The Blue Jays and Rangers engaged in an epic pitchers' duel between two hurlers that have never been confused for aces. Neither team scored until the 12th inning when the Jays eked out the game's only run thanks to Rangers reliever Ariel Jurado, who uncorked a wild throw to third base. Blue Jays starter Trent Thornton rattled off seven shutout frames and carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning. Nomar Mazara's single was the only knock Thornton yielded in the contest. Thornton's record holds at 0-3 with a 4.08 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. He is trending up but fantasy owners shouldn't over-react to one great start.
On the other side Mike Minor struck out nine batters over eight scoreless frames. He wasn't as dominant as Thornton though because he gave up seven hits and two walks but was nevertheless able to keep the Jays off the scoreboard deep into the night. Don't look now but Minor is quickly gaining ace status -- he is now 3-2 with a 2.40 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in seven starts. He has 48 strikeouts and just 14 walks in 48 2/3 innings. The 31-year-old left-hander has been pretty solid throughout his career and seems to have found a way to kick it up a notch. The sustainability of his newfound success is questionable considering his fortunate .231 BABIP and 85.4 percent left-on-base rate. Expect his stats to throttle back a bit -- he will still be good but not this great after the regression monster bites him.
On the other extreme, the Reds and Giants battled in a barn-burner in Cincinnati. The Reds jumped out to an 8-0 lead but the Giants came all the way back and won it 12-11 in extra innings. Stephen Vogt tied it up with two outs in the bottom of the ninth by slugging a deep solo shot off Reds closer Raisel Iglesias. Evan Longoria cracked a solo homer down the left-field line to win it in the 11th frame. Derek Dietrich smashed two three-run homers (more on him below) and was one of four players with three hits in the game. Jesse Winker, Stephen Duggar and Evan Longoria were the others. On the pitching side, rookie starter Tyler Beede took the brunt of the damage, giving up eight runs (seven earned) while lasting just 2 1/3 frames. He was making his first start of the year and may need trauma therapy before climbing the mound again.
Six different Reds pitchers gave up runs and three of them gave up multiple runs. Starter Sonny Gray surrendered three runs in five innings, reliever Wandy Peralta coughed up four runs in one inning and Michael Lorenzen gave up two in his one inning of work. The bases were clogged all night and the scoreboard lit up like a pinball machine but Joey Votto went 0-for-7 and struck out three times. Every other starting hitter on both sides got at least one knock. Votto's early-season slumps have become a time-honored tradition but this year's funk has folks wondering whether Father Time has come knocking. Don't believe it -- Votto will figure it out and make fantasy owners regret selling low on him. Top prospect Nick Senzel made his big-league debut for the Reds in this game and got his first career hit and a couple of walks.
Two-Homer Hammers
** Diamondbacks outfielder/infielder Ketel Marte
went 3-for-4 with a pair of homers, four RBI and three runs scored to
lift Arizona to a 10-9 win over the Rockies on Friday. The switch-hitter
homered from both sides of the plate, launching two-run dongs off both Tyler Anderson and Seunghwan Oh.
Coors Field probably helped him on this day but Marte now has nine
longballs on the season. He set a career-high last year with 14 home
runs in 153 games and should easily blow past that mark before the All
Star break. He is just 25 years old and is rapidly developing into a
complete, all-around hitter.** Derek Dietrich cranked a pair of three-run dingers but the Reds still found a way to lose to the Giants. He went 3-for-4 with 6 RBI on the day and is now slashing .250/.355/.625 with seven homers and 20 RBI. He leads the team in RBI despite having received only 64 at-bats on the season. Dietrich drew the start at second base today and has started in left field and first base in recent days. He's also played some third base this year. His hot bat is forcing manager David Bell to put him in the starting lineup nearly every day of late as the Reds try to resuscitate their flagging offense. He certainly gave them a big jolt today. If the Reds decide to roll with Dietrich on a daily basis, most of his playing time is likely to come at the expense of the struggling Jose Peraza. Peraza was moved from shortstop to second base when Scooter Gennett (groin) went down with an injury. Jose Iglesias took over at shortstop and his bat and especially his glove have impressed Reds' management. Peraza has struggled so badly that he could easily be benched any day now. Peraza is slashing just .194/.218/.286 with two homers, seven RBI and four steals in 31 games. His 29 wRC+ is the fourth-worst in the major leagues -- only Jackie Bradley Jr. (13 wRC+), Josh Harrison (18) and Chris Owings (21) have been worse among qualified batters.
** Gary Sanchez went 3-for-4 and launched a pair of solo homers in Friday’s 6-3 victory over the Twins. He smacked the first one off starter Kyle Gibson and the second one off reliever Mike Morin. Both of them were identical line-drive shots to left center field. He now has 10 longballs in just 75 plate appearances. He is slashing .265/.333/.735 with 20 RBI in 18 games. He spent some time on the injured list due to a calf strain or else he would be near the top of the league in homers and RBI.
