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Yu Darvish SP | SD
Padres' Yu Darvish: Six innings of one-hit ball
Darvish (1-1) registered a no-decision during Saturday's 3-2 victory over the Dodgers, allowing one hit and three walks with seven strikeouts in six scoreless innings.
Darvish shut down a potent Dodgers offense through six innings, but Los Angeles eventually rallied to tie the game and erase Darvish from the decision. The 35-year-old has now permitted just one run through 18.2 innings aside from surrendering nine runs in 1.2 innings against San Francisco on April 12. He'll look to keep things rolling against the Pirates on Friday.
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Trevor Williams RP | TEX
Mets' Trevor Williams: Rough outing in first start
Williams (0-2) took the loss Saturday, coughing up four runs on seven hits over two-plus innings as the Mets fell 5-2 to the Diamondbacks. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.
The right-hander pitched to contact, throwing 39 of 62 pitches for strikes, and while only one of the hits off Williams went for extra bases, most of them weren't cheapies. His 9.82 ERA through three appearances and 3.2 innings actually understates his struggles, as he's given up two unearned runs as well, and the 29-year-old is one of the most likely candidates in the Mets' bullpen to lose his spot when rosters shrink at the beginning of May -- if he doesn't get optioned to Triple-A Syracuse before then.
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Ian Anderson RP | ATL
Braves' Ian Anderson: Stuck with no-decision Saturday
Anderson didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 9-7 loss to the Marlins, giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out four.
Jazz Chisholm set the tone for the game when he took Anderson deep on the first pitch he threw, but the right-hander still managed to leave in line for his second win before Atlanta's bullpen fell apart. Anderson threw 57 of 93 pitches for strikes in the shaky outing, and his control remains an issue in the early going -- he sports a 5.40 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 12:9 K:BB through his first 13.1 innings.
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Zack Wheeler SP | PHI
Phillies' Zack Wheeler: Remains winless
Wheeler (0-3) took the loss Saturday, giving up four runs on seven hits over five innings as the Phillies fell 5-3 to the Brewers. He struck out five without walking a batter.
The right-hander got handed a 3-0 lead after three innings, but Wheeler couldn't make it stick, getting tagged for all four of his runs in the top of the fifth. While his .372 BABIP is bound to come down, Wheeler's 8.53 ERA through three starts can't be chalked up merely to bad luck, as his 17.7 percent strikeout rate and 7.9 percent swinging strike rate are well below last year's marks and parallel the drop in his velocity -- his 95.0 mph average fastball has lost more than two ticks from 2021.
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Adrian Houser SP | SF
Brewers' Adrian Houser: Gets first win with quality start
Houser (1-2) picked up the win in Saturday's 5-3 victory over the Phillies, allowing three runs on five hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out three.
Philadelphia grabbed a 3-0 lead through three innings, but Houser was able to settle down in the middle frames and give Milwaukee's offense a chance to get rolling. The 29-year-old right-hander tossed 58 of 85 pitches for strikes before exiting as he recorded his first quality start of the season, and he generated seven groundball outs versus zero flyball outs -- a pattern he'll need to continue to have success given his lack of whiffs (15.6 percent strikeout rate through 15.1 innings).
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Austin Gomber SP | TEX
Rockies' Austin Gomber: Notches win Saturday
Gomber (1-1) earned the win over Detroit in Game 2 of a twin bill Saturday, allowing four hits and striking out eight over six scoreless innings.
The performance was quite a turnaround from Gomber's first two starts, during which he allowed seven earned runs over nine combined innings. The southpaw dominated the Tigers for six frames Saturday, recording 13 swinging strikes, fanning eight and surrendering no extra-base hits. Gomber will look to carry over the momentum from this outing to his next start, which is tentatively slated to take place in Philadelphia on Thursday.
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Antonio Senzatela RP | MIL
Rockies' Antonio Senzatela: Hit hard early
Senzatela (1-1) allowed five earned runs on 10 hits and no walks while striking out three across five innings to take the loss in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against Detroit.
The Tigers jumped on Senzatela early, as he allowed four of his five runs in the first inning. He did manage to settle in from there to give the Rockies some length in his outing, though the game was never particularly competitive. Senzatela has never possessed particularly strong swing-and-miss stuff, though he has a particularly poor five strikeouts across 13.1 innings this season. Even if he is able to limit hard contact, Senzatela's inability to miss bats will likely mean he runs into trouble regularly -- particularly when pitching at home.
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Alex Wood RP | ATH
Giants' Alex Wood: Earns second win
Wood (2-0) allowed two earned runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five across five innings to earn the win Saturday against the Nationals.
Wood began the game with four shutout innings, though he allowed three consecutive hits in the fifth frame -- including a solo home run -- to allow two runs score. Otherwise, he rarely allowed the ball to leave the infield, as he combined to record 12 of his 15 outs via either groundout or strikeout. Wood has been remarkably consistent to begin the season, allowing no more than a pair of earned runs in any of his three starts while also striking out at least five in each appearance. He currently maintains a 2.51 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 14.1 frames.
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Tyler Mahle SP | ATL
Reds' Tyler Mahle: Takes second loss
Mahle (1-2) took the loss to the Cardinals on Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks over 4.1 innings. He struck out three.
Mahle kept the Reds in it for most of the afternoon despite not having his best stuff. He got no help from his offense, and after Saturday's loss, the team's losing streak now sits at 11 games. Mahle's numbers leave a lot to be desired, especially after three earned runs were added to his April 12 line following a scoring change (error to base hit). History tells us his numbers will improve, but unfortunately it looks like Mahle will face a constant uphill battle, barring a trade.
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Kyle Hendricks SP | LAA
Cubs' Kyle Hendricks: Allows two hits in blowout win
Hendricks (1-1) earned the win Saturday, allowing two hits over seven scoreless innings against the Pirates. He struck out two and did not issue a walk.
The Chicago offense exploded for 21 runs while Hendricks, Sean Newcomb and Scott Effross combined to shut out Pittsburgh. With that, Hendricks picked up his first win of the 2022 campaign. He's had two duds sandwiched between two strong outings to begin the year. Hendricks has allowed just one homer through 20.1 innings after turning in the worst home-run rate of his career last season.