Manny Machado Bops Two Homers In Needed Slump-Buster

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo homers in Sunday’s victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Machado started the scoring with a blast off starter Madison Bumgarner in the first inning and encored with another round-tripper in the second frame as part of a six-homer barrage against D-backs pitching. […]

Charlie Blackmon On Historic Pace At Plate In 2020

Colorado Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon is a four-time All-Star who has a batting title to his credit, but he is on pace to potentially make history in 2020. Following another multi-hit contest Sunday, Blackmon is hitting a Major League-best .458 this year and is also tied for the NL led with 18 RBI. No hitter […]

Fernando Tatis Jr. Homers Again To Wrap Monster Week

San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Complementing his tater with a single, Tatis wraps up a monster week going 10-for-23 (.435 average) with six long balls and 16 runs-plus-RBI. After homering in four consecutive contests, the 21-year-old star is slashing .333/.417/.810 and leads […]

Madison Bumgarner Battling Back Spasms After Start Sunday

Arizona Diamondbacks left-handed pitcher Madison Bumgarner was removed from Sunday’s start against the Padres due to back spasms, per manager Torey Lovullo. The injury was not readily apparent upon his removal, as he had allowed four home runs in two innings of work as his fastball velocity continued to be a concern. While Bumgarner has […]

Kevin Gausman Pitches Well Sunday

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Kevin Gausman turned in his best start of the season in Sunday's 6-2 loss to the Dodgers. Gausman pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing a single run on three hits and no walks with six strikeouts. He now has a 4.05 ERA with an impressive 23 strikeouts over 20 IP. He'll […]

Sean Doolittle Not A Fantasy Option At This Stage

Washington Nationals left-handed pitcher Sean Doolittle has been open about not yet having answers to correct what has gone wrong for him on the hill in 2020. With Daniel Hudson now entrenched as the team’s closer moving forward, Doolittle -- who yielded two home runs Saturday to bring his ERA to 18.00 -- is no […]

Dinelson Lamet Nearly Unhittable In Dominant Outing

San Diego Padres starter Dinelson Lamet fired 6 2/3 frames of one-hit ball in Sunday’s victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Spotted an early 9-0 lead, Lamet carried a no-hitter into the seventh before surrendering a leadoff home run to Kole Calhoun. His only other blemish was a hit batter as he dominated with 11 strikeouts. […]

Starling Marte Wrecking Fastballs To Kickstart Hot Open To Year

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Starling Marte soared up draft boards in 2020 after having a bounce-back campaign last year with Pittsburgh. Early returns for the D-backs are encouraging, as Marte has hit .347 with a .958 OPS through his first 15 games. Fastballs have been particularly appetizing, as he has hit .483 against the hard stuff […]

Willson Contreras Reclaiming Elite Catcher Status In 2020

Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras is off to a torrid start in 2020, having mashed a 167 OPS+ in his first 13 games. The addition of the designated hitter in the National League has been a boon for his production as he has already served as the DH three times this year, giving him extra […]

Adam Eaton Slumping Since Opening Day Blast

Washington Nationals outfielder Adam Eaton got off to a hot start in 2020, homering in his first plate appearance against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. Since then, essentially nothing has gone right at the dish, as he has hit .222 through his first 12 games with a .626 OPS. Eaton is striking out at a higher […]

Ramon Laureano Charges Bench Sunday, Suspension Likely

Oakland Athletics center fielder Ramon Laureano was hit by a pitch for the second time Sunday during the seventh inning against Houston, which led to him storming the Astros’ dugout, which sparked a bench-clearing melee. A significant suspension is likely on the horizon for Laureano -- in addition to the others who participated -- as […]

Yasmani Grandal’s Power Absent Early In 2020

Chicago White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal has established himself as an offensive force behind the dish over the past half-decade, but he has yet to find his power stroke early on this season. Through his first 12 games, Grandal has yet to go deep and has compiled a .661 OPS, which would be the lowest […]

Zach Plesac Sent Home Following Violation Of Team Rules

Cleveland Indians right-handed pitcher Zach Plesac reportedly went out from his hotel Saturday night, which is a violation of team rules as the league attempts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Plesac has gotten off to a splendid start in 2020, striking out 31.2% of batters he has faced, amassing a 1.29 ERA in his first […]

Scott Barlow Records First Save Of Season Sunday

Kansas City Royals right-handed pitcher Scott Barlow notched his second career save and first of the season Sunday against Minnesota. While the outing was impressive for Barlow, it’s actually more noteworthy that he got the ball in front of Ian Kennedy, who seems to have been officially supplanted in the ninth-inning role by Trevor Rosenthal. […]

Stephen Strasburg Has No Long-Term Concern For Hand Issue

Washington Nationals right-handed pitcher Stephen Strasburg looked excellent through his first four innings Sunday against Baltimore before the wheels fell off in the fifth. Strasburg finished with five runs allowed across 4 ⅓ frames in his season debut, having been continually bumped back due to a nerve issue in his pitching hand. After the game, […]

