Whoa! Guess who’s back for some Friday night recap action!

Yeppers, it’s your favorite Top 100 Starting Pitchers writer spending the weekend at Razzball HQ punching up a list full of arms, a rundown of hockey games, AND penning our FIRST Friday night recap of the MLB regular season!

Could the evil demons from Apple TV harsh this buzz with their blackout bullshizz?

Of course not! It’s time to kick back and marvel at the fireballing beauty of “The Gas Man”. 

If anyone was looking for a solid start from the 35-year-old ace, they got it. And then some. Kevin Gausman, 6 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 11 Ks, and the win, was nearly perfect Friday night (with the only exception being a Shea Langeliers solo home run).

On a side note, if 13 is a Baker’s dozen, and 12 is a regular dozen, is 11 a Clumsy Baker’s dozen because they dropped one on the floor?

Was there anything else that made us go, “Hmmm…?” in an 8-game schedule from our first Friday night of 2026 MLB action?

Here’s what else I saw in Fantasy Baseball last night…

Kazuma Okamoto – 2-for-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, and a good start from someone’s AL Rookie of the Year prediction in the Razzball Staff Picks for 2026! The fake “throw-it-into-the-stands” by Vladdy when the umpire crew threw the ball from Okamoto’s first-career hit back into the dugout was a nice touch, too. 

Ernie Clement – 2-for-4, 1 R, and a kick-start with 2-outs in the 9th inning for the comeback win. Ernie was a sparkplug for the Jays last year, and it’s nice to see him picking right up where he left off.

Andres Gimenez – 2-for-3, 3 RBI, 3B. I know it’s likely too much of a homer move to be excited about every single player from the favorite team, but if Gimenez stays healthy, the newest Blue Jays’ SS is going to give us profit in roto leagues much sooner than most people expected. 

Jeff Hoffman – 1 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 4 Ks, 1 HR allowed. Speaking of picking up right where he left off, Hoffman’s Friday night was a microcosm of his 2025 season. A good chunk of strikeouts, a game-tying home run allowed, and a blown save. At least he managed to get credited with the win. And there’s nothing more “Jeff Hoffman” than recording 4 Ks in one inning. That’s almost as good as the guy who called him out as Trevor Hoffman at our auction draft last weekend. Yeesh.

Luis Severino – 5 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 3 Ks, and the no-decision. It wasn’t a bad start by Severino, but he was in tough against the Gas Man right from the get-go.

Shea Langeliers – 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 HR (2). The good news for Langeliers managers is that he had three hits and a moonshot launch off of Gausman in the 4th inning, then another one off of Hoffman in the top of the 9th. The bad news for anyone who rosters ANY other A’s…those were the three hits that the “team” had last night. Oof.

Yusei Kikuchi – 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 8 H, 1 BB, 3 Ks, 1 HR allowed. I’m fine with rostering Kikuchi in a deep league, but I’d take the bet that there are many more “Meh” starts like this one compared to stellar outings by the time we get to October.

Josh Lowe – The only thing more exciting than Josh Lowe’s 2-for-4, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI night was that he made it through the first Friday of the season without reporting another injury.

Mike Trout – 3-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (2). No foolin’, I considered writing up Mike Trout as my Most Valuable Fantasy Hitter before sticking with the hometown call of Jesus Sanchez, then pivoting to Mookie Betts. As long as Trout is healthy, he’s going to produce. And, yes, that “as long as he’s healthy” is doing more heavy lifting there than the Greek Titan, Atlas.

Jo Adell – 1-for-5, 1 R. Nothing much to report here, but I felt like I needed to give some attention to one of the original MarmoManCrushes. We see you, Jo. Now go put up a 40/40 season!

Mike Burrows – 5.2 IP, 5 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks, 2 HR allowed, and the loss. The one thing that sticks out in these first few days of games is that the majority of those “sleeper” pitchers coming into the season are getting punched in the figurative, collective jaw. Burrows was a target of a lot of deep diving managers this spring, so hopefully this was just a blip on the radar of an SP easing into the gig in a new uniform.

Yordan Alvarez -1-for-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (1). You can copy the Josh Lowe blurb above and paste it right here. Yordan + healthy season is about as likely as finding a unicorn doing a gangster rap DJ set at your local church on a Sunday morning, but it’s fun to wish on a 162-game season from Captain Woo Cubano.

Jeremy Pena – 2-for-5, 1 R, SB. “But what about that wonky, busted index finger?!” Pfffft. 

Chris Sale – 6 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 6 Ks, and his first win! ERA at 0.00. WHIP at 1.00. 88 pitches. The 36-year-old is no stranger to opening day starts or 3-hit shutouts, and Braves fans have to be overjoyed with this kind of start from Sale. It’s a bit of a cliché to mention, but it’s worth noting. If Sale can avoid the injury bug, the floor is a Top 10 pitcher season this year.

