Gavin Williams: Everything you need to know

Williams (3-1) earned the win against the Orioles on Saturday, allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out 11 across seven innings. Williams set the tone early by striking out four of the first five batters he faced. He limited the Orioles to just four baserunners, with his lone blemish coming in the fourth inning on a Leody Taveras solo homer, but Williams finished strongly by retiring the last 11 batters he faced. Williams generated a whopping 18 whiffs while tossing 73 strikes on 100 pitches, and it was the second time this season he posted 10-plus strikeouts. He has a 2.12 ERA and 1.01 WHIP over 29.2 innings, and his 40 punchouts lead the majors. He's lined up to face the Blue Jays in Toronto next weekend.

Williams (2-1) earned the win over St. Louis on Monday, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out four batters over five-plus innings. Williams was tagged for a run in the first inning but didn't allow another until serving up a leadoff homer to Jordan Walker in the sixth. Though he wasn't overly efficient, needing 93 pitches to complete five-plus frames, Williams pitched more than well enough to notch the win on a day when Cleveland gave him nine runs of support. The righty hurler began the campaign by giving up three runs over five innings in a loss, but since then Williams has surrendered just three earned runs across 17.2 frames spanning three starts. On the season, he has a 2.38 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 29:16 K:BB over 22.2 innings.

Williams did not factor into the decision Tuesday, allowing one run on one hit and five walks over 5.2 innings in a 2-1 win over the Royals. He struck out eight. The right-hander continues to showcase his strikeout stuff to open 2026 and now has at least seven strikeouts in each of his first three starts, but he's also issued at least three walks in each outing. Williams has surrendered just five total hits, and as a result, he's successfully walked the tightrope thus far with a 2.04 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. Fourteen walks through 19.2 frames to begin the season is hardly sustainable, however, so Williams will likely need to button up his command a bit in order to maintain his effectiveness.