-
Taj Bradley SP | MIN
Rays' Taj Bradley: Significant struggles at Triple-A
Bradley gave up four earned runs in 3.1 innings Thursday for Triple-A Durham and has a 16.00 ERA and 2.22 WHIP in nine innings across three starts since getting sent back to the minors April 25.
It's been a really rough stretch for Bradley since he was surprisingly demoted after racking up three wins with a 3.52 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 23 strikeouts in 15.1 innings across his first three MLB starts. The reported purpose of his original demotion was to transition him to a five-day schedule as opposed to a six-day schedule, but his start Thursday against Charlotte was the first time he has actually pitched on a five-day schedule all season. It's unclear how much improvement Bradley will need to show at Triple-A before the Rays summon him again.
-
Gavin Williams SP | CLE
Guardians' Gavin Williams: Dominant at Triple-A
Williams has a 1.13 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in 16 innings through three starts for Triple-A Columbus.
The hard-throwing righty was curiously assigned to Double-A to start the season, but he forced a promotion to Triple-A after just three starts. Cleveland has started a youth movement in the rotation, with Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen already up from Triple-A, and Williams is looking like a more intriguing option than Peyton Battenfield or even Cal Quantrill, but Aaron Civale (oblique) and Triston McKenzie (shoulder) could return from injury in the coming weeks to further complicate things. It seems like Williams is essentially big-league ready, so he could get the call at any point, but it's not a foregone conclusion that he will be up soon.
-
Mike Clevinger RP | PIT
White Sox's Mike Clevinger: Tosses quality start Thursday
Clevinger pitched six innings against Kansas City on Thursday, allowing three runs on three hits and two walks. He struck out two batters and did not factor in the decision.
Clevinger allowed just three hits in the contest, but two went for extra bases, with a solo homer and a two-run double accounting for all the scoring against him. The right-hander otherwise put together a solid performance, finishing with his second quality start of the campaign. Clevinger continues to be in enigma in terms of strikeouts -- he's now fanned three or fewer batters in half of his eight starts, though he's racked up seven or more punchouts in three of the other four outings. That's part of a pattern of overall inconsistency from the veteran that has led to mostly uninspiring numbers this season, including a 4.79 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 35:18 K:BB over 41.1 frames.
-
Brady Singer SP | CIN
Royals' Brady Singer: Pitches well in no-decision
Singer did not factor in the decision against the White Sox on Thursday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out four batters over six innings.
Singer was in desperate need of a strong performance after allowing 13 runs across 6.2 innings over his previous two starts. He rebounded nicely against Chicago, notching his second quality start of the campaign. Singer wasn't overpowering, but he allowed just five hits and retired eight of the final nine batters he faced. The right-hander's ERA still sits at an unattractive 7.71, and it will likely take an extended stretch of positive outings for fantasy managers to regain confidence in him.
-
Tommy Henry SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Tommy Henry: Takes tough loss
Henry (1-1) took the loss Thursday, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks over 6.2 innings against the Giants. He struck out two.
Henry was solid against the Giants lineup, but the Diamondbacks couldn't score until the ninth inning. Henry went deeper than he had in any game this season, but he still only picked up two strikeouts. He has just nine punchouts in 22.1 innings on the season.
-
Alex Cobb SP | DET
Giants' Alex Cobb: Delivers another dominant start
Cobb (3-1) earned the win Thursday, pitching 7.1 shutout innings while allowing seven hits and two walks against Arizona. He struck out three.
Cobb was lifted after 104 pitches in the eighth inning after walking Josh Rojas. It was the third time in four starts that Cobb did not allow a run. His ERA is down to 1.70, well below his career 3.76 ERA. However, Cobb's WHIP sits at 1.24, nearly identical to his career 1.26 WHIP. So an ERA regression is likely coming.
-
Luis Medina RP | ATH
Athletics' Luis Medina: Delivers quality start
Medina (0-2) took the loss Thursday, allowing three runs on five hits over six innings in a 4-0 loss against the Rangers. He struck out three.
Medina was solid in his second career start. Oakland's offense could not solve Nathan Eovaldi, rendering Medina's quality start useless. Through two starts, he has an 8.18 ERA and 9:3 K:BB. He has been bouncing between Triple-A and the majors over the last few weeks, making two appearances at each level since April 26.
-
Nathan Eovaldi SP | TEX
Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi: Spins another gem
Eovaldi (5-2) earned the win Thursday, tossing 8.2 shutout innings while allowing just three hits to Oakland. He struck out 12.
Eovaldi came up one out short of the complete game, as he allowed a double and a walk with two outs in the ninth. Will Smith came in to close the door and preserve the shutout. Eovaldi had a 5.20 ERA after five starts, but he has been incredible recently. Over his last three outings, the righty has pitched 25.2 scoreless innings. His ERA has plummeted to 2.70.
-
Yu Darvish SP | SD
Padres' Yu Darvish: Fans seven in no-decision
Darvish allowed two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out seven batters in a no-decision against Minnesota on Thursday.
Darvish was efficient in the outing, needing a modest 80 pitches (52 of which were strikes) to get through six frames. He departed with a one-run lead, but the Padres bullpen couldn't hold it, saddling Darvish with a no-decision. The right-hander nonetheless picked up his third quality start of the campaign and lowered his ERA to 3.16. Darvish also sports a 1.08 WHIP and 47:14 K:BB across 42.2 innings.
-
Bailey Ober SP | MIN
Twins' Bailey Ober: Nabs second straight quality start
Ober allowed three runs on six hits and no walks while striking out six batters over six innings in a no-decision against San Diego on Thursday.
Ober's outing didn't start off well, as he served up a solo homer to Fernando Tatis on the first pitch of the game. However, the right-hander rebounded from there, yielding just two more runs and completing six frames to record his second consecutive quality start. Ober's ERA actually jumped nearly a run (from 0.98 to 1.85) despite the solid outing, as he entered Thursday having given up one or zero runs in each of his first three starts. He's posted a 22:6 K:BB over 24.1 innings and has been a great find for fantasy managers after spending most of the first month of the season in the minors.