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Author of “The Best Philadelphia Sports Arguments”
Look for our fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings, hitter upgrades and downgrades daily to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions and for MLB betting tips. MLB game odds are provided by ESPN BET, and fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.
Note: This file has been updated with any overnight pitching changes or weather-related game postponements, along with the addition of the latest MLB game odds as of the indicated time of publication.
Astronomical minor league stats
The Houston Astros remain in last place in the AL West heading into Tuesday’s game against Cleveland, even behind the Athletics. While pitching (4.92 ERA) has been a bigger problem than the offense, here comes a jolt of energy in the form of slugger Joey Loperfido, leading the minor leagues with 13 home runs in 25 games (with 28 RBI, 31 runs) for Triple-A Sugar Land. Loperfido, a left-handed hitter who was a seventh-round pick in the 2021 draft from Duke, is slugging .713 (1.106 OPS) and expected to earn promotion Tuesday.
Veteran first baseman Jose Abreu, of course, is not slugging anywhere near .713 – he has one extra-base hit in 77 PA, and he is “hitting” .099/.156/.113 – so it seems likely Loperfido will slot into first base. Abreu, 37, has arguably been the worst position player in baseball this season, supplying a minus-1.6 WAR. Alas, Loperfido, 24, cannot slot in as the team’s No. 4 starter, too, but hey, perhaps the Astros can outscore more teams. They scored 20 runs in two games against the pathetic Rockies in the rarified air of Mexico City this past weekend.
Loperfido, due to his gaudy numbers, is one of the most added prospects in ESPN standard leagues, up 4.5% over the past seven days to 5.6%, and this number will precipitously rise in the coming days. He played 21 games at second base last season and carries valuable OF/2B fantasy eligibility, so slide him into that infield position, though the Astros are set there with Jose Altuve. Loperfido may remind some of Cubs OF/1B Cody Bellinger, another tall, rangy, left-handed slugger who excels in center field and at first base, as Loperfido has this season. Loperfido is also 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts. The Astros could play Loperfido in center field, too, giving 1B Jon Singleton — or Abreu — more chances.
The Astros send RHP Hunter Brown to the mound Tuesday against RHP Carlos Carrasco, making potential bettors check the over/under on runs. This should favor the Astros, as Carrasco, 37, has yet to deliver a quality start among his five chances, though Brown, one of the top pitching prospects in the game a year ago, has achieved this only once in 2024. Brown’s 9.68 ERA and 2.49 WHIP are a bit misleading, with most of the damage coming in a frightful first inning at Kansas City on April 11, when he permitted an MLB-record 11 hits (and nine runs) without escaping the first inning. In his other four starts, Brown has a 5.29 ERA. It’s not good, but more palatable.
What you may have missed on Monday
By Todd Zola
The Cincinnati Reds played shorthanded again last night with C Tyler Stephenson and 1B Christian Encarnacion-Strand both nursing hand injuries. They were both available off the bench, but neither was needed in the Reds’ 5-2 road win over the San Diego Padres. Their availability suggests a return later this week. Santiago Espinal, filling in for Encarnacion-Strand, knocked in a pair of runs. Nick Lodolo continued his dominating start to the season with seven innings of one-run ball, fanning 11.
Another hand injury of note befell SS Tim Anderson of the Miami Marlins, who hurt his thumb covering second base on a double by Washington Nationals OF Alex Call in the third inning. Anderson completed the frame but was taken out afterwards. As part of the move, Marlins manager Skip Schumaker removed Jesus Sanchez from the contest for what was deemed, “lack of effort” on Call’s double. Sanchez lost the ball in the lights, but Schumaker wasn’t happy with Sanchez’s effort after the miscue. It was termed a “teaching moment” with Sanchez not expected to receive further “punishment.”
Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran is slated to make his 2024 debut today. He was with the club yesterday but was not activated. Manager Rocco Baldelli indicated Duran would join the active roster today, but it isn’t clear if Duran will move right back into ninth-inning duties. Baldelli has been using a closer committee to open the season. Last night, Caleb Thielbar saved the Twins’ 3-2 road win against the Chicago White Sox. Griffin Jax, who leads the team with four saves, pitched the eighth inning to collect the win. Cole Sands and Steven Okert also garnered saves during Duran’s absence.
Salvador Perezwas scratched by the Kansas City Royals last night. The veteran catcher’s back tightened up, so Freddy Fermin started behind the place with Nelson Velazquez taking over the cleanup spot. Both delivered, with Fermin clubbing a home run and Velazquez contributing a two-out RBI double. Perez pinch hit for Fermin in the ninth inning. He singled, sending Bobby Witt Jr. to third base, but Nate Pearson fanned Michael Massey to seal the Toronto Blue Jays‘ 6-5 victory in the Rogers Centre. Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano had pitched on Saturday and Sunday, so he was unavailable last night.
Fans of pitching were treated to a gem last night with both starters tossing six hitless stanzas. Atlanta Braves southpaw Max Fried was taken out after his six innings while Bryce Miller of the Seattle Mariners lost his no-hit bid on a Ronald Acuna Jr. infield single in the seventh. Acuna stole second and third, then scored on a double by Ozzie Albies. Miller punched out 11 over his seven innings but was on the hook for the loss before Mitch Garver‘s two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth. After four starts, Fried’s ERA was 7.71, but it’s now down to 4.02 after tossing 15 straight scoreless frames.
Everything else you need to know for Tuesday
Yesterday’s postponement in Motown will be made up today with the Detroit TigersandSt. Louis Cardinals playing a single admission doubleheader, with the opener slated for 3:40 PM ET. The Cardinals will send RHP Kyle Gibson and LHP Steven Matz to the hill, limiting the likelihood of any available Tigers batter to play in both games. However, the lefty-swinging Cardinals hitters will face a pair of righties with Detroit handing the ball to Jack Flaherty and Matt Manning. Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan and Nolan Gorman are the primary hitters to target today.
Boston Red Sox SS Vaughn Grissom is expected to come off the injured list for Tuesday’s home game with the Giants. Grissom, yet to debut this season due to a hamstring injury, had four hits for Triple-A Worcester on Sunday, and he should slide right into Boston’s second base slot, likely near the bottom of the lineup versus right-handed pitching. Grissom, 23, hit .287 over 236 PA for Atlanta over the past two seasons, and he hit better than .300 in each of the past three minor league seasons. He is available in more than 80% of ESPN standard leagues.
Atlanta RHP Reynaldo Lopez brings his remarkable, league-leading 0.72 ERA to Seattle to face Mariners ace Luis Castillo in one of the later games of the day. Lopez has supplied six or more innings in each of his four outings, and he has permitted only two earned runs, though he was won only twice. Sure, Lopez has been a bit fortunate with a .218 BABIP, one of the best among starting pitchers, but a 26.1% strikeout rate shines. Fantasy managers should stop worrying about what happens in August/September, since Lopez last pitched 70 innings in a season in 2019. Things are great today! Enjoy it against a Mariners lineup near the bottom with 3.7 runs scored per game.
The Rockies head to Miami for a matchup of last-place teams, and Colorado’s outfield situation warrants attention. Nolan Jones, one of only five players to hit at least .290 with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases a year ago, is hitting .170 this season with one home run and two steals. He left Sunday’s loss with back stiffness, after missing a pair of games earlier in the week. It is possible Jones, down to 52.2% rostered, needs an IL stint. If so, OF Jordan Beck is expected to earn his first MLB promotion. The Rockies recently promoted OF/1B Hunter Goodman and OF Sean Bouchard. All three produced excellent numbers at Triple-A. We don’t often recommend Rockies hitters for road games — and we’re not doing it here, either! — but watch how this situation evolves.
