Fantasy Baseball SP Roundup – Hot Dodd

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 Twitch weekday mornings from 10 am-12 am ET.  

Dylan Dodd (ATL) @ STL (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 73 pitches.

In the spring, it was all about Jared Shuster instead of Dylan Dodd for two reasons – there was only one spot and Atlanta seemed more inclined to give him the first shot + his first matchup was the Nationals vs. Dodd’s date with the Cardinals. Thing is, Shuster was rough and got demoted while Dodd’s debut…was kinda great via 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 73 pitches. It’s not all roses, though.

I like what Dodd does. It’s a fastball he can jam to right-handers with a four-seamer above it + a changeup he can whip out the third time through, though the latter we only saw a handful of times today.

The problem I have is that it seems a little too…predictable and not quite as electric as I want. The heater comes in at 92 mph and wasn’t as pristine as I wanted, while the slider did go 39% CSW and had some stupid awkward swings against it, even by the second/third time through, I could see the Cardinals get a hang of it and feel more comfortable in the box. It makes me a touch concerned moving forward and I’m conflicted with his start against the Padres. Maybe the changeup has a greater presence and keeps batter more off-balance. At any rate, he’s someone to hold onto for now and see how this plays out. He could be a guy that sticks for a while.

 

Let’s see how every other SP did Tuesday:

 

Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs MIN (W) – 9.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 100 pitches.

Aces gonna ace. Oh, you thought his four-walk effort in 5.2 IP last week was the man he was? MUHAHAHAHA.

Wade Miley (MIL) vs NYM (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 79 pitches.

Like Jolene, this is peak Miley. His changeup was spotted, cutters landed armside, he avoided the heart of the plate, and he frustrated the Mets to six scoreless. He’s a volatile Toby where this is the ceiling with a floor that leaves you with absolutely nothing to salvage. Up to you if that’s the game you want to play – I enjoy flipping coins every so often myself, but I generally don’t play with a penny.

Luis Castillo (SEA) vs LAA (W) – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 99 pitches.

Aces gonna ace. He earned a share of the Gallows Pole with more changeups than sliders once again. Interesting to see it work again for Castillo after leaning more into the slider last year. That’s a pair of solid starts from Castillo to kick off the year despite being a notoriously slow starter. Interesting.

Julio Urías (LAD) vs COL (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 87 pitches.

Aces gonna ace. The changeup did work earning strikes via the foul ball while the breaker and fastball did their thang. It’s just 92.2 mph on the heater, though (come on, get back to 93/94 mph please!). That’s annoying and please change that, k thx. Sidenote: Urías has such a good schedule ahead (@SFG, CHC, @CHC) and it’s not fair.

Matt Strahm (PHI) @ NYY (ND) – 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 61 pitches.

It was just 61 pitches and four frames, but I’m personally smiling knowing that Strahm got a proper start and didn’t mess it up. There’s a chance he goes 70+ against the Marlins next week, but with the way his slider was not even close to what we want it to be, I’m a little cautious. Not the worst ABBA out there. ABBA? Yeah, you know, Take A Chance On Me. Oh no. Don’t act like you don’t love it.

Roansy Contreras (PIT) @ BOS (W) – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 78 pitches.

He’s still a tick down and went just 5/38 whiffs on the slider. But it was a great outing! Sure. If all you care about is the box score, why are you reading this article? I like the jokes. Seriously?! NO ONE LIKES THE JOKES. I’m terrified of rostering Contreras and he gets the Astros next. Absolutely not.

Yusei Kikuchi (TOR) @ KC (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 69 pitches.

I was promised double-digit whiffs. And more than one walk! Sure, but am I supposed to be happy about this? Ehhhh, maybe? Both the fastball and slider are harder than last year and the command was…okay the command was atrocious. Like my high-school self trying to steal second, I’m out.

Kenta Maeda (MIN) @ MIA (L) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 39% CSW, 79 pitches.

