MLB Player News

Valdez did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing six hits and zero walks over five scoreless innings against the White Sox. He struck out four.

Valdez yielded six hits in the outing, but only one (a Tim Anderson double) went for extra bases. Last year's MLB leader in quality starts appeared on his way for another to begin 2023, but he was pulled after throwing 85 pitches across five innings. Nonetheless, this was a strong opening to the campaign for Valdez as he looks to put together a second straight All-Star season.

Greinke (0-1) allowed two earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out four across 5.1 innings to take the loss Thursday against the Twins.

Greinke kept pace with his counterpart Pablo Lopez, as he held the Twins scoreless until the top of the sixth inning. As has been the case in recent years, Greinke's success came from his ability to induce soft contact rather than generate swings and misses. That will lead to more volatile outcomes, but he managed a respectable 3.68 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across 137 innings in 2022 and began the new campaign in good form as well.

Cease did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing one run on two hits and zero walks over 6.1 innings in a 3-2 win over Houston. He struck out 10.

Cease fired 62 of 86 pitches for strikes Thursday and allowed just two singles and a hit-by-pitch. The right-hander tied a franchise record by recording 10 Opening Day punchouts, and he racked up 15 swinging strikes against the defending World Series champions. Cease broke out with a career-best campaign that earned him second place in AL Cy Young voting last season, and based on his results Thursday, he could be on a trajectory to solidify his place among MLB's best pitchers in 2023.

Lopez (1-0) allowed two hits and three walks while striking out eight across 5.1 scoreless innings to earn the win Thursday against the Royals.

Lopez made his first start for Minnesota and had little trouble setting down the Royals. He generated 17 swinging strikes on only 85 total pitches and also induced five groundball outs to stay out of trouble throughout his Opening Day outing. While his ability to stay on the mound has been a concern throughout his career, Lopez has posted an ERA of 3.75 or better in each of the last three campaigns.

DeGrom allowed five earned runs on six hits and no walks while striking out seven across 3.2 innings in Thursday's win over the Phillies. He did not factor into the decision.

DeGrom was making his Rangers' debut, though things didn't go as planned as he allowed at least one run in three of the four innings he pitched. All six of the hits he allowed went for extra bases, one of which was a two-run homer by Alec Bohm. On the other hand, deGrom did show flashes of his usual dominance by striking out seven on 13 called strikes and 10 swinging strikes across 73 pitches. While it was far from his best performance, it's way too early to grow concerned about deGrom's potential to produce moving forward.

McClanahan (1-0) allowed four hits and one walk while striking out six across six scoreless innings to earn the win Thursday against the Tigers.

McClanahan earned the Opening Day nod and delivered an excellent performance. He allowed only one extra-base hit and racked up an impressive 16 swinging strikes on 86 total pitches. Perhaps most importantly, the Rays showed little interest in limiting McClanahan after he ended the 2022 regular season with an impingement in his right shoulder.

Manoah did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing five runs on nine hits and two walks over 3.1 innings against the Cardinals. He struck out three.

Toronto's offense gave Manoah a nice cushion to work with, but the right-hander simply didn't have it. He coughed up the lead in the fourth on a two-run Brendan Donovan homer before getting the hook. The nine hits allowed are a career high for Manoah, per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, but while Manoah's velocity was reported to be down in spring training, he was comfortably sitting 94-95 mph with his fastball Opening Day.

Rodriguez (0-1) allowed three runs on three hits across 5.1 innings to take the loss Thursday against the Rays. He walked two and struck out five.

Rodriguez pitched decently but he was outdueled by Shane McClanahan in a 4-0 defeat for the Tigers. This may be an issue all year for the lefty, as Detroit is expected to have a fairly weak offensive attack. Rodriguez still may post solid ratios and rack up strikeouts, though he could struggle to earn many wins. He's lined up to make his second start Wednesday against a tough Houston squad.

Kluber (0-1) earned the loss Thursday against the Orioles, giving up five earned runs off of six hits and four walks while striking out four batters through 3.1 innings.

Kluber had a solid spring and made comments about how much his command had improved during camp, though that all seemed to go out the window Thursday against Baltimore. The 36-year-old veteran put up a 4.34 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with the Rays last season, and it didn't take long to feel the effects of pitching in hitter-friendly Fenway Park.

Gibson (1-0) picked up the win Thursday against Boston, allowing four earned runs off six hits and a walk while striking out three batters through five innings.

Gibson left the game in the sixth with an 8-2 lead and two runners on base, but Keegan Akin allowed both to cross the plate in relief. While Gibson likely has good job security in the Orioles' rotation, his pitch-to-contact approach and 5.05 ERA from last season put a ceiling on his fantasy value for 2023.