This article is part of our Dream11 Fantasy Baseball series.
Cleveland Indians (20-12) at St. Louis Cardinals (11-12)
Saturday, August 29th, 1:15 PM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Carlos Carrasco (2-3, 4.50 ERA) vs RHP Jack Flaherty (2-0, 1.98 ERA)
Game Preview
The Indians are clicking in all cylinders offensively and are coming off one of their best performances of the season, scoring 14 runs and mustering 20 hits on route to a huge 14-2 win at Busch Stadium, in a game where Cardinals starter Daniel Ponce de Leon only lasted two-thirds of an inning while allowing four runs on two hits and four walks. There's no question the Cardinals will attempt to bounce back and will have one of their best pitchers, Jack Flaherty, in the mound for Saturday's contest – he owns a 1.98 ERA in 2020. The Indians will counter with veteran Carlos Carrasco, who has gone 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA in the current season. However, if the Indians look as good offensively as they did Friday, the Cardinals might not be able to do much to slow them down.
Injuries
Cleveland Indians
Emmanuel Clase - Suspension - Suspension
6/25 11:24 AM EST - Clase's suspension will be completed if MLB plays an entire 60-game season in 2020, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Clase was initially slated to serve an 80-game suspension after testing positive for the PED Boldenone, but the suspension won't carry over to 2021 if the league plays their entire 60-game regular season. If the season gets interrupted, negotiations
Cleveland Indians (20-12) at St. Louis Cardinals (11-12)
Saturday, August 29th, 1:15 PM EDT
Projected Starters
RHP Carlos Carrasco (2-3, 4.50 ERA) vs RHP Jack Flaherty (2-0, 1.98 ERA)
Game Preview
The Indians are clicking in all cylinders offensively and are coming off one of their best performances of the season, scoring 14 runs and mustering 20 hits on route to a huge 14-2 win at Busch Stadium, in a game where Cardinals starter Daniel Ponce de Leon only lasted two-thirds of an inning while allowing four runs on two hits and four walks. There's no question the Cardinals will attempt to bounce back and will have one of their best pitchers, Jack Flaherty, in the mound for Saturday's contest – he owns a 1.98 ERA in 2020. The Indians will counter with veteran Carlos Carrasco, who has gone 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA in the current season. However, if the Indians look as good offensively as they did Friday, the Cardinals might not be able to do much to slow them down.
Injuries
Cleveland Indians
Emmanuel Clase - Suspension - Suspension
6/25 11:24 AM EST - Clase's suspension will be completed if MLB plays an entire 60-game season in 2020, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Clase was initially slated to serve an 80-game suspension after testing positive for the PED Boldenone, but the suspension won't carry over to 2021 if the league plays their entire 60-game regular season. If the season gets interrupted, negotiations would likely need to reopen in order to determine a timetable for the suspension.
Richard Palacios - Day-To-Day - Shoulder
4/4 11:31 AM EST - Palacios is on the 7-day IL at High-A Lynchburg recovering from shoulder surgery, MLB.com reports. He suffered a torn labrum and needed posterior labrum surgery in late March. This procedure typically carries a three-to-four month recovery period, so he will miss most of the minor-league season.
Lenny Torres - Out - Elbow
5/15 1:08 PM EST - Torres underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire 2019 season. He experienced diminished velocity in an early May outing in extended spring training, and it was quickly revealed that he would need to go under the knife to repair a torn UCL. Torres has considerable upside, but as a shorter pitcher with elite arm speed, this development is not particularly surprising. Given the timing of the surgery and Torres' minimal pro experience, he may not pitch for an affiliate until 2021.
St. Louis Cardinals
John Brebbia - 60-Day IL - Elbow
6/28 12:23 PM EST - Brebbia (elbow) was placed on the 45-day injured list Sunday, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports. It was announced this week that he 30-year-old underwent Tommy John surgery in early June, so his removal from the 40-man roster was only a matter of time. Brebbia will miss all of the 60 games in 2020 but could return during midseason 2021 if all goes well in his recovery.
Austin Dean - Covid-19 - Not Injury Related
8/25 4:50 PM EST - Dean (illness) cleared MLB's COVID-19 protocols and will report to the alternate training site for workouts, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports. The 26-year-old has been sidelined since early August after testing positive for the virus, but he's now cleared the leagues protocols. Dean did not appear in a game prior to the Cardinals' COVID-19 outbreak and is likely to fill a reserve role once he reaches game readiness.
Ryan Helsley - Covid-19 - Not Injury Related
8/24 10:37 PM EST - Helsley (illness) threw a side session Monday and could potentially throw live batting practice Tuesday, Richard Justice of MLB.com reports. Helsley continues to make good progress toward an eventual return, and he could take another important step very quickly according to Justice's report. The right-hander's level of activity Tuesday will be determined by how well Helsley recovers from Monday's session, with manager Mike Shildt remarking the team will "continue to work on the timeline" with respect to the reliever's return to action.
Jordan Hicks - Out - Opt Out
7/20 6:35 AM EST - The Cardinals placed Hicks (elbow) on the restricted list last week after he informed the team that he was opting out of the 2020 season. The transaction removes Hicks from the Cardinals' 40-man roster, giving the team some more flexibility before it begins its season July 24. Per Mark Saxon of The Athletic, Hicks' choice to skip out on the 2020 season wasn't totally motivated by concerns about the health risks he may have faced pitching amid the COVID-19 pandemic as a Type 1 diabetic. Instead, the 23-year-old disclosed that he recently dealt with inflammation during his throwing program as he worked back from his June 2019 Tommy John procedure. The extra time off to rest should allow Hicks to report at full health for 2021 spring training, at which point he could re-emerge as the Cardinals' top closing candidate.
