Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Tuesday 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.
Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) @ CIN (W) – 9.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 99 pitches.
Those of y’all who get the dumb video game roundup title, thank you. For the heavy majority of y’all, I want to share some love for Nathan Eovaldi, who gave us our first Maddux of the season via 9.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 99 pitches as he shut out the Reds in Cincy. We saw an improved Eovaldi in his first start and the gains continued with his curveball still returning an absurd CSW at 52%, but now the splitter came alive at 10/36 whiffs. Things are beautiful, eh? Well, not entirely.
The heater fell to just 93.5 mph, down two ticks from last year. Paired with heavily suspect command, I do wonder whether something is at play. I don’t care a whole lot if the cutter can take over as it did here + the curve/splitter continue to be stupid great, but that was the worst fastball I’ve seen from Eovaldi in a long time. Weird, right? Welp, there’s no way you bench him after a start like this, and I’m not doing anything dumb based on that heater’s performance, but be aware of it. Eovaldi has had yet another incredible moment on the mound, but it may not spell uninterrupted dominance ahead.
Let’s see how every other SP did Tuesday:
Shane Baz (TBR) vs PIT (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 10 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 96 pitches.
YES. Baz’s velocity jumped to 97 mph (+1.6 mph!) while the curve we saw him embrace last season was very much cooking once again at 53% CSW. Yeesh. I wish he had a bit better feel for the slider at just a 47% strike rate and his changeup was float-city against LHB over the plate, but the high octane heater + phenomenal curve have me, uh, hooked. Those two alone should make Baz a solid arm to hold.
Casey Mize (DET) @ SEA (W) – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 82 pitches.
There’s another lovely stream for y’all, but I wish I was more jazzed about Mize’s slider. It wasn’t terrible, but it’s supposed to be a bridge pitch between the fastball and splitter and that doesn’t quite work if it returns a 50% strike rate. It also isn’t the best with Mize’s heater sitting 94 mph instead of 95/96 mph, nor the splitter going 47% strikes. Uhhh, I thought this was a good start. It was! Maybe because of Seattle and generally avoiding the heart of the plate, but it was still a good start and I’m thankful for it. I am absolutely terrified for his start against the Yankees, though. I’d drop Mize for any of the other fun arms out there.
Michael King (SDP) vs CLE (W) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 11 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 40% CSW, 88 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. The King Cole with his crown. And look at this, 18″ of vert on the four-seamer after 15/16″ in 2024, leading to 9/25 whiffs on the pitch. Hot DANG! The changeup was far better this time out, too, and let’s all be happy King has found his way with 12/13 sinker strikes and a 68% strike rate four-seamer. Don’t ever leave us again.
Chad Patrick (MIL) vs KCR (ND) – 4.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 86 pitches.
First of all, I don’t dislike him because he has two first names. Okay maybe a little, but the real reason is due to a 93/94 mph heater that doesn’t do a whole lot + every at-bat goes through a meh 88 mph cutter. There’s not much else to Chaddy P and I really wish I never call him that again.
Dustin May (LAD) vs ATL (ND) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 81 pitches.
The velocity was around 95 mph and we saw some lovely moments with four-seamers heading upstairs for whiffs (4/20 = awesome!), but he has some work refining the sweeper and cutter to turn into the guy we know he should be. That’s totally fine, it’ll take a moment. Expect May to hover around five frames and 80 pitches for a few starts before polishing the approach and getting the green light for another inning and 90 pitches. Hold onto this – I see the walk rate improving while he’s still hard to hit.
Chris Sale (ATL) @ LAD (L) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 87 pitches.
He gave us a bit of a scare with his four-seamer often falling down to the low 90s, but he did flex a fair number of 95/96 mph in there as well and I won’t sound the alarm bells quite yet. He also went five shutout frames before a single, a HR, and another single knocked him out of the game. Baseball can do that to you. Careful, Icarus.
Logan Webb (SFG) @ HOU (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 100 pitches.
