MLB Player News

Gonzales (2-0) was charged with four runs (three earned) on nine hits over 5.1 innings in a win over the Red Sox on Thursday. He struck out four and walked one.

The stat line won't wow anyone, but Gonzales held the defending World Series champs in check en route to his second win on the young season. He got plenty of support from the offense; the M's went off against Chris Sale and company for 12 runs. Gonzales doesn't miss a lot of bats and so he's prone to getting BABIP'd on occasion, but he doesn't make things hard on himself with walks. Up next is a home start against the Angels.

Sale (0-1) gave up seven runs on six hits -- including three home runs -- over three innings in a loss to the Mariners on Thursday. He struck out four and walked two.

Yes, three home runs at the old Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park), including two allowed to Tim Beckham. Citing BrooksBaseball.net, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports that Sale's four-seam fastball averaged 92.9 mph in his Opening Day start. The lefty's fastball was down late last year after he returned from a shoulder injury, but the Red Sox giving Sale a five-year, $150 million extension last week restored confidence in his health to a large extent. Sale will look to get right against the A's in Oakland on Tuesday.

Stroman allowed two hits and walked four while striking out seven across seven shutout innings Thursday against the Tigers. He did not factor into the decision.

Stroman pitched well enough to earn the win, but was matched in his strong performance by Jordan Zimmermann. While no conclusions should be drawn from the single start, Stroman flashed a different profile in his 2019 debut by generating 16 swinging strikes and inducing just as many flyouts as groundouts. He'll look to improve his control in his second start, but otherwise, it was an impressive outing for Stroman after coming off an injury-plagued 2018 season.

Rodon (0-1) allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits in 5.1 innings during a 5-3 loss to the Royals on Opening Day. He struck out six and walked one in the loss.

The Royals scratched out a run in the fourth and then scored a pair in the sixth. Rodon's defense didn't help him out, as the second run in the sixth scored on an error. The White Sox nearly erased a five-run deficit in the ninth to get Rodon off the hook, but they stranded the bases loaded. Rodon has been pretty average over the last three years, but six strikeouts in 5.1 frames is a good sign. The 26-year-old averaged more than a strikeout per inning during his first two MLB seasons (2015 and 2016).

Snell (0-1) allowed five earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three across six innings to take the loss Thursday against the Astros.

Snell got through the first two innings unscathed but was burned by the long ball, allowing home runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings. Despite the tough outing, he still managed to generate 11 swinging strikes. In addition, his fastball velocity was very close to matching where he sat at the beginning of the 2018 season. While no doubt a disappointing debut, it was a tough assignment against one of the best lineups in the league.

Keller (1-0) threw seven shutout innings and posted five strikeouts in a 5-3 victory against the White Sox on Opening Day.

The 23-year-old had a poor spring, posting a 5.40 ERA in five appearances, but Keller looked more like his 2018 form Thursday. As a rookie last season, Keller went 9-6 with a 3.08 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 104.1 innings. Keller probably isn't going to be a strikeout-per-inning guy, but he doesn't give up a lot of home runs, which obviously helps his ERA.

Verlander (1-0) allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk while striking out nine across seven innings to earn the win Thursday against the Rays.

Verlander got off to a rocky start, allowing a solo home run to the first hitter he faced. However, he allowed just one hit across his final six innings of work and racked up an impressive 23 swinging strikes. Having thrown 102 pitches, Verlander appears to have no workload restrictions.

Kluber (0-1) got the loss on Opening Day against the Twins, giving up two runs on four hits over seven innings, striking out five and walking one as the Indians fell 2-0.

It was a strong outing for the dominant right-hander, but he was outdueled by a superb effort from Minnesota starter Jose Berrios. He still delivered a solid line for fantasy owners and will look to get in the win column in his next start, which will come at home Thursday against the Blue Jays.

Berrios (1-0) got the win against the Indians on Thursday, giving up no runs on just two hits over 7.2 innings, striking out 10 and walking one as the Twins triumphed 2-0.

It was a brilliant start to the 2019 campaign for the right-hander, who baffled Cleveland's lineup en route to this season-opening victory. Berrios has shown flashes of this ability in the past, but hasn't yet managed to put it together for an entire season, with an average ERA of 3.86 over the past two years. He'll need to find more consistency to become a legitimate staff ace, but even if his ERA stays around that mark, his 1.14 WHIP and 202 strikeouts from a season ago suggest Berrios will still carry plenty of value atop Minnesota's rotation.

Manager Brandon Hyde said that Cobb (groin) is making good progress and is in line to start the Orioles' home opener April 4 against the Yankees, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Cobb is opening the season on the 10-day injured list after he was diagnosed with a mild groin strain coming out of his final spring start this past weekend. The injury resulted in Cobb missing out on the Opening Day assignment, but the right-hander shouldn't miss any turns beyond that. When healthy, Cobb might represent the most appealing Baltimore starter from a fantasy standpoint, but that's not saying much coming off a season in which he posted a 4.90 ERA and 1.41 WHIP over 152.1 innings.