Week 20 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: Stephen Drew, who still has yet to meet his full potential, has gone on perhaps the best run of his career, riding an 11-game hitting streak during which he's batting .362 (17-for-47) with two home runs. He already deserves to start in all Fantasy leagues, but he might soon begin angling for elite status ... Chad Tracy has only two hits over the last week and will always have to look over his shoulder for recent acquisition Tony Clark. Don't use him outside of NL-only leagues.

Atlanta Braves: Chipper Jones returned Friday from a two-week absence with a hamstring injury and popped a home run in his first game back -- his first homer since before the All-Star break. In an interview after the game, he said his hamstring feels great but his quadriceps still bothers him. Considering he has played all season with the quad injury without missing significant time, go ahead and get him active ... Kelly Johnson continues to lose at-bats in a platoon with Martin Prado, who has multiple hits in each of his last three starts. Time to stop thinking of Johnson as a No. 1 Fantasy second baseman ... With Jones back from the DL, the Braves will have to figure out ways to work utility player Omar Infante into the lineup. Expect him to platoon with Mark Kotsay, if nothing else.

Baltimore Orioles: The Orioles have begun batting Nick Markakis second more often than third, but the transition hasn't affected his hitting. He entered Saturday with a .304 (7-for-23) batting average and one home run over the last seven days. He remains a must-start ... Jay Payton has taken over in center field for Adam Jones, who might miss the rest of the season with a broken foot. The at-bats alone make Payton worth owning in AL-only leagues, but ignore him in all other formats ... Kevin Millar homered twice Friday, giving him 18 on the year. He doesn't have the greatest batting average, but his 1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio makes him worth owning in leagues where those statistics mean something.

Boston Red Sox: Jed Lowrie has officially become the main man at shortstop with Julio Lugo (quadriceps) on the DL, permanently parking Alex Cora on the bench. Lowrie has responded to his promotion with a seven-game hitting streak during which he's batting .346 (9-for-26) with two doubles and two triples. He probably has a higher ceiling than Dustin Pedroia, so keep your eye on him in mixed leagues ... The Red Sox have begun experimenting with their lineup recently, batting J.D. Drew first and dropping Kevin Youkilis, Mike Lowell and Jason Bay to fourth, fifth and sixth. Batting higher in the order might help Drew start hitting like he did earlier in the season, but Pedroia doesn't exactly offer the same lineup protection that Manny Ramirez did ... Bay has yet to go hitless in a Red Sox uniform, batting .400 (12-for-30) with one home run in seven games.

Chicago Cubs: Alfonso Soriano homered three times in the last week and is now batting .324 with six home run in 71 at-bats since returning from a broken left hand. Few outfielders perform better than Soriano when he has his bat working like he does now, but remember he can get just as cold seemingly overnight.

Chicago White Sox: Jim Thome carried a seven-game hitting streak into Saturday. He's batting .321 (9-for-28) with three home runs during that stretch. Since June 15, he has raised his batting average from .216 to .258. He once again deserves to start in all Fantasy leagues ... Ken Griffey is batting only .200 (4-for-20) since joining the White Sox. He got a day off Saturday. He still has some power, but think of him as more than a No. 4 or 5 outfielder in mixed leagues ... With Joe Crede (back) on the DL, Juan Uribe has become the starting third baseman for the White Sox, not Josh Fields, who hit 23 home runs as a rookie last season but spent much of this season in the minors. Once again, Fields doesn't seem worth your trouble.

Cincinnati Reds: Jerry Hairston, who reinjured his hamstring the day after coming off the DL, hasn't returned to the lineup one week later. The Reds might ultimately have to put him on the DL, but even if he decides he can return, you shouldn't expect a few days of rest to accomplish what a whole stint on the DL couldn't. Hairston remains worthy of stashing in Rotisserie leagues, but don't start him right now. Corey Patterson has assumed everyday duty in center field, but his low batting average makes him a low-end option ... Rookie Jay Bruce has gone back to playing like he did upon his initial call-up, carrying a 12-game hitting streak into Saturday's game. He's batting .341 (15-for-44) with three home runs during that stretch. He heated up right about the time the Reds dropped him from first in the batting order to third, and he had no business batting leadoff anyway. The reduced pressure of a more familiar role will probably help him down the stretch, but that doesn't mean you should assume this hot streak is his coming of age.

