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.
Logan Allen (CLE) vs MIL (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 89 pitches.
I don’t talk a whole lot about Logan Allen. Two first names? Sure, there’s that, but it’s moreso that he throws 90 mph and fails to carry a major whiff offering. Thing is, when he spouts a start like 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 89 pitches (W) tonight against the Brewers after having a three-game run totaling one total run earlier in the year, it may start swaying some to pick him up.
This was an outing where Allen tested the waters with cutters merged with four-seamers high, and sweepers low to RHB. It was genuinely great. I don’t see Allen with proper command very often and this was no fluke. Okay, maybe a bit of luck here and there, but he absolutely gave himself the opportunity for a start like this.
It sure feels like a Werewolf situation more than a comfortable pickup, though. This was an exception and I’m not ready to tell you to pick him up for a start against the Twins. At least he’s raising the probability of six quality frames from absurdly small to realistically rare. That’s something.
Let’s see how every other SP did Tuesday:
José Soriano (LAA) @ SDP (ND) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 107 pitches.
Soriano’s sinker and curve did the work akin to his 2024 success, and it certainly wasn’t due to the splitter he toyed with for 15% usage and returned just 1/16 whiffs with only 31% strikes. Yeeesh. At least he’s giving it a shot, you know? But to mess around with that pitch and succeed on the same night? Why that’s a day at the park LET ME TELL YA.
Bryan Woo (SEA) vs NYY (ND) – 6.1 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 88 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. His four-seamer is just so consistent. Would you believe Woo’s #2 pitch was thrown 18 times for a 39% strike rate? Just imagine how good he could be if he actually had a reliable set of secondaries. IMAGINE.
Brandon Eisert (CHW) @ CIN (ND) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 56% CSW, 9 pitches.
We eventually got to Jonathan Cannon, who…Oh. OH. WAIT WAIT WAIT, let me sync this up as I read the line. FINALLY! I’M SO EXCITED! Ahem. Okay, hit play. 6 IP, 0 ER, BOOOOOOM, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, BOOOOOOM, 6 Ks. BLAMOOOOOOOOO! It’s about dang time Cannon deserved the overture and he has the passive Reds offense to thank for it. Sinkers for called strikes + cutters, sweepers, and changeups nailing their locations after the lazy sinker rode over the plate to break open the doors, then saunter back outside to greet its friends with a goofy “After you” and issuing them into the zone. I’m happy he had his day. Welp, not sure when that’s gonna happen again, which is good because I have no idea how I’m going to get more cannonballs any time soon.
Framber Valdez (HOU) vs KCR (ND) – 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 89 pitches.
This is what the man does. He makes you forget all about the weeks of frustration in the blink of an eye. I had a 4.39 ERA and 1.27 WHIP through my first seven starts?! Who told you that.
Kris Bubic (KCR) @ HOU (ND) – 6.1 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 22 Whiffs, 39% CSW, 93 pitches.
Ohhhhhh BABY. Not only did we get Bubic nailing his four-seamer upstairs with 80% strike changeups underneath (19″ inches of drop vs. the four-seamer!). Nor was it just gloveside sliders acting like cutters with sweepers bombarding the zone. We. Got. 93.4 MPH. That’s reliever Bubic velocity y’all. No wonder he earned a King Cole. GET PUMPED.
Jack Leiter (TEX) vs COL (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 89 pitches.
Thank you, Jack Zippo. I know it was Rockie Road, but you still have to show up and get the work done. Leiter went Dancing With The Disco to RHB with 50% slider usage, and was creative against LHB with four different pitches returning at least 17% usage (none of which was the slider!). I didn’t see an overwhelming arm, sadly, as the four-seamer was erratic and his changeup wasn’t going where he wanted it to. Also, those sliders were pretty lazily thrown over the plate. Those Rockies, y’all. This wasn’t the turnaround outing we wanted it to be.
Andrew Abbott (CIN) vs CHW (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 96 pitches.
