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.
Roki Sasaki (LAD) @ LAA (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 91 pitches.
We’ve been waiting a long time for Roki Sasaki to give us a performance worthy of our attention and he delivered Sunday against the Angels: 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 91 pitches (W). It’s about time his 14% SwStr rate produced an outing like this, but now that we’ve seen it once in eight games, we have to wonder if there was a shift in his approach that makes this sustainable.
The focus this spring was on Sasaki’s slider. He didn’t have a reliable breaker to pair with his fastball and splitter last year, and we saw an 86 mph gyro slider enter the mix in March. It was average and didn’t come with the precision of other low velocity gyro sliders – it was a complementary pitch for strikes in the zone and not a true weapon. While the stuff remains the same, Sasaki flexed stellar feel for the pitch against the Angels, returning 7/25 whiffs and a 44% CSW with the slide piece as he spotted it down-and-away often to RHB. That’s legitimate growth.
Is it enough growth, though? Savant started classifying a hefty number of Sasaki’s splitters as a forkball, which will likely make headlines and spark discussion, but I don’t quite see why. Likely different spin rates, but close to the same velocity with overlapping movement (save for a little more arm-side run on the splitter), and I don’t see that as a major step forward. It’s possible it’s a different grip that allows for a 73% zone rate on the classified forkball, but the typical separation of depth with a noticeable hump found on forkballs when compared to their friend the splitter? Yeah, not here.
Then there’s the fastball. Sasaki was able to find three inches of extra horizontal ride on the four-seamer, though it is still Empty Velocity in my book. He was able to chuck it into the zone without fear at an 84% clip, which I could push as the biggest catalyst for success – the Angels didn’t punish his heaters, which led to a dramatic 75% strike rate and the best per-batter putaway rate of the season (by far).
I won’t rule out the possibility that Sasaki has finally begun to emerge into a fantasy-relevant arm. However, the stuff is still questionable and one game against a middling offense with an astronomical strike rate is not enough to convince me. I still believe he needs more in the arsenal. (View Game Card)
Let’s see how every other SP did Sunday:
Zack Wheeler (PHI) @ PIT (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 98 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. I don’t care what you say, Wheeler just sat 96.3 mph, matching his 2025 mark. His command was exactly the dude we saw last year. He’s so very back and it’s absolutely incredible to watch. (View Game Card)
Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) @ HOU (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 19 Whiffs, 39% CSW, 94 pitches.
I think his side is just fine. After stressing out managers with 5+ ER in three of his first six starts, Eovaldi has allowed 1 ER total in his last three starts. A well-deserved Golden Goal with a splitter that obliterated LHB for 33% SwStr and 77% strikes at 64% usage. (View Game Card)
Stephen Kolek (KCR) @ STL (W) – 6.1 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 82 pitches.
Hot dang, look at you! I saw Kolek as a sneaky QS stream after disappointing managers in his second start of the season and despite falling from thirteen whiffs to just five, Kolek pitched well and made it easier on Koufax to nod his head in approval. Now the question is what’s next. Cole Ragans threw a successful bullpen session after missing time with an elbow impingement, and it’s possible he returns over the week in Kolek’s spot against the Mariners. If Kolek is bounced, expect him to return somewhat soon and become that 15-team Toby (or maybe even 12-teamer in QS leagues) in the near future. You can let him go back to the wire for now. If he happens to stick for that Seattle start, you” likely be able to re-add him if you need that outing over the weekend. (View Game Card)
Grant Holmes (ATL) vs BOS (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 87 pitches.
Oh hey, it worked! He had just one game above five frames in four of his last five and I’m happy he could survive for a dub against the Sawx. Not-so-fun fact: REB has now fanned exactly four batters in six of his nine starts this year. Oh no. Yuuuup. Don’t expect that to go up any time soon. (View Game Card)
Kevin Gausman (TOR) @ DET (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 97 pitches.
Atta boy, Gaus. We just slot you into the lineup, dust off our hands, and call it a day. Don’t think, just let the Holly work. (View Game Card)
Andre Pallante (STL) vs KCR (L) – 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 99 pitches.
