Fantasy Baseball Forecast: Week 25 Two-Start Pitchers & Sit Em Start Em
Garrett Jones | Pittsburgh Pirates | 82.1 percent
Jones has been on a steady decline in the last half of the season (.211 average since the break). This week he faces both the Cardinals and the Astros. Two of his opposing pitchers are left-handed. This is extremely important due to his poor performance against lefties (.216 average against). This year the Cardinals and the Astros have held Jones to a combined .190 average in 84 at-bats. His current shoulder ailments also warrant some second-guessing on starting him.
Michael Young | Texas Rangers | 100 percent
This is the “guts” pick of the week. The Ballpark in Arlington has had a Coors Field effect on Michael Young. Good for him, except all of his games this week are on the road where he experiences a huge power drop-off (his OPS drops from .893 to .682). His two opponents this week, Oakland and LA Angels, have held Young to a .264 average in 110 at-bats this year, which is sub-par for him.
Start Em
Yadier Molina | St. Louis Cardinals | 71.1 percent
Yadier has been picking up steam lately, hitting .476 through his last seven games. All of his games will come on the road this week where he hits 50 points higher. He fairs well in his previous matchups against both opponents (Cubs, Pirates). Against the Pirates this year Yadier is hitting .438 with a 1.017 OPS through 32 at-bats. Against the Cubs this year he is hitting .303 through 30 at-bats.
Ryan Raburn | Detroit Tigers | 85.7 percent
If your league is close and your team is shallow on hitters, then Raburn should be your waiver wire acquisition in mind. So far in September he’s scorching opposing pitching at a .404 clip with an OPS of 1.167. He owns the KC pitching staff with a career .315 average and four home runs in only 54 at-bats against.
Phil Hughes | New York Yankees | 85 percent
Hughes will be facing a battery of hitters this week against the Rays and Red Sox. Unfortunately for him, both of his starts this week come at Yankee Stadium where his ERA balloons nearly a point and a half to 4.88. Since the All-Star Break, Hughes has been spiraling down while his ERA climbs higher (from 3.65 to 5.37). In previous outings this year Hughes was hit by the Rays, leaving him with a 4.97 ERA against. Also, against the Red sox this year, Hughes has 4.50 ERA through three starts.
Mike Pelfrey | New York Mets | 47.5 percent
Pitching on the road spells trouble for Pelfrey this week. On the road this year, Pelfrey’s ERA climbs from a superb 2.87 to a horrendous 5.30…what a difference a field makes. Both of his starts this week will come on the road, first against the Marlins, and then against the Phillies. Earlier this year Pelfrey was racked, giving up four runs in 4.2 innings against the Marlins. Historically, the Phillies line-up has a .277 average and a .341 OBP against Pelfrey.
Two-Start Pitchers To Use
Gavin Floyd | Chicago White Sox | 66.2 percent
Through a couple outings this year and historically, Floyd has held this week’s opponents in check. Against the A’s, Floyd held them to one run in 7.1 innings earlier this year. The collective A’s lineup hits a meager .150 through 80 at-bats against him. Earlier this year Floyd was also able to keep the Angels limited to one run in 7.1 innings. Much like Oakland, Floyd has limited the Angels lineup to a weak .244 average against through 123 career at-bats.
J.A. Happ | Houston Astros | 65.8 percent
Happ runs into two weak offensive teams this week in Washington and Houston. Happ has faired poorly away from home this year, posting a 4.97 ERA. However, look for him to build on his dominance against both of these scrawny lineups this week. In previous action this year Happ has held the Nationals to three hits in five innings and has also kept the Pirates to only two runs in six innings, limiting both teams to a combined .176 average.
All Statistical Information was obtained through ESPN.com
Written exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com by James Bryce. James is a Grad student at UCSD and is currently in his 13th year of fantasy sports. Follow James on Twitter @BoltLife4Me
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