If you thought the Round Up would lead with James Paxton ’s no-hitter…. You’re right! It took Paxton just 99 pitches to complete his no-no and he finished with three walks and seven strikeouts. To go along with the seven strikeouts, Paxton induced 10 groundouts (one being a double play) and nine fly outs. His last three pitches of the game clocked in at 98, 100, and 99. It is only fitting that the Canadian born pitcher would toss a no-no in Canada against the Blue Jays. Over his last two starts The Big Maple has thrown 16 shutout innings and racked up 23 strikeouts. His next scheduled start will come against the Tigers in Detroit, in what looks like another juicy matchup for more Paxton success. Paxton has always flashed talent and his career ERA of 3.30 and K/9 over 9.00 speak to that, but injuries have always been an issue for him. In his six year career he has yet to top 136 innings pitched and has only gone over 75 innings two times despite being a starter his entire career. Hopefully this is the year he can stay on the field and keep giving us stellar outings like the last two.

 

In Case You Missed It

Giancarlo Stanton provided nearly all of the Yankees offense last night in what resulted in a 3-2 win. He hit two solo shots and now has nine on the year. His .237 average still isn’t where fantasy owners who took the slugger in the first round are hoping it would be, but he has started to heat up a bit. Since April 22nd his average has risen from .198 to .237 and in the month of May he is currently hitting .273. Joining a new team can take time for a guy to get comfortable; there is nothing to worry about if you own Stanton.

Mike Zunino was behind the plate receiving and calling the game for Paxton’s no-hitter, but he also launched his fifth home run on the season to help provide some offense for the Mariners and Paxton. He went deep to opposite field, a welcoming sign for a guy who has struggled to hit for average this year and in his career. Since returning from a DL trip to start the year, Zunino has just 10 hits but five of them have gone over the wall. Five home runs and 12 RBI in just 54 at-bats are both fantastic for a catcher, if he can just get his average in the .240-.260 range he will be a monster fantasy asset for GMs.

Jorge Soler had a monster day against Dylan Bundy (who got absolutely hammered giving up seven earned runs without recording an out) and the Orioles. Soler finished the night 3-for-4 with a home run, a walk, three RBI, and two runs. He now has five home runs on the year and is hitting a sweet .324. His long awaited breakout year may finally be upon us. Mike Moustakas also had a big game in the Royals 15-7 win over the Orioles. He finished 3-for-6 with two home runs, five RBI, and two runs. He now has 10 home runs and a .300 average this year.

Aaron Nola led Fanduel and DraftKings in scoring last night with 64.0 ad 38.8 points respectively, even ahead of James Paxton and his no-no (seems kind of dumb to me, but I digress). He gave up one run over seven innings and racked up 12 strikeouts in a 4-2 win over the Giants. The 12 strikeouts were a new career high for the 24 year old ace. The win was his fifth of the season and his record now stands at 5-1. He should continue to be one of the better pitchers in the league this year.

Sean Newcomb and Blake Snell were highlighted in the Burning Questions portion of the Round Up yesterday, and they delivered the goods. It was a pitching duel from start to finish. Snell took the loss, tossing 6.1 innings of one-run ball and striking out five. His lone mistake was giving up a solo shot to ultra-talented Ronald Acuna . The one run was all the Braves would need as Newcomb hurled six shutout innings and the bullpen did the rest as the Braves took down the Rays 1-0. Newcomb gave up just two hits and punched out six. Snell’s ERA now sits at 2.40, while Newcomb’s is an also crisp 2.88.

 

Early Action Today

Today we have seven games starting between the times of 12:35pm-and-3:35pm ET.

The Mets and Reds will kick off the action in what looks like a high scoring game with Zack Wheeler (5.79 ERA) taking the ball for the Mets and Sal Romano (4.21 ERA) for the Reds.

Carlos Carrasco will look to bounce back from two straight rough outings as he and the Indians take on the Brewers in Milwaukee.

Veterans Francisco Liriano (3-1, 2.97 ERA) and Bartolo Colón (1-1, 3.29 ERA) will look to continue their strong starts to the season in a head-to-head battle in Texas.

The White Sox will be seeking their 10th win of the season for the fifth straight game. The Pirates will be seeking their third straight win.

Two struggling veteran left-handers will matchup in Chicago with José Quintana (4.99 ERA) taking the ball for the Cubbies, while it will be Wei-Yin Chen (4.82 ERA) on the hill for the Marlins.

The Rockies and Angels both love to hit the long ball (both currently top-10 in home runs) and with the game being in Colorado that trend will likely continue.

Gerrit Cole has been stellar this year and he will look to keep that success going as he takes the mound for the Astros in Oakland against the Athletics.

 

Burning Night Game Questions

The Red Sox and Yankees play tonight and are currently tied at the top of the A.L. East (and for the best record in baseball), who takes over sole possession of first place?

How many runs will be scored in the Royals/Orioles game that features Andrew Cashner (1-4, 4.89 ERA) and Eric Skoglund (1-2, 6.84 ERA)

Four lefties off to strong starts this year all take the hill. In fact, they are all on the mound in just two total games as they will be battling each other. In the Nationals/Padres game who comes out on top between Joey Lucchesi and Gio González ? What about between Patrick Corbin and Alex Wood , who wins?

 

Baseball, baseball, and more baseball! What’s not to love?