This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy Baseball series.
San Diego Padres (24-12) at Oakland Athletics (22-13)
Saturday, September 5th, 4:10 PM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Chris Paddack (3-3, 4.43 ERA) vs RHP Sean Manaea (2-2, 5.64 ERA)
Game Preview
The Athletics and the Padres are contenders in the AL West and the NL West respectively, and both teams appear to be locks to make the postseason, especially with an expanded 16-team playoff format. The Padres won 7-0 in Friday's meeting between these two teams, but there is very little separating these two franchises so the Athletics could easily respond with a win here. The pitching matchup will be a stellar duel between two of the most talented arms in baseball right now, as Chris Paddack will start for the Padres and Sean Manaea will get the nod for the Athletics. Paddack has better overall numbers, but Manaea is trending in the right direction and has posted a 2.35 ERA in his last three starts.
Injuries
Oakland Athletics
Daniel Mengden - Covid-19 - Illness
9/3 10:39 AM EST - Mengden was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Thursday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. He is asymptomatic, but will nonetheless have to quarantine until he tests negative, so he should be considered out indefinitely. The Athletics say that Mengden did not violate safety protocols, so there will be no discipline from the team. Mike Minor was added to the active roster in a corresponding move.
A.J. Puk - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
9/4 7:29 PM EST -
San Diego Padres (24-12) at Oakland Athletics (22-13)
Saturday, September 5th, 4:10 PM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Chris Paddack (3-3, 4.43 ERA) vs RHP Sean Manaea (2-2, 5.64 ERA)
Game Preview
The Athletics and the Padres are contenders in the AL West and the NL West respectively, and both teams appear to be locks to make the postseason, especially with an expanded 16-team playoff format. The Padres won 7-0 in Friday's meeting between these two teams, but there is very little separating these two franchises so the Athletics could easily respond with a win here. The pitching matchup will be a stellar duel between two of the most talented arms in baseball right now, as Chris Paddack will start for the Padres and Sean Manaea will get the nod for the Athletics. Paddack has better overall numbers, but Manaea is trending in the right direction and has posted a 2.35 ERA in his last three starts.
Injuries
Oakland Athletics
Daniel Mengden - Covid-19 - Illness
9/3 10:39 AM EST - Mengden was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Thursday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. He is asymptomatic, but will nonetheless have to quarantine until he tests negative, so he should be considered out indefinitely. The Athletics say that Mengden did not violate safety protocols, so there will be no discipline from the team. Mike Minor was added to the active roster in a corresponding move.
A.J. Puk - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
9/4 7:29 PM EST - Puk (shoulder) will throw again Sunday, John Hickey of SI.com reports. Puk threw a live batting practice session Friday and was expected to rejoin the team afterward. However, the Athletics added another throwing session to his agenda, so he won't be able to rejoin the major-league roster until next week. Once he returns, the southpaw will work out of the bullpen to finish the season.
Marcus Semien - Day-To-Day - Side
9/3 12:16 PM EST - Semien (side) swung the bat Thursday and continues to feel better, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The hope is that he can avoid an IL stint, although the previous report suggested he wouldn't be able to return until Saturday, at the earliest. Vimael Machin, Chad Pinder and Tony Kemp could all be options to fill in for Semien on Friday against the Padres.
Burch Smith - 10-Day IL - Forearm
8/20 3:30 PM EST - Manager Bob Melvin said Thursday that it will be tough for Smith (forearm) to return this season, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The Athletics announced Monday that Smith would be shut down for two weeks even though an MRI didn't reveal any structural damage. Melvin's update casts some doubt as to whether Smith will be able to get ready in time to return for the end of the season. More clarity surrounding the situation could come once the right-hander is able to resume throwing.
San Diego Padres
Austin Adams - 60-Day IL - Knee
8/30 7:53 PM EST - Adams (knee) was traded from the Mariners to the Padres on Sunday in a trade involving Ty France several players, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Adams has been recovering since undergoing knee surgery in September of 2019, but he appears to be nearing his return to the mound. The right-hander had been throwing to begin the season, but he'll have to face live hitters at some point before he's cleared to return to game action. Adams made 30 appearances (two starts) with the Nationals and Mariners in his first major-league season in 2019, and he posted a 3.94 ERA and 53:16 K:BB over 32 innings.