Phegley Gets Phunky
Athletics catcher Josh Phegley knocked in eight runs while going 4-for-5 with a home run and two doubles. He smacked a solo homer, laced an RBI-single and drilled two bases-loaded doubles. His eight RBI are the most ever by an A’s catcher and the most by any A’s player since Eric Chavez did it in 2001. Phegley raised his batting average from .250 to .288 with the historic day. Before fantasy owners rush out and do something rash they should remember that he has a .225 career batting average. He has a career-high of nine homers in a season and that was the only time he's hit more than four despite being in the majors since 2013. He is in the midst of a hot streak right now though and has a .288/.316/.548 slash line with four homers, 21 RBI and 16 runs on the season. Fantasy owners can ride him while he's hot but don't expect it to last for too long.
Sale is No Longer a Bargain
If you were planning to buy low on Chris Sale you missed your chance. He struck out 10 batters over six scoreless innings to record his first win of the season on Friday against the White Sox. His velocity topped out at 96.5 miles per hour, which is a pleasant sight considering his velocity was down early in the season. He has turned things around in his last three starts and has improved his overall stat line from terrible to merely bad. He improves to 1-5 with a 5.25 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. He is trending sharply in the right direction and has eased many of the health concerns that dogged him in 2018 and into 2019. All of those panicky Sale owners out there have now tightened their grip on their ace. If you're still looking to buy low on a struggling ace in your league, go give Carlos Carrasco's owner a call.Medic Report
** James Paxton was removed from Friday's game against the Twins after just three innings due to some soreness in his left knee. Paxton said the knee was "nagging at me enough that I couldn't execute pitches... I'm hoping it's something that's just a quick fix." It took him 64 pitches to get through three frames. He allowed one unearned run, struck out one batter and allowed two hits. The Yankees reported that Paxton will undergo an MRI on Saturday. Paxton has an extensive injury history, in fact his 160 1/3 innings pitched last year were a career-high by a wide margin and this is his seventh season in the majors. With ace Luis Severino (lat strain) already on the 60-day injured list, the Yankees can ill afford another lengthy injury to one of their best pitchers.** Giancarlo Stanton (biceps, shoulder) is expected to take it easy for the remainder of the weekend and then ramp up his physical activity on Monday. The Yankees have opened their own wing at the Bronx Hospital due to their injury epidemic. Stanton is battling through a sore left shoulder after recovering from a biceps strain that landed him on the injured list early in the season. It's still unclear exactly when he'll be ready to rejoin the Yankees' lineup, but the Bombers are hopeful that it will happen at some point in May.
** Mets infielder Jed Lowrie (knee) will move his rehab stint from High-A St. Lucie to Triple-A Syracuse on Saturday. The 35-year-old has yet to play this year because of a capsule sprain in his left knee. He could make his Mets debut sometime next week or soon thereafter. He had a .267 batting average and set new career highs with 23 home runs and 99 RBI last year with the Athletics.
** Shohei Ohtani will take live batting practice over the weekend and could be activated as early as next week. He will play only as a designated hitter this year as he recovers from Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow. He won't pitch until next year. He had a .285 batting average with 22 home runs and 61 RBI in 367 plate appearances and could exceed that number of plate appearances this year considering he won't have pitching outings to keep him out of the batting order this year. He also stole 10 bases last year to add another burst of fantasy value that is often overlooked on Ohtani's resume.
** Daniel Murphy sat out of Friday's game due to back stiffness. The timing of the new ailment is frustrating considering the Rockies are starting a string of nine games at Coors Field. He hasn't played much yet this year, primarily due to an injury list stint for a finger injury. Murphy looks out of shape, old and unathletic this year, which often leads to a variety of injuries. He missed half of last year with a knee injury. His fantasy owners drool when they think about what he could do when fully healthy in Coors Field, but it's fair to wonder at the age of 34 if he will ever be fully healthy again.
** Anthony Rendon (elbow) may be ready to return from the injured list when he is first eligible on Tuesday. The star third baseman was crushing it before getting hurt. He owns a .356/.442/.740 slash line with six homers, 18 RBI and 21 runs scored in 20 games.
** Christian Yelich sat out again on Friday due to a sore back. The reigning MVP last played on Tuesday. The injury is not severe and he could return to action over the weekend. His presence is dearly missed in fantasy lineups as it's hard to replace a .353/.460/.804 triple-slash with 14 homers, 34 RBI and 26 runs scored.
