Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Sunday game. I apologize for the jokes written in my delirium in advance. Have questions? Ask me during my office hours on Twitch.tv weekday mornings from 10 am-12 pm ET.
Foster Griffin (WSN) vs LAD (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 95 pitches.
Hey y’all. Another roundup, another boring pitcher that needs attention. That would be Foster Griffin, who earned a Gold Star with his quiet production against the Dodgers on Sunday via 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 95 pitches (ND). Sure, the WHIP isn’t great, but that’s six punchouts and just one run against one of the premier offenses. In fact, he struck out the first three batters he faced. That’s something.
I want to tell you he’s a SWATCH, but that’s not the case. Griffin doesn’t have a stellar slowball (30% strikes) and uses a splitter instead that acts like a gyro slider at 81/82 mph. Weird, I know. The real attraction is Griffin’s cutter, which actually let him down a touch here (his sole run was a terrible one down the pipe at 2-1 to Ohtani), but was his trusted foundation against RHB with a near 70% overall strike rate. His sweeper was the primary weapon to LHB and did its job at 46% CSW with a few sinkers keeping them honest inside. His four-seamer is heavily suspect at 91 mph with poor feel, though Griffin favors it a quarter of the time against RHB, and I imagine we’ll continue to see that low usage.
This isn’t a ringing endorsement for Griffin. It’s helping you understand if he’s worth a stream against the Brewers or Pirates in the coming weeks. I’m not thrilled at the concept and would only lightly entertain a date in PNC Park. The stuff isn’t stellar, the command isn’t comparable to his peers, and I question if the Nationals can give him the support he needs.
Let’s see how every other SP did Sunday:
Slade Cecconi (CLE) vs CHC (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 85 pitches.
I don’t think I’ll ever be on the right side of figuring out Cecconi’s performances. And that’s alright. If you can, please, you do you. This was a game of high four-seamers returning 44% CSW and his cutter actually appearing for 29% usage at 87 mph (not 89+ with a little better movement that got me amped in the spring). The real story is that heater up, which I question if it will be spotted so well or get the same results in the future. He’ll get @ATL next, and I can’t do it. The sweeper and curve aren’t anything special, either.
Davis Martin (CHW) vs TOR (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 85 pitches.
Jeeeez, that’s a lovely start that I did not expect. He’s throwing a slightly different version of his cutter to LHB at two ticks harder but less movement, which doesn’t quite make sense (just throw the better slider?) and I’m otherwise not seeing a drastic improvement from last season. I wish I had more to give you, but this just seems like an above-average day.
Edward Cabrera (CHC) @ CLE (ND) – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 5 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 97 pitches.
As expected, Cabrera saw the LHB crew and went ham on his changeup at 46% usage. Sadly, it was just a 58% strike rate, while the four-seamer, once again, cannot be thrown for strikes (40% strikes). I understand the concept of four-seamers > sinkers to LHB, trust me, but there has to be a better way, right? The only hit here was an 84 mph curve that was a little too hittable over the plate, and the sinker cruised at 7/9 strikes. JUST SAYING.
Chris Paddack (MIA) @ NYY (L) – 4.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 88 pitches.
He was opened for by Fairbanks (to help him get to the birth of his baby, so that’s cool) and I’m pleasantly surprised that Paddack could make this work. He’s sacrificed velocity (92/93 mph, yikes) for nearly 20″ of vert and a little more cut, and the result was a whopping 44% CSW, likely catalyzed by his cutter, sinker, and vulcan change muddying the waters as the Yankees tried to determine what was heading their way. As much as I want to tell you Paddack is a streaming option, you saw what happened last week and this is still sub five frames in 88 pitches. There are many others.
Logan Webb (SFG) vs NYM (ND) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 92 pitches.
There’s classic Webb. The real Webb. Not this 24% strikeout, sub 1.10 WHIP Webb that you dream of. Nah, it’s the near 1.17 WHIP, 21% strikeout Webb. Expect that across 200+ innings and you’ll be happy. Remember, Life Is Framing.
Simeon Woods Richardson (MIN) vs TBR (ND) – 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 88 pitches.
Ayyy, good SWR! Wait, I’m sorry. Decent command and lucky SWR! There we go. He’s just under 92 mph with a 53% strike rate on his slider, but he kept the four-seamer at the top of the zone and the splitter down well enough to churn plenty of outs against a poor lineup. @TOR + BOS + @NYM next. Nah.
Tomoyuki Sugano (COL) vs PHI (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 78 pitches.
Hey, I’m happy for Sugano. Truly. He has a proper gig in a rotation and look at this! A lovely Birthday Party! I would have given him a sweet HERE’S THE BIRTHDAY TRAIN! card if he’d only sent me an invite.
Nick Martinez (TBR) @ MIN (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 81 pitches.
