Nick Kingham made his Major League debut today and he was lights out. He had a perfect game through 6.2 innings before Paul DeJong broke it up with a single. His final line on the day was seven innings, one hit, no walks, nine strikeouts, and no runs. He also, deservedly, picked up his first win. The right-hander was also pitching very well in the minors before his call-up; in four starts he had given up just four earned runs across 22.2 innings (1.59 ERA) while striking out 27. He was a top-100 prospect prior to both the 2014 and 2015 seasons, but injuries derailed his progress. He had Tommy John Surgery in 2015, which cost him most of 2016. Now 26 years old, Kingham still has the stuff to be a productive Major League pitcher and deeper leagues should be putting in a claim on him with hopes that he will not be sent back down to the minors.
Mets Pummel the Padres
The Mets put up 14 runs and 19 hits in a 14-2 blowout win over the Padres. Adrián González had three hits, while Asdrubal Cabrera , Michael Conforto , Yoenis Céspedes , Brandon Nimmo , Jay Bruce , Todd Frazier , José Reyes , and Tomas Nido each collected two hits. Gonzalez had a monster day with the three hits, a home run, and five RBI. Reyes had his best game of the season, finishing with the aforementioned two hits, three runs, a RBI, his first home run of the year, and a stolen base. The offense provided plenty of runs for starter Zack Wheeler to pick up his second win of the season. His final line was: five innings, six hits, two runs, and nine strikeouts. The win improved the Mets record to 17-9 and they remain atop the NL East. They have an off-day tomorrow before the start of a three-game series against the Braves at home.
That Just Happened
Caleb Smith was fantastic in a win over the Rockies today, delivering seven innings of shutout baseball. He gave up just two hits and struck out nine. His 4.40 ERA still isn’t pretty, but Smith now has 41 strikeouts in just 28.2 innings pitched this season, making him worth an add in deeper leagues and in leagues that have a K/9 category. Shallower leagues will want to monitor his next few starts.
Ryon Healy has had a dreadful start to the season, but he delivered a monster performance for the Mariners out of the nine-hole today; he went 3-4 with four RBI, three runs, and slugged two home runs. Dee Gordon , Robinson Canó , and Mitch Haniger also had big days for Seattle in what resulted in a blowout win over the Indians 10-to-4. The Mariners totaled 22 runs between yesterday and today in two wins over the Indians.
Trea Turner stole his twelfth bag of the season and Gio González hurled seven innings of one-run ball in a Nationals 3-1 win over the Diamondbacks. Turner seems like a near lock to swipe 50+ bases this year with 70-to-75 being a realistic possibility. He stole 46 in just 98 games last season and teams simply cannot stop him from running. He is now a perfect 12-for-12 on steal attempts.
Tyler Chatwood wasn’t going to be left out of the Cubs pitching dominance over the Brewers in their four game series. He pitched seven innings, giving up just two hits and no runs. The Cubs starting pitchers in this series (Kyle Hendricks , Yu Darvish , José Quintana , and Tyler Chatwood ) combined for some ridiculous numbers: 27 innings, zero earned runs, 24 strikeouts, 11 hits against, and a 3-0 record (Darvish picked up a ND in his start).
Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuna were one-and-two in the Braves lineup for the first time this season and it looked like a great combination to have at the top of their lineup. Albies finished 2-5 with three RBI, three runs, a walk, a steal, and his ninth home run of the year. Acuna finished 2-3 with two doubles, a RBI, two walks, and his first career stolen base. They might be the two most exciting young players in the game and seeing them hit back-to-back was a beautiful thing.
Ty Blach continued his success against the Dodgers, tossing six innings of two-run ball. He has made three starts against the Dodgers this season and has given up just three earned runs across 17 innings pitched (1.59 ERA). Both of his wins this season have come against the Dodgers.
Burning Questions
Robbie Ray left his start today with one out in the second inning due to a strained oblique. A DL trip seems likely, how long will fantasy owners be without him?
Yoenis Céspedes left the Mets game in the third inning after injuring his hand on a slide into third base for a stolen base. Will the injury cause him to miss further action?
CC Sabathia and Tyler Skaggs will go to battle in tonight’s Sunday Night Baseball game, who will come out on top? Neither Mike Trout or Didi Gregorius were able to hit their eleventh home run last night, will tonight be different?
Stay tuned.