Week 19 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, there are no games in danger of being rained out.

This week's news and notes for each team:

Arizona Diamondbacks: Mark Reynolds entered Saturday's game batting .304 (7-for-23) with two home runs during a six-game hitting streak. He still has yet to top the .250 mark for the season, but when he gets hot, he can hit home runs in bunches. Get him active ... Chris B. Young's struggles have caused the Diamondbacks to drop the disappointing sophomore to seventh in the batting order. He entered Saturday's game with two hits in his last 17 at-bats. With a batting average under .235 and only eight stolen bases, he doesn't deserve a starting spot in most mixed leagues.

Atlanta Braves: The Braves have understandably taken a cautious approach with Brian McCann, who suffered a concussion Sunday. They have nothing to play for, and McCann figures to take over as franchise player once Chipper Jones retires. The team did clear McCann to pinch hit Saturday, though, and he says he'll return to the lineup Monday. You have to take the best catcher in Fantasy at his word, but don't be surprised if he misses a few games next week too ... With Jones (hamstring) and McCann out of the lineup, the Braves haven't had a chance to give Casey Kotchman, who they acquired in the Mark Teixeira deal, a definitive spot in the batting order. He remains nothing more than a corner infielder in Fantasy.

Baltimore Orioles: Aubrey Huff left Friday's game after bumping his head on the dugout, but a small contusion like that didn't keep him down Saturday. Good thing, too. He has a .486 (18-for-37) batting average and three home runs during his current 10-game hitting streak and looks like the same stud player who suited up for the then-Devil Rays earlier this decade. Sure, his hot streak looked kind of fluky back when it began at the beginning of June, but it hasn't stopped since. He has a .362 batting average and 13 home runs since May ... Kevin Millar entered Saturday batting .375 (9-for-24) with four home runs over his last seven games, but he remains just an AL-only option.

Boston Red Sox: After trading Manny Ramirez, the Red Sox have juggled their lineup in such a way that David Ortiz still gets decent protection but J.D. Drew doesn't. Drew probably needs it more considering his numbers took off when he had Manny Ramirez batting ahead of him much like they did in 2004, when he had Chipper Jones batting ahead of him. Since Ortiz returned to the lineup and Drew dropped in the order, Drew is batting .227 (5-for-22) in seven games. Avoid Drew in mixed leagues right now unless he proves he can hit consistently without a big bat behind him.

Chicago Cubs: Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez and Kosuke Fukudome, each of whom has battled adversity recently, have heated up over the last seven days, Soriano batting .367 (11-for-30) with three home runs, Ramirez batting .407 (11-for-27) with one home run, and Fukudome batting .346 (9-for-26) with one home run. Soriano and Ramirez obviously never lost must-start status in Fantasy, but get Fukudome active again until he cools off.

Chicago White Sox: The White Sox insisted on playing newly acquired Ken Griffey in center field even though the Reds labeled him too injury-prone to man the position, and look what happened. Griffey had to leave Saturday's game with cramping in his right leg. He has swung a hot bat in the second half, batting .340 (16-for-47) with three home runs during a 13-game hitting streak that ended Saturday. If he doesn't return to the lineup Sunday, though, he's too risky to start in the upcoming Fantasy scoring period ... The acquisition of Griffey means one of Paul Konerko and Nick Swisher -- both of whom have struggled this season -- has to go to the bench. Konerko took a seat Friday, but Swisher did Saturday. Until the White Sox tip their hand on this one, avoid both players in mixed leagues.

Cincinnati Reds: Jerry Hairston (hamstring) returned from a DL stint Friday, manning center field and batting leadoff. The Reds then rested him Saturday, but with a .344 batting average, he'll likely play every day. Start him in all Rotisserie formats ... Because the Reds traded Ken Griffey to the White Sox, they can now have Hairston, Edwin Encarnacion and Jeff Keppinger in the lineup at the same time. With everyday at-bats, Keppinger deserves a roster spot in all NL-only leagues.

