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.
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 from 2007 (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 expected to get rained out in Week 4.
This week's news and notes for each team:
Arizona Diamondbacks: Last season, the Diamondbacks offense ranked 26th in the majors with 4.40 runs scored per game, and they still went deep into the playoffs. This season, after 16 games, the D-Backs lead the majors in scoring, with 6.38 RPG, and here's why:
- Chris B. Young, CF -- The good news is his OBP is up to .355, up 60 points from last season. The bad news is he leads the team in strikeouts (19) and he has to cut down on that if his average (.234) is going to climb.
- Eric Byrnes, LF -- Just a couple homers and steals, but eight doubles and 14 runs scored keeps Byrnes among the top 20 OFs. He took a 13-game hitting streak into Saturday.
- Orlando Hudson, 2B -- Strangely, the D-Backs' weak link has been O-Dawg, who is batting just .254 -- third-lowest in the lineup.
- Conor Jackson, 1B -- A double short of the cycle Friday, he chose to run ahead for his second triple of the night. Only Chipper Jones (18) has more RBI than him (17) so far this season.
- Mark Reynolds, 3B -- The homers and RBI have slowed, but he continues to hit -- reaching base in nine of the past 12 games.
- Justin Upton, RF -- Youngest player in the majors (20) leads this team in hits (23), despite only having 59 regular season games of service in the majors. He has reached base safely in every game but the opener ... Slacker.
- Chris Snyder, C -- He hit .292 in the second half last season, but he's only at .191 in mid-April. Stick with him -- he's a top 15 Fantasy catcher.
- Stephen Drew, SS -- Last year, all the pressure was on him. This season, he can quietly improve in the back end of this lineup -- which is what he's doing, hitting .283 compared to .238 last season.
Atlanta Braves: Before Friday, Chipper Jones' .336 batting average (700 minimum at-bats) since the start of 2006 was the best in baseball. He has hit .356 with 43 home runs and 145 RBI batting left-handed and .294 with 14 home runs and 54 RBI batting right-handed. Then the veteran switch-hitter went out and hit two more homers Friday -- for the second night in a row ... Chipper's explosion has allowed Yunel Escobar to blow up as well. Consider this: Escobar, who is eligible at three positions, ranks third in Head-to-Head scoring among Fantasy second basemen and shortstops, and sixth among third basemen.
Baltimore Orioles: Who would have thought that the best offseason addition at the plate would be Luke Scott? He leads the team in base hits (21), extra base hits (nine) and batting average (.389) ... Kevin Millar and Aubrey Huff have tailed off considerably after their hot start. Millar is hitting .178 with one homer and four RBI in his past 12 games and Huff is batting just .152 in his past nine games, with just one RBI ... The O's are on the road for six games this week -- only two other teams in the majors have scored fewer runs on the road than Baltimore.
Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox are just behind Arizona offensively so far, and I expect they'll pass them up in the next month. David Ortiz, who had yet to get a base hit at Fenway Park this season, finally put it together with a grand slam Friday. Even when sluggers are struggling, it's tough to sit them because they can put together a 5-RBI night just like that ... Super SS prospect Jed Lowrie is up because Mike Lowell is injured, but he has only seen two starts in the past five games. Kevin Youkilis has nine games played at third base, so he should be eligible there in most Fantasy formats this week.
Chicago Cubs: Derrek Lee already has six home runs this season, after just 16 games. He didn't hit his sixth homer last season until June 3 (49 games) ... The Cubs get two games at Wrigley Field, then two at Coors Field and three against the Nationals' pitching staff. It's a good hitting week ahead for the Cubbies.
Chicago White Sox: The White Sox might only have six games for the upcoming scoring period, but they are all at home and against the Yankees' and Orioles' pitching staffs. Those staffs currently rank among the bottom 10 in the majors in team ERA.
Cincinnati Reds: Good news all around for the Reds -- they have four home games at HR-happy Great American Ball Park, then they travel to San Francisco. Despite AT&T Park being a great pitcher's park, the Giants currently have the third-worst pitching staff in the majors (4.90 ERA).
Cleveland Indians: Casey Blake finally snapped out of a funk Friday with a homer and three RBI, Asdrubal Cabrera (0-for-15) and Jhonny Peralta (3-for-26) are struggling at the plate. As a matter of fact, Cabrera is on the bench in favor of Jamey Carroll right now. Carroll has reached base five times in his past two games, hitting out of the two-hole.
