After a number of rainouts on Monday bulked up the size of the MLB slate on Tuesday, we got a massive 16 games on Tuesday. It ended up being a fascinating set of games, with 14 of the 16 contests decided by four runs or fewer, including six one-run games. It was a crazy day of news and injuries, so here are the top headlines from Tuesday’s games.

 

 

Rough Ride on the Cole Train

On a night when the consensus first and second pitchers from fantasy drafts both pitched, Corbin Burnes made it clear he was the right choice. Gerrit Cole, meanwhile, struggled with command, pitch counts, and keeping men off base. 

The five walks were a serious problem tonight, but he had only two combined in his first two starts, so I’m not panicking just yet. It’s the drop in strikeouts that really has me concerned. After three strikeouts tonight, Cole is now up to 9.7 K/9 in his 11.1 innings this year. That’s not terrible, but it’s a far cry from the 12 K/9 we have grown accustomed to in the past four years. Considering this is still technically extended Spring Training, I have no reason to sound the alarm. Yet. Right now, I’ll just keep riding along with what another Coltrane said many years ago:

I'll get by
As long as I have you
Though there be rain
And darkness too
I'll not complain
I'll see it through

Cron Continues Crushing in Colorado

Coming into this season, yours truly was an unabashed fanboy of both C.J. Cron and Cristian Javier. That promptly earned the hashtag #YearOfCJ, but even I could not have expected the level of firepower Cron has displayed thus far. 

Cron is now batting .326 with a Ruthian 1.199 OPS through his first 11 games. He leads the majors with six homers and is top-three with 14 RBI. If you rostered Cron, he is single-handedly carrying your power categories in the early going. With that said, here are the things to watch. His contact rate in the zone is a career-high 91.5% (7% over his career average). And his swinging strike rate is down to just 9.6%. If these are permanent mechanical changes, great! But if it proves to be fluky, there will be a crash coming soon. 

Manny Machado is Also Mashing, But Beware

The NL West has another candidate for best early-season performance in Manny Machado. He homered again last night and has to be one of the top three or four candidates for rotisserie MVP through two weeks. He is slashing .365/.411/.635 and has three home runs, three steals, 11 runs, and 10 RBI. 

But under the surface, we see some stats that portend a crash back to reality at some point. First, his BABIP is an unsustainable .421, a full 120 points above the league average so far. His walk rate is his lowest since 2014 and his barrel rate and average exit velocity are the lowest of his career. These will all normalize over time, so while we likely won’t see 1.100 OPS Machado all season, we also are not likely to get a .785 OPS either. If someone is willing to trade you top-five talent back in a trade for Machado (maybe a manager who lost Yoán Moncada to injury), I would jump all over that. 

 

 

Alex Cobb Hits the IL, Scherzer Dominates in Double-Header

After a masterful first start where Cobb gave up just two runs and struck out 10 batters thanks to some increased velocity across the board, bad news struck the Giants hurler in start number two. He was forced to leave early with an adductor strain and was immediately placed on the 10-day IL after the doubleheader finished yesterday. It’s a tough break for a guy who could have been on the verge of a breakout and was winning 4-1 before tweaking something covering first base. The wheels then fell off and Cobb was forced to leave with an injury. 

In the nightcap of the twin bill, Max Scherzer was back to his vintage self, striking out 10 in seven one-hit innings. He is already 3-0 on the season, and considering the Mets’ potent offense, it would be a disappointment if he doesn’t win 20 games at this point. The scary thing is that his walk rate (3.50/9 innings) is a career-high at this point. If that regresses back somewhat, he could be even better. 

Max Fried Shuts Down the Dodgers

Don’t be afraid to admit it. How many of you benched Fried in daily leagues when you learned he was facing the Dodgers on the road tonight? In one of the most dangerous parks against the most dangerous lineup, Fried looked like Sandy Koufax last night, allowing just two hits over seven innings, strikeout out eight batters. The Dodgers did not have Will Smith or Gavin Lux in the lineup, but this performance should still not go overlooked. 

After a shaky first start where he allowed five earned runs in less than six innings, Fried has righted the ship since. He has allowed just two runs in 12.1 innings and struck out 12 batters. In both of those last two starts, Fried has induced more than 60% groundballs which is exactly what you are hoping for here. He is also throwing his curveball and slider almost 45% of the time combined and both have whiff rates over 30% through three starts. 

The Rangers are Just Legit Terrible

It’s become clear to you and me that two massive offseason contracts to hitters will not automatically turn your team into a contender. Is that clear to Rangers’ brass at this point? That remains to be seen. But the Rangers are presently so putrid in so many statistics, it’s like a car that’s missing everything but the wiper fluid and the spark plugs under the hood. Where do we even start to put it all back together?

The first issue is with the pitching, as the Rangers are not only hemorrhaging home runs, but they rank 11th in highest walk rate as well. Their entire pitching staff has accumulated -0.5 WAR this season as they continue to allow teams to score at will. They lost again 6-2 to the Mariners on Tuesday and now sit at 2-8 on the season. Globe Life Field is quickly becoming a place to stack your hitters and wait for the big offensive days. Keep playing your guys versus the Rangers and hope that the offensive fireworks continue into the summer.