How can you beat baseball all day? The short answer is you can’t, and the long answer is you freakin’ can’t! Baseball is one the most humbling, yet uplifting sports, and anything can truly happen on any given evening. We saw not one, but two immaculate innings yesterday, and they both came against the same three hitters! Los Angeles’ Tyler Anderson nearly no-hit the Astros, Manny Machado etched his name in the annals of MLB history, and fantasy baseball waiver wire pick up of the year candidate Spencer Strider pushed the Atlanta Braves’ current win streak to 14 games! Furthermore, Yoán Moncada, who has been a fantasy baseball bust to date, notched five hits yesterday, as he looks to break out of his current funk, and Philadelphia’s Garrett Stubbs' walk-off home run yesterday pushed his average on the year to .342. MLB DFS players should keep an eye out for Stubbs when he finds his name on the lineup card moving forward. Rookie sensations Jeremy Peña and Edward Cabrera will head to the IL, and could the latter open the door for top prospect Max Meyer to join the Miami rotation? After we break down all of the Major League Baseball action from yesterday, we’ll go ahead and take a quick look at Thursday’s action, and I’ll give you my best bets for the day!

 

 


Wednesday's Biggest MLB News and Injuries

Manny Machado Makes History

 


Machado joined elite company last night, as he became just the sixth third baseman to log 1,500+ hits through their age-29 season. The other names are Adrián Béltre, George Brett, Freddie Lindstrom, Eddie Mathews, and Ron Santo.

 

 

Additionally, Machado became just the 17th player in MLB history to have 1,500+ hits and 250+ home runs before the age of 30! What Machado is doing this year is nothing short of exceptional, slashing .322/.396/.932 with 11 home runs, 46 runs scored, 42 RBI, and seven stolen bases through 62 games.
 

Jack Flaherty’s 2022 Debut

 


Flaherty came into spring training with shoulder soreness, and the team played it careful with their stud right-hander. However, he made enough progress that the team felt comfortable making the next outing in his return to a full workload at the major league level. He was held to 60 pitches in his debut, and he allowed four runs (two earned), on three hits with two walks and three strikeouts in six innings. His fastball velocity was a little down, but that is to be expected given that there is still some rust to shake off, but his fastball did touch 95+ yesterday, which was a sight many Cardinals fans should have enjoyed. Once the rust is off and he gets back up to full strength, he should be an SP2 the rest of the way for fantasy purposes, but he’s far from being devoid of any risk.


Spencer Strider Dominates, Braves Extend Win Streak to 14

 


The Atlanta Braves are good, but Spencer Strider is amazing. With a slider that spins for days and a fastball that nearly touches 101 miles per hour, what can’t he do? Is he the fantasy baseball free agent pickup of the year?


 

He may be only 3-2, but he has a 2.45 ERA (2.07 FIP, 2.61 xFIP) and a whopping 13.91 K/9. If you like percentages, he has an insane 38.6 percent strikeout rate!

 

 

Of pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched on the year, Strider’s 13.91 K/9 is a full batter above the next highest (Dylan Cease, 12.84 K/9), and his 38.6 percent strikeout rate is over three percentage points above the next closest (Shane McClanahan, 35.2%). His 11.9 percent walk rate may be a smidge high, but thanks to a large strikeout rate, he can avoid damage for the most part.

Oh, thanks to Strider, the Braves have now won 14 straight!


Tyler Anderson’s Gem

 


If Spencer Strider was a great waiver wire pickup, where does Tyler Anderson fall into that mix? He nearly no-hit the Angels last night, logging eight strikeouts while allowing just one earned run on one hit through 8.1 excellent innings. Shohei Ohtani just had to come along and ruin things for Anderson, well, Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger tried to right away! The Angels have had strikeout problems all season long, but we can’t discredit what Anderson did yesterday, as his changeup posted an insane 41 percent whiff rate, and his current 13.5 percent swinging strike rate would be a career-best, and first time being north of 12 percent since 2017. Anderson is a perfect 8-0 with a 2.82 ERA on the season, and what’s even prettier than that is that the xERA (3.19), and FIP (3.10) aren’t far off.

 

 

 

Immaculate Innings… PLURAL!?

One immaculate inning is crazy enough, but two in the same game? Also, doubling down further, two immaculate innings in the same game against the same trio of batters?


Check out MLB.com's video to see a side-by-side comparison of Luis Garcia and Phil Maton both tossing immaculate innings for the Houston Astros against the same three Texas Rangers hitters. What you’ll see is not some fancy, high-tech editing work. Well, to an extent it is, but the results are real from the same day.
 

Wednesday's Injury Updates

It’s fun to celebrate the positive stuff, but it’s worth touching on some noteworthy trips to the injured list, and updates about those who have been on it.

  • Jeremy Peña hits the injured list with a thumb issue. Anything with the hand, wrist, or thumb for hitters always worries me, so even if he can return after the minimum 10 days, it may take a bit longer to return to his peak form and power.
  • I mentioned it in a recent Round Up, but there was a big day looming this week for Fernando Tatis Jr. and his return to the lineup. He is not yet cleared to swing a bat.
  • The Mets continue to get positive news regarding their two aces, as Jacob deGrom is scheduled for a fourth bullpen session after completing a successful one on Tuesday, and Max Scherzer will throw live BP later in the week.
  • Edward Cabrera’s 174 mile per hour changeup will head to the IL with elbow tendinitis. Is it Max Meyer time in Miami?
  • Walker Buehler’s surgery to remove a bone spur, as well as the initial flexor strain will keep him sidelined for 10-12 weeks. He can likely be dropped in redraft formats at this point, as the full 12 weeks takes us into September, and Dave Roberts will be extra careful with the stud righty.


Thursday’s Best Bets

 


OVER 8.5 Runs (-105 BetMGM)

I fully expect the Blue Jays to drive up this run total and be the majority of the over here, but I wouldn’t discount Baltimore from doing a little bit of damage. Kevin Gausman’s 3.69 home ERA is light years away from his 1.85 ERA on the road, and he just allowed five runs (three earned) on hits in his last home start back on June 5th against Minnesota. He’s allowed at least three earned runs in three of his last five home outings, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Baltimore scratches a couple of runs across. Now, we’ll make our money with Toronto against Tyler Wells, as the Baltimore right-hander has a 4.80 ERA on the road, and has a 4.50 ERA through two June starts, which have come against inferior offenses (CLE, KC) compared to Toronto. The Blue Jays are red hot at the moment, and they have scored at least five runs in eight of their last 10. Also, for what it’s worth, here are the total runs scored between these two thus far in this series: 12, 11, and 13.

 

 


OVER 6.5 Strikeouts (PrizePicks)

Spencer Strider just lit up this team for 11 strikeouts, and this line only looks sweeter if Juan Soto’s dugout mishap keeps him out of the lineup for another game. The Nationals have the 17th-highest strikeout rate in the month of June, which may not sound like much at 21.1 percent, but for the year, they are just 19.5 percent. The team has punched out 20 times over the past two games without Soto in the lineup, and Wheeler has at least seven strikeouts in eight straight starts, including eight or more in four of his last five.

 

 

 

Fantasy Alarm is the home of all things Fantasy Sports. Bringing you the best Fantasy Football, Fantasy Baseball and Fantasy Basketball content all year long. Be sure to also check out the best fantasy promo codes on offer today!


Related MLB Links: