Trevor Bauer and the Indians nearly combined for a no-hitter
The season is four days old, and the the storyline is still that pitching is ahead of hitting. Three of the nine games had five or fewer total runs, and 11 of the 18 teams that played yesterday scored three runs or fewer. Coming off two seasons dubbed as “The Year of the Pitcher,” 2015 may challenge that claim.
Recap
Trevor Bauer throws a no-hitter against the Astros
First, there needs to be the qualifier that he only pitched six innings because he threw 111 pitches and had five walks, but Bauer still threw a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts in this start. Nick Hagadone allowed a home run to Jed Lowrie in the ninth inning to break up the combined no-hitter, but that should not take away from the impressive start from Bauer where he displayed the talent that led to him being a top-10 prospect in 2012. He should still be a tenuous addition, but he can be a solid streamable strikeout option.
The Giants and Padres play a 12 inning 1-0 game
The two teams had 13 hits, only two extra-base hits, through 12 innings, with pinch-hitter Justin Maxwell’s two-out RBI single as the difference. Ian Kennedy was injured in the third inning, left hamstring strain, but Odrisamer Despaigne pitched 4 2/3 hitless innings in relief. Tim Hudson pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings, only allowing five hits, and the Giants bullpen held the Padres to two hits and no walks over 5 2/3 scoreless innings.
The Twins finally score a run against the Tigers
After 24 1/3 innings, the Twins scored on a double by Kennys Vargas and error by Tigers left fielder Yoenis Cespedes. It was already 7-0 Tigers, the Twins lost 7-1, and the offensive output by the Twins so far is lackluster to say the least. Six starters have a sub-.400 OPS, and the highest OPS for the team through three games is .664 from Joe Mauer.
Matt Harvey jumps right back onto the scene against the Nationals
There is overreaction during the opening week of the season, but Matt Harvey looked like an SP1 against the Nationals in a 6-3 Mets victory. Harvey threw an economical 91 pitches through six shutout innings, allowing four hits, walking one, striking out nine and pumping fastballs ranging from 95-97 miles per hour past Nationals hitters. This did not look like a pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery, and showed that even if he is held under 100 pitches per game all season, he can easily be a top-10 SP.
Alex Rodriguez hits his first home run since 2013
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Alex Rodriguez hit his first home run since September 20th, 2013, the 655th of his career. Rodriguez batted second against Blue Jays left-handed rookie Daniel Norris, saw 18 pitches, and was on base twice, as he also walked in the fourth inning, a good sign that he can be very useful against left-handed starters. He is not worthy of a season-long fantasy roster spot, but can be useful in the right matchups.
What to watch for
The biggest things to watch on Friday are two AL Central matchups of teams going in different directions. The Tigers and Indians have looked outstanding thus far and are beginning a three-game series, while the Twins and White Sox have both struggled and open their three-game set. The Yankees and Red Sox will also open their first three-game series of the season, as Nathan Eovaldi makes his Yankees debut after an outstanding spring.
Chris Zolli is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Chris, check out his archive and follow him @thezman2010.
