Last night’s slate of games was headlined by an injury to Hanley Ramirez and the end of the Houston Astros’ winning streak. Ramirez was injured while colliding into the wall in foul territory in the first inning of the Red Sox game with the Rays. The Astros saw their 10-game streak end against the Rangers, but still maintain the best record in the American League. Fantasy owners had many major stories to watch from last night. This is the daily update for May 5, 2015.
Recap
Red Sox fall as slugger Hanley Ramirez is injured
Although Ramirez said on Twitter that he would be back soon, he was removed from Monday’s Red Sox-Rays game with arm and shoulder injuries. His 10 home runs are twice as many as any other Red Sox player and second in baseball to only Nelson Cruz. This loss would be even worse for the Red Sox since they have played 10 games already this season where their starter has allowed five or more runs, the most in the majors. Clay Buchholz allowed five runs in 6 1/3 innings against the Rays on Monday, a 5-1 Red Sox loss. The team ranks 29th in baseball with a 5.04 ERA.
Bullpen falters for Astros, ending winning streak
Evan Gattis knocked in Jose Altuve after a first-inning double, but that was the only run for the Astros in a 2-1 loss as their 10-game winning streak ended. Dallas Keuchel pitched eight innings and allowed one run with eight strikeouts, but his outstanding start was wasted by Adrian Beltre’s ninth-inning double and Robinson Chirinos‘ sacrifice fly to score the winning run. Chad Qualls took the loss for the Astros, who also saw Altuve and George Springer steal their 10th bases of the season. Ross Detwiler excelled for the Rangers, logging seven innnings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts.
League-best Cardinals win seventh straight
The Cardinals spotted the Cubs five runs in the first inning but came from behind to earn a 10-9 win. Mark Reynolds hit a first-inning grand slam, and Tony Cruz‘s double keyed a four-run seventh inning. The comeback win let Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez off the hook in his worst appearance of the season. After allowing five runs in his first 26 innings, Martinez allowed seven runs in 3 2/3 innings yesterday, walking four batters. Martinez’s ERA rose to 3.64, but he was helped by the Cardinals’ bullpen that allowed only three hits and two runs in 5 1/3 innings. Anthony Rizzo hit his fourth home run of the season, and Miguel Montero had three RBI in a losing effort.
Felix Hernandez tames Angels
King Felix is now 5-0 as he pitched seven innings, allowing six hits, one run, and striking out eight batters against the Angels. Hernandez has not allowed more than three runs in any start this season and has 44 strikeouts to seven walks. He has not walked more than two batters in any start and has had eight or more strikeouts in four of six appearances. Since leaving in the fifth inning against the Athletics on April 12th, Hernandez has pitched 29 1/3 innings and allowed only four earned runs, with 33 strikeouts to four walks. The customarily dominant Hernandez has been even better in 2015 with a 1.73 ERA, .192 batting average against, and 0.84 WHIP. Nelson Cruz also had his 14th home run for the Mariners in the 3-2 Seattle victory.
Madison Bumgarner nearly throws no-hitter
Bumgarner pitched 7 1/3 innings against the Padres on Monday night, allowing only two hits and one walk while striking out six. In his past two starts, Bumgarner has pitched 15 1/3 innings and allowed seven hits, one earned run, two walks, and 15 strikeouts. After back-to-back rough outings against the Padres and Diamondbacks, where he allowed nine earned runs in 10 innings, Bumgarner has regained his SP1 form with three earned runs allowed in 21 2/3 innings pitched. Bumgarner has 32 strikeouts and six walks this season, posting a 1.06 WHIP and .233 batting average against. He has thrown more than seven innings in four of his six starts this season and is well on his way to his fifth-straight 200-inning pitched season. Bumgarner and the Giants, with the 28th-ranked offense in baseball, have moved to .500 for the first time since April 11th through outstanding pitching performances like this one.
What to watch for
Tonight’s slate of games is headlined by Zack Greinke facing his ex-teammates, the Milwaukee Brewers, looking to move to 5-0 on the season. Grienke has a 1.93 ERA this season and a 0.92 WHIP in 32 2/3 innings. He is a SP1 and a great daily fantasy start against a Brewers’ team that ranks 27th in runs scored. Bartolo Colon, Shelby Miller, and Garrett Richards will also pitch for their respective teams tonight.
Chris Zolli is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @thezman2010.