Zac Gallen (SP-ARI) continued his lights-out start to the season with another dominant outing on Wednesday, twirling 6 1/3 scoreless frames and racking up 12 strikeouts against the Royals. The 12 punchouts were a season-high for Gallen, who scattered four hits and didn't walk anybody en route to his fourth straight win. After a rocky start to the year in his first two outings, the former Cy Young candidate has flipped the switch and been the best pitcher in baseball over the last few weeks. He's logged 28 shutout innings over his last four turns, lowering his ERA to 2.15. He's also registered an incredible 41:1 K/BB ratio during that span, reaching double-digit strikeouts three times while yielding only 11 hits. Gallen's command is simply off the charts right now and his stuff has been untouchable, making him a must-start whenever he's on the bump. The Diamondbacks ace will try to cool off the red-hot Rangers on the road in his next scheduled start.
Joey Gallo (OF-MIN) took his former team deep on Wednesday, going 1-for-4 with a two-run homer against the Yankees. Gallo took former teammate Domingo German deep for a two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth, cutting the deficit to 11-5. This year has been the definition of boom-or-bust for Gallo, who also struck out twice on Wednesday. Of his 11 hits this year, nine have gone for extra bases and seven have sailed over the wall. He's also whiffed 15 times in 42 official at-bats. Even so, he's now hit safely in three straight games (a season-high for him) and is batting a career-best .262 with an OPS well over 1.000. It may not always be pretty, but the 29-year-old slugger appears back to being an elite power hitter again after hitting just 19 home runs during a down 2022. If he can keep his average up compared to his career .200 mark, that will be a significant boost to his fantasy value. He entered play on Wednesday with a .211 BABIP, so it's not like he's been getting lucky, either. The change of scenery and shift ban appear to be serving him well.
Yusei Kikuchi (SP-TOR) improved to 4-0 with another win on Wednesday after tossing 5 2/3 shutout innings against the slumping White Sox. The former All-Star allowed four hits and one walk while striking out eight, finishing one out shy of a quality start and one whiff short of his season high. Kikuchi was dealing in his first scoreless start of the year, throwing 60 of his 89 pitches for strikes and not allowing a home run for the first time all season. He's now allowed one earned run or less in four of his five starts so far largely thanks to his improved command, which has translated to a sharp 28:6 K/BB ratio through 27 innings. If he can maintain those ratios and do a better job of keeping the ball in the yard, he could finish with an ERA south of 4 for the first time in his career. Ride the hot hand here even with a tough road matchup looming at Fenway Park next week.
Hunter Brown (SP-HOU) continued his sensational start to the 2023 campaign with another electric performance on Wednesday, firing seven innings of shutout ball against the Rays. He had to be at his best in a game where only one total run was scored, and he was, yielding just two hits and two walks while striking out eight. This marked the third time in his last four starts that Brown has gone seven frames without yielding an earned run, as he seems to be settling into a groove after his shaky season debut. The 24-year-old righty is now 3-0 with a 2.37 ERA and a 32:10 K/BB ratio through his first five starts of the year, helping replace some of Justin Verlander's lost production from last year. He's also starting to build an impressive Rookie of the Year case for himself if he keeps this up for the defending World Series champs. He'll look to keep rolling in his next start at home against the middling Giants.
Nick Castellanos (OF-PHI) led the charge for the Phillies on Wednesday, helping them beat the Mariners 6-5 by going 3-for-4 with a homer, two runs and three RBIs. Castellanos wasted no time getting started as he took Logan Gilbert deep in his first at-bat of the game for a two-run shot, giving Philly a quick 2-0 lead. He later helped spark the comeback with a pair of singles, finishing with his second three-hit effort in four games. The veteran outfielder is now batting .333 after hitting safely in seven straight games and 15 of his last 17. His power stroke has also finally come around with all three of his bombs coming in his last four games. Castellanos has been one of the few bright spots in Philadelphia's slow start so far, helping anchor the heart of their order while Bryce Harper is out. It's shaping up to be a strong rebound season for the 31-year-old former All-Star after one of the worst seasons of his career in 2022 (.694 OPS).
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