This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy Baseball series.
San Diego Padres (11-7) at Los Angeles Dodgers (11-7)
Thursday, August 13th, 9:40 PM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Chris Paddack (2-1, 3.18 ERA) vs Julio Urias (1-0, 2.40 ERA)
Game Preview
The Padres and the Dodgers both look like postseason candidates in the National League and both enter this game with a 11-7 record, which shows just how good both franchises have been. These two ballclubs are currently playing a four-game series and, so far, the Padres have the lead by a 2-1 advantage – although the Dodgers secured a 6-0 win Wednesday. The pitching matchup features Chris Paddack for the Padres and Julio Urias for the Dodgers. The righty from the Dodgers seems to have a slim edge between the two and it's mainly due to the consistency each pitcher has shown so far. Paddack, who has one of the best fastball commands in all of baseball, already defeated the Dodgers this season while Urias can deliver inconsistent results from one outing to the next one.
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.
San Diego Padres (11-7) at Los Angeles Dodgers (11-7)
Thursday, August 13th, 9:40 PM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Chris Paddack (2-1, 3.18 ERA) vs Julio Urias (1-0, 2.40 ERA)
Game Preview
The Padres and the Dodgers both look like postseason candidates in the National League and both enter this game with a 11-7 record, which shows just how good both franchises have been. These two ballclubs are currently playing a four-game series and, so far, the Padres have the lead by a 2-1 advantage – although the Dodgers secured a 6-0 win Wednesday. The pitching matchup features Chris Paddack for the Padres and Julio Urias for the Dodgers. The righty from the Dodgers seems to have a slim edge between the two and it's mainly due to the consistency each pitcher has shown so far. Paddack, who has one of the best fastball commands in all of baseball, already defeated the Dodgers this season while Urias can deliver inconsistent results from one outing to the next one.
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.
Joe Kelly - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
8/12 3:28 PM EST - Kelly (shoulder) won his appeal and had his suspension reduced from eight games to five games, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. Kelly remains on the injured list with shoulder inflammation. While the suspension will take place once he's back on the active roster, he'll be able to return to the mound slightly sooner than expected. It's unclear when the right-hander will be healthy enough to return from the injured list. Kelly was effective as a middle reliever to begin the season, tossing 6.1 scoreless innings while posting a 5:5 K:BB over seven appearances.
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 - Out - Undisclosed
8/12 9:10 AM EST - Reks (undisclosed) has not yet joined the team at its alternate training site, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports. Reks has been away from the team since July 8, though the Dodgers have yet to give a reason for the outfielder's absence. The 26-year-old was included on the 60-man roster after a strong spring in which he hit .368/.556/.684 and drew eight walks.
Corey Seager - Day-To-Day - Back
8/12 3:20 PM EST - Seager (back) remains out of the lineup Wednesday against the Padres. Seager was a full participant in pregame workouts Wednesday after working in the field Tuesday, but he'll continue to be held out of the lineup. No timetable has been established for his return, but he appears to be trending toward game readiness. The team could elect to use him as a designated hitter once he returns in order to ease him back into action. Chris Taylor will start at shortstop Wednesday, batting seventh.
Will Smith - Day-To-Day - Neck
8/12 9:05 PM EST - Smith was removed from Wednesday's game against the Padres with a sore neck, Alanna Rizzo of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports. The 25-year-old went 0-for-1 before exiting during the fifth inning, and the severity of the injury remains unclear. Austin Barnes took over behind the plate and will start Thursday's contest, while Smith is considered day-to-day, per Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register.
Cody Thomas - Out - Undisclosed
8/12 9:15 AM EST - Thomas (undisclosed) still isn't with the Dodgers at their alternate training site, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports. Thomas was included in the team's 60-man player pool after smashing five home runs during spring training, However, the outfielder missed most of summer camp, and the team has thus far withheld the reason for his absence.
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.
Edwin Uceta - Out - Undisclosed
8/12 9:02 AM EST - Uceta (undisclosed) is still not at the Dodgers' alternate training site, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports. Uceta departed summer camp in early July for undisclosed reasons, and little has been said about the 22-year-old's absence since. The right-hander was included in the Dodgers' 60-man player pool after logging a 3.21 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 76:33 K:BB in 73 innings with Double-A Tulsa last season.
Alex Wood - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
8/10 3:23 PM EST - Wood (shoulder) threw a two-inning bullpen session Monday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports. Wood made just a single appearance this season before landing on the injured list with shoulder inflammation. He's still quite a while from being built up to a starter's workload, though it's possible the Dodgers could have him build up in a relief or piggyback role before he's ready to pitch deep into games. It remains unclear when he's expected to be activated, however.
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
8/12 11:59 PM EST - Mateo (COVID-19) was added to the Padres' taxi squad Wednesday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Mateo was expected to be part of the big-league roster when San Diego acquired him in late June, but he tested positive for COVID-19 early in summer camp and had been working his way back into shape at the team's alternate training site since late July. As part of the taxi squad, Mateo is working out with the Padres during their road visit to Los Angeles, but he cannot participate in games unless he is first moved to the active roster. It remains to be seen when -- or if -- San Diego plans to work Mateo into their infield mix.
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.
Kirby Yates - Day-To-Day - Undisclosed
8/10 10:08 PM EST - Manager Jayce Tingler said after Monday's game that Yates has "soreness in his body," AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports. However, Tingler said there's still a "great chance [Yates]'ll be in there" for the next save opportunity. Drew Pomeranz got the save chance Monday and shut the door on the Dodgers on 12 pitches to earn his third save of the season. Yates struggled in his first few appearances, though there was no mention of an injury at the time, with the right-hander pointing instead to some mechanical issues. Apparently Yates is ailing a bit after all, and Tingler said they're "not going to push it," but if the skipper is to be taken at his word, it's not something that's a threat to push Yates to the IL.
Dodgers Expected Lineup
SP - Julio Urias
1. Max Muncy
2. Mookie Betts
5. Corey Seager
6. Joc Pederson
7. A.J. Pollock
9. Chris Taylor
Padres Expected Lineup
SP - Chris Paddack
3. Tommy Pham
4. Wil Myers
5. Eric Hosmer
Top Picks From Each Team
Fernando Tatis, Padres: Tatis has been one of the best offensive players in the National League – and all of baseball – this season despite going 0-for-4 Wednesday. The star shortstop has been nearly unstoppable this month, slashing .318/.362/.773 with a 1.134 OPS in 44 August at-bats.
Mookie Betts, Dodgers: Betts is currently riding a four-game hitting streak and has hit safely in seven of the Dodgers' first 10 games during the current month. He is hitting .310 with three home runs in 29 at-bats across that 10-game stretch, while also adding five RBI, a 3:3 K:BB, three doubles and five runs scored.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Chris Paddack
C – Francisco Mejia
IF – Justin Turner
IF – Corey Seager
IF – Fernando Tatis (C)
IF – Manny Machado
OF – Mookie Betts (VC)
OF – Tommy Pham
OF – Trent Grisham
