Week 18 Hitting Planner

The Fantasy Baseball Hitting Planner is the essential guide to setting your lineup for the upcoming week. Every Saturday, 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.

Weather planner: Taking into account all games with at least a 50 percent chance of precipitation according to Weather.com, the following games are in danger of being rained out: N.Y. Mets at Florida (60 percent chance) on Tuesday.

Trade deadline ahead

The July 31 trade deadline falls right in the middle of Fantasy Week 18 (July 28-August 3). Accordingly, players even more notable than Xavier Nady and Casey Blake might change leagues early in the week, potentially making or breaking Fantasy teams in NL- and AL-only leagues. Also, any player traded will likely miss a game or two as the teams involved finalize the deal.

But even with the greater emphasis on rumors in the world of sports reporting these days, trades remain by and large unpredictable, so go ahead and start your studs as usual this week.

This week's news and notes for each team:

Arizona Diamondbacks: The Diamondbacks acquired Tony Clark theoretically to make him a platoon partner for left-handed hitter Chad Tracy, but Tracy got the start against Giants left-hander Jonathan Sanchez on Friday. Because he maintains a batting average over .300, continue to think of Tracy as a sleeper, but understand he might get less than full-time at-bats ... Conor Jackson has gone totally ridiculous since the All-Star break, batting .483 with three home runs and a mythical-sounding 1.476 OPS. He looked like he might become a Fantasy stud back in April and, at least for now, has reverted back to that standard ... Stephen Drew, who still has a ways to go in his development, continues to struggle with consistency at the major-league level, but he's batting .373 (19-for-51) during his 11-game hitting streak.

Atlanta Braves: Chipper Jones missed his second straight start with a strained left hamstring Saturday and might have to go on DL. With the Braves falling out of contention, he doesn't have as much reason to push himself as he did earlier in the season, when he had a strained quadriceps. Play it safe and reserve him if you have a viable alternative ... Omar Infante figures to get the most at-bats in Jones' absence, with Martin Prado also working into the mix. Neither has enough power to serve as more than a stopgap in NL-only leagues ... Matt Diaz remains on a Triple-A rehab assignment and could return at moment's notice, but he likely won't cut into Gregor Blanco's at-bats. The Braves like his on-base ability at the top of the batting order, and he entered Saturday batting .423 (11-for-26) over the last seven days.

Baltimore Orioles: Melvin Mora remains one of the hottest players in baseball since the All-Star break, batting .417 (15-for-36) with four home runs. His days as a top-10 Fantasy third baseman have long passed, but don't hesitate to use him until he slows down ... Ramon Hernandez, a recurring name in trade rumors, has upped his stock recently with three home runs in his last five games. At a position as weak as catcher, that kind of performance makes him worth starting again.

Boston Red Sox: With David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez both back in the lineup for the first time since May, Jacoby Ellsbury took the first turn on the bench Saturday. Of course, the Red Sox happened to face a left-hander in Andy Pettitte, so Ellsbury still figures to get more at-bats than Coco Crisp. Quite frankly, the rookie doesn't deserve anything more than platoon treatment. He's batting only .239 since May ... Jed Lowrie has become the effective starter at shortstop with Julio Lugo on the DL, and he carried a six-game hitting streak into Saturday's game against the Yankees. He has the potential to become even better than Dustin Pedroia and might keep the starting job even when Lugo returns. Don't let him go unowned in AL-only leagues.

Chicago Cubs: Mike Fontenot has continued to start because of a minor knee injury to Jim Edmonds, but he appears the clear loser following the return of Alfonso Soriano. Middle infielders who slug better than .500 don't come along all that often, so keep Fontenot on your radar in case an injury befalls another starter. The Cubs can effectively treat him as their "ninth man" thanks to the versatility of Mark DeRosa ... Geovany Soto has cooled off since the break. He entered Saturday's game batting .111 (3-for-27). Even as a rookie, though, he's reached the point where you'd never bench him in Fantasy.

Chicago White Sox: Josh Fields, who hit 23 home runs as a rookie last year, finally gets a chance in the majors this year after Joe Crede went on the DL with back soreness. He hit only .248 with nine home runs at Triple-A Charlotte, but keep an eye on him because of his potential ... Carlos Quentin apparently wasn't satisfied with his first trip to the All-Star game. He's batting .320 (8-for-25) with four home runs in the second half and remains a must-start in Fantasy.

