This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy Baseball series.
Atlanta Braves (18-14) at Philadelphia Phillies (14-14)
Sunday, August 30th, 7:08 PM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Huascar Ynoa (0-0, 4.32 ERA) vs RHP Jake Arrieta (2-3, 4.32 ERA)
Game Preview
The Braves remain one of the top teams in the AL East, but the division is quite tight so they can't get comfortable at any point despite playing four games above the .500 threshold. The Phillies seem to be on the rise after a slow start to the season and winning here could put them one step closer towards making a charge for a playoff berth, as there's roughly one month left in the regular season. The pitching matchup seems to favor the Phillies in this one, as they'll send Jake Arrieta and his 4.32 ERA to the mound – he allowed one run in his previous start against the Washington Nationals. The Braves will send an opener, Huascar Ynoa, to the mound but he's not likely to go deep into the contest – he is yet to throw more than 48 pitches in any of his starts so far.
Injuries
Atlanta Braves
Ozzie Albies - 10-Day IL - Wrist
8/28 1:32 PM EST - Albies (wrist) is unlikely to rejoin Atlanta before the end of its current road trip, which lasts through Wednesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. He hit from both sides of the plate earlier this week, but Atlanta will understandably wait until he is 100 percent before slotting him back into the lineup. It sounds
Atlanta Braves (18-14) at Philadelphia Phillies (14-14)
Sunday, August 30th, 7:08 PM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Huascar Ynoa (0-0, 4.32 ERA) vs RHP Jake Arrieta (2-3, 4.32 ERA)
Game Preview
The Braves remain one of the top teams in the AL East, but the division is quite tight so they can't get comfortable at any point despite playing four games above the .500 threshold. The Phillies seem to be on the rise after a slow start to the season and winning here could put them one step closer towards making a charge for a playoff berth, as there's roughly one month left in the regular season. The pitching matchup seems to favor the Phillies in this one, as they'll send Jake Arrieta and his 4.32 ERA to the mound – he allowed one run in his previous start against the Washington Nationals. The Braves will send an opener, Huascar Ynoa, to the mound but he's not likely to go deep into the contest – he is yet to throw more than 48 pitches in any of his starts so far.
Injuries
Atlanta Braves
Ozzie Albies - 10-Day IL - Wrist
8/28 1:32 PM EST - Albies (wrist) is unlikely to rejoin Atlanta before the end of its current road trip, which lasts through Wednesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. He hit from both sides of the plate earlier this week, but Atlanta will understandably wait until he is 100 percent before slotting him back into the lineup. It sounds like next weekend's home series against the Nationals would be the earliest Albies could return.
Adam Duvall - Day-To-Day - Achilles
8/29 7:42 AM EST - Duvall (Achilles) isn't in Saturday's lineup against the Phillies. Duvall left Friday's contest with a sore right Achilles, and he'll remain on the bench Saturday. Marcell Ozuna will start in left field while Matt Adams takes over as the designated hitter.
Cole Hamels - 60-Day IL - Triceps
8/28 1:34 PM EST - Hamels (triceps) could return sometime in September, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports. The idea would be for him to return in time to build up his pitch count in the majors in advance of the postseason. It is unclear where Hamels is at in his throwing program, or if a program is even underway.
Felix Hernandez - Out - Opt Out
7/4 7:58 PM EST - Hernandez will opt out of the 2020 season due to concerns regarding COVID-19, according to his agent, Wilfredo Polidor. The veteran right-hander was included on the team's 60-player roster pool and was competing with Sean Newcomb for a spot in the starting rotation, but he'll elect to sit out the 60-game season to help protect himself and his family, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. Hernandez joins the growing list of players who have opted out, including David Price, Ryan Zimmerman, Welington Castillo and Joe Ross. Kyle Wright figures to be the next man up to compete for a rotation spot for Atlanta.
Philip Pfeifer - 60-Day IL - Elbow
7/21 8:42 AM EST - Pfeifer was placed on the 45-day injured list Tuesday with a bone contusion in his left elbow, 680 The Fan Atlanta reports. Pfeifer didn't seem likely to fill a significant role in the Braves' bullpen this season, as he's a 28-year-old who's yet to reach the majors. He'll now be ineligible to make his debut until early September at the earliest.
Mike Soroka - 60-Day IL - Achilles
8/27 7:54 AM EST - Soroka (Achilles) thinks he could be ready to pitch by Opening Day next season, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. The right-hander noted that Adam Wainwright was able to return and pitch in the playoffs roughly five months after surgery to repair his torn Achilles tendon back in 2015, but Wainwright's injury was to his landing leg and not the leg he pushes off with, which presents an extra wrinkle in Soroka's recovery. The 23-year-old also said he plans to use his rehab period to make some mechanical tweaks to his delivery. He'll be in a cast or boot for four months post-surgery, so he likely won't have a clear timetable for his return to the mound until that gets removed, but Soroka would still have about three more months after that to get into shape for the projected start of spring training in 2021.
