This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy Baseball series.
San Diego Padres (8-7) at Los Angeles Dodgers (10-5)
Monday, August 10th, 9:40 PM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Garrett Richards (0-1, 4.60 ERA) vs RHP Dustin May (1-0, 2.63 ERA)
Game Preview
The Dodgers and the Padres have separated from the rest as the top teams to beat in the NL West and, considering this is a short 60-game season, all signs point to the head-to-head games between these two franchises as pivotal contests on the race to win the pennant. The Dodgers have a better record, but they're edging San Diego for just two games so there's a lot to play for still. The pitching matchup will feature two righties, as Dustin May will go up against Garrett Richards. May has been one of the most electric arms in this 2020 season and he already dazzled against the Padres this season, striking out eight in six innings the last time he faced them.
Injuries
Los Angeles Dodgers
Yadier Alvarez - Out - Shoulder
3/2 2:33 PM EST - Alvarez (shoulder) cleared waivers Monday and was outrighted to minor-league camp, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. Alvarez was scratched from his scheduled start Friday against the Brewers after being unable to get loose. He's been sent for tests on his shoulder, the results of which aren't yet known. The shoulder scare was evidently enough to dissuade teams from taking a chance on him in waivers.
Jimmy Nelson - 60-Day IL - Back
7/21 10:31 AM EST - Nelson (back) landed
San Diego Padres (8-7) at Los Angeles Dodgers (10-5)
Monday, August 10th, 9:40 PM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Garrett Richards (0-1, 4.60 ERA) vs RHP Dustin May (1-0, 2.63 ERA)
Game Preview
The Dodgers and the Padres have separated from the rest as the top teams to beat in the NL West and, considering this is a short 60-game season, all signs point to the head-to-head games between these two franchises as pivotal contests on the race to win the pennant. The Dodgers have a better record, but they're edging San Diego for just two games so there's a lot to play for still. The pitching matchup will feature two righties, as Dustin May will go up against Garrett Richards. May has been one of the most electric arms in this 2020 season and he already dazzled against the Padres this season, striking out eight in six innings the last time he faced them.
Injuries
Los Angeles Dodgers
Yadier Alvarez - Out - Shoulder
3/2 2:33 PM EST - Alvarez (shoulder) cleared waivers Monday and was outrighted to minor-league camp, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. Alvarez was scratched from his scheduled start Friday against the Brewers after being unable to get loose. He's been sent for tests on his shoulder, the results of which aren't yet known. The shoulder scare was evidently enough to dissuade teams from taking a chance on him in waivers.
Jimmy Nelson - 60-Day IL - Back
7/21 10:31 AM EST - Nelson (back) landed on the 45-day injured list Tuesday, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports. The righty is set to undergo lumbar surgery, a procedure which will wipe out his 2020 season entirely. The move clears a spot on the 40-man roster for the Dodgers to add Jake McGee, who signed a major-league deal.
David Price - Out - Opt Out
7/4 1:48 PM EST - Price has elected not to play this season, he announced on his personal Twitter page Saturday. Price cited his health and his family's health as his reasons for sitting out the season during the coronavirus pandemic, becoming the highest-profile player thus far to opt out. He now won't be suiting up for his new team until the start of the 2021 season. His absence creates a hole in the Dodgers' rotation, with Dustin May looking like the most likely beneficiary.
Zach Reks - 10-Day IL - Undisclosed
7/23 3:20 PM EST - Reks (undisclosed) did not make the Dodgers' 30-man roster. Reks has been on the 10-day injured list since July 8, and the team has not provided an update on his status. It's unclear how long Reks will be out or if he'll be sent to the team's alternate training site when he recovers.
Corey Seager - Day-To-Day - Back
8/9 10:51 AM EST - Seager (back) is not in the lineup Sunday against the Giants. The 26-year-old had a scan on his back come back clean Saturday, but it's not much of a surprise to see him out of the lineup again a day later. According to Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register, Seager hasn't resumed baseball activities since exiting Friday's contest, but he's still considered day-to-day and a trip to the injured list isn't yet being considered. Enrique Hernandez will start at shortstop in Sunday's series finale.
Cody Thomas - 10-Day IL - Undisclosed
7/23 3:37 PM EST - Thomas (undisclosed) is not part of the Dodgers' 30-man roster. Thomas has been on the injured list since July 8 and did not make an appearance at the team's summer camp. The 25-year-old turned heads with a strong showing in Cactus League play, but he's not expected to make much of an impact at the major-league level this season.
Andrew Toles - Out - Personal
6/26 11:43 PM EST - Toles was arrested in Florida on Monday on a misdemeanor trespassing charge after he was found sleeping behind Key West International Airport and refused to leave, Gwen Filosa of the Miami Herald reports. In terms of baseball news, this incident furthers the belief that Toles is unlikely to return to the sport during the 2020 season. However, Toles' need for help clearly extends beyond baseball, and any hope of seeing him in a Dodgers uniform again should be superseded by the hope that he simply gets well. The 28-year-old has a documented history of dealing with anxiety and depression, and he essentially disappeared from baseball after leaving spring training last May to deal with a personal matter.
