Fantasy Baseball SP Roundup: Oh, Panada!

Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Wednesday 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.  

Patrick Sandoval (LAA) vs PHI (L) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 10 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 102 pitches.

Some days, a surprise pitcher has a stupid good game and I feel the need to pull the brakes on everyone’s train. Tonight is yet another one of those this week with Patrick Sandoval (aka The Irish Panda aka The Irish Panada) returning a monstrous 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 10 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 102 pitches line against the Phillies. Sure, he was handed a loss, but hot dang, you’re likely wondering if this is the post-hype breakout we’ve been waiting for.

The biggest focus for me has been Sandoval’s secondaries, with a larger emphasis on sliders and changeups. It’s rare to find a night where both offerings do what they should and this was a glaring exception with 10 slider called strikes in concert with seven whiffs on changeups + curveballs. We can point to better fastball locations to set up the secondaries, and it’s possible Sandoval has found a way to live in the zone with his changeup, curve, and slider while keeping his fastball out of the way.

I doubt it. Even with the Pirates next, I wouldn’t bank on Sandoval landing a groove that demands a pickup off the wire. He’s been a volatile arm for ages and one start does not change that. Oh, Sandoval, you minx. You got the headline reference wrong. You chose the wrong headline. I DID NO SUCH THING.

 

Let’s see how every other SP did Wednesday:

 

Shota Imanaga (CHC) @ NYM (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 87 pitches.

Aces gonna ace. Even on a night with a tick lower velocity, Shōta dominated. I’m still hoping to see his slider become a larger weapon, but hot dang – IM AN AGA is truly living up to his name.

Luis Gil (NYY) @ BAL (W) – 6.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 95 pitches.

Despite throwing fewer changeup & slider strikes than you’d guess for a guy going 95 pitches with just one walk against the Orioles, Gil made it work and nearly went a full seven. Wild, I know. He’ll get the Astros next and I’m still tepid there, though an evening with the Rays should be an absolute delight thereafter.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) @ ARI (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 94 pitches.

Aces gonna ace. No, I don’t quite understand how he gets away with his four-seamer. Yes, I’m still yelling at him to ELEVATE YOUR FOUR-SEAMER. Thanks for asking.

Graham Ashcraft (CIN) @ SDP (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 99 pitches.

Oh snap, he was able to get cutters actually low in the zone more often than usual, though the ones he left middle were tattered for hits. Meanwhile his slider went 8/28 whiffs and there’s your ballgame. I’m not letting him loose against the Sneks given his innate volatility, sadly, but I sure hope to be wrong there.

Colin Rea (MIL) vs TBR (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 99 pitches.

Blame it on the Rays. I get it, he had a poor outing against the Yankees, but has allowed just five ER total in his five other starts, and you feel like Rea deserves more attention for it. Did you realize Rea held a 50% ICR on his sinker before this outing? Or was it his cutter? Oh wait, IT WAS BOTH. Those pitches returned called strikes here instead of getting swatted into play and it wouldn’t be wise to expect that trend to stick.

Ross Stripling (OAK) vs PIT (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 79 pitches.

It’s all kinds of boring and let’s be happy the Athletics are still capable of earning a Win. It’s the little things.

Trevor Williams (WSN) @ TEX (W) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 79 pitches.

#NeverTrevor. Nah, three strikeouts and a 1.80 WHIP should make it even easier to avoid Trevor entirely.

Erik Miller (SFG) @ BOS (ND) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 18 pitches.

We saw Miller open for 2.2 innings of Daulton Jefferies and that’s it. That’s the blurb.

Seth Lugo (KCR) @ TOR (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 101 pitches.

This performance didn’t seem exceptional and yet, that’s one h*ck of a line at the end of the day. That’s 17 strikeouts in two starts after returning just 14 across his first five. I wouldn’t get too seduced here.

Andrew Heaney (TEX) vs WSN (L) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 74 pitches.

Hot dang, look at you! The streaming pick of the day came through with another showing of legit BSB execution. Yes, I’d run it back against the Athletics next, too. He’s possibly finding a groove with a lovely array of secondaries.

Kenta Maeda (DET) vs STL (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 79 pitches.

So this looks like Maeda is hitting his stride, and yet we can also point at the struggling Cardinals offense + So. Many. Terrible. Sliders. I’m not buying it (velocity was better, but still under 91 mph) and wouldn’t take the gamble against the Guardians next.

Roddery Muñoz (MIA) vs COL (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 82 pitches.

Ayyyyy, it worked! And was a pretty clear Blame it on the Rockies! Roddery’s command was pretty shaky, though the Rockies did oblige him far more than expected. I’m not sure we see Muñoz again, but if we do, it would likely be against the Dodgers. So I want to avoid this. You want to avoid this.

José Buttó (NYM) vs CHC (L) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 95 pitches.

Another solid outing from Buttó as he’s called into the Toby tier after struggling for a hot moment. The Cards are next and this is still Vargas Rule territory.

Chris Sale (ATL) @ SEA (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks – 21 Whiffs, 39% CSW, 100 pitches.

