MLB Player News

This was vintage La Piedra stuff. Castillo initiated 17 swings-and-misses, and he located his four-seam fastball all night long. He allowed just two hits and two walks, and there was basically no hard contact against the 33-year-old throughout the contest. Castillo is no longer a fantasy ace, but he’s still a very effective option more often than not. He’ll get the ball again Sunday against the Angels, but it’s worth noting that start is in Los Angeles, and Castillo has been considerably more effective in Seattle the past few seasons.

It was Pérez’s first start for Atlanta, and it went about as well — or mediocre — as you’d expect. The 35-year-old stuck out just one hitter while allowing four hits and a walk. Pretty typical. Pérez doesn’t have another scheduled start, but could get another chance to pitch over the weekend depending on how depleted the staff is.

Pfaadt settled down after giving up a solo homer to Drake Baldwin in the first. He unsettled in the fifth, however, giving up a pair of runs with one of them coming on a wild pitch. Pfaadt shows flashes of being a solid fantasy option, but there are just too many mediocre efforts like this one to suggest he’s a set-it-and-forget-it option.

The Nationals were up 6-1 after five, but that wasn’t enough. Ohtani was responsible for the Dodgers’ one early run, taking Foster Griffin deep in the third. He has two homers and six RBI through nine games. His next start is due to come Wednesday in the finale of a three-game against the Blue Jays starting on Monday.

Sasaki didn’t look terrible, though his velocity was down one mph from last week. He threw first-pitch strikes to 16 of 23 batters and wound up with 14 whiffs and five strikeouts. All of the runs came in the third and fourth, with five scoring on homers from Luis García Jr. and James Wood. Two of the three guys he walked on the afternoon came around to score during that stretch. He’ll probably stay in the rotation for now and face the Rangers next weekend. If he’s not better then, it would probably be time to reevaluate his status.

Díaz has allowed one run in four innings to start the year. He threw just 13 pitches today, so he’ll be good to work Monday against the Blue Jays.

Griffin struck out six. He beat the Phillies his first time out and left with a 6-1 lead today, only to see that evaporate afterwards. It’s nothing to be excited about for fantasy purposes, but the Nationals have to be pleased. They’ll be looking to get the best prospect they can for him come June or July.