San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish has been tabbed as the team's Opening Day starter on April 7 on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Joe Musgrove will likely be on the hill for the second game of the regular season. Darvish, 35, has looked good in spring training, allowing just one run and no walks while striking out 10 in seven innings over two Cactus League starts. The Japanese right-hander struggled last year with the Friars and dealt with some injuries, ultimately finishing with a 4.22 ERA and 1.09 WHIP over 166 1/3 innings over 30 starts. But if Darvish can stay healthy in 2022, he could turn out to be an excellent fantasy value, even at his age. He had a healthy 29.2% strikeout rate and a 6.5% walk rate last season.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish said he tweaked his mechanics in the offseason and is also past the hip injury that landed him on the injured list twice in 2021. It also played a part in his 6.65 ERA in his final 14 starts after he had a 2.44 ERA through his first 16 starts. The mechanical adjustments he made were designed to relieve stress on his lower back and hip area. Darvish's 29.8% strikeout rate and .218 batting average allowed since 2012 are both fourth-best among major league pitchers in that span. The Japanese right-hander looked good in his spring debut on Monday against the Rockies, too, notching six strikeouts over three scoreless innings. The 35-year-old is a strong rebound candidate in fantasy if he can avoid the injury bug.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish will look to log a second consecutive successful season in San Diego in 2022. After joining the Padres via trade prior to the 2021 season, Darvish posted a 4.22 ERA and a 3.90 FIP in 166.1 innings while walking 44 batters and turning in 199 strikeouts. He'll headline a potentially strong Padres rotation that is also set to feature Blake Snell, Jose Musgrove, Mike Clevinger, and Chris Paddack. Darvish has never logged a strikeouts per nine innings rate in the single digits in his career and the 2021 campaign marked his first full season with an ERA above 4.00 so there's certainly a track record of success here for fantasy managers seeking stability in a rotation candidate.

San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish (hip) was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hip impingement. The Padres optioned Ryan Weathers to Triple-A El Paso, reinstated Craig Stammen from the IL, and recalled Shaun Anderson in corresponding moves. He allowed two earned runs on five hits and four walks while striking out six over four innings in his previous start. The 35-year-old was one strikeout shy from logging his fifth 200K campaign. Darvish's season is officially over, and the Padres right-hander finishes with a 4.22 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 199:44 K: BB over 166 1/3 innings in 2021.

In likely his final start of 2021, San Diego Padres starter Yu Darvish permitted two earned runs in four innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite six strikeouts, the right-hander labored over 85 pitches, surrendering five knocks and four walks. After an All-Star first half, Darvish cratered in his final 12 starts, absorbing eight losses and a disappointing 6.16 ERA. Overall, the 35-year-old registered eight victories, a 4.22 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 29 percent strikeout rate over 166 innings (30 starts). Under contract for another two seasons, Darvish should enter 2022 as a contender to be the Friars Opening Day starter. Consider him a backend SP2 in early offseason fantasy drafts.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish had a tough time on the mound in Thursday's game against the San Francisco Giants. He pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed three hits, three walks and four earned runs while striking out seven. Luckily, the Padres offense came alive for the game and the team went on to win in extra innings, so Darvish was left with a no decision. Darvish has now allowed at least four earned runs in five of his last seven starts. He's had a rough second half of the season and as a result, he has a 4.21 ERA on the year. Fortunately, he's still maintaining a solid 1.07 WHIP and a 29.2% strikeout rate. His next and final start of the year will be on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish spun six innings while striking out seven during an 8-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. The 34-year-old allowed just one run on three hits and a walk during the quality start. Darvish generated 31 CSW on 99 pitches, and also saw an increase in spin rate on his primary pitches. The five-time All-Star is now 8-9 with a 3.95 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 174 strikeouts across 146 innings. He'll face the San Francisco Giants on the road during his next start.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish (back) will be activated from the 10-day injured list on Thursday and will start against the Dodgers, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. It had been reported on Wednesday that he was expected to return in time for this outing, but now this news is official. Darvish has been out for almost two weeks due to lower back tightness after going 7-7 with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP over 23 starts this season. He should have a good matchup with the Dodgers on Thursday, as he has gone 2-1 with a 1.35 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and 38.7 percent strikeout rate over 20 innings against Los Angeles this season. Make sure to slot him into your starting lineups.

