Williams strikes out 11 in win over Twins

Williams notched his fifth double-digit strikeout performance of the season but was burned by the long ball in this one, serving up three homers to a suddenly red-hot Pirates lineup. He managed to shake off an early two-run blast from Jacob Gonzalez before giving up a two-run shot to Esmerlyn Valdez and a solo tater to Nick Gonzalez in the sixth. The result was a bizarre-looking pitching line where he somehow managed to dominate for most of his outing while still ending up being saddled with a loss. He’ll square off against the Twins on Thursday in his next outing.

The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Saturday where the conditions are expected to be much improved. Expect Friday’s scheduled starters — Gavin Williams and Jared Jones — to pitch at some point on Saturday.

Parker Messick will get some extra rest after throwing a scoreless second inning in the All-Star Game. He’ll presumably face the Twins or Monday or Tuesday, with Slade Cecconi starting the other game.

Williams was solid in this one, keeping the White Sox off the board through the first four innings. In the top of the fifth inning, however, he ran into a bit of trouble. Williams allowed singles to the first two batters he faced in the frame, but retired the next two on a sacrifice fly and a fielder’s choice. With runners on first and third and two outs, Williams nearly escaped the frame, but a three-run homer by Miguel Vargas broke things open for the White Sox in the inning and gave them a 3-1 lead. The game would then go into a rain delay shortly after Vargas’ homer, which ended Williams’ night. He’s now allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his last three starts and is next scheduled to toe the rubber on Thursday against the Twins.

After a scoreless first inning, the Mariners put a run on the board with two hits in the second. Two walks, a hit, and an error brought two more runs in to score in the third. Williams would complete two more innings, ending his day after five with six strikeouts. The 26-year-old right-hander will take a 3.81 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and a 117/34 K/BB ratio across 101 2/3 innings into a start against the White Sox in Cleveland on Friday.

Williams gave up five hits, walked one and struck out eight. He bounced back after allowing seven runs in his last start against the Brewers. Williams allowed an RBI double to Braden Montgomery in the second inning and an RBI single to Andrew Benintendi in the third inning. His ERA is 3.82. Williams is lined up to face the Mariners at home this weekend.

Williams didn’t have it from the jump. He fell behind 3-1 on Christian Yelich to start this game and then gave up a home run on a curveball that got way too much of the plate. Then, the Brewers rallied for two more runs that inning, another two in the second, and Jackson Chourio hit a demoralizing two-run shot in the fourth. When it was all said and done, those seven runs were the most Williams had ever given up in a major league start and he jumped up from a 3.32 ERA before this start to a 3.83 ERA after it. Looking to put this outing behind him as soon as possible, Williams is scheduled for a two-start week coming up against the White Sox and Mariners.

The game will be made up as part of a split doubleheader on Friday, September 3. Expect Sunday’s scheduled starters — Casey Mize and Gavin Williams — to work for their respective clubs on Monday and Tuesday.

Williams reached 100.4 mph on the gun tonight, and his 98.7-mph average on his fastball was 2.1 mph better than his season norm. Still, it didn’t stop him from giving up two homers, one on a cutter and another on a curve. It would have been nice to see Williams do a little better in consecutive starts against Aaron Judge-less Yankees lineups — he allowed two homers and three earned runs in 5 1/3 innings last time out — but it could have gone worse. He’s still tied for the major league lead with nine wins. He has a 3.95 ERA in his last seven starts after coming in at 2.73 in his first seven. Williams will face the Tigers next.

Williams struck out six and walked one, serving up homers to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and José Caballero along the way. He’s in sole possession of the MLB lead in wins, which isn’t necessarily predictive but matters for rotisserie fantasy formats. The right-hander has increased his sweeper usage this season and is relying on five pitches, each thrown 9% of the time or more. Williams is set for a rematch with the Yankees next time out, this time in Cleveland.