Dustin May threw the best start of his career Monday night, completing a shutout against the San Diego Padres on just 101 pitches. He allowed one hit and one walk, both in the seventh inning, and struck out nine batters. It was not only the first complete game of his career but the first time he had even finished eight innings across 71 career games.
According to CBS Sports, May entered Monday rostered in 82 percent of CBS Fantasy Baseball leagues, a number that figures to climb after this performance.
The start pushed May's season-long ERA down to 3.75. His first two starts of the season were rough, with 13 runs allowed across them, but he has been a different pitcher since. Over his last 12 starts, he has posted a 2.54 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP while averaging more than six innings per outing. Over the past four starts specifically, May has struck out 33 batters in 27.2 innings, a stretch that points to a rising strikeout rate even without a significant change in his pitch mix.
Monday was not the only big performance of the night. Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs hit for a reverse natural cycle, going homer, triple, double, and single in order during a 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies. Crow-Armstrong is now hitting .277/.351/.493 on the season with a pace that projects to 29 home runs and 36 stolen bases. His walk rate has also ticked up, which CBS Sports noted may signal a more complete version of the player than fans have seen before.
Crow-Armstrong has spent his career running hot and cold. His line sat at .241/.307/.362 through March and April before the current surge. He remains universally rostered in fantasy leagues, so the performance changes little about how managers should approach him, but the improvement has been notable.
May's night stood out even in a crowd of strong performances. The complete game shutout came on a night CBS Sports described as one where there were too many big performances to highlight, an unusual situation for a Monday in baseball.