Colorado Rockies: Look out, Tulo is heating up. Troy Tulowitzki has five hits in his past 18 at-bats, with six RBI and three runs scored. Hitting coach Alan Cockrell is working with the sophomore shortstop on his timing ... Ryan Spilborghs is owned in just two percent of CBSSports.com leagues, but this kid is on pace for 70 runs scored, 60 RBI, 10 steals and 273 at-bats. Why are NL-only leagues avoiding the Rockies' fourth outfielder?
| Top 5 Hitting Matchups | ||
| Team | Schedule | |
| 1. | Red Sox | TEX1, LAA3, @TB3 |
| 2. | Reds | LAD2, HOU2, @SF3 |
| 3. | Cubs | NYM2, @COL2, @WAS3 |
| 4. | Pirates | FLA1, STL2, PHI3 |
| 5. | Tigers | @BOS1, TEX3, LAA3 |
Florida Marlins: In 2006, Mike Jacobs hit 11 homers in 100 at-bats for the Mets. He disappointed last season, with just 17 homers for the Marlins. But through Friday, he was tied for the major league lead this season in homers with six. But unlike some of the other home run hitters, like Carlos Pena and Jim Thome, he's hitting well all around, with several multi-hit games. He needs to draw more walks and cut down on the strikeouts though before I'm ready to believe he's a 30 home run hitter.
Houston Astros: With Shane Victorino (calf) on the DL, the Phillies could certainly use Michael Bourn, the man they shipped to Houston this past offseason. Bourn is 9-for-9 on steal attempts and he even has two homers. Before you start thinking he's the next Chris B. Young (which his .222 batting average certainly suggests), realize that he'll likely have 60 steals before he ever hits 25 homers ... Can all 31-year-old shortstops please take one step forward? Not so fast, Mr. Tejada. This guy just can't get through a news-free month this season. As long as he keeps batting .307 (11 RBI) -- I don't care if he's 70 years old.
Kansas City Royals: Alex Gordon is climbing the rankings in both first base and third base this season. He leads this team in base hits (22), batting average (.333), homers (3) and RBI (nine) ... Here's something odd -- Jose Guillen has six doubles (twice as much as any other Royals hitter), but he has just 11 total base hits and a .162 batting average. His Fantasy ownership is down to 55 percent, but I expect that to climb because he still has some power potential and his arm in right field is lethal, so he'll be sure to always get at-bats.
L.A. Angels: Howie Kendrick went on the DL Friday, retroactive to April 14, with a hamstring injury. He's a great hitting talent (batting .500 this season), but he can't seem to avoid the nicks and bruises other hitters shake off. He could return for most of Week 6 (April 28-May 4) ... Maicer Izturis is getting starts at second base now, with Erick Aybar getting the bulk of time at shortstop. The latter is hitting .407 in his past seven games.
| Top 10 Hitters Added | ||
| Player | Change | |
| 1. | Mike Jacobs | 29 |
| 2. | Casey Kotchman | 16 |
| 3. | Conor Jackson | 16 |
| 4. | Ryan Ludwick | 16 |
| 5. | Joe Crede | 15 |
| 6. | Cristian Guzman | 15 |
| 7. | Evan Longoria | 13 |
| 8. | Nate McLouth | 11 |
| 9. | Jose Lopez | 11 |
| 10. | Joey Votto | 10 |
Milwaukee Brewers: Gabe Kapler has earned more playing time against both right- and left-handed pitchers this season because he's blasting the cover off the ball. Is this reminding anyone else of Jack Cust circa 2007 or not? Big, forgotten has-been suddenly gets it and explodes a the plate with a ton of power. His ownership is up to 12 percent -- but don't forget that he's a placeholder for when Mike Cameron returns from his 25-game suspension in two weeks.
Minnesota Twins: The Twins placed Adam Everett (shoulder) on the 15-day disabled list Saturday, so rookie Matt Tolbert gets the starts at shortstop in his pace. Not a bad AL-only pickup, considering he's hitting .400 in a small sampling of 35 at-bats.
N.Y. Yankees: Jason Giambi keeps showing signs of breaking out of his slump, but he's hitting only .116. It's nice he's 1B-eligible, but what does his position matter if he's on your bench? ... A-Rod bashers rejoice! No. 13 is batting just .063 with runners in scoring position this season. That's no good. Everyone's favorite comparison, of course, is to Derek Jeter, who is batting .500 with RISP. A-Rod's on pace for his lowest walks total since 2001 ... Jorge Posada (shoulder) is getting closer to catching again, but Jose Molina (hamstring) hasn't played since April 13. So former Brewers backstop Chad Moeller gets the starts behind the plate, and he's taking advantage with a .313 batting average.