Pirates-Cardinals Series Cancelled Due To COVID-19 Concerns

The upcoming series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals that was scheduled for Monday-Wednesday has been officially cancelled as the Cardinals continue to work through the positive COVID-19 tests that have dismantled their 2020 season. Monday’s contest had already been wiped out, but now the whole series will be tabled, making it at […]

J.P. Crawford (SS, SEA) - Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 29% of leagues ANALYSIS: The Mariners can be easy to gloss over, but they found a new leadoff hitter and fantasy managers need to take note of what J.P. Crawford has done to start the season. The 25-year-old shortstop is off to a sizzling start with 13 runs […]

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Logs Two Hits Sunday

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 2-for-4 in the team's 5-3 loss to the Red Sox on Sunday. Both hits went for singles as he upped his average to .295 on the season despite moving down the order from third to fifth over the weekend. Owners shouldn't be concerned with the bump down […]

Hunter Dozier Activated From IL, Hitting Cleanup Sunday

Kansas City Royals first baseman/designated hitter Hunter Dozier was placed on the active roster for Sunday’s contest against the Twins, set to make his season debut after having missed the early part of the year after a positive COVID-19 test. While Kansas City signed Maikel Franco to become the third baseman, Dozier moves over to […]

Bo Bichette Extends Hit Streak To Five

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette extended his hitting streak to five games during the team's 5-3 loss to the Red Sox Sunday. His lone hit of the afternoon went for a solo shot in the sixth off Nathan Eovaldi, his second of the season. Bichette is hitting .289 with just one walk so far […]

Sean Manaea Eyes First Quality Start Of 2020 On Monday

Oakland Athletics left-handed pitcher Sean Manaea entered the 2020 season with considerable pomp after a terrific five-start conclusion (4-0, 1.21 ERA) to last season. But things have gone completely sideways to begin the new year, with Manaea having yielded 13 runs (11 earned) in 12 ⅓ innings in three starts. The starkest difference is how […]

Cavan Biggio Cranks Fourth Homer

Toronto Blue Jays second baseman/outfielder Cavan Biggio notched his fourth homer of the year during the team's 5-3 loss to the Red Sox Sunday. He finished the afternoon going 1-for-3 with a walk out of the leadoff spot, where he's finding some comfort after three-straight starts there. Biggio is hitting just .192 so far on […]

Matt Shoemaker Bit By Long Ball In No-Decision

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Matt Shoemaker had a nice bounce-back outing in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Red Sox. He struck out six batters over six innings, issuing no walks while giving up three runs (two earned) in the no-decision. Two of his three hits allowed were solo home runs, but he was otherwise […]

Eddy Alvarez Has A Three Hit Game On Sunday

Miami Marlins rookie second baseman Eddy Alvarez had a strong game on Sunday, going 3-for-4 with a double and two singles. Alvarez has been playing excellent defense, but had struggled with the bat until this one. The former Olympic speed skater is hitting .231 with a .538 OPS. He'll help the Marlins a lot more […]

Charlie Morton Not Concerned About Early Exit Sunday

Tampa Bay Rays right-handed pitcher Charlie Morton was removed from Sunday’s game against the Yankees after throwing only two innings due to tightness. But after the contest, Morton stated that he was “not worried about it” and was confident that he wouldn’t miss much time. Whether that means he will make his scheduled start next […]

Zach Britton Takes His First Loss Of The Season

New York Yankees relief pitcher Zach Britton was tagged with the loss on Sunday, allowing a walk-off run against the Rays on Sunday. Britton failed to generate a single whiff over his 19 pitches, and a pair of hard-hit balls allowed the Rays to drive in the winning run. Sunday’s loss breaks a 68-appearance streak […]

Pablo Lopez Struggles With Control On Sunday

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez wasn't at his best on Sunday against the Mets. He took the loss, tossing five innings while allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and four walks. He struck out four while evening his record at 1-1. Lopez was excellent his first time out but didn't have the […]

Reynaldo Lopez, Carlos Rodon Progressing In Rehab

Chicago White Sox right-handed pitcher Reynaldo Lopez and left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodon are both currently absent from the team’s starting rotation, but are building towards their respective returns as of Sunday. Lopez threw a side session, per manager Rick Renteria, while Rodon played catch Saturday. Lopez has made just one start in 2020, recording two […]

Gleyber Torres Extends Hit Streak To Three Games

New York Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres extended his hit streak to three games with a 1-for-3 performance on Sunday. Torres broke a 24-at-bat hitless streak in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, and he appears to be heating up after a slow start to the season. Poor contact quality has been the primary driver of […]

Vince Velasquez Effective Vs Braves

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Vince Velasquez allowed one run in four innings pitched in a no-decision vs the Braves Sunday. Velasquez wasn't dominant as he allowed three hits and three walks, but salvaged fantasy value by striking out six. While the results were a mixed bag, Velasquez did generate 13 swinging strikes on just 76 […]