This was a jaw-dropping performance. There was never a moment where Misiorowski wasn’t in complete control and was one Kyle Schwarber single away from throwing a perfect game. That inning ended with a double play so in the end, Misiorowski faced only the minimum 27 batters. He struck out eight of the first nine batters and in the first inning specifically, his fastball averaged 104 mph. Yes, 104 mph! Just completely ridiculous. It only took him 52 total pitches to reach that point too. From there, the Brewers had opened up a big lead and he was more shooting for outs rather than strikeouts, but this was still as dominant a start as we’ve seen from any pitcher in quite some time. Possibly most impressively, he mostly just leaned on that fastball. He threw it 73% of the time, it averaged 102 mph, and it forced 23 of his 25 total swings-and-misses. The final five he threw were all at least 103 mph and it looked like he had a few more scoreless innings in him if the game called for it. It’s becoming difficult not to call him the best pitcher in baseball at this point with that kind of velocity, drastically improved command, a 1.34 ERA, and a 131 to 22 strikeout to walk ratio across 96 innings this season. Misiorowski is scheduled to send the Guardians to the buzzsaw next.

Strider saw the velocity on his fastball drop suddenly into the 87-88 mph range in the fourth inning, which prompted the visit from the training staff and his eventual removal. He’ll head for further evaluation. Strider allowed seven runs on six hits and a walk while striking out three in his three-plus innings of work. Stay tuned.

Ohtani was removed from Thursday’s game as a precautionary measure due to inflammation in his left knee. The Dodgers have opted to take a very cautious approach here with their two-way superstar and will give him at least an extra night off to rest. Santiago Espinal will fill in as the Dodgers’ designated hitter on Friday and will bat eighth against Anthony Kay and the White Sox.

He’ll be active tonight, batting cleanup behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Kirk fractured his thumb in early April and was only 3-for-20 before going on the injured list, missing a little over two months of the season. Kirk’s ability to hit for average should keep him in the rolodex at catcher in 12-team leagues.

Baldwin will miss the weekend series with the Mets, but could be activated on Tuesday if all goes well. Fantasy managers who have been suffering without the services of the star catcher, who hit .303/.389/.543 with 13 homers and 38 RBI before hitting the shelf, won’t have to wait too much longer.

It’ll be the first trip to the majors for Espino, who three years ago was considered one of the game’s top three pitching prospects before being derailed by injuries. Moved to the pen this year, has a 5.30 ERA and a 29/15 K/BB in 18 2/3 innings for Triple-A Columbus. He’s hasn’t pitched on back-to-back days at any point, he’s worked on one day of rest just once and he’s yet to get more than three outs in an appearance this year, so it’s hard to see how he fits right now. Still, he’s dealt with a whole lot, and it’s great to see him get the opportunity.

Ohtani felt something in his knee during a stolen base attempt on a foul ball earlier in the game on Thursday and the Dodgers wanted to be proactive and give him a few innings off to end the game rather than pushing it. They’ll wait and see how he feels on Friday, but the expectation is that he’ll return to the lineup. Either way, he shouldn’t be looking at any sort of extended absence.

This is what Dave Roberts said would happen last night, and so it comes to pass. It’s backdated to June 8, so Smith is only guaranteed to miss the next seven days. Dalton Rushing figures to get most of the playing time in Smith’s absence and is a recommended pick up in the short term if you need catching help.

It’s a pretty remarkable turnaround for Skubal, who had elbow surgery to remove a bone chip a little over five weeks ago. He looked good in his rehab start at High-A thjs week with velocities that were in line with what we saw from him during the year. He can be fired up with confidence this weekend.

The long ball was only his second of the year, but his bat has come alive lately. Tatis entered the day having hit .397/.433/.508 over his past 67 plate appearances, though it came with a .453 BABIP. Fantasy managers will still take it. He’s pulling the ball in the air less than ever this season, with a strangely low launch angle. Adding second base eligibility has helped soften the blow, but it’s wasted if he doesn’t begin to hit like he historically has.