Jose Fernandez averaged two strikeouts per inning against the Mets Sunday afternoon and the game between aces did not disappoint. Matt Harvey allowed one run in seven innings, walking none and striking out three. Jose Fernandez also did not walk a batter, struck out 14 of the 25 men he faced, and did not allow a run. The bullpens did their jobs, and the Marlins take the game 1-0. With Washington winning, the Marlins remain four games out of first place, but are just two games behind the Mets for second place in the NL East.

Fernandez now owns 110 strikeouts in 74 2/3 innings, 13.26 K per nine. If you look at his strikeouts per Marlins game, it works out to 1.93 per game. Over 162 games, that would be about 312 strikeouts. That would beat Kershaw’s 301 of last season. That was the first 300 K season since 2002. The strikeout rate for pitcher as climbed so high that even with the reduced workload, starters once again have a shot at that level. At this point, Fernandez’s Tommy John surgery appears to have been quite successful.