Nathan Eovaldi, SP, Rangers
Nathan Eovaldi picked up the win on Wednesday, striking out eight over seven scoreless innings. He only allowed four hits and a walk against the Rays and seems to be continuing the success he saw in 2023. Through the first half of last season, he had an impressive 2.83 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 109 strikeouts in 117.2 innings. He suffered an injury in July and wasn't the same upon returning, posting a 7.18 ERA through his final 26.1 innings. He had a 35% whiff rate on Wednesday, picking up 13 whiffs on his splitter, 5 on the fastball, and 4 combined on his cutter, curveball, and slider. Eovaldi always seems to find a way to take a step back in the second half of his seasons, but for now, he looks to be as dominant as ever and faces the Athletics in his next start. He should be a reliable member of your fantasy staff this season.
Aaron Civale, SP, Rays
Although he suffered the loss on Wednesday, Civale pitched six impressive innings, allowing one run, four hits, and two walks while striking out eight. This follows a solid first outing, bringing his season totals to a 14:3 K:BB with 8 hits and 2 runs in 12 innings. He was a popular breakout pick coming into the year due to the Rays' ability to seemingly maximize the potential of their pitchers (see Zach Eflin), and it looks like they've done it once again. He recorded a solid 29% whiff rate, and while his 10 whiffs aren't an eye-popping total, it is still impressive against an elite Texas offense. The biggest change the Rays implemented with Civale was the addition of a sweeper, although it wasn't as much of a focus this time out compared to his first start. He threw 16 sweepers (18.6%) compared to 6 curveballs (7%) his first time out, but in this past start he threw 20 curveballs (23%) and only 6 sweepers (7%). While the reason is unknown, it's still good to see that he can succeed with both of his breaking pitches and should continue to be a reliable fantasy asset.
Will Smith, RP, Royals
Will Smith blew the save and received the loss for the Royals on Wednesday, giving up a walk-off single to James McCann in the bottom of the 9th. He gave up two hits and two walks in 0.2 innings, and this is his second disaster outing of the season. On opening day, he surrendered four runs on two hits and two walks. If the results weren't concerning enough, his fastball is also down 3 mph from last season. It's hard to imagine the Royals can trust him enough to continue to give him save opportunities, but the other presumed option, James McArthur, also has not had a single scoreless appearance in the three times he has pitched. John Schreiber may be the next man up after those two, so it will be important to monitor who gets the next save chance in Kansas City.
George Kirby, SP, Mariners
George Kirby got lit up by the Guardians on Wednesday, allowing eight runs on ten hits in only 3.2 innings. He struck out two and walked none. He allowed way too much contact, getting only 8 whiffs on 46 swings (17%). Three of the ten hits had an xBA of .230 or less, and the start wouldn't have spiraled to the extent that it did if those were outs instead. It was still a poor performance no matter how you look at it, and it's especially concerning considering Kirby was expected by many to take a step forward in his bat-missing ability. Kirby should still be viewed as a borderline ace for fantasy going forward, but he will need to induce more consistent swings and misses to avoid the risk of bad-luck singles altogether.
Taylor Ward, OF, Angels
Taylor Ward went 3 for 5 at the plate with a double and a home run on Wednesday. He scored two and drove in two runs, bringing his season totals to 6 runs, 8 RBI, and 3 homers with a .320 batting average through the first six games of the season. He had a disappointing 2023 where he slashed .253/.335/.421, but he never got the chance to turn his season around, missing the majority of the second half after being hit in the face with a pitch. It's important to remember how good of a player he was in 2022, hitting 23 home runs with a .281/.360/.473 slash line through 135 games. He had a 41.8% sweet-spot rate (99th percentile), a 20.6% chase rate (93rd percentile), and a .361 xwOBA (92nd percentile) in 2022. It's very possible that he is much closer to his 2022 performance than his half-season of 2023, and that seems to be the case so far in 2024. He could bounce back as a top-40 outfielder for fantasy once again.
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