Interleague Report: Week 15

Please note that in the “DH” column, the player listed is the player that has been added or removed from the lineup, not necessarily the player in the DH slot. For example, if the Phillies move Dominic Brown to DH and put Tony Gwynn Jr. in the OF, then I will list Gwynn Jr. in the “DH” column because he is the player that is gaining at-bats.

Last Week

AL at NL:

“Nick Swisher sat both games while visiting the Diamondbacks. I think he will sit two games of this series and replace either Carlos Santana or the David Murphy-Ryan Raburn platoon for the other game.” This happened. Santana gave way at first base to Swisher for the middle game of the series against a righty.

“The Rangers will move Shin-Soo Choo to the outfield; thus, Michael Choice will be moved to the bench.” This also happened.

NL at AL:

Against the righties, Ryan Sweeney started at DH. If Junior Lake had not been injured, then he might have very well gotten the extra starts with Nate Schierholtz likely moving to DH. Against the lefty, Luis Valbuena started at DH.

“The Brewers will most likely use the DH to get a regular a day of semi-rest. Against the righty, Aramis Ramirez will most likely be at DH with Mark Reynolds moving to third base and Lyle Overbay getting a start at first base. I am guessing that Jonathan Lucroy moves to DH with Martin Maldonado catching against the lefty.” This happened, too.

This Week

AL at NL:

Nelson Cruz will take Steve Pearce’s spot in left field and Pearce will sit on the bench.

If two weeks were any indication, then we will see Callaspo at second base instead of Sogard and Punto. With Derek Norris healthy, my guess is that both he and John Jaso get a start at catcher.

With all three of the Twins’ interleague games coming against lefties, it looks like Kendrys Morales will start all three games at first. I think that Oswaldo Arcia gets two starts in right field with Chris Parmelee starting the other game.

NL at AL:

With Bryce Harper coming off of the DL, the DH helps alleviate Washington’s roster crunch. Espinosa has not started since Harper’s return, but I think Ryan Zimmerman will move to DH, Anthony Rendon will move to third base, and Espinosa will start at second base, while most probably batting ninth.

With Angel Pagan and Brandon Belt both due to be back, Michael Morse will probably start at DH with Gregor Blanco starting in left field. If he struggles the first game, then Matt Williams may certainly play Kevin Frandsen in the second game.

As we saw from last week’s “Last Week,” with Carl Crawford still not back, Don Mattingly’s DH use will depend on the health of his players, particularly that of Hanley Ramirez. We could see Ramirez DH with either Carlos Triunfel or Miguel Rojas starting at shortstop. If Ramirez is healthy, then we could see Scott Van Slyke start in the outfield or first base with a regular moving to DH. With Ramirez being back at shortstop since last Thursday, the Van Slyke route seems to be the most likely outcome.

Next Week

AL at NL: None. (Shout out to the All-Star Game.)

NL at AL:

Giancarlo Stanton would be a pretty good choice for DH in my opinion.

The Yankees’ will get to reset their rotation; thus, I am guessing that the Reds will face Masahiro Tanaka, Hideki Kuroda, and Brandon McCarthy. As a result, I think that Skip Schumaker, Ryan Ludwick, and Chris Heisey will each get two starts at some combination of left field and DH. That said, if Joey Votto’s knee is still ailing him, then we might see Brayan Pena at first base and Votto at DH.