I’m not sure if it’s a natural human instinct to complain or just my inherent nature to be sarcastic and point out the negatives, but whichever the case may be, we buck the trend today. I woke up in a fantastic mood this morning and have decided to keep my attention focused on the positive. If you find that disturbing, you have my sincerest apologies. Change can be quite jarring at times. But fear not, as something is bound to happen to push me back into my curmudgeonly ways at some point. After all, I do have a Kicking Rocks column to write later in the day. But for now…for your Morning Buzz…let’s enjoy ourselves.

Made in Taijuan

There was tremendous buzz regarding Taijuan Walker heading into the season. He was always a highly-touted prospect while in the Mariners system and even when he landed in Arizona via trade this past winter, many were still earmarking him for a solid season. Yes, even with Chase Field now being called home. The buzz got even louder when his scoreless innings streak opened up Cactus League play and while his numbers eventually came back to Earth and he finished the spring with a 3.29 ERA and 1.10 WHIP, his 32:2 K:BB over 27.1 innings was all the rage.

The regular season opened on rocky terrain for Walker this year and even though he never got blown out of the water like some starters had, to put it mildly, the carpet failed to match the drapes. He failed to make it out of the sixth inning in three of his last four starts and the 22:7 K:BB over 21.2 innings was merely average in comparison to expectations. Until last night, that is.

Oh baby, did Walker have everything going his way last night. Yes, it was the Padres, but this was Chase Field and San Diego averaged 5.7 runs per game over the first three games of the series. To make it a little more nerve-wracking, Walker gave up an early run in the first inning to put the D-Backs behind right from the start. Until he took over, that is.

Maybe it was the two-homer effort by Chris Owings that helped boost his confidence. Maybe it was Yasmany Tomas’ two-run blast. Whatever it was, he had everything working for him. His fastball location was outstanding, he mixed in his changeup well to keep hitters off balance and he dropped in his breaking stuff so beautifully that the Padres hitters just stared in disbelief. By the end of it all, Walker had allowed just two runs on four hits with no walks and 11 strikeouts over eight innings. His only mistake outside that first inning was leaving a pitch over the plate to sink-or-swim Ryan Schimpf. Everything else was picture-perfect.

Obviously there’s no guarantee he uses this as a springboard for stronger outings in the future, but this certainly helps build the young hurler’s confidence. His next time on the mound will be a tough test as he faces the Nationals on the road and from there it’s a return to Chase to face the Tigers. As a work-in-progress, there’s plenty to love so don’t be afraid to use him even in the tough match-ups. Health has always been his knock, so if he’s healthy, then you’ve got one hell of a skill-set to fall back on.

Fowl Play

Just a few days ago, I cited Cardinals leadoff man Dexter Fowler as a potential target who was likely to see an uptick in his production. His BABIP was sitting at just .208 and there was an ugly spike in strikeouts as he was pressing to turn things around. But a deeper look into his BABIP numbers indicated he was on an upward trajectory and a breakout was coming. Well, over the three games since that article published on the morning of April 25, Fowler is 7-for-14 (.500) with two doubles, one home run, two RBI, five runs scored and a pair of walks. He played both games of yesterday’s double-header and now goes into the weekend with crazy good momentum as the Cardinals face a Reds team that has a collective 4.57 ERA on the season. That’s 100 earned runs allowed in just 197 innings, fifth-worst in the majors.

Three Kings of the Hill

It’s always nice when you invest in high-level starting pitching and it delivers. Yesterday’s pitching duel between Chris Sale and Masahiro Tanaka was absolutely outstanding and throw in Corey Kluber’s 10-strikeout performance to stifle the Astros and you’ve got some serious fantasy deliciousness. Even though Kluber allowed three runs, he still picked up the win, tossed a quality start and trimmed down that ERA with a solid seven-innings. As for Sale and Tanaka, oh baby! Tanka tossed a complete-game shutout and Sale went eight innings with 10 strikeouts and just two earned runs allowed.

Overall, Sale has been insanely dominant since joining the Boston rotation and while both Tanaka and Kluber got off on the wrong foot to start the year, they have both thrown quality starts in each of their last two outings, Tanaka has three-straight and Kluber has three in his last four. Nothing makes you feel better about an investment than consistent dividends.

Other silver linings…

Adrian Gonzalez is experiencing forearm tendinitis still? Maybe Cody Bellinger gets to stay even longer!

Down and out for saves? Not only is Bud Norris killing it as the Angels closer, but Mike Scioscia hasn’t wavered from him one bit!

Worried about Brandon Maurer’s staying power as the Padres’ closer? Carter Capps just got blown out for five runs over two-thirds of an inning at Triple-A El Paso!

Jose Altuve’s health got you down? He delivered a pinch-hit single Thursday and looks ready to return to the lineup!

Kendrys go boom AND he made an appearance at first base! Get that eligibility ready!

And finally, sad about the depth of your fantasy rotation? Sonny Gray is not only coming back soon, but he’s looked sharp in his rehab appearances! Worth a shot, right?

Full-blown night slate tonight so you have time to set those rosters. But also use this extra time to start scouring the waiver wire. We’ve got pick-ups to make this weekend!