Cincinnati Reds: The Reds might move a few players at the trade deadline, but they'll still have enough young talent to fill out a decent starting lineup. Let's take a look at that lineup as it currently stands:

1. Jerry Hairston, SS -- Hairston (hamstring) expects to come off the DL on Tuesday, and because he has a .351 batting average and qualifies at a weak position like shortstop, you might want to go ahead and get him active. He actually improved his batting average last time he came off the DL. Jeff Keppinger figures to lose at-bats once Hairston returns, but he'll retain some NL-only appeal.
2. Jay Bruce, CF -- The rookie finally showed some signs of life again at the plate, having a 12-game hitting streak snapped Friday. He batted only .294 (15-for-51) during that streak, though, so continue to reserve him.
3. Ken Griffey, RF -- Griffey entered Saturday riding an eight-game hitting streak during which he's batting .333 (10-for-30). He's 38 now and clearly slowing down at the plate, but expect his batting average to continue to rise in the second half.
4. Brandon Phillips, 2B -- Phillips is batting .294 (10-for-34) since the All-Star break thanks to a two-hit game Friday. He remains one of the few 30-30 candidates at his position, so don't ever think about benching him.
5. Adam Dunn, LF -- Dunn has a 1.095 OPS and three home runs since the All-Star break, actually walking more than he has struck out over that span. He remains worth starting only because of his 29 home runs, though.
6. Edwin Encarnacion, 3B -- Encarnacion entered Saturday with three home runs in his last five games, but he's batting only .278 (5-for-18) during that stretch. He tends to get cold just as quickly as he gets hot, but keep him active for now.
7. Joey Votto, 1B -- Votto is about the only Red not doing anything since the break. The rookie has only one extra-base hit in 30 at-bats. Sit him until he gets hot.
8. Paul Bako, C -- Bako got off to a surprising start, but he's batting only .174 since April and platoons with David Ross. Ignore him if at all possible.

Cleveland Indians: The Indians finally parted ways with Casey Blake on Saturday, trading him to the Dodgers. The move gives Andy Marte the second chance of a lifetime, slotting him at third base and Ryan Garko at first. Marte still doesn't hit with much consistency, but he has raised his batting average from .125 to .186 since the beginning of July. Take a flier on him in AL-only leagues ... Ben Francisco, Shin-Soo Choo, Franklin Gutierrez and David Dellucci have formed sort of a four-man rotation for the corner outfield and DH spots, making none all that useful outside of AL-only leagues. Of that group, Francisco and Choo get at-bats most regularly.

Colorado Rockies: The Rockies have decided to give Ian Stewart a good, long look with Todd Helton (back) on the DL, starting him at third base and moving Garrett Atkins across the diamond to first. Stewart has made the most of the opportunity, batting .500 (12-for-24) with one home run. A prospect of his stature deserves a look even in mixed leagues ... By introducing Stewart, the Rockies had to find a new position for a red-hot Jeff Baker, who is batting .579 (11-for-19) with four home runs over his last five games. They played him at second base Friday in favor of Clint Barmes, and if the trend continues, Baker will become more valuable in Fantasy than Barmes. Time to start thinking about him in mixed leagues as well ... Brad Hawpe has finally started to live up to his .291-29-116 season from a year ago, batting .429 (15-for-35) with three home runs since the All-Star break. Get him active in all leagues.

Detroit Tigers: Marcus Thames, in and out of the lineup all season on his way to 19 home runs, has again fallen into a platoon situation -- this time with rookie Matt Joyce. Joyce has 10 home runs of his own in only 119 at-bats, but neither player matters much in Head-to-Head leagues if he doesn't play regularly ... Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Guillen and Placido Polanco have heated up since the All-Star break, each hitting over .350. Keep them active in all leagues.

Florida Marlins: Jeremy Hermida's two home runs Saturday give him three in his last two games and his Fantasy owners visions of his .340, 10-homer second half of a year ago. Hermida hasn't lived up to the hype all season, so he very well might have a monster second half in store ... Cody Ross entered Saturday 1-for-16 over his last five games, dropping his batting average below the .260 mark. If he doesn't watch out, he'll lose at-bats to Alfredo Amezaga, who the Marlins continue to give at-bats for no logical reason. Reserve Ross right now in mixed leagues.

Houston Astros: Lance Berkman might have fallen into his first real slump of the season. He entered Saturday with only six hits since the All-Star break -- all singles. You obviously shouldn't consider benching him, though ... The Astros have once again entrusted everyday at-bats to Michael Bourn, and the speedster has made the most of his second chance so far. He entered Saturday's game batting .533 (8-for-15) over his last four. As long as he starts, you have to play him in Rotisserie leagues because of his speed ... Before Saturday, Miguel Tejada was batting only .186 with no home runs in July. His loss of power becomes more apparent with each passing month, and he might not retain must-start status for long.