Cleveland Indians: After showing some signs of progress early, former prospect Andy Marte has struggled since the Indians dealt Casey Blake to the Dodgers, batting .120 (3-for-25) in seven games. Until he can get his batting average on the right side of the Mendoza line, you shouldn't even consider owning him except in deeper AL-only leagues ... David Dellucci still only plays against right-handers, but he has done a number on them recently, entering Saturday's game batting .667 (10-for-15) with two home runs over his last four. Even though the Indians face three left-handers next week, Dellucci can suffice as a one-week stopgap in AL-only leagues.

Colorado Rockies: Suddenly, Clint Barmes looks like the starter at second base again over Jeff Baker. Really, Baker led to his own demise, batting .083 (3-for-36) over his last 11 games. We'll see how this situation shakes out, but for now, Baker looks like the better Fantasy option for the rest of the season. If the two players continue to split at-bats, though, neither will matter outside of NL-only leagues ... Matt Holliday is batting .360 (9-for-25) with four home runs over the last seven days, which sounds hot, but it's really kind of normal for him.

Detroit Tigers: Carlos Guillen had to leave Friday's game with lower back spasms. He remained out of the lineup Thursday but said he felt a little better. Back spasms can sometimes linger, though, so if he doesn't return to the lineup Sunday and you have a decent alternative at the weak shortstop position, consider benching him ... Marcus Thames went 0-for-4 Saturday and has only three hits since July 20. He doesn't even play every day, so if you own him in mixed leagues, stop ... Placido Polanco entered Saturday batting .357 (10-for-28) with two home runs over the last seven games. He doesn't normally show much power, but when he gets hot, he can certainly boost your batting average.

Florida Marlins: John Baker has shown more power recently and has effectively become the left-handed portion of a platoon with Matt Treanor. He's already 27, but catchers tend to develop as hitters later, so he might have a few more home runs saved up. Take a flier on him in NL-only leagues ... The predicted second-half swoon might have just begun for Dan Uggla. He entered Saturday's game batting .095 (2-for-21) over his last six, dropping his season batting average to .261 -- about where you can expect it to finish. Still, his power makes him a must-start at a weak position.

Houston Astros: Carlos Lee broke his pinkie Saturday and will miss 6-8 weeks, meaning his season is potentially over. Darin Erstad will likely start in his place, but he obviously can't offer Fantasy owners close to what a stud like Lee could. If you own Lee, you have to stash him in the hope that he can return late in September. Hopefully, your league's trade deadline hasn't already passed ... Just as soon as he looked like he had fallen out of favor, Ty Wigginton got right back in it. He returned to playing every day at third base this week and hit .391 (9-for-23) with two home runs. Because he qualifies at second base, he deserves a roster spot in deeper mixed leagues ... No player in baseball was hotter than Lee, who hit .500 (14-for-28) with three home runs over the last week, but Kazuo Matsui is pretty close. He hit .313 (10-for-32) with two home runs and one stolen base and is batting .293 (24-for-82) with four home runs and three stolen bases since the All-Star break. Those numbers make him a must-start in Fantasy right now ... Entering Saturday, Lance Berkman had gone a career-high 32 games without a home run. He remains a must-start in Fantasy, obviously, but you have to hope he breaks out soon.

Kansas City Royals: Esteban German has become the everyday man at second base with Mark Grudzielanek (knee) on the DL, but he hasn't done enough with the bat to merit a look even in AL-only leagues ... Mike Aviles is batting .462 (24-for-52) with three home runs over the last 14 days and is batting .341 on the season. Yeah, he's a 27-year-old rookie, but who would you rather start at shortstop?