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 - 60-Day IL - Lat
9/4 5:08 PM EST - Castillo (lat) was transferred to the 45-day injured list Friday. Castillo has been on the injured list with a Grade 2 lat strain since July 23, and the procedural move of transferring him to the 45-day IL will free up a spot on the 40-man roster. The southpaw could still potentially return during the 2020 campaign, but a timetable hasn't been established.
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.
Francisco Mejia - 10-Day IL - Thumb
8/29 9:09 AM EST - Mejia (thumb) has been hitting at the Padres' alternate training site and could be activated from the injured list in the near future, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports. Mejia was placed on the 10-day IL with a left-thumb bruise Aug. 17. He has resumed swinging the bat, though he hasn't yet reached a point in which he's ready to return. "He is progressing," manager Jayce Tingler said. "He's currently at USD, and he's getting a lot of at-bats. The hand continues to improve. All the reports from his game swings, he's taking baby steps forward from both sides of the plate." Cassavell notes that Mejia isn't likely to rejoin the Padres on their current road trip in Colorado, but he could be activated sometime next week.
Emilio Pagan - 10-Day IL - Biceps
9/2 5:09 PM EST - Pagan was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with right biceps inflammation, retroactive to Aug. 31. The right-hander last pitched Sunday and delivered a scoreless inning with two strikeouts, and it's unclear when or how he sustained the injury. Pagan will be eligible to be activated Sept. 10, but he may require additional time before rejoining the team.
Luis Perdomo - 10-Day IL - Forearm
9/4 5:13 PM EST - Perdomo was placed on the 10-day injured list with right forearm inflammation Friday. Perdomo has been mostly effective while serving as a low-leverage reliever for the Padres this year, but he'll miss time with a forearm issue. The severity of the issue is unclear. The right-hander carries a 5.06 ERA and 1.31 ERA over 16 innings across nine appearances (one start) this season.
Tommy Pham - 10-Day IL - Hand
8/17 2:09 PM EST - Pham (hand) was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday. Pham was diagnosed with a fracture in the hamate bone on his left hand Monday, so it's no surprise to see him land on the injured list. He's expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks as a result of the injury, but it's possible he could return at the end of the regular season if the Padres are in playoff contention. Infielder Ty France was recalled in a corresponding move. Jurickson Profar, Edward Olivares and Jorge Mateo could see increases in playing time while Pham is sidelined.
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.
Kirby Yates - 10-Day IL - Elbow
8/17 6:28 PM EST - Yates (elbow) is expected to miss the remainder of the 2020 season, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. It was reported earlier in the day that Yates was headed for a second opinion after bone chips were found in his right elbow, but this latest update from Nightengale gives reason to believe the right-hander may be done for the year. The team has yet to confirm this latest report. It's reasonable to expect another update on the closer in the near future.
Athletics Expected Lineup
SP - Sean Manaea
3. Matt Olson
4. Matt Chapman
6. Mark Canha
9. Sean Murphy
Padres Expected Lineup
SP - Chris Paddack
4. Eric Hosmer
5. Austin Nola
8. Jason Castro
9. Greg Allen
Top Picks From Each Team
Fernando Tatis, Padres: Tatis continues to be one of the most productive hitters in the National League this season. The star shortstop is hitting .333 with a 1.095 OPS over a nine-game stretch in which he's reached basely every time. He also has two homers and eight RBI during that same span.
Matt Chapman, Athletics: Chapman might have gone hitless the last time out, but the third baseman continues to be a top offensive threat in the middle of the Athletics lineup. Chapman is hitting .270 with a 1.017 OPS, four homers and 10 RBI over his las 11 games, and he has blasted 10 homers in 34 games already.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Chris Paddack
C – Austin Nola
IF – Fernando Tatis (C)
IF – Matt Chapman
IF – Manny Machado (VC)
IF – Marcus Semien
OF – Trent Grisham
OF – Ramon Laureano
OF – Greg Allen
