This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy Baseball series.
San Diego Padres (21-15) at Colorado Rockies (17-17)
Monday, August 31st, 9:40 PM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Garrett Richards (1-2, 5.17 ERA) vs RHP German Marquez (2-4, 4.50 ERA)
Game Preview
The Padres are making lots of moves before the end of Monday's trade deadline and, if anything, they seem ready to make a playoff push in the National League. Their record seems to back them up, as they currently sit six games above the .500 mark. The Rockies, on the other hand, have been inconsistent and are 17-17 this season, so they need to make a quick turnaround if they're looking to make a push in the NL Wild Card race. The pitching matchup will be a duel of two right-handers, as German Marquez will go up against Garrett Richards. Neither is expected to carry a lot of upside into this game, however, as the altitude of Coors Field is not keen on pitchers most of the time.
Injuries
Colorado Rockies
Ben Bowden - Out - Undisclosed
8/26 3:32 PM EST - Bowden suffered another injury while rehabbing a back injury at the Rockies' alternate training site, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports. The nature of Bowden's injury is unclear, but manager Bud Black said Wednesday that it's limited his availability at alternate camp. As a result, he's unlikely to appear in the majors during the abbreviated 2020 season. The southpaw had a 5.88 ERA and 1.77 WHIP with Triple-A Albuquerque last season, but he could make his
San Diego Padres (21-15) at Colorado Rockies (17-17)
Monday, August 31st, 9:40 PM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Garrett Richards (1-2, 5.17 ERA) vs RHP German Marquez (2-4, 4.50 ERA)
Game Preview
The Padres are making lots of moves before the end of Monday's trade deadline and, if anything, they seem ready to make a playoff push in the National League. Their record seems to back them up, as they currently sit six games above the .500 mark. The Rockies, on the other hand, have been inconsistent and are 17-17 this season, so they need to make a quick turnaround if they're looking to make a push in the NL Wild Card race. The pitching matchup will be a duel of two right-handers, as German Marquez will go up against Garrett Richards. Neither is expected to carry a lot of upside into this game, however, as the altitude of Coors Field is not keen on pitchers most of the time.
Injuries
Colorado Rockies
Ben Bowden - Out - Undisclosed
8/26 3:32 PM EST - Bowden suffered another injury while rehabbing a back injury at the Rockies' alternate training site, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports. The nature of Bowden's injury is unclear, but manager Bud Black said Wednesday that it's limited his availability at alternate camp. As a result, he's unlikely to appear in the majors during the abbreviated 2020 season. The southpaw had a 5.88 ERA and 1.77 WHIP with Triple-A Albuquerque last season, but he could make his major-league debut at some point once he's healthy.
Tim Collins - Out - Opt Out
7/27 10:51 AM EST - The Rockies announced Monday that Collins has elected to opt out of the 2020 season. Collins had been added to the Rockies' 60-man player pool in late June and was present for summer camp, but he failed to win a spot on the season-opening 30-man roster. Rather than waiting around at the Rockies' alternative training site for a potential callup to the big club, Collins will remove himself from the 60-man pool and pack it in for 2020. He's scheduled to become a free agent during the offseason.
David Dahl - 10-Day IL - Back
8/26 3:53 PM EST - Manager Bud Black said Dahl (back) is close to returning, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports. Dahl landed on the injured list last week with a bout of lower-back soreness, but it sounds like he's nearing a return after facing teammate Chi Chi Gonzalez (biceps) in live batting practice Wednesday. Prior to landing on the shelf, the outfielder struggled to a .189/.238/.243 line across 19 games.
Wade Davis - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
8/26 4:04 PM EST - Davis (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports. This is an encouraging step for Davis, who has been sidelined all month with a right shoulder strain. An updated timetable for the right-hander's return should come into focus once he's further along in his throwing program. In the meantime, Daniel Bard and Carlos Estevez are Colorado's top options for saves.
