Fantasy Baseball SP Roundup: Lively with the Sound Of Music

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.

Ben Lively (CLE) vs BOS (ND) – 6.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 89 pitches.

This won’t be long. Ben Lively had himself another great performance tonight – 6.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 89 pitches – and now that he’s two-for-two returning seven strikeouts during his outings, he’s going to find his way onto a fair number of fantasy teams.

Don’t be one of them.

The simplest reason? He gets Atlanta next. The slightly more complicated reason? This was against a depleted Red Sox offense. The real reason? He’s not that great. 10/11 whiffs came on heaters, pitches that sat 90/91 mph and are not destined to overwhelm batters constantly. To be fair, Lively boasts 7.0 ft of extension (that’s great!) with a decently flat four-seamer, and he located said pitch perfectly to overcome its poor iVB and horrendous velocity. STILL, it’s not enough for me to buy into Lively for future matchups, save for the lowest level of offenses.

It’s too precarious and Lively was able to take advantage of a wounded lineup. Sure, I may be including him as a streamer in the future, but for now, this ain’t it.

 

Let’s see how every other SP did Tuesday:

 

Max Fried (ATL) vs MIA (W) – 9.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 92 pitches.

Aces gonna ace. Can we please stop asking if Fried is back? K thx. But it was the Marlins! I SAID PLEASE.

Logan Webb (SFG) vs NYM (W) – 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 106 pitches.

Aces gonna ace. It’s the same thing every game – I gush over the changeup, then lament how he can’t find a reliable breaker. TICK. TOCK. TIDE IN, TIDE OUT. DEGROM PITCHES, I SQUEAL.

Logan Gilbert (SEA) @ TEX (W) – 6.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 4 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 100 pitches.

Nick, you have to stop doubting Gilbert. Yeah, maybe I do. But hot dang, he’s so wild with his four-seamer, and his cutter went just 50% strikes. Sure, the slider was hyper-efficient as he located it consistently just under the zone (yay!), but then again, his splitter went – wait for it – one of ten strikes. ONE. OF. TEN. This just doesn’t feel right to me, y’all, and while that may simply be a fault of mine, I have to express that.

Kevin Gausman (TOR) @ KCR (L) – 6.2 IP, 0 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 99 pitches.

Aces gonna…this is getting frustrating. Just 4/51 splitter whiffs is super laughable as the pitch was hittable up the wazoo with a whopping eighteen balls in play. Yeeeeeeesh. Something is still up here, sadly, and we’re not out of the woods yet. The man isn’t the Gausman.

Patrick Corbin (WSN) vs LAD (ND) – 5.1 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 86 pitches.

Wait, this actually worked…? Huh. Thanks Los Angeles…? The bullpen saw Corbin was going to get a Win and thought yeaaaah, we can’t let him get too big of an ego. And no, the cutter wasn’t much of an addition. I know, I know.

Kenta Maeda (DET) @ TBR (ND) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 88 pitches.

Sure, right after I tell y’all how blegh Maeda looks and that I’m worried even against the Rays, he goes off and has a fantastic outing, even at just five frames. He was a tick up on everything, including more than two ticks on both his slider and sweeper, and he spotted his pitches beautifully. What, do I just call him a Cherry Bomb and call it a day? I Kenta do it, Cap’n!

Bailey Falter (PIT) vs MIL (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 85 pitches.

You know, Falter, you’re making it really hard to get dealt to the Rays if you continue to use your four-seamer in a way the Rays would have exploited without your help. What does that mean.  Falter went 13/60 whiffs on four-seamers tonight. Ohhhhh, DANG!  Yup. His elite extension did a ton of work + most of his heaters in the top half of the zone returned those whiffs. If he can figure out a true set of secondaries to complement the pitch (no, his 8/12 strike slider isn’t enough with just one whiff), then I may actually be interested in picking him up. Not even against the Giants up next? Uggggh, not really. For all those whiffs, he still tossed many mistakes + there’s really nothing else in the tank. Be careful.