You’re seeing that right – Maeda earned the second Golden Goal of the year with this dominance against the Marlins, earning 12/29 whiffs on the slider, 14/17 four-seamer strikes, and showcasing why he was a great get at the end of your drafts. There were a few negatives, though. First, it is the Marlins, after all. Second, the splitter wasn’t great with a 10% CSW and just a 52% strike rate that I can only hope gets better moving forward. Lastly, Maeda was removed in the sixth with a trainer after shaking his arm a bit, and while the news is that he’s fine and will make his next start, I have to mention it as something to monitor as his velocity did dip in that final frame. Overall, I’m thrilled for this and y’all should hold on tight while hoping he’s stretched out to 90 pitches without issue soon.

Yu Darvish (SD) vs ARI (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 91 pitches.

Ehhhhhh, alright. Darvish is going three (?) pitch now with four-seamer, cutter, sweeper, but it’s not quite fair to say that given his cutter ranged from 83-90 mph and we all know the pitch changes shape frequently. I was hoping to see more elevated four-seamers, but save for the cutter staying low, there wasn’t a whole lot of consistency in his locations and I’ll save my thoughts on what his intent was. There’s better Darvish in there, I can feel it.

Nick Pivetta (BOS) vs PIT (L) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 87 pitches.

Ayyyy it worked! The fastball was terribly spotted and the curve was alright, and I can’t thank the Pirates enough for getting us through this one. The Rays are too scary for me to try this again with the lack of polish showcased by Pivetta here.

Kyle Gibson (BAL) @ TEX (W) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 88 pitches.

I see you Gibson, giving us a reason to take a shot on you moving forward at random moments and having zero indication of whether it’s actually going to work. Here, the sweeper was better (39% CSW with four whiffs!) and the four-seamer went 47% with a tick more velo, and it’s at least earned a stream against the Athletics next time out…but that’s about it. Don’t hold on too tightly here.

Framber Valdez (HOU) vs DET (L) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 103 pitches.

That WHIP, y’all, it just won’t go away as he, once again, can’t have a start under a 1.20 mark. But yeah, Framber probably deserves the AGA label, but that WHIP just has me holding it back. Am I being too harsh? No, it’s the children who are wrong.

Matt Manning (DET) @ HOU (W) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 89 pitches.

The velocity is still down and I don’t love the slider but props to him for surviving against the Astros. As a gift, here are the Jays up next. Enjoy. I think y’all know to avoid that pretty easily.

Luis Cessa (CIN) vs CHC (ND) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 83 pitches.

Cessa was a last-resort option for the Reds last season and if you’re a Reds fan, you should be irate that he’s tossing 83 pitches the first week of the season. But it was 2 ER in 5.1 frames! Do you think he’s going to flirt with a 3.75 ERA for the year? Maybe? … Okay fine, no. You can call me unending the way I am in-Cessa-n’t.

Kris Bubic (KC) vs TOR (L) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 88 pitches.

Ohhhh Bubic was at 93.5 mph in this one! The changeup was relatively low and went 8/21 whiffs! There’s a new slider that went 3/9 whiffs! This could be kinda legit for Bubic and we may have seen a more explosive start if he didn’t have to endure the mighty Jays. The Giants are next and I’m super tempted to take a chance for a sneaky stream. Just a thought for AL-Only leagues.

Shane Bieber (CLE) @ OAK (ND) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 89 pitches.

Aces gonna PQS as the Athletics were timely with their few hits. Bieber knows his strengths well, featuring a whopping 54% usage on his slider, but it returned just 29% CSW as the four-seamer fell to just 90.3 mph. I’m curious what’ll happen when he has a rough stretch of opponents, but for now we’re still starting him against the hot-and-cold Yankees + cushy Nationals/Marlins after.

JP Sears (OAK) vs CLE (ND) – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 98 pitches.

Blegh. The new slider is a great offering and I’m excited to see it help him throughout the season, but his fastball was all over the place and there’s polish missing here that the Guardians took advantage of. It only gets tougher for Sears now with the Orioles + Mets + Rangers up next. Follow the sweeper and see if there’s a pocket of sun down the road for a lovely stream.