Drake Baldwin – 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (1). Say, Drake, I hear you like the bombs! I managed to get in for a few shares this year, and it’s nice to see Atlanta running him out there to DH on a non-catching night, too.

Ozzie Albies – 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR (1). Grandpa Sal Perez caught Albies trying to steal second base, but the home run is an encouraging start for a few people’s bounce-back player of the year.

Austin Riley – 3-for-3, 1 R, batted 5th. Because he needs protection from Eli White, Mauricio Dubon, and Jonah Heim? Ugh. I almost included the Braves’ 9-hole hitter there too, but…

Michael Harris – 1-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, HR (1). Congrats to the managers who drafted MHII this year. Well, congrats on a good start, I guess. He’s a guy I’m OK with missing out on, even if he has a big bounce-back season.

Cole Ragans – 4 IP, 4 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 5 Ks, and his first loss. Ragans gave up three homers in this one. The strikeouts will be there, but there are more than a few analysts who think this guy is a sucker bet. Hopefully, this is just a case of early-season jitters.

Maikel Garcia – 1-for-3, BB, SB (1). Just a note to say that (a) he’s leading off, (b) he stole a base, and (c) ya, you already know there’s no C.

Bobby Witt Jr. – 2-for-4 with two SINGLES and ZERO SBs? *In a terrible Hank Hill voice* “Dang it, Bobby! The boy ain’t right!”

Sandy Alcantara – 7 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 Ks, and the win. I took a bit of heat for my preseason ranking of Sandy (SP55). Grey is right there with me, too, but a lot of Alcantara fans think he should be about 30 spots higher. If he strings a few of these together without any hiccups, he’ll move up the board quickly.

Javier Sanoja – 3-for-3, RBI. Fun fact: “Sanoja” is Spanish for “Duck snort singles”. 

Pete Fairbanks – 1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 K, and his first save. There are a few names to watch in the Marlins pen if you’re in an SVHD league, but Fairbanks is the go-to closer and should be a solid source of saves for a less-than-premium draft day price.

Kyle Freeland – 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 Ks, and the loss. I don’t know if any of you are rostering this guy, but the only time anyone wants to see “Freeland” is at the farmer’s auction. Boom. Nailed it.

Hunter Goodman – 2-for-4. Your catcher breakout last year is off to a good start so far. Here’s hoping he didn’t cost you a high draft pick or a good chunk of auction cash.

Jordan Beck – 1-for-3, 1 RBI, CS. This one is a War Room darling, which would explain why I have him in almost every league. Hopefully, some of that Coors magic rubs off on his bat.

Cam Schlittler – 5.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 8 Ks, and his first win. I said it a few times in the Top 100, but I was concerned with the reports of back soreness with Schlittler in early spring, so I faded him a bit. In most leagues, I went with Nick Lodolo, Trey Yesavage, or Emmett Sheehan in that pocket of promising young arms. That is, in all leagues except for our Perts League draft last Monday night. YES! 

Aaron Judge – 1-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, and his first HR. Batting .111. ONE HOME RUN? I thought this guy was supposed to be good!

Giancarlo Stanton – 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, and his first HR. Batting .500. Please, just don’t ask him to high-five you after a home run, or his arm might fall off.

David Bednar – 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 K, and his first save. Over/Under on 33.5 saves for Bednar this year?

Robbie Ray – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 4 Ks, and the loss. The bad news is that it’s pretty difficult to beat a team when your squad only manages to get one hit.

Framber Valdez – 6 IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 5 Ks, and the no-decision. I said to a buddy when Valdez signed in Detroit that it felt like the kind of signing that would be convenient if they ended up trading Skubal. “Well, we have an ace in Valdez, so we can afford to move Tarik Skubal” is a narrative that would go over like a lead-filled balloon in Motown.

Gleyber Torres – 1-for-2, 2 R, 3 BB as he DH’ed and Zack McInstry played second base. Good to see Colt Keith sitting versus right-handed pitching. Oof.

Kevin McGonigle – 1-for-3, 2 RBI. This one was a tie-breaking two-run single with the bases loaded late in the game. Talk about magic. What’s the spell for “I wish I had drafted him instead of Konnor Griffin”?

Justin Verlander’s younger sister shows her appreciation for the Tigers’ rookie

Kenley Jansen – 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 Ks, his first save, and the millionth of his career. Ok, so maybe it’s not that many, but what a way to show a fan base that you’ve still got some juice left in the squeezer. (That’s how the saying goes, no?)

Michael King – 5 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 4 BB, 6 Ks, and the no-decision. Both starters were solid in this one, even if King was generous with the base-on-balls. 

