Chris Towers' pitching advice for Week 3

Best two-start pitchers for Week 3

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Somebody in the Twins lineup is going to lose out big time.

Rarely does an AL team travel to two NL parks in the same week, but that's exactly what Minnesota is doing this week, visiting Milwaukee for two games and Washington for three.

My guess is it'll be Byung Ho Park, not that he'll be missed in Fantasy. Still, he's more widely started than Joe Mauer, the other possible odd man out, so use this week as your chance to shop around if you were relying on Park for power.

Also, keep a close eye on how Cubs manager Joe Maddon makes out his lineup over the weekend with Javier Baez back from a thumb injury. It could be the difference in whether or not you start Jorge Soler in a Rotisserie league. With only three outfield spots to fill in a Head-to-Head points league, you probably wouldn't in that format anyway, not with as much as he strikes out.

The two teams with an inordinate number of left-handers on the schedule this week are the Angels and Yankees, which is primarily bad news for Kole Calhoun, who hit .220 against lefties last year, and Mark Teixeira, who hit .223.

And with that, on to the matchups ...

Best hitter matchups for Week 3

1. Dodgers @ATL3, @COL3
2. Blue Jays @BOS1, @BAL3, OAK3
3. Astros @TEX3, BOS3
4. White Sox LAA4, TEX3
5. Royals DET3, BAL3

  • Not only do the Dodgers get three games at Coors Field, but they're also facing a bunch of righties, which ensures Joc Pederson will stay in the lineup. The same is true for Chase Utley, who has fared well for them in the leadoff spot, though his appeal isn't as widespread as Pederson's, whose monster power makes him a top sleeper with these matchups. Others who could help in a pinch include Justin Turner, Howie Kendrick and, just for you Kyle Schwarber and Blake Swihart owners, Yasmani Grandal.
  • Is this the week Kevin Pillar finally breaks out as a run-scoring menace ahead of the slugging foursome of Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Troy Tulowitzki? If I had anything invested in him, I'd want to find out. I'm not as hopeful of Chris Colabello taking advantage, though. With a bunch of righties on tap, there's a good chance we'll see more of Justin Smoak this week. If you're looking for a deeper sleeper, Michael Saunders is off to a good start and, of course, bats left-handed.
  • Tyler White's bat has cooled off a bit after an impossibly hot start, but the Astros are going up against some of the worst the Rangers and Red Sox have to offer, with only Cole Hamels posing a real threat. Don't let a lackluster week scare you away from the 25-year-old rookie. I wouldn't bet on this being the week Colby Rasmus cools off if you're looking for some cheap homers, and it may be a make-or-break week for Carlos Gomez's must-start status.
  • It may also be a make-or-break week for several hitters' ownership percentage. For the Royals, Alex Gordon and Kendrys Morales are hanging by a thread in shallower mixed leagues, but if you have anyone similarly fringy like Wil Myers or Denard Span in an outfield or utility spot, pitchers like Mike Pelfrey, Yovani Gallardo, Mike Wright and Ubaldo Jimenez make a pretty compelling case for rolling the dice on the slumping Royals.

Worst hitter matchups for Week 3

1. Braves LAD3, NYM3
2. Tigers @KC3, CLE3
3. Padres PIT3, STL3
4. Diamondbacks @SF4, PIT3
5. Giants ARI4, MIA3

  • I mean, who are you going to sit from the Braves, right? Freddie Freeman is off to a 2 for 25 start, and while you wouldn't think he'd turn it around in a week he's facing Clayton Kershaw, Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard, it just seems like whenever you finally decide to sit that slumping star, that's when he goes off. Personally, I don't play that game anymore. If, however, you were intrigued by Nick Markakis' doublespalooza or Mallex Smith's speed, my advice would be stand down.
  • Hey look, Nick Castellanos is heating up! Hey look, he's facing Ian Kennedy, Edinson Volquez, Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco. That'll take the wind out of those sails. He pretty much needs a perfect storm to amount to something in standard mixed leagues as bad as his plate discipline is. I'm also disenchanted with Victor Martinez now that he's doing more than just pinch hitting. No need to test that nasty split from a year ago with a bunch of right-handers on tap.
  • This is shaping up to be one of those Paul Goldschmidt-only type of weeks for the Diamondbacks in standard mixed leagues. Jean Segura might also be tough to justify sitting, particularly if stolen bases are a high priority for you, but he hasn't had one of those or an extra-base hit in five games, which seems like an awful drought based on the way he began the season. I wouldn't want to bank on Nick Ahmed's recent power surge with these matchups, and there are enough lefties on the schedule to scare me away from David Peralta as well.
  • You probably don't want to sit Brandon Belt right now with him seemingly homering every other day, but if you have some quality corner infield options, keep in mind he never offers as much power at home, where the Giants play all seven of their games this week (including two against aces Zack Greinke and Jose Fernandez). I've already mentioned Span isn't a great option, and given how deep second base is, sitting Joe Panik, who's dealing with a minor hip issue, might not be a bad call.