L.A. Angels: The acquisition of Mark Teixeira has sparked life up and down the Angels' batting order. That, combined with a few players' returns from injury means we should probably take a closer look:

1. Chone Figgins, 3B -- The speedy third baseman's own inconsistency has halted him this year. He entered Saturday 0-for-13 in his last three games. With no extra-base pop, a middle-of-road batting average and only 22 steals, Figgins looks more like a poor man's Willy Taveras than an elite Fantasy third baseman.
2. Maicer Izturis, SS -- The Angels clearly favor Izturis over the younger (and arguably better) Erick Aybar. Izturis returned from a jammed thumb Saturday and immediately got back in the starting lineup, but he'll offer nothing more than a few stolen bases and runs scored.
3. Mark Teixeira, 1B -- Batting third hasn't paid immediate dividends for Teixeira himself, but he has a .303 batting average in 33 at-bats entering Saturday. He remains a stud, as always.
4. Vladimir Guerrero, RF -- Here he is: the man who looks reborn with the addition of Teixeira. His numbers have improved even though he protects the slugging first baseman instead of the other way around. Since the trade, Guerrero is batting .375 (12-for-32) with three home runs. Considering the sample size, no need to go crazy here, but Guerrero has the potential to keep playing this way.
5. Torii Hunter, CF -- And the acquisition of Teixeira appears to have had a trickle-down effect. Hunter is batting .407 (11-for-27) with three home runs since that fateful day, though his hot streak started a little earlier.
6. Garret Anderson, DH -- The aging one continues to hit above expectations in the second half for the second straight season. He entered Saturday riding a 14-game hitting streak during which he's batting .421 (24-for-57) with two home runs. Get him active.
7. Howie Kendrick, 2B -- The contact-hitting second baseman has cooled off since coming out of the All-Star break hot, but he could bust out a four-hit game anytime. He remains too valuable to sit.
8. Juan Rivera, LF -- Rivera, who became an everyday player after hitting .311 with six home runs in July, is hitting only .100 (2-for-20) so far in August. He might start losing at-bats to Gary Matthews again, so don't count on him.
9. Mike Napoli, C -- Napoli returned from the DL on Friday and to the lineup on Saturday after missing over a month with a shoulder injury. Jeff Mathis didn't exactly seize the day in his absence, batting only .212, but Napoli himself entered Saturday with a .204 batting average. Expect the two to split at-bats evenly down the stretch, making neither all that useful outside of AL-only leagues.

L.A. Dodgers: The Dodgers have gotten a major boost from both of their major trade acquisitions. Entering Saturday, Casey Blake is batting .333 (16-for-48) with two home runs in 13 games, and Manny Ramirez is batting .565 (13-for-23) with four home runs in six games. Ramirez remains a must-start as always, but Blake, who has a .356 batting average in May, has become viable in mixed leagues as well ... The Dodgers have held 40-year-old Jeff Kent out of the lineup only twice since the All-Star break. He's batting only .274 with one home run during that stretch, but if he can play more or less every day, he still has enough power to serve as a low-end Fantasy starter.

Milwaukee Brewers: Prince Fielder continues to swing a mammoth bat since the All-Star break. He already has eight home runs in the second half after hitting 18 in the first half. He entered Saturday riding an 11-game hitting streak, batting .341 (14-for-41) with six home runs during that stretch. You obviously wouldn't have benched him even when he struggled earlier in the season, but if you resisted the urge to trade him, pat yourself on the back ... Mike Cameron has also gotten hot, at least by his standards. He entered Saturday batting .381 (8-for-21) with three home runs and two stolen bases in August. You can bank on him not finishing with a batting average higher than .250, but he might finish with 25 homers and 15 steals.

