White Sox vs Jason Vargas
Jose Abreu, Avisail Garcia, Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Leury Garcia
The White Sox have hit southpaws well this season and while they have sold off some of their better hitters in Melky Cabrera and Todd Frazier that does not take away from the fact that they still have some guys who can do damage. Jason Vargas has been pitching with smoke and mirrors this season and owns an 8.38 ERA in two August starts.
Cincinnati Reds vs Matt Garza
Joey Votto, Scooter Gennett, Billy Hamilton, Jesse Winker, Adam Duvall
Garza was rocked in his last start and will run up against a Reds offense that has some guys that can do just as much damage. Lefties own an OPS of .811 against Garza this season and those are the bats in the Reds lineup I will be looking to target.
New York Mets vs Zach Eflin
Michael Conforto, Asdrubal Cabrera, Wilmer Flores, Dominic Smith, Curtis Granderson
Efln is 1-3 with a 5.67 ERA this season. He had a decent start against the Mets this season but on a whole he is a total gas can. LHH own a .308 average and an OPS of .896 against Eflin this season and RHH are not much worse with an average of .309 with an OPS of .832. Stack the Mets and you won’t be disappointed.Â
Player News
Leody Taveras is hitting seventh and playing right field against the Athletics on Wednesday.
Taveras will be making his Seattle debut against Gunnar Hoglund and the Athletics in the series finale. The 26-year-old has occasionally flashed offensive upside, but while he will get playing time against right-handed pitching, his chances of being a fantasy-relevant player seem slim based on his struggles the last year-plus.
Nolan Arenado was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup against the Pirates.
The reasons for why Arenado was removed from the lineup are unknown at this time, but it happened right before first pitch. The 34-year-old is on the bench with with Nolan Gorman taking his spot in the lineup. There should be an update on Arenado’s status soon.
Mariners optioned OF Rhylan Thomas to Triple-A Tacoma.
Thomas, 25, is back with Tacoma with Leodys Taveras officially on the active roster after being claimed off waivers. Thomas could get another chance if the Mariners need extra outfield depth, but it seems unlikely to be soon.
Nick Kurtz is not in the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Mariners.
Kurtz gets the matinee off even with right-hander Bryan Woo on the mound for Seattle. The 22-year-old rookie will take a seat with Seth Brown in the lineup in Kurtz’s absence.
Gabriel Moreno (side) is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s game against the mets.
Moreno was scratched Tuesday due to soreness in his side, and the Diamondbacks will have him begin Wednesday’s contest on the bench again. He was available off the bench Tuesday, so there’s a chance he’ll be available for this one, as well. In the meantime, Jose Herrera gets the start behind the plate.
Aaron Civale (hamstring) will make a rehab start Thursday for Triple-A Nashville.
Civale suffered a setback from his strained hamstring in the middle of April, but the 29-year-old has progressed enough to get back on the mound. The right-hander will assuredly need multiple outings before coming back to the majors, but he should be ready for the rotation by the end of May if he doesn’t have another setback.