May MLB Schedule Preview: Get Ahead of the Game

This is the second of a planned series of articles in 2022 that will take a general look ahead at the upcoming month. The goal is to look at good and bad matchups for both hitters and pitchers, schedule quirks, what to watch out for in FAAB, and any other tidbits that I can think of. If you have any suggestions for items that you’d like me to include here, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @JennyButler830.

May MLB Schedule Preview

This preview covers four fantasy weeks, from 5/2 through 5/29. Pitching matchups are mostly set for the first week of May, so individual player stats were used for the matchup notes. Team pitching and batting statistics will be used for the remaining three weeks of May.

• The May schedule is busy. Ten teams play 26 games in 28 days: BAL, NYY, DET, MIN, HOU, OAK, SEA, NYM, PHI, STL.
• Six teams play at least 16 consecutive days: BAL, NYY, CWS, DET, HOU, NYM. The Yankees play on 20 straight days from 5/10 – 5/29.
• Four teams have significant road trips: TB (5/2 – 5/11), HOU (5/10 – 5/18), SEA (5/13 – 5/22), LAD (5/20 – 5/29).
• Five teams have extended home stands: LAA (5/20 – 5/29), TEX (5/10 – 5/18), MIA (5/13 – 5/22), ARI (5/6 – 5/15). The most significant for fantasy is the Rockies, who will be hosting KC, SF, and NYM from 5/13 – 5/22.

Matchups

Week 1 (5/2 – 5/8):

• Teams with 5 game weeks: TEX, CHC, PIT, LAD.
• The Mets play a doubleheader against the Braves on 5/3, giving them 5 games in the first half of the week, and 8 games for the full week.
• The Reds and Pirates play a doubleheader on 5/7, giving both teams 4 games over the weekend.
• Favorable pitching matchups:
  • Twins (BAL/OAK). Chris Paddack and Joe Ryan are scheduled for two starts.
  • Angels (CWS/BOS/WSN). While the pitching matchups against Chicago and Boston may seem difficult, both offenses have a 76 WRC+ so far in 2022. Patrick Sandoval is scheduled for two starts.
  • Pirates (DET/CIN). Bryce Wilson is scheduled for two starts.
  • Rockies (WSN/ARI). The matchup against the Diamondbacks is at home. German Marquez is scheduled for two starts.
• Favorable hitting situations:
  • The Orioles, Reds, and Angels have 6 of 7 games vs righties. The Guardians, Brewers, A’s, and Phillies have 5 of 6 games vs righties.
  • Washington plays at Colorado 5/3 – 5/5.
  • The Tigers and White Sox play 2 of 3 games vs lefties during the first half of the week. Houston plays 2 of 3 games vs lefties over the weekend.

Week 2 (5/9 – 5/15):

• Teams with 5 game weeks: BOS, TOR, ATL
• Oakland and the Angels play a doubleheader on 5/14, giving both teams 4 games over the weekend. Detroit and Oakland play a doubleheader on 5/10, giving Detroit 8 games and Oakland 9 games for the full week.
• Toronto and Tampa Bay will face tough matchups for both hitters and pitchers. Toronto plays the Yankees and the Rays play the Angels before they face each other over the weekend.
• Favorable pitching matchups:
  • The Tigers will play 8 games at home against OAK and BAL. Skubal and Rodriguez are tentatively scheduled to get two starts.
  • As mentioned above, the Angels will play 4 games over the weekend against the struggling A’s lineup.
  • The Marlins pitchers get a matchup at ARI to start the week. Similarly the Mets will be starting the week at WSH.
  • Both the Reds and Pirates pitchers will have good matchups against each other for a 4 game series over the weekend.
• Favorable hitting situations:
  • The Royals play 3 games at Texas before traveling to Colorado over the weekend.
  • The Astros play 6 games vs MIN and WSN, who both have poor results so far in 2022 against lefty hitters.