Minnesota Twins: On the same day the Twins learned Alexi Casilla likely won't miss the rest of the season, they learned Michael Cuddyer possibly will. Cuddyer, already on the DL with a strained tendon in his left index finger, broke a bone in his left foot on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Rochester on Friday. He potentially could return before the end of the season still, but he has to work with a tight timetable. Fortunately, he hasn't hit well this season even when healthy, limiting his appeal to AL-only leagues ... Casilla, meanwhile, who has a torn ligament in his left thumb, has to wear a splint on his right hand for another week but could return before the end of August. He has low-end mixed-league appeal ... The Twins have decided they like Denard Span so much as their leadoff hitter that he'll remain in the lineup for the rest of the season. Of course, they made that announcement before the Cuddyer injury, which pretty much sealed the deal. Span might steal a few bases, but he doesn't have enough potential for mixed leagues.

N.Y. Mets: With all of the injuries to their outfield, the Mets have turned to rookie Daniel Murphy to start in left field. He didn't really emerge as a prospect until this season, so don't go crazy over him just because he has a .500 (9-for-18) batting average entering Saturday. He's worth a flier in NL-only leagues, though. If nothing else, his plate discipline enables him to bat second, ahead of all the big bats ... Luis Castillo, out since early July with a strained left thigh muscle, has begun a rehab assignment at Class A St. Lucie and might return sometime this week. Because his exact return remains unknown, though, activate him only in deeper NL-only leagues. He offers nothing more than low-end steals potential anyway.

N.Y. Yankees: With back-to-back multi-hit games over the weekend, Robinson Cano appears to have gotten back on track after a sore left hand sidetracked what began as a monster second half. He has hit at least .340 with at least 10 home runs in each of the last two second halves, so don't even think about benching him now ... Xavier Nady has become a monster in his own right since coming over from Pittsburgh. He entered Saturday riding a nine-game hitting streak during which he's batting .457 (16-for-35) with four home runs, eliminating all room for argument about his Fantasy status. Start him in all leagues ... Alex Rodriguez recently had an 0-for-14 stretch, but then homered on back-to-back games Friday and Saturday. No worries there.

Oakland Athletics: Bobby Crosby homered twice in the last week after going without a homer since June 17. He still doesn't look special enough to use in mixed leagues, though ... When Frank Thomas returned from a hamstring injury about a week ago, he predicted he'd need two weeks to round into form. So far, true to his word, he hasn't done much, but he did finally hit a home run early in Saturday's game. You obviously want to start him in AL-only leagues, and he might ultimately prove useful in mixed leagues as well.

Philadelphia Phillies: Jimmy Rollins, whose batting average dipped all the way to .263 early in August, has started to show signs of life, picking up multiple hits in four of his last five games. He has a history of blowing up in the second half, so don't give up on him yet.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Andy LaRoche missed his fourth straight game Saturday with a bruised right thumb, but the Pirates don't consider the injury serious and don't expect him to go on the DL. The elite prospect will get every opportunity to prove himself upon his return, but unless you play in a deeper NL-only league, you should probably play it safe and bench him this week ... His brother, Adam A. LaRoche, who has a strained muscle in his ribcage, might return Tuesday against the Reds. He was hot before getting hurt, hitting .390 with seven home runs in July, but who knows how much the time away from the field impeded his progress? Don't bother activating him in mixed leagues until you see some results ... Steve Pearce hasn't done much since replacing Xavier Nady, striking out nearly every other at-bat. If he doesn't start hitting soon, the Pirates might turn to prospect Andrew McCutchen. Consider grabbing McCutchen if he remains unowned in deeper NL-only leagues.

San Diego Padres: Brian Giles nixed a deal to the Red Sox and celebrated by homering twice in three games. He still projects to finish with single-digit home runs for the first time since 1996, though, making him just an NL-only option ... Jody Gerut homered three times in the last week and now has 10 homers on the season. The power from his 22-homer 2003 has clearly returned, but because he sits against left-handed pitchers, he remains just an NL-only option.

San Francisco Giants: Randy Winn, who hit only .232 in July, is hitting .458 (11-for-24) so far in August. The better he hits, the more he gets on base. The more he gets on base, the more he can steal. Time to take a flier on him again in mixed leagues ... Bengie Molina, in free-fall mode since May, homered Friday, but he still has only a .261 batting average in August. Hopefully, you don't have to rely on him as your No. 1 option ... Jose Castillo, who lost one of his competitors for playing time when the Giants shipped Ray Durham to the Brewers, is batting only .143 (4-for-28) over his last seven games. Fortunately, he was never more than an NL-only option anyway.

