Weekly Hitter Rankings: Twin Killers

The Hitter Value Meter is a companion piece to the weekly Pitching Value Meter. While in many leagues offensive roster slots are set 'em and forget 'em, in deeper formats where every at-bat counts, knowing which teams have friendly schedules for hitters, and which platoon bats will be getting more action than usual, can be valuable information, especially in head-to-head formats and leagues with weekly moves instead of daily. The Hitter Value Meter will summarize all that info in one spot, for your roster juggling convenience.

For the week Sept 14-20

7 GAMES

1. Minnesota (vs. DET 3, vs. LAA 4) - The pumpkin spice Twinkies just announced by Hostess may sound like an abomination, but I'm not holding that against their namesakes. They've been very productive at home this season (sixth in MLB in runs per game) and duck Justin Verlander as an added bonus. They've also got two Undecideds on their slate with Matt Shoemaker's forearm issue keeping him sidelined more than one start, but neither the Tigers not the Angels are likely to pull an ace out of thin air at this point. Kyle Lobstein, Hector Santiago and Andrew Heaney make it a three-lefty period.

2. Texas (vs. HOU 4, vs. SEA 3) - Given how hot they've been I can't bump the Rangers any lower, but the series against the Astros could be a chore with Scott Kazmir, Collin McHugh and Dallas Keuchel all set to pitch. The weekend set against the M's should be a lot friendlier though, with no Felix Hernandez and James Paxton making his latest return from injury. There's a fourth lefty, Roenis Elias, in there Friday too, making Shin Soo-Choo a much less enticing play.

3. Cleveland (vs. KC 4, vs. CHW 3) - Weird as it is to say, missing Johnny Cueto in the Royals series is actually a bad thing for the Tribe, and not avoiding Chris Sale remains a poor life choice. It's also a four-lefty week for Cleveland (Danny Duffy joins Jose Quintana, Sale, and John Danks) so get ready to plug Ryan Raburn and Jerry Sands back into your lineup.

4. Houston (at TEX 4, vs. OAK 3) - The Astros get to stay in the great state of Texas, so it's kind of like they're at home all week, right? Even Colby Lewis is coming off a near-perfect game Friday, so Martin Perez might be the only weak link in the Rangers series, while Sonny Gray awaits Saturday. This is yet another four-lefty period (Cole Hamels, Perez, Derek Holland and Felix Doubront) but that's just bad news for Luis Valbuena rather than particularly good news for anyone else.

5. Washington (at PHI 3, vs. MIA 4) - Now that their bullpen has all but destroyed the team's playoff hopes, expect the Nationals to go on a tear to close out the season. Aaron Nola's started to get the hang of the majors and Jose Fernandez is set for his second straight start against the Nats on Thursday, but otherwise neither opposition rotation has much to offer. Adam Morgan and Justin Nicolino are the two lefties on the slate.

6. Oakland (at CHW 4, at HOU 3) - Despite facing two of the rotations with the heaviest port-side lean, the A's somehow only face three lefties this week and neither of them are Chris Sale or Dallas Keuchel, so in some ways it's like they've already won. Jeff Samardzija remains a mess too, so they also have that going for them. John Danks, Carlos Rodon and Scott Kazmir are the actual left-handers they'll see.

7. Baltimore (vs. BOS 3, at TB 4) - The Red Sox rotation looked a lot less scary before Henry Owens handcuffed the mighty Blue Jays in his last start and Joe Kelly had decided he was never going to lose again. The series in Tampa also kicks off with Chris Archer too. Oh joy. Eduardo Rodriguez, Owens and Drew Smyly make it a three-lefty period, so Steve Pearce and even Jimmy Paredes could get some extra at-bats.

8. Kansas City (at CLE 4, at DET 3) - Corey Kluber's set to return Monday, Danny Salazar toes the rubber Tuesday and Justin Verlander kicks off the Tigers series Friday, but the rest of the Royals' slate features a lot of TBAs at the moment. They'll probably see at least one lefty against Detroit though, maybe Matt Boyd.

9. Tampa Bay (vs. NYY 3, vs. BAL 4) - The Rays get a big opportunity to play spoiler in the AL East race this week, as the Yankees are sending CC Sabathia, Chris Capuano (no, really) and rookie Luis Severino to the mound for this series. None of the Orioles' starters are doing much right now either. Wei-Yin Chen joins the two Yankees to make it a three-lefty week, which should put Brandon Guyer on the radar for activation if you've got him on your bench.

