Rogers, Howard pile up punchouts

Two of the most promising pitchers of the NL East put their stuff on display in Wednesday matinees, striking out a combined 11 over 8 1/3 innings.

Trevor Rogers, a 2017 first-rounder, continued his dominant start to the year by whiffing eight over seven innings in the Marlins' 3-0 shutout of the Orioles. He permitted four hits and walked one. The 23-year-old left-hander has amassed 31 strikeouts and walked 10 over 22 innings this year, and he's 2-1 with a 1.64 ERA.

Wednesday's marked his second scoreless turn in four starts, and his longest outing as a Major Leaguer (and the longest by any Miami pitcher this year). He worked around a one-out hit by Pedro Severino in the second by fanning two straight, then picked up two more K's over the next couple innings. After Maikel Franco led off the seventh with a homer, Rogers buckled down to get one fly out and two grounders.

Rogers' fastball topped out at 96.1 mph, according to Statcast, but it hit higher than 95 10 times. He threw 60 of 82 pitches for strikes.

Meanwhile, Spencer Howard dazzled out of the bullpen in the Phillies' 6-5 win over the Giants. Making his second appearance of the year, Philadelphia's top prospect (and No. 35 overall) struck out three over 1 1/3 perfect innings of relief. Entering with runners on the corners and two outs in the seventh, Howard got Buster Posey to pop out in foul territory, then struck out the side in the eighth.

The 24-year-old righty threw six pitches 97 mph or faster, topping out at 98.2 and tossing 15 strikes and six balls. In total this year, he's allowed a run on two hits and a walk, punching out four over 2 1/3 innings.

More notable performances from rookies on Wednesday:

Tyler Stephenson, C, CIN (MLB No. 84)
Something about the home crowd agrees with Stephenson, who singled, doubled and scored twice during his second multi-hit performance of 2021. His ninth-inning double looked to be a game-winning knock, but Mark Payton was thrown out at the plate to end the frame. The 24-year-old is 9-for-18 with two extra-base hits and five RBIs in five games at Great American Ball Park. Overall, Stephenson has hit safely in seven of his 10 appearances and is batting .385/.448/.538 this season. Gameday ?

Mickey Moniak, OF, PHI
The No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 Draft achieved a milestone, swatting a three-run dinger off San Francisco right-hander Anthony DeSclafani for his first Major League home run. The jack came in the second inning, as Moniak drilled a 3-2 sinker off the bat at 103.9 mph. He's 2-for-18 over six games this year. More ?

Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B/SS, MIA
Another day, another chance for Chisholm to show all the ways he can beat the other team. The 23-year-old middle infielder singled twice -- once to right, once to left -- and netted his fourth stolen base of the season, also playing a solid second base for nine innings. Chisholm has a .326/.439/.630 slugging percentage with three homers over 15 games this year. Gameday ?

Pavin Smith, 1B/OF, ARI
Batting leadoff for the second time this season, Smith collected a season-high three hits, scored twice and walked in the completion of Tuesday's suspended game with the Reds. The seventh overall pick in the 2017 Draft lined a single to center leading off the game, rapped base knocks to right in the second and fourth innings and walked in the eighth. Gameday ?

Nick Maton, SS, PHI
Slotted in as the Phillies' starting shortstop for a third consecutive day, Maton enjoyed his best performance as a big leaguer. The 24-year-old rapped out three singles and scored during Philadelphia's comeback victory. Promoted to the Majors Monday, Maton has gone 5-for-12 with a double and an RBI through his first three games. Gameday ?

Ian Anderson, RHP, ATL
Pitching in front of friends and family, the upstate New York native blanked the Yankees on four hits across a season-high 6 2/3 innings to pick up his first victory of the year. The 22-year-old tossed only two clean innings thanks to four walks and left with the bases loaded in the seventh but with help from the bullpen managed to toss his first scoreless outing since last Sept. 12. Anderson's ERA stands at 3.27 after four starts. More ?

Andrew Young, 2B, ARI
Having entered the game during a double switch one-half inning earlier, Young made the most of his lone plate appearance Tuesday night prior to the suspension of the D-backs' game with the Reds completed Wednesday. The 26-year-old tied the contest a 115.9 mph homer leading off the eighth, a shot that traveled an estimated 414 feet. More ?

Seth Brown, OF, OAK
Brown did his part in a wild, back-and-forth affair to help the A's extend their winning streak to 11 games. The 28-year-old belted a two-run homer, singled twice, scored two times and drew a key walk to spur Oakland's game-winning rally in the 10th. Brown's second straight multi-hit effort lifted his season average to .300, largely on the strength of a 7-for-17 stretch over his last five games that includes two long balls and four RBIs. Gameday ?

J.B. Bukauskas, RHP, ARI
Bukauskas picked the right time for his Major League debut. Entering the game with two on and two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the right-hander needed just five pitches to get out of the inning, retiring Nick Senzel on a flyout left. Bukauskas wouldn't throw another pitch but earned the first win of his career when Arizona rallied for two runs in the next frame. Gameday ?

Peter Solomon, RHP, HOU
Solomon worked around a single and registered the first two strikeouts of his Major League career during a scoreless inning of relief against the Rockies. The 24-year-old got Sam Hilliard swinging at a 94-mph fastball to begin the eighth and ended the framed by freezing Ryan McMahon on a 2-2 pitch. Solomon was optioned to Houston's alternate training site after the club's loss. Gameday ?