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    Daniel Espino pitches two scoreless as opener

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    CLE Starting Pitcher #41
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    Daniel Espino tossed two scoreless innings with two strikeouts as the opener against the Twins on Saturday.

    Espino opened Saturday’s contest against the Twins with two scoreless frames before departing at 26 pitches. He threw 21 for strikes and struck out two batters while giving up one hit. The 25-year-old right-hander has pitched out of the bullpen in his brief time with the Guardians, posting a 2.25 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a 20/4 K/BB ratio across 12 innings.
Rays take 2-0 lead on the back of Yankees miscues
The Dan Le Batard show breaks down the Tampa Rays taking a 2-0 series lead in the ALDS over the New York Yankees by taking advantage of the Yankees' errors and playing sound baseball.

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  • CLE Starting Pitcher #41
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    Espino gets the ball as Cleveland’s opener ahead of lefty Foster Griffin. The hard-throwing 25-year-old rookie posted a pedestrian 4.11 ERA across 15 1/3 regular-season innings. He was one of the top pitching prospects in baseball roughly a half-decade ago before shoulder issues derailed his career. He’ll be tasked with helping the Guardians stave off elimination at the hands of their upstart division rivals.
  • CLE Starting Pitcher #32
    The Guardians are giving Williams a few extra days of rest before facing the White Sox on Monday. It sets up a two-start week for fantasy managers next week that also includes a home matchup against the Athletics. However, it’s a tough development for them to stomach in the short-term as it leaves Williams without a start for this entire week. It’ll be Daniel Espino kicking off a bullpen game for Cleveland on Saturday afternoon.
  • CLE Starting Pitcher #41
    Espino is officially up in the majors for a second time, which doesn’t include his one-day doubleheader stint in July. He’s allowed three runs and struck out 12 over six innings for the Guardians. He’d allowed four runs in 18 innings for Columbus since his previous demotion.
  • CLE Relief Pitcher #41
    Espino was one of the most exciting pitching prospects in the game roughly a half decade ago before shoulder injuries sidetracked his development. The hard-throwing 25-year-old finally reached the big leagues as a reliever earlier this season, making five appearances for Cleveland. He’ll operate in middle relief during Tuesday’s twin bill against Cincinnati.
  • CLE Starting Pitcher #41
    Espino managed a 5.40 ERA in five appearances for the Guardians, walking three and striking out nine. The 25-year-old will likely get more chances in the future but was asked to close out last night’s win over the White Sox with 35 pitches and the Guardians opted for a fresh arm.
  • CLE Starting Pitcher #41
    Espino was one of the top pitching prospects in baseball roughly a half-decade ago, but injuries, including two shoulder surgeries, derailed his trajectory and cost him nearly four full seasons in the minors. The 25-year-old deserves plenty of credit for persevering and completing his journey to the big leagues, though he’s unlikely to offer much immediate fantasy appeal in a low-leverage relief role. The long-term durability questions linger, but the off-the-charts raw stuff is still there, giving him a chance to eventually grow into a high-leverage role down the line.
  • CLE Starting Pitcher #66
    We don’t expect much in the short term considering the 5.30 ERA and 29/15 K/BB in 18 2/3 innings pitched with Columbus this year, but Espino has plenty of prospect pedigree and has averaged 97.9 mph with his fastball this year out of the bullpen. It’s certainly possible he could eventually emerge as a closer candidate in Cleveland if this is the path they choose to go with him.
  • CLE Starting Pitcher #66
    It’ll be the first trip to the majors for Espino, who three years ago was considered one of the game’s top three pitching prospects before being derailed by injuries. Moved to the pen this year, has a 5.30 ERA and a 29/15 K/BB in 18 2/3 innings for Triple-A Columbus. He’s hasn’t pitched on back-to-back days at any point, he’s worked on one day of rest just once and he’s yet to get more than three outs in an appearance this year, so it’s hard to see how he fits right now. Still, he’s dealt with a whole lot, and it’s great to see him get the opportunity.
  • CLE Starting Pitcher #66
    That home run was the first run Espino has allowed this season. He also has a 6/2 K/BB ratio in 5 2/3 innings. What’s more impressive is that the 25-year-old was regularly hitting 99-100 mph on his four-seam fastball despite coming back from two shoulder surgeries. Espino has pitched just 6 1/3 innings since 2022, so at this point, just seeing him on the mound regularly is great. The Guardians could decide to call him up as a reliever at some point this season.
  • CLE Starting Pitcher #66
    Espino impressed during Cactus League play, but there was never going to be a spot available for him in the Guardians’ Opening Day rotation barring injury. He’ll work out of the rotation at Triple-A Columbus to start the season and should be one of the first names to get the call when someone hits the injured list or the Guardians need a spot starter.

Rotoworld

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    William Contreras went 3-for-4 with a homer in a loss to the Padres in Game 3 of the NLDS on Tuesday.