Cleveland Indians: Kelly Shoppach homered again Saturday and now has four home runs in his last five games. The longtime power prospect is finally beginning to shine with Victor Martinez out of the lineup and has emerged as a mixed-league viable backstop ... Asdrubal Cabrera has showed signs of progress since his return from the minor leagues, hitting .304 (7-for-23) over the last seven days. Then again, four of those hits came in one game, so he remains just an AL-only option.

Colorado Rockies: Willy Taveras entered Saturday's game batting .400 (14-for-35) with nine stolen bases during an eight-game hitting streak. He has 30 stolen bases in his last 45 games and is an obvious must-start in Rotisserie leagues. Head-to-Head owners might want to pay attention too if he continues to swing a hot bat ... Jeff Baker continues to earn the majority of starts at second base over Clint Barmes. His power potential at such a weak position should make him a must-start in no time.

Detroit Tigers: Brandon Inge takes over as the everyday catcher with Ivan Rodriguez's move to the Yankees. He probably won't hit for a high average, but he has enough pop to suffice in Fantasy at such a weak position ... Curtis Granderson has taken off since manager Jim Leyland began trusting him against left-handed pitchers. He entered Saturday riding an 11-game hitting streak during which he's batting .408 (20-for-49). Start him in all leagues.

Florida Marlins: Jeremy Hermida hit three home runs in two days at the Cubs early last week, but he has gone 6-for-25 (.240) since. If he has a .340 second half in him like he did last season, it hasn't started yet ... Dan Uggla is batting .321 (9-for-28) with two home runs over the last seven days, so if he has a second-half swoon coming after a surprising first half, it also hasn't started yet ... By not acquiring Manny Ramirez at the July 31 trade deadline, the Marlins assured that Cody Ross will continue to get regular at-bats despite his .176 batting average since the All-Star break. He's quickly falling out of favor in mixed leagues, and rightfully so.

Houston Astros: Michael Bourn didn't return to the lineup for the sixth straight game Saturday as he continues to battle a sprained right ankle. He had made an impressive return to the starting lineup after the Astros benched him due to ineffectiveness, but until he can get back to playing regularly, you shouldn't use him in Fantasy ... Starting third baseman Ty Wigginton has apparently fallen out of favor with Astros management, starting only once since July 26. Geoff Blum and Mark Loretta have taken his place, but none of these players deserves a look outside of NL-only leagues ... Streaky sophomore Hunter Pence has heated up again, entering Saturday batting .429 (12-for-28) with two home runs over his last seven games. His overall numbers don't look particularly impressive, but you want him active right now.

Kansas City Royals: David DeJesus sprained his ankle Friday and didn't return to the lineup Saturday. The 28-year-old is having a breakout season but is batting 4-for-21 over his last seven games. He probably isn't worth the risk in mixed leagues ... Mike Aviles continued his impressive work as a 27-year-old rookie, batting .423 (11-for-26) with two home runs over the last seven days. He has maintained solid numbers through 200 at-bats, emerging as one of the better Fantasy options at his position. Yes, start him in all leagues.

L.A. Angels: The Angles have opted to bat Mark Teixeira, acquired from the Braves before the July 31 trade deadline, ahead of Vladimir Guerrero instead of behind him. Guerrero's Fantasy value won't improve much as a result, but with his protection, Teixeira stands to have maybe one of the best two-month stretches of his career. Don't forget he wants to score a big contract in the offseason ... Torii Hunter, arguably the hottest player in baseball over the last week with a .393 (11-for-28) batting average and five home runs, had to take a personal leave Saturday. The Angels expect him to return Monday, though, so keep him active in Fantasy ... Chone Figgins, who has battled injuries and inconsistency all season, entered Saturday batting .450 (9-for-20) with four stolen bases over his last five games. He hit .361 with 21 stolen bases in the second half last season ... Garret Anderson had a monster second half of his own last season, batting .305 with 13 home runs and 65 RBI. He is batting .457 (16-for-35) during a nine-game hitting streak with two home runs and two four-hit games. Take a chance on him in mixed leagues.