Seattle Mariners: Raul Ibanez has homered three times in the last seven days and is batting .420 with seven home runs in the second half. He began the season nearly as hot, so you shouldn't necessarily expect this run to last. But he deserves to start right now in all leagues ... Outfield prospect Wladimir Balentien has again become a regular after a minor-league stint in which he cut way back on his strikeouts. He hasn't set the world on fire since his promotion, but he has enough power potential for AL-only leagues.

St. Louis Cardinals: Rick Ankiel (abdominal muscle) missed his 12th straight start Saturday at Chicago. The team says he can swing without a problem but needs a pinch runner if he reaches base. He likely won't miss much more time, but if you start him and he suffers a setback, you have a mess on your hands. Keep him reserved in mixed leagues ... Troy Glaus, in a 10-for-63 (.159) slump, might have broken out with a two-homer day Saturday at the Cubs. Considering he has 21 home runs this season -- all but three since May -- you can't afford to bench him ... Ryan Ludwick recently had a stretch of six home runs in five games. He has emerged as an NL MVP, not to mention Fantasy MVP, candidate and an obvious must-start ... Cesar Izturis has 14 stolen bases now, looking more like the 25-steal man for the Dodgers in 2004. He officially has value in NL-only Rotisserie leagues.

Tampa Bay Rays: Jason Bartlett, dealing with a bruised right index finger, played designated hitter two of the last three days. He still feels too much pain to throw the ball, meaning he can't play the field, and the Rays probably have bats they'd prefer to use at DH, such as Cliff Floyd's. You can't expect Bartlett to play every day right now, and since he doesn't offer more than a handful of steals, don't start him in Fantasy ... After slumping to begin the second half, Dioner Navarro had hit safely in four consecutive games going into Saturday, homering in two. Still, he no longer deserves to start as a No. 1 Fantasy catcher ... Carlos Pena has already homered three times in August and seven times since the All-Star break. He still doesn't seem worth using in mixed leagues that penalize strikeouts, but if he stays this hot, who knows?

Texas Rangers: Milton Bradley has now missed 10 games with a strained quadriceps -- an injury that sidelined him for a week earlier in the season. Even if he comes back on Sunday, you can't necessarily trust him to remain in the lineup, as much as injuries have plagued him recently. If you play in a mixed Head-to-Head league, you might as well just keep him reserved ... Fortunately, Marlon Byrd has played admirably in Bradley's absence, batting .526 (10-for-19) with a home run in his last five games. Despite his lack of power, don't hesitate to use him as a stopgap right now.

Toronto Blue Jays: Vernon Wells, out since July 10 with a strained left hamstring, began a rehab assignment Friday and might return in time for a four-game series at Detroit that begins Monday. He hasn't played particularly well this season, though, so let him prove his health before you activate him in mixed leagues. But make sure he doesn't go unowned either ... The Blue Jays will give Scott Rolen routine days off as he works to rehabilitate his surgically repaired right shoulder, mostly in day games after night games. He had pedestrian numbers when playing every day, so this news makes him not worth owning in mixed leagues.

Washington Nationals: Lastings Milledge, a sleeper entering the season who didn't quite live up to expectations, has begun to find his form lately, batting .389 (14-for-36) with four home runs during a nine-game hitting streak. If this power surge proves a legitimate breakthrough, he could end up having a 20-20 season after all. Consider taking a chance on him again ... Emilio Bonifacio, acquired in the Jon Rauch trade, has played well with consistent at-bats, upping his batting average from .188 to .292. His stolen bases, though, make him worth owning in deeper Rotisserie leagues ... Following the release of Paul Lo Duca, Ron Belliard has assumed the role of starting first baseman. Because he qualifies at second base, he has enough power to suffice in NL-only leagues.

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