N.Y. Mets: Jose Reyes was hit in the head by Chase Utley's knee Friday night while trying to steal second base. There was a five-minute delay as the team trainer checked him out. Great, that's all his Fantasy owners need -- another reason to keep him from stealing bases. ... Whodathunk that the top two hitters on this team right now would be offseason additions Ryan Church and Angel Pagan?
Oakland Athletics: Travis Buck dropped down to the eighth spot in Friday's batting order, then he promptly went 0-for-4 despite the Royals pitchers throwing batting practice in the second half of the game. He's barely worth starting in AL-only formats right now ... Kurt Suzuki and Bobby Crosby are tied for the team lead in hits (20), but Crosby has much more power (seven doubles, two homers) compared to the catcher's ability to reach base safely (.339 batting average).
Philadelphia Phillies: Jimmy Rollins (ankle) was available to pinch hit against the Mets Saturday, but he should be set to start Sunday. The Phillies are just 4-4 without him in the lineup ... Can Pat Burrell continue to rip it at the plate? He's batting .364 with six homers and 17 RBI. Can you say contract year? I knew that you could. Now, can you say, "Gonos, you're looking slim!" I knew that you couldn't.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Slowly but surely, Nate McLouth's Fantasy ownership is climbing (up to 91 percent this week). He had a solo homer Friday to push his hitting streak to 16 games to start the season. Billy Butler and James Loney tried to hang with him, but they fell by the wayside this past week ... The Bucs have seven games this week, two of which are against the Marlins' shaky staff.
San Diego Padres: Kevin Kouzmanoff and Brian Giles are the best of the bunch right now, and Adrian Gonzalez is doing his best as the cleanup hitter. The hitting is tough at Petco Park, but they're even worse on the road ... They are at Houston for two games, before five games against San Francisco and the top-ranked D-Backs' pitching staffs.
| Worst 5 Hitting Matchups | ||
| Team | Schedule | |
| 1. | Orioles | @SEA3, @CHW3 |
| 2. | Diamondbacks | SF2, @LAD2, @SD3 |
| 3. | Padres | @HOU2, SF2, ARI3 |
| 4. | Marlins | @PIT2, @ATL2, @MIL3 |
| 5. | Giants | @ARI2, @SD2, CIN3 |
Seattle Mariners: The M's have just six games this week, but they are against a sketchy Orioles pitching staff and the A's, who are dealing with injuries ... Four players on this team have double-digits in RBI so far (including DH Jose Vidro despite his .224 batting average).
St. Louis Cardinals: OF Skip Schumaker, known more for his stellar defensive work, is hitting .447 (17-for-38), with 11 runs scored, over the last 11 games. He's only owned in nine percent of CBSSports.com leagues, but with Colby Rasmus is batting just .203 with one homer in 16 games at Triple-A Memphis, so Schumaker's spot is safe for now.
Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays have six home games this week, but they are against the Jays and Red Sox -- the top two pitching staffs in 2007 ... The Rays signed Evan Longoria through 2014 after just a week's worth of major league service, which pretty much assures he will never see Durham again -- until a rehab stint at least ... Carlos Pena took batting practice Friday, but his tight hamstring could allow him to DH this weekend. He has six homers and 13 RBI -- to go with a weak .179 batting average. Check his status before your lineup deadline Monday.
Texas Rangers: Josh Hamilton is head-and-shoulders above the rest of this team offensively right now, but four other hitters are hitting .290 or over ... Hank Blalock sat with a sore back, but he returned to the lineup Friday. He has at least two hits in five of his past seven games.
Toronto Blue Jays: They call him the Big Hurt for a reason -- and Frank Thomas' Fantasy owners are feeling that hurt right now. A .167 batting average is painful enough, but he was benched Saturday in favor of Matt Stairs. Manager John Gibbons said he should expect more sits in the coming weeks, and that didn't sit well with Thomas -- or his owners. Thomas is hitless in his past 13 at-bats and has gone 4-for-35 since April 8.
Washington Nationals: The Nats have five home games this week, but they are averaging the fewest runs at home in the NL and they'll face the Mets and Cubs ... Cristian Guzman is leading this team in base hits with 23 -- and he is even tied for the lead in homers with two. He's also the only regular hitting over .300 in this lineup -- I hope you took our advice a couple weeks ago to pick him up. Second chance time -- he's still only owned in 48 percent of CBSSports.com leagues.
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