Yessss, atta boy Abbott! I appreciate you plenty for taking care of business against the White Sox, and look at that four-seamer return a 15% SwStr as you incessantly hurled that 92 mph, low extension, poor HAVAA, and dead-zoney 16″ vert of a fastball over the plate! No joke, it had an 88 Fan4+ (quantifies how much this four-seamer has qualities that predicts whiffs vs. the league average). That’s a fastball that’s 12% worse than league average. You gotta love the White Sox. But Nick! Abbott entered this game with a 2.25 ERA and a 32% strikeout rate! This is pretty real, no? He also had a 12% walk rate and near 90% LOB rate and none of his pitches have a 16%+ SwStr rate this year, with his four-seamer sitting at 10%. He is not an elite strikeout arm. The ERA will worsen. The matchups will get harder…eventually. After he gets the Guardians next week. If y’all heavily disagree with my ranking of Abbott and feel he belongs inside the Top 50/60 SP, I want to know why. What is it inside Abbott’s arsenal that suggests what he’s doing is real and suggestive of continued success throughout the rest of the season? Seriously, I’ve found Abbott frustrating to rank in the past and I’d love to get more insight into it. Speak the language of his pitches, not the small sample noise, rooted in a pair of starts combining for 19 strikeouts before this game.
Kodai Senga (NYM) vs PIT (ND) – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 102 pitches.
Oh dang, the Ghost Fork haunted the Pirates with 11/41 whiffs and a 71% strike rate. That’s absurd for a pitch that routinely carries a 55% strike rate. It meant the four-seamer and cutter could live in the zone for called strikes without fear and we got prime Senga here. Okay, at a tick or so lower than prime, but you get the point. You should feel great about this.
Jeffrey Springs (ATH) @ LAD (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 102 pitches.
Yeah, that’s your Gold Star for the night. But gold instead one of the colors of the rainbow. Huh, I guess just sunshine today then? Springs’ changeup was better than his recent games, but the pride of his repertoire was the slider. He’s struggled with the pitch over the years to LHB and it was stellar for 39% CSW across 64% usage. That could stick around moving forward and it would be a revolutionary change we’re all ready for.
Quinn Priester (MIL) @ CLE (L) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 69 pitches.
Ayyy you survived. You get the good ole thumbs up from this guy as I keep putting on my goggles and swim around the numbers trying to find something to take a photo with. You’re swimming in the pool. Yeah, the player pool. No seriously, get out of my pool. My bad.
Max Fried (NYY) @ SEA (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 91 pitches.
Aces gonna grind on a night where he didn’t have his best feel for his arsenal. Gotta love him.
Valente Bellozo (MIA) @ CHC (ND) – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 74 pitches.
Mmmm. Uh huh. Sure. I recognize some of these pitches. On the real, Bellozo featured four-seamers as his #2 pitch per usual, but suddenly realized he couldn’t locate the dang thing and started utilizing everything in the utility belt. Seriously, we’re talking 5/16 strikes with a 90 mph four-seamer. Yikes, get it out of my sight. Way ahead of ya.
Tyler Holton (DET) vs BOS (ND) – 1.2 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 22 pitches.
Holton opened for Keider Montero, who returned 3.1 IP of 3 ER ball and I’ll just cut it off there. I guess this is what we’re getting with Mize on the IL, eh? There is a shot for Montero to vulture a Win next time out against the Cardinals if that’s your jam.
Spencer Schwellenbach (ATL) vs WSN (W) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 97 pitches.
He allowed a bomb to Abrams on the first pitch of the game and cruised thereafter. And no, that wasn’t a meatball heater; it was up and just out of the zone at 96 mph. The slider, splitter, and cutter did work here, and I saw a lot more of good Schwellenbach in this one. A wide variety of pitches for strikes while not giving in with heaters. This is good, y’all.
Mitch Keller (PIT) @ NYM (L) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 96 pitches.
Hot dang, look at you! No, I don’t know how the Mets missed so many four-seamers from Keller (43% CSW with 8/30 whiffs?!), even if they were elevated more than usual. That fastball and the sinker did the heavy lifting as the Mets targeted the sweeper, slider, and changeup effectively, and I don’t believe the former will be a common statement in these roundups. Props to you Keller.