Betting tip of the day: This one is in Miami, not Denver, but take the over 7.5 runs (-125) when Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner and Marlins RHP opener Sixto Sanchez square off. Feltner has a 6.46 road ERA this season, in case you were thinking he is a viable streamer, and a 5.47 road ERA for his career. Sanchez has a 7.20 ERA this season in 10 innings, but he is not missing bats and will not last long, leaving a struggling Miami bullpen to handle seven innings. Sanchez under 2.5 strikeouts (+225) feels promising and not so risky, too.
Starting pitcher rankings for Tuesday
Reliever report
To get the latest information on each team’s bullpen hierarchy, as well as which pitchers might be facing a bit of fatigue and who might be the most likely suspects to vulture a save or pick up a surprise hold in their stead, check out the latest Closer Chart, which will be updated every morning.
Best Sub-50% rostered hitters for Tuesday
Best and worst hitters from the day are generated by THE BAT X, a projection system created by Derek Carty using advanced methods like those used in MLB front offices, accounting for a variety of factors including player talent, ballparks, bullpens, weather, umpires, defense, catcher pitch-framing, and lots more.
Week 13 is here as we look toward big Saturday matchups that could have an effect on the College Football Playoff rankings, along with what’s going on in the SEC and the success story of a UCLA walk-on who is now leading the FBS in solo tackles.
Starting Saturday’s slate of games, No. 5 Indiana and No. 2 Ohio State will meet in a game that could have Big Ten and CFP implications, while No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 19 Army will face each other in the evening. Army and Indiana enter their matchups undefeated, but will they stay that way?
With conference title games just around the corner, we take a look at what’s going on in the SEC. No. 3 Texas and No. 15 Texas A&M lead in the standings currently, but could we see a potential rematch between No. 7 Alabama and No. 10 Georgia on Dec. 7?
Our college football experts preview big games and storylines ahead of the Week 13 slate.
UCLA’s Carson Schwesinger engineers an extraordinary walk-on story
Before this season, Carson Schwesinger‘s story had the typical markings: walk-on, overlooked in recruiting, worked his way onto the field for a Power 4 program.
Schwesinger was a scout team standout for UCLA. He played on every special teams unit, making the travel squad and catching the attention of running backs coach DeShaun Foster. He earned a scholarship before the 2022 season. Schwesinger had limited opportunities on defense but collected 15 tackles in 2022 and 12 last fall, including a sack.
His was a nice little story. This season, he has become something very different.
Schwesinger, a junior linebacker for the Bruins, leads the Big Ten and is tied for third nationally in total tackles with 109, and also has 2 interceptions, 3 sacks and a forced fumble. A team captain, Schwesinger leads the FBS in solo tackles with 69. He’s even generating NFL draft buzz after recording seven games with 10 or more tackles, including 17 last week at Washington.
“Any opportunity I was going to get, I was going to try and make the most of it,” Schwesinger said. “I don’t like going in with too many expectations about stats or playing time or whatever. I’m not a huge stats guy.”
Schwesinger attributed his production spike to several factors: increased playing time, facing more run-oriented offenses in UCLA’s first season in the Big Ten, and his teammates, especially star tackle Jay Toia and fellow linebackers Oluwafemi Oladejo and Kain Medrano. Ikaika Malloe, who coached the line in 2023, became Schwesinger’s fourth defensive coordinator in as many years but didn’t overhaul the scheme.
“He’s just somebody who you can count on,” said Foster, now UCLA’s head coach. “Just to see him continuously make plays, flying around and really being the quarterback of the defense, is just amazing. We’re not surprised by it, but he just keeps doing more stuff that’s just impressive.”
A native of Moorpark, California, Schwesinger played safety and wide receiver at Oaks Christian School, the football power not far from UCLA’s campus that regularly produces Power 4 recruits. But no one wanted Schwesinger, as he “slipped through the cracks,” Foster said.
Schwesinger came to UCLA to study bioengineering. One of his sisters studied physiological science there, and another was studying engineering “across town” at USC, the team the Bruins host Saturday.