Week 3 (5/16 – 5/22):

• Teams with 5 game weeks: CLE, CIN
• Teams with 8 games: CWS, KC, ARI
• Difficult matchups:
  • The Orioles play 7 games at home against NYY and TB, which will be difficult for both hitters and pitchers.
  • The Red Sox pitchers will face the HOU and SEA lineups.
  • Seattle will travel for 7 games to TOR and BOS.
  • The Braves and Nationals hitters face tough matchups against the Brewers and Marlins pitchers.
  • The Phillies play 6 games at home against SD and LAD.
  • The Diamondbacks play 4 games in 3 days to start the week at LAD.
  • The Giants and Mets pitchers will both have to travel to Colorado.
• Favorable matchups:
  • The Yankees will face BAL and CWS. Chicago will likely still be without several key players such as Lynn and Jimenez.
  • The Rays play 6 games vs DET and BAL.
  • The Blue Jays host the Reds for 3 games over the weekend. This is a favorable matchup when the Reds are at full strength, but it is possible that some Reds players will miss the series if they are not vaccinated.
  • The White Sox play 4 games in the first half of the week at KC. The Royals will also get that extra game, and as mentioned above, Chicago may not be as tough a matchup as we would have thought.
  • Cleveland plays only 5 games, but they are against CIN and DET.
  • The Twins play 6 games at OAK and at KC.
  • The Angels will play 6 games against TEX and OAK.
  • The Dodgers play 4 games in 3 days to start the week vs ARI.
  • The Cubs play 7 games at home vs PIT and ARI.
  • The Rockies hitters will get 7 games at home vs SF and NYM.

Week 4 (5/23 – 5/29):

• Teams with 5 game weeks: CHW, MIA
• Difficult matchups:
  • The Orioles play 7 games in 6 days at NYY and BOS.
  • The Phillies play 7 games at ATL and NYM.
  • The Dodgers play 7 games at WSN and ARI.
• Favorable matchups:
  • The Twins play 7 games at home against DET and KC.
  • The Rangers play a 4 game weekend series against OAK.
  • The Cubs play a 4 game series to start the week at CIN.
  • The Rockies play 7 away games at PIT and WSN.

Additional Notes

The Yankees, Mariners, and Reds will be traveling to Toronto. Players on visiting teams must be vaccinated 14 days prior to entering Canada. The Yankees are reporting that all of their players are vaccinated. We don’t know yet who from the Mariners or Reds may be affected, but pay attention to the news when the teams are getting ready to make the trip and when the lineups are announced. We may get some news that will allow us to make some quick roster moves.

Because of the shortened spring training, starting pitchers rarely pitched very deep into games in April. Because of this, several long relievers emerged as valuable assets. It’s possible that these types of relievers will become less valuable as the season progresses and starters are able to pitch deep enough to earn their own win.

There has been a lot of discussion about the lack of offense in baseball to start the season. We will soon have enough data to get some real answers about the 2022 baseball and the effect that it is having, rather than just Twitter speculation. Humidors in all MLB ballparks may also be having an effect, but beware of relying on this assumption too heavily. The effect of a humidor depends on the difference between the humidity in the humidor and the humidity of the outside air. For teams that play outdoors, conditions will change as the summer weather arrives, and the effect of the humidor may change.

Injuries

Note: Only players who have been officially placed on the IL are included below. Players whose injuries are day-to-day are not listed.

There are a few other players who are out for reasons other than injury. Bryson Stott, Roansy Contreras, Yoascar Ynoa, and Jakob Junis have all been recently demoted to AAA.

As fantasy managers are moving into May, things are beginning to stabilize. League standings that were fluctuating by 10 or more points in a single day in April will start to settle down. Big moves will still happen in May, but in the last 4 months of the season, gains and losses are made in smaller increments. It’s very important for fantasy managers to put in the work every week setting lineups and in free agency. Those small incremental moves can add up quickly.

Good luck in May!