2014 Fantasy Baseball: 5 Takeaways from Dodgers and Padres on Opening Day

2014 Fantasy Baseball: 5 Takeaways from Dodgers and Padres on Opening Day

Dodgers-Padres
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Padres commenced a late-game comeback and defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-1 in the first Sunday Night Baseball game of the 2014 season. While it's only the first game, there was a lot of fantasy news to take away from this game. The starting pitching performances were great, resulting in some top hitters struggling. Here are the top five fantasy items to takeaway from the game.

Andrew Cashner Holds His Own

Andrew Cashner
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Andrew Cashner Holds His Own

Andrew Cashner
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

As the Padres No. 1 starter, Andrew Cashner was keeping up with his opponent. In his first start of the season, he threw six innings of one-run ball. Of his 96 pitches thrown, 67 were strikes (70 percent). He kept the powerful Dodgers hitters off base (more on that later) and struck out five batters. He has a lot of upside and is a nice sleeper for the rest of the year. Pick him up if he's still available.

Brian Wilson Blows The Lead

Brian Wilson
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Brian Wilson Blows The Lead

Brian Wilson
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The former San Francisco Giants closer came in relief on Sunday, but Brian Wilson didn't pitch well. He threw 25 pitches, only 12 were strikes. Wilson blew the lead for the Dodgers, allowing three runs on two hits and was unable to record an out. If you had Hyun-Jin Ryu on your team, you must be furious at Wilson. If he's expected to be the setup guy for Kenley Jansen, then he has to work on his command.

Huston Street Dominates the 9th

Huston Street
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Huston Street Dominates the 9th

Huston Street
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Huston Street has been a consistent closer for the Padres over the last two seasons. With the Padres, he has a 2.35 ERA and recorded 56 saves. He picked up his first save of the 2014 season on Sunday. Street was effective and made quick work of the Dodgers in the ninth inning. He threw only 11 pitches and nine of them were called strikes. With that kind of work rate, Street could be a top-10 closer at the end of the year.

Hyun-Jin Ryu is a Star

Hyun-Jin Ryu
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Hyun-Jin Ryu is a Star

Hyun-Jin Ryu
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

With Clayton Kershaw on the DL, Hyun-Jin Ryu filled in for the Dodgers as the Opening Day starter. He pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out seven. Manager Don Mattingly pulled Ryu after seven innings because he's pitching in five days, but Ryu was only at 88 pitches thrown. Maybe if he left him in for the eighth, the Dodgers would have won. Regardless, Ryu is a top-tier pitcher with a great fastball and command of his pitches.

Dodgers Power Hitters Fail to Produce

Yasiel Puig
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Dodgers Power Hitters Fail to Produce

Yasiel Puig
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

If you don't want to blame Wilson for the loss, you can definitely blame the middle of the Dodgers lineup. The No. 2 through No. 5 hitters (Yasiel Puig, Hanley Ramirez, Adrian Gonzalez and Andre Ethier) went a combined 0-for-15 with four strikeouts. Granted it is the first game, but these are the hitters the Dodgers are relying on to help win the division. Puig and Ramirez were drafted highly and cannot struggle for their fantasy owners.


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