L.A. Dodgers: Manager Joe Torre said that with the acquisition of Manny Ramirez, the Dodgers will most likely field an outfield of Ramirez, Matt Kemp and Juan Pierre, thereby forcing Andruw Jones and Andre Ethier to the bench. Jones figures to start sometimes against tough left-handed pitchers, though. Between Pierre, Jones and Ethier, only Pierre deserves a roster spot in mixed leagues ... By trading Andy LaRoche, demoting Blake DeWitt and disabling Nomar Garciaparra, the Dodgers have all but assured that newcomer Casey Blake won't have to compete for at-bats anytime soon. He's batting .320 (8-for-25) since joining the Dodgers and .355 since May.

Milwaukee Brewers: Prince Fielder homered twice Saturday at Atlanta, giving him five in his last four games. He's batting .429 (9-for-21) over his last six games and looks ready to make a mockery of his first-half slump. He's teased a couple times already, but don't be surprised if he tops 40 home runs this season ... Ray Durham has effectively ruined the Head-to-Head value of Rickie Weeks. The younger second baseman has had to come off the bench three times in the last week.

Minnesota Twins: Denard Span, who got off to such a hot start while replacing Michael Cuddyer (finger), has cooled off just as abruptly. He entered Saturday batting .148 (4-for-27) over his last seven games ... With Alexi Casilla out for the season with a torn tendon in his right thumb, Nick Punto has taken over as the team's starting second baseman, batting second. He should score enough runs and steal enough bases to suffice in AL-only leagues.

N.Y. Mets: The Mets' silence at the trade deadline all but assures that Fernando Tatis will remain in the starting lineup for the foreseeable future, and he deserves such assurance. He entered Saturday batting .433 (13-for-30) with two home runs over his last eight games and hasn't showed any signs of slowing down through 164 at-bats. Time to think about adding him in mixed leagues ... Jose Reyes entered Saturday with six multi-hit games in his last seven, batting .417 (15-for-36) during that stretch. You'd never consider benching him, obviously, but he looks especially good right now.

N.Y. Yankees: The Yankees, always among the best-hitting teams in the majors, made a few moves to sure up their starting lineup right before the July 31 trade deadline. Let's examine how it looks now that the dust has settled:

1. Johnny Damon, DH -- If you didn't think Damon's shoulder injury would affect his power ... well, you might still end up right. But so far, the results say otherwise. He has only two extra-base hits in 10 games since his return.
2. Derek Jeter, SS -- Jeter still deserves to start in all Fantasy leagues, obviously, but his lack of power these days makes him kind of a rich man's version of Jose Lopez among middle infielders.
3. Bobby Abreu, RF -- Time and time again, Abreu has proven he'll get hot as soon as people start to doubt him. He entered Saturday with a .423 batting average and three home runs in his last seven games.
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3B -- A-Rod has flown under the radar after missing time earlier in the season with a strained quadriceps, but he entered Saturday on pace for a .323-34-96-96-22 line in only 491 at-bats. Hopefully, you don't regret taking him No. 1 overall.
5. Jason Giambi, DH -- Did you pooh-pooh the Richie Sexson effect? Look again. Giambi has sat out three times after the All-Star break after sitting out only once all of June. Platoon players don't make great Head-to-Head players.
6. Robinson Cano, 2B -- Cano began the second half as hot as expected (.462 in eight games) but has struggled in five games (.181) since hurting his left hand swinging at a Jon Lester pitch. He actually sat out Saturday's game because of the injury, but with so few worthy Fantasy options available at the second-base position, you should probably keep him active.
7. Xavier Nady, LF -- Nady is batting .278 with two home runs in six games as a Yankee and returned to the lineup Saturday after sitting Friday with a quadriceps injury. No reason to think the breakout player will slow down after getting traded from the Pirates.
8. Ivan Rodriguez, C -- The Yankees acquired Rodriguez after learning Jorge Posada will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. He goes from one loaded lineup to another, so his Fantasy value shouldn't change much.
9. Melky Cabrera, CF -- Cabrera is batting .236 with three home runs since April. He still has upside, but only his defense keeps him in the lineup right now.