Kansas City Royals: John Buck has become a different player in July, more than doubling his season home-run count and slugging .547. He did hit 18 home runs last year in only 347 at-bats, so don't ignore him in mixed leagues ... The homers continue for 22-year-old prospect Billy Butler, who hit another one Friday to give him four since his return from the minor leagues. His batting average still lags a bit, but you should at least have him on your radar in mixed leagues.

L.A. Angels: Jeff Mathis has finally begun to play like a prospect, homering twice in the last week and putting together a four-hit game Wednesday. He has approximately one more week to prove his worth as a full-time player before Mike Napoli (shoulder) comes off the DL. That added motivation might propel him to better numbers ... Howie Kendrick's second-half surge has officially begun. The minor-league batting champion who hit .357 after the All-Star break last year is batting .563 (9-for-16) with one home run over his last four games. He's batting .394 with three home runs and four stolen bases in July and has entered must-start territory in Fantasy.

L.A. Dodgers: The Dodgers acquired Casey Blake to become their starting third baseman Saturday, ending the rookie platoon of Blake DeWitt and Andy LaRoche. Granted, DeWitt has batted only .200 since May and LaRoche only .203 overall, but each offered more upside in Fantasy than Blake does. Still, Blake has decent power and a .352 batting average since May, so he obviously shouldn't go ignored in NL-only leagues ... Sophomore first baseman James Loney, who has struggled for most of the season, is batting .423 (11-for-26) with three three-hit games since the break. If he gets on a roll, watch out ... Juan Pierre (knee) is back off the DL and playing every day. Get him active in Rotisserie leagues because of his stolen bases.

Milwaukee Brewers: Ray Durham started his second game for the Brewers on Saturday even though Rickie Weeks is batting .438 (7-for-16) since the Brewers acquired Durham on Sunday. If the trend continues, Weeks, still batting only .227 on the season, will lose most of his remaining appeal in Head-to-Head leagues ... Ryan Braun has become one of the hottest players in baseball over the last week, collecting four hits and a homer in back-to-back games. He now has his batting average up close to .300 and looks like he might actually better his standout rookie season. Start him in all leagues, obviously ... J.J. Hardy's power tailed off after his six-homer week, but he hasn't slowed down at the plate. He's batting .469 (15-for-32) with a home run over the last seven days and deserves a roster spot in all leagues.

Minnesota Twins: Carlos Gomez hurt his back crashing into a wall Friday, but the Twins don't expect him to miss more than the weekend series at Cleveland. Still, with his .169 batting average and zero stolen bases in July, you can afford to play it safe and bench him ... Alexi Casilla just won't slow down, putting together four multi-hit games already in the second half. He doesn't have much power and hasn't offered many stolen bases, but how do you justify benching him right now? ... Jason Kubel entered Saturday with only four hits since the break. He got hot before the break, but as a platoon player, he doesn't have much Fantasy appeal outside of AL-only leagues.

N.Y. Mets: Carlos Delgado won't rest until this Hitting Planner recognizes him as an elite Fantasy option. He hasn't reached that point just yet, but considering his .390 batting average and six home runs in July, a reevaluation is coming. Certainly, you should start him in all leagues right now. He's hitting .429 (12-for-28) with three home runs since the All-Star break, by the way.

N.Y. Yankees: With the acquisition of Xavier Nady from the Pirates on Friday, the Yankees optioned Brett Gardner to the minors. The speedy rookie looked overmatched in his first stint with the big club, batting only .153 in 59 at-bats. Cut him in all leagues ... Nady figures to get full-time at-bats with the Yankees, but if Hideki Matsui returns from a knee injury, the team will have to reconfigure its lineup. Melky Cabrera might ultimately wind up on the bench ... Robinson Cano has multiple hits in six of seven second-half games. After his last two seasons, you should have seen this coming ... With Jorge Posada facing the possibility of season-ending shoulder surgery, Jose Molina takes over behind the plate, but his lack of offensive potential limits his Fantasy appeal to the deepest of AL-only leagues.

Oakland Athletics: Ryan Sweeney's left pinkie, which he dislocated before the All-Star break, bothered him enough for him to sit out Saturday's game against the Rangers. The rookie is slowly gaining Fantasy appeal with his .309 batting average, but he's still at the point where any and all injuries should scare you away ... Wes Bankston, who has taken over for disappointment Daric Barton (on the DL with a neck strain), hasn't fared much better. He's batting only .240 and is nothing more than an AL-only option.

Philadelphia Phillies: Chase Utley's quietly average season hasn't gotten any better since the All-Star break. He's batting .222 (6-for-27) in the second half and .257 (72-for-280) since April. Yes, that's almost half a season of at-bats. He remains a must-start in Fantasy because he plays such a weak position, but his numbers don't look nearly as impressive when they exclude his monster April ... Catcher Chris Coste has gone back to playing second fiddle to Carlos Ruiz. Coste remains the better hitter, but without consistent at-bats, he doesn't have any Fantasy appeal outside of deeper NL-only leagues.

