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 Texas Rangers were able to sneak past the Boston Red Sox tonight, winning the game 2-1 on the road. Xander Bogaerts hit his second home run of the year in the loss.
• The Seattle Mariners took down the Baltimore Orioles tonight, with Fernando Rodney taking home his 10^th save of the year.
• Adam Jones went 3-4 for the O’s in the loss.
• Ryan Howard hit his eighth home run of the year to lead the Phillies over the Rockies 4-2. Troy Tulowitzki took the collar, going 0-4 in the loss.
• Joe Mauer broke the tie score in the 13^th inning with a solo home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Josh Harrison and Andrew McCutchen both collected three hits, including Cutch’s fifth home run of the season.
• Shane Greene continued his recent streak of solid outings, striking out six over 6.1 innings against the Milwaukee Brewers, letting up two runs, though he did not factor into the decision.
• Ryan Braun stayed hot, hitting hit 10^th home run of the year off Greene in the fourth inning.
• The Cleveland Indians edged the Chicago White Sox 4-3, led by Michael Brantley’s two run double in the seventh. Carlos Rodon gave up one run in six innings, though he walked five and struggled with his control throughout the start.
• A.J. Pollock had a huge night for the Diamondbacks, stealing three bases (including home), while going 3-4 with four runs scored against the Miami Marlins. Giancarlo Stanton went 0-4.

IF YOU ONLY READ ONE THING…

When can we officially declare that the Astros are for real? I’m still skeptical about them, but they’re comfortably sitting atop the AL West by six games after their win today against the Oakland A’s, and one of their best players (if not their best player), George Springer, is hitting below .200. Springer just recently got activated from the seven-day DL after suffering a concussion, though it seems the rust is still there as he’s gone just 5-for-24 since being activated, however two of the hits have been home runs.

Today, Dallas Keuchel was the man for the Astros, tossing seven shutout innings (one unearned run) and striking out four en route to his sixth win of the season. Keuchel has been brilliant all season, and today’s start lowered his ERA to 1.67 on the year, to go along with a 0.97 WHIP and 46 strikeouts. Evan Gattis, one of the Astros key offseason acquisitions who has also been struggling at the plate, hit a two-run home run in the game to give Keuchel and the Astros the lead in the sixth inning.

For the A’s, starter Jesse Hahn slipped to 1-4, letting up three runs across six innings while striking out six and walking a pair. The A’s continue to fall in the standings, so it wont be surprising to see them shopping some of their upcoming free agents this summer, including starter Scott Kazmir and INF/OF Ben Zobrist.

JUST AS WE EXPECTED…

The Washington Nationals took down the New York Yankees for the second night in a row, although tonight they were able to do it without their star player Bryce Harper, who was ejected in the third inning for arguing balls and strikes. If you bought Harper in DFS tonight (like I did) you were burned badly and wasted $5,700. Jordan Zimmerman picked up his fourth win of the year, tossing seven innings of two run ball while striking out six to bring his ERA to 3.52 on the year. Ian Desmond and Tyler Moore both took Yankees’ start Adam Warren deep in the game. Warren went 6.1 innings, letting up three runs (two earned) with four walks and four strikeouts. Drew Storen struck out two in the ninth to pick up his 12^th save.

The Kansas City Royals just keep on winning, as they beat up the Cincinnati Reds 7-1 tonight at home. Mike Moustakas brought his average up to .342 on the season, collecting three hits in four at-bats with a run scored. Mous hasn’t hit for much power this year, just four home runs, but he continues to be a pleasant surprise for all fantasy owners who were waiting for his breakout to come. Jeremy Guthire improved to 4-2 for the Royals, throwing six scoreless innings with three strikeouts and two walks. Alex Gordon and Kendrys Morales both picked up two RBIs for the Royals in the win. For the Reds, Jason Marquis lasted just 3.2 innings, giving up four runs before being pulled from the game. Brandon Phillips was the lone Red who was able to have a productive offensive night, going 3-5 with an RBI.

BUT WE DIDN’T SEE THIS COMING…

Los Angeles Angels’ starter Jared Weaver was able to pick up his third win of the season tonight against the Toronto Blue Jays and their high-powered offense. Weaver lasted seven innings, giving up three runs and striking out four while walking three. After coming out of the gate slow, Weaver has picked things up over his last three starts, letting up four runs over his last 23.1 innings. Mike Trout did Mike Trout things tonight, going 2-3 with two walks and a home run, a solo shot that came in the fifth inning of the game. Angels’ first baseman Albert Pujols left the game shortly after being hit by a pitch on the wrist, though the extent of the injury is not yet known, so consider him day-to-day until we find out more information. Drew Hutchinson took the loss for the Jays, giving up four runs in 6.2 innings of work, striking out five. The big bats in the Jays lineup were kept quiet tonight, with Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, and Edwin Encarnacion all being held without a hit. Huston Street notched his 14^th save after tossing a scoreless ninth inning, striking out one batter.

The St. Louis Cardinals pounded the New York Mets tonight, tagging on nine runs on the road in the big apple. Bartolo Colon had easily his worst start of the season, letting up nine runs (eight earned) on eleven hits in 4.1 innings with two walks and four strikeouts. Hitting seventh in the lineup, Jayson Heyward collected two hits in four at-bats, including his fourth home run of the season in the fourth inning off Colon. Kolten Wong had a big night as well, going 3-5 with two runs scored and two runs batted in. Matt Holliday collected three hits as well tonight, going 3-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Carlos Martinez got the wins for the Redbirds, striking out five over 6.1 innings of work. The two teams go at it again tomorrow at 1:10pm, with Jacob deGrom going up against Jaime Garcia in his 2015 debut.

THE REST OF THE DETAILS

SAVE CHANCES

Jason Grilli (12)

Drew Storen (12)

Shawn Tolleson (1)

Fernando Rodney (10)

Joakim Soria (13)

Huston Street (14)

Glen Perkins (15)

Jonathan Papelbon (11)

Cody Allen (8)

LINEUP MOVES

Chase Utley was moved back to the three-hole Wednesday.

INJURIES

Hyun-jin Ryu – out for the season- (shoulder surgery)

Albert Pujols – Day-to-day – (wrist)

RUMORS & TRANSACTIONS

Jon Morosi of Fox Sports asked Rockies owner Dick Monfort this past week about the trade speculation regarding star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, but Monfort quickly shot the idea down. Monfort told Morosi, “We’re not trying to trade him. There’s no story there.” While it would be easy to believe Monfort’s words, some have to wonder how true the statement actually was. There’s no doubt that Colorado would love to have Tulo be in a Rockies’ uniform for the rest of his career, but his injury history and inflated salary would lead most to believe that the Rockies will at least entertain offers while his stock is still high. We will continue to monitor the situation as the season progresses, as it will most likely be one of the bigger headlines leading up to the July 31^st trade deadline.