NL Quick Hits: Kyle Hendricks needed just 81 pitches to complete a shutout in the Cubs' 4-0 victory over the Cardinals. It's just the fourth time since 1990 that a pitcher has gotten a shutout on 81 pitches or fewer. It was a nice turnaround from his last outing when he coughed up seven runs to the Diamondbacks... Brandon Woodruff limited the Mets to one run over five innings during a 3-1 victory... Tyler Anderson was lit up for six runs on seven hits over four innings in a loss to the Diamondbacks. Coors Field says hello. Anderson has an 11.76 ERA after five starts. Triple-A could be saying hello soon... Robbie Ray yielded five runs -- one earned -- over 5 2/3 innings in a win over the Rockies... Steven Matz took the loss Friday against the Brewers after allowing three runs over 5 2/3 innings... Greg Holland gave up a run but held on for a save against the Rockies... Clayton Kershaw recorded six strikeouts over six innings in a no-decision against the Padres. He is 1-0 with a 2.77 ERA after four starts and fantasy owners who drafted him despite his spring injury woes are looking smart so far... Kenley Jansen struck out three batters in the ninth inning to earn a save against the Padres... Kirby Yates gave up a run in the ninth inning of a tie game and took a loss against the Dodgers... Manny Machado hit a long two-run homer off Clayton Kershaw... Chris Taylor went 2-for-4 with a solo homer to lead the Dodgers to a 4-3 win over the Padres... Josh Hader struck out five batters in two innings and notched a save against the Mets... Lorenzo Cain went 1-for-4 with a solo homer against the Mets... Ryan McMahon went 2-for-2 with a two-run homer and a pair of runs scored in the Rockies’ loss to the Diamondbacks... Charlie Blackmon went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer against the Diamondbacks at Coors Field... Joe Musgrove served up seven runs (five earned) in 2 2/3 innings and took a loss to the Athletics. It was one bad game in what has been an excellent season. He still has a 2.63 ERA even after Friday's beatdown... Will Smith recorded his eighth save of the season against the Reds... Mets released C Travis d'Arnaud... Jose Urena gave up five runs over six innings in a loss to the Braves. He is 1-5 with a 5.45 ERA in seven starts... Freddie Freeman went 2-for-5 with a solo homer in the Braves’ win over the Marlins... Jerad Eickhoff spun five innings of one-run ball on three hits and three walks in a no-decision against the Nationals. He has a 2.05 ERA in 22 innings... Hector Neris converted his fifth save with a scoreless ninth inning against the Nationals... Jeremy Hellickson yielded two runs over 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision against the Phillies... Jean Segura went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored against the Nationals... Kurt Suzuki went 2-for-4 with a solo homer against the Phillies... Josh Donaldson went 3-for-5 with three RBI vs the Marlins and now has his OPS up to .913 on the season... Braves' starter Kevin Gausman was ejected in the second inning for trying to bean Marlins' starter Jose Urena... Jack Flaherty fanned nine but was charged with three runs over 5 2/3 innings in a loss to the Cubs... Anthony Rizzo launched a three-run home run and reached base in all four of his plate appearances versus the Cardinals...
AL Quick Hits: Ken Giles struck out the side in the 12th inning to record his eighth save of the season against the Rangers... Brett Anderson spun six innings of one-run ball in a blowout 14-1 victory over the Pirates. He fanned four and allowed six baserunners. He has a surprising 3.89 ERA through seven starts... Matt Chapman finished 3-for-6 with a two-run homer, a double, and two runs scored in a victory over the Pirates... Kendrys Morales went 3-for-4 with an RBI single, a walk, and three runs scored against the Pirates... Reynaldo Lopez surrendered six runs over five innings in a loss to the Red Sox. He fell to 2-4 with a 6.69 ERA... Alex Colome fired a scoreless eighth inning in a non-save situation against the Red Sox. The White Sox were down by six runs but he needed some work. He is still the clear closer for the White Sox despite his odd usage in a blowout loss... Rafael Devers went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer, his first long ball of the season, in the Red Sox’ win over the White Sox... Michael Chavis went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a walk to power the Red Sox to a 6-1 win over the White Sox... Yankees optioned 1B Mike Ford to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre... Aroldis Chapman delivered a scoreless ninth inning against the Twins for his sixth save of the season... Kyle Gibson gave up five runs — with just two earned — over five innings in a loss to the Yankees... Nelson Cruz launched a two-run homer and drew a walk against the Yankees... Jay Bruce took Shane Bieber yard for this 10th homer of the season... Shane Bieber took a no-decision against the Mariners on Friday, allowing just one run on six hits over 7 2/3 innings... Brad Hand earned a win by fanning two in one inning of work against the Mariners... Yusei Kikuchi racked up a career-high 10 strikeouts over seven innings of one-run ball in a no-decision against the Indians... Tyler Glasnow allowed three hits and no runs in seven innings to beat the Orioles... Mike Zunino clubbed a three-run homer against the Orioles... Dan Straily surrendered five runs over 4 1/3 innings in a loss to the Rays... Tommy Pham finished 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBI in a victory over the Orioles... Trey Mancini went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in a loss to the Rays... Jorge Lopez allowed four runs on five hits over his seven innings of work against the Tigers. He has a 5.09 ERA on the season... Jorge Soler went 3-for-3 and hit his eighth homer on Friday against the Tigers... Matthew Boyd delivered another strong performance in Friday's victory over the Royals, racking up nine strikeouts over seven innings of two-run baseball. He is 3-2 on the season with a stellar 3.05 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 57/11 K/BB ratio across 44 1/3 innings... Shane Greene allowed a run but notched his 13th save on Friday against the Royals... Miguel Cabrera went 3-for-4 with an RBI versus the Royals...
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