“It’s definitely a little bit more time consuming,” said Schwesinger, who schedules most of his lab classes in the offseason. “It just takes a little bit extra preparedness throughout the week. The professors have been great in terms of being flexible and allowing me to be able to do both of my passions.”
Schwesinger hopes to use his degree and work in the sports science field after finishing with football.
“He’s going to real school, it’s not just showing up and taking TV,” said Foster, quoting fictional coach Pete Bell from the movie “Blue Chips.”
Schwesinger is a semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the top college football player who started his career as a walk-on. He’s also a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, bestowed upon the sport’s top linebacker.
“I’m proud of just being able to continue to work, even when there were times when it didn’t seem like it was going to be going to work out for me,” Schwesinger said. “I’m just thankful for the opportunities that I’ve been given, and want to continue to make the most of any that I keep getting.” — Adam Rittenberg
What’s on the line in the Army-Notre Dame matchup?
Back in August, everybody had the Army-Notre Dame game in the next-to-last weekend of the regular season carrying College Football Playoff implications, right? And the same goes for Army coming into the game unbeaten, correct?
Sounds like fantasy, especially with the game being played at Yankee Stadium and the history of the two institutions, but the winner of this game takes a sizable step toward the playoff. Granted, Notre Dame is a big favorite and has been playing lights out since a shocking loss to Northern Illinois in the second week of the season. Since that loss, the Irish (9-1) have won eight straight games with seven of those wins coming by 18 or more points. After Army comes a trip to the West Coast to face USC, and with wins in both of those games, Notre Dame should be safely in the playoff for the first time since 2020.
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman wants no part of what might lie ahead for his team, and he also doesn’t want anybody mistaking Army for Navy, which the Irish routed 51-14 back in October. The Midshipmen were unbeaten and nationally ranked at the time.
“I met with the defensive staff, and the first thing we said is the biggest mistake we can make is to think this is Navy 2.0. It’s not. It’s a different offense,” Freeman said. “They do some different things. They have a different identity and present a different challenge.”
The Black Knights (9-0) moved to 19th in the playoff committee’s latest rankings and have already clinched a berth in the AAC championship game against Tulane. The highest ranked Group of 5 conference champion will earn an automatic spot in the playoff. But with such a weak strength of schedule, Army is going to need a marquee win (like Notre Dame) to have a chance to pass Boise State in the final rankings even if it wins a conference championship.
Either way, this is the most anticipated Army-Notre Dame matchup in more than 50 years, although Army coach Jeff Monken has chosen to go down another road with his players, as in emphasizing the things — blocking, sure tackling, winning the turnover battle and winning on special teams — that have gotten them to this point.
“If I’m telling our guys this is the biggest [Notre Dame] game since 1946, I mean, how does that help our team win?” Monken said. “Does it? It just puts undue pressure on them.”
For sure, but it’s the kind of pressure, and the kind of stage, anybody in or around Army’s program would have gladly accepted back in August. — Chris Low
What’s going on in the SEC?
The dream of complete chaos happening in the SEC — an eight-team tie for first place — ended with LSU’s 27-16 loss at Florida last week.
With only two weeks to play in the regular season, there’s still much unknown and plenty of potential havoc that can happen in the deepest Power 4 conference.
No. 3 Texas and No. 15 Texas A&M, the only teams with one conference loss, are in the driver’s seat in getting to the Dec. 7 SEC championship game. If those teams win Saturday (the Longhorns host Kentucky, and the Aggies travel to Auburn), the winner of their Nov. 30 showdown at Kyle Field will punch its ticket to Atlanta.
If either Texas or Texas A&M slips up this weekend and then comes back to win in the regular-season finale, however, there’s potential for a six-way tie for first if the other contenders (No. 7 Alabama, No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 10 Georgia and No. 11 Tennessee) win out.
Another potential scenario: If Texas or Texas A&M lose this week and then bounce back in the regular-season finale, it could potentially be an Alabama-Georgia rematch in Atlanta (as long as the Tide win at Oklahoma on Saturday and against Auburn in the Nov. 30 Iron Bowl).
Still with me?