10. L.A. Angels (at SEA 3, at MIN 4) - Felix Hernandez seems back on track, Hisashi Iwakuma's dealing and Taijuan Walker just had his once-every-three-starts poor outing, so don't expect much offense out of the Angels in Seattle. The Twins' collection of rotational mediocrity figures to more generous though. Tommy Milone is the only lefty on the agenda this week.

11. Chicago White Sox (vs. OAK 4, at CLE 3) - If the White Sox could actually score some runs, this slate would look a lot better, as aside from Sonny Gray and Corey Kluber (who should be back by the weekend) there's a lot of questionable arms on display. Sean Nolin's the only lefty the Sox are expected to face.

6 GAMES

12. Toronto (at ATL 3, vs. BOS 3) - It's weird seeing the Jays outside of the top 10, but that's how the numbers crunched this week. It might be very low, though. None of the young Braves starters working during this set have an ERA under 5.00 over the last couple of weeks (and that includes Shelby Miller), while a home series against Boston could result in some wicked awesome box scores. Wade Miley and Eduardo Rodriguez make it a two-lefty week.

7 GAMES

13. Chicago Cubs (at PIT 4, vs. STL 3) - The Cubs play a makeup double-header in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, otherwise they'd be down somewhere in the 20s. As it is, the matchups aren't great. Tuesday's twin bill features Gerrit Cole and J.A. Happ, who's still possessed by the ghost of Wilbur Cooper (who's that, you say? You're on the internet, look it up), while A.J. Burnett didn't look terrible in his return to action. The Cards throw Lance Lynn and Michael Wacha at them on the weekend, although Sunday's game against the flagging Carlos Martinez could be fruitful. Happ's the only lefty the Cubbies will face.

6 GAMES

14. San Diego (at ARI 3, at COL 3) - If you have to do a road swing, stops in Phoenix and Denver is the way to go if you want to keep your hitters happy. Jeremy Hellickson comes off the DL for Monday's game and Jhoulys Chacin has been good since joining the D-backs staff, but the team hasn't decided who'll take the bump Wednesday. As for the Rockies, Yohan Flande has been weirdly effective at home in a small sample this year (3.62 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) but those numbers could collapse at the drop of a hat. At present, Flande is the only lefty on the Padres slate.

7 GAMES

15. Pittsburgh (vs. CHC 4, at LAD 3) - Tuesday's double-header saves the Pirates from a much lower ranking, but that's where the party ends. They face all three NL Cy Young contenders in Jake Arrieta, Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw, plus Jon Lester for good measure. They don't even have a game against Mat Latos to help soften the blow, as the Dodgers finally had to yank him for Michael Bolsinger. Lester and Kershaw are the only lefties they'll see.

16. Miami (at NYM 3, at WAS 4) - This sked could be worse, but only barely. The Marlins only get one of the Mets' big guns in Jacob deGrom, but Logan Verrett did a credible Matt Harvey impression last time he got a spot start. The Nats, meanwhile, send out the best they've got, with only Gio Gonzalez missing this series. Miami faces no lefties this week, so their crew of young left-handed hitters like Christian Yelich and Derek Dietrich should be in line for some nice production.

6 GAMES

17. Milwaukee (vs. STL 3, vs. CIN 3) - If the Brewers had one more game this week, they'd be right there at the top of the charts. Jaime Garcia is most dangerous Cards pitcher they see, although it's not like St. Louis has any bad rotation options, and with Raisel Iglesias showing signs of late-season fatigue the Reds don't really have any good ones. Garcia's the only lefty Milwaukee gets.

18. L.A. Dodgers (vs. COL 3, vs. PIT 3) - Barring an epic collapse the Dodgers have the NL West sewn up, so expect them to start cruising to the finish line from this point on. Gerrit Cole on Sunday is the only worrisome name on their schedule this week, although the Rockies rotation travels better than you might think. It's a four-lefty period (Chris Rusin, Jorge De La Rosa, Jeff Locke and Francisco Liriano) so Scott Van Slyke should remain plenty busy.

19. N.Y. Mets (vs. MIA 3, vs. NYY 3) - Speaking of teams with their playoff tickets already stamped, the Mets stuck a fork in the Nats last week and get to celebrate with a homestand that doesn't feature Jose Fernandez. The Yankees do them no such favors, but neither Michael Pineda nor Masahiro Tanaka have been especially sharp lately. Justin Nicolino and Brad Hand make it a two-lefty period.