The Twins are the Twins, or maybe this was a revenge game after I gave the very loose suggestion that Boyle could stick in the rotation over him. First of all, it was only a hypothetical, second, I don’t have such an inflated ego to believe I had anything to do with this. I’ll ask him. On the real, Martinez will generally live or die by his changeup, and its 36% usage is a sign of health. The pitch propelled him against both LHB and RHB, with four strikeouts and 5/5 BIP outs. Only a poor cutter over the plate to Wallner prevented a chance at history. I mean, he pitched and it’s in the books. A no-hitter or not, he’s always history. Why are you the way you are?
Braxton Ashcraft (PIT) vs BAL (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 87 pitches.
Yooooo that four-seamer has added two-plane movement this year at 96 mph, and it has taken him out of “Deadzone” range. However, he’ll have to actually get it upstairs if he wants to return more than 2/27 whiffs on it, but he has the curveball for that, which returned half of those eight strikeouts despite just 2/14 whiffs of its own. Wait, called strikeouts? Yep. Oh no. Yeaaaah, those are not as sustainable and kinda shocking for a guy with his velocity and a 91 mph slider. There was a good splitter and curveball down-and-away to LHB, and a high heater + chase curve to RHB that were great. The others? Two hung curves, a low whiff four-seamer, and a backwards K on a 91 mph slider over the heart of the plate to Ward. Not super encouraging, but that doesn’t mean I’m totally out. It’s a better Ashcraft and maybe he performs against the Cubs, leading to WSN + @TEX. I’m cool for the latter two, so maybe the Cubs are worth it?
Chase Burns (CIN) @ TEX (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 21 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 87 pitches.
It’s pretty hard to see this and not want to give Burns the AGA tag. The one pushback? @TEX. Well, that and slightly worse four-seamer command relative to what I saw last year. However, it’s 1-2″ more vert (dome effect?) and a changeup with more ride than drop that he’s able to spot beautifully to LHB (3/8 whiffs). Now he gets LAA, SFG, @TBR and it’s hard to imagine him failing.
Parker Messick (CLE) vs CHC (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 91 pitches.
Now this was much better. Classic Messick with high four-seamers, low changeups, with the latter dominating RHB for 7/22 whiffs. Against the Cubs! Yes, I’m starting this SWATCH until there’s a good reason not to. The command was back…to RHB. Just get the sinker inside to LHB, alright?
Shota Imanaga (CHC) @ CLE (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 92 pitches.
The Guardians served more RHB than I expected (ah, right! Switch hitters! How could I forget?), which is actually fortunate as Imanaga’s sweeper was off in this one, failing to get away to LHB and neglecting to record a whiff on fourteen thrown. But who really cares, it’s all about his velocity, and I’m thrilled to report he’s still at 92+ mph. Sweet.
Jack Leiter (TEX) vs CIN (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 41% CSW, 85 pitches.
Huh. That’s two starts of absurd whiffs, with this start coming with a more impressive King Cole as it signifies a ton of strikes, too. This was the Reds Carpet in pitcher-friendly Globe Life (i.e. Arlington), and his success is across a sample size of two. In addition, I’m still highly suspicious of pitchers who have huge variance in their pitch shapes across outings, and the ranges on his pitches are all over the place. It makes it really hard for me to believe he’s not a HIPSTER and graduated into Cherry Bomb territory, where there will be some chaos, but the overall production is well worth your time. Now you have the hard choice: @LAD and @ATH are next. It sure is hard to resist, I understand, but I personally would not start him for either outing.
Kodai Senga (NYM) @ SFG (ND) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 88 pitches.
Alright, he sat 96 mph (not 97/98 mph), but that’s mainly due to getting super gassed by the sixth inning, where there was a large drop off to 93-95 mph after throwing a pair of 97 mph fastballs the previous frame. HE’S HURT! Nah, he’s hurt if it happens in the second, not post-pitch 75. All is lovely here, including the 89 mph cutter (wait, that’s not 90/91 mph…IT’S FINE).
Kyle Harrison (MIL) @ KCR (W) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 90 pitches.
For all the hype about Harrison’s kick-change, it’s funny to see him go 4/9 strikes with the pitch without a whiff, and instead execute the BSB with his four-seamer and curve like the good ole days. He’s getting more vert on the four-seamer at a beautiful 1.9 HAVAA, though I worry a little about the reduced extension that may get him hit when he’s not locating the combo better in the future. The good news? WSN, @MIA, @DET are next. Phew.
Kyle Leahy (STL) @ DET (W) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 97 pitches.
Ayyy, we’ll take that! What I won’t take is the “Donut Command” where he landed in the heart of the plate or not at all to LHB, and went edge hunting a bit too much against RHB, especially with his sweeper and slider, which absolutely did not intend to flirt with the up-and-in corner of the zone constantly. There’s polish left to add here, obviously, but the high 7.2 feet of extension with solid vert and cut at 93 mph still has me intrigued. Maybe wait a few starts for him to get his shine.
