Dream11 Fantasy Baseball: Pirates at Twins

Pittsburgh Pirates (2-7) at Minnesota Twins (7-2)

Tuesday, August 4th, 2:10 PM EDT

Projected starters

RHP Joe Musgrove (0-2, 4.76 ERA) vs RHP Jose Berrios (0-1, 7.00 ERA)

Game Preview

The Twins and the Pirates have been exactly who we thought they would be ahead of this Tuesday matchup, as Pittsburgh have been one of the worst teams in the National League while Minnesota has the looks of a contender in the American League after losing just two of their first nine games. The pitching matchup also favors Minnesota despite what the ERA indicates. Jose Berrios has a great chance for a bounce-back performance against the Pirates' underperforming lineup, while Joe Musgrove will get the ball for Pittsburgh. Musgrove has racked up 15 strikeouts, but he has allowed four home runs already. That's not a good sign considering the Twins are stacked up with more power from top to bottom.

Injuries

Minnesota Twins

Akil Baddoo - Out - Elbow

5/25 1:32 PM EST - Baddoo will have reconstructive elbow surgery and the hope is that he is ready for spring training in 2020, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. He suffered a left elbow strain earlier in the month, and unfortunately his 2019 season will largely amount to a lost year. Baddoo's dynasty stock had been trending down before the injury, as he was hitting .214/.290/.393 with four home runs, six steals and a 29.8 percent strikeout rate in 29 games with High-A Fort Myers. His stock won't rebound until early next season at the earliest, so it's reasonable to cut bait in many dynasty leagues.

Homer Bailey - 10-Day IL - Biceps

8/2 11:07 AM EST - The Twins placed Bailey on the injured list Sunday with right biceps tendinitis, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports. Initially lined up to start Sunday's series finale against the Indians, Bailey was pushed back a day in the pitching schedule for what was believed to be rest purposes, but his move to the injured list suggests otherwise. As a result of Bailey's shutdown, Randy Dobnak is expected to stick around in the rotation for at least another turn, while Jake Odorizzi (back) will likely be activated from the 10-day IL later this week to fill the vacated starting spot.

Josh Donaldson - Day-To-Day - Calf

8/3 2:38 PM EST - Donaldson (calf) is expected to travel with the Twins on their upcoming road trip, which begins Wednesday, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Donaldson has sat for three straight games after leaving Friday's game against Cleveland with calf tightness. It doesn't sound as though he'll miss too much more time, but the Twins can afford to be cautious with the veteran given the expanded playoffs this season. Marwin Gonzalez will start at the hot corner Monday and appears set to remain there for Tuesday's contest.

Nick Gordon - Out - Illness

7/28 11:05 PM EST - Gordon still has not reported to Minnesota's alternate site camp in St. Paul after testing positive for COVID-19, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. "There are some protocols as to when you would test and subsequently test from an onset of symptoms and then from whenever symptoms do stop, so he's in that protocol," president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. Gordon was showing symptoms, according to Falvey, so he'll likely need some time to get back to full speed even when cleared to practice. Falvey said Gordon is feeling fine now. However, at this point he may not be an option for the Twins at the major-league level if needed for depth until the second half of the season.

Blaine Hardy - Out - Elbow

3/27 3:54 PM EST - Hardy underwent Tommy John surgery last week, Phil Miller of the Star Tribune reports. Hardy dealt with elbow issues last season and received platelet-rich plasma injection in August. That procedure evidently didn't have the desired results, so he elected to go under the knife. He likely won't be back in game action until the middle of the 2021 campaign.

Rich Hill - 10-Day IL - Shoulder

8/3 8:56 PM EST - Hill was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday with shoulder fatigue, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. He will be able to return early next week. Manager Rocco Baldelli said that because the roster size drops from 30 to 28 players soon, the team wanted to make this move now to maintain its pitching depth, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports. He will continue to throw while on the IL, but he would not have been ready to make a start during this weekend's series in Kansas City. With Jake Odorizzi (back) joining the rotation this weekend, he can slot in for Hill's turn and Lewis Thorpe could conceivably make one more start before potentially being replaced by Hill next week.

Edouard Julien - Out - Elbow

2/13 9:40 AM EST - Julien is recovering from August 2019 Tommy John surgery, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs reports. This explains why Julien did not play in 2019 after the Twins gave him an over-slot $493,000 bonus in the 18th round of the draft. He has huge raw power but is a poor defender, so he really needs to cut down on the strikeouts. Look for him to be assigned to an affiliate sometime this summer.

Zack Littell - 10-Day IL - Hamstring

8/1 2:23 PM EST - Littell was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain Saturday. Littell struggled through his first two outings of the year, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks while striking out just one over three innings. It's not yet clear when he's expected to return. Jorge Alcala was recalled to take his place in the bullpen.

Jake Odorizzi - 10-Day IL - Back

8/3 2:53 PM EST - Odorizzi (back) looked good after throwing Monday and is expected to start sometime during the Twins' weekend series in Kansas City, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. Odorizzi has been dealing with upper-back stiffness since mid-July, causing him to miss the early part of the season. He won't miss much more time, though it's not yet clear what kind of workload he'll be ready to handle in his first start of the year.