Oakland Athletics: On Friday, Frank Thomas (quadriceps) played for the first time since late May and went 0-for-3. He batted cleanup, though -- an indication the Athletics won't shortchange him at-bats -- and let's not forget he hit .458 (11-for-24) with four home runs in the final seven games before his injury. At his age, he usually needs a couple weeks of at-bats before he heats up, but try to stash him away for when he gets hot if you have the available roster space ... On the other hand, don't bother stashing Mike Sweeney anymore. He suffered a setback in his recovery from knee surgery and will likely miss the rest of the season ... Kurt Suzuki, who had one of his patented hot streaks coming out of the All-Star break, entered Saturday with two hits in his last 14 at-bats. Pre-empt the equal and opposite cold streak by benching him.

Philadelphia Phillies: You waited three months for Chase Utley to get hot again after he hit .352 with 10 home runs in April, and the slugging second baseman has finally delivered, hitting .409 with two home runs over his last seven games ... The top two hitters in the Phillies' batting order have gone equally bananas over that seven-game stretch, Jimmy Rollins batting .333 with two home runs and two stolen bases and Shane Victorino batting .407 with two home runs and two stolen bases ... Victorino in particular has shot up the Fantasy rankings recently, batting .353 with four home runs and four stolen bases since the All-Star break. His speed makes him a stud in Rotisserie leagues, and his extra-base power makes him close to one in Head-to-Head formats. Think of him as sort of a Rafael Furcal in the outfield.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Andy LaRoche and Brandon Moss, two of the biggest gems in the Jason Bay deal, have immediately entered the starting lineup and deserve pickups in NL-only leagues as a result. LaRoche even has the potential to make an impact in mixed leagues if the regular at-bats help him make good on his upside ... Freddy Sanchez, who had finally started to hit up to his abilities at the end of July, missed his fifth straight game because of back spasms Saturday. If you've paid any attention at all this season, you can't hear "back spasms" without thinking Rafael Furcal, but most cases don't end up so serious. Still, play it safe and bench Sanchez unless he returns Sunday ... Doug Mientkiewicz will likely get the majority of at-bats at first base with Adam LaRoche (ribcage) having to go on the DL. LaRoche had emerged as one of the hottest players in baseball in July and looked geared for a monster second half like he had in 2006, but this down time has the potential to ruin his momentum.

San Diego Padres: He hit only .253 over the full month of July, but Adrian Gonzalez has rediscovered his stroke recently, hitting .348 with three home runs over the last seven days. His strikeout rate suggests he'll remain a streaky hitter throughout his career, but you never want to bench him ... The Padres activated second baseman Tadahito Iguchi (shoulder) from the 15-day DL on Friday, meaning Edgar Gonzalez will likely assume a utility role even though he has better numbers. Fortunately, neither of these players matters (or likely will matter) outside of NL-only leagues ... Nick Hundley hit the first two home runs of his career over the past week. He'll likely get most of the Padres' at-bats behind the plate over the final two months of the season and has enough power to serve as a No. 2 option in NL-only leagues.

San Francisco Giants: With Ray Durham now out of the picture, rotating defenders Jose Castillo (second base), Rich Aurilia (third base) and John Bowker (first base) and outfielders Aaron Rowand, Randy Winn and Fred Lewis don't have to share at-bats with anybody. Well, almost. Emmanuel Burriss has entered the picture at second base, meaning all of Castillo, Aurilia and Bowker stand to come out of the lineup occasionally. No big deal. Those three don't have any Fantasy appeal outside of NL-only leagues anyway.

Seattle Mariners: Semi-prospect Bryan LaHair has begun to show off his power potential, hitting two home runs in the last week. Think of him as kind of the AL's version of the Giants' John Bowker, meaning he deserves a roster spot in AL-only leagues ... Jose Lopez is batting .342 (27-for-79) during his 19-game hitting streak and has quietly put together a breakout season. His power numbers might not look impressive at first glance, but at the weak second-base position, he scores a good number of Fantasy points.