Lovely. I’m still shocked to see the massive reduction of changeups (14% usage is wild) but the Astros were caught in a Webb of high sinkers to their RHB and a smattering of sweepers down-and-away + the occasional high four-seamer for an effective 2/7 whiffs. Gotta love the surprise poor four-seamer that works only because of its rarity. I’m digging this and hope there’s even more to tap into once Webb nails down the cutter command to LHB.
Carson Spiers (CIN) vs TEX (L) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 85 pitches.
Hot dang, you did it Spiers! Here’s a Gold Star. The Rangers gave you plenty of gifts by not doing more damage against the sinkers and cutters left over the plate, but the sweeper and curve stuck along the edges enough to get through it. He’s a Werewolf who likely won’t be in the rotation come the next full moon.
Kyle Hendricks (LAA) @ STL (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 97 pitches.
After a shockingly great spring, Hendricks kept it going into the season against the Cardinals with a whole bunch of 79/80 mph changeups. Power to him. Truly. He’s a rare streamer in moments like these and you already knew that. The Cardinals are not a strong offense.
José Berríos (TOR) vs WSN (ND) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 95 pitches.
You can’t be The Great Undulator without something sweet after a sour performance. But this was still sour – I got served a Philly! Okay, fair. I also don’t love the 55% strike rate on his curve as he turned away from it against RHB for some reason. I think I’m still passing on Berríos, especially with just eight whiffs to justify eight strikeouts. It doesn’t add up.
Shane Smith (CHW) vs MIN (ND) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 73 pitches.
Watching this entire outing and looking at the line doesn’t compute. It felt like Smith had more strikeouts and fewer walks, but then again, he lost steam in the sixth and at 5.2 IP, he walked two batters, was lifted, and both runners came around to score. It’s a little disconcerting to see Smith’s heater at 93 mph around 60 pitches in the sixth frame, but let me tell you, that changeup was filthy. I’m also curious about his four-seamer’s movement varying from proper four-seamer to cut-fastball, while the slider isn’t exaggerated, but looked far better than the 46% strike rate would tell you at 89 mph. He has legit talent and commanded the zone well, though he may not come into his own until he builds up some stamina to keep the precision and velocity alive past 80 pitches. He’s not a flash in the pan, but likely not stretched out enough to make a start against the Guardians worthwhile. I’m super intrigued for the full year.
Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs NYM (W) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 70 pitches.
It’s a Win, but just 70 pitches this time around as Sandy sat 95/96 mph on the heater instead of 97/98 mph. He mentioned in the post-game that he needs more time than usual to recover and this wasn’t him holding back but rather pitching as well as he could. That’s…a little troubling. HOWEVER, he showed us something brand new today – a curveball at 86 mph, replacing his slider of old. This pitch was awesome. Sure, a 50% strike rate doesn’t sit well, but I love the lower velocity band and it mixed super well with changeups and the heavy heaters. This is the breaking ball he should carry moving forward. It has movement more like a slider than a curve. Maybe it’s the slider just renamed at a lower velocity? I’m not sure. I love the wider velocity gap than from the previous breaker and that’s what matters.
Kodai Senga (NYM) @ MIA (L) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 77 pitches.
Two unearned runs forced the Loss onto Senga while the four-seamer sat just 94/95 mph instead of pushing 97 mph. However, the cutter did its job for strikes and the splitter was deadly. Not just 8/20 whiffs, but a 75% strike rate as well and that should get you AMPED. Superb command of the pitch + 15 sweepers and sliders to help bridge to the pitch and reduce his four-seamer usage to sub 30%. This is the way, even at 94/95. I’m so down.
Will Warren (NYY) vs ARI (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 1 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 85 pitches.
Ehhhh, way to survive. There’s a whole lot of horizontal difference between his -17″ sweeper and +20″ sinker, but he faced few RHB, leading to changeups and sweepers + a fair number of nibbled four-seamers. I don’t love his LHB approach still and I’d be cautious trusting Warren. He had to work to make it through five.
Corbin Burnes (ARI) @ NYY (ND) – 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 98 pitches.
