Nick Lodolo (SP-CIN) dazzled against the Phillies on Saturday, firing 7 shutout innings in which he scattered 3 hits and a pair of walks while piling up a dozen punchouts. The 25 year-old southpaw threw 68 of his 106 pitches for strikes in the outing. Lodolo has been a revelation so far in 2023, as he now owns a stellar 1.50 ERA, 15.8 K/9, 3 BB/9, and 1.83 xFIP through his first two starts of the campaign (12 IP). After he lasted just 5 IP in his first outing, it was good to see him be more efficient and go deeper into Saturday's contest while continuing to display his nasty swing-and-miss stuff (19% swinging-strike rate). Lodolo certainly flashed his potential last season (3.66 xFIP, 11.4 K/9, 3.4 BB/9, 3.49 xFIP over 103.1 IP), but tended to be up and down as a rookie who was learning the big-league game. With some seasoning, Lodolo appears to have figured some things out but faces a challenge as he will meet the Phillies again later this next week, this time at home.
Jeffrey Springs (SP-TB) was excellent again on Saturday, this time shutting out Oakland over 7 innings while scattering 3 hits and 3 walks and fanning 7. The 30 year-old lefty tossed 61 of his 89 offerings for strikes in the outing. Springs has yet to give up a run across his first 13 innings of the new campaign while logging a 13.2 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, and 2.12 xFIP. He's paired a productive groundball rate (48%) with an improved swinging-strike rate (up to 17% from 14% last season) to reduce contact (66%), most impressively inside the zone (68%). With a fastball that comes in at only an average velocity of 92mph, Springs relies on a quality three-pitch repertoire (including an 82-mph slider and 81-mph change) to keep hitters off balance. He'll face a tougher test when Boston comes to town later next week.
Sean Manaea (SP-SF) turned in a nice outing against the Royals on Saturday, allowing just 1 run on 3 hits and a walk while recording 8 strikeouts over 6 innings of work. The 31 year-old southpaw was efficient in tossing 54 of his 76 offerings for strikes. It was Manaea's first start of the season after he made his first appearance out of the bullpen (and it was forgettable, as he allowed 3 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks over 2 IP) on the heels of a rough 2022 season in which he logged a 4.96 ERA, 8.9 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, and 3.96 xFIP over 158 IP. The gap between the ERA and xFIP does indicate that a 15% HR/FB and 68% strand rate inflated the former, but he simply got hit hard (43% hard contact per Statcast) while allowing lots of flyballs (a career-high 43%). While one shouldn't put too much stock in a single encouraging outing, Manaea does line up to face the Tigers in Detroit next weekend.
Trevor Larnach (OF-MIN) continued his strong start to the 2023 campaign on Saturday as he went 2-4 with a walk and an RBI against Houston. The 26 year-old did not impress in his big-league performance prior to this season (last year he hit .231 with 5 dingers, 18 RBI, and 22 runs scored with a 32% strikeout rate across 180 big-league PA), but so far he's shown some improvement in 2023, logging a .355 average with a homer, a 3B, 7 RBI, 5 runs scored, and a 24% strikeout rate in an admittedly small sample size of 37 PA. But he's seemingly won the confidence of the club, as he's regularly occupied the 3-4 spots of the lineup, where he's shown patience (16% walk rate). Hard contact has never been an issue for Larnach (42% hard-hit rate per Statcast this season, 42% career), but he's slashed his swinging-strike rate from over 15% to 12% while rarely chasing pitches outside of the zone (18%). I wouldn't rush to add Larnach just yet (unless you really need OF help), but make sure he's on your watch list in case he continues to rake; he's currently on the waiver wire in over 92% of ESPN leagues.
Anthony DeSclafani (SP-SF) could be a quality streamer option or DFS play on Sunday as he will take on the Royals at home. The 32 year-old righty enjoyed a strong debut against the White Sox this past Monday, firing 6 shutout IP in which he allowed 3 hits, walked none, and recorded 4 punchouts. The injury history is concerning - he was limited to just 19 IP last season - and his velocity remained down (93 mph average fastball and sinker in his first start, 94mph career), but DeSclafani nevertheless missed bats (16% swinging-strike rate) and induced lots of grounders (63%) in that first outing. Remember that he was very good for the Giants in 2021, recording a 3.17 ERA, 8.2 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, and a 3.95 xFIP across 31 starts (167.2 IP). With durability the biggest concern as DeSclafani has been good in the past and the Giants have a strong recent history with pitchers, he should be a solid fantasy contributor. He's currently available in over 90% of ESPN leagues.
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