Fantasy Baseball Winners & Losers: Tim Anderson thrives while Nate Pearson disappoints

MLB: Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox

Mike Dinovo / USA TODAY Sports

Unwritten rules in sports – specifically baseball – are completely ridiculous. The reason they're "unwritten" is because they're too dumb to actually be considered real rules. For anybody who has an issue with Fernando Tatis swinging on a 3-0 pitch and increasing his team's lead to 14-3, you need to realize this is the highest level of baseball in the world. Maybe the Rangers should make better pitches or not fall behind 3-0.

The fact that Jayce Tingler, Tatis' own manager, agreed with the Rangers is just baffling. Alright, now that I've got that off my chest, how about Kenta Maeda? Sheesh, he entered Tuesday as a top 12 starting pitcher in Fantasy points per game and then went out and carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning with 12 strikeouts. Maeda is in the running for breakout pitcher of the year.

Check out Chris Towers' takes on the top priorities on the Wednesday Waiver Wire, plus we discussed all the big developments on the Worryometer edition of the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast. Follow all our podcasts and subscribe here.

Onto the rest of Tuesday's action.

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Rich Hill will be activated off the IL Wednesday and start against the Brewers. He threw 60 pitches recently at the team's alternate site. I assume he'll be allowed to exceed that number in this start, assuming he's pitching well.
Dane Dunning will make his debut for the White Sox on Wednesday. While he doesn't carry the same prospect pedigree as other recent promotions, I'm slightly interested here. Dunning hasn't pitched since 2018 because he's coming off Tommy John surgery but had a 2.74 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 49 minor-league starts.
Early on Tuesday, Yordan Alvarez was finally placed on the IL due to right knee discomfort. Assuming you have enough IL spots available, he's a hold.
Luis Robert left Tuesday's game while making a diving attempt in the outfield. X-Rays turned up negative. You can breathe a sigh of relief for now.
J.D. Martinez left Tuesday's game due to dehydration. The Red Sox are set to play a Wednesday matinee so I'm not sure Martinez will be ready for that game.
Paul DeJong and Yadier Molina have been cleared to resume workouts. They've been on the COVID IL since the Cardinals have returned.
The Atlanta Braves placed Nick Markakis on the COVID IL out of an abundance of caution after he came in contact with somebody who had the virus. Top prospect Christian Pache will be promoted as a result. He's worth a look in five-outfielder leagues for now.
Charlie Morton threw a successful bullpen session on Tuesday. He might be ready to rejoin the team this weekend.
Mike Moustakas is expected to be activated from the injured list on Wednesday.
George Springer was scratched from Tuesday's lineup due to this lingering issue with his wrist.
Rays prospect Brendan McKay requires season-ending shoulder surgery.
David Dahl was scratched from Tuesday's lineup against the Astros due to lower back tightness.
Justin Verlander played catch Monday for the first time since going down with a forearm strain in his season debut.

Tuesday's Biggest Winners

If you looked at Tim Anderson's numbers, you wouldn't be able to realize he missed time with an IL stint. Anderson picked up four more hits on Tuesday, including his fifth homer of the season to go along three more RBI and runs scored. Anderson is actually building off his 2019 breakout season in which he won the batting title, by chasing less pitches out of the strike zone this season. If you had any doubts, he's a stud.
While Blake Snell's performance Tuesday doesn't jump off the screen (5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), he's a winner because of his increased workload. We had major concerns early in the season because the Rays were babying him. Over his past three starts, however, his pitch count has increased from 59 to 70 to 92 on Tuesday.
I'll be the first to admit that Marco Gonzales gets no respect. Shout out to Chris Towers who actually briefly talked him up before the season. Gonzales went into Los Angeles and matched a career-high with nine strikeouts over seven innings Tuesday. Gonzales is off to a strong start thanks to his command -- he's walked just three batters over his first five games this season.

Tuesday's Biggest Losers

This one hurts but there was no bigger loser than Frankie Montas on Tuesday. After being scratched with a back injury last Friday, Montas allowed nine earned runs in less than two innings against the Diamondbacks. If you're wondering, that's minus-18.5 Fantasy points, a 48.60 ERA and a 6.00 WHIP for the day. With all that being said, I'd be willing to buy-low.
It was bound to happen. Dylan Bundy wasn't going to pitch to a sub-2.00 ERA all season. He allowed four runs over four innings Tuesday against the Giants, struggling with walks and home runs. Apparently, he didn't have much of a feel for his slider, throwing it a season-low 19% in this start. Hopefully that slider bounces back because it's pivotal for Bundy.
It hasn't been a great year for rookies, and who can blame them? This 2020 season is like nothing we've ever seen. Nate Pearson was unspectacular again Tuesday, allowing five runs over four innings against the Orioles. He's really struggled with walks and home runs as well and, if he's the worst player on your roster and you need a spot, I'm OK dropping him.