Ryan Pepiot (TBR) vs DET (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 80 pitches.

In all honesty, Pepiot did a horrendous job with his arsenal. Sliders were hung aplenty, changeups were wildly inconsistent, and his four-seamer landed middle-middle most of the time. Blame it on the Tigers. How kind they are.

Tommy Henry (ARI) @ STL (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 93 pitches.

Why do I feel like we need to pay more attention to Double Train? What ridiculous name is this. I’m sorry, I legit remember Thomas the Tank Engine had Gordon and Henry as his friends. LET ME DO MY THING. Ahem. So Double Train over here cruised with a 37% CSW on his curve and effectively earned strikes and outs with both fastballs + some sprinkled changeups, marking his third of five starts to produce for fantasy leagues. I’m not sure that’s enough to actually consider Double Train (Dodgers are next, after all), but I guess he’s on the Desperate Streamer list now. CHOO CHOO.

Erick Fedde (CHW) @ MIN (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 11 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 95 pitches.

Pffffft what. A Gallows Pole for Fedde?! Incredible. It was the filthiest I’ve seen of Fedde’s arsenal, slinging sinkers for both whiffs and called strikes at 47% CSW, while the cutter and splitter returned five whiffs apiece, pulling off their own mini-BSB. It likely doesn’t happen against many other offenses, but the Rays? Well, they happen to fall under the same “yeah, you can stream against them” Tier that Minnesota resides in. Let it ride, let it ride.

Tobias Myers (MIL) @ PIT (L) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 83 pitches.

And here I thought we were going to get a bullpen game. We instead got an MLB debut and I can see a Toby here. Myers’ very first pitch in the majors was launched over the fence for a HR (lol). He then displayed a super high iVB four-seamer that he worked along the edges, paired with a vast array of cutters, curves, sliders, and changeups. He’s a kitchen-sink guy with a four-seamer that could miss bats upstairs. Huh. Yeah, it’s kinda solid. I think the Brewers are keeping him up, but I wouldn’t chase him against the Yankees – there isn’t anything truly electric in his arsenal. Let’s see if he sticks around and shows us legit upside/gets a lovely matchup before jumping in.

James Paxton (LAD) @ WSN (ND) – 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 89 pitches.

Did he get a Win. Nope, he was one out away from closing out the fifth, but he wouldn’t have earned it anyway. I feel like I shouldn’t roster Paxton anymore. I feel like you’re right. It’s the Jays next and we’re starting to see the degradation hit.

Andrew Abbott (CIN) vs PHI (ND) – 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 79 pitches.

Blegh. It’s the Phils, you shouldn’t have expected more. But it’s Texas next. Right, which is why we weren’t high on Abbott. Oh. You still have him rostered, don’t you. IT WAS A MAGICAL SUMMER, NICK.

Cristopher Sánchez (PHI) @ CIN (L) – 3.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 74 pitches.

What you don’t see are the four unearned runs added to the tally, though to suggest Sánchez was pitching well would be turning a blind eye to a near 50% strike rate on his signature changeup and a boatload of hittable sinkers. He didn’t bring his hot stuff into Cin City and we should expect better against the Angels.

Jordan Wicks (CHC) vs HOU (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 86 pitches.

Hmmmmm. The four-seamer and changeup played off each other well and the Astros aren’t slouches (I think). That said, not much else made waves here and it’s Fenway up next. I know, the Sawx are hurting at the moment, and maybe that’s enough, but considering this was the first game he’s gone at least five innings all year (shocking, right?), we shouldn’t bank on this sticking.

Tanner Houck (BOS) @ CLE (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 91 pitches.

This wasn’t one of Houck’s best as he failed to repeat the command in his CGSO and find the edges, but it was enough. We’ll take it and move on, hopefully with a Win next time out.

Michael Wacha (KCR) vs TOR (ND) – 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 96 pitches.

Blegh. The Jays aren’t slouches, but Wacha was terrible with so many dang middle-middle pitches. We usually can bank on Wacha’s command and I wouldn’t worry about it moving forward, especially with the Tigers up next.

