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 have everything you need to know to help you win your league.

Fortunately for us fans, we have two of the best left handed pitchers in all of baseball in the very same division. Today, San Francisco’s Madison Bumgarner and LA’s Clayton Kershaw faced off for the third time already this season and it’s only May 21st. Neither pitcher factored into the decision the first time these two aces met, and Bumgarner got the better of Kershaw in their second meeting.

Kershaw was last year’s National League Cy Young and MVP, and is widely regarded as the top pitcher in baseball, but has notably struggled against some of other great NL starters such as Adam Wainwright. Bumgarner helped himself out in a big way by putting his team out in front with a long 415-foot blast off of Kershaw in the bottom half of the third inning. While fantasy owners would love to have the points for that home run, they’ll have to settle for the quality start, win, and six strikeouts collected along the way.

Bumgarner has been performing like the World Series MVP that he is, but Clayton Kershaw’s performance thus far this season has been underwhelming. The 3-time Cy Young award winner is just 2-3 on the year and has an ERA of 4.32, nearly two runs above his career mark. While it’s discouraging for fantasy owners who likely had to draft Kershaw in the first six or seven picks, there is no cause for panic just yet. Kershaw is just 27 years old and has lead the NL in ERA the last four years running. He will turn it around; there is no doubt about it.

IF YOU ONLY READ ONE THING…

To say the Houston Astros have been the most surprising team in baseball would be an understatement. Houston entered the day tied for the most wins in the MLB with the Cardinals at 27, and have the best road record at 12-4. The Astros were on the road today, taking on the Detroit Tigers in the first game of a four-game set. Detroit ace David Price looked strong for the first six innings, but gave up two earned runs before leaving with two outs in the seventh inning. Price was in line for the win but Joakim Soria blew the save in the ninth. Soria had been great this season, collecting 13 saves with a 1.00 ERA before today’s outing. His team was able to bail him out thanks to an 11th inning walk-off home run from catcher James McCann. Despite today’s loss, the Houston Astros are playing great baseball, winning 7 of their last 10 and leading the MLB in home runs.

JUST AS WE EXPECTED…

Along with the Astro’s surprising start, the New York Mets still find themselves in the playoff hunt two months into the 2015 MLB season. Both teams were believed to be a year or so away from contention, and things were looking particularly bleak for the Mets after losing Zack Wheeler for the year to Tommy John surgery and having captain David Wright and starting catcher Travis d’Arnaud hit the DL early on in the season.

Today, the Mets took on the best team in baseball in terms of winning percentage, the St. Louis Cardinals, in the final game of a 4-game series. They took game one in 14 innings on Monday behind a dominant pitching performance from club ace, Matt Harvey, but were subsequently blown out in the following two games. New York looked to reigning Rookie of the Year, and the Robin to Harvey’s Dark Knight moniker, Jacob deGrom, to even the series. DeGrom let up just one hit and struck out 11 Cardinals in an 8-inning gem as the Mets won their 24th game of the season; further proving that if New York hopes to remain in the playoff race, they will have to rely heavily on their pitching.

Both Wright and d’Arnaud were hitting over .300 when they went down with injury, and aside from Lucas Duda, the team has struggled mightily at the plate. Duda has been a bright spot in the Mets lineup, showing the rare ability to go to the opposite field while still possessing 30 home run power. Duda launched his fourth and fifth homers of the year in today’s game and brought his average back up to .302. Both of today’s long balls also happened to come off of lefties. Duda has 19 RBIs on the year and will get plenty more opportunities to drive in runs with Wright and d’Arnaud both resuming baseball activities.

WHAT WE DIDN’T EXPECT…

I won’t go as far to say that R.A Dickey is back to the level he was performing at with the Mets, or even that he can end up at the 3.71 ERA and the 173 strikeouts he finished with last season, but Dickey showed flashes of the former Cy Young award winner he is in tonight’s game against the Angels. Dickey threw a complete game, striking out seven and only walking two. David Freese doled out the majority of the damage off Dickey tonight by knocking in three runs, including a 2-run homerun in the ninth. Dickey’s walk rate has been up and his strikeouts down, which explains the 5.76 ERA this season, but tonight’s outing was the deepest into a game he’s gone all season, and his seven strikeouts the most he’s accumulated in a start.

SAVE CHANCES

–Zach Britton (9)

–Brad Ziegler (1)

–Shawn Tolleson (2)

–Brad Boxberger (12)

INJURIES

Anthony Rendon has not played a single baseball game in the year 2015 and has just recently started to resume baseball activities. Rendon is coming off a breakout year in which he was arguably the best all-around hitter in the NL East Champion Washington Nationals’ lineup. A knee injury left him sidelined for Spring Training and the start of the regular season, and an oblique strain set back his recovery process just as he was about to rejoin the team.

Rendon took batting practice and ground balls on Wednesday, which is an encouraging sign for the Nats and fantasy owners alike; however,  he is still some time away from what will be an extended rehab assignment. As frustrating as this season has been for Rendon, this is not a player to drop in lieu of a waiver wire pickup. Rendon is invaluable, having eligibility at both second and third base, and provides a vast array of ways he can get fantasy points. Rendon lead the National League in runs a year ago, while collecting 173 hits and 21 home runs. Although his recovery is coming along slowly, it is purposeful for the Nats as they are trying to get him back to full strength.

In the majority of fantasy leagues, there is no available player that will be as productive as a healthy Rendon. Although there is no concrete timetable for his return,  I suggest sticking him in that DL slot and hoping he returns by the time to make a push for the playoffs.

RUMORS & TRANSACTIONS

The Dodgers have had their fair share of notable injuries this season, particularly those in their pitching staff. Lefty starter Hyun-jin Ryu underwent shoulder surgery today which revealed a damaged labrum, presumably ending his 2015 season. The Dodgers have already lost right hander Brandon McCarthy for the year due to a torn UCL muscle in his elbow, and what was once a solid starting staff is now looking extremely vulnerable. Los Angeles has won their division each of the last two years but have yet to reach the World Series, so if any team were to make a move for Cole Hamels, the Dodgers are it.

Hamels is a California native and possesses frontline starter type of stuff. He has a career 3.27 ERA and would be the perfect man to round-out a dangerous three-man rotation with Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke come playoff time. L.A. has some highly touted prospects in their farm system and a seemingly endless payroll which gives them the ability to keep Hamels in Dodger blue long-term. While rookie Joc Pederson and minor league shortstop Corey Seager appear to be off the table, there is still enough depth in their farm system to make a deal for Hamels a real possibility.