Greetings, friends. We’re back for another baseball season. More importantly, we have a fun new series this year!
Welcome to the Daily Opener.
Every morning, I’ll be with you to recap the previous day of baseball and talk about what stood out to me. We’ll find fun stats. We’ll lament some injuries. We’ll take a peek at the day ahead. And we’ll have a few laughs.
Have questions or just want to talk baseball? Feel free to reach out on Twitter @mikeMaher with questions or feedback anytime.
Top Stories
Yesterday was all about the pitchers
Noah Syndergaard is back. On Saturday, he tossed 5 1/2 innings of shutout ball in a win over the Astros, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out one. Sure, he only struck out one batter. But Thor was back, and it was glorious. Major League Baseball needs the Angels to be good. IF (intentional all caps for the big IF) Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Anthony Rendon, and Jared Walsh can all stay healthy this season, the offense should be there. Pitching has been an issue for pretty much Trout’s entire tenure, however. The staff once again doesn’t look like it will be a strength, so it might be Syndergaard Bounceback or Bust for the Halos.
Kyle Gibson allowed just two hits over seven scoreless innings while striking out 10 in a win over the Oakland Athletics. Sure, this came against an A’s team that is openly tanking with an offense that might end up being the worst in baseball when all is said and done, but Gibson still went out there and dominated.
Carlos Rodon struck out 12 batters over just five innings in a no-decision against the Miami Marlins. Again, the opponent must be taken into consideration here. But this was a heck of a debut for Rodon in the Bay. If Rodon can stay healthy for a full season, he’s going to be in the conversation for the NY Cy Young.
Rub Some Dirt On It (Injuries)
AJ Pollock has dealt with several injuries over the last few years and left Saturday’s game against the Tigers with a hamstring injury. He is not in the lineup for Sunday’s matchup. Pollock is also about to go out on paternity leave and will miss at least the next few games.
Ian Happ left Saturday’s game against the Brewers after being hit by a pitch. He is not in Sunday’s lineup, but this appears to be a day-to-day situation.
Jon Gray is dealing with a blister but says he expects to make his next start.
Studs and Duds
Here are some of the best and worst performances from yesterday.
Studs (Hitters)
| Name | AB | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB |
| Nolan Arenado | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Francisco Mejia | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rhys Hoskins | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tom Murphy | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Alex Verdugo | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| David Peralta | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Ian Happ | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bo Bichette | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Connor Joe | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ryan Mountcastle | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Austin Barnes | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Manny Machado | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Jean Segura | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Byron Buxton | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Paul DeJong | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Studs (Pitchers)
| Name | Opp | W | L | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | StS |
| Kyle Gibson | Oakland | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 21% | |
| Chris Bassitt | Washington | 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 13% | |
| Kyle Wright | Cincinnati | 1 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 16% | |
| German Marquez | Los Angeles | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 9% | ||
| Brad Keller | Cleveland | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 13% | ||
| Carlos Rodon | Miami | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 24% | ||
| Zach Plesac | Kansas City | 5.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11% | ||
| Dylan Cease | Detroit | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 14% | |
| Noah Syndergaard | Houston | 1 | 5.1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 14% | |
| Justin Steele | Milwaukee | 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5% | |
| Logan Gilbert | Minnesota | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 16% | ||
| Joe Musgrove | Arizona | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 14% | ||
| Pablo Lopez | San Francisco | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 19% | ||
| Justin Verlander | Los Angeles | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 9% |
Duds (Hitters)
| Name | AB | R | H | 2B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB |
| Cody Bellinger | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Charlie Blackmon | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Adolis García | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Didi Gregorius | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Max Kepler | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Cedric Mullins | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Max Muncy | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Rougned Odor | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Miguel Sano | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Brandon Belt | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| William Contreras | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Avisail Garcia | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Shohei Ohtani | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Franmil Reyes | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Jorge Polanco | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Enrique Hernandez | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Duds (Pitchers)
| Name | Opp | W | L | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | StS |
| Brandon Woodruff | Chicago | 1 | 3.2 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 8% | |
| Jordan Lyles | Tampa Bay | 1 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 7% | |
| Nick Pivetta | New York | 1 | 5.2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 12% | |
| Cole Irvin | Philadelphia | 1 | 5.1 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 10% | |
| Casey Mize | Chicago | 1 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6% | |
| Joan Adon | New York | 1 | 4.1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5% | |
| Mitch Keller | St. Louis | 1 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 13% |
From the News Desk
We have an incredible news desk at FantasyPros. Seriously, they crush it. If you don’t already, you should sync your teams with My Playbook and check out the Fantasy News and Scores app for updates about your players.
- Lucas Giolito (abdominal tightness) headed to 10-day IL
- Bradley Zimmer activated by Blue Jays
- Tim Anderson returns to lineup for White Sox
- Ian Happ leaves game after being hit by pitch
- Anibal Sanchez (neck) may miss start Monday vs Braves
- Jon Gray (blister) expects to make next start
Minor Improvements
Royce Lewis update!
Dingers
Here is every player who homered yesterday:
Francisco Mejia
Rhys Hoskins
Tom Murphy
Alex Verdugo
David Peralta
Bo Bichette
Connor Joe
Ryan Mountcastle
Austin Barnes
Jean Segura
Byron Buxton
Paul DeJong
Pete Alonso
Giancarlo Stanton
Jared Walsh
Anthony Rizzo
Nick Castellanos
Yasmani Grandal
Luis Arraez
Mike Trout
Swipes
Here is every player who stole a base yesterday:
Travis Jankowski (x2)
Manny Machado
Jorge Mateo
Luis Robert
Tommy Pham
Kyle Tucker
Dylan Carlson
Edward Olivares
Jarred Kelenic
Today’s Starting Lineup
Here is what I’m watching today.
- It’s our first Getaway Day of the season, so monitor your daily lineups for players who will be resting.
- Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN features Red Sox vs. Yankees, and New York has taken the first two games of the series. The bullpen that Boston’s Chaim Bloom failed to address this offseason has already been a problem, and they will likely need several innings of it tonight with young Tanner Houck on the mound. I’m sure everything will be fine.
- It’s Michael Kopech SZN, and he is making his first start of the season Sunday afternoon against Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers. If you have followed me at all this offseason, you know I’m ALL IN on Kopech this season. I also like Skubal, so I will definitely be tuning into this one.
- See also: Hunter Greene vs. Ian Anderson.
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Mike Maher is an editor and content manager at FantasyPros and BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive, follow him on Twitter @MikeMaher, and visit his Philadelphia Eagles blog, The Birds Blitz.