Happy Monday! It's especially so for Mets fans out there as the team is finally coming together. Better late than never, they say. You can read more about them below but Francisco Lindor is especially swinging a hot bat. He now has six home runs over his last nine games, is hitting the ball much harder and putting it in the air more. Heck, even Michael Conforto has come around with an .870 OPS in the second half. He's 71% rostered for those of you in shallower leagues.

When Cleveland wasn't getting no-hit by Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader this weekend, they were still getting dominated by Adrian Houser and Eric Lauer. While I prefer Tylor Megill most, the Brewers peripheral starters are performing well right now. I think both Houser and Lauer could be useful this week as well with matchups against the Cubs. That lineup runs into home runs but they also strike out quite a bit. If you need a streamer for this week, look no further than Houser and Lauer. 

Of course, as always, you can follow to make sure you get the latest episodes of Fantasy Baseball Today right when they drop on Apple and Spotify.

No hitter No. 9 on the season

Brewers SP Corbin Burnes and RP Josh Hader combined to deliver the MLB's ninth (combined) no hitter of the season on Saturday. Burnes was pulled after eight sparkling innings where he racked up 14 strikeouts and just one walk with 26 induced swinging strikes on 115 total pitches. The breakout pitcher of 2021, Burnes continues to dominate in the second half despite some concerns of workload issues that may have cropped up around the All-Star break. He is now averaging 19.1 Fantasy points per game and is ranked No. 5 among starting pitchers.

No ad available

Hader closed out the game with another clean inning -- this time racking up two strikeouts for his 31st save. Before the season, there was some concern over Hader despite him routinely coming off the board as the RP1. He has so far pitched a lot more like the cheat code he was in 2019 than the reliever he was in 2020 and will most likely come off the board much earlier in 2021 drafts.

Better late than never for Lindor

Getty Images

The Mets acquired SS Francisco Lindor in a blockbuster offseason trade but his first season in New York has gone anything like what was anticipated. If this past weekend's Subway Series is any sign of what's to come in 2022 now that he's more settled into his new home, role, and batting order, he'll be a bounceback candidate and draft value. Now, he'll serve as an unexpected league-winner for those who just won their Fantasy playoffs matchup because Lindor was in their lineup.

Lindor homered twice and walked once against the Yankees on Friday night. Then, he came back on Sunday and powered the Mets to a one-run win (7-6) over their cross-town rivals with three -- count 'em three homers. Lindor is now up to 17 home runs and 10 steals on the season. Better late than never.

No ad available

News and notes

  • Max Scherzer became the 19th pitcher in ML history to 3000 strikeouts. He took a perfect game into the 8th inning… hurled eight one-hit innings with nine strikeouts against the Padres Sunday. 
  • Mets Manager Luis Rojas said Sunday that he's hopeful Jacob deGrom will be able to resume mound work this week.
  • Shane Bieber will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A on Tuesday.
  • The White Sox are expected to use a six-man rotation over the rest of the season, which will allow Reynaldo Lopez to make a few more starts.
  • But then Tony La Russa said he's uncertain when Carlos Rodon will pitch next. Rodon limited the Red Sox to one run over five innings Friday. 
  • Awesome story as Chris Bassitt threw 30 pitches in his bullpen session Saturday and could make multiple starts before the end of the season. Remember he got hit in the face with a line drive back in August. He's 69% rostered. 
  • Chris Sale tested positive for COVID Friday and missed his start this weekend. He'll be out at least 10 days, which means he won't start this week, either.
  • Trevor Bauer's administrative leave was officially extended through the end of the postseason as expected
  • The Dodgers placed Kenley Jansen on the paternity list. He'll miss 1-3 days.
  • Jack Flaherty is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Thursday. He's on the IL with a shoulder strain. He's unlikely to return as a starter.
  • Marcell Ozuna was placed on administrative leave under the league's domestic violence policy
  • Domingo German will start a rehab assignment Tuesday
  • David Bednar was unavailable Sunday due to right side discomfort
  • The Rays activated reliever Nick Anderson. Add in deeper category leagues?
  • To the IL this weekend:
  • Wander Franco with a right hamstring strain.
  • Shane McClanahan with back stiffness but only expected to miss one start.
  • Chris Archer with hip discomfort.
  • Matthew Boyd with a left elbow strain.
  • Steven Brault with a left lat strain.

Megill flashes upside

Mets SP Tyler Megill hadn't been the most noteworthy young pitcher from a Fantasy standpoint over the last month, but he put together a promising outing against the Yankees on Friday. Megill went seven innings deep, allowing two runs and striking out 10 batters. It was the swing-and-miss stuff and how deep he worked into this game that really caught our attention. This was the longest outing of his career and also the most single-game strikeout total of his career. His velocity was up and his spin rates were significantly up. He might be on to something and he's worth a speculative add in all mixed leagues to stash and potentially play in your playoffs or down the stretch run of your Roto league.