    Contreras got the Brewers on the board with a shot off Nick Pivetta in the fourth inning. The 28-year-old also drew a walk in the ninth inning, but the Brew Crew were unable to score and picked up their first postseason loss. Contreras has homered twice in this series with a slash of .364/.462/.909 over the first three games.
    - Christopher Crawford
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    Jake Cronenworth hit a go-ahead homer in the sixth inning of a Game 3 win over the Brewers on Tuesday in the NLDS.

    Cronenworth went deep off left-hander JoJo Romero to give San Diego a 3-2 lead in the must-win game. The 32-year-old also singled and is now hitting .200/.250/.400 in the postseason. He’ll have a chance to help San Diego stave off elimination again in Game 4 against the Brewers on Wednesday.
    - Christopher Crawford
  • SD Starting Pitcher #34
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    Michael King went the final two innings to pick up save in Game 3 of the NLDS to help the Padres to a 4-3 win over the Brewers on Tuesday.

    With no Mason Miller and still no Adrian Morejon, the Padres were limited in options for the final few frames, and they turned to their Game 1 starter. The right-hander issued a pair of walks in the bottom of the ninth with one out, but a terrific play by Xander Bogaerts turned into a double play, and the Padres stay alive for at least one more game. Game 4 will take place in San Diego on Wednesday, and while King won’t be available for that game — one would think, anyway — he should be a multi-inning option for Game 5, should it come.
    - Christopher Crawford
  • SD Starting Pitcher #27
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    Nick Pivetta gave up two runs in 4 1/3 innings while not factoring in the decision Tuesday in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Brewers.

    Pivetta allowed five hits, and one of them was a homer from William Contreras. The veteran right-hander was able to strike out five four without issuing a walk in a solid — if unspectacular — start that helps the Padres stay alive for at least one more day. Pivetta won’t be available for Game 4 come Wednesday, but likely could give San Diego an inning or two in Game 5 come Friday, if necessary.
    - Christopher Crawford
  • MIL Starting Pitcher #21
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    Dustin May went three innings and allowed two runs while not picking up a decision Tuesday against the Padres in Game 3 of the NLDS.

    May struggled to locate in his three innings, and while he was able to keep the Padres off the board in the first two frames, he gave up a pair in the third in a less-than-spectacular outing for the 29-year-old. He walked a pair while allowing three hits, and threw just 27-of-52 pitches for strikes. May would likely be available to pitch in Game 5 if necessary.
    - Christopher Crawford
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    Alex Cora, expected to be the Phillies’ top managerial target this winter, told the team he’s taking 2027 off, according to USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale.

    Nightengale attributes the info to a high-ranking Phillies executive. Cora is still getting paid by the Red Sox for one more year, so another season with the fam sounds like a good idea. It was reported that Cora previously turned down the Phillies in late April after he was fired by Boston, causing the Phillies to go with Don Mattingly as Rob Thomson’s replacement this year. Cora and Phillies president Dave Dombrowski previously worked together in Boston and won a World Series in 2018.

  • ATL Right Fielder #13
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    Braves manager Walt Weiss said Ronald Acuña Jr. might not play in Wednesday’s Game 4 against the Dodgers because of right knee soreness.

    Acuña left the ballpark without talking to the media after going 0-for-3 with a walk as a DH in Game 3. If he can’t play Wednesday, the Braves will probably start Ha-Seong Kim at shortstop and Mauricio Dubón in the outfield against Tyler Glasnow.
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    Freddie Freeman launched a solo homer to propel the Dodgers to a 3-1 win over the Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS on Tuesday.

    After having a potential go-ahead homer robbed by Braves left fielder Mauricio Dubón earlier in the contest, Freeman ensured that his next fly ball wouldn’t be caught, tattooing a 399-foot moonshot to right-center field off Atlanta ace Chris Sale to give Los Angeles a three-run advantage in the fourth inning. It was his second round-tripper of the playoffs and 18th career postseason big fly since 2012. The 37-year-old ageless wonder recorded three batted balls with exit velocities over 101 mph against his former team in this one, but only came away with one hit to show for it. The Dodgers have an opportunity to punch their ticket back to the NLCS with a win in Game 4 of the best-of-five series at Truist Park on Wednesday evening.
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    Drake Baldwin went 0-for-4 with an RBI in a loss to the Dodgers during Game 3 of the NLDS on Tuesday.

    Baldwin supplied Atlanta’s lone run against Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto when he delivered a bases-loaded ground out in the fifth inning. He struck out twice and finished hitless in four at-bats. The Braves will attempt to even the best-of-five series when they host Game 4 on Wednesday night.
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    Enrique Hernández walloped a two-run homer against the Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS on Tuesday.

    Apparently, Hernández isn’t finished etching his name into Dodgers postseason lore. The 35-year-old veteran took Atlanta ace Chris Sale deep in the fourth inning to break up a scoreless stalemate. It was his first round-tripper of the playoffs and 17th career home run across 105 career postseason contests.