Michael Pineda - Suspension - Suspension

7/2 8:57 PM EST - Pineda will miss the first 36 games, not the 39 originally believed, as Minnesota's three playoff games last season counted for his 60-game suspension, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Pineda was suspended 80 games in early September for taking a banned diuretic. The suspension was later reduced to 60 games after he argued it was not being used as a masking agent for a performance-enhancing drug, and he served the first 21 games of the penalty last season. A recent clarification from the league showed Minnesota's playoff games counted in his suspension. He will be eligible for a playoff roster in 2020. While three more games could give Pineda an extra start, he still may make just a handful of starts this season, making it hard to justify rostering him in most fantasy formats.

Fernando Romero - Out - Not Injury Related

6/29 3:11 PM EST - Romero, who missed all of spring training in February and March due to visa issues, was placed on the restricted list ahead of the 2020 season. Romero wasn't placed on the 60-man player pool as a result. Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said that Romero is not anticipated to arrive for training camp due to continued visa issues from the Dominican Republic. He may not be available this season as a result.

Tyler Wells - Out - Elbow

5/25 9:07 PM EST - Wells will undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of the 2019 season, TwinsDaily.com reports. Wells had a 2.49 ERA and 121:31 K:BB ratio in 119.1 innings between High-A and Double-A last year. He was a bit old for his level of competition at 23, but he showed signs of being a late bloomer. He hadn't pitched yet this year and may need well into 2020 before he's ready to return.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Chris Archer - 60-Day IL - Shoulder

6/29 12:57 PM EST - Archer (shoulder) was placed on the 60-day injured list Monday. He will miss the entire season after undergoing surgery to relieve symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome. Chad Kuhl and Steven Brault (shoulder) appear to be the top two options to win the fifth starter's spot.

Kyle Crick - 10-Day IL - Shoulder

8/2 11:14 AM EST - Crick (shoulder) is feeling better and "doing work" at PNC Park, general manager Ben Cherington told 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Despite the encouraging news, the team doesn't have clarity on when he might return to pitch. With the emergence of Nick Burdi and the improving health of Keone Kela, Crick will likely move back into an eighth-inning role whenever he's activated.

Michael Feliz - 10-Day IL - Forearm

8/2 11:05 AM EST - Feliz (forearm) is expected to undergo an MRI on his right forearm in the next couple days, general manager Ben Cherington told 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Cherington said that Feliz may have to use a car service to get back from Chicago to Pittsburgh, where he'll get his MRI. Since pitching well in his first outing, Feliz has surrendered six earned runs while recording just two outs.

Clay Holmes - 10-Day IL - Forearm

7/28 2:54 PM EST - Holmes was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right forearm strain Tuesday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports. After his fastball clocked in at 94.3 mph over the past two seasons, Holmes' velocity was down to 92.4 mph in his first appearance in 2020, and this forearm injury may have very well played a part in that. It's unclear how much time the right-hander will miss as a result. Despite his decreased velocity, Holmes allowed no runs on two hits and no walks while striking out one over 1.1 innings in his season debut.

Keone Kela - Covid-19 - Undisclosed

8/2 10:53 AM EST - Kela (illness) will not be activated for at least a few days, general manager Ben Cherington told 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Speaking on his Sunday radio show, Cherington noted that the reliever is currently throwing with a number of rehabbing pitchers at PNC Park. Kela will need to throw off the mound multiple times and face live hitters, showing game shape prior to activation. Nick Burdi will likely continue to serve as the team's closer in Kela's stead.

Mitch Keller - 10-Day IL - Oblique

8/2 11:01 AM EST - The Pirates are unlikely to have a timetable regarding the injury to Keller (oblique) for several days, general manager Ben Cherington told 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Cherington said the team will need more time to determine the severity of Keller's injury. "It takes a couple days to get a handle on it," the general manager noted. He applauded Keller for not trying to push through the oblique injury, something that may help the righty return to action sooner than if he had continued to pitch through the pain.

Kevin Kramer - 60-Day IL - Hip

6/29 1:02 PM EST - The Pirates placed Kramer (hip) on the 10-day injured list Monday and then transferred him to the 60-day IL. He underwent hip surgery in March that will sideline him for 4-to-6 months, so it's possible he won't play at all this season. Kramer was set to compete for a bench role under normal circumstances.

Chad Kuhl - Day-To-Day - Finger

8/2 1:48 PM EST - Kuhl was removed from Sunday's game against the Cubs with an abrasion on his right index finger. The 27-year-old covered 1.1 innings and allowed one run on two hits with one strikeout and one walk before leaving the game. Kuhl has been piggybacking off Steven Brault to begin the season, and his status for the next turn through the rotation remains unclear.

Travis MacGregor - Day-To-Day - Elbow

4/4 8:17 AM EST - MacGregor underwent Tommy John surgery last September and will miss the entire 2019 season, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports. A 6-foot-3, 180-pound projectable righty, MacGregor wasn't really on the dynasty-league radar, but he could have gotten himself there with a healthy, productive season at High-A. Instead, he will be on the shelf all season and may not even be healthy in time to pitch in winter ball. He will likely head back to Low-A to open the 2020 season to knock off rust before an assignment to High-A.