Aces gonna fail to have the cutter drop we want to see despite dropping his velocity. So it’s slower without the better movement? Yup. Well that’s not great. He compensated with legit precision on the cutter down and some fantastic curveballs, but this was the cutter game ft. some curveballs and friends. I wish that cutter had its drop back.
Simeon Woods Richardson (MIN) @ CHW (ND) – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 82 pitches.
Just four frames in 80 pitches? And 91/92 mph velocity? Blegh. I don’t want to go near this again. But he’s at 20″ of vert now! Okay, that is cool, but his super steep arm angle makes it worse than the mark on its own. I’m not doing it.
Matthew Liberatore (STL) vs LAA (ND) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 77 pitches.
A PQS from Liberatore is a lovely surprise given we expected the sub-80 pitch count. I hate to tell you there’s not much else to focus on here, but there’s not much else to focus on here. Liberatore isn’t all too exciting and SPs are so happy to see halos in their city.
Logan Allen (CLE) @ SDP (L) – 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 5 BBs, 1 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 89 pitches.
Okay, I know I said with Chad it’s not about the name, but here? Two. First. Names. And the whole five walks thing. And HAISTBMBWT?! IT’S A LOT OF THING.
Michael Lorenzen (KCR) @ MIL (L) – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 97 pitches.
Ayyyy seven strikeouts! And nothing else. But I bet you didn’t see that coming! I sure didn’t, because I forgot Lorenzen existed. That’s probably for the best.
Hayden Wesneski (HOU) vs SFG (L) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 88 pitches.
Oh wow. I’ve called Hayden a “worse Brandon Pfaadt” but I can’t do that when he features the sweeper just 15% of the time (only 24% to RHB!). Nay, this was 55% four-seamers with 7/48 whiffs and 94/95 mph, as he tries to make his near-seven feet of extension work with 88/89 mph cutters underneath. It kinda did, but I don’t trust his command, nor the swap for sinkers instead of cutters against RHB. The whole package seems a step down from what you want it to be and I’d not push too hard here. Maybe a 15-teamer play chasing Wins, but not the guy I want for 12-teamers with so many intriguing options out there.
Trevor Williams (WSN) @ TOR (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 10 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 84 pitches.
Say it with me. Never. Trevor.
Logan Gilbert (SEA) vs DET (L) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 10 Ks – 22 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 92 pitches.
Okay, so you had a rough first frame. At least you finally earned whiffs on your four-seamer with 9/44! And you gained 1.5″ of vert to flirt with 18″! That’s awesome! Just keep that dang thing upstairs and don’t you ever consider throwing 5% sliders to RHB ever again. Okay, I know how weird that sounds after a ten-strikeout game and it’s clear he threw two that were poor to RHB and simply didn’t need it, BUT IT’S STILL WEIRD, OKAY?!
Justin Steele (CHC) @ ATH (W) – 6.2 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 78 pitches.
I think we all have the sense that Sacramento isn’t a great place for starters, but this Steele outing was mostly two poor down-and-in sliders to RHB for HRs; otherwise, he cruised. But he made many other poor pitches too that weren’t punished. Yeaaaah, that’s fair. Steele’s command is not at its peak yet. It’ll very likely get there in a few starts, if not his next, and I wouldn’t take him out of my lineups out of fear.
Luis Severino (ATH) vs CHC (L) – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 107 pitches.
I still love the sinker/four-seamer separation inside/outside to RHB, but the LHB approach still needs a whole lot of work. Not much of a surprise for a fastball/sweeper arm, after all. He’s a streamer. Treat him as such.
Thomas Harrington (PIT) @ TBR (L) – 4.0 IP, 6 ER, 7 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 90 pitches.
We don’t start pitchers in MLB debuts and this is a perfect example for a pitcher known for stellar control in the minors. Even if Harrington didn’t have such a terrible first frame, I wouldn’t be suggesting spending energy on Harrington and his 92 mph heater + splitter/sweeper combo. It’s far too meh.
Game of the Day
Landen Roupp vs. Framber Valdez – It’s a day of studs and I want to watch the one arm who hasn’t started yet. I sure hope Roupp is the same strikeout-heavy arm we saw in the spring.
But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.
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Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)
truly elite roundup title