Whoaaaa that’s a Gold Star for Pallante with a whopping seven strikeouts in the books. That’s just his second start with more than six punchouts all season, and just his fourth above four strikeouts. The slider is getting better, here sitting 89 mph with the same movement + 1-2 ticks more velocity on his sinker to 96/97 mph. Thing is, it’s really a four-seamer, with the four-seamer acting as a cutter (-1″ cut at slightly less velocity), but if that slider can hold this velo moving forward, I think there’s something here. I also think there’s room to mix the four-seamer and sinker a touch more to LHB, but that’s another story. One step at a time. No, I wouldn’t chase this now – he gets @CIN + CHC next – but I’m hoping we keep seeing 89 mph sliders. (View Game Card)
Jeffrey Springs (ATH) vs SFG (L) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 92 pitches.
Oh look, Sunshine and Rainbows for springs in Sacré Verde. Maybe this will be the month where he regains his pride. Then again, his four-seamer vert dropped three inchese, sooooo probably not. He did change his focus from north-south to inside-out with four-seamers and changeups to RHB, which is highly unusual for a fastball/change guy. Huh. (View Game Card)
Adrian Houser (SFG) @ ATH (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 5 BBs, 3 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 93 pitches.
Five walks? Schmive Schmalks, eh? I gotta say, there’s a part of me that is disappointed here, since I was hoping McDonald would take Houser’s spot if Webb returns later this week, but that just feels wrong in my soul. Anyway, Koufax can be a very generous man, and I’m happy Houser was able to muscle out a dub here, strategically spacing out his walks across his six innings. That was a real smart play that he clearly planned for. Definitely. (View Game Card)
Elmer Rodríguez (NYY) @ NYM (ND) – 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 64 pitches.
I didn’t expect much here from Elmer and the Yankees clearly didn’t either, pulling him quickly in the fifth. I imagine some thought this would be a sneaky Sunday stream for a potential dub. Sorry, y’all. Just a HAISTBMBWT?! for a guy with missing pieces in his arsenal and 94 mph heaters. (View Game Card)
Gavin Williams (CLE) vs CIN (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 93 pitches.
Gavin is truly pitching so much better this season, even if the ERA has been volatile over the past month. This marks his fifth game in six where he’s held a 70%+ strike rate, and I actually think it’s hurting him a bit – he’s allowed far more hits in that time and there’s a balance between all the strikes and massive inefficiency (sub 60% strikes in two of his first three games). It’s a lot easier to go from strikes to nibbling better, though, and the sweet spot is almost here. Buy buy buy. Bee? Noooo, not him. Definitely not him. (View Game Card)
Michael Soroka (ARI) @ COL (W) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 98 pitches.
Even in Coors! The command was still very much there against LHB and the curve was still very much curving. Hold tight, y’all. He’s found his rhythm. (View Game Card)
Drew Rasmussen (TBR) vs MIA (W) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 93 pitches.
Huh. It looks like Rasmussen’s cutter is actually a 90-93 mph cutter and an 85-89 mph gyro slider, with the latter appearing a little more against RHB. Anyway, he got Singled Out on four of said cutters, while he failed to earn a single whiff to a RHB. He’s been a lot more hittable as of late, though I can’t put my finger on exactly why. Nothing stands out massively that we need to do anything and we continue on, yes, even against the Yankees. (View Game Card)
Robert Gasser (MIL) @ MIN (ND) – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 79 pitches.
This wasn’t the thrilling outing I wanted it to be. We normally see adrenaline kick in for season debuts from prospects, pushing their velocity at tick or two higher than what we get in the future, but we instead saw Gasser sit 91.3 mph – 1.5 ticks down from last year. Now, that could be comparing him to another adrenaline-fueled outing, but still. 91 mph?! With a slow 79 mph sweeper that lacks depth? His four-seamer is a little intriguing, though. There’s 15/16″ of vert at a low arm angle + he pushed his extension to seven feet here. His intent is to elevate and if he can nail the top third a bit better and use it more than the sinker to RHB, there could be some SWATCH material here. But this was a spot start and I’m not holding my breath for his next one. Show me a start with a legit approach and success. Then we’ll chat. (View Game Card)
Brandon Young (BAL) @ WSN (ND) – 3.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 70 pitches.
