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James Paxton SP | BOS
Dodgers' James Paxton: Hurls six shutout innings in win
Paxton (5-0) earned the win over the Padres on Saturday, pitching six shutout innings while allowing four hits and striking out four.
Paxton never found himself in any serious trouble throughout the contest, allowing only one extra-base hit as the Dodgers cruised to a shutout win. The veteran lefty threw 15 of 22 first pitches for strikes and produced 10 whiffs on the night en route to earning his fifth win of the campaign. Paxton has allowed one run or fewer in back-to-back starts and in four of his seven outings this season. Saturday also marked his first start this season in which he didn't issue a walk.
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Paul Skenes SP | PIT
Pirates' Paul Skenes: Fans seven in MLB debut
Skenes came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 10-9 win over the Cubs, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks over four-plus innings. He struck out seven.
The 21-year-old right-hander displayed some nerves in his big-league debut, throwing only 54 of 84 pitches for strikes, but he flashed his upside right out of the gate by hitting triple digits on the radar gun on his first two career pitches and reaching 100 mph on five fastballs in total against the first batter he faced, eventually striking out Chicago leadoff man Mike Tauchman on a 100.9 mph four-seamer. Skenes isn't heading back to the minors any time soon, and his next start should come on the road next week in a rematch with the Cubs.
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Justin Steele SP | CHC
Cubs' Justin Steele: Can't keep ball in park Saturday
Steele escaped with a no-decision in Saturday's 10-9 loss to the Pirates, surrendering six runs on six hits -- including three home runs -- and two walks over four innings. He struck out three.
Making just his third start of the season after missing all of April with a hamstring strain, Steele served up homers to Connor Joe and Oneil Cruz in the third inning and Michael Taylor in the fourth, but he got taken off the hook for the loss thanks to a seven-run fifth by the Cubs. Steele has yet to complete five innings in an outing and threw just 74 pitches (53 strikes) Saturday, but he should begin to get stretched out more as he puts the injury further behind him. Steele will take a 4.73 ERA and 11:4 K:BB through 13.1 innings into his next start, which lines up to be a rematch with the Pirates back in Wrigley Field next week.
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Triston McKenzie SP | SD
Guardians' Triston McKenzie: Posts another strong start
McKenzie (2-3) took the loss against the White Sox on Saturday, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and three walks while striking out five batters over 6.2 innings.
McKenzie was tagged for two runs (one of which was unearned) in the second inning but otherwise kept Chicago off the scoreboard in his second-longest outing of the season. Cleveland was able to give the right-hander only one run of support, however, resulting in his third loss of the season. McKenzie began the campaign by giving up 11 runs (nine earned) over his initial 13 innings, but he's yielded just seven earned runs across 27.2 frames since to lower his ERA to a respectable 3.54.
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Andrew Heaney RP | LAD
Rangers' Andrew Heaney: Strikes out eight Saturday
Heaney allowed two runs on eight hits and struck out eight without walking a batter over five-plus innings, taking a no-decision Saturday versus the Rockies.
Heaney gave up a solo home run to Hunter Goodman in the third inning, and a second run was tacked onto his line when Jose Leclerc balked in a run in the sixth. This was another solid start for Heaney -- the eight strikeouts were a season high, and he issued zero walks for the fourth start in a row. He's at a 4.39 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 39:9 K:BB through 41 innings across eight starts this season, but he remains in search of his first win. Heaney is projected to make his next start at home in a favorable matchup with the Angels.
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John Means SP | KC
Orioles' John Means: Stumbles in second start
Means escaped with a no-decision in Saturday's 5-4 extra-innings win over the Diamondbacks, giving up four runs on six hits over 4.2 innings. He struck out three without walking a batter.
The southpaw got tagged for two runs in the third and fifth innings, but the Orioles scored in the eighth to tie up the game and take Means off the hook for his first loss before eventually walking it off in the 11th. He tossed 60 of 89 pitches for strikes, and he has a 3.09 ERA and 11:0 K:BB through his first 11.2 innings on the year. Means will look to sharpen things up on his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home next weekend against the Mariners.
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Ryne Nelson SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Ryne Nelson: Hit hard in no-decision
Nelson came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Orioles, giving up three runs on 10 hits over 4.2 innings. He struck out three without walking a batter.
Half of the hits off Nelson went for extra bases, including a pair of doubles plus a triple by Ryan Mountcastle and a solo homer by Gunnar Henderson. Nelson has lasted past five innings only once in six starts this season, and he'll carry a 5.33 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and 19:6 K:BB through 25.1 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Tigers.
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Mike Clevinger RP | PIT
White Sox's Mike Clevinger: Shows improvement in second start
Clevinger allowed one run on four hits and no walks while striking out five batters over 4.2 innings in a no-decision against Cleveland on Saturday.
Clevinger struggled mightily in his season debut Monday, giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits and four walks over two innings. The veteran looked much better Saturday, yielding just a fourth-inning run while cutting the free passes entirely out of his stat line. Clevinger needed just one more out to qualify for the win, but he was pulled for a lefty reliever after giving up a single to the final batter he faced in the fifth frame. Despite that minor disappointment, this was a promising outing considering his disastrous previous start, and it should help him as he works to push up his pitch count after missing spring training and signing with Chicago in early April.
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Ryan Feltner SP | COL
Rockies' Ryan Feltner: Solid in no-decision
Feltner allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four over six innings in a no-decision versus the Rangers on Saturday.
Feltner ran into some trouble in the fifth inning but otherwise had a respectable outing for his third quality start of the season. He's still winless over his last five outings, but he was able to avoid giving up a home run -- Feltner has yet to yield a long ball at home in three Coors Field starts in 2024. Overall, he's at a 5.20 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 40:12 K:BB through 45 innings over eight starts this season. The right-hander is tentatively projected to make his next start on the road at pitcher-friendly Oracle Park in San Francisco.
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Kevin Gausman SP | CHC
Blue Jays' Kevin Gausman: Early exit in no-decision
Gausman escaped with a no-decision in Saturday's 10-8 win over the Twins, coughing up seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits and two walks over three innings. He struck out six.
The right-hander had given up only two earned runs across his prior four starts, but Gausman's luck deserted him Saturday as Minnesota scored three times in the first inning on some soft singles and shoddy defense, and the adjustments he tried to make in the next two frames only made matters worse. The Jays were able to rally late to take Gausman off the hook for his fourth loss, however. He'll carry a 4.95 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 37:10 K:BB through 36.1 innings into his next outing, which is scheduled to come at home next weekend against the Rays.