Jeremy Walker - 60-Day IL - Shoulder
6/26 11:36 AM EST - Walker was placed on the 45-day injured list Friday with a right shoulder impingement. The 25-year-old suffered the injury early in spring camp and was never provided an official timetable for his return, but he clearly needs more time to recover. Walker made his big-league debut in 2019 and allowed two runs over 9.1 innings, but it's unclear if he'll be able to play during the shortened 2020 season.
Jacob Webb - 60-Day IL - Shoulder
7/21 8:30 AM EST - Webb was placed on the 45-day injured list with a right shoulder strain Tuesday, 680 The Fan Atlanta reports. Webb could have played a role in Atlanta's bullpen this season, as he produced a strong 1.39 ERA in his 32.1-inning debut last year, but he'll now be sidelined for at least the majority of the campaign. It's not clear when he's expected to return, but he won't be eligible to do so until early September.
Philadelphia Phillies
Jose Alvarez - 10-Day IL - Groin
8/25 12:19 PM EST - Alvarez (testicular contusion) could be done for the season, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. He will not be able to throw for two weeks and will then need an additional two weeks to build back up before returning, so he will be up against it with just over four weeks remaining in the regular season.
Jay Bruce - 10-Day IL - Quadriceps
8/22 12:39 PM EST - Bruce was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a quadriceps injury, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports. Bruce has seen inconsistent playing time recently with a lingering quad issue, and the team hopes that a trip to the injured list will help his health over the rest of the season. It's unclear whether he'll be able to return after spending the minimum of 10 days sidelined. Adam Haseley (wrist) was activated from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move.
Seranthony Dominguez - 60-Day IL - Elbow
7/30 11:07 AM EST - Dominquez (elbow) had successful Tommy John surgery Thursday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. This was expected. Dominquez will now begin a lengthy rehab process that will likely keep him sidelined for 12-plus months.
Mickey Moniak - Out - Knee
8/10 11:36 AM EST - Moniak has been sidelined at the Phillies' alternate training site since late July with a knee injury, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 first-year player draft isn't a serious candidate to join the Phillies' 28-man active roster this season, but the knee injury will nonetheless rob him of some important developmental time in simulated games at Lehigh Valley. Moniak has since moved to the Phillies' spring training facility in Clearwater to receive treatment for the injury, and it's unclear when he'll be ready to return to Lehigh Valley for workouts. Moniak spent the 2019 campaign with Double-A Reading, slashing .252/.303/.439 with 11 home runs and 15 stolen bases across 503 plate appearances.
David Robertson - 60-Day IL - Elbow
8/29 2:12 PM EST - Robertson (elbow) won't throw for another six weeks and will miss the remainder of the 2020 season, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports. Robertson recently faced a setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery that forced him to be shut down. It's unclear if he'll be ready for spring training in 2021.
Ranger Suarez - Covid-19 - Illness
8/11 3:43 PM EST - Suarez (illness) will throw in Philadelphia within the next few days before heading to the team's alternate training site to continue building up, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports. Suarez had at least an outside shot at winning the Phillies' fifth starter job this season, but he never got the chance to compete for one this summer, as he spent the entirety of camp on the COVID-19 injured list. He's unlikely to be used as a starter once he's ready to go given that the team's top pitching prospect, Spencer Howard, has since made his big-league debut.
Phillies Expected Lineup
SP - Jake Arrieta
2. Rhys Hoskins
3. Bryce Harper
6. Jean Segura
7. Alec Bohm
9. Adam Haseley
Braves Expected Lineup
SP - Huascar Ynoa
1. Ronald Acuna
7. Adam Duvall
8. Austin Riley
Top Picks From Each Team
Ronald Acuna, Braves: Acuna got off to a slow start this season, but he has turned things around of late and has seen his average climb to a more respectable .256 with five homers and 10 RBI, while also stealing two bases. He has gone 3-for-12 with a .983 OPS since returning to the lineup earlier this week.
Bryce Harper, Phillies: Harper has seven homers with 21 RBI, but his ability to make an impact into the game is deeper than that – he is hitting .303 with a 1.046 OPS this season, while hitting safely in three of his last four contests. His ability to make an impact on a day-to-day basis is enough reason to give him a captaincy nod here.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Jake Arrieta
C – J.T. Realmuto
IF – Freddie Freeman
IF – Didi Gregorius
IF – Johan Camargo
OF – Andrew McCutchen
OF – Ronald Acuna (C)
OF – Bryce Harper (VC)
OF – Marcell Ozuna