Hot dang, look at you! A Golden Goal for sale with 9 strikeouts for good measure and I’m starting to wonder if he deserves an AGA tag soon. I don’t think this goes poorly for trusting managers across the year, but if the changeup can be a major pitch for him moving forward, he could look like his vintage self and dominate.

Zack Wheeler (PHI) @ LAA (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 106 pitches.

Aces gonna ace. Not his most efficient start, and when you experience Wheeler at his “worst”, you’ll be thrilled to experience his “best.”

Emerson Hancock (SEA) vs ATL (L) – 3.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 77 pitches.

This came with four extra unearned runs, which makes a whole lot of sense given the rest of his line. Hancock did his best to survive with four-seamers (yes, I know, his sinker is best) and sliders, and what I see is an arm who is likely heading back to Triple-A with Bryan Woo returning shortly. Maybe he’s a Toby down the road, but not today.

Kutter Crawford (BOS) vs SFG (W) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 92 pitches.

He’s mostly three-pitch these days with kutter, four-seamer, and sweeper, and each did its part, mostly landing gloveside exclusively. I don’t think we’re at a place to confidently start him against Atlanta, though. That one is up to you.

Justin Verlander (HOU) vs CLE (ND) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 97 pitches.

Zero whiffs on anything outside of his four-seamer and that should make you concerned about his strikeout potential. Welp, we’re starting him for the Wins and ratios, anyway, so who cares, we let it fllllyyyy.

Triston McKenzie (CLE) @ HOU (ND) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 90 pitches.

His curve earned nine whiffs and he’s sitting 91/92 mph these days. Wait, so he’s okay? Honestly? I don’t know. I feel like the velocity dip is a problem + his curveball was only good today and could disappear again tomorrow. Suitman whispers into my ear The Tigers?! AND CRYSOX?! Jeeeeez McKenzie has all the good matchups to help him find his footing. The fates are kind with this one.

Joe Musgrove (SDP) vs CIN (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 87 pitches.

THERE WE GO. Things fell into place here for Musgrove with his cutters and four-seamers merging with sliders and curves both in and out of the zone. Featuring an uptick in velocity was the real winner here and I hope this is the start of many corrections to the oddity that was Musgrove’s April.

Corbin Burnes (BAL) vs NYY (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 95 pitches.

Aces gonna ace. I can’t believe Oswaldo Cabrera hit that cutter in-and-off the plate for a two-run shot. BASEBALL AIN’T FAIR Y’ALL.

Quinn Priester (PIT) @ OAK (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 97 pitches.

I do appreciate that Priester is trying to make it work with his curve and slider and that’s ultimately a decent 3.00 ERA, but a 1.50 WHIP against the Athletics with just 3 strikeouts ain’t worth it. I’m good, Quinn. I’m good.

Dakota Hudson (COL) @ MIA (L) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 78 pitches.

Yep, that’s a Hudson line. COL story, bro.

Chris Flexen (CHW) vs MIN (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 92 pitches.

Hey that’s not terrible! And he gets the Rays next! Weird Flexen, but okay…

Chris Bassitt (TOR) vs KCR (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 92 pitches.

I know, you want better than a PQS, but the rest is solid + he’s sitting 1-2 ticks harder on everything. Just keep starting the fella and trust that the end-of-season numbers will be where they should be.

Miles Mikolas (STL) @ DET (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 101 pitches.

A PQS is as good as you could have realistically hoped for from Mikolas. Despite his name’s plurality, he just doesn’t go the extra mile.

Zach Eflin (TBR) @ MIL (L) – 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 88 pitches.

Blegh. It’s a Philly and you need more than this from Eflin. Just 4/12 curveball strikes showcase an Eflin that’s a shell of his former self, covered in seaweed, battered by the incessant tug of the ocean. The salt was welcome at first, but now it haunts me in my own home. The longing for normalcy has since morphed into an acceptance of insignificance. Dude, he can have his curve back next time and life is fine. THE SHELL IS LIFE.

Bailey Ober (MIN) @ CHW (W) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 82 pitches.

Ummmm, Ober isn’t locating his four-seamer at the top of the zone nearly as often as he did last year. Can ya please make that the focus for your next outing? But it returned a 41% CSW. Okay, that’s fair and the cutter was more to blame, but still. It’s weird for Ober not to have that pitch as he used to – only 33% usage doesn’t seem right.

Jordan Montgomery (ARI) vs LAD (L) – 3.0 IP, 6 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 63 pitches.

He’s a pitcher who needs to pull off the Neckbeard approach against a team like the Dodgers. Spoiler alert: He didn’t. The Bear doesn’t have good enough stuff to power through it otherwise and we move on….with a start in Cin City. Not great, but still better than this.

 

Game of the Day

 

Edward Cabrera vs. Colorado Rockies – I just want ECab to go ham and make us all stoked to roster him.

But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.

Have Questions? – Join my morning Playback.tv livestream! I answer all questions there for free: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET Monday through Friday.

Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire | Featured Image by Ethan Kaplan (@DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)