Max Scherzer earned his first win of the year on Wednesday by firing six shutout innings against the Cardinals, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out nine. It took Scherzer three straight quality starts to do it, but he finally got his first victory of the season. He's looked like the Scherzer of old since his disappointing Opening Day performance, yielding just one earned run in 19 innings over his last three outings while posting a 24:4 K/BB ratio. Unfortunately for Scherzer, the Nationals have been dismal thus far and may continue to hinder his win totals. Nevertheless, the three-time Cy Young winner appears to be as elite as ever at the age of 36, making him a must-start in all fantasy formats every time he takes the hill. Scherzer will make his first interleague start of the year when he faces the Blue Jays in Toronto his next time out.
Javier Baez went 1-for-4 with a grand slam and three runs scored during Chicago's 16-4 destruction of the Mets on Wednesday. Baez has been mired in a brutal slump to open the season, but he helped put this one out of reach with his sixth-inning blast. While Baez has compiled decent power numbers thus far with five homers and 16 RBIs, he's batting a paltry .203 with only one walk, making him tough to roster in points leagues and OBP formats. On the plus side, his five steals lead the NL and give him a boost in roto leagues, so he hasn't been a complete fantasy bust. After posting a .599 OPS last year, however, he needs to do more to gain fantasy owners' trust and reclaim his status as one of the game's better players.
Bryce Harper went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, two runs scored and a walk during Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Giants. Just another productive day at the dish for Harper, who's now hitting .357 with a gaudy 1.118 OPS on the year. Harper has caught fire after a relatively sluggish start to the season, as he's now put together four straight multi-hit performances. He's found his power stroke, too, clubbing seven extra-base hits over his past 12 games. Few players in baseball are better than Harper on a hot streak, and he's smack dab in the middle of one right now.
Trevor Rogers had arguably the best start of his young career on Wednesday, blanking the Orioles for seven innings while allowing just four hits and one walk. The seven frames were a career-best for Rogers, who also racked up eight strikeouts and threw 60 of his 82 pitches for strikes. After an uneven cup of coffee last year, the 23-year-old rookie is off to a strong start this year, going 2-1 with a 1.64 ERA and a 31:10 K/BB ratio over four starts. The big southpaw can be a bit wild at times, but when he's on he has the ability to be one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. Fantasy owners will probably need to take the good with the bad this year, but it seems like the good will be worth it. He'll look to carry over the momentum into his next scheduled start against the Brewers in Milwaukee.
Francisco Lindor smacked his first home run as a member of the Mets on Wednesday, albeit in a losing cause against the Cubs. Lindor was one of the few bright spots for the Mets in a game they would lose 16-4, going 3-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored. It's been a slow start for Lindor with his new team, as he's hitting just .222 with a .668 OPS and three RBIs in 13 games with the Mets thus far. He's shown excellent patience, however, with nine walks against four strikeouts, so it's likely only a matter of time before the 27-year-old superstar turns things around at the plate.
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