Ten southpaws are scheduled to take the hill on Sunday, with three possibly making their last start for the current team as Robbie Ray, Matthew Boyd and Madison Bumgarner are all rumored to be on the trading block. Lefty Chris Sale isn't going anywhere as he and the Boston Red Sox close out a weekend set with Domingo German and the New York Yankees. And left-hander Alex Wood makes his 2019 and Cincinnati Reds debut at home against the Colorado Rockies.
Sunday also marks the end of another scoring period. With head-to-head playoffs fast approaching, chances to make up ground are dwindling. Here are some players to help close the week out on a strong note, all available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues.
Pitching
Alex Wood (L), rostered in 19% of ESPN leagues, Cincinnati Reds vs. Colorado Rockies: It's always a difficult decision in cases like this, to trust or wait and see when an injured pitcher returns from a long layoff. Wood was acquired by the Reds last December, and is slated to make his long-awaited debut. He has been ramping up his pitch count on rehab, tossing 85 pitches on July 29 for Triple-A Louisville. In 11 ⅔ rehab innings, Wood fanned 11 with two walks. The chief reason Wood is in play right away is the Rockies are terrible on the road versus lefties, ranking 26th in wOBA (weighted on base average) with a left-hander on the hill, and fanning a whopping 30% of the time in that scenario.
Felix Pena (R), 5%, Los Angeles Angels vs. Baltimore Orioles: Pena has enjoyed a lot of success as a primary pitcher, but a taxed bullpen has thrust Pena back into a traditional starter role. In his return, Pena draws one of the weakest lineups when a right-hander is on the hill. Further, the Orioles are incurring a huge park downgrade in pitcher-friendly Angels Stadium.
Jason Vargas (L), 5%, New York Mets vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: Vargas has won his past two outings, throwing six frames in each, with a dozen total whiffs. He's in a good spot to extend his streak, drawing a Pirates lineup sitting dead last in terms of wOBA versus left-handers.
Tommy Milone (L), 2%, Seattle Mariners vs. Detroit Tigers: Continuing the theme of weak offenses facing a lefty on the hill, Milone will square off against a Tigers lineup that is just the 23rd most productive club when a southpaw toes the rubber. Milone is coming off a pair of games where he allowed three homers in each, however Detroit is 28th in terms of home run rate against left-handed pitching.
Elieser Hernandez (R), 1%, Miami Marlins vs. Arizona Diamondbacks: Hernandez is replacing Trevor Richards in the Marlins rotation, so he isn't likely to work more than five frames, if that. Still, it's worth noting he's back to starting after spending several weeks working out of the bullpen. In five starts earlier in the season, Hernandez recorded a 4.05 ERA with a tidy 1.05 WHIP, punching out 32 with just six free passes on those 26 ⅔ innings.
Bullpen
No peeking, but which two closers lead the league in saves this month through Friday's action? Here's a hint, their teams both hail from the same state. If you guessed Carlos Martinez and Ian Kennedy, you're right. Now go and pick them up as they're both available in more than half of ESPN leagues.
The San Diego Padres are deploying an old-fashioned bullpen game with Adrian Morejon getting things started, followed by a parade of relievers as there isn't anyone obvious to serve as the primary pitcher.
Hitting
Catcher -- Will Smith (R), 1%, Los Angeles Dodgers at Washington Nationals (RHP Stephen Strasburg): The matchup isn't ideal, but if you play in two-catcher leagues, Smith is worth an immediate pickup as Dave Roberts has stated Smith will catch the bulk of the games for the Los Angeles Dodgers. At least for now, the 24-year-old backstop has leapfrogged Keibert Ruiz on the organizational depth chart with a solid campaign for Triple-A Oklahoma City, slashing .269/.381/.605. In a short stint in The Show earlier this summer, Smith slugged three homers in just 29 plate appearances.
First Base -- Garrett Cooper (R), 19%, Miami Marlins vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (LHP Robbie Ray): This is one of those matchups that can go either way as Ray's forte is missing bats while Cooper is strikeout-prone. However, Ray is also homer-prone, with 18 of his 21 gophers coming courtesy of righty swingers while Cooper is slugging .514 with the platoon edge.
Second Base -- Kevin Newman (R), 19%, Pittsburgh Pirates at New York Mets (LHP Jason Vargas): Newman continues to get it done from the leadoff spot, getting on base at a 36% clip. Though, to be fair, it's mostly a result of high contact and not high walks.
Third Base -- Miguel Sano (R), 28%, Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox (RHP Dylan Covey): While it's preferred to deploy Sano against a lefty, he has prolific power regardless who is toeing the rubber. When the lowest ranked pitcher on Sunday's slate is doing the honors, put platoon edge aside.
Shortstop -- Tommy Edman (S), 20%, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Houston Astros (LHP Wade Miley): Edman has been leading off for the hot Cardinals lineup, virtually assuring him five chances to produce. Further, Miley has fanned jus 100 in 121 ⅔ innings while Edman fans less than 20% of the time. The rookie also offers a nice power/speed mix.
Corner Infield -- Miguel Cabrera (R), 47%, Detroit Tigers at Seattle Mariners (LHP Tommy Milone): Sorry but get used to it. So long as Cabrera is under the 50% threshold and is facing a lefty, he'll be featured. On the season, he's slashing a productive .304/.385/.482 facing left-handed pitching.
Middle Infield -- Keston Hiura (R), 46%, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Chicago Cubs (LHP Jose Quintana): Hiura is the first of two rookies deserving of being well over the other side of the 50% cutoff line. Don't be concerned about the recall of Travis Shaw, Hiura will continue to play -- and produce. To wit, in July Hiura is slashing a robust .385/.455/.732 with five homers and six steals.
Outfield -- Jackie Bradley Jr. (L), 37%, Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees (RHP Domingo German): Boston bats have been bashing Yankees pitching this weekend with Bradley Jr. chipping in with four hits in the first two games of the series. After giving up just two homers in 38 ⅓ innings to start the campaign, German has authored 16 long balls in his last 53 ⅓ frames.
Outfield -- Oscar Mercado (R), 34%, Cleveland Indians at Kansas City Royals (LHP Danny Duffy): This is getting silly. Why is Mercado's rostership dropping? OK, he's in a bit of a slump, but all players have peaks and valleys. Especially if you need steals, Mercado is a must grab. Admittedly, he's been fanning a bit too much lately, but the rookie has displayed he can handle major league pitching and should make the adjustment.
Outfield -- Anthony Santander (S), 7%, Baltimore Orioles at Los Angeles Angels (RHP Felix Pena): Santander in a great spot as he's crushing right-handers to the tune of a .308/.350/.561 triple-slash. Furthermore, Santander is on a tear, sporting a .395/.400/.816 line in the eight contests leading up to Saturday's action.