467358920 yy 2Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Saturday game. I apologize for the jokes written in my delirium in advance. Have questions? Ask me during my office hours on Playback.tv weekday mornings from 10 am-12 pm ET.
Bryce Elder (ATL) @ SFG (ND) – 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 12 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 107 pitches.
The summer is coming and Bryce Elder is breathing in the air like it’s 2023 once again after putting on a clinic against the Giants with a startling 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 12 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 107 pitches (ND) performance. This was such a glorious Gold Star that I feel like he deserves platnimum for his efforts, but we ain’t got that cash lying around. Next time, Elder.
Wait, we’re starting him next time? Uhhhh, he was spotting his sinker to RHB down-and-away with ease and pairing it with the slider, mixed with sinkers/changes away to LHB and sliders picking up the rest. So? He’s done that before and we don’t trust it. Oh, right. He gets Rockie Road up next. FIRE UP THE FAAB! Wait, wait, wait, I’m not sure you want Elder for much more than that. It’s the same guy as always – sinkers and sliders without much else – and he’s a discount Brady Singer for a team that just blew another save. Grab him for next time, sure, but the Mets twice + Phils after are touch calls. He isn’t a wizard all of a sudden.
Let’s see how every other SP did Saturday:
Jacob deGrom (TEX) @ WSN (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 81 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. You know he’s comfortably over 70 IP now, right? With an ERA near 2.00 and a sub 1.00 WHIP. That’s deGOAT alright.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) @ STL (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 94 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. The cutter is here to stay with 70%+ strikes and 15 thrown, and it makes for a much more complete arm. It would be more complete with high heaters for strikeouts. RIGHT?!
Stephen Kolek (SDP) @ MIL (ND) – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 88 pitches.
Hot dang, look at you! Sure, the Brewers aren’t the toughest crew around and you worked around a quartet of free passes with Koufax smiling down at you, but results are results. And aren’t so predictive of future performance. Amen to that. It’s the Sneks + Dodgers next. Like a giant fire alarm button, don’t push it.
Erick Fedde (STL) vs LAD (ND) – 5.1 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 99 pitches.
Hot dang, look at you! I’m glad your cutters could find outs as you played keep-away with sinkers, sweepers, and changeups. He should be okay as a streamer for @MIL and a stroll down the Reds Carpet after.
Jameson Taillon (CHC) @ DET (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 84 pitches.
I gotta say, it’s pretty awesome watching Taillon have all this success with a changeup – a pitch he struggled to get a feel for across many seasons of his career. He went BSB with it and the four-seamer to LHB to cruise seven frames, though we should note that it was a second straight game without the sweeper feel. The Pirates + Brewers are next and that questionable sweeper is like a screen door on a submarine. It ain’t gonna stop this wave.
Clay Holmes (NYM) @ COL (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 37% CSW, 95 pitches.
A Gallows Pole for Holmes in the Colorado environment?! You love to see it. I didn’t know you could make Adobes so thin. He amped up his slider usage massively, destroying their LHB batters with the pitch down-and-in for 9/27 whiffs and it was beautiful. I wonder if that sticks against the Rays.
Andrew Heaney (PIT) vs PHI (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 73 pitches.
Heaney leaned hard into four-seamers and sliders on the inner-half to his heavy dosage of RHB and it paid off. That’s cool. Not enough to roll with him against the Cubs and Tigers, sadly.
Adrian Houser (CHW) vs KCR (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 92 pitches.
YOU CAN’T LEAVE THIS HOUSER. Okay, he got away with many heaters over the plate (Blame it on the Royals) but still, this has been a fun Vargas Rule and I think I’m going for it one more time in a revenge game against the Rangers. Why didn’t you want me? WHY DIDN’T YOU WANT ME?! Houser is the perfect showcase of what extension at 94+ mph can do for you.
Mitchell Parker (WSN) vs TEX (L) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 83 pitches.
Blame it on the Rangers. I like Parker’s heater n all, but it really shouldn’t be this good at generating outs when he’s not locating it perfectly or at higher than 93 mph or without more than the splitter/curve he’s featuring. That said, he did keep both secondaries low for 67%+ strikes between them, and I’d love to see him replicate that moving forward as a baseline. Now we have a sneaky stream for two weeks with the Marlins (terrible against LHP) and Rockie Road ahead. That’s a good play in 15-teamers and maybe your 12-teamers, too.
Nick Martinez (CIN) vs ARI (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 102 pitches.
Ayyyy, nice job Martinez. I’m not loving it overall and consider you more of a 12-teamer Toby with a bench in shallower leagues against the Tigers next, but I’m happy for you here.
Hunter Brown (HOU) @ CLE (ND) – 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 5 BBs, 9 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 101 pitches.
I’m falling for Brown’s ability to jam his sinker inside to RHB while upset that he still doesn’t have a good secondary pitch for whiffs. Y’all have wanted me to give him AGA but that’s a near 1.70 WHIP. Can’t do that.
Jose Quintana (MIL) vs SDP (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 101 pitches.
Oh jeez, this is Vargas Rule, isn’t it? I guess we’re streaming against the Cardinals in 15-teamers and possibly in 12-teamers too. That sinker feel with curves to LHB was solid + the changeup was generally down-and-away to RHB. I guess that’s good enough?
Tyler Holton (DET) vs CHC (L) – 1.1 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 21 pitches.
Holton opened for Keider Montero, who was efficient, but gave allowed the runs expected in a date with the Cubs – 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 69 pitches. He’s the same slider-focused arm who breaks the Huascar Rule. We move on.
Ranger Suárez (PHI) @ PIT (L) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 97 pitches.
