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Cubs SP Jason Hammel left Wednesday's start after one inning because of pain in his left hamstring. Hammel described the issue as a "sharp pain," and he'll get an MRI today. If he needs a trip to the DL, he'll be out for at least a week beyond the All-Star break. The timing could be worse, right?
In other news ...
Royals OF Alex Gordon left Wednesday's game with a left groin strain, and could be out for awhile. Unless the Royals make a trade to replace Gordon, look for a Jarrod Dyson/Paulo Orlando platoon in left field. Dyson=steals, and can help that way in all but the shallowest fornats.
Tough for a starter to have a better game than Clayton Kershaw pitched on Wednesday. You paid the premium for him in your daily fantasy games, right?
A's SP Scott Kazmir left Wednesday's game after three innings due to what he called "super-minor" triceps tightness. We're super not worried, at least for now.
Three afternoon games are on today's schedule, starting with A's-Yankees at 1:05 p.m. ET. Set your lineups accordingly.
The Cardinals have called up veteran 1B Dan Johnson to (apparently) platoon with Mark Reynolds at first base; his value is probably limited to NL-only leagues. 2B Kolten Wong hopes to return to the lineup tonight, but needs to pass a series of tests first.
Pirates OF Starling Marte and his "left side discomfort" are still day to day. 3B Josh Harrison's thumb injury will keep him out for approximately seven weeks.
Nationals OF Denard Span says there's "no chance" he'll play before the All-Star break due to his back issue, and the team hopes to know more about Span's condition after he meets today with a back specialist. Looks like more playing time for Michael Taylor.
Jefry Marte (.271 BA, 13 HR at Triple A) homered in his first start for the Tigers on Wednesday. Marte looks to be part of the platoon that replaces Miguel Cabrera at first base, but as a righthanded hitter he'll get less playing time than Marc Krauss. For that reason - obvious, I know - AL-only owners should target Krauss first.
Charlie Morton was good enough as Wednesday's streaming starter. Today's pick is Cleveland's Cody Anderson (owned in 24.3 percent of FOXSports.com leagues), mainly because there aren't any reasonable alternatives.
DFS advice (based on 50/50 games, night games only, salaries from DraftKings): Zack Greinke is a must at $11,200, and Carlos Martinez is pretty good at $9,400. Due to the lack of good low-priced options, spend on your starters tonight ... I'm inclined not to stack the Rockies against the solid Alex Wood at Coors, but Wilin Rosario ($3,400) is a strong catcher play ... Hey, it's Ryan Raburn ($2,600) against a mediocre lefty day! ... Robinson Cano ($4,000) has been heating up a bit, and the other options at his position aren't good ... Phillies 2B/SS Cesar Hernandez ($2,900) has a tough matchup with Greinke, but he's still tempting at that price ... Braves 3B/OF Kelly Johnson hits better from the left side, and is a fine play at Coors against Kyle Kendrick ... Astros OF Preston Tucker ($3,500), who has been batting second in the order, can save you some money against Cleveland's Anderson ... Due to matchups and injuries, Adrian Gonzalez ($4,700) is easily the best play at first base. However, if you need to save, try Miami's Justin Bour ($3,000). He faces Mark Lorenzen, who has plenty of trouble with LHB.
See you back here tomorrow morning.
