MLB Points Leagues: Gaining an Edge in the Final Weeks

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Updated on August 8, 2024 10:59AM EST

We've hit a pivotal point of the season in most points leagues. Depending on league setup, there are likely three or four matchups left until the playoffs. For those looking to maintain a playoff position or make one final run to a playoff spot, finding every edge will be key. One potential way is to exploit the schedule. With that in mind, this article will cover every team's schedule from Thursday, August 8, until both September 2 and September 9 – the most common start dates for the playoffs in head-to-head points leagues. We'll also point out the best streaming opportunities from both a hitting and pitching perspective based on overall volume and park factor (via Statcast).

Overview

	Games until Sept. 2	Home/Road	Road Series	Games Until Sept. 9	Home/Road	Addl. Road Series
ARI	22	13/9	TB, MIA, BOS	29	14/15	SF, HOU
ATL	24	7/17	COL, SF, LAA, MIN, PHI	30	13/17
BAL	23	10/13	TB, NYM, LAD, COL	29	16/13
BOS	23	13/10	BAL, HOU, DET	29	16/13	NYM
CHC	20	6/14	CHW, CLE, MIA, PIT, WAS	26	12/14
CHW	21	15/6	HOU, SF	27	15/12	BAL, BOS
CIN	24	13/11	MIL, TOR, PIT	30	16/14	NYM
CLE	23	13/10	MIN, MIL, NYY	29	13/16	KC, LAD
COL	23	14/9	ARI, WAS, NYY	29	14/15	ATL, MIL
DET	23	12/11	SF, CHC, CHW

Overview

	Games until Sept. 2	Home/Road	Road Series	Games Until Sept. 9	Home/Road	Addl. Road Series
ARI	22	13/9	TB, MIA, BOS	29	14/15	SF, HOU
ATL	24	7/17	COL, SF, LAA, MIN, PHI	30	13/17
BAL	23	10/13	TB, NYM, LAD, COL	29	16/13
BOS	23	13/10	BAL, HOU, DET	29	16/13	NYM
CHC	20	6/14	CHW, CLE, MIA, PIT, WAS	26	12/14
CHW	21	15/6	HOU, SF	27	15/12	BAL, BOS
CIN	24	13/11	MIL, TOR, PIT	30	16/14	NYM
CLE	23	13/10	MIN, MIL, NYY	29	13/16	KC, LAD
COL	23	14/9	ARI, WAS, NYY	29	14/15	ATL, MIL
DET	23	12/11	SF, CHC, CHW	29	18/11
HOU	23	10/13	BOS, TB, BAL	29	13/16	CIN
KC	22	8/14	MIN, CIN, CLE, HOU	28	14/14
LAA	22	9/13	KC, TOR, DET	28	11/17	TEX
LAD	23	13/10	MIL, STL, ARI	29	16/13	LAA
MIA	22	10/12	PHI, NYM, COL, SF	28	16/12
MIL	24	13/11	STL, OAK, CIN	30	19/11
MIN	23	16/7	TEX, SD	30	16/14	TB, KC
NYM	23	9/14	SEA, SD, ARI, CHW	29	15/14
NYY	22	14/8	CHW, DET, WAS	28	14/14	TEX, CHC
OAK	21	9/12	TOR, NYM, CIN, TEX	28	16/12
PHI	23	13/10	ARI, ATL, KC	29	13/16	TOR, MIA
PIT	23	11/12	LAD, SD, TEX, CLE	30	15/15	CHC
SD	23	10/13	MIA, COL, STL, TB	29	16/13
SF	22	13/9	OAK, SEA	28	16/12	SD
SEA	22	10/12	DET, PIT, LAA	29	10/19	OAK, STL
STL	22	11/11	KC, CIN, MIN, NYY	28	14/14	MIL
TB	23	12/11	OAK, LAD, SEA	30	16/14	BAL
TEX	22	10/12	NYY, BOS, CLE, CHW	29	17/12
TOR	24	11/13	LAA, CHC, BOS, MIN	29	13/16	ATL
WSH	22	13/9	BAL, PHI, ATL	28	13/15	MIA, PIT

Best Overall Schedules

Four teams play 24 games between August 8 and September 2. They are Atlanta, Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Toronto.
Six teams play 30 games between August 8 and September 9. They are Atlanta, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay.
Minnesota is an interesting team to consider. Their home park is one of the best for offense this season, but they travel to pitcher-friendly parks Globe Life Field and Tropicana Field. On the other hand, the Twins have lengthy homestands from Aug. 9-14 and Aug. 23-Sept. 1. Deciding whether to stream Minnesota's hitters or pitchers will depend on whether they are at home or on the road

Best Hitter Schedules

Atlanta plays a heavy road schedule for the next three weeks. Several of those series take place at very hitter-friendly parks, with Coors Field and Target Field being standout road trips. Their home park is also good for offense, so both volume and park factor should work in their favor.
Milwaukee is the opposite of Atlanta, as they play 19 of their 30 games at home. American Family Field enhances offense from both sides of the plate. Players such as Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick and Joey Ortiz are all widely available.
From Aug. 9 to Aug. 18 the Reds will be playing at Milwaukee and then have a homestand. Great American Ball Park is a good place for hitters and the Reds have a majority of home games through the rest of the fantasy regular season.
Cleveland sets up as one of the best streaming opportunities for hitters with trips to Minnesota, Milwaukee and Kansas City – all of which rank inside the top eight in park factor for runs scored. They also travel to Yankee Stadium, which enhances home runs atone of the best rates in the league.
What the Royals and Cardinals lack in games played, they make up for in ballparks. Kansas City isn't a good park for homers but is one of the best parks for runs scored thanks to its spacious outfield. The team will also travel to Great American Ball Park and Minute Maid Park, which are elite parks for home runs. Hunter Renfroe is an example of a streaming hitter that could pay off significantly down the stretch.
St. Louis is a team to attack on the road. From Aug. 9 to Aug. 14, the team will be on a road trip to Kansas City and Cincinnati. They also take trips to Target Field, Yankee Stadium and American Family Field.

Best Pitcher Schedules

Pittsburgh has a roughly league-average home park, but their road schedule is good for strikeouts (TEX and CHC in particular). The front end of the Pittsburgh rotation will be rostered in all leagues but pitchers such as Luis Ortiz and Bailey Falter have had stretches of effectiveness and will be less popular.
The Rays are an equally good option from a schedule perspective, though streaming options will likely be fewer. Their own home park and T-Mobile Field are some of the friendliest for strikeouts.
San Francisco has a heavy home schedule, which should bode well for its arms. They also have road series at Seattle and Oakland. The Mariners strike out at the highest rate in the league as a team and also have a very pitcher-friendly home park. Hayden Birdsong and Kyle Harrison should both be usable, despite some rocky outings of late.
Seattle is away from home often in this stretch, which typically wouldn't be good news for its pitching staff. In this case, there isn't much of a downgrade thanks to trips to Detroit, Pittsburgh, Oakland and Seattle. The problem is that no one in the Seattle rotation is likely to be available on the waiver wire.
Detroit should offer fantasy managers an interesting combination of good matchups while also having plenty of potential streamers. Comerica Park suppresses offense, and the team will also take trips to San Francisco, and both Chicago parks. Wrigley Field has suppressed offense and is great for strikeouts this season while the White Sox have an incompetent lineup.