Keider Montero (DET) vs STL (L) – 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 63 pitches.
We saw a hyped Montero in the spring that simply didn’t carry over into the regular season. To see him go 2/3 fastballs is also a bit shocking given the slider has traditionally been his best pitch. Anyway, he may continue to get starts in Verlander’s spot and I’m not interested.
George Klassen (LAA) vs SEA (ND) – 2.2 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 5 BBs, 4 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 73 pitches.
The Angels called up Klassen for a spot start and he showed us the chaotic command we didn’t want. Ever. From anyone. But hey, he throws 97 mph! And has a generally flat four-seamer with a legit 90 mph gyro slider! And changeup with good drop relative to the four-seamer. But he can’t locate them. Yeah, I know. You should skip him.
Eric Lauer (TOR) @ CHW (L) – 2.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 0 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 49 pitches.
He had 17 whiffs last time out and this was the White Sox. Wait, so why didn’t this work? Because it’s Lauer. He’s human, like everyone else, who will have one of those days, and hope to be the same guy the next day. Hope. His changeup and slider were terrible and the four-seamer was, uh, 88.5 mph, not 91+ mph from last start. Don’t.
Max Fried (NYY) vs MIA (ND) – 6.2 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 103 pitches.
Aces gonna go up against a team that manufactured three runs against him (should the third really be earned?), and everything is probably fine. He’s still down over a tick in velocity and it’s starting to get a little concerning. I’m also surprised Fried turned away from the cutter for more four-seamers to RHB, and while I’m happy he’s going sinker-friendly to LHB, it’s staying away and at the cost of his cutter. I’m not sure I agree with that shift. I’m curious what we get next time.
Brandon Pfaadt (ARI) vs ATL (ND) – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 79 pitches.
The approach to LHB is exactly what you want – cutters in, changeups down-and-away, four-seamers up, and curveballs around the outer edge. And yet, he still allowed four hits to LHB. Maybe the whole arsenal just isn’t good enough? He did get Singled Out in the fifth, but I won’t excuse the sinker to Baldwin for a longball. I think we avoid Pfaadt for now, but I really do love the approach and command to LHB, for the most part. It feels like he should get better results, though his RHB approach is not the sinker/sweeper/high four-seamer we want to see.
Jacob Lopez (ATH) vs HOU (ND) – 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 5 BBs, 6 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 92 pitches.
We’re getting closer (he struck out the side in the first!), but we’re still a game or two away. Maybe circle @TEA on April 21st.
Lance McCullers Jr. (HOU) @ ATH (ND) – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 79 pitches.
No surprise here. McCullers has a history of volatile command and it was Sacré Verde. I’d consider him @TEA next, though.
Luis Castillo (SEA) @ LAA (ND) – 3.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 84 pitches.
It feels so weird to see Castillo throw just three changeups after it was his signature pitch for so many years, but it’s the right call as a different pitcher. He’s lost two inches of ride on his four-seamer (it’s not cut, it’s 11″ of ride, but maybe that’s less ride than expected at his super low arm angle…? Nah.) and he wasn’t able to spot it in the upper half as well as last start or last fall. I’m out.
Taijuan Walker (PHI) @ COL (L) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 87 pitches.
Ah, he’s back to splitter + cutter + breakers and throwing just 21% fastballs again. That makes a lot more sense. But he wasn’t good. It was Coors. This could have been so much worse.
Kris Bubic (KCR) vs MIL (L) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 96 pitches.
If you’re worried, I’m going to tell you two things: 18 Whiffs. White Sox on Friday. Thanks, I needed that.
Martín Pérez (ATL) @ ARI (ND) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 75 pitches.
This wasn’t the best version of Pérez (obviously), due to his cutter and sinker leaking over the plate a bit too much. The best version is not too much better, though, and if you were expecting your bread to be buttered by Martín, that’s on you.
Ranger Suarez (BOS) vs SDP (ND) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 75 pitches.
He’s not spotting the sinker and cutter well enough. He’ll get there in time, but I know how you’re feeling right now. Let’s do this. Start him for the Cardinals and if it’s still not coming together, we move on for something that has a much higher chance of helping now, alright? Yes, there will be a time this season when Suarez helps your squad, but at what cost?
Walker Buehler (SDP) @ BOS (ND) – 2.2 IP, 4 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 61 pitches.
Yeaaaaah, let’s not touch Buehler, alright?
Chris Bassitt (BAL) @ PIT (L) – 2.0 IP, 6 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 0 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 62 pitches.
Ditto for Bassitt. You know this.
Roki Sasaki (LAD) @ WSN (ND) – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 90 pitches.
Oh dang! Sasaki added vert to his four-seamer with more cut! It’s at 16″+ now at a high arm angle and…wait. That’s still not good. Dang.
Game of the Day
Logan Gilbert vs. Jacob deGrom – Too much fun. I am super curious about Williamson vs. Junk though…
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)
