Herz allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits over 3.2 innings in a no-decision Friday. He struck out five during a win over the Rockies.
All four runs against Herz came on three homers as he stumbled in his first career appearance at Coors Field. Entering Friday's start, he'd given up only one long ball through 14.1 innings to begin his MLB tenure. Herz fired a 13-strikeout quality start against Miami on June 15 but has totaled just 12 innings in his other three outings. He's sporting a 4.50 ERA with a strong 26:5 K:BB through 18 innings. Herz is in line for a start in San Diego next week.
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Nationals' DJ Herz: Dominates in first major-league win
Rotowire
Herz (1-1) earned the win against the Marlins on Saturday, allowing one hit and no walks while striking out 13 over six scoreless innings.
Herz was perfect other than a single by Jake Burger in the fifth and cruised to his first major-league win. In only his third career start, Herz registered a whopping 21 swinging strikes on 84 pitches. According to Sarah Langs of MLB.com, he is only the second pitcher in history to record 13 strikeouts and no walks in one of his first three career outings. Herz's minor-league 12.9 K/9 indicates he has real potential to rack up punchouts, and he now owns a 3.77 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in his 14.1 innings for the Nationals in 2024. He tentatively lines up to face the Rockies at Coors Field next week.
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Nationals' DJ Herz: Drawing another start
Rotowire
Herz is slated to start Sunday's game against Atlanta at Nationals Park, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
The rookie will get a tough draw in his second MLB start, as he'll not only oppose a formidable Atlanta offense in a hitter-friendly environment, but he'll also be matching up head-to-head with one of the National League's top pitchers in Max Fried. After getting called up from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, Herz took a loss in his big-league debut against the Mets last week, giving up four earned runs on seven hits and two walks over four innings.
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Cubs' DJ Herz: Whiffs career-high 12
Rotowire
Herz struck out a dozen Dayton hitters over five innings in his start Wednesday for High-A South Bend, allowing no runs on a hit and a hit by pitch. He now has a 1.45 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 53:17 K:BB across 37.1 innings.
Herz has been nearly impossible to hit in the minors going back to last season, as he allowed a composite batting average of .157 last year and has been even better with a microscopic .120 average against him this year. The main caveat for the 21-year-old is that Wednesday marked the first time in 10 starts this season that he's finished five innings, so he's never had to go through a lineup three times. His 4.1 BB/9 is a bit concerning as well. All in all, while Herz still has the potential to become a big-league starter, there's a strong probability that he ends up in a relief role -- but that's not necessarily a bad thing, as he could be a shutdown lefty out of the pen.
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Cubs' DJ Herz: Nice start at High-A
Rotowire
Herz struck out five and walked one in three scoreless innings in his season debut for High-A South Bend.
One of the Cubs' top pitching prospects, Herz also allowed just one hit in his season debut. If he can keep the walks in check, he could be a factor in the big-league rotation in 2023 or 2024. His premium stuff would also play up in relief.