San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish (back) is expected to come off of the injured list on Thursday and face the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported. Darvish has been on the IL for nearly two weeks with low back tightness. The 35-year-old right-hander has gone 7-7 with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP over 23 starts this season. In his last appearance against LA, Darvish allowed only one run on six hits over a six-inning outing.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish (back) went through a bullpen session and did pitchers fielding practice drills on Tuesday. The team is hopeful that he'll be able to be activated from the injured list to start Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, the team hasn't officially named him the starter for Thursday's game quite yet. Darvish has been on the injured list for nearly two weeks due to lower back tightness. Padres manager Jayce Tingler told reporters on Tuesday, "I think we're getting close to getting back into game action, but no date as of now or nothing to announce right now." Darvish has gone 7-7 with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP over 23 starts on the year. Expect for Tingler and the Padres to have an update on the plan for Darvish within the next 24 hours.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish (back) is expected to be activated from the injured list and make his next start sometime during the team's upcoming series with the Dodgers, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune. Darvish landed on the 10-day injured list following his last start in which he was forced to exit early due to lower back tightness. It looks like it will be a minimal stay for Darvish, who has been solid in his first season with San Diego by going 7-7 with a 3.70 ERA, 1.028 WHIP and 29.9 percent strikeout rate over 131 1/3 innings of work. It's unclear which day he'll be activated and start, but he should be back this week barring any setbacks. Managers should keep a close eye out for the announcement of when he'll start next.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish (back) threw a bullpen session on Friday, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reported. Darvish exited his last start due to lower back tightness but has so far avoided the 10-day injured list. The 35-year-old right-hander is 7-7 on the season with a 3.70 ERA, 1.028 WHIP, and 158 strikeouts over 131 1/3 innings. Throwing a bullpen is a good sign, so fantasy managers should keep an eye out for more potential updates this weekend.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish (back) is expected to be placed on the 10-day injured list, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune. Darvish had exited his last outing on Thursday due to lower back tightness. Over 23 starts with San Diego this season, Darvish is 7-7 with a 3.70 ERA, 1.028 WHIP and 29.9 percent strikeout rate over 131 1/3 innings of work. It's unclear just how long Darvish will be out, but it hopefully shouldn't require much over the minimum stay. Managers should keep an eye out for updates later in the week on his condition.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish left Thursday's start early with lower back tightness, according to the team. The 34-year-old was lit up before being pulled with two outs in the third, allowing five earned runs, six hits, one homer, and one walk while striking out four. The five-time All-Star spent time on the injured list in July with hip inflammation that also triggered back tightness, and this flare-up could mean he is not 100%. Darvish hasn't been himself over his past 15 starts, posting a 5.46 ERA and surrendering 15 homers. Fantasy managers should be prepared for a return to the injured list for the right-hander.

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish had a rough time on the mound in July. Over five starts, he posted a 7.36 ERA. He failed to post a quality start in any of his five outings and gave up a total of nine home runs over 25.2 innings. Darvish had been cruising all season before the calendar turned to July. His season-long numbers still look solid overall as he has a 3.48 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 29% strikeout rate over 21 starts. He has a 3.14 xERA that ranks in the 83rd percentile and he's done a good job of limiting walks with a 5.9% walk rate that ranks in the 84th percentile. Hopefully he'll be able to right the ship in his next trip to the mound on Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

