MLB

France’s two-run shot off Arizona righty Bryce Jarvis was more than enough offense for George Kirby and relievers Ryne Stanek and Andrés Muñoz, who allowed just one run on three hits combined in a low-scoring affair at T-Mobile Park. The 29-year-old slugger has gone deep twice in his las three games after going 21 consecutive contests without a round-tripper to open the season.

Muñoz got the call to protect a two-run lead in the final frame and needed just 11 pitches (eight strikes) to retire the side in order. The 25-year-old flamethrower has converted four of five save chances this season to accompany a solid 2.61 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 13/6 K/BB ratio across 10 1/3 innings (11 appearances).

Kirby authored arguably the most dominant performance of his career in this one, generating an eye-popping 23 swinging strikes -- including a staggering 18 whiffs on his four-seam fastball alone -- and finished with an elite 39 percent CSW. His fastball velocity was up 1.2 mph in this one from earlier this year to 96.4 mph and he gave up only three batted balls with an exit velocity over 91 mph over seven nearly-flawless frames. The 26-year-old righty has clearly shaken off a couple rough outings to open the year and has allowed just two runs over 18 innings in his last three starts since April 15. He’ll carry a respectable 4.18 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 38/4 K/BB ratio across 32 2/3 innings (six starts) into a challenging road tilt on Friday against the division-rival Astros.

Cecconi deserved a better fate than being saddled with a loss after limiting Seattle’s lineup to just a fifth-inning RBI single by Luke Raley over six frames. He induced 11 swinging strikes and finished with a solid 35 percent CSW. The 24-year-old righty has pitched well in a pair of starts since joining Arizona’s injury-depleted starting rotation last week and figures to continue taking the ball until further notice. He’s in line to face the Padres on Saturday in his next outing.

Santana’s 408-foot moonshot off Angels lefty José Cisnero gave Minnesota a commanding five-run lead at the time and sparked an eventual blowout. The 38-year-old on-base machine has homered in back-to-back games, but is still scuffling early on in his Twins debut, batting just .188 (15-for-83) with three homers and 10 RBI through 23 contests. He’s still playing regularly at first base, but is no longer really making an impact for fantasy purposes at this stage of his career.

The homer came off Twins starter Chris Paddack in the second inning of an eventual blowout loss. To his credit, Adell has displayed remarkably improved plate skills through 20 games this season, striking out just 21.6 percent of the time so far. The important caveat is that it’s still too early to make any definitive statements, but he’s clearly showing some improvement in the contact department. He’s up to three homers and five steals already and figures to continue (finally) playing everyday for Los Angeles. There’s definitely 20-homer, 20-steal upside, if his plate skills continue to improve.

Paddack received nine runs of support from Minnesota’s offense through four frames and was able to cruise to a relatively easy win, despite allowing eight hits, including a two-run homer to Jo Adell. He notched two strikeouts and only issued one walk. The 28-year-old righty generated some buzz with a strong spring, but simply hasn’t delivered so far with a bloated 5.88 ERA, 1.69 WHIP and 21/6 K/BB ratio across 26 innings (five starts). He’s simply not missing enough bats to be worthy of a fantasy roster spot, even in deeper mixed leagues. He’ll face the Red Sox on Friday at home in his next outing.

Soriano was mercifully lifted in the second inning after allowing eight of the 12 batters he faced to reach base safely on three hits, three walks and a pair of hit batters. The latest calamitous abbreviated outing casts some doubt on his long-term viability as a starter since he’s completed five innings just twice in four starts since April 10. The strikeouts have been there, but he’s simply too risky to trust for fantasy purposes at the moment. He’s in line to face the Guardians on Friday at Progressive Field his next time out.

Reynolds went deep off Giants lefty reliever Taylor Rogers in extra innings, going deep for the second time in his last four contests. He also has a pair of multi-hit performances during that span. The 29-year-old outfielder has been one of the most consistent five-category impact contributors in the fantasy landscape for years now and has shown zero signs of slowing down.

Soler hasn’t quite found his groove at the dish this season in his Giants debut, but Saturday’s extra-inning round-tripper off Pirates closer David Bednar -- his fifth long ball of the season -- might help get him going again. The 32-year-old slugger’s plate skills have been right in line with career norms, so it feels like only a matter of time before he really heats up.