Hayden Wesneski (CHC) @ CIN (ND) – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 87 pitches.

Blegh. Wesneski’s breaker did work at 39% CSW, but the fastball and cutter didn’t hold up their ends of the bargain + Wesneski struggled to put batters away after getting to multiple 0-2 counts and failing to land the dagger. We all know he should be better than this overall for the year, but do you want to spin the wheel against the Mariners and Dodgers in two of his next three starts? Yes. Yeah, I understand, and hey, the Athletics are the meat of that matchup sandwich. I guess we keep holding unless there’s gold on the wire.

Germán Márquez (COL) @ LAD (L) – 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 95 pitches.

What?! It’s not in your best interest to start Márquez on a regular any basis?! You don’t say. Sorry, I don’t mean to be harsh, but you really don’t want to start the fella.

Zac Gallen (ARI) @ SD (ND) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 86 pitches.

Nope, this ain’t it. The changeup was better, but the curve got a little too much of the plate at times and the heater is still down in velocity, though its elite called-strike rate has seemingly returned for another season. Fortunately, it’s Milwaukee + Miami next, so he’s still a start despite my lack of adoration.

Steven Matz (STL) vs ATL (L) – 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 10 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 94 pitches.

You guys can see the ceiling – 7 Ks! 15 whiffs! 35% CSW! – but this was Atlanta and he gets Coors next. Feel free to stash past the next start as he gets the Pirates next, but if he’s on the wire now, just wait a week and add him then. He pitched better than those 4 ER and 10 Hits would lead you to believe. Those rascals.

Chad Kuhl (WSH) vs TB (ND) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 81 pitches.

Like coming home straight from the grocery store, I’m happy the Kuhl WHIP was digestible today. The slider was as good as ever with a 52% CSW, but that sinker. Ohhhhh that sinker. It just can’t help itself, can it? And now he has to return to Coors after just leaving there over the off-season. Poor guy.

Domingo Germán (NYY) vs PHI (L) – 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 39% CSW, 75 pitches.

The new curveball was fantastic for 53% CSW but the rest wasn’t up to par, with a pair of heaters hurting Germán the most right down the pipe. He’ll be stretched out to 80+ pitches next time against the Orioles and I think you’re okay given the effectiveness of the curveball, but he does seem like a Cherry Bomb given the susceptible heater and the volatile changeup.

Max Scherzer (NYM) @ MIL (L) – 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 95 pitches.

Aces gonna allow 3+ ER for the second straight game and you’re a little concerned. I mean, the guy allowed fourteen hard hit balls in this one and three home runs. That doesn’t seem quite right. The changeup was hung, the fastball was hittable, the cutter flew over the plate, et cetera, et ceteraaaah. Let’s just hope it’s one of those nights and not some underlying that will manifest in a random tweet, crafting more undeserved sadness for Mets fans everywhere.

José Suarez (LAA) @ SEA (L) – 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 77 pitches.

Yeah, I don’t think Suarez is all that great. However, he could be a sneaky stream against the Nationals who have a fair amount of LHB so don’t rule it out after getting hit around by Teoscar Hernández & Friends.

Josh Fleming (TB) @ WSH (ND) – 3.0 IP, 5 ER, 10 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 71 pitches.

Remember when Fleming had a near 12 K/9 through his first two games last year? That was cool.

Andrew Heaney (TEX) vs BAL (L) – 2.2 IP, 7 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 69 pitches.

Oh. We talked so much about Heaney this off-season and while he found his way onto just one of my teams (last round!), I still thought he was better than this. Honestly, his command wasn’t as horrific as the ERA would tell you – he allowed some hits on nicely elevated four-seamers and low sliders…but there were a couple mistakes he’d like back. I know y’all want to rage drop him now, but I wouldn’t. The Royals are next and I’m going for it. The slider is still legit.

 

Game of the Day

 

Grayson Rodriguez vs. Jacob deGrom – I don’t care what you have to cancel, you need to watch this game.

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)