Joe Musgrove, SP, SD
Musgrove threw the first no-hitter in the 53-year history of the San Diego Padres franchise on Friday night in front of 25,757 fans in Arlington. The lone blemish on Musgrove's fantastic night was when he plunked Joey Gallo in the fourth inning. He threw a career-high 112 pitches and struck out ten batters in the outing. Musgrove has not allowed a run in four consecutive starts dating back to last season. He has given up nine hits, two walks and has struck out 39 batters during the 28.0 inning stretch. The 28-year-old posted his best year-end ERA (3.86) of his five-year career last season and has started the 2021 season incredibly hot. Musgrove has yielded just three hits (all singles) this season while striking out 18 and walking zero.
Joe Ross, SP, WSH
Ross hurled 5.0 shutout innings on Friday afternoon against the vaunted Dodgers offense. Sans Cody Bellinger, and Mookie Betts, the Dodger offense didn't have its typical punch; but the start was impressive nonetheless. The 27-year-old gave up just two hits while walking a pair and striking out four in the contest. Ross opted out of the 2020 season, so he hadn't pitched in a game since September of 2019. Additionally, Ross hasn't posted an ERA south of 5.00 since 2016, but he is in his 6th Major League season and is only 27. Ross is available in 99.3% of ESPN leagues, though fantasy managers will probably want to monitor his next few starts before considering him for their lineups.
Justin Turner, 3B, LAD
Turner went 3 for 3 with a home run against the Nationals on Friday afternoon. The veteran collected three of the team's four hits in the contest, and his 6th inning solo shot accounted for the only run for either team. Turner is now batting .414 and has two homers in 2021 after hitting just four long balls all last season. As he continues to age, Turner is often injured and takes more days off but is as reliable as ever when he is in the lineup. The 36-year-old hasn't hit below .290 or had a wRC+ below 132 since the 2016 season.
Austin Gomber, SP, COL
Gomber gave up two runs in 6.1 innings of work on Friday afternoon in San Francisco. The 27-year-old gave up just one hit but once again struggled with his command as he walked four batters in the contest. That gives Gomber a gaudy 11 walks, compared to seven strikeouts, this season. Gomber had a tidy 1.86 ERA in 29.0 innings last season, so he might seem like a potential breakout candidate with his new team here in 2021. However, there are more concerns than just his erratic control. Going to a new team often times helps players optimize their potential; however, having Coors Field as a new home is far from ideal for a starting pitcher. Additionally, the advanced statistics do not favor Gomber, chiefly because he lacks strikeout prowess (career 8.07 K/9) and because of his unattainably low HR/9 ratio (.31 in '20, 0 in '21)...of course, the walks don't help either. Gomber walks batters rather than giving them pitches to drive, and that is a risky strategy, one that will undoubtedly begin to inflate his ERA.
Johnny Cueto, SP, SF
Cueto came within one out of a complete game against the Rockies on Friday afternoon. He gave up one run on four hits and struck out seven in the outing. The cagey veteran now has a 2.51/3.56 ERA/xFIP on the season with 14 strikeouts compared to four walks. It's unlikely that the 35-year-old will sustain this level of success. He hasn't pitched over 150 innings since 2016, when he impressed with a 2.79 ERA in 32 starts. He has a 4.51 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 11.9 K-BB% in 51 starts since then. Starters averaged a 4.46 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 14.6 K-BB% last season...so Cueto should primarily be considered a streaming option in fantasy at this point in his career.
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