His handlebar mustache wasn’t the only thing on point today for Daniel Mengden as he tossed a shutout against the Diamondbacks. He allowed just two hits, no walks, struck out five and needed just 102 pitches. It was his fifth straight superb start and in his last two starts he has not given up a run in 17 innings of work. The win was his fifth of the year and his season ERA now sits at a fantastic 2.85. If he is still available in your league, he shouldn’t be. His 52.0 points on FanDuel were enough to lead all pitchers in the “early” slate and at just $7,700 he was a steal. Hopefully everyone checked out Jon Impemba’s Optimal Lineups today as he had Mengden in each and every one of his lineups. Mengden and the A’s were backed by three solo shots in the 3-0 win. Delivering the home runs were Matt Joyce (6), Matt Olson (8), and Chad Pinder (5). Mengden’s next scheduled start is on the final day of May at home against the Rays.

Early Game

The Red Sox defeated the Braves in a back-and-fourth slugfest 8-6. Neither starting pitcher, Drew Pomeranz for the Sox and Sean Newcomb for the Braves, made it past 3.1 innings pitched. Pomeranz gave up six hits, three walks, and five earned runs in his 3.1 innings of work. As for Newcomb, he pitched just three innings and gave up six hits, four walks, and three earned runs. On the offensive side of things, each team had two players worth noting. For the Braves, it was Dansby Swanson and Ronald Acuna . Swanson finished 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Acuna also smacked a home run and he finished the day 3-for-5. Andrew Benintendi and Mitch Moreland did the majority of the damage for the Sox in their comeback victory. Benintendi finished 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, a triple, and his sixth home run of the year. He complied a game-high 40.9 points on FanDuel. As for Moreland, he finished 2-for-5 with two RBI, a run scored, a double and a triple. Craig Kimbrel nailed down his sixteenth save of the year despite giving up a run.

Afternoon Action

Tim Anderson hit two home runs today to help lift the White sox over the Tigers 8-4. It was his ninth and tenth of the year. José Abreu and Daniel Palka also hit home runs. Over on the Tigers side, Jeimer Candelario finished 2-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI, three runs, and a walk. The three highest FanDuel scores for hitters all came from this game, with Anderson leading the way with 50.6, followed by Candelario at 47.1 and José Abreu at 43.4

Aaron Nola continues to dominate opposing hitters as he carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning. His final line on the day was 6.2 innings, one hit, one run, three walks, and 10 strikeouts. He wasn’t able to pick up the win, but he did lower his ERA to 2.27. The Phillies, despite Nola getting the no-decision, did come out on top in this one with a final score of 2-1.

The Brew Crew offense came out to party today as they clobbered the Mets 17-6. They had nineteen hits as a team and nine of them went for extra bases. Erik Kratz homered in his first game as a Brewer and Jesus Aguilar joined him as he hit his eighth of the year. Seven of his eight home runs have come in the month of May. Christian Yelich also had a nice day at the office as he finished 3-for-5 with three RBI, three runs, a double, and a triple. For the Mets, Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo each slugged a solo home run.

Jack Flaherty was sharp again as he pitched six innings and gave up just one run to help lead the Cardinals to a 4-1 win. He struck out four and gave up just four hits; the strong outing lowered his ERA down to 2.15. Bud Norris finished off the Pirates to pick up his tenth save of the year and he lowered his ERA to 2.59. Matt Carpenter and Jose Martinez provided the offense as they combined for five hits, two RBI, a run scored, and a home run (Carpenter).

Burning Questions

The Yankees have already hit three home runs and are leading the Angels 4-1 in the third inning. Brett Gardner , Austin Romine , and Aaron Judge provided them. How many homers will the Bombers hit tonight? For the Angels, Mike Trout is already 2-for-2 with two doubles and a RBI.

How many runs will be scored at Coors field tonight? The Reds and Rockies will do battle in Colorado with a pair of starters who have ERA’s over four.

Jake Odorizzi has made three straight starts of giving up one or fewer; can he keep it going tonight against a depleted Seattle offense?

Pitcher’s duel in LA?  Jordan Lyles and Alex Wood have both been pitching well and neither of their team’s offenses have been swinging it well.

 

Stay tuned.