This is it friends, one last slate before many leagues begin their head to head playoffs. Luckily, Sunday's schedule offers a little of everything from pitching to power to speed. While it's always essential to check lineups on Sunday, this is not a day to take a zero so before heading out to your end-of-summer barbeque, make sure all your starters are active.
Good luck! Here are some players in a favorable position to fortify your lineup, all available in at least half of ESPN leagues.
Pitching
Michael Pineda (R), rostered in 34% of ESPN leagues, Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers: Pineda has won his last four decision, posting a 3.30 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 30 innings, covering five starts. He's fanned only 26 in this span, albeit with just four walks. Pineda and the Twins will no doubt be favored over the tame Tigers so if it's a win you need, move Pineda to the top of your wish list.
Adam Plutko (R), 9%, Cleveland Indians at Tampa Bay Rays: August has been kind to Plutko as he's posted a 3-1 record with a tidy 3.41 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. He hasn't been dominating with 24 punch-outs in 29 frames, but he's limited walks and kept the ball in the yard. Meanwhile, it's been a tough month for the Rays offense as they check in with a wOBA (weighted on base average) in the lower third of the league against righties.
Eric Lauer (L), 6%, San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants: Lauer is the prototypical spot starter. He's logged eight quality starts but he's also failed to throw more than four innings in seven starts. On Sunday, Lauer draws a Giants offense sitting with the fourth poorest wOBA with a lefty on the hill.
Danny Duffy (L), 4%, Kansas City Royals vs. Baltimore Orioles: Duffy is earmarked to come off the injured list Sunday, commensurate with roster expansion. He worked his last rehab start a week ago, tossing five frames for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. It's been a down year for Duffy but Sunday offers the southpaw a chance to start the new month off strong as the Orioles are the 24th ranked team against lefthanders, fanning 25% of the time in that scenario.
Bullpen: In order to conserve Dustin May's innings, the Los Angeles Dodgers will use their 21-year old rookie out of the bullpen on what would be his normal day to start. If your rules allow, picking up May in hopes of a win could pay dividends. Ross Stripling is slated to start the contest with May and Stripling each penciled in for three innings. In what will no doubt be even more common now that rosters have expanded, two more squads with feature a bullpen affair with the Blue Jays opening with Wilmer Font while the Rangers will deploy Brett Martin first. Other than May, there isn't anyone of fantasy interest worth picking up.
Projected game scores
Hitting
Catcher -- Austin Allen (L), under 1%, San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants (RHP Jeff Samardzija): Call it a hunch, but with Francisco Mejia on the injured list, Allen is the backup receiver and Sunday is the day most reserve backstops see action. Allen enjoys the platoon edge on Samardzija, who is having a solid second half but it still more susceptible to lefty swingers.
First Base -- Sheldon Neuse (R), 2%, New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics (RHP Mike Fiers): Oakland recently advanced both Neuse and Seth Brown, either of which is a candidate to use. Brown is a slugger and would enjoy the platoon edge but has significant swing and miss in his game. Neuse has better plate skills with good pop himself as evidenced with 27 long balls with Triple-A Las Vegas.
Second Base -- Adam Frazier (L), 25%, Pittsburgh Pirates at Colorado Rockies (Undecided): Both Frazier and double-play combo mate Kevin Newman have enjoyed their visit to Coors Stadium. The Rockies rotation is in flux, though since there aren't any logical southpaws, Frazier should enjoy the platoon edge in the series finale.
Third Base -- Abraham Toro (S), 1%, Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays (Bullpen game): Toro checks a couple of the standard boxes when streaming hitters. He's a switch hitter on a day the Blue Jays should deploy several relievers and it avails a piece of a productive lineup, most of which isn't available for pickup. Toro has exhibited strong plate skills in his short MLB stint, walking five times with only three strikeouts in 26 plate appearances heading into Saturday's action.
Shortstop -- Andrelton Simmons (R), 40%, Los Angeles Angels vs. Boston Red Sox (LHP David Price): As much fun as it is to follow prospects, especially this season as the crop of rookies has been exceptional in terms of quality and quantity, there's something to be said for trusting the tried and true. Simmons has been one of the steadier players the past few years but has had his season marred by injury. The same can be said for Price, though not to the same extent in terms of health.
Corner Infield -- Tommy Edman (S), 44%, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds (RHP Tyler Mahle): The Cardinals and Reds play consecutive twin bills after Friday night's rainout so look to get as many players from both sides active since each team will likely face taxed bullpens. Edman has a shot to play both games with the ability to move around the infield and his switch-hitting will come in handy facing relievers, assuring him of the platoon edge.
Middle Infield -- Mauricio Dubon (R), 1%, San Francisco Giants vs. San Diego Padres (LHP Eric Lauer): In a move slipping under the radar, the Giants released Scooter Gennett, paving the way for San Francisco to audition Dubon down the stretch. The Giants acquired Dubon from the Milwaukee Brewers for Drew Pomeranz. The 24-year old middle infielder has excellent contact skills though he rarely takes a walk. Dubon slashed a combined .302/.345/.477 splitting time with Triple-A San Antonio and Sacramento.
Outfield -- Mike Tauchman (L), 25%, New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics (RHP Mike Fiers): Tauchman remains an important cog in the Yankees "next man up" machine. He's also leading the club in steals since the break, with five.
Outfield -- Jake Cave (L), 2%, Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers (RHP Spencer Turnbull): Cave is doing all he can to replace Byron Buxton in center field. Cave doesn't have Buxton's wheels, but he has five homers the past week.
Outfield -- Yonathan Daza (R), under 1%, Colorado Rockies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (LHP Steven Brault): Don't worry, it took until the end but the requisite Rockies batter in a home game makes the list. With a lefty on the hill, Daza is ticketed for the starting lineup, against a hurler allowing a lot of baserunners, not a trait conducive to success in Coors Field.
Hitter ratings account for the opposing starting pitcher's past history (three years' worth as well as past 21 days) as well as ballpark factors. "LH" and "RH" ratings account only for left- and right-handed batters, respectively. Weighted on-base average (wOBA) is the primary statistic used in the calculation. Ratings range from 1-10, with 10 representing the best possible matchup, statistically speaking, and 1 representing the worst. So, for example, a 10 is a must-start rating, while a 1 should be avoided (if possible); a 1-2 is poor, 3-4 is fair, 5-6 is average, 7-8 is very good and 9-10 is excellent. A "*" means that the pitcher lacks requisite career major league data to produce an accurate hitter rating; these are the author's ratings.