Chris Davis has done it, he got a hit! Davis recently set the MLB record for most consecutive at bats without a hit (by a position player) and his streak was up to 0-54, before his first hit in today’s ballgame. That’s right, I said first hit, as he broke out of the extremely long slump in a big way with a three-hit effort and also drove in four runs. According to ESPN Stats & Information, there had been 6,977 hits by 577 different players (57 pitchers) since Davis last got a hit. He entered today’s game 0-33 with 16 strikeouts to begin the 2019 season and recently found himself on the bench for multiple games. It’s over now though, and Davis couldn’t be more euphoric about it. He ran hard to first base, his teammates were pumped, and Davis cracked a big smile at first base while also requesting the ball. You don’t wish a streak like that on anybody and I’m sure it’s been tough on him.

 

Strong Outings

  • Blake Snell hurled six shutout innings against the Blue Jays in a no-decision. He gave up just one hit and one walk while striking out nine. Snell continues to look every bit of the same guy that we saw win AL Cy Young last year.
  • Chris Archer once again looked like a guy determined to have a bounce-back campaign, as he gave up just one earned run over seven innings while striking out nine. Archer has now given up four earned runs across 18.0 innings pitched (three starts) and struck out 24. Unfortunately for his fantasy owners, the bullpen blew the lead that he left with.
  • Homer Bailey , let me start by saying it feels weird putting his name here, but Bailey was fantastic in a win over the Indians. He fired seven shutout innings and gave up just two hits while striking out six. He still isn’t worth a look in seasonal leagues, but Howard nailed using Bailey in DFS yesterday in his example lineups.
  • Caleb Smith tossed six shutout innings against a strong Phillies lineup in a Marlins win. He only allowed one hit and he struck out six. Smith has good stuff and is worth owning in fantasy, even though there will be some rocky outings from the lefty. He has 21 strikeouts through his first 17.0 innings.
  • CC Sabathia made his first of the season in a return from the IL and threw five shutout innings in the Yankees win over the White Sox. Sabathia is one of very few guys who seems to have Yankee stadium figured out (as evidenced by his 3.12 home ERA in 2018), but he isn’t much more than a deep league own.
  • Touki Toussaint didn’t start the game for the Braves, but he still tossed six shutout innings in relief to pick up a win over the Mets. He gave up four hits and struck out seven. His next outing will likely be of the starting variety. He is worth adding in deeper leagues.
  • Justin Verlander gave the Astros six strong innings against the Mariners in a win. He gave up only one earned run on two hits while striking out 11.  The Mariners offense was on fire entering this game, but they weren’t able to get anything going against JV.
  • Zach Davies held the Dodgers bats in check, limiting LA to just one run over seven innings. He gave up eight hits, but walked zero while striking out six. With the win, Davies’ record improved to 2-0 on the young season.

Hitter Highlights

Kolten Wong finished 1-2 with a home run and a pair of hit-by-pitches. He also stole a base. He is the only player in baseball with at least four home runs AND four stolen bases. Wong was a 10-10 guy in both 2014 and 2015, but hasn’t come close since. However, it appears he’s primed to get back there this year.

Austin Dean had a perfect 4-4 day at the plate with a home run, double, three runs, and five RBI. He led all players in scoring on both major DFS sites with 51.1 points on FanDuel and 37.0 points on DraftKings. It was just his second start of the year after recently being recalled from the minors. Despite the big game, he can be left on waivers.

Jose Altuve homered for the fifth straight game and also singled in the Astros 3-1 victory over the Mariners. He now has seven home runs on the year in 56 at bats, after hitting 13 homers all of last season in 534 at bats. Altuve has just one stolen base on the year, but I doubt his fantasy owners are complaining with his start.

Dansby Swanson had just one hit on the night, a single, but he continued his early season RBI binge by driving in three runs in the Braves 11-7 win over the Mets. Swanson now has 18 RBI on the year and looks poised to top the career high mark he posted last season of 59. Personally, I am not sure how real this start is, but he needs to be owned even in shallow leagues.

Adam Eaton collected three hits, including a solo home run. It was his first home run of the year and the three hits raised his average up to .286. It has been a bit of a slow start for Eaton, but he does have two three hit games over his last three. He can be counted on for hits, batting average, and runs scored for as long as he remains healthy and at the top of the Nats lineup.

Cody Bellinger swatted a solo home run, his ninth of the year already. Bellinger currently ranks first in RBI (22), second in home runs (9), first in hits (27), first in runs scored (20), third in batting average (.422), and has even stolen a pair of bags. Needless to say, it has been a fantastic start for the lefty.

Javier Báez drove in a pair of runs and finished the game 3-5 with all three hits being of the two-bag variety. Oddly enough, Baez entered the game with only one double on the season, but you can expect plenty more to come as Baez finished in the top-20 in doubles last season with 40.

What to Watch for Today

Jacob deGrom will look to bounce back from his streak-ending rough outing in his last appearance. deGrom has been very successful against the Braves in his career, as his 1.70 career ERA against Atlanta is his lowest mark against any team that he has pitched 50-plus innings against.

José Berríos has had a dominant start to 2019 and he will look to keep it going today against the Tigers. He has logged a quality start in all three of his starts with 21 strikeouts, 11 hits against, and a 2.18 ERA across 20.2 innings. The Tigers currently rank dead last in runs scored.

Astros go for sweep. The Astros have taken the first two games of the series against their inter-division opponent the Mariners and will look to finish off the sweep today. The Mariners came into the series with a MLB best 13-2 record, but the Astros are still the team to beat out West.

Marcus Stroman will attempt to capture his first win of the season, despite a strong start to the year. He will enter his start today with a 0-2 record, and a 2.41 ERA. He has given up three or fewer runs in all three of his starts thus far.