Week 18 Hitting Planner (2024)

The Fantasy Baseball Hitting Planner is the essential guide to setting your lineup for the upcoming week. Every Saturday, we provide you with favorable hitting matchups for teams, as well as which hitters are hot or not. The Pitching Planner, complete with upcoming two-start pitchers, will be posted on Sunday.

Taking BP: Carlos Beltran (abdominal) is sidelined indefinitely, according to MLB.com. Manager Willie Randolph is intimating that Beltran will be out until at least Tuesday's game at Milwaukee ... Carl Crawford (wrist) was out of the lineup Saturday after diving for a ball on Friday night against Boston. Check his status before setting your Monday lineup ... Prospect Danny Richar takes over at second base for the White Sox after Tadahito Iguchi was sent to Philadelphia. Chase Utley is expected to miss at least a month, and Iguchi should have a huge August in this Phillies lineup and in Citizens Bank Park ... Dmitri Young signed a two-year extension with Washington, so it's likely that he'll move to left field once Nick Johnson (broken leg) returns to play … Robinson Cano struggled in the first few months of the season, but he has taken off in the past month. For July, he leads the Yankees in hits (36), total bases (56) and batting average (.379).

Projections are for July 30-Aug. 5 games. All stats are through Sunday's games.

Taking into account all games with at least a 50 percent chance of precipitation according to the Weather.com, the following might be threatened by poor weather: Houston at Florida (60 percent chance) on Friday; Colorado at Atlanta (60) on Saturday; Colorado at Atlanta (60) on Sunday.

Five other favorable hitter schedules

1. Toronto Blue Jays -- at TB (3), vs. TEX (3)

• The Jays might only have six games this week, but the Rays are still a horrible pitching staff and the Rangers aren't too far behind.

• The Brewers are in the same situation as the Cubs, but they only have six games this week.

• The Twins are at the MetroDome for seven games this week, and the Royals' pitching staff still resides in the lower third of the majors.

• The Bucs are at home all week and they face two staffs in the lower third of the majors.

• The A's face a couple decent pitching staffs, but they are one of only four AL teams with seven games -- and all are at home.

Five other below-average hitter schedules

1. Baltimore Orioles -- at BOS (3), at TB (3)

• Even three games against the Devil Rays' brutal pitching staff won't soothe a six-game road week for the O's -- with three against the hottest pitching staff in the AL (BOS).

• The Mets are on the road for six and they end the week against the best pitching team in the majors for the month of July.

• The ChiSox are on the road for six against two staffs that are pitching above-average in the month of July.

• The Astros are away from home for six games and they rank in the lower third in the majors in scoring on the road.

• The Halos do get seven games -- but they're all on the road and the A's have the best home ERA of any pitching staff in the AL.

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