Trevor Bauer had one wild and incredible night in a win over the Blue Jays. He tossed seven no-hit shutout innings, but he also walked six batters and plunked another. The Indians went on to win the game 4-1 and improve to 3-3 on the season. Bauer consistently worked himself into and out of trouble all night and his eight strikeouts were crucial. His third inning was both atrocious and stupendous at the same time, as he walked the bases loaded with no outs, but quickly followed it up with back-to-back strikeouts and then a lineout. He needed 117 pitches to get through the seven frames (which is why he was pulled in the midst of a no-hitter). His final pitch of the night was a strikeout to end the seventh inning on a nasty two-seam fastball. He was rightfully jacked up:

 

Strong Outings

Bauer’s roller coaster outing wasn’t the only pitching highlight of the day though, as a few other guys brought the good stuff yesterday as well.

  • Stephen Strasburg tossed 6.2 shutout innings against the Mets to pick up his first win of the year. He allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out nine. His velocity was down about two mph, and that is something to keep an eye on, but it didn’t seem to hold him back any in this one.
  • Noah Syndergaard was outdueled by Strasburg, but he still pitched well himself. He gave up just one hit, two walks, and two earned runs across 6.0 innings of work. He struck out six. He threw 98 pitches in the loss.
  • Jordan Lyles hurled five shutout innings in his 2019 season debut. He walked three, gave up three hits, and struck out two. The righty did not factor into the decision.  Lyles has flirted with fantasy relevance in the past, but for now leave him on the wire.
  • Tyler Mahle pitched six shutout innings in a no-decision against the Pirates. He finished with five strikeouts and gave up just five hits while walking none. He is another guy that we need to see it a few more times from before we get too excited.
  • Max Fried tossed six innings of one-hit, no-run baseball in a win over the Cubs. He walked zero and struck out five. The lefty looked good and he is worth a pickup for as long as he remains in the Braves rotation.

 

Yanks & Sox Still Struggling

Sure, the Yankees defeated the Orioles 8-4 and if you only look at the score it seems fine and dandy. However, this was a game that the Yankees had their ace, James Paxton , on the mound and they were losing for the majority of the game. They needed a heroic effort from Gleyber Torres to outlast an abysmal Orioles team. Torres finished the game 4-4 with two home runs, a double, four RBI, and two runs scored. Paxton struggled for the second time in a row against this lifeless Orioles offense and they need him to be better, especially while Severino remains out. The win improved the Yankees record to just 3-4, despite playing all of their games against two bottom dweller teams in the Orioles and Tigers.

Moving over to the Red Sox, they fell to Oakland 7-3 and their record now stands at 2-6 on the season. Eduardo Rodríguez was shelled for eight hits, three walks, and six earned runs in only 3.2 innings of work. This has been a common theme for the Sox thus far and their explosive offense hasn’t quite come out to party yet either. These are not the stats you want to see from your starting pitching, especially when you’re the defending world champs:

 

Hitter Highlights

Torres may have had the best day at the dish yesterday, but there were plenty of other guys who had nice games of their own.

  • Niko Goodrum finished 2-3 with a pair of doubles, a walk, and three RBI.
  • Josh Harrison had one hit, two walks, two stolen bases, and three runs scored.
  • Gary Sánchez smacked a solo home run, his third in his last four games.
  • Stephen Piscotty was a perfect 4-4 with a home run, double, a walk, five RBI, and a run scored.
  • Jorge Soler finished 2-4 with a double and a RBI.
  • Nick Markakis had a 5-5 night with three doubles, three runs, and five RBI.
  • Mike Trout went 2-3 with a solo home run and a walk.

 

What to Watch for Today

Jack Flaherty will look to bounce back from a rough debut. He will take on the Padres in the Cardinals home opener. Flaherty gave up four earned runs across 4.1 innings in his first start of the year and fantasy owners would like to see a much better outing from him this time around.

Yusei Kikuchi will look to pickup his first win of the year. He has a strong 2.53 ERA through two starts, but has picked up a no-decision in both. Kikuchi, and the 7-1 Mariners, will take on the White Sox in Chicago at 2:10 ET.

The first game at Coors field (for 2019) will be played today. Anytime we get a game at Coors everyone loves to stack their DFS lineups with everyone possible from the game. The Rockies will play host to the Dodgers, who we already know are swinging hot bats and hitting a lot of home runs. This could be a fun game to watch.

Kevin Gausman will make his season debut in a home start against the Marlins. Gausman pitched really well after being traded to the Braves last season – 2.87 ERA across 59.2 innings – and will look to keep it going. He has a favorable matchup.