Daily Fantasy Baseball News and Notes I First Pitch Podcast 5/1/26

In a whirlwind Saturday of baseball featuring two doubleheaders and 11 total games, Kyle Schwarber delivered one of the most dominant performances of the season, going 5-for-6 with two home runs, three walks, and zero strikeouts across both games to power the Phillies to victory. His 13 total bases and flawless plate discipline earned him top hitter honors. Meanwhile, Framber Valdez stood out among pitchers with 21 whiffs and a dominant six-inning, two-run outing against a strong Braves lineup, earning him pitcher of the day despite a shortened game. The episode also flagged Brandon Woodruff’s alarming 85 mph fastball and Luis Robert Jr.’s back injury as major fantasy concerns, while spotlighting breakout performances from Nathaniel Lau, Jordan Walker, and Shea Langelier—whose six doubles in a single game was a rare feat. Carson Picard emphasized caution with Lance McCullers Jr., citing a significant drop in fastball velocity, and warned against overreacting to Michael Soroka’s rough outing despite solid underlying metrics. The preview highlighted the marquee matchup between Cole Ragans and Brian Buehler as the game of the day, with top-tier pitching and star-studded lineups on display. Key fantasy takeaways include holding onto under-the-radar performers like Jordan Walker and Nathaniel Lau, who are showing elite exit velocities and consistency. Schwarber’s resurgence is a must-own, while Valdez’s high whiff rate makes him a high-upside streaming option.