Luis Severino (NYM) @ SFG (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 91 pitches.

We’ll take a PQS from Severino these days. After all, we adjusted our expectations to that of a Toby. No we didn’t. No you didn’t, but I sure did, and it’s pretty settled now that the cutter is disappearing once again (just three thrown) while he earned only 3/27 whiffs on secondaries. Don’t expect more from Sevy.

Trevor Rogers (MIA) @ ATL (L) – 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 84 pitches.

He nearly made it six frames at just two earned runs and I’m kinda into what Rogers is putting down. Remember, this was Atlanta, and his pitch separation was once again legit, featuring pinpointed four-seamers + low sliders and changeups. I’m definitely grabbing him where I can for his start against the Nationals up next. This was a perfect example of “if it weren’t a top-tier offense.”

Marcus Stroman (NYY) vs OAK (W) – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 97 pitches.

Stroman always has one secondary he focuses on per start and here, the slider was cooking at 9/20 whiffs, catalyzing a King Cole. This didn’t come with the greatest overall command and questionable ratios for a date with the Athletics, but whatever, we’ll take the Win and nine strikeouts all day.

Griffin Canning (LAA) vs BAL (W) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 85 pitches.

Some days, all you need to do is survive. Enjoy the Win, Canning, you made enough good pitches around the edge to make this happen. H*ck, you merely flirted with the zone with your four-seamer and that’s exactly how you should do it.

Pablo López (MIN) vs CHW (ND) – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 76 pitches.

Aces gonna continue to struggle. THIS WAS THE CRYSOX. Pablo had zero feel for his secondaries (yes, including his changeup. HIS CHANGEUP!), leading to him pumping heater after heater into the zone with reckless abandon. Eno and I chatted about Pablo last week and I gave the whole “he’s fine, just meh fastball command” and here he is, having nothing but the fastball. It’s awfully strange for Pablo and all I can say is that this shouldn’t last long. He’s not this guy.

Paul Blackburn (OAK) @ NYY (L) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 98 pitches.

Paulie Punchouts got bamboozled by the Yankees in the opening frame, but then settled down to put up a goose egg across each of his next five innings. That counts for something…right? RIGHT?! Welp, doesn’t matter – he gets the Orioles next. He’s a Toby at best for a low-Win team. This ain’t it.

Dane Dunning (TEX) vs SEA (L) – 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 89 pitches.

Despite an array of pitches all earning at least three whiffs, Dunning ran into trouble as he made too many mistakes. Ah, the classic Danesel in Distress. Nick, you really need to get to bed earlier. I’M TRYING.

Ryan Feltner (COL) vs SDP (ND) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 10 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 93 pitches.

COL story, bro. Yeah, not the interesting fella this time around. Bummer.

Michael King (SDP) @ COL (L) – 3.2 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 83 pitches.

Bleeggggggh. The Rockies have been so poor in Coors, but King failed to command his pitches along the edges per usual. I should also mention: Earning 15 whiffs and allowing 11 baserunners is not a common pairing. Just one of those games.

J.P. France (HOU) @ CHC (L) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 6 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 96 pitches.

Even with a new trick up his sleeve of throwing a new changeup (splitter?) with four ticks of extra velocity, France wasn’t able to locate that well and the Cubs did their job. I’d avoid him against the Guardians up next.

Steven Matz (STL) vs ARI (L) – 4.1 IP, 7 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 92 pitches.

If you step into the ring, don’t be surprised when you hit the Matz.

Grayson Rodriguez (BAL) @ LAA (L) – 4.1 IP, 7 ER, 11 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 82 pitches.

Yiiiiikes. I watched this and saw Grayson get pummeled on many poor secondaries over the heart of the plate + a few fastballs he didn’t deserve to get swatted around. It was one of those days and while it’s another display of Grayson’s lack of “ace command”, he was still Singled Out. Don’t do anything silly.

 

Game of the Day

 

Garrett Crochet vs. Joe Ryan – Ryan should feast and I love watching more Crochet.

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)