With fantasy football drafts on the horizon, do not forget to compete in your baseball leagues. There’s still time to make a difference in the standings, be sure to target areas of need based on the standings. Adding stolen bases when leading the league by 10 does not make sense, note where ground can be made up and keep grinding in the marathon.
As for the standings, the same goes in the National League. With the waiver trade deadline looming, it’s going to be interesting if teams add any more players to the roster and how a team like the Nationals will navigate the last 11 days of August. A three way tie occurred after the Phillies lost on Sunday night with the Rockies and Brewers all in a virtual tie. St. Louis sits one-half game back of all three with the Dodgers one and a half behind. Then, a bit of a drop in the race to see the Pirates (five and a half games back), one game ahead of the Nationals and two ahead of the Giants. One more time for teams to be buyers or sellers with so many moving pieces in the week ahead.
Welcome to the Show
Keeper leagues unite. Both Stephen Gonsalves and Michael Kopech will debut in the same series, but in consecutive days. Minnesota promoted Gonsalves to start against the White Sox on Monday night. Gonsalves has won 12 games with a 2.76 ERA in 120.2 innings across two levels (Double and Triple-A) and 120 strikeouts against 65 walks. He’s made 18 of his 22 starts in Triple-A as a primer, but note he’s generated fewer ground balls since moving up a level and will need to depress walks in order to succeed.
As for Kopech, he will take the mound on Tuesday against the Twins. He’s been dealing of late with 59 strikeouts, four walks and nine earned runs his lat 44 innings (1.84 ERA) his last seven starts. Kopech has also cut his walk rate to five percent during his last 10 outings. Here’s a teaser courtesy of the Pitching Ninja:
Michael Kopech 's breaking ball pic.twitter.com/THZcPXLY8f
— Pitcher List (@PitcherList) February 26, 2018
Injury Updates
It feels like the year of injuries. The song remains the same on Sunday. Here’s a breakdown of the most pressing injury updates:
Conflicting reports regarding Manny Machado . First, X-rays were clean then a later update suggested no official word after Machado was hit on the wrist. This could come down to the wire for those in weekly lineup leagues, so stay tuned. In the event he will miss time, Chris Taylor ’s stolen four bases his last three starts.
Didi Gregorius could require a stint on the disabled list due to a bruised heel. He collided with Kendrys Morales at first base in the first inning. Teammate Aaron Judge still feels pain in his wrist, pushing his timetable to return closer to six weeks. Gary Sánchez will play rehab games starting on Wednesday or Thursday.
Ervin Santana heads back to the disabled list to open the roster spot for Gonsalves and the Twins hinted at an influx of arms to audition in September.
Yu Darvish left his rehab outing early and will seek another MRI. This could be the death nail to his season. Any owners still hanging on in a redraft, can move on. Brandon Morrow will not pitch until September, if his pain subsides, and he may not close with Pedro Strop surging.
With the Dodgers needing their anchor in the bullpen, Kenley Jansen will undergo tests hoping to return as soon as Monday.
Reports suggest Brandon Nimmo could land on the 10-day disabled list due to his injured index finger.
Ending on a good note, José Altuve could be activated prior to the Astros game on Tuesday. Reports on his knee remain positive during his rehab in Triple-A.
That Just Happened
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Congratulations to Justin Verlander for notching his 200th career win and propelling the Astros back into first place in the American League West. Verlander lasted 5.1 innings allowing seven hits, four earned runs and a walk with eight strikeouts. He’s the fourth pitcher to reach 200 wins with less than 125 losses and more than 2,600 strikeouts joining Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez.
While Altuve owners anticipate his return, Marwin González one’s hope he will remain in the lineup. Since the start of August, Gonzalez has slashed .304/.381/.607 with 11 runs, five home runs and nine RBI.
Strong outing by Luis Castillo working 6.2 innings giving up six hits, three runs (one earned) and striking out nine. Castillo pounded the strize zone and generated 13 swinging strikes along with 19 called of his 98 pitches. Over his last eight starts (45.2 IP), Castillo has recorded 44 strikeouts against seven walks with a 2.96 ERA. Teammates José Peraza and Eugenio Suárez each homered in support of Castillo. Suarez moved back into the lead for RBI in the National League (91) after driving in two on Sunday.
Javy Baez went 2-for-5 in a loss, but became the first Cub to reach a 20 home run and 20 stolen base season since Corey Patterson in 2004. Baez has iht 32 doubles and 25 home runs with 89 RBI to go with his 20th stolen base in a breakout season.
Opposing the Cubs, Jameson Taillon did not factor in the decision, but threw six strong innings yielding five hits, one earned run and three walks with eight strikeouts. He induced 18 swinging strikes and 16 called of his 95 pitches. Introducing more slider usage has boosted his swinging strike rates recently and something to watch as the season progresses.
Greg Allen extended his hit streak to 12 games. He’s hitting .375 (15-for-40) in it with eight runs, four RBI and four stolen bases. Melky Cabrera stayed hot hitting a grand slam. He’s homered three times with seven RBI his last seven starts.
Colorado swept a four-game set in Atlanta. German Marquez won for the sixth time over his last nine starts lasting seven innings allowing five hits, two earned runs and a walk with nine strikeouts. During the course of his last nine outings, Marquez has a 2.86 ERA in 59.2 innings with 67 strikeouts. Trevor Story added his 26th home run. Also keep tabs on David Dahl . He’s been hitting third and went 2-for-3 on Sunday with a run, walk and his fifth stolen base. Since his most recent recall, Dahl’s 12-for-43 with five runs, two home runs and six RBI along with two steals his last four starts.
Amidst a lost season in Baltimore, Cedric Mullins continues to churn out hits. He racked up his fourth multi-hit game in nine starts on Sunday, has hit safely in seven of them with seven runs, five doubles, a home run, three RBI and a .387/.457/.645 slash line. Plus, he’s walked four times against five strikeouts to start his major league career.
Some closer news worth noting, other the potential return of Jansen to the Dodgers:
Kelvin Herrera could return to the Nationals as soon as Wednesday, which would displace struggling Koda Glover from the ninth inning.
Sergio Romo notched his 100th career save on Sunday, has 16 since May 29th and could be a waiver wire trade candidate. In case, stash Jose Alvarado (1.42 ERA his last 21 outings) on rosters where room allows.
Minnesota’s closer job could be shared the rest of the way. It appears the two front runners may be Taylor Rogers and Trevor Hildenberger . Stay tuned.
Jose Leclerc continues to surge. He recorded his fifth save on Sunday, has been scoreless his last 10 outings and owns a 1.69 ERA his last 33 games with 49 strikeouts in them.
What To Watch For
Washington adjusted their rotation and will use Tanner Roark , the return of Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer in this order to face the Phillies with its season on the line.
Tampa Bay will deploy Ryne Stanek as the “opener” on Monday with Ryan Yarbrough slated to work after him in long relief. Did you know Yarbrough leads American League rookie pitchers with 11 wins?
Streak watchers will be awaiting Jacob deGrom ’s next start. He’s made 22 straight starts allowing three runs or fewer, the longest streak since 1950. During deGrom’s career, he’s also recorded zero or one run in 60 starts of his 132.
Two former American League pitchers will meet up in a big series in Pittsburgh with Kevin Gausman going against Chris Archer with Atlanta looking to snap a four-game losing streak.
Be sure to check back tomorrow for the Round Up to recap all of Monday’s action with an eye on the days ahead to stay ahead of your competition. For the football crows, tonight’s Closing Bell will transition to camp battles and injury news going forward with Justin Mason.