20. San Francisco (vs. CIN 3, vs. ARI 3) - Another homestand in a pitcher's park with little on the line, although the Giants aren't mathematically eliminated quite yet. The Reds' kiddie corps rotation doesn't offer much of a threat, but the D-backs have an unsettled rotation for the weekend. John Lamb is the only lefty the Giants are officially scheduled to face, but expect Robbie Ray to pop up too.

21. Colorado (at LAD 3, vs. SD 3) - Not even three home games can do much for the Rockies this week. Clayton Kershaw kicks things off Monday and Brett Anderson's been consistently solid, so Colorado hitters will have to make their hay back home against the Padres. Alex Wood, who had been pitching better before last Friday's meltdown, joins his Dodger mates to make it a three-lefty week.

22. Atlanta (vs. TOR 3, vs. PHI 3) - If only the Braves' offense had some teeth. The Jays fire up David Price but also bring along Drew Hutchison and his 9.00 ERA and 1.76 HR/9 rate away from the Rogers Centre. As for the Phillies, well, they're still sending Aaron Harang to the mound every fifth day. Price is the only lefty Atlanta will see.

23. Arizona (vs. SD 3, at SF 3) - This could be a very bumpy ride for the Diamondbacks. Tyson Ross has been ramping things up for the Padres while Andrew Cashner collapses, and in San Francisco the D-backs have to stare down Madison Bumgarner but also a leaking Mike Leake and whatever's left of Tim Hudson. Bumgarner's the only lefty on the slate.

24. St. Louis (at MIL 3, at CHC 3) - The Cardinals are on the road and only for six games, but they do get some soft matchups in hitter-friendly parks. The Brewers are still using Ariel Pena and none of the regulars they use in this series are on much of a roll, while the Cubs' double-header on Tuesday leaves them with an Undecided on Saturday. Jon Lester will go Sunday though, so the week could end on a downer. Lester is likely the only lefty the Cards will face.

25. Detroit (at MIN 3, vs. KC 3) - This slate would look even worse if Johnny Cueto were pitching like the guy Kansas City thought it had traded for. As it is, the Tigers get a hot Ervin Santana, a lukewarm Tyler Duffey and a frozen-in-liquid-nitrogen Mike Pelfrey in Minnesota before heading home to face a Royals staff that seems to be winning in spite of itself. This is a lefty-free zone for Detroit, so Tyler Collins could be worth a look if you're in a bind.

26. N.Y. Yankees (at TB 3, at NYM 3) - The Yankees are desperately trying to keep pace with the Blue Jays in the AL East, but they're have a hard time just treading water this week. They do avoid Chris Archer in Tampa, but the Subway Series sees them up against Steven Matz, Noah Syndergaard and Matt Harvey. Matt Moore and Matz make it a two-lefty period.

27. Seattle (vs. LAA 3, at TEX 3) - Your fringy Mariners hitters are likely to be albatrosses this period. Garrett Richards is closing the season strong while Jered Weaver has been inexplicably effective in his last couple outings. The trip to Arlington gives the M's a much better park to hit in, but also Cole Hamels. Martin Perez joins Hamels in the southpaw squad.

28. Boston (at BAL 3, at TOR 3) - Given the ballparks and pitchers involved this could be a low ranking, but I'm just not feeling it. The O's patchwork rotation is capable of being decent, and while the Red Sox skip David Price, R.A. Dickey has life in the knuckleball again and Marcus Stroman will be back for his second start after ACL surgery. Mark Buehrle is the only lefty Boston's set to see.

29. Philadelphia (vs. WAS 3, at ATL 3) - Teams playing out the string against other teams playing out the string. Huzzah. The Nats rotation still looks solid on paper, but where did that get them this year? Meanwhile the Braves rotation is merely paper-thin. Gio Gonzalez is the only lefty the Phillies will face.

30. Cincinnati (at SF 3, at MIL 3) - There's a spanking joke here somewhere, what with the Reds bringing up the rear and all, but you'll have to put it together on your own. Cinci does avoid Madison Bumgarner and goes up against a couple of very raw Brewers rookies, but this is still a weak slate. No lefties though, so Skip Schumaker could be worth a desperation play.