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

• Dominic Smith recalled from Triple-A
• Josh Lowe called up from Triple-A
• Jeter Downs being called up
• Oneil Cruz being called up Monday
• Zack Greinke (flexor strain) goes seven innings in rehab start
• Mookie Betts (rib) to return in about two weeks
• Manny Machado X-rays negative, still question marks
• Tyler O’Neill day-to-day with hamstring tightness
• Nate Pearson leaves start after two pitches
• Bryce Harper (blister) out of the lineup again on Sunday

Fun!

Mike Trout's 33 HRs in Seattle tied Albert Pujols' 33 HRs in Houston for most HRs by an active player in a ballpark where he's never played a home game.

— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) June 19, 2022

And then there’s Nick Pivetta…

In Nick Pivetta’s last 9 starts, he is 7-1 with a 1.77 ERA, 61 K’s, & a 0.84 WHIP

Since May 9th, Pivetta ranks:
⚾️1st in wins
⚾️2nd in strikeouts
⚾️4th in WHIP
⚾️5th in ERA

Nick Pivetta is out here winning fantasy leagues
pic.twitter.com/t9sZVt7muK

— David Mendelson (@DMendy02) June 20, 2022

Studs and Duds

Here are some of the best and worst performances from the weekend.

Studs (Pitchers)

• Daniel Lynch – 5 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 10 K
• Nick Pivetta – 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 10 K
• Robbie Ray – 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 10 K
• Chris Bassitt – 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 9 K
• Shane Bieber – 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 9 K
• Charlie Morton – 7 IP, 0 Er, 3 H, 0 BB, 9 K
• Taijuan Walker – 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 9 K
• Sandy Alcantara – 8 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 8 K
• Aaron Nola – 8 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 8 K
• Carlos Rodon – 8 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 8 K
• Jameson Taillon – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 8 K
• Dylan Bundy – 8 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 7 K

Studs (Hitters)

These players all hit three HRs this weekend:

• Josh Bell – 4-for-13, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 4
• C.J. Cron – 7-for-13, 3 HR, 8 RBI
• Hunter Renfroe – 3-for-13, 3 HR, 6 RBI
• Jack Suwinski – 5-for-9, 3 HR (hit all 3 in same game)
• Mike Trout – 4-for-16, 3 HR, 5 RBI
  • +600 to win AL MVP on BetMGM

• Nolan Arenado – 4-for-11, 2 HR, 4 RBI
• Randal Grichuk – 4-for-12, 2 HR, 6 RBI
• Robbie Grossman – 5-for-10, 2 HR, 5 RBI
• Francisco Lindor – 3-for-11, 2 HR, 7 RBI
• Luis Garcia – 8-for-17 (.471), 2 2B, RBI

Duds (Pitchers)

• Lucas Giolito – 5 IP, 8 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 3 K
• MacKenzie Gore – 4 IP, 8 ER, 9 H, 3 BB, 1 K (3 HR allowed)
• Pablo Lopez – 5.1 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, 1 BB, 5 K
• Michael Lorenzen – 5 IP, 7 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 3 K
• Kyle Wright – 6 IP, 5 ER, 11 H, 1 BB, 8 K
• Justin Verlander – 3.2 IP, 7 R (4 ER), 9 H, 0 BB, 3 K
• Zach Eflin – 2 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Duds (Hitters)

• Randy Arozarena – 1-for-12, 7 K
• Brendan Donovan – 1-for-14, 7 K
• Jake Burger – 1-for-12, 7 K
• Christopher Morel – 1-for-12, 6 K
• Eugenio Suarez – 1-for-15, 5 K
• Nick Castellanos – 3-for-17, 4 K
• Bryson Stott – 1-for-16, 4 K
• Odubel Herrera – 0-for-16 with 2 K
• Nelson Cruz – 1-for-14, 6 K
• Jonathan India – 1-for-14, 4 K

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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.