| | | | Friday, August 27, 2021 | | Happy Kokomo Friday! We had another fun night of baseball that saw the New York Yankees increase their winning streak to 12, veteran pitchers show off and Salvador Perez hit his 35th home run of the season. Speaking of home runs, Bobby Dalbec blasted two of them with seven RBI. He's having a pretty massive August where he's batting .347 with five homers and an 1.184 OPS. The problem is the team recently added both Kyle Schwarber and Travis Shaw. It looks like the long term plan is for Schwarber to take over at first and, if that's the case, there just isn't any space for Dalbec. While he's been incredibly hot, we can only recommend adding Dalbec in daily lineup leagues where you can plug him in when he's in the lineup. | | Let's talk about a hitter you can add right now, and that's Brandin Nimmo. He added three more hits on Thursday and over his last 15 games he's batting .311 with two homers and one steal. We know who Nimmo is at this point. He's got a great eye at the plate, will help with OBP and offers modest power and speed. He's currently 61% rostered and, while he doesn't have the highest upside, Nimmo has a safe floor for those of you in points leagues. | | Of course, as always, you can follow to make sure you get the latest episodes of Fantasy Baseball Today right when they drop on Apple and Spotify. | | | | Immaculate inning for Chris Sale! | | | | Chris Sale -- now known as the bearded one -- looks like he's just about back to form. He allowed just two earned runs over 5.1 innings against the Twins, striking out eight. Those eight strikeouts actually included an immaculate inning! It was the third time Sale has done that in his career, tying Sandy Koufax. What I was most encouraged by was his 94.3 MPH average fastball velocity. It was far and away the highest of the three starts he made. Sale even maxed out at 98 MPH a few times. I made a massive rankings update Thursday and Sale now sits at SP13. | | Carlos Carrasco also getting on track | | Much like Sale, we waited a long time for Carlos Carrasco this season and, up until Thursday, that looked like a mistake. Carrasco had his best start of the season, limiting the Giants to just two runs over seven innings on just 78 pitches. He added 12 swinging strikes and his velocity was up over 1 MPH on each of his four main pitches. If you were hesitant about starting Carrasco based on how he's looked to this point, don't be. He faces off against the Marlins next week, which is one of the best matchups a pitcher can have. | | | | News and notes | Rhys Hoskins will undergo surgery to repair a lower abdominal issue and will miss the remainder of the season. If you need a replacement, Scott prefers Connor Joe or Frank Schwindel.
Ketel Marte left Thursday's game with left hip discomfort.
Mookie Betts returned and was batting third behind Trea Turner and Corey Seager. Max Muncy was out due to back tightness.
With Betts returning, Gavin Lux was optioned to Triple-A.
Alex Cora suggested Matt Barnes may not be used in a save situation the next time he pitches. You may want to speculate on Adam Ottavino if you play in a deeper category league.
Apparently Corey Kluber will be activated and start Monday against the Angels. The Yankees broadcast said the plan is for him to go four innings with Andrew Heaney as a piggyback. Kluber is 66% rostered and should be added where available.
Lewis Brinson left Thursday's game with a left thumb sprain.
Buster Posey has been out two straight with a knee injury. He's day-to-day.
Hunter Renfroe went on the bereavement list and Jarren Duran was recalled.
Tejay Antone will undergo Tommy John surgery Friday. I am sad.
Gio Urshela returned to the Yankees lineup and was batting eighth.
| | | | Best hitter matchups for Week 23 | | 1. Red Sox @TB4, CLE3 | | 2. Cubs @MIN2, PIT4 | | 3. Reds STL3, DET3 | | 4. Rockies @TEX3, ATL4 | | 5. Yankees @LAA3, BAL3 | | Worst hitter matchups for Week 23 | | 1. Cardinals @CIN3, @MIL3 | | 2. Giants MIL4, LAD3 | | 3. Athletics @DET3, @TOR3 | | 4. Diamondbacks SD3, SEA3 | | 5. Dodgers ATL3, @SF3 | | | | | | | | NFL on CBS | | Start a Football Pool Today! | The NFL on CBS returns, with preseason action featuring Tua and the Dolphins heading to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals in the teams' final tune-up before the regular season. Kickoff is Sunday at 4 PM ET on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ and the CBS Sports App.
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