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Everything that happens in and around MLB has some additional context when viewed from a fantasy baseball perspective. From lineup changes to minor league call-ups to injuries and so much more, the news cycle will constantly affect player values in fantasy baseball. Our fantasy baseball buzz file, with contributions from our ESPN fantasy writers, aims to provide fantasy managers with the intel they need as news breaks around MLB.
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Sunday's lineup advice | 10-day hitting forecaster
September 28: What you need to know for SundayTodd Zola: This is it, friends, the last day of the regular season. The entire 15-game schedule gets underway between 3:05 p.m. ET and 3:20 p.m. ET. For most teams, 161 games were sufficient to determine their postseason fate. However, seeding is unsettled in the American League while the last wild-card berth is up for grabs in the National League. The Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets are tied with 83-78 records, but the Reds enjoy the tiebreaker, so they control their own destiny when they visit the Milwaukee Brewers. Brady Singer will be tasked with keeping the Brewers bats in check. Singer will be opposed by Freddy Peralta, the Brewers' likely NLDS Game 1 starter. The club secured the National League's best record and a wild-card round bye yesterday. They enjoy home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Peralta won't pitch again until next Saturday, so he'll likely throw a few innings to keep sharp, before passing the baton to the bullpen. The Mets tabbed Sean Manaea to start the road finale against the Miami Marlins. Manaea has been pitching out of the bullpen down the stretch, but the club trusts him more than David Peterson and his 12.54 ERA over his last five starts. The Mets will be without Brett Baty after the third baseman was placed on the IL due to a right oblique strain. He posted a decent .271/.317/.458 line in September. Ronny Mauricio will likely handle the hot corner in Baty's absence. In the AL, the East and Central divisions remain undecided. The more important outcome is in the East between the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees. Both clubs are in the playoffs, but the winner of the division earns AL's best overall record and a Wild Card Round bye, along with home field advantage in the ALDS and potentially the ALCS. The runner-up will become the No. 4 seed, even though they'll have the second-best record in the league. The Yankees tabbed Luis Gil to face the Baltimore Orioles in the Bronx while Blue Jays will send Kevin Gausman to the hill at home against the Tampa Bay Rays. The winner of the AL Central earns the No. 3 seed and home field advantage for the Wild Card round. The Cleveland Guardians possess the tiebreaker over the Detroit Tigers. Logan Allen will get the ball for the Guardians at home against the Texas Rangers. Meanwhile, Chris Paddack leads the Tigers against the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park. Jazz Chisholm Jr. left yesterday's game in the fifth inning after being hit by a pitch. The Yankees reported that X-rays were negative, but Chisholm is scheduled for a CT scan to verify the diagnosis. If Chisholm is forced to miss action, Jose Caballero will handle second base with Anthony Volpe at shortstop.
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