He’s the kind of guy where you watch two batters and go “yeah, I’ve seen enough”. (View Game Card)
Freddy Peralta (NYM) vs NYY (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 Hits, 6 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 96 pitches.
Oh look, it’s classic Professor Chaos. JUST WHAT I NEEDED. Whatever, @MIA, Reds Carpet (might not be a thing anymore) and @TEA are next. We move on. (View Game Card)
Bailey Ober (MIN) vs MIL (W) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 77 pitches.
Ah yes, the peak of a CGSHO followed by the valley of this. I hope you enjoyed that dub, because you got nothing else, not even enough butter for your bread. (View Game Card)
Lucas Giolito (SDP) @ SEA (W) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 1 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 78 pitches.
He looked a whole lot like classic Giolito – high heaters, changeups all around the zone, some sliders to RHB, except for the fact that he was sitting three ticks down. Sure, his extension was higher at 7.1 feet, but 90.4 mph?! An 88.3 mph fastball on pitch #72 in the sixth?! Yeaaaaah, I think this is why he wasn’t signed for ages. (View Game Card)
Jack Flaherty (DET) vs TOR (L) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 90 pitches.
Uh huh. Yep. That’s Flaherty. Quick bamboozling for two runs in the first, another pair in the third, pretty quiet otherwise, and nothing exciting or new. I don’t see the appeal. (View Game Card)
Miles Mikolas (WSH) vs BAL (L) – 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 93 pitches.
I know this may sound fak, but this is the first game where Mikolas has allowed at least 4 ER since April third. Excuse me?! Hey now, it was also just the second game since April 3rd where he went more than four frames. Ohhhh. Tricky, tricky. This start also matched his season-high strikeout total. No tricks? No tricks. (View Game Card)
Colin Rea (CHC) @ CHW (ND) – 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 83 pitches.
Blegh. The White Sox are not to be trifled with. That said, he almost escaped the fifth with a 4-2 lead, but a two-double knocked him out of the game with a 4-4 tie. Womp womp. So close to a streaming victory. (View Game Card)
Erick Fedde (CHW) vs CHC (ND) – 3.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 92 pitches.
You trusted him? Why would you possibly trust him? HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING?! (View Game Card)
Peter Lambert (HOU) vs TEX (L) – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 93 pitches.
We had a lovely six-inning performance from Labert…then he came out for the seventh, where he allowed a walk, double, and HBP, to leave the game with the bases loaded. Of course they all scored. I understand why he came out for the seventh – 81 pitches and a walk, single, and two-run blast were his only baserunners of the game – but hot dang this Careful, Icarus stings. Also, can y’all stop throwing meatballs to Jake Burger for HRs? First the sinker that didn’t go inside, now a 2-1 four-seamer down the pipe. K thx. (View Game Card)
Paul Skenes (PIT) vs PHI (L) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 92 pitches.
Aces gonna increase their ERA by 30%. He’s still the best pitcher in baseball. (View Game Card)
Eury Pérez (MIA) @ TBR (L) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 102 pitches.
Life is pain and even if it’s ultimately a “bad drop”, you’ll be so much happier to give the stress to someone else. He’s going to wear this TIARA for a while. THAT SAID, I actually liked his approach to RHB, where it was the best performance of his season. Sinkers in (sometimes way too in, FWIW), sliders and sweepers down-and-away, nothing down the pipe, and four-seamers UP?! And yet, you see the results. It was moments of excellence followed by losing it for a few batters, and so the pendulum swings. (View Game Card)
Brady Singer (CIN) @ CLE (L) – 4.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 86 pitches.
You’re rostering Singer? Why? (View Game Card)
George Kirby (SEA) vs SDP (L) – 5.2 IP, 6 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 98 pitches.
Sigh. Yes, this was a Careful, Icarus with four of those runs coming in the sixth, but I’ll continