Lance McCullers
McCullers put in another strong outing on Sunday, going five no-hit innings, with four strikeouts and four walks. Although the start was another win for McCullers who is now 3-1 with a 2.00 ERA, the start did quite a number to McCullers' previously impeccable 36:6 strikeout to walk rate, bringing his ratio down from 6:1 to 4:1. However, the peripherals are still strong for the 21-year old rookie Astro. McCuller's 2.00 ERA is underlined by a 2.32 FIP, and an impressive 10.00 K/9. McCullers was already a hot addition heading into Sunday so if he's somehow still available in your league, snatch him up right now, don't wait until he is probable next because he'll be gone if he isn't already. If you already have McCullers do not drop him as part of a streaming strategy. McCullers has proven himself so far, and with a 95 mph fastball and hammer curve, he should be a productive pitcher for your team the rest of the season.
David Ortiz
Ortiz connected for a home run for the third time in four games on Sunday, bringing his season total to nine. The home run was part of a 1-for-4 day in which he tallied three RBI, all coming on the big blast. In the last four games, the one game in which Ortiz didn't homer was his only multi-hit game, and he had two RBIs and a run to boot. The mini-hot streak for Ortiz may not last, however. There are still plenty of troublesome signs in his batted ball profile in 2015. For one, Ortiz has never posted a ground ball rate as high as he has right now, and for a slow, old power hitter who has to hit into the teeth of an intense overshift every at bat, a ground ball is a near death sentence. Ortiz's hard ball hit percentage is also far below his career rate, and is the lowest it has been since his cup of tea with the Twins back in 2002. For Ortiz owners, it might be a good opportunity for one of the older tricks in fantasy baseball, selling off a player who is struggling when they put together a mini-hot streak, to maximize the return.
Dellin Betances
Betances had his first official save opportunity since taking over for the injured Andrew Miller, and nailed down the save, walking just one batter in his inning of work and getting Matt Weiters to strike out to end the game. Betances already had good value when he wasn't a closer thanks to an absurd 0.27 ERA, and 14.85 K/9 rate, now that he's getting saves, he jumps into the elite tier of closers in fantasy. His FIP is a measly 1.15, and with Andrew Miller out at least a month, Betances owners should be feeling pretty good. That "at least a month" diagnosis for Miller is also on the hopeful side, and Miller's forearm will have to return to full health as the Yankees will not risk rushing him back with an option as strong as Betances in the ninth.
Francisco Lindor
Although Buxton's debut got the majority of the attention on Sunday, MLB.com number three overall prospect, Francisco Lindor, also made his MLB debut on Sunday. Lindor's debut was also under-the-radar because he started the game on the bench, coming on as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning. Lindor still got two at bats, and managed to get one more hit than Buxton did in his four at bats. Lindor went 1-for-2, but in terms of long-term potential, Buxton is the clear favorite even when accounting for the fact that Lindor plays the far more valuable fantasy position. Lindor's biggest strengths are his defense and his plate discipline, one of which affects no leagues and the other of which affects a very limited number of leagues. Lindor's impact may be biggest in seeing some of those Indians pitchers whose FIPs are lower than their ERA finally moving back in the right direction, as Lindor will help the Indian defense out quite a bit. However, Lindor's minor league hitting numbers leave a lot to be desired so it's hard to imagine him being an impact hitter at the major league level right away.
Daily Fantasy Sports
Manny Machado
Machado is red hot, with six multi-hit games in his last eight games; going against a pitcher who has given up twelve runs in his last two starts and is due for even more regression; and will be hitting leadoff in the number four ballpark for offense in 2015. How he is possibly less expensive than 10 other third baseman is absurd, and an absolute steal. Machado has three home runs over that aforementioned eight-game stretch, and has the power/speed combination to boot (11 home runs and eight steals in 2015). Pick him up and enjoy the benefits.
DraftKings: $4,200
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