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USATSI

If you're expecting an in-depth breakdown of how Jesus Luzardo fixed everything for good … I've got bad news for you. 

Part of the problem, of course, is that there wasn't an obvious explanation for why Luzardo was so bad in his previous two starts. Which means there doesn't seem to be an obvious explanation for why he was so much better Wednesday against the Cubs, one of the best lineups in the league. Coming off a two-start stretch where Luzardo gave up 21 runs in 5.2 innings, raising his ERA from 2.15 to 4.46, Luzardo limited the Cubs to just one run over six innings Wednesday while striking out 10 in one of his best starts of the season. 

Luzardo's velocity was up a little bit in this one, which is one of the first places we look when a player's performance fluctuates this wildly. But the thing is, that was also true two starts ago when the Blue Jays bombed him for 12 runs in 3.1 innings of work. So that hardly seems to be a satisfactory explanation. He did change his approach in this one, as he threw his four-seamer 46% of the time, up from 34% – though, ironically, that's not at all the change I think anyone would have suggested, as the four-seamer has been the worst pitch for Luzardo this season. 

But it worked for him Wednesday, and the only possible explanation I can come up with for his past three starts is that Luzardo was tipping his pitches. Watching the two bad starts, that was the best theory I could come up with for why he was so bad, and it's the best theory I can come up with for why Luzardo was so much better Wednesday without a significant change in the quality of the pitches he was throwing. Luzardo didn't comment specifically on anything he fixed, but of course, he wouldn't: If your opponents picked up on a tell for what pitch is coming, it wouldn't make a ton of sense to talk about how you fixed it.

I thought sitting Luzardo for this start was basically a must, given the matchup and how badly the previous two starts. But seeing him get back on track this emphatically makes it pretty easy to throw him right back into our lineups moving forward. Especially with a two-start week on the way with the first start coming against the Marlins. I can't guarantee Luzardo won't suddenly lose it again, but I do think we'll look back on those two starts as a total aberration for him.

Here's what else you need to know about from Wednesday's action around MLB: 

Thursday's waiver-wire targets

Jacob Misiorowski, SP, Brewers (62%) – We gave you the rundown on Misiorowski yesterday, so head here if you missed that. I'm just updating here to note that the Brewers seemingly confirmed Misiorowski will be hanging around with Aaron Civale moving to the bullpen. Obviously, Misiorowski has to perform to justify a spot in the rotation for a team that fancies itself a contender, but it's good to know he'll have that chance. Now the ball is in his court for his MLB debut against the Cardinals Thursday. It's one of the more exciting pitching debuts of the season. 

Marcelo Mayer, SS, Red Sox (53%) – Red Sox manager Alex Cora confirmed that he is comfortable keeping Mayer in a platoon for the time being, so he's going to have to hit his way into a bigger role. He hasn't necessarily done that so far, but he reminded us of his upside Wednesday, homering twice off Rays starter Zack Littell to power the Red Sox to a 4-3 win. Mayer is one of the team's top prospects, and they're going to have to give him a shot to play every day at some point, but balancing his development with the team's short-term winning goals is tough. He can make it easier by mashing when he's in the lineup. His current role makes Mayer tough to trust in Fantasy, but he's still worth stashing in most formats for the long-term upside. 

Clarke Schmidt, SP, Yankees (78%) – Schmidt got off to a pretty shaky start, allowing eight runs in his first two starts of the season, but he's been pretty good since then. After shutting the Royals out Wednesday over six innings he now has a 2.78 ERA over the past eight starts, with 48 strikeouts in 45.1 innings of work. The walk rate is still a bit too high (3.8 BB/9) in that stretch, but Schmidt continues to find success by leaning on his cutter and fading his more traditional fastballs, which helps him miss more bats and limit hard contact better. There are some platoon issues (14% walk rate against lefties) that limit how good Schmidt can be, but with a two-start week coming up next week against the Angels and Orioles, he should pretty much be in lineups everywhere.  

David Festa, SP, Twins (16%) – With Pablo Lopez and Zebby Matthews on the IL, I hope the Twins realize they need to give Festa a longer leash. He finished six innings for the first time Wednesday against the Rangers, though I'm not sure we can necessarily say that's because they've given him that leash just yet – he was just super efficient, finishing his six innings with just 86 pitches. The four strikeouts were a little disappointing, but a quick look under the hood shows that the upside is still definitely there, as he garnered 17 swings and misses on 45 swings, a strong total. Festa is still more theoretically interesting than actually useful right now, but I believe in the talent and I think he could be quite useful moving forward. Perhaps as soon as next week when he faces the Brewers and Reds in a two-start week. 

Ben Casparius, SP, Dodgers (23%) – Carrying success over from a bulk relief role to a starting one is no sure thing, but Casparius is going to get the chance. And based on what he's done so far this season, we have to be excited about that possibility. He wasn't dominant in his first start Wednesday against the Padres, but he wasn't bad, limiting a good Padres team to one run on three hits over four innings. For the season he's now down to a 2.86 ERA and, impressively, a 1.89 FIP, with a 26% strikeout rate and 5.1% walk rate. I'm not making any guarantees of stardom here, but with Casparius getting a chance in the Dodgers rotation, I think Fantasy players should give him a chance too.