The Mariners pounded out 14 runs against the Rangers and got a dominant performance out of Marco Gonzales in the win. Gonzales tossed seven shutout innings and struck out nine with zero walks and six hits against. He picked up his fifth win (5-0 on the season) and lowered his ERA to 2.80. He has gone at least 5.1 innings and given up three runs or fewer in all seven of his starts. He led all players in scoring on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Tim Beckham was the offensive MVP of the game for the Mariners, finishing 2-4 with a home run, a walk, three RBI, and two runs scored. Beckham was hitting cleanup in this game for Seattle and delivered. He now has six home runs and 19 RBI on the year. Ryon Healy and Dee Gordon also had nice nights at the dish. Healy finished 3-5 with two doubles, three RBI, and three runs scored while Gordon finished 3-4 with two RBI and a run scored. The Mariners improved to 17-11 on the year with the win.

Early Slate Recaps

The Diamondbacks shutout the Pirates in a 5-0 victory. Zack Greinke tossed seven innings and allowed just two hits (both singles) while striking out seven. He picked up his fourth win on the year and it was his fifth straight quality start. The two biggest performers on the offensive end for the Dbacks were Jarrod Dyson and Christian Walker . Dyson finished the day 3-5 with a triple, a RBI, and two runs scored while Walker had a pair of doubles, a RBI, and a run scored. I know, I know, here I go talking about Walker again, but the guy just keeps pounding the baseball! Jameson Taillon took the loss for the Pirates; he had a rough afternoon, giving up five runs across five innings of work. His ERA ballooned over the 4.00 mark and his record now stands at 1-3. The only Pirates hitter to log a multi-hit day was Cole Tucker (both were singles).

The Dodgers took down the Cubs 2-1. Ross Stripling started on the mound for the Dodgers and tossed 4.2 shutout innings while striking out six. He was only at 76 pitches and his removal from the game while leading 1-0 and being one out away from being in line for the win drove the fantasy industry nuts. Our very own Justin Mason was none too pleased:

The only notable hits of the game for the Dodgers were a double by Cody Bellinger and a triple by Alex Verdugo (no Dodger had a multi-hit day). Over on the Cubs side, Jon Lester started on the mound and he was also handed a short leash; he hurled five innings of one-run ball and was only at 79 pitches at the time of his removal. Javier Báez had the only multi-hit effort of the game, finishing 2-4 with a pair of singles. Albert Almora swatted a pinch-hit solo home run for the Cubs lone run.

Strong Outings

Gonzales was the pitcher of the night and Greinke dominated in the early window, but there were a few other guys who performed well too:

  • Gerrit Cole dominated the Indians, giving up just three hits and two runs across seven innings o work while striking out 10. He was the only pitcher of the day to reach double-digits. However, he was a hard luck loser thanks to….
  • Trevor Bauer out-dueled Cole in the 2-1 Indians win. Bauer uncharacteristically only struck out three batters, but he did hold the Astros to just one run over eight innings of work. With the win, Bauer improves to 3-1 on the season with a 1.99 ERA.
  • Caleb Smith spun six innings of one-run ball against the Phillies in a no-decision. Smith was fantastic once again and finished with eight strikeouts. Through five starts, Smith has a 2.17 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 29.0 innings of work.
  • Luis Castillo tossed six shutout innings in a win over the Braves. He only struck out two and he gave up eight hits, but he was able to work out of every problem he ran into. He has 43 strikeouts and a 1.23 ERA through his first 36.2 innings (six starts).
  • Aaron Nola hurled 6.2 innings of one-ball against the Marlins. It was progress for Nola, but he still wasn’t the dominant pitcher we watched throughout 2018 as he finished with only four strikeouts and gave up seven hits. He will go into his next start with a 5.68 ERA.

Hitter Highlights

Tommy La Stella swatted his seventh home run of the year, walked once, drove in two runs, and scored three times. La Stella continues to have a breakout campaign in his first season with the Angels and needs to be owned in more leagues than he currently is (6% on Yahoo). Ouch Cubs Fans:

Freddie Freeman finished 3-4 with a home run, two RBI, and a run scored. Freeman was the only offensive force in the Braves 4-2 defeat. The home run was just his third of the year, but he continues to hit well and his average stands at .326.

David Fletcher had a two hit night with one being a triple. He didn’t score any runs, but he did drive in FIVE in the Angels 11-5 victory over the Yankees. The triple was the big hit as it came with the bases loaded. He is currently hitting .301 with 10 RBI.

Michael Chavis only had one hit, but it was a dinger. It was his second home run in the last three games and the rookie has produced solid counting stats (two home runs, one steal, four RBI, four runs) through his first six MLB games.

What to Watch for Today

Vlad Jr. will make his debut TONIGHT. The highly touted prospect will be must-see TV right away. The games number one ranked prospect has absolutely torn the cover off the baseball in his time in the minors  and being the son of a hall of famer makes the spotlight even brighter.  

Max Scherzer will look to the right the ship and return to Cy Young form. Mad Max enters todays start with a 4.45 ERA and has been tagged for three or more runs in three straight starts.  He will take on the Padres at home.

Jacob deGrom will make his return off the IL and have his hands full with a potent Brewers offense. His last two starts were rough, but he is always worth a watch and it would surprise no one if he shutdown Milwaukee.

James Paxton and Madison Bumgarner will face off in a battle of big lefties. Both pitchers enter today’s action with a sub-3.75 ERA and over 30 strikeouts. They should both find success, as both offenses look like a couple of AAA teams (Yankees because of injury, Giants because they lack good hitters).