Dylan Cease (SDP) vs LAA (ND) – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 10 Ks – 25 Whiffs, 37% CSW, 103 pitches.
Yeah, I think he’s okay. Go on, take another Gallows Pole. You know you earned it before you finished the first inning. And no, he didn’t throw a cutter. One day.
Ben Brown (CHC) vs MIA (ND) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 72 pitches.
I’m sad we didn’t get a Win out of this. The rest is expected and fine with me, even if the curve was nowhere near the zone to RHB in this one. Blame it on the Marlins and I’m ready to blame them a second time next week like I’m ringing that bell in Game of Thrones. Shame. Nah, no shame in this! No, that’s the line. But this was a good line. NICK. PLEASE. I HAVE A FAMILY.
Brayan Bello (BOS) @ DET (ND) – 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 92 pitches.
The Tigers are a solid offense and Bello returned 53-57% strikes on his sinker, slider, and changeup, with 0/15 CSW on the latter. Oh my. We just can’t get a start where he has all three pitches working in tandem, can we? Here’s another oddity from this one: Bello threw more four-seamers than sinkers. I guess that tracks given the sinker’s lack of strikes, but seriously? This is Bello, the man with a terrible four-seamer unless he’s dotting it upstairs–Oh. He actually did that really well against RHB. That’s cool. And LHB? Uhhhh, no. Unfortunately, he’s not the guy you want him to be and even if he is for one game, can you really trust him to replicate it the following time on the bump?
Michael Soroka (WSN) @ ATL (ND) – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 81 pitches.
I wish he was a little more efficient and I didn’t completely love his command with mostly a two-pitch approach. Neither offering is elite and I’m not seeing someone I need to hold in 12-teamers. He’s a streamer against poor offenses.
Robbie Ray (SFG) vs ARI (W) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 9 Ks – 20 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 108 pitches.
Props to Ray for tossing 5.2 IP of shutout ball after four straight hits in the first led to all three runs. All four of his pitches held a 67%+ strike rate and 30%+ CSW and I don’t know how you can’t love the guy. Because that’s a VVPQS. Okay fair. But against the Sneks! With 20 Whiffs! And nine strikeouts! Baseball is weird, and Ray is pitching incredibly well.
Kyle Freeland (COL) @ TEX (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 84 pitches.
A Bailey Special on the road from Freeland is some good ole deep fantasy value. Yes, I did have some wheat in my mouth as I typed that, how did you know?
Shane Baz (TBR) @ TOR (ND) – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 86 pitches.
Hey Baz, why are you still throwing that slider?! Seriously, it’s destroying you constantly and ruining these games. Sure, the curve wasn’t at its peak and the four-seamer got hit a little too, but that slider is still worse than both. Turn it into a cutter or lean into the changeup more, I dunno, just don’t throw that thing, alright? At least you get Miami next, phew.
Brandon Pfaadt (ARI) @ SFG (L) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 95 pitches.
Well that’s dumb. The List Curse lives on as Pfaadt’s LHB approach (you know, the thing that has made me psyched for Pfaadt this year) was terrible. Low heaters and curves + changeups nearby or taken for balls and most of it was smacked. His RHB approach is fine n all, and I don’t see this as a cratering outing to suggest he’s unable to get back into form. Just fix that curve and change, alright?
José Berríos (TOR) vs TBR (ND) – 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 83 pitches.
The Great Undulator had a sub 4.00 ERA before this one (of course he did) and looks like he’s going to have to swing back in the other direction at some point to fix this one. Don’t worry, he always does. Eventually. And not in 2023. We don’t talk about that year.
Landon Knack (LAD) vs ATH (L) – 4.2 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 94 pitches.
Sasaki is hurt and if we’re saying that’s Kershaw’s spot, then can Casparius take Knack’s? Please? But he just had 15 whiffs and eight strikeouts! Okay, fair. He featured two changeups (including one that looked very much like a kick-change) and they combined for 9/31 whiffs – a version of Knack we’ve seen a lot more this season vs. the four-seamer/slider approach of 2024. And yet, I still just want Casparius instead. It’s not fun seeing Knack hit into pieces.
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Game of the Day
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