MLB Player News

Kim converted his first regular-season save opportunity against the Pirates on Friday, hurling one inning and giving up two runs (one earned) on two hits. He did not register any walks or strikeouts.

Kim entered the ninth inning with a three-run lead and nearly gave it all back as the Pirates plated a pair of scores in the frame. The fault can't be placed entirely on Kim -- the inning began with a fielding error by Tommy Edman -- but it certainly wasn't a spectacular outing by the recently-anointed St. Louis closer. The good news is that Kim recovered to nail down the save after the first three Pittsburgh batters reached base, so perhaps he just needed to get Opening Day jitters out of the way. Kim's hold on the closer role is far from secure, so it would be wise to pay close attention to how he performs his next time out.

Flaherty (1-0) earned the victory over Pittsburgh on Friday, completing seven innings and giving up two runs on six hits and no walks while striking out six.

Flaherty looked every bit an ace Opening Day, throwing 62 of 89 pitches for strikes in an efficient seven innings. He held the Pirates scoreless until the seventh frame and yielded only six singles on the night. The right-hander broke through with a dominant second half last season and will look to cement his place as one of the game's elite hurlers in the abbreviated 2020 campaign. His next test will come at Milwaukee on the final day of July.

Anderson (0-1) was charged with the loss at Dodger Stadium on Friday after surrendering two runs on three hits and three walks over 1.2 innings.

The southpaw was making his debut as the opener for the Giants after he was claimed off waivers from the Rockies during the offseason. Anderson gave up a solo home run to Max Muncy in the first inning and allowed a two-out RBI single to Justin Turner in the second before his outing was cut short. The 30-year-old, taking the mound for the first time in a regular season game since May 3, 2019 due to undergoing knee surgery, posted an 11.76 ERA and 2.13 WHIP across five contests last year.

Stripling (1-0) picked up the win Friday after holding the Giants to one run on four hits while striking out seven across seven innings.

Stripling did not issue any walks and gave up his only damage of the night on a solo home run to Jaylin Davis in the third inning. The right-hander, who has found himself bouncing between starter and bullpen duties, most recently landed himself a spot in the rotation in replacement of David Price. With a new grip on his changeup, Stripling is proving that he can take on either end of the pitching role. Last season, the 30-year-old compiled a 3.47 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 101:20 K:BB across 32 appearances (15 starts).

Marquez (0-1) was tagged with the loss during Friday's 1-0 defeat against the Rangers. He gave up one run on two hits and three walks while fanning six across 5.2 innings.

Marquez came just one out short of posting a quality start and surrendered the only run of the game on a double to Rougned Odor in the bottom of the sixth. Marquez, who posted a 4.76 ERA in 2019, is scheduled to make his next start July 29 on the road against the Athletics.

Paddack (1-0) pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and a walk while striking out four in a win over the Diamondbacks on Friday.

Fantasy managers couldn't ask for much better than Paddack's sparkling first start of the season. The 24-year-old posted a 3.33 ERA and a 9.8 K/9 ratio in 140.2 innings as a rookie last year. Paddack will look to build on his positive start to 2020 when he takes the mound in San Francisco on Wednesday.

Woodruff (0-1) allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out five over five innings in a loss to the Cubs on Opening Day.

This was by no means a bad performance, though Woodruff did only induce seven swinging strikes on 85 pitches. His offense provided him no support. Hopefully the Milwaukee bats will wake up by the time Woodruff's next turn comes around Wednesday in Pittsburgh, as that would seem like a prime spot for a win.

Hendricks threw a shutout against the Brewers on Opening Day. He allowed three hits, struck out nine and did not issue a walk.

Hendricks did more than enough to justify the Opening Day nod over Yu Darvish with this masterful performance. As noted by Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, Hendricks had 19 swinging strikes Friday, the second-highest single-game total of his career. The changeup had hitters out in front and his command was sharp. Hendricks lines up for a road start in Cincinnati next week before a two-step the week of Aug. 3.

Musgrove allowed three earned runs in 5.2 innings Friday. He gave up five hits and three walks while striking out seven St. Louis batters.

The righty, who threw 99 pitches (61 for strikes), was hurt by a pair of leadoff home runs. Interestingly, manager Derek Shelton said during his post-game media conference on AT&T SportsNet that he removed Musgrove because he was tiring, not because of his pitch count.

Nola (0-1) allowed four runs on five hits and one walk while striking out seven over 5.1 innings in a loss to the Marlins on Friday.

One of the runs against Nola scored after he exited the game. It still qualifies as a letdown in a favorable spot at home, though the seven strikeouts against one walk suggest there is little reason to panic. Nola will face a tough test his time out: the Yankees in the Bronx.