Alex Wood - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
8/3 3:09 PM EST - Wood (shoulder) is feeling better and will resume baseball activities Tuesday or Wednesday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports. Wood has been shut down since Tuesday to allow his shoulder inflammation to subside. While a timetable for his return to game action hasn't yet been established, a better picture should come into focus once he sees how his shoulder responds to throwing. Dustin May will continue to serve as a starter in Wood's absence.
San Diego Padres
Pedro Avila - Out - Elbow
3/9 8:27 PM EST - Avila (elbow) was reassigned to minor-league camp Sunday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The move is purely procedural as Avila was invited to big-league camp despite undergoing Tommy John surgery in August. He is not expected to play during the 2020 season.
Jose Castillo - 10-Day IL - Lat
8/3 3:15 PM EST - Castillo (lat) is feeling much better as he continues to recover, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports. Castillo has been sidelined since early July with a lat strain, but manager Jayce Tingler provided an encouraging update on his status Monday. The southpaw still hasn't resumed throwing off a mound, but Tingler said that he remains optimistic that Castillo will be able to pitch for the Padres later in the season.
Anderson Espinoza - 60-Day IL - Elbow
4/14 10:11 PM EST - Espinoza (elbow) was reportedly throwing and looking good in Padres camp, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. Espinoza has undergone two Tommy John surgeries in the last three years and has not thrown in a game since the 2016 season. Still, the right-hander is only 22 years old and was once considered among the top pitching prospects in baseball, so he remains an intriguing arm to keep an eye on. Given Espinoza's injury history, he's likely to be eased back into action slowly and held to a strict innings limit when he's ready to resume pitching in games.
Brett Kennedy - Out - Lat
10/31 2:00 PM EST - Kennedy (lat) was outrighted to Triple-A El Paso on Thursday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Kennedy missed the entire 2019 season with a lat strain, and is now off the 40-man roster after posting a 6.75 ERA in six starts for the Padres in 2018. There's a chance he could attend major-league spring training as a non-roster invitee.
Reggie Lawson - Out - Elbow
3/20 3:27 PM EST - Lawson underwent Tommy John surgery on Friday. Lawson suffered the injury during a spring training contest. Given a typical recovery timeline, he now won't return to action until the middle of the 2021 season. The 22-year-old made six starts at the Double-A level last season, recording a 5.20 ERA but a strong 29.8 percent strikeout rate.
Jorge Mateo - Covid-19 - Illness
8/5 2:16 PM EST - Mateo (illness) is impressing at the Padres' alternate training site and could be moved to the big-league club soon, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports. Mateo missed most of summer camp after testing positive for COVID-19, but he has been working out at the team's alternate site and appears close to a promotion to the big-league roster. It is unclear how much playing time Mateo would receive out the gate with Jurickson Profar, Greg Garcia and Jake Cronenworth all vying for time at second base. To make matters more complicated, MLB rosters are sent to be reduced from 30 to 28 on Thursday.
Andres Munoz - 60-Day IL - Elbow
6/29 12:01 PM EST - The Padres placed Munoz (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Sunday. The transaction was merely procedural after Munoz required Tommy John surgery back in March. He'll miss the entire 2020 season and could miss a portion of the 2021 campaign while recovering from the procedure.
Trey Wingenter - 60-Day IL - Elbow
8/1 8:29 AM EST - Wingenter (elbow) was transferred to the 45-day injured list Saturday, Andersen Pickard of MLBDailyDish.com reports. The move is simply procedural after Wingenter underwent Tommy John surgery July 17. The right-hander is expected to be sidelined until the 2022 season as a result of the injury.
Dodgers Expected Lineup
SP - Dustin May
1. Max Muncy
2. Mookie Betts
5. Corey Seager
6. Joc Pederson
7. A.J. Pollock
8. Will Smith
9. Chris Taylor
Padres Expected Lineup
SP - Garrett Richards
3. Tommy Pham
5. Eric Hosmer
6. Wil Myers
9. Greg Garcia
Top Picks From Each Team
Mookie Betts, Dodgers: Betts leads the Dodgers in extra-base hits with 10, he's tied for the home-run lead with four, and is second in RBI with 10, just behind Max Muncy's 12, while also slashing .281/.339/.596 with a .935 OPS, the highest mark in the team among everyday starters. Betts has been Los Angeles' most consistent threat on offense, which says a lot given the quality of the lineup.
Fernando Tatis, Padres: Tatis has jumped to the top of the home run leaderboard with eight bombs this season, and he has been one of the most outstanding players in the National League during the current 2020 season. The 21-year-old slick-fielding shortstop owns a stellar .333/.417/.810 with 18 RBI and 15 runs scored across 72 plate appearances.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Dustin May
C – Austin Barnes
IF – Justin Turner
IF – Enrique Hernandez
IF – Manny Machado
IF – Fernando Tatis (VC)
OF – Cody Bellinger
OF – Mookie Betts (C)
OF – Trent Grisham
