Welcome to the TheFantasyFix.com’s nightly fantasy baseball recap, where you’ll find updates on bullpen usage, lineup construction, injuries, and transactions. No matter the format, we’ve got you covered on everything you need to know to help you win your league.

What’s not mentioned below: The Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the Miami Marlins 4-2 behind starter Jeremy Hellickson. Giancarlo Stanton hit his 12th home run of the year in the loss. The Tampa Bay Rays took down the Atlanta Braves 5-3 behind Erasmo Ramirez and some stellar bullpen work, limiting the Braves to just four hits on the night. Brad Boxberger notched his 11th save for the Rays. Trevor Bauer and the Indians took down the White Sox 3-1 tonight. Bauer went 7.1 innings, letting up one run while striking out seven and walking three. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; if Bauer can limit the number of free passes he gives up, he will be one of the top starters in baseball for years to come. Hector Santiago and the Angels took down the Blue Jays 3-2; Josh Donaldson hit his ninth home run of the season in the loss. David Ortiz stayed hot at the plate, hitting his sixth home as the Red Sox took down the Rangers 4-3. Nick Hundley went deep for the Rockies as they took down the Phillies 6-5 at home, as rookie Maikel Franco’s three hit, three RBI night wasn’t enough to take down the Rockies. Chris Carter, Colby Rasmus, and Jason Castro all went deep for the Astros as they took down Sonny Gray and the A’s, 6-4.

IF YOU ONLY READ ONE THING…

The Washington Nationals walked off in extra innings tonight against the New York Yankees thanks to Ryan Zimmerman’s fifth home run of the season. The Yankees seemed to have a firm grasp on the game as they led 6-2 heading into the fifth inning, but starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi was unable to escape the inning, recording just one out and letting up three runs to help the Nats come back and eventually tie the game in the next inning. The game looked like it could get out of hand early for Eovaldi, as he gave up two solo home runs in the first inning to Ian Desmond and Bryce Harper. Speaking of Harper, the home run was his 15th of the season as he continues to make a case for the current NL MVP. Jacoby Ellsbury left the game in the fourth inning with a knee injury, and the Yankees announced soon after the game that Ellsbury would be placed on the 15-Day DL, a huge blow for both the team and fantasy owners. Gio Gonzalez got the start for the Nationals, though he too struggled on the mound, lasting five innings and giving up six runs with just one strikeout. Mark Teixeira hit his 12th home run of the year in the loss, and the Yankees hope he and the rest of the offense can pick up the slack in Ellsbury’s absence.

JUST AS WE EXPECTED…

Kansas City Royals’ starter Yordano Ventura turned in his best outing of the season to date tonight, tossing seven innings of shutout ball, letting up four hits and striking out six against the Cincinnati Reds. The win was Ventura’s first since April 12th, a streak that spanned well over a month and left fantasy owners frustrated with the pitcher who broke out for the Royals last year in his rookie campaign. Mike Moustakas collected three hits in the win, driving in two runs and bringing his batting average up to .331 as he continues to tear the cover off the ball. Johnny Cueto took the loss for the Reds, giving up three runs on nine hits across seven innings of work, while striking out four. It was still a solid outing for Cueto despite taking the loss, as he falls to 3-4 on the year. Wade Davis tossed a scoreless ninth for the Royals to collect his seventh save of the season, while also extending his streak of not allowing a home run to 100 straight innings. Closer Greg Holland wasn’t available to pitch the ninth for the Royals due to a stiff neck that he woke up with this morning, and it is unknown at this time whether or not he will be available if needed tomorrow.

The St. Louis Cardinals were all over the New York Mets today, snapping the Mets three game win streak on the road tonight in the big apple. Michael Wacha improved to 6-0 on the season, giving up two runs across seven innings while striking out five. Wacha and his 2.13 ERA have been exactly what the Cardinals have hoped for so far this year, especially since they’re rotation has thinned out due to the season ending injury to ace Adam Wainwright. Cardinals’ outfielder Randal Grichuk led the offense, going 3-5 with a run scored and driving in three. Shortstop Jhonny Peralta had a nice day at the plate as well, going 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Jon Niese was responsible for the loss, giving up eight runs on eleven hits across five innings, while striking out just one batter. Niese fell to 3-4 on the year after the bad start, and he saw his ERA skyrocket from 2.59 to 3.72.