Carlos Martinez - Covid-19 - Not Injury Related
8/26 10:51 PM EST - Martinez (illness) will face hitters again Thursday at the Cardinals' alternate training site in Springfield, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. The right-hander threw what manager Mike Shildt described as a "low-intensity" live batting practice session Monday in Springfield, and he'll repeat the practice Thursday, likely with a higher pitch count. Martinez will return as to the active roster as a starter, so he may need at least one more session beyond Thursday's to have his arm built up sufficiently.
Miles Mikolas - 60-Day IL - Forearm
8/11 3:11 PM EST - Mikolas (forearm) was transferred to the 45-day injured list Tuesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The move won't have any effect on Mikolas' return timeline, as he's already been ruled out for the year due to surgery on his right flexor tendon. The move creates a spot on the 40-man roster for the Cardinals to add a player once their season eventually resumes following their COVID-19 outbreak.
Andrew Miller - 10-Day IL - Shoulder
8/27 10:14 AM EST - Miller was placed on the injured list Thursday with left shoulder fatigue. This helps explain why Miller went unused during the team's series against the Royals. The lefty will be eligible for activation next Thursday, and the Cardinals are confident he'll be ready to go close to that date, per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat. Junior Fernandez was activated from the injured list in a corresponding move, while Giovanny Gallegos and Tyler Webb are candidates to fill in at closer with Miller sidelined.
Andrew Morales - Out - Shoulder
2/25 8:23 AM EST - Morales (shoulder) is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports. Morales was diagnosed with right shoulder discomfort following his spring debut Sunday versus the Nationals, during which he was touched up for three runs on three hits while recording only one out. The extent of Morales' injury isn't fully known, but the fact that he needs an MRI suggests his setback could be more than a day-to-day concern.
Rangel Ravelo - Covid-19 - Not Injury Related
8/23 12:17 PM EST - Ravelo (illness) is set to start getting at-bats at the Cardinals' alternate training site in Springfield, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. The utility asset is one of a multitude of Cardinals players working his way through the COVID-19 reentry process. Ravelo was cleared for baseball activities Tuesday, and if he's able to demonstrate his timing at the plate is solid in Springfield, he could be deemed ready for activation in fairly short order.
Lane Thomas - Covid-19 - Not Injury Related
8/25 4:58 PM EST - Thomas (illness) cleared the league's COVID-19 protocols and will report to the alternate training site, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports. The 25-year-old has been away from the club since testing positive for COVID-19 in early August, but he's now able to resume organized workouts. It's unclear how long Thomas will require to reach game readiness, and he'll likely fill a reserve role upon his activation.
Kodi Whitley - Covid-19 - Elbow
8/26 12:30 PM EST - Whitley, who is currently on the COVID-19 injured list, returned to St. Louis on Tuesday to receive a scan on his right elbow after he experienced discomfort in recent throwing sessions at the Cardinals' alternate training site, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The rookie reliever was one of several Cardinals who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month, but he's since received full clearance for baseball activities and is eligible to come off the IL whenever St. Louis chooses to activate him. His reinstatement may not be imminent, however, as he'll likely have to put his throwing program on hold for the time being while he waits for inflammation in his elbow to subside. Fortunately for Whitley, the Cardinals don't believe his elbow injury is a major concern, so the scans he required Tuesday were likely just precautionary.
Matt Wieters - 10-Day IL - Toe
8/26 10:47 PM EST - Wieters (toe) will return to St. Louis on Thursday to have his toe contusion evaluated, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports. Wieters had returned home for rest since being placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday, but he'll now have the progress of his toe contusion evaluated first-hand by the team's medical staff. Wieters has been undergoing daily COVID-19 testing while away, so he won't be subject to intake testing upon arrival in St. Louis. The veteran backstop had reported to manager Mike Shildt in recent days that his toe was feeling better and had much less inflammation, so there's presumably a chance he's ready for activation when first eligible Sunday.
Cardinals Expected Lineup
SP - Jack Flaherty
1. Kolten Wong
2. Tommy Edman
4. Paul DeJong
Indians Expected Lineup
SP - Carlos Carrasco
2. Jose Ramirez
7. Tyler Naquin
Top Picks From Each Team
Franmil Reyes, Indians: Reyes is coming off one of his best games of his career Friday, as he went 3-for-4 with a home run (his seventh of the season), five RBI and three runs scored. While he's not going to post those numbers on a daily basis, Reyes has hit .307 this season with a .886 OPS in 2020. That's enough to treat him as a reliable captaincy option.
Paul Goldschmidt, Cardinals: Goldschmidt might have gone 0-for-2 in Friday's contest against the Indians, but he has been the best hitter in the Cardinals by a wide margin and is hitting an impressive .324 with a .966 OPS. That's enough to give him the captaincy nod in this matchup, as he has been remarkably consistent all year long.
Captaincy Options
Dream11 Team
P – Carlos Carrasco
C – Andrew Knizner
IF – Francisco Lindor (VC)
IF – Paul Goldschmidt
IF – Jose Ramirez
IF – Brad Miller
IF – Carlos Santana
OF – Franmil Reyes (C)
OF – Domingo Santana