Pittsburgh Pirates: The Pirates opted to call up Steve Pearce, not Andrew McCutchen, to replace Xavier Nady following their trade with the Yankees on Friday. His numbers don't look all that impressive at Triple-A Indianapolis this year, but he hit .333 with 31 home runs at three stops in the minors last year. Pick him up now in NL-only leagues, but you can wait to see how he performs before pouncing on him in mixed ... Freddy Sanchez, winner of the NL batting title in 2006, has suddenly remembered how to hit, batting .421 (16-for-38) with two home runs since the All-Star break. He's still batting only .245 overall, but considering his history, feel free to pick him up and hope for better days ahead ... With two more home runs Friday, Adam LaRoche hasn't at all slowed since the All-Star break, batting .391 with six home runs in July. Get him active now in all leagues.

San Diego Padres: Edgar Gonzalez continues to swing a hot bat in the absence of Tadahito Iguchi, connecting for two home runs since the All-Star break and opening the second half with six straight multi-hit games. He probably won't continue to produce these power numbers, but he makes a decent stopgap at a weak position.

San Francisco Giants: John Bowker and Rich Aurilia, the Giants' two options at first base, have both gone cold since the All-Star break. Bowker is 3-for-20 (.150) with a .250 slugging percentage, and Aurilia is 5-for-19 (.263) with a .368 slugging percentage. Fortunately, you wouldn't start either outside of NL-only leagues ... Bengie Molina is hitting .273 with two home runs since the All-Star break, which wouldn't sound that great if he didn't have just a .190 batting average and two home runs in the entire month of July. He plays such a weak position that you have to keep him active, but you certainly don't have to think of him as a high-end option.

Seattle Mariners: Ichiro Suzuki, notoriously a poor second-half player, has followed the trend so far in 2008, batting .194 (6-for-31) since the break. Considering he didn't hit over .300 in the first half, he might end up with a career-low batting average this season ... Jose Lopez carried a 12-game hitting streak into Saturday. Over that stretch, he's batting .294 (15-for-51), meaning his batting average has actually dropped. He lacks power but has found consistency this season and deserves to start in most Fantasy leagues ... Kenji Johjima has only three hits since the All-Star break, and if you think that sounds bad, he has only four in July. Time to dump this guy if you haven't already.

St. Louis Cardinals: Rick Ankiel has led off the second half with an eight-game hitting streak during which he's batting .353 (12-for-34. He's batting .346 with seven home runs in July, recovering from his struggles earlier in the season and emerging as a must-start Fantasy option.

Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays have started giving Eric Hinske most of the at-bats in right field, platooning him with Gabe Gross. His Fantasy value doesn't change much, though, because his power already made him too valuable to bench in AL-only leagues ... Evan Longoria is batting .333 (8-for-24) with three home runs over the last seven days, but if you don't already consider him a must-start in Fantasy, you obviously stopped paying attention in June.

Texas Rangers: Chris Davis is a monster -- terrifying in every way. If no one in your league has taken notice of his nine home runs in 85 at-bats, including three in his last six games, you need to. Add him ... With Gerald Laird (hamstring) soon to come off the DL, the Rangers plan to send Max Ramirez back to the minors. Ramirez has only started once since the break, so you probably won't miss him. Laird will probably cut into Jarrod Saltalamacchia's at-bats, making neither player all that useful in mixed leagues.

Toronto Blue Jays: Alex Rios hit two home runs Saturday, giving him four already in the second half after he finished with four in the first. He hit 17 of 24 home runs in the first half last year and 15 of 17 in the first half in 2006, so at least he has a track record of cramming most of his damage into one half of the season. Get him active ... Adam Lind just won't slow down, entering Saturday hitting .588 (10-for-17) over his last four games. At this point, he deserves an add in all leagues despite his lack of walks.

Washington Nationals: The Nationals designated catcher Johnny Estrada for assignment Thursday, meaning Jesus Flores has the job pretty much to himself with Paul Lo Duca playing first base. Flores has earned it with his recent play, batting .368 (7-for-19) and slugging .632 since the All-Star break, and again deserves a look as a No. 2 catcher in mixed leagues ... Willie Harris has heated up during the summer and become a regular in the Nationals lineup. He's batting .314 (33-for-105) with five home runs and six stolen bases since May and entered Saturday with seven multi-hit games in his last 10. Take a flier on him in NL-only leagues, but understand that he had a similar hot stretch at the beginning of last season before finishing at .270.

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