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.