Memorial Day is an important day on the baseball calendar; by this stage of the season, trends generally begin to settle into their expected norms for the full year, and nearly one-third (30.9 percent, actually) of the scheduled games for all 30 teams are in the books.
It's also a good point in the year to re-evaluate matchup trends, as we now have a better sample size of statistics from which to draw. It's obvious that a fantasy owner should never bench a Pedro Martinez, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Johan Santana or Miguel Tejada regardless of opponent or ballpark, but knowing when to start or reserve the less-obvious types is an important part of your daily or weekly lineup decisions. If you're thinking about your matchups as the summer progresses, hopefully this column should help identify some of the standout candidates on either side.
Of course, everyone knows the most obvious favorable/unfavorable matchups of them all: Start all your hitters and reserve all your pitchers when they play at Coors Field in Colorado. The 2005 season has shown little change in those trends. Rockies hitters lead the majors in runs per game, batting average and OPS at home, while their pitchers rank dead last in ERA, WHIP and batting average and OPS allowed. (Surprisingly, Colorado ranks eighth in home runs hit per game at home, but otherwise, the offense has been stellar.) Here's a look at some of the most notable historical trends at Coors:
FAVORABLE HITTERS MATCHUPS
Really, facing the ROCKIES (ALL SITES) is a favorable matchup for any hitter. Colorado pitchers have the majors' highest ERA (5.85) and rank among the bottom five in the majors both at home and on the road in the aforementioned four pitching categories. ... The PHILLIES (AT CITIZENS BANK) also rank among the bottom five, with their ballpark having developed quite a reputation as a bandbox in its year-plus of existence. ... Load your lineup with hitters facing the REDS (ALL SITES), as they rank 27th in baseball in ERA (5.27) and dead last in batting average allowed (.300). ... The ROYALS (ALL SITES) rate as the American League's worst pitching staff with a 5.65 ERA, though the DEVIL RAYS (ALL SITES) have them beat in OPS allowed (.812). ... The DIAMONDBACKS (AT BANK ONE) have actually been a respectable pitching staff in their road games, but at home they're a bottom-10 staff in ERA, WHIP and batting average and OPS allowed. ... The same could be said for the ATHLETICS (AT McAFEE), who have allowed the second-highest ERA (5.26) and highest WHIP (1.480) at home among American League teams. ... The DODGERS (ROAD GAMES) also rank among the bottom five in those categories; injuries have plagued the team's staff and Los Angeles doesn't benefit from the pitching-friendly atmosphere of Dodger Stadium on the road.
UNFAVORABLE HITTERS MATCHUPS
Petco Park is pitching-friendly enough as it is, but the PADRES (AT PETCO) are by far baseball's most dominant staff on their home field. They lead the majors in ERA, WHIP and batting average and OPS allowed at home. ... The INDIANS (AT JACOBS) are also a high-ranking pitching staff on their own turf, with the second-lowest home ERA (3.28) in the AL. The National League's surprise staff is the NATIONALS (AT RFK), who rank third in the league in home ERA (3.02). ... It's bad enough that the MARLINS (AT DOLPHINS) boast several dominant starters, but their home ballpark has been one of the most pitching-friendly in baseball for the past decade. Florida ranks second in the majors with a 3.00 home ERA. ... The WHITE SOX (ALL SITES) boast baseball's best ERA (3.41) and second-lowest OPS allowed (.686). ... Four teams have been considerably better pitching on the road this season: The BLUE JAYS (ROAD), with their major league-leading .681 OPS allowed; TWINS (ROAD), leaders with a 3.13 ERA and 1.173 WHIP; CARDINALS (ROAD), who should still rank in the top 10 in all four pitching categories even after their series in Coors Field this week; and PHILLIES (ROAD), who seem to enjoy escaping their aforementioned bandbox ballpark.
FAVORABLE PITCHERS MATCHUPS
The ASTROS (ROAD GAMES) have struggled offensively all year, but they've been especially poor away from Minute Maid Park. They rank dead last in runs and home runs per game, batting average and OPS on the road. ... Over in the American League, the ATHLETICS (ALL SITES) rank as the league's weakest offense, despite the presence of Eric Chavez. Oakland is last in baseball with a .661 OPS. ... Five teams have struggled on their home fields, most of which are pitching-friendly ballparks: The ROYALS (AT KAUFFMAN) have a .659 OPS at home, the lowest rate in the majors; the PIRATES (AT PNC) have averaged a major league-low 3.38 runs per game at home; the NATIONALS (AT RFK), at 3.67 runs per contest, aren't much better; the MARINERS (AT SAFECO) have the majors' second-worst home OPS (.680); and the INDIANS (AT JACOBS) have hit just .232 at home, which ranks last. ... For as potent as the ROCKIES (ROAD GAMES) have been at Coors, they're a terribly weak team on the road. Colorado ranks next-to-last in road batting average (.225) and runs per game (3.11). ... The DIAMONDBACKS (ROAD GAMES) are also a bottom-five road team.
UNFAVORABLE PITCHERS MATCHUPS
Has anyone noticed just how dominant the ORIOLES (ROAD GAMES) have been away from Camden Yards? They're averaging 7.21 runs per game and hitting .328 with a .915 OPS, all of which lead the majors by a considerable margin. Incidentally, Baltimore also has 62 more road games on the schedule, the second-most in baseball. Just ask Bronson Arroyo what the Orioles can do to a pitcher when he doesn't have his best stuff. ... Sticking with the American League East, the RED SOX (ALL SITES) and YANKEES (ALL SITES) have been among the game's most potent offenses each of the past two seasons. ... Avoid pitchers in hitter-friendly ballparks, like the RANGERS (AT AMERIQUEST) and PHILLIES (AT CITIZENS BANK). Texas in particular is a terrifying offense on its home field with an average of 1.86 homers per game, Rangers hitters lead the majors. ... The PADRES (ROAD GAMES) hitters are hurt by the spacious outfield alleys at Petco Park, but this team has an underrated offense that generally wakes up on the road. ... The same could be said for the DODGERS (ROAD GAMES), one of the most underrated road offenses this season. Only the Orioles can boast better than Los Angeles' 5.62 runs per game.