Georgia’s SEC season is complete after the Bulldogs took down the Volunteers 31-17 last week. Tennessee closes the regular season at Vanderbilt on Nov. 30. The Rebels play at surging Florida on Saturday and host rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl on Nov. 29.
Even if the Texas-Texas A&M winner has only one SEC loss, there’s a good chance there could be a multiteam tie for second. Because not everyone played each other in the 16-team league, head-to-head and common-opponent tiebreakers can’t be used.
So the fourth tiebreaker, cumulative conference winning percentage of all SEC opponents, would probably be used to settle the debate. That’s where Alabama has an advantage over the others with a 27-26 record (.509) going into this weekend.
Of course, a couple of upsets over the next two weeks could change everything in the SEC. — Mark Schlabach
What does each team need to capitalize on to win?
Indiana: Led by the electrifying playmaking foursome of running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins and wideouts Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith, the Buckeyes rank third nationally in offensive efficiency. Operating with those playmakers around him, quarterback Will Howard ranks fourth with a QBR of 85.3.
Still, despite thriving otherwise in his first and only season with the Buckeyes, Howard remains prone to making big mistakes. On Nov. 2 against Penn State, Howard committed two colossal turnovers, throwing a pick-six on Ohio State’s opening drive, then later fumbling away the ball on the way to what would’ve been a touchdown run. The Buckeyes overcame those takeaways on the way to a 20-13 victory. But if the Hoosiers, who rank 10th nationally in turnover margin, can force Howard into those types of mistakes again, they could hang around and, potentially, pull off the upset.
Ohio State: The Hoosiers became the first team in 26 years to open 8-0 without trailing once. Despite winning 10 games for the first time in program history, Indiana has yet to face a ranked opponent. The Hoosiers also haven’t had to play in an imposing venue like Ohio Stadium. Two years ago, while still at Ohio, Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke struggled in such an environment, throwing for just 119 yards in a 46-10 loss at Penn State. In two years with James Madison competing in the FBS, Indiana’s Curt Cignetti never coached anywhere like the Horseshoe. Cignetti is on track to become college football’s coach of the year, and Rourke is having a fabulous season. But Ohio State can make the moment — and the setting — too big for them. Indiana hasn’t had to play from behind all year. Ohio State could put the Hoosiers in an uncomfortable and precarious position with a couple of quick early strikes. — Jake Trotter
College football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.
SMU coach Rhett Lashlee has signed a contract extension with the school, as he has the team positioned for a run at its second straight conference title and its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.
Terms of Lashlee’s deal were not disclosed, as SMU is a private school. He also received a multiyear contract extension in November 2023 “to keep him on the Hilltop for years to come,” athletic director Rick Hart said at the time.
Lashlee is 27-10 at SMU, which won the American Athletic Conference title in 2023, its first since 1984. The program moved to the ACC this season and is the only team undefeated in league play, as its faces Virginia and Cal to close the regular season. SMU is No. 13 in the CFP standings with its only loss coming to No. 14 BYU in Week 2.
“We changed leagues and changed levels,” Lashlee told ESPN.
Since the start of the 2023 season, SMU is tied for sixth nationally in win percentage at 20-4 overall (.833). Lashlee, 41, served as SMU’s offensive coordinator under Sonny Dykes in 2018 and 2019, and also held coordinator roles at Miami, UConn, Auburn and Arkansas State. He’s a former quarterback at Arkansas.
Revel had been one of the most productive corners in the country for the Pirates. Since the start of 2023, he had 11 pass breakups and two defensive touchdowns, including a 50-yard interception return against Appalachian State on Sept. 14.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Revel as the No. 2 cornerback and 23 overall prospect in the 2025 draft. At 6-foot-3 and 193 pounds, he earned second-team All-AAC honors last year, which put him on the radar of many major programs that tried to lure him to transfer last year.
“The size, the length and the movement skills, for being as tall and long as he is … you don’t see a body type as rangy and fluid as he is at that size,” an NFL scout told ESPN in September.