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Zach Davies SP | WAS
Diamondbacks' Zach Davies: Whiffs seven in second win
Davies (1-1) allowed two hits, two runs and two walks while recording seven strikeouts over five innings in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Nationals.
Davies bounced back nicely after getting pummeled by the Mets six days ago. The Diamondbacks are Davies' third team in three seasons after one-year stints with the Padres and Cubs, and his work in the Cactus League ensured him a spot in Arizona's rotation this season. His seven strikeouts are an encouraging metric for the 29-year-old veteran, who has a 17.3 percent strikeout rate for his career.
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Pablo Lopez SP | MIN
Marlins' Pablo Lopez: Dominates with seven shutout frames
Lopez (2-0) secured the win against St. Louis on Thursday, yielding three hits and striking out nine over seven scoreless innings.
The Cardinals managed only three harmless singles against Lopez as the right-hander posted one of the strongest efforts of his career. Lopez racked up 15 swinging strikes, punched out nine batters and retired the final 11 hitters he faced to register his second win. The outstanding outing lowered Lopez's season ERA to a miniscule 0.52, and he has tossed 12.1 scoreless frames over his past two appearances. He'll look to keep rolling on the road against Washington in his next scheduled start.
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Anthony DeSclafani RP | ARI
Giants' Anthony DeSclafani: Knocked around by Mets
DeSclafani (0-1) allowed five earned runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out four across five innings to take the loss Thursday against the Mets.
DeSclafani gave up all of his runs across the first three innings, including two solo home runs. However, he was in trouble for nearly the entire outing, as he allowed multiple baserunners in three of his five frames. Positively, this was DeScalfani's longest effort of the season, so if he pitches well he should be able to work relatively deep into his next start -- currently projected to come Tuesday at home against Oakland. Through three appearances, DeScalafani has a 6.08 ERA and 13:2 K:BB across 13.1 frames on the campaign.
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Carlos Carrasco RP | ATL
Mets' Carlos Carrasco: Another strong outing
Carrasco (1-0) allowed two earned runs on four hits and no walks while striking out seven across 7.2 innings to earn the win Thursday against the Giants.
Carrasco had a bumpy second inning, during which he allowed the first three batters he faced to reach base and ultimately one run to come around to score. He was excellent otherwise, as he retired 18 straight hitters from the third to seventh innings. Carrasco has worked at least five frames while allowing two earned runs or fewer in each of his three starts this season. All told, he's maintained a 1.47 ERA with a 20:2 K:BB across his first 18.1 frames on the campaign.
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Roansy Contreras SP | COL
Pirates' Roansy Contreras: Sent down Thursday
Contreras was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Contreras served as a long reliever for the Pirates early in the season, and he logged a 3.52 ERA and 0.91 WHIP while striking out in in 7.2 innings in three appearances. However, he'll head to the minors after right-hander Chase De Jong's contract was selected Thursday. Contreras has served mainly as a starter in the minors and should spend time in the rotation with Indianapolis.
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Touki Toussaint RP | LAA
Braves' Touki Toussaint: Sent back to Triple-A
Toussaint was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.
Toussaint spent just two days on the big-league roster and didn't get into a game. He'll head back to Triple-A to await his next chance, a level where he's struck out 16 batters in 8.2 innings across a pair of starts.
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Brandon Woodruff SP | MIL
Brewers' Brandon Woodruff: Bags another win
Woodruff tossed six scoreless innings and picked up the win in Wednesday's victory over the Pirates. He allowed just one hit and two walks to go along with nine strikeouts.
Woodruff has turned things around in a big way after allowing seven earned runs in his season debut, going 2-0 over his last two starts while giving up just four hits and posting an 11:3 K:BB over 11.0 innings. Woodruff toed the rubber only once again Pittsburgh last season, but he is set to face them for a second straight start next week.
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Merrill Kelly SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Sharp in first win of season
Kelly (1-0) picked up the win in Wednesday's 11-2 rout of the Nationals, allowing one run on six hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out five.
The right-hander saw his scoreless streak to begin the season end at 15 innings, but he still put together another excellent outing in his first quality start of the season, and this time he actually got some run support. Kelly sports a 0.59 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 18:5 K:BB through 15.1 innings, and while some regression is clearly due, even his current 1.70 FIP is outstanding.
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Mitch Keller SP | PIT
Pirates' Mitch Keller: Strong outing in loss
Keller (0-3) allowed one earned run on four hits and no walks while striking out seven across 5.1 innings to take the loss Wednesday against the Brewers.
Keller entered Wednesday's start having walked five batters across only 7.2 innings of work. However, he was consistently in the zone against the Brewers, as 58 of his 75 pitches went for strikes, and he started ahead in the count for 17 of the 20 batters he faced. The overall results followed this improvement, as Keller allowed only a solo home run to Rowdy Tellez in the second inning. Though he still took the loss, this was an encouraging step for Keller, who lines up to make his next start Tuesday at home in a rematch against Milwaukee.
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Sandy Alcantara SP | MIA
Marlins' Sandy Alcantara: Denied win in brilliant outing
Alcantara didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 2-0 loss to the Cardinals, allowing four hits and a walk over eight scoreless innings. He struck out six.
The right-hander shut down the Cardinals' offense over 98 pitches (62 strikes), and Alcantara didn't allow a runner to get past second base all night. Unfortunately, the Marlins' bats couldn't get anything going either, and he exited the game in a scoreless tie. Alcantara will take a 1.86 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 15:7 K:BB through 19.1 innings into his next outing.