The Baltimore Orioles were able to take down the Seattle Mariners tonight, largely in part due to Jimmy Paredes’ four RBI night. Paredes is the latest example of how the Orioles turn someone else’s trash into treasure, as he is currently hitting a robust .346 on the year. Nelson Cruz hit a three run shot in the third inning off Miguel Gonzalez and his former team, though the scoring would stop there for the Mariners, as the O’s controlled the rest of the game from that point forward. Starter Taijuan Walker was pulled after just 3.2 innings of work, giving up three runs across seven hits and walking four. Walker was my pick for AL Rookie of the Year this season, though it seems that’s a complete long shot at this point as his ERA currently sits at 7.47. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Mariners send Walker down to Triple-A to work try and get back on track, though their rotation is already thin enough behind ace Felix Hernandez.

BUT WE DIDN’T SEE THIS COMING…

The Milwaukee Brewers took down the Detroit Tigers on the road tonight 8-1 behind Jimmy Nelson’s phenomenal start. Nelson went eight innings, giving up one run on three hits and striking out five. Nelson did walk four batters in the game, though there’s something to be said about a pitcher that can limit the Tigers offense to just three hits. Ryan Braun (2-5) hit his ninth home run of the season during a big third inning for the Brewers, and it seems as if Braun’s early season struggles might officially be behind him, which is a great sign for fantasy owners. Fellow Brewers’ outfielder Carlos Gomez also had a big night, going 3-5 while driving in two runs and scoring a run. The majority of the scoring came against Tigers’ start Anibal Sanchez, as he lasted just 3.2 innings, giving up seven runs (three home runs) and striking out two. Sanchez has struggled mightily so far this season, as he ERA now sits at 5.60. Look for Sanchez to try and rebound in his next start on the road against the A’s.

Ricky Nolasco improved to 4-1 on the season as the Minnesota Twins took down the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-5 Tuesday night. Nolasco gave up ten hits in the start, though he was able to limit the damage to just four runs (three earned) in 5.2 innings while striking out eight batters. The Twins continue to be an early season surprise, as they sit just three games back in the highly competitive AL Central. Brian Dozier went 1-4 with a solo home run in the first inning of the game, his seventh of the season. The Twins were able to get to Pirates’ starter Francisco Liriano early, tagging him for seven runs across two innings. As for the Bucs’ offense, Andrew McCutchen and Gregory Polanco both took the collar, each going 0-5 in the loss. On the bright side, Josh Harrison collected three hits in four at-bats, including an RBI single in the seventh inning, as both the Pirates and fantasy owners are starting to get rewarded with the solid offense that was expected of Harrison prior the start of the season. Glen Perkins picked up his 13th save of the year for the Twins.

THE REST OF THE DETAILS

SAVE CHANCES

Huston Street (13)

Koji Uehara (10)

Brad Boxberger (11)

Wade Davis (7)

Enrique Burgos (2)

Cody Allen (7)

John Axford (5)

Glen Perkins (14)

Pat Neshek (1)

LINEUP MOVES

None

INJURIES

Hanley Ramirez – Day-to-day – (leg)

Coco Crisp – Day-to-day – (neck)

Devon Travis – Day-to-day – (shoulder)

Greg Holland – Day-to-day – (stiff neck)

Jacoby Ellsbury – 15-Day DL – (knee)

Victor Martinez – 15-Day DL – (knee)

Corey Dickerson – 15- Day DL – (foot)

RUMORS & TRANSACTIONS

Cole Hamels and Jonathan Papelbon aren’t the only member of the Phillies that could be shipped out before this year’s trade deadline, as it seems several teams are scouting outfielder Ben Revere, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted earlier today. It seems like Revere could be the odd man out when Cody Asche and Dominic Brown both return, so its not surprising to see teams monitoring his play, especially given his speed on the base paths. Revere has been playing mostly in left field this year, where his glove is a little more valuable than it was in center field. One team that could be in the market for an outfielder is the Anaheim Angels, who have gotten poor results thus far from their left fielders, collectively posting a .150/.187/.218 batting line this season.

Previous post

2015 Fantasy Baseball: The Fielding Chronicles -- Third Basemen

Next post

Daily Fantasy Golf Strategy: Crowne Invitational at Colonial