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The 38-year-old hurler racked up four strikeouts on the afternoon while issuing a pair of free passes. The lone tally against him came in the second inning as Michael Massey smacked a leadoff triple and scored on a ground out. Darvish generated six swings and misses on 54 pitches on the day, posting a solid CSW of 31 percent. He featured eight different pitches in the contest and averaged 94.2 mph on his fastball — which is almost exactly where he sat during the 2024 campaign. For the spring, he holds a 4.05 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and a 7/3 K/BB ratio over 6 2/3 innings.

It’s unclear exactly what happened at this stage, but Rengifo had reached on a fielder’s choice in the third inning so it’s possible that he tweaked something while running the bases. Kyren Paris took over for him in the field to start the fourth inning and would likely be in line for increased action if Rengifo is forced to miss any time. Stay tuned, as the Angels should have an update on his status shortly.

Lugo is such a throwback. He worked his way to a quality start in this one and forced just two swings-and-misses along the way. Yes, only two. The first was on the very first pitch of the game: a 90 MPH fastball right down the middle to Gunnar Henderson in his first plate appearance off the injured list. The next, also against Henderson, was a curveball in the dirt to strike him out in the fifth. Otherwise, the Orioles seemed to be on Lugo with 12 hard-hit balls. Nearly every one found a glove though as he mixed his seven pitches just enough to consistently avoid any real damage. He’s scheduled to face the Twins next time out.

Garcia had the two most important hits of this game for the Royals. His two-run single in the fourth inning put them ahead and his run-scoring double in the eighth gave them an insurance run and led to the floodgates opening for a five-run inning. Things seem to be clicking for Garcia to start the season as his high-contact approach has yielded five extra-base hits in just 21 at-bats. His power will always be limited, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him steal 35 or so bases with a high batting average.

The Orioles offense has been a bit disappointing since their 12-run explosion on opening day. Kjerstad did his best to contribute in this one though, driving in one of their runs and scoring the other. He’s had a steady lineup spot since Colton Cowser went on the injured list with a broken thumb earlier this week and should have more chances to prove himself while Cowser remains out, which will be a while. Interestingly enough, in the three starts he’s drawn since Cowser’s injury, he’s started on game as designated hitter, one in right field, and this one in left field. He performed well with four home runs and a 116 wRC+ in 114 sporadic plate appearances last season, so he could hit well enough to maintain fantasy relevance with consistent playing time. The only question is whether or not that playing time does remain consistent.

Kremer got off to a rocky start in this one and never truly settled in. The Royals smacked three hits in the first inning and he was lucky to leave that frame with only one run on the board. Then, in the fourth, an error by Gunnar Henderson and wild pitch by Kremer himself set up a two-run single by Maikel Garcia that put the Royals ahead. Kremer allowed two more hits in the fifth and was mercifully pulled from the game. He obviously didn’t have his best swing-and-miss stuff and forced just five total whiffs on the night. Also, his velocity was down across the board in what was a cold, damp night in Kansas City. He’ll look to get back on track in his next scheduled start Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.

McLain was scratched from Friday’s game due to tightness in his left hamstring, but the fact that he was available off the bench probably speaks well to his availability going forward. He also scorched the only ball that he hit — a 399-foot (107.6 mph EV) line out to center field that was the hardest hit ball by any Reds player in the ballgame. He still may get an extra day off on Saturday to rest, but it seems unlikely that McLain would require a trip to the injured list at this point.

Oof. Marte suffered a left hamstring strain while running the bases during the first inning of Friday’s ballgame. Lovullo noted that the severity of the injury would be determined over the next couple of days, but a stint on the injured list seems increasingly likely. Garrett Hampson is the most likely candidate to fill in at second base while Marte is sidelined.

Ozuna opened the scoring in the contest with a two-run double off of Max Meyer in the third inning. He then came around to score on an RBI single by Austin Riley. The 34-year-old slugger then crushed his first home run of the season in the fifth inning — a 395-foot (105.0 mph EV) solo shot that made it a 4-0 ballgame. He finished the day with a single in the eighth inning and scored on another RBI knock from Riley. With the three-hit night, Ozuna is now hitting .286/.559/.476 with the one aforementioned home run and five RBI.

Olson went back-to-back with teammate Marcell Ozuna off of George Soriano in the seventh inning, with his 434-foot (113.4 mph EV) bomb increasing the Braves’ advantage to 5-0. He also added a two-run single in the eighth inning and scored on an RBI knock by Drake Baldwin. He finished the night 2-for-5 and is now hitting .222/.382/.444 with one homer and five RBI on the young season.

Harris started the game with a double off of Max Meyer but wound up getting stranded at third base. He then led off the third inning with a single and scored the game’s first run on a two-run double off the bat of Marcell Ozuna. He also singled in the eighth inning and scored on a two-run knock by Matt Olson. With his three-hit attack, the 24-year-old outfielder is now hitting .233 (7-for-30) with one homer and one RBI on the season. He has yet to swipe any bases.