Aces hit hard on ugly Sunday

Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY Sports | USATODAY

There have been better days to be an ace than Sunday.

Four Cy Young Award winners, a World Series MVP, and one Stephen Strasburg took the hill early Sunday afternoon. It did not go well for almost all of them.

A look at the vanquished No. 1 starters, and the greater meaning of their rough outings:

R.A. Dickey

Sunday: Gave up 10 hits, seven earned runs and two of Will Middlebrooks' three home runs in 4 2/3 innings of the Blue Jays' 13-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox.

Through two starts: 0-2, an 8.44 ERA and a 1.97 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) in 10 2/3 innings.

Cause for concern: Significant. Any player switching leagues always bears extra scrutiny. When it's a 38-year-old knuckleballer coming off what appears to be an unsustainable Cy Young season, that concern only increases. Is this the end of Dickey's Cinderella run? Way too early to say that, of course. But he will be facing tougher lineups - like the Red Sox - with greater frequency, a factor that will only exacerbate woes brought on by the iffy command of his knuckler.

David Price

Sunday: Gave up 10 hits and eight earned runs in five innings of the Rays' 13-0 loss to the Indians

Through two starts: 0-2, an 8.18 ERA and 17 hits given up in 11 innings.

Cause for concern: Moderate. Price was the AL ERA champion (2.56) in winning the 2012 Cy Young Award, and also gave up just 173 hits in his 211 innings. It would stand to reason he'd iron out whatever ails him soon. His hits allowed per nine innings the past three seasons (7.3, 7.7, 7.4) speak to a consistency that should return soon.

Cole Hamels

Sunday: Gave up nine hits and eight earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of a 9-4 Phillies loss to the Royals.

Through two starts: 0-2, 10.97 ERA, 16 hits allowed in 10 2/3 innings.

Cause for concern: Moderate. Not so much for Hamels' sake - like Price, he's a lefty seemingly in his prime who should figure it out. No, the concern moreso is for the Phillies at large. With Roy Halladay appearing a shell of his former self - a national TV audience will see his third start Monday, against the Mets - the Phillies need Hamels and Cliff Lee to be nothing less than outstanding almost every time out. Now there's no dodging the fact Hamels is out of the gate slowly, as well.

Justin Verlander

Sunday: Gave up three runs and seven hits in 7 1/3 innings of a 7-0 loss to the Yankees.

Through two starts: 1-1, 2.19 ERA.

Cause for concern: None. It was just rather jarring to see the pop-gun Yankees offense get to Verlander for three runs in the second inning Sunday. He was all zeroes after that.

Stephen Strasburg

Sunday: Gave up nine hits and six earned runs in 5 1/3 innings of a 6-3 loss to the Reds.

Through two starts: 1-1, 4.38 ERA, eight strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings.

Cause for concern: Minimal. Sunday, baseball fans wanting to see the limitations removed from Strasburg got their wish: Nationals manager Davey Johnson allowed Strasburg to throw 114 pitches and later called him "my horse." Alas, Strasburg's final pitch turned into an RBI single for Brandon Phillips, ending Strasburg's day. He showed great efficiency in his first start, striking out three in seven shutout innings. Sunday, he got into more trouble and thus dialed up his power stuff a little more, striking out five Reds. Strasburg, 24, is still figuring out how best to harness his exceptional stuff; it figures that will occur as the season goes on, and it may be something to behold.

Matt Cain

Sunday: Gave up seven hits and nine earned runs in 3 2/3 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Through two starts: 0-1 (presumably), 8.38 ERA.

Cause for concern: Minimal. Cain pitched six shutout innings in his first start of the season, making Sunday's outing look like more of a blip. He could always blame it on the gold uniforms.