Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Colin Moran isn't starting on Saturday. The Pirates will take on the Miami Marlins and right-hander Edward Cabrera but will do so with the veteran on the bench. Moran is batting .269 with a .337 on-base percentage, eight home runs, and a stolen base in 303 plate appearances this season. Yoshitomo Tsutsugo is batting fourth and starting in place of Moran at first base on Saturday. Tsutsugo is hitting .289 with a .382 on-base percentage and seven home runs in 89 plate appearances since joining the Pirates. He's worth a look as a streaming option for fantasy managers in deeper leagues.
Chicago White Sox second baseman is on the bench for Saturday's matchup with the Texas Rangers. The White Sox will take on right-handed starter Spencer Howard but will do so without Hernandez in the lineup. The veteran is hitting .228 with a .304 on-base percentage, 21 home runs, and a stolen base in 596 plate appearances this season. Chicago will instead start Romy Gonzalez at second base on Saturday. Gonzalez, who is batting ninth against the Rangers, is hitting .292 with a .320 on-base percentage in 25 plate appearances this season. Fantasy managers are probably better off looking elsewhere for streaming help.
Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson isn't starting on Saturday against the Texas Rangers and right-hander Spencer Howard. Anderson is batting .300 with a .329 on-base percentage, 14 home runs, and 17 stolen bases in 498 plate appearances this season. Leury Garcia is hitting seventh and starting in place of Anderson at shortstop on Saturday. The 30-year-old is hitting .262 with a .333 on-base percentage, five home runs, and six stolen bases in 415 plate appearances this season. You're probably better off looking elsewhere for streaming help.
Detroit Tigers catcher Eric Haase is on the bench for Friday's matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays and left-hander Ryan Yarbrough. Haase has started regularly at catcher with Jake Rogers on the injured list and figures to do so for the rest of the season for Detroit. However, he'll get the day off on Saturday. The 28-year-old is batting .230 with a .284 on-base percentage, 21 home runs, and two stolen bases in 335 plate appearances this season. Instead, it'll be Dustin Garneau getting the start behind the plate in place of Haase. Garneau could be a quality streaming option for fantasy managers in deeper leagues. The 33-year-old has logged just 41 plate appearances for the Tigers this season but has already hit four home runs. He's hitting seventh on Saturday.
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Saturday. He experienced general illness/symptoms and was placed on the COVID-19 injured list. It's unclear if he tested positive or came into close contact, but he could be out up to 10 days. The 31-year-old slashed .247/.310/.369 with four home runs, 33 RBI, and eight stolen bases over 110 games in 2021. Fantasy managers can move on from Kiermaier if they him rostered. Right-hander Joey Krehbiel was recalled from Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move.
Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Nelson Cruz (forearm) is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Detroit Tigers. He exited Thursday's game early after being hit in the forearm by a pitch. The 41-year-old's x-rays came back negative, and he's considered day-to-day. According to manager Keith Cash, Cruz will be available off the bench. Jordan Luplow will handle designated hitter duties and is batting fifth in Saturday's game. He can be avoided being used as a streamer against southpaw Tarik Skubal after hitting .155 with four home runs, eight RBI, and a .637 OPS over 102 plate appearances against left-handers in 2021.
Colorado Rockies outfielder Sam Hilliard went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, two runs scored, and a strikeout in a 9-8 win over the Nationals. Hilliard came up with a big hit in the sixth inning, blasting a two-run homer off Alberto Baldonado to give the Rockies a one-run lead. The 27-year-old outfielder has homered twice in the last seven games and is slashing .333/.400/.722 over that span. Overall, he's got an ugly .202 batting average and .732 OPS to go along with 11 home runs, 24 RBI, and three stolen bases over 168 at-bats. He should continue to see regular at-bats down the stretch but he's not a reliable fantasy option.
Colorado Rockies second baseman Brendan Rodgers went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, a walk, and two runs scored in a 9-8 win over the Nationals on Friday. Rodgers had a big game at the plate, reaching three times and driving in three runs. He swatted his 13th homer of the season in the fifth inning, a two-run blast, before hitting the go-ahead RBI single in the ninth inning to give Colorado a 9-8 lead. They would go on to win the ball game as a result of base knock. He's now homered twice in the last seven games and is rocking a .860 OPS over that span. Overall, the 25-year-old is slashing .284/.333/.466 with 13 home runs and 45 RBI across 328 at-bats.
Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Carlos Estevez earned the save on Friday when he allowed two hits with one strikeout over a scoreless ninth inning in a 9-8 win over the Washington Nationals. Estevez made this one interesting, as he tends to do. He was tasked with protecting a one-run lead in the ninth inning in what was a back-and-forth contest. He promptly served up a single to Keibert Ruiz before recording the next two outs in succession. He then allowed another single to Ryan Zimmerman before getting Lane Thomas to ground out to end the contest. Out of Estevez's nine saves this year, he's worked just two clean innings. He's got a 4.34 ERA and 1.46 WHIP overall.
Colorado Rockies starting pitcher German Marquez took a no-decision on Friday when he surrendered six runs on eight hits with two walks and a strikeout over four innings in a 9-8 win over the Nationals. Marquez was hit all over the ballpark by the Nats in this one. He coughed up two runs in the first inning and another four in the fourth before exiting the game. After a stellar first half of the season, Marquez has been up and down following the All-Star break. Overall, he's got a 4.16 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 168:58 K/BB ratio over 171 innings (30 starts). It won't get any easier for him as he takes on the Dodgers in his next turn. He gets the Dodgers at home in his next turn.