Jackson Merrill – 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB. If you were looking for homers or steals from the Padres last night, it’s probably best you look elsewhere. Other than Jake Cronenworth’s two hits, there wasn’t much “offense” to report.

Jeremiah Estrada – 0.2 IP, 4 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 2 Ks, and the loss. The reliever formerly known as a bullfrog managed to get two outs last night, but the command wasn’t there. He paid the price when Gryffindor’s rookie came up to the plate with the bases loaded in the 8th inning.

George Kirby – 6 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks, and the win. He’s my ace in TGFBI, and I mentioned in the AL East preview pod with Mike and Jeremy that I wanted as many shares of the control freaks as I could get. If it wasn’t George Kirby, it was Bryan Woo. And if I had gotten neither of these guys, it would’ve been a tough WHIP storm to weather right out of the gate. 

Cal Raleigh – 0-for-4, 4 Ks. Uh…a Golden Sombrero from The Big Dumper is not what the folks who drafted him in the second round want to see. Oof.

Cole Young – 1-for-3, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR (1). 

Cole Young with a huge three-run blast for the LEAD!

— Talkin’ Baseball (@talkinbaseballbot.bsky.social) 2026-03-28T02:57:26.000Z

I always love seeing the young kids hit home runs and then, after showing a bit of emotion, seeing them hear the ghosts of former coaches yelling “Act like you’ve been there before!” in their ear. You can see the smile-turn-to-business here as he heads to 2nd base. Always makes me laugh.

Luke Raley -1-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI. 4 strikeouts from Cal Raleigh and the 2nd home run of the season from Luke Raley? Yep. Just as we expected.

Gavin Williams – 5 IP, 3 ER, 2 H, 6 BB, 7 Ks, and the loss. I was all in on Williams last year, and I don’t blame folks for penning him in on their draft day target lists, but this guy falls on the Pepiot list for me now. The potential is there, but I don’t want to pay the price/risk the headaches. A half dozen walks is not the way to start the year, Gav!

Chase DeLauter – 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, AND HIS THIRD HOME RUN. Oh, man. I have zero shares and was hoping to land him in a home mixed league auction on Sunday night. Well, if that draft was last week, I might have gotten him for $3. Now he’s going to go for $18+. The DeLauter DeFOMO is for real.

Ryne Nelson – 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 Ks, and the no-decision. The Mookie Betts and Alex Freeland home runs did not help his case.

Ketel Marte – 2-for-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, HR. How dare you take our darling Emmett Sheehan deep? You monster!

Gabriel Moreno – 2-for-4, 1 R. I remember when Blue Jays fans were losing their collective minds when the team traded this budding young star and Lou-Gu-Ju to Arizona for Daulton Varsho. Now? Those same fans aren’t too upset.

Alek Thomas – 2-for-3, 3 RBI, 1 SB. A nice night of statsheet filler for Alek Thomas. He should be on the sneaky deep league radar.

Kevin Ginkel – 1 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 Ks, and the loss. Ginkel is Einhorn, and Einhorn is Ginkel.

Emmett Sheehan – 3.1 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks. I watched a bit of this one on the MLB Extra Innings game-surfing channel, and Sheehan didn’t look terrible. A couple of hard-hit doubles and the HR to Ketel Marte were enough to chase him, though, despite the half dozen strikeouts.

Alex Freeland – 2-for-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, HR. Wait. This just isn’t fair. The Dodgers lineup looks like the roll call for an Avengers movie, and it’s Kyle Freeland’s grandson who has a big night? Seriously, who wants to pitch to this Top 7?

Mookie Betts – 1-for-4, 1 R, 3 RBI, HR. OH! There’s my Most Valuable Fantasy Hitter! I drafted Mookie in the 4th round of Perts, and figure he should at least return second-round value this year. Is it really that far out of the realm of possibility that he gives us first-round value at a fourth-round draft price? I read an article this week about how Mookie regained some of the weight he lost last year due to an illness and how he’s “swinging it just as fast as when (he) was younger”. Sold!

Edwin Diaz – 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 Ks, and his first save. Over/Under on Edwin Diaz saves…41.5? Seriously, though, it doesn’t get much cooler than this. Props to trumpeter, Tatiana Tate, for “jazzing things up”, live and in person too.

Edwin Diaz makes his entrance for the Dodgers

— Baseball GIFs (@baseballgifs.bsky.social) 2026-03-28T05:04:59.735Z

That’s all for this week’s roundup! Come see me on Monday when I have an updated Top 100 Starting Pitchers list with new Jumpers, Dumpers, and all of the regular goodies!

Follow me @marmosdad on Twitter/X and Bluesky @marmosdad.bsky.social