St. Louis Cardinals: The Cardinals think Rick Ankiel will miss at least the rest of this weekend's series against the Phillies because of an abdominal injury, meaning you won't get any reassurance before making a lineup decision for Fantasy Week 19 (Aug. 4-11). Unless you have him in an NL-only league, play it safe and bench him ... Chris Duncan will have surgery on Monday to relieve a herniated disk in his neck, likely ending his season. That news likely excites Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick and Skip Schumaker owners more than it upsets Duncan owners. The 27-year-old bust hit only .248 with six home runs in 222 at-bats, robbing plate appearances from each of that more deserving outfield trio ... Of course, as soon as Duncan goes down, a new fourth musketeer enters the ring in Joe Mather, who has a .391 (9-for-23) batting average and three home runs in five games filling for Ankiel. At this rate, he might emerge as a platoon partner for Schumaker, so pick him up in NL-only leagues.

Tampa Bay Rays: After coming out of the All-Star break hitting .206 (7-for-34) in his first eight games, Carl Crawford has begun to heat up again, hitting .391 (9-for-23) during his six-game hitting streak and tripling in three straight games. He still doesn't look quite like the player who hit .358 in the second half last year, but he obviously deserves to start in all leagues ... Rocco Baldelli, who has a mitochondrial disorder that affects his ability to remain healthy and energized, completed a 20-day rehab assignment with Double-A Montgomery on Friday. He hit .297 with three home runs in 13 games. The Rays won't decide until the end of the weekend if he'll rejoin the active roster, but don't let him go unowned in AL-only leagues. Mixed-league owners might want to take a flier on him as well, though his condition might prevent him from playing every day.

Texas Rangers: Michael Young has a fractured right index finger that affects his ability to grip the bat. He'll play though the injury, but you might want to bench him this week if you have viable alternatives ... Milton Bradley has a strained left quadriceps that had sidelined him for three games going into Saturday. He had the same injury in mid-June and didn't start for a week, so unless he returns over the weekend, play it safe and bench him. His endless array of nagging injuries has probably gotten pretty old in Head-to-Head leagues ... Marlon Byrd has gotten hot in Bradley's absence, hitting .333 with two home runs over the last seven days. He will continue to get semi-regular at-bats even when Bradley returns, so don't hesitate to use him as a stopgap right now ... Josh Hamilton has three home runs over the last seven days and continues to the lead the league in RBI. He left Friday's game with dizziness, but he returned Saturday.

Toronto Blue Jays: Scott Rolen has begun an "extensive" rehabilitation program for his surgically repaired left shoulder -- the same shoulder he declared sufficiently rehabilitated in late April. He says he'll play through the rehabilitation -- and to his credit, he actually hit a home run Friday -- but an ongoing shoulder problem will no doubt affect his power. Consider him nothing more than an AL-only player, especially since he hit only .163 in July ... Adam Lind entered Saturday with a 10-game hitting streak during which he's batting .410 (16-for-39). As long as he continues to swing a hot bat, he has enough power to help in mixed leagues ... Rod Barajas has become the clear starting catcher in Toronto these days, so much so that Gregg Zaun requested a trade at the deadline. If you own Zaun in a mixed league, stop.

Washington Nationals: Elijah Dukes went 2-for-4 with a double Friday in his first game back from a knee injury. He broke out right before the injury, batting .304 with six home runs and seven stolen bases in 125 at-bats, so take a flier on him in all leagues ... Two of the Nationals' more notable offensive players, Ryan Zimmerman (hand) and Cristian Guzman (thumb), have day-to-day injuries that might sideline them into next week. Fortunately, neither has hit the ball well lately, Zimmerman batting .238 (5-for-21) over his last seven games and Guzman batting .091 (2-for-22) over his last six, so you have no reason to start either ... The Nationals parted with both Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada over the past two weeks, making the 23-year-old Jesus Flores their undisputed starting catcher. He can get a little streaky at times, like all young players, but his upside makes him a No. 2 option in mixed leagues ... The release of Lo Duca also leaves the Nationals with a vacancy at first base. When Zimmerman returns, the Nationals might opt to move him there to keep the red-hot Willie Harris in the lineup at third. Harris lost his starting job in the outfield when Dukes came off the DL. Kory Casto started at first base Friday, but he has a .198 batting average this season.

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