September MLB Schedule Preview: Get Ahead of the Game

This is the sixth installment in a 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.

This preview covers four fantasy weeks, from 8/29 through 9/25. Pitching matchups are mostly set for the first week, so individual player stats were used for the matchup notes. Team pitching and batting statistics for the month of August will be used for the remaining weeks.

September MLB Preview

Schedule

• The Rays and Guardians each play 18 games in 17 days from 9/9 – 9/25.
• The Astros play 17 straight days from 9/9 – 9/25.
• The Marlins play 17 games in 16 days from 9/6 – 9/21.

Matchups

Week 1 (8/29 – 9/4):

• 5 games: TB, HOU
• 8 games: none
• The Rockies are on the road for the full week.
• Favorable pitching matchups:
  • Yankees (LAA/TB). Frankie Montas is scheduled for two starts.
  • Blue Jays (CHC/PIT). Jose Berrios is scheduled for two starts.
  • White Sox (KC/MIN). Lucas Giolito is scheduled for two starts.
  • Mariners (DET/CLE). George Kirby is scheduled for two starts.
  • Braves (COL/MIA). Max Fried is scheduled for two starts.
  • Phillies (ARI/SF). Ranger Suarez is scheduled for two starts.
  • Brewers (PIT/ARI). Corbin Burnes and Adrian Houser are scheduled for two starts.
  • Cardinals (CIN/CHC). Miles Mikolas is scheduled for two starts.
• Favorable hitting matchups:
  • The Giants’ base stealers will face Noah Syndergaard on Saturday 9/3.
  • The Braves, Twins, A’s, and Pirates face 6 of 6 righties. Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler, Jake Cave, Tony Kemp, Bligh Madris, and Tucupita Marcano may see additional playing time.
  • The Orioles, Cubs, and Astros will face 2 lefties over the weekend.
  • The Red Sox, Dodgers, and Brewers will face 6 of 7 righties. Franchy Cordero, Joey Gallo, and Kolten Wong should see additional playing time.
  • The Reds, Tigers, and Jays will face 5 of 6 righties. Jake Fraley should continue to lead off for the Reds. Kerry Carpenter, Akil Baddoo, and Jackie Bradley Jr. may see additional playing time for the Tigers.
  • The Mets and Rays will face all lefties in the first half of the week. Darin Ruf, Eduardo Escobar, Isaac Paredes, and Jose Siri will see additional starts.
  • The Yankees will face 4 of 6 lefties (LAA/TB). Aaron Hicks may see additional playing time.

Week 2 (9/5 – 9/11):

• 5 game weeks: ATL
• 8 game weeks: MIL, SF
• The Brewers and Diamondbacks each play 3 games at Coors Field, giving the Rockies a full week at home.
• Difficult matchups:
  • The Red Sox will play 6 games on the road vs TB and BAL. Yep, the Orioles are still a difficult matchup.
  • The A’s play 6 games at home against ATL and CWS. The Mariners play 6 games at home against the same two teams.
  • The Rangers play 6 games against HOU and TOR.
  • The Marlins play 6 games against PHI and NYM.
  • The Nationals play 7 games on the road at STL and PHI.
• Favorable matchups:
  • The Tigers play 6 games at LAA and KC. Tyler Alexander is projected to get 2 starts.
  • The Guardians play 6 games at KC and MIN. Triston McKenzie is projected to get 2 starts.
  • The Astros play 6 games at home against TEX and LAA. Framber Valdez is projected to get 2 starts.
  • The Mets play 6 games on the road at PIT and MIA. Jacob deGrom is projected to get 2 starts.
  • The Phillies play 6 games at home against MIA and WAS. Aaron Nola is projected to get 2 starts.
  • The Brewers play 8 games: 3 at COL, a doubleheader at home vs SF, and 3 games at home vs CIN.
  • The Cardinals play 7 games against WAS and PIT.

