Major League Baseball

Daily MLB pitcher duels: April 13

Published Apr. 13, 2015 11:34 a.m. ET

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Welcome back to another week of our pitchers duel pieces. This Monday features home openers for a few different clubs, and a couple of pitching matchups we specifically think you’ll really enjoy. Check ’em out:

Anibal Sanchez (DET) vs. Gerrit Cole (PIT)

1:35 PM ET

The Tigers obviously felt like they’ve conquered the American League through six games (6–0), so they’ll move onto the National League to see if there’s anyone else to challenge them. Joking aside, Sanchez was fantastic in his first start against the Twins, shutting down a sputtering Minnesota offense for just three hits over 6.2 scoreless innings with six strikeouts and just a pair of walks. Sanchez has struggled with injuries a bit as a Tiger—he hasn’t made 30 starts in a season since 2012—as he’s been beset by chest, finger, and shoulder woes. But the hope is he’s ready to put those behind him and help right the ship on a Tigers rotation that’ll desperately need it with Max Scherzer out of town and Justin Verlander on the mend.

Cole could very well be the next up-and-coming star pitcher in the NL, as he started to really put it all together last year when he wasn’t battling injuries. A lat strain cost him 40 games, and that came almost immediately after right shoulder fatigue—both of which wiped out the middle of his season. But when he was healthy enough to get on the mound, he showed very good command of an impressive arsenal which features as 95–96 mph fastball that ranks among the very best in the entire game.

Cole fanned a hitter an inning thanks to solid whiff rates on literally all of his non-fastball offerings. The 24-year-old paired that improved arsenal with a 53.8 percent groundball rate which would have tied him for 10th in the MLB—with Henderson Alvarez—had he thrown enough innings to qualify. And as previous readers can attest, I love some groundball plus strikeout guys. The sky’s the limit for him.

Jordan Zimmermann (WAS) vs. Rick Porcello (BOS)

3:05 PM ET

The hard-throwing Zimmermann outdueled Jacob deGrom in his first start, tossing six innings of one-run ball while scattering five hits and four strikeouts. He walked none, and threw 63 of 91 pitches for strikes. All in a days work for the Nationals’ workhorse who doesn’t get a lot of pub with teammates like Strasburg, Scherzer, and even Gio Gonzalez. But it was Zimmermann who had three of the team’s five complete games last year, as well as two of his club’s four shutouts. It’ll be repeated verbatim all season long—and we apologize, Nats fans—but this guy stands to make a TON of money in the offseason if he stays healthy.

The newly extended Porcello—four years, $82.5 million—had a so-so Sox debut, lasting six innings against the Phillies while allowing three earned runs. He struck out four, walked two, and ended up taking the loss as the Phillies went on to win 4–2. Contrary to early belief, Porcello won’t beat you over the head with stuff. In fact, his average fastball in his first start didn’t even crack 90 mph. He’ll pound the two-seamer—more against the Phillies than ever before—and work within the strike zone to keep his defenders involved with piles and piles of groundballs, ideally. Pitchers like that still have a ton of value, considering grounders rarely go for extra-base hits, and the AL as a whole hit just .250/.250/.271 on them last season. Armed with a pretty good infield defense behind him, Porcello should be bound for good things in Beantown.

Warm-Up Tosses

Mr. deGrom gets the nod in the Mets’ home opener. Last year’s NL Rookie of the Year was solid in his first start—six innings, six strikeouts, two earned rungs—but just happened to run into Zimmermann at Nationals Park. Aaron Harang and the Phillies should prove a little bit easier … Trevor May will start the Twins’ home opener after not even making the starting rotation to start the season. May slots into Ricky Nolasco’s rotation spot after the latter developed some inflammation in his right elbow. May’s take will be to outduel Danny Duffy and the unbeaten Royals. The Twins have lost five of six … Jake Odorizzi vs. R.A. Dickey will provide some interesting juxtaposition, as most Dickey starts do. Odorizzi is the next big strikeout arm out of the Rays’ factory, while Dickey just keeps chugging along at 40 years old with his knuckleball … Mat Latos vs. Shelby Miller has future potential as a featured game. Miller was pretty good in his Braves’ debut after a rough season last year with the Cardinals, while Latos’ first start was probably the most disastrous league wide. Still, he’s a good fit for his home park, and he’ll make his second start there today … Matt Shoemaker’s first start this year was a bit bumpy (6 IP, 3 ER, 2 HR allowed) but he’ll look to get back on track against the hard-luck Rangers and Ross Detwiler … We’ll see a trio of pretty good lefties in the evening slate, as Jon Lester, Scott Kazmir, and James Paxton all make starts tonight. Paxton vs. Brandon McCarthy is probably the most notable matchup … If you like velocity (who doesn’t?) the final matchup of the night will appeal to you, as Rubby De La Rosa squares off against Andrew Cashner. There may not be many strikes thrown, however.

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