In yesterdays Daily Round-Up I wrote this about George Springer: “Anyone else feeling a Springer Dinger tonight? He has crushed lefties this year; he has four home runs against them in just 37 ABs, compared to three home runs in 111 ABs against righties.” Not only did he launch his eighth home run of the year (He crushed it), he also went a perfect 6-for-6! He finished with 53.3 points on FanDuel and 41.0 points on DraftKings, good for second and first respectively amongst all hitters last night. To go along with the six hits, he also had three RBI, four runs, and even picked up an outfield assist by throwing out Chad Pinder at home. For the season he now has a .292 batting average (jumped from .264 after last night), eight home runs, 24 RBI, and 32 runs scored. He is on pace to put up similar numbers to last season but with slight improvements in everything except home runs and stolen bases. His big game last night set the tone for the Astros who wound up crushing the Athletics 16-2. They trail the Angels by 0.5 games in the A.L. West.
In Case You Missed It
So you may be wondering “If Springer wasn’t he number one hitter on FanDuel last night, who was?” well that title went to Odubel Herrera (he was second on DraftKings). He went 2-for-3 with two home runs, five RBI, three runs, and a walk good for 54.1 points on FanDuel and 38.0 on DraftKings. Herrera has played very well this year; he has five home runs, 20 RBI, 19 runs, one steal, and a .341 batting average. He helped the Phillies thrash Jeff Samardzija and the Giants 11-0.
Matt Adams kept his hot-streak going as he blasted two home runs and finished with five RBI. He now has 10 home runs this year in just 75 at-bats. During the month of May he has played seven games and is 10-for-25 (.400 BA) with seven home runs, 13 RBI, and 10 runs scored.
Not to be left out of the two home run action, Adrián González and Ian Happ both launched a pair of home runs as well last night. It was the fourth and fifth home runs for both of them. The Mets took down the Reds 7-6 and the Cubs beat the Marlins 14-2.
The two best pitching performances came from Zach Eflin and Fernando Romero . For both pitchers it was just their second starts of the year and both have been fantastic in both their outings. Eflin tossed 6.2 innings of shutout baseball with nine strikeouts to pick up his first win of the year. He now has thrown 12.2 innings on the year and given up just one run and seven hits. For Romero, he spun six innings of shutout baseball and he also struck out nine. He gave up just three hits, but did walk three. He now has 11.2 career innings pitched and has given up zero runs, seven hits, and has 14 strikeouts.
Early Action Today
We have one day game today and it will be the Twins taking on the Cardinals in St. Louis. On the mound, it will be Jake Odorizzi doing battle against Carlos Martínez . The current money line for the game has the Cardinals as favorites at -185, which makes sense given the starting pitchers for this one. Martinez has been outstanding this year; he is 3-1 with a 1.40 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 9.00 K/9. The last time he gave up more than one run in a start was on Opening Day, a span of six starts. For the Twins, Odorizzi has not found as much success as Martinez has, his ERA sits at 4.10. Left-handed hitters have hammered Odorizzi this season, so he may be able to pitch well against the Cardinals and their lefty light lineup. Lefties have accounted for 6-of-8 home runs against Odorizzi and he also strikes them out at a much lower rate.
Burning Questions
Will Tommy Pham return to the lineup today, or is a DL trip looming?
How will Luis Severino do against the Red Sox in the Bronx?
James Paxton struck out 16 in his last start, what will his follow up look like?
Two talented young lefties do battle in Tampa, between Blake Snell and Sean Newcomb , who comes out on top?
Will Corey Kluber shutdown the Brewers?
Does Sean Manaea continue his surprising Cy Young caliber start to the season?
Baseball, baseball, and more baseball! What’s not to love?