris Duncan is getting the at-bats at first base ... He had just two hits in his first 12 at-bats (.167) as a starter, but the Cardinals don't have many other options, so he'll continue to get the at-bats ... Ryan Ludwick has been the team's hottest hitter in the last week with nine hits in his last 25 at-bats (.360), including three homers and nine RBI ... With Pujols down, the Cards will look to him to pick up the slack in the middle of the lineup. ... The Cards will get a crack at a poor Royals pitching staff (4.83 ERA, 22nd in MLB) and they'll also play three games at hitter friendly Fenway Park, which is good news for the righty hitters in the lineup.

Tampa Bay Rays: Akinori Iwamura, Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton and Dioner Navarro are all hitting over .300 in the last week ... Navarro has seven RBI in that span in five starts ... Gabe Gross has two of his five home home runs this season in the last week and has exactly one hit in six straight games heading into Saturday. He's been playing every other day ... The Rays will play six games at home against the Cubs (3.63 ERA, 4th in MLB) and Astros (4.45 ERA, 21st in MLB).

Texas Rangers: Ramon Vazquez has been making the most of his at-bats and could be a useful option in larger Rotisserie leagues as a stopgap. He has seven hits in his last 16 at-bats (.438) in four starts ... David Murphy has just five hits in his last 24 at-bats but three of them are home runs ... Ian Kinsler has five extra-base hits over the last week, including four doubles and a home run ... Gerald Laird has six hits in his last 13 at-bats (.462) ... Michael Young has only three hits in his last 20 at-bats (.150) and doesn't have a hit in his last three games after having his 23-game hitting streak snapped. He should snap out of it soon and remains too valuable to sit in Fantasy.

Toronto Blue Jays: David Eckstein has seven hits in his last 17 at-bats (.412), but none for extra bases ... Vernon Wells is finally clicking again. He has eight hits, including two homers, in his last 24 at-bats (.333) ... Rod Barajas has five hits in his last five starts, going 5-for-18 (.278) in those games ... The Jays will have some favorable matchups in the upcoming scoring period against Milwaukee (4.23 ERA, 16th in MLB) and Pittsburgh (4.83 ERA, 28th in MLB).

Washington Nationals: Cristian Guzman's surprising season continues. He has 12 hits in his last 34 at-bats (.353), but only one of those hits (a double) went for extra bases ... Lastings Milledge is heating up at the plate with nine hits in his last 27 at-bats, including two home runs ... Ronnie Belliard has five hits in his last four starts with two home runs. He could be in line for more at-bats with the Nats looking for a fill-in at third base while Ryan Zimmerman is out with a shoulder injury. Aaron Boone is an option, but he has just three hits in his last 16 at-bats (.188) ... The Nats will play the Twins (4.63 ERA, 26th in MLB) and Rangers (5.08 ERA, 30th in MLB) in what should be a favorable offensive week.

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