Ian Desmond - Out - Opt Out
6/29 7:35 PM EST - Desmond announced Monday via his personal Instagram account that he won't play in 2020 for personal reasons. Desmond will opt to sit out the 2020 season once play resumes to focus on civil rights issues and out of concerns about playing during the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming the fourth known player to do so. The 34-year-old has an expectant wife and four young children, and he outlined his concerns of playing during the pandemic. He was only expected to play against left-handed pitchers, so there will likely only be minor bumps in playing time for Sam Hilliard, Raimel Tapia, Garrett Hampson and Brendan Rodgers.
Joe Harvey - 60-Day IL - Elbow
8/24 4:33 PM EST - Harvey (elbow) was placed on the 45-day injured list Monday. Harvey will miss the remainder of the 2020 season following this move. He suffered a right elbow sprain during Friday's outing. Harvey struck out two across 3.1 scoreless innings in four appearances prior to suffering the injury.
Peter Lambert - 60-Day IL - Elbow
7/23 9:41 AM EST - The Rockies announced Thursday that Lambert (elbow) recently underwent Tommy John surgery and was placed on the 45-day injured list. Lambert had previously developed a forearm strain late in spring training and apparently didn't fully move past the issue four months later at summer camp, prompting him to undergo the corrective procedure. Given the timing of his surgery, Lambert appears set to miss the entire 2021 campaign while rehabbing the elbow injury, though he should back to full strength for spring training in 2022.
Justin Lawrence - Out - Suspension
1/17 2:06 PM EST - Lawrence was handed an 80-game suspension Friday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports Lawrence split the 2019 season between Double-A and Triple-A and struggled at both levels with a combined 8.76 ERA and 2.05 WHIP over 37 innings. The 25-year-old was added to the 40-man roster in November 2018 to be protected from the Rule 5 draft after a solid season, but the suspension and a rocky 2019 leaves his standing on the roster unstable at best.
Scott Oberg - 60-Day IL - Arm
8/2 10:59 AM EST - Oberg (back) was transferred to the 45-day injured list Sunday due to blood clots in his right arm. The 30-year-old was nearing his return from a back injury when he began feeling discomfort in his right hand and had trouble gripping the ball, and further evaluations revealed his blood clot issues have resurfaced. Oberg missed the final six weeks of 2019 due to the issue , and it's now the third time the problem has surfaced over the past few years. He'll be sidelined for the near future and may not pitch in 2020.
Chris Owings - 10-Day IL - Hamstring
8/20 9:24 AM EST - Owings was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a strained hamstring, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports. He exited a game last week with left hamstring tightness, and has since appeared in several games, but it sounds like he made the injury worse, despite going 2-for-4 in Wednesday's game. Brendan Rodgers was recalled and will start at second base Thursday against the Astros.
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 - 10-Day IL - Lat
8/21 3:20 PM EST - Castillo (lat) threw from 120 feet Friday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Castillo has been out since early July with a Grade 2 lat strain. He appears to be nearing a return, though when exactly that's expected to happen remains unclear.
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.
Adrian Morejon - 10-Day IL - Undisclosed
8/29 2:00 PM EST - Morejon was placed on the 10-day injured list for an undisclosed reason Saturday. Morejon was scheduled to start Saturday against the Rockies, but it's unclear when the southpaw could return to action. Michel Baez will start in his place Saturday.
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.
Rockies Expected Lineup
SP - German Marquez
1. Raimel Tapia
2. Trevor Story
6. Ryan McMahon
8. Sam Hilliard
9. Tony Wolters
Padres Expected Lineup
SP - Garrett Richards
4. Eric Hosmer
5. Wil Myers
9. Jason Castro
Top Picks From Each Team
Fernando Tatis, Padres: Tatis is one of the biggest candidates in the NL MVP race, and he is coming off a three-hit performance that pushed his hitting streak to five games. Tatis is slashing .308/.400/.462 in his last 10 contests.
Trevor Story, Rockies: Story snapped a nine-game hitting streak with a 0-for-4 performance the last time out, but the slugging shortstop has been one of the most reliable offensive threats in the Rockies lineup. He is hitting .308 with a .964 OPS in the last 10 games.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Garrett Richards
C – Austin Nola
IF – Nolan Arenado
IF – Manny Machado
IF – Trevor Story (VC)
IF – Fernando Tatis (C)
OF – Trent Grisham
OF – Charlie Blackmon
OF – Tommy Pham
