Be sure to check out the blog before every series involving the Orioles this season because I’ll post a breakdown of what to expect. I’ll be sure to give you a player from the other team that is playing well and I’ll also give you a player that is struggling.

You’ll know if those players should ride your bench against the Orioles or if you should try to get every possible fantasy point from them. For now, I’m just going to post the pitching matchups, an opposing player that should play if he’s on your team and a player that struggles against the Orioles.

I’ll even throw in the best Orioles player to start for your team in this series and one to avoid playing. Keep in mind that I’m only going to list players that are realistically on fantasy rosters, so don’t expect to see Luis Hernandez listed as a player to bench.

Let me know if there is anything else you’d like me to put in these breakdowns and I’ll add to them as the season continues.

Check back late Thursday night for the preview of the weekend series against the Seattle Mariners. It’s a four-game series beginning Friday and pitcher Erik Bedard is scheduled to throw against his former team.

Pitching matchups

Monday 3/31: Jeremy Guthrie vs. James Shields
Wednesday 4/2: Daniel Cabrera vs. Matt Garza
Thursday 4/3: Steve Trachsel vs. Andy Sonnanstine

Who you should play from the Rays

Carl Crawford, LF – If you’ve got him on your team, you’d better be playing him regardless of which team he’s facing. As an added bonus, Crawford’s career batting average is .300 in 95 games against the Orioles. Last season, Crawford had 30 hits in 18 games against them. He scored 14 runs and had five stolen bases, so your fantasy team should be off to a good start if you grabbed Crawford in the early part of your draft.

Who you should bench from the Rays

Troy Percival, RHP – While he’ll likely only pitch three innings maximum against the Orioles in the opening series, Percival might be someone to sit on your bench. He’s 2-5 with a 5.86 career ERA in 42 games against the Orioles. To be honest, most of the Tampa Bay players are very successful against the Orioles, particularly when they are playing in Baltimore. It was difficult to find a Tampa Bay player that shouldn’t play, so Percival was the most logical choice here. I promise that I’ll fill this spot with better players as the season progresses. For now, get your saves elsewhere.

Who you should play from the Orioles

Daniel Cabrera, RHP – It’s hard to tell whether he’s finally turned the corner and will be a successful pitcher in 2008, but he should do well against the Rays anyway. Last season, Cabrera was 9-18 with a 5.55 ERA, but he was 3-0 with a 3.46 ERA against Tampa Bay. In his career, Cabrera is 6-0 with a 3.04 ERA in 68 innings pitched. Be sure to start him on Wednesday night if you took a gamble on Cabrera and drafted him with one of your final picks. Forget my friendly advice if he doesn’t pitch well.

Who you should bench from the Orioles

Jeremy Guthrie, RHP – Although he was 2-1 against the Rays last season, Guthrie’s career ERA is 4.78 against them. It might be a good idea to keep him on your bench for the Opening Day start. Still, it’s the first game of the year, so you’ll have plenty of time to recover if Guthrie has a bad start. There will be added pressure on Guthrie in 2008 because he’ll be pitching opposite a lot of good pitchers.