A look at what’s happening around the majors Saturday: ___ EIGHT IS ENOUGH Joey Votto has homered in seven straight games and the Cincinnati Reds star can match a major league record by going deep against the New York Mets. Votto connected for a solo shot to center field off Mets reliever Drew Smith during Cincinnati's 6-2 victory Friday night at Citi Field. The six-time All-Star and 2010 NL MVP became the eighth player to homer in at least seven straight games and first since Kendrys Morales did it for the Toronto Blue Jays in August 2018. Dale Long (1956), Don Mattingly (1987) and Ken Griffey Jr. (1993) are the only players to go deep in eight consecutive games. Votto has nine homers and 15 RBIs during his streak, which began last Saturday and includes just one hit that wasn’t a home run — an infield single against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. ___ REVISED ROSTERS Plenty of big-name players are in different uniforms this weekend after a whirlwind of activity before MLB's trade deadline... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Held hitless into the eighth inning by Domingo Germán and looking feeble, Alex Verdugo and the Boston Red Sox suddenly erupted for five runs and stormed past the New York Yankees 5-4 Sunday. Verdugo opened the eighth with a long double for Boston’s first hit. Later, Kiké Hernández slid home headfirst on Xander Bogaerts’ sacrifice fly with the go-ahead run to cap the rally. The Red Sox won for the 10th time in 13 games against the Yankees and reclaimed first place in the AL East, a game ahead of Tampa Bay. New York fell nine games behind Boston. Boston trailed 4-0 when Verdugo doubled to deep right, and Germán was lifted after the hit. Jonathan Loaisiga (7-4) relieved, and Boston broke loose with four straight hits. Hunter Renfroe had an RBI double, Christian Vázquez singled home a run and Hernández followed with an RBI double, cutting it to 4-3. Zack Britton relieved and pinch-hitter Kevin Plawecki’s groundout plated the tying run. Hernández hustled hard and beat right fielder... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Held hitless into the eighth inning by Domingo Germán and looking feeble, Alex Verdugo and the Boston Red Sox suddenly erupted for five runs and stormed past the New York Yankees 5-4 Sunday. Verdugo opened the eighth with a long double for Boston’s first hit. Later, Kiké Hernández slid home headfirst on Xander Bogaerts’ sacrifice fly with the go-ahead run to cap the rally. The Red Sox won for the 10th time in 13 games against the Yankees and reclaimed first place in the AL East, a game ahead of Tampa Bay. New York fell nine games behind Boston. Boston trailed 4-0 when Verdugo doubled to deep right, and Germán was lifted after the hit. Jonathan Loaisiga (7-4) relieved, and Boston broke loose with four straight hits. Hunter Renfroe had an RBI double, Christian Vázquez singled home a run and Hernández followed with an RBI double, cutting it to 4-3. Zack Britton relieved and pinch-hitter Kevin Plawecki’s groundout plated the tying run. Hernández hustled hard and beat right fielder... [More]

July 26 1928 — Bob Meusel of the New York Yankees hit for the cycle for the third time in his career. The Yankees scored 11 runs in the top of the 12th to beat the Detroit Tigers 12-1 in 12 innings. 1939 — The New York Yankees tied a major league record by scoring in every inning against the St. Louis Browns. Bill Dickey hit three home runs in the 14-1 win. 1962 — Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves set the National League record for home runs by a pitcher when he hit his 31st off New York’s Craig Anderson. Spahn dealt the Mets their 11th straight loss with a 6-1 victory. 1970 — Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds hit three straight homers off Steve Carlton of the St. Louis Cardinals. On the same day, Orlando Cepeda of the Atlanta Braves connected for three consecutive homers in an 8-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs. 1984 — Pete Rose of the Montreal Expos tied Ty Cobb on the career singles list, No. 3,052, with a base hit in the eighth inning in a 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.... [More]

A look at what's happening around the majors today: ___ SHUFFLE OUTTA BUFFALO Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays are set to play their final home game in Buffalo when they host the Red Sox. The teams were rained out Tuesday and will make it up as part of a doubleheader Aug. 7 in Toronto. The Blue Jays will return to Toronto for a homestand beginning July 30 after the Canadian government granted them an exemption to the U.S.-Canada travel ban. The Blue Jays haven’t played at Rogers Centre since 2019 because of coronavirus protocols. Toronto began this season hosting home games at its spring training site in Dunedin, Florida. The Blue Jays then moved to Sahlen Field, home of their Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo, in June. ON A ROLL Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks (12-4, 3.65 ERA) tries for his 11th straight win when Chicago faces Adam Wainwright (7-6, 3.61) and the rival Cardinals in St. Louis. Hendricks is the first Cubs pitcher to go at least 12 consecutive starts without a loss since... [More]