Another injury concern for Nationals SP Stephen Strasburg

The season is now a month old, and the fantasy landscape is clearing up in some ways and becoming murkier in others. Another fantasy ace is on the mend after Tuesday’s slate of games, while other top arms have emerged this season. This is the daily update for May 6, 2015.

Recap

Stephen Strasburg exits early with injury
Strasburg had allowed two runs in three innings before leaving with “irritation” under his shoulder blade. He also said that this irritation plagued him in his last start against the Mets. The Nationals’ starter has struggled to a 4.73  ERA, 1.61 WHIP, and .309 batting average against this season, so this is awful news for already-disappointed fantasy owners. Many saw him as a solid SP2 or fringe SP1, but his NL-leading 242 strikeouts from 2014 has dropped to only 32 in 32 1/3 innings this season. The Nationals bullpen picked up for Strasburg, though, as they pitched six innings and allowed two hits, one walk and recorded five strikeouts. Tanner Roark should get a spot start for the Nationals if Strasburg misses time.

Bartolo Colon continues great start
Colon, who moved to 5-1 this season, pitched his best game of the year against the Orioles on Tuesday night. Colon struck out nine batters without a walk in 7 2/3 innings, allowing only six hits and one run. Colon has not walked a batter since his Opening Day start on April 6 against the Nationals and has 34 strikeouts and one free pass this season in 40 1/3 innings. For reference, the modern day record of BB/9 is 0.43 by Carlos Silva in 2005, and Colon is currently at 0.22 walks per nine. Furthermore, only seven pitchers have walked less than 0.75 batters per nine since 1900. Colon’s strike-throwing and fly-ball tendancies have also not been at the expense of his batting average against, as he has a sterling mark of .242. Colon has not thrown more than 100 pitches in any outing and still has averaged 6.7 innings per start. His economical and accurate pitching has led to a 2.90 ERA and 0.94 WHIP.

Shelby Miller logs shutout against Phillies
Miller allowed only three hits and one walk in a complete-game shutout of the Phillies on Tuesday night. Miller struck out eight batters and went the distance needing only 99 pitches. Miller has been outstanding this season, posting a 1.66 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and .178 batting average against, and Tuesday’s performance was his crowning achievement. Miller has not allowed more than two earned runs in any start this season and has 13 walks and 31 strikeouts in 38 innings. Miller was acquired for Jason Heyward in the offseason and is coming off of a campaign where he had a 3.74 ERA, but is looking more like at SP3 at minimum. Miller should be seen as a buy-high candidate, as the 24-year-old right-hander also had a 3.06 ERA in 2013.

Jesse Chavez shuts down Twins
Chavez has made three starts this season, and his appearance against the Twins on Tuesday may have been his best. Chavez allowed four hits and one walk in 7 1/3 innings without an earned run, adding seven strikeouts. Chavez has a 1.04 WHIP and 2.45 ERA in 18 1/3 innings since taking Kendall Graveman’s place in the Athletics’ rotation. Chavez also improved on his K:BB ratio on Tuesday, as he had nine strikeouts and six walks in his first two starts. He had a 3.45 ERA in 146 innings pitched last season, so he is not an unknown entity and could be a useful option at the back-end of a fantasy rotation.

Zack Greinke continues to prove ace status
On the same team as superstar Clayton Kershaw, Greinke has found a way to be an ace for the Dodgers. In fact, he is the second-ranked fantasy pitcher so far. Against the Brewers last night, Greinke improved to 5-0, and 16-2 at Miller Park in his career, allowing two hits and two walks in 7 2/3 innings without an earned run allowed and seven strikeouts. Greinke has a 1.56 ERA, .174 batting average against, and 0.84 WHIP this season in 40 1/3 innings pitched. He is an SP1 and a very valuable part of a fantasy rotation.

What to watch for

Max Scherzer has the most confusing stat line of 2015 and pitches again on Wednesday. He has a 1.26 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, .189 batting average against but only a 1-3 record. Scherzer looks for his luck to improve against the Marlins. In his three losses this season, Scherzer has only allowed six runs (three earned). Jon Lester, Gerrit Cole, Chris Sale, and Jacob deGrom will all pitch today as well.

Chris Zolli is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @thezman2010.