Luke Maile - 60-Day IL - Finger

7/23 11:43 AM EST - The Pirates placed Maile (finger) on the 60-day injured list Thursday. Maile was ruled out for 10-to-12 weeks after undergoing surgery July 17 to repair a fractured index finger on his throwing hand, so the transaction comes as little surprise. The Pirates will proceed with Jacob Stallings and John Ryan Murphy as their two catchers on the Opening Day roster with Maile sidelined.

Hector Noesi - Out - Opt Out

7/8 6:18 PM EST - Manager Derek Shelton said Wednesday that Noesi has opted out of the 2020 season due to family reasons, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports. The right-hander struggled over 27.2 innings in Miami last season with an 8.46 ERA, but he nonetheless earned a spot in Pittsburgh's 60-man player pool. Noesi will instead sit out the 2020 campaign for the benefit of his family.

Pablo Reyes - Suspension - Suspension

2/19 2:10 PM EST - Reyes was dealt an 80-game suspension without pay Wednesday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports. Reyes was not invited to spring training after being outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis on January 16. The 26-year-old struggled to produce offensively for the Pirates in 2019, slashing .203/.274/.322 with 39 runs scored and 36 RBI throughout 157 plate appearances.

JT Riddle - 10-Day IL - Abdomen

7/23 11:46 AM EST - The Pirates placed Riddle on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a right abdominal strain. The injury will prevent Riddle from earning a spot on the Opening Day roster, clearing the way for Erik Gonzalez, Cole Tucker and Phillip Evans to make the roster as backup infielders. Riddle joined the Pirates in January after wrapping up his third big-league season with Miami in 2019, during which he hit .189 with six home runs over 139 plate appearances.

Edgar Santana - Suspension - Suspension

6/30 9:17 AM EST - The Pirates placed Santana (suspension) on the restricted list Sunday. Pittsburgh made the move shortly after it was announced Sunday that Santana had received an 80-game suspension following his positive test for the performance-enhancing substance Boldenon. The transaction opens up an extra spot on the 40-man roster and spells an official end to the right-hander's season, as he won't be an option with the Pirates only playing 60 games in 2020. He'll serve out the final 20 games of his suspension at the start of the 2021 season.

Jameson Taillon - 60-Day IL - Elbow

6/30 9:24 AM EST - Taillon (elbow), who will not pitch in the majors in 2020, will attend camp in Pittsburgh as part of his rehabilitation, DK Pittsburgh Sports reports. He'll take the spot of Edgar Santana, who was suspended for 80 games due to PED usage. The move will allow Taillon to continue working with the medical staff in Pittsburgh. In an effort to better maintain his health following a second Tommy John surgery, the righty has made several mechanical adjustments. He's shortened his arm action in his throwing motion and is keeping the ball closer to his body, moves intended to put less stress on his arm and elbow.

Felipe Vazquez - Out - Personal

11/19 1:11 PM EST - Florida prosecutors filed 21 new charges against Vazquez on Tuesday, Renatta Signorini and Rich Cholodofsky of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review report. Police seized an iPhone and a MacBook Pro they say belonged to Vazquez, and a search of those devices led to the additional charges; 10 counts of child pornography, 10 counts of unlawful contact with a minor and a single charge of corruption of minors. Vazquez was originally arrested in September for engaging in sexual activity with a minor and was subsequently placed on the restricted list by MLB. He is being held without bail.

Twins Expected Lineup

SP - Jose Berrios

1. Max Kepler

2. Jorge Polanco

3. Nelson Cruz

4. Josh Donaldson

5. Eddie Rosario

6. Miguel Sano

7. Mitch Garver

8. Luis Arraez

9. Byron Buxton

Pirates Expected Lineup

SP - Joe Musgrove

1. Kevin Newman

2. Bryan Reynolds

3. Josh Bell

4. Jose Osuna

5. Phillip Evans

6. Adam Frazier

7. Erik Gonzalez

8. Guillermo Heredia

9. Jacob Stallings

Top Picks From Each Team

Nelson Cruz, Twins: Cruz went 3-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI in Monday's 5-4 win over the Pirates. He is hitting .359 (14-for-39) through his first 10 games of 2020 with three homers and an incredible 14 RBI, tying him with Aaron Judge for the league lead.

Josh Bell, Pirates: Bell is only hitting .194 this season, but he is coming off a 2019 season in which he hit 37 homers with 116 RBI. If there's any capable of producing offense on any given night on the Twins roster, that's Bell.

Captaincy Options

1. Nelson Cruz
2. Max Kepler
3. Josh Bell
4. Jorge Polanco

Dream11 Team

P – Jose Berrios

C – Jacob Stallings

IF – Josh Bell

IF – Nick Gordon

OF – Nelson Cruz (C)

OF – Max Kepler (VC)

OF – Byron Buxton

OF – Jarrod Dyson

OF – Gregory Polanco