Domingo German (SP-NYY) dominated the Twins on Saturday for his first win of the season, racking up 11 strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball. German was incredibly sharp in one of the best outings of his career so far, yielding just three hits and no walks while throwing 58 of his 78 pitches for strikes. It was a strong rebound effort for the 30-year-old righty, who bounced back from a pair of rough outings to begin the season. It was especially encouraging to see his command take a turn after surrendering two homers in his season debut and giving up five free passes in his second outing. Hopefully this outing gets him back on track and is a sign of things to come for the former 18-game winner, who's had trouble staying healthy with only one season above 100 innings in his career. He'll continue to be a high-risk, high-reward fantasy option until he proves he can stay on the field.
J.D. Davis (U-SFG) continued to feast on Detroit pitching with another home run on Saturday, going 2-for-4 with a homer, three RBIs and a walk against the Tigers. Less than 24 hours after launching a clutch, game-tying three-run homer, Davis went yard again for his fourth big fly of the season. The 29-year-old is off to a terrific start with San Francisco, batting .341 with four bombs and 13 RBIs through 13 games this year. Time will tell if he can keep it up, as he's only played one full season in his career so far (2019 -- 140 games). It helps that he's currently batting cleanup, so he'll continue to receive plenty of RBI opportunities. Fantasy managers may want to try selling high on him, however, as injuries have often kept him from realizing his full potential and may pop up again. If he stays healthy, though, his first 30-homer, 100-RBI campaign could be in the works.
Yusei Kikuchi (SP-TOR) helped hand the Rays their second straight loss on Saturday with six innings of one-run ball, earning his second win of the year in the process. The veteran lefty improved to 2-0 after giving up just four hits and a walk with nine strikeouts in his first quality start of the year. Kikuchi bounced back after getting lit up by the Angels in his last start, throwing 67 of his 94 pitches for strikes and racking up a season-high nine punchouts in the process. He did surrender a solo homer, however, and keeping the ball in the park has been an issue for him with five homers allowed in just 15 1/3 innings so far. That's something he'll need to fix going forward if he wants to improve his 4.70 ERA, but that may not be possible considering his career 1.8 HR/9 mark and his homer-friendly home park. His strikeouts keep him fantasy-relevant, but his ratios are tough to swallow. Fantasy GMs should probably fade him next week in a tough road matchup against the potent Yankees.
Hunter Brown (SP-HOU) turned in his second straight magnificent outing on Saturday, going seven innings against the Rangers and picking up his second win of the season. He allowed just two runs (both unearned) and five hits and one walk while striking out five. That makes back-to-back starts of seven frames and no earned runs allowed for the 24-year-old rookie, who appears to be settling in after struggling during his season debut. The former top prospect has shown solid command with a 17:6 K/BB ratio and no home runs allowed in 18 2/3 innings so far this season. That bodes well for continued success going forward as he continues to find his footing in the big leagues after making a pair of starts last year. He's in a great spot with so much talent and run support behind him, making him a solid fantasy play in a tough road matchup against the Braves next week.
Wil Myers (OF-CIN) powered the Reds to a 13-0 rout of the Phillies on Saturday, going 4-for-5 with a double, two homers, four runs and five RBIs. The veteran outfielder erupted for his first big game of the season for his new team in front of the home crowd, going deep for the first time this year. Saturday's performance was a welcome outburst from the former All-Star, who was hitting just .213/.315/.234 coming into the game. Myers hasn't topped 20 homers since 2017, but he could do it if he stays healthy this year thanks to Cincy's homer-friendly ballpark. After 10 years of playing in miserable hitting environments at Tropicana Field and Petco Park, Myers could be headed for one of his most productive seasons in years. While the former 20/20 star isn't as much of a threat on the bases as he used to be, the pop is still there and worth investing in.
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