Yu Darvish - It's safe to say Yu Darvish had a less than desirable first inning in the majors. Facing the Mariners, Darvish walked the leadoff batter, Chone Figgins, struck out Dustin Ackley, allowed three straight singles, threw a wild pitch, walked a batter, allowed another single and walked another batter before getting a strikeout and ground out to end the inning. In total, Seattle plated four runs on four hits. Welcome to the big leagues, Mr. Darvish. However, if I'm a Darvish owner, I'm actually fine taking the rough outing on Monday because the long-term gain could be huge. After that first inning, Darvish showed excellent composure by settling down and yielding just one more run during the next 4 2/3 innings. He finished the game with five strikeouts, four walks and a total of five ER in 5 2/3 innings. It will take some time for Darvish to adjust but don't be fooled by the ugly line - he showed a lot of guts and ability in his first outing.
Chris Sale - It's hard to ask for a better debut than Chris Sale had versus the Tribe on Monday. Keeping in mind the Indians entered the game with a team batting average around .140 and started Jose Lopez in the No. 5 hole (and at first base!), Sale still looked outstanding. He worked quickly, just like when he was a reliever, and tallied up 10 grounders while also punching out five batters in 6 2/3 innings of work. He allowed just 1 ER and walked two. As a reliever last season, Sale owned an excellent 10.01 strikeout rate, 2.79 ERA and 3.00 xFIP. For good measure, he also recorded a 50% ground ball rate. All those numbers point toward a smooth transition to the rotation. Sale has a ton of keeper value as he's just 23 and should be a mainstay in the White Sox rotation for the foreseeable future. It's still hard to believe the lefty tossed just 10 1/3 innings in the minors before getting called up in 2010.
Josh Willingham - The Hammer went yard on Monday against the Angels for the second time this season and is now 5-for-13 with four RBI and a double through four games. Last season, Willingham crushed 29 HRs and drove in 98 for Oakland despite posting a career-high strikeout rate (27%) and nearly a career-low walk rate (10%). Based on his career averages, I expect both those rates to even out this year which makes Willingham especially valuable in leagues using OBP as a stat category. Playing his home games in Minnesota won't help Willingham's power totals but he should be good for another 25 HRs and 85 RBI with the Twins in 2012.
Matt Moore - While he's not getting quite the hype that Stephen Strasburg received during his first full season, Matt Moore is must-see TV this summer. The electric lefty makes his season debut this evening against a potent Tigers lineup in Detroit. Moore's minor league numbers are simply absurd as he consistently posted strikeout rates between 12.00 and 14.00 and FIPs under 3.00 in every minor league season. Moore initially had some control issues during his early stints in the minors but has improved his walk rate during the past couple seasons. He's also never allowed more than 0.70 HRs per nine innings. While a matchup versus Detroit on the road is a brutal first assignment, if anyone can be successful, it's this kid.
Josh Tomlin - The Tribe's starter on Monday, Josh Tomlin, picked up where he left off last year - at least in terms of allowing HRs. Tomlin, who gave up 24 HRs in 2011, allowed two bombs in his season debut against the White Sox and went five innings, yielding seven hits and four ER. The good news for Tomlin is that he posted a career-high seven strikeouts despite entering the game with a career 4.98 whiff rate. While I'm not optimistic he can maintain an improved strikeout rate, it's at least something to keep tabs on in Tomlin's upcoming starts.
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