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Sandy Alcantara SP | MIA
Marlins' Sandy Alcantara: Picks up second win
Alcantara (2-5) earned the win Wednesday, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks over six innings against the Rockies. He struck out three.
Alcantara gave up a run and two extra-base hits on the first six pitches of his night. He shut down the Rockies from there, only allowing another run on an Elias Diaz solo shot in the sixth. Alcantara has failed to live up to his phenomenal 2022 campaign. He has allowed at least two runs in nine of his 10 starts and has a career-high 4.86 ERA. His FIP sits at 3.58, implying he will improve, but he may not reach the dominance he had last season.
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Bryce Elder SP | ATL
Braves' Bryce Elder: Limits LA to one run
Elder tossed six innings against the Dodgers on Wednesday, allowing one run on seven hits and one walk while striking out six batters. He did not factor in the decision.
Elder allowed six batters to reach base through his first three frames but prevented Los Angeles from notching any runs. The Dodgers finally got to him in the fifth on a Mookie Betts solo homer, though that was all the run production they managed against the rookie over six innings. An eighth-inning LA rally kept Elder winless for the fourth straight outing despite the fact that he hasn't yielded more than two runs in any appearance during that stretch. The 24-year-old has been a revelation for both Atlanta and fantasy managers this season, as he's registered a 2.01 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 51:16 K:BB through 10 starts covering 58.1 frames.
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Marcus Stroman SP | NYY
Cubs' Marcus Stroman: Dazzles in Wednesday's win
Stroman (4-4) allowed two runs on four hits across eight innings to pick up the win Wednesday against the Mets. He walked two and struck out three.
Stroman needed only 88 pitches to complete eight innings, as he pitched efficiently and kept New York hitters off balance all night. The righty struggled two starts ago against the Twins, allowing six runs over 2.2 innings, but he's allowed just three total runs over 14 innings in his two subsequent outings. That's allowed Stroman to lower his season ERA to a strong 2.95. He'll look to keep rolling in his next appearance, which is tentatively set for Monday against the Rays.
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Matthew Liberatore SP | STL
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Starting Friday
Liberatore will start Friday against the Guardians at Progressive Field, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Though Liberatore made his last appearance out of the bullpen Sunday against the Dodgers, manager Oliver Marmol previously confirmed that the 23-year-old lefty would get another start during the team's weekend series in Cleveland. Liberatore now has a date set in place for his next turn, and he'll get the chance to build on a strong showing in his first start of the season versus Milwaukee on May 17, when he worked five scoreless innings and struck out six. If he's able to hold his own against Cleveland, Liberatore should have a good chance of sticking around with the big club as the sixth member of the rotation.
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Kyle Hendricks SP | LAA
Cubs' Kyle Hendricks: Starting Thursday
Hendricks (shoulder) will start Thursday's game against the Mets, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.
Hendricks has been on the injured list all season due to a strained right shoulder he suffered in July 2022. He got roughed up quite a bit during his first two rehab starts, but he was able to regroup and surrender just three earned runs across 16 innings in his final three appearances. Hendricks' return will give Jameson Taillon a few extra days of rest, as Taillon's next start will now come on Saturday against the Reds.
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Dylan Dodd RP | ATL
Braves' Dylan Dodd: Promotion imminent
Dodd will be recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday to start against the Phillies in Atlanta later that day, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Dodd holds a 6.46 ERA and 1.83 WHIP in the majors this season through 15.1 innings across three starts. His Triple-A numbers are similar, but he is coming off a four-inning shutout performance in his last minor-league start. Dodd is still in the process of proving he belongs in the big leagues.
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Ranger Suarez SP | BOS
Phillies' Ranger Suarez: Struggles again Wednesday
Suarez did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing five runs on five hits and a walk over five innings against the Diamondbacks. He struck out five.
Suarez did retire the final seven batters faced, providing some positive momentum heading into his next outing. Still, it's been a rough start to the year for the 27-year-old lefty, as he's pitched to a 9.82 ERA with a 2.00 WHIP and 13:5 K:BB through his first three games (11 innings) and is still looking for his first win of the season. Suarez will look to get on track in his next outing, currently lined for next week on the road against the Mets.
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Zac Gallen SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Zac Gallen: Decent in Philly
Gallen did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks over 5.2 innings against the Phillies. He struck out three.
Gallen held the Phillies off the board for five innings before running into trouble in the sixth, allowing a pair of singles before he was relieved by Kevin Ginkel, who allowed both runners to score. While it wasn't a return to his early-season form, Wednesday's outing was certainly a step forward after Gallen allowed eight runs over 3.2 innings in his last start against Pittsburgh. The 27-year-old righty is 6-2 with a 2.97 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 75:14 K:BB through 11 starts (66.2 innings) this season.
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Anthony DeSclafani RP | ARI
Giants' Anthony DeSclafani: Struggles versus Minnesota
DeSclafani (3-4) took the loss Wednesday, allowing seven runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks over five innings during a 7-1 loss to the Twins. He struck out six.
DeSclafani surrendered a leadoff homer to Edouard Julien in the bottom of the first, and things didn't get much better for the right-hander as the game progressed. He allowed at least one run in each of the first four innings but was charged with only four earned runs thanks to a trio of errors in the third. Despite allowing a season-high seven runs, DeSclafani was able to finish at least five innings and record six-plus strikeouts for a second consecutive game and the fourth time this season. He'll look to get back on track next time out, which is tentatively scheduled for the opener of a three-game set versus Pittsburgh.
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Matthew Liberatore SP | STL
Cardinals' Matthew Liberatore: Will get weekend start
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Wednesday that Liberatore will start one of the team's three games this weekend in Cleveland, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
There was talk of Liberatore being used out of the bullpen Tuesday night against the Reds, but that wasn't required as St. Louis rolled to an 8-5 victory. The 23-year-old left-hander tallied six strikeouts over five scoreless innings in his first major-league start of the season last Wednesday against the Brewers before struggling in a relief appearance Sunday versus the Dodgers. He should be an attractive fantasy option as he returns to the Cardinals' rotation against a light-hitting Guardians team.