Week 3 (9/12 – 9/18):

• 5 games: BAL, BOS, NYY, SEA, WAS, MIL, COL
• 8 games: TB, TOR, CLE, MIA, PIT
• 9 games: CIN
• The Guardians/Twins and Reds/Cardinals play doubleheaders on Saturday 9/17, giving each team 4 games over the weekend.
• Difficult matchups:
  • The Blue Jays play 8 games at home against TB and BAL, although both teams will presumably be missing a few players due to Canadian Covid regulations (see below).
  • The Tigers play 6 games at home against HOU and CWS.
  • The Angels play 6 games against CLE and SEA.
  • The Diamondbacks play 7 games at home against LAD and SD.
  • The Brewers and Reds will travel to STL, whose batters have the highest WRC+ in the last month.
  • The Giants play 6 games at home against ATL and LAD.
• Favorable matchups:
  • The White Sox play 5 games at home vs COL and at DET.
  • The Royals will face MIN and BOS. Both teams have pitched well in August, but their offenses are favorable matchups for the Royals pitchers.
  • The Astros play 7 games against DET and OAK.
  • The Mets play 7 games at home against CHC and PIT.
  • The Cardinals play 7 games (including a DH) against MIL and CIN.

Week 4 (9/19 – 9/25):

• 5 game weeks: none
• 8 game weeks: ARI, LAD
• The Giants and Padres will play at Coors Field, giving the Rockies a full week at home.
• Difficult matchups:
  • The Rays play 7 games at home against TB and TOR.
  • The Blue Jays will travel to PHI and TB.
  • The Tigers play 6 games on the road against BAL and CWS.
  • The Astros will play 7 games on the road at TB and BAL.
  • The A’s play 6 games at home against SEA and NYM.
  • The Phillies play 6 games at home against TOR and ATL.
  • The Padres pitchers will have a difficult matchup against STL, then will travel to COL.
• Favorable matchups:
  • The Orioles and White Sox will play DET at home.
  • The Yankees play 6 games at home against PIT and BOS. Boston has been struggling, but rivalry games are always unpredictable.
  • The Twins play 6 games against KC and LAA.
  • The Mariners play 7 games on the road vs LAA, OAK, KC.
  • The Marlins play 6 games at home against CHC and WAS.
  • The Cubs play 7 games on the road at MIA and PIT.
  • The Giants play 7 games on the road at COL and ARI.

Additional Notes

The Cubs, Rays, and Orioles will be traveling to Toronto. Players on visiting teams must be vaccinated 14 days prior to entering Canada. The Rays and Orioles have traveled to Toronto already this season. Anthony Santander, Keegan Akin, Brooks Raley, and Ryan Thompson missed the previous trips to Toronto in June. We don’t know yet which players from the Cubs may be affected so 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.

Week 3 (9/12 – 9/18) has a quirky schedule. Seven teams play only 5 games, while 5 teams play 8 games, and the Reds play 9 games. In addition, four teams have a four-game weekend. At a crucial time in the season, maximizing plate appearances in week 3 can make the difference, especially if you play in a league that allows mid-week roster changes.

At this point, there is almost no reason to hang on to players that are injured. A player that is listed as day-to-day is a judgment call, but any player that has been placed on the IL is probably droppable. Often those players are out for longer than anticipated or struggle when they return. Teams that are out of playoff contention may choose not to bring a player back at all.

As we move into the final weeks of the season, it’s easy to lose focus and be distracted by the upcoming football season. It’s very important for fantasy managers to continue to put in the work every week setting lineups and in free agency. It’s also time to start making free agent and lineup decisions based on the league standings. Maximizing every HR, SB, or SV now can make a difference at the end of the season.

Injured Players

Note: Only players who have been officially placed on the IL as of 8/26 are included below. Players whose injuries are day-to-day and players on the Covid IL are not listed.

Returning Players

There are a few other players who are out for reasons other than injury. Frank Schwindel, Derek Hall, Estevan Florial, Ryan Pepiot, Nolan Jones, Elieser Hernandez, Edwin Rios, Miguel Andujar, Taylor Trammell, Bryan De La Cruz, Dominic Smith, Jarred Kelenic, Kyle Lewis, Cal Mitchell, Ian Anderson, and Jesus Sanchez have all been recently demoted to AAA.

Keep grinding! Good luck with the rest of the season!