Buzz Cuts: Don't Complain About New MLB Rules, Exploit Them
Published: May 06, 2021
One of the more belabored debates we’ve heard this season has been over Madison Bumgarner ’s 7-inning no-hitter. Should it count as a “legitimate” no-hitter or should there be an asterisk next to it because it wasn’t nine innings?
Yawn! Snore. Boooooooooooooriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!!!!!!!
Who cares? He allowed zero hits in the maximum number of innings he was allowed to pitch for the game. Was it nine innings? No. But who gives a crap? How about we focus on exploiting these new rules of baseball for the fantasy game instead of sitting in the middle of a discussion that was moot before it even started?
Does your points league score bonus points for a complete game?
The season is barely a month old and we already have 16 complete games thrown. If you’re wondering if that’s a lot, think about the fact that there were just 45 complete games thrown during the 2019 season, so yeah, I would say that’s a lot. Of those 16 complete games, six of them were from seven-inning games or roughly 45-percent. I don’t need to do the prorating or the math for you to understand that we have the potential for a significant increase in the number of complete-games thrown this season which, if your league maintains it’s usual scoring system, means more points for your starting pitchers.
Obviously, there were no seven-inning double-headers on the original MLB schedule, but with all the postponements we’ve see already, the calendar is starting to fill up.
May 5 -- NY Mets at St. Louis Cardinals
May 14 -- Kansas CIty ROyals at CHicago White Sox
May 20 -- Minnesota Twins at Los Angeles Angels
May 31 -- Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Indians
June 19 -- NY Mets at Washington Nationals
June 25 -- Philadelphia Phillies at NY Mets
September 4 -- NY Mets at Washington Nationals
You should also keep an eye on the double-header schedule because a number of these seven-inning games have turned into extra-inning affairs. With the new rule of putting a man on second base we have seen a rise in extra-innings runs scored. Over the last 10 extra-inning games played, we’ve seen a total of 25 runs scored after the final inning of regulation play and no, none of them were played at Coors Field. Just a cursory glance at the seven teams with May double-headers scheduled, you should be able to find a number of players worthy of streaming in and out of your lineups.Start watching how each team’s rotation is cycling and you should be able to ballpark who the potential starters might be for these games. If you have the opportunity to stream starters in, this could be an edge in your league or head-to-head match-up.
An exact science? No. Of course not. But finding different ways to exploit some of these new rules is a heck of a lot better than bitching about them.
Quick Cuts:
If you listen to the Fantasy Alarm Show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio, then you’ve heard Jim Bowden and I play Believe It or Not. Well, how’s this for an extra installment? The top five closers in baseball right now are Mark Melancon , Ian Kennedy , Alex Reyes , Matt Barnes and César Valdez. Mind-numbing, right? The fewest number of saves is seven for Barnes and Valdez, the worst ERA is Barnes’ 2.25 and the lowest K/9 is Melancon’s 9.00 mark. None of them were drafted above the 15th round this spring. Mind blown? Yeah, mine too.
Injuries are absolutely out of control this season. From marquee players like Cody Bellinger , Eloy Jiménez and Luis Robert to role players like Kole Calhoun , Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ketel Marte to pitchers like Marco Gonzales , Jesús Luzardo and Dustin May, things have been absolutely brutal. Most fantasy teams are taking a beating, so keep a watchful eye on your league’s waiver wire. Unless your league has unlimited IL spots, people are going to have to make some hard and fast decisions if they don’t want to lose too many bench spots. Always check your free agent list the day after waivers process.
Player News
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters that Zach Eflin (lat) is likely to return and start Sunday against the Angels
It was assumed that Eflin would be back this weekend, but now we have a concrete date. The 31-year-old may not be at full strength after throwing fewer than 60 pitches in his rehab start, but the Orioles feel confident enough to have the right-hander back on the bump for the series finale against the Angels.
Riley Greene is not in the lineup for the first game of a doubleheader against the Rockies on Thursday.
Greene will get a break and likely return to the lineup for the second game of the twin-billing. Zach McKinstry will get the start in left field while Greene rests.
Yu Darvish (elbow) is facing live hitters on Thursday.
Darvish has been throwing bullpen sessions and traveled to the team’s complex in Arizona to face live hitters on Thursday. It will be his first time facing live batters since a spring training appearance on March 13th. He will likely need a few sessions like this before the Padres can map out a rehab appearance timeline for him.
Adael Amador is starting at second base and batting ninth for the Rockies on Thursday.
Amador has now started three of the last four games at second base for the Rockies. He’s gone just 7-for-43 this season with 15 strikeouts in 16 games. He’s just 22 years old, so there is plenty of time for him to adjust to the MLB level, but he doesn’t need to be on redraft radars right now.
Jackson Holliday is playing second base and batting second for the Orioles on Thursday against the Twins.
With Cedric Mullins sitting out on Thursday, Gunnar Henderson will bat lead off, and Holliday will jump up from sixth in the order to second. Holliday is riding a hot streak right now, and the Orioles are taking advantage. This is likely just a one-game sample with no Mullins or Adley Rutschman in the lineup, but Rutschman has been struggling, so perhaps it could become a more permanent spot in the lineup for Holliday moving forward.
Endy Rodriguez (finger) had his splint removed this week.
Rodriguez suffered a lacerated right index finger on April 14th. Now that he is out of his splint, he “is playing catch and doing a slightly modified swing.” Once he can progress to taking full swings, we’ll have a better sense of the timeline for his return.