Despite allowing a longball off the changeup, I still loved it down-and-away to RHB and his overall feel is what we want it to be. You may want to be cautious against the LHP-slaying Jays, but I think I’m still going after it. He’s pitching that well.
Chris Paddack (MIN) vs TOR (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 86 pitches.
For a day without feel on his split-changeup, that’s a pretty dang good result. The harder/cutter-esque slider is still here and it returned four outs and just one hit on 67% strikes across 18 thrown, and I’m here for it. That’s a better tool for Paddack to get through games than the loopier hit-or-miss version. Just like this one? Yes! Just like this one. Atta boy Sherriff.
Logan Webb (SFG) vs ATL (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 10 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 100 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. The changeup let him down a bit against LHB, but whatever. He’s dope and makes us feel dope for rostering him.
Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) @ CIN (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 72 pitches.
He spotted changeups well and the fastball was fine. Not a whole lot else going on here and I’d avoid against the Mariners and Jays next.
Kevin Gausman (TOR) @ MIN (ND) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 104 pitches.
Uhhhh, 5/36 whiffs and 53% strikes on the splitter?! Gausman, please, get those fingers back in the right spot to let the drop return and give us a little better in future outings. K (x8) thx.
Nick Lodolo (CIN) vs ARI (ND) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 86 pitches.
Another tough matchup, another solid performance from Lodolo with a PQS. We want a little more juice, though he’s still living around the zone better than ever with a full three pitch mix. I dig it and facing @CLE next should make us all happy.
Michael Wacha (KCR) @ CHW (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 95 pitches.
Changeup was fantastic per usual and a pair of longballs on other offerings did him in. So it goes, this is really one of those HR away from being a strong outing.
Gavin Williams (CLE) vs HOU (ND) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 92 pitches.
I’m still shocked Gavin can’t figure out a world where he’s able to pump four-seamers like he did before and feature the cutter as a #2 pitch, but alas, he’s now become cutter-focused with the four-seamer taking a back seat. Oh, and at 6.6 feet extension (not seven feet) and 95/96 mph (not 97+ mph). One step forward, one step back. IT’S RIGHT THERE. There’s little chance this cutter will disappear moving forward, making me optimistic that the fastball will step back up in time. Keep the faith.
Ryan Weathers (MIA) @ TBR (ND) – 3.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 57 pitches.
Before he even threw a pitch, Weathers was struck in the head by his catcher on his warmup throw down to second. WELCOME TO FANTASY BASEBALL. It explains the velocity drop of two ticks and I’m kinda shocked they didn’t just remove him right away. Marlins, what are you doing over there. No word on his next start as of now, but if he doesn’t hit the IL, then we roll with it.
Germán Márquez (COL) vs NYM (L) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 79 pitches.
Ehhhh, we’ve seen worse from Germán. That’s it? If the Colorado front office doesn’t make an effort, WHY SHOULD I?!
Luis Castillo (SEA) @ LAA (L) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 95 pitches.
Blegh. Another start focusing on four-seamers and changeups and the Angels are a tough team to overcome at the moment. Fortunately, it’s a good enough schedule ahead that the decision to hold is already made for you. At least he’s comfortably sitting 95/96 mph.
Jack Kochanowicz (LAA) vs SEA (ND) – 3.1 IP, 4 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 75 pitches.
Yeaaaah, let’s not. I’ll let you know when I think The Jack of One Trade is acting like a Master of One.
Charlie Morton (BAL) @ ATH (ND) – 2.1 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 76 pitches.
Womp womp. It’s pretty clear you can avoid Morton, yeah? Cool.
Garrett Crochet (BOS) @ NYY (W) – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 37% CSW, 97 pitches.
Aces gonna earn a King Cole with a Dusty Donut as he’s sure to want some of those pitches back. But..what’s this? No. It can’t be. OVER SEVEN FEET OF EXTENSION. Wow, he found it. He actually got it back after over two months of 6.6 feet of extension, Crochet was 7.1 feet on his four-seamer and it helped the pitch return, oh I don’t know, 47.5% CSW. If it weren’t for Wells returning 4 RBI off Crochet, this would have been a super-stud outing and I’m obviously having regrets suggesting Crochet should be dealt. That said, he’s had increased extension for two starts but with just one over seven feet now, it’s possible it goes away after this one. It was Red Sox vs Yankees, after all.
Luis Severino (ATH) vs BAL (L) – 5.2 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 4 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 107 pitches.
Sevy pitches horribly in Sacré Verde (who doesn’t?), but you may find some value in Kansas City next time out.
Taj Bradley (TBR) vs MIA (ND) – 4.0 IP, 7 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 77 pitches.
Bradley’s last three starts have been the full “HISPTER” experience. Good luck figuring out the good days from the bad.
Ryne Nelson (ARI) @ CIN (L) – 3.0 IP, 7 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 77 pitches.
Oh no. Nelson struggled to get his four-seamer in the zone with many non-competitive pitches, allowing batters to sit heater comfortably and they punished them at 94/95 mph (not 95/96 mph). Let’s take the next two games off and return for the CrySox after that, alright?
Ryan Yarbrough (NYY) vs BOS (L) – 4.0 IP, 8 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 67 pitches.
Yeaaaah, that’s kinda more like we expected for The Fratty Pirate. Not saying everything before was a complete fluke, but we knew he wasn’t a sudden stud of found money. And that’s fine. If you were able to plunder some Wins with Yarbrough before he walked the plank, then you’ve made off like a bandit. He’ll get Fenway next followed by LHP-crushing Angels and this is a clear drop.
Game of the Day
Spencer Strider vs. Landen Roupp – Can Strider act like an ace at 95 mph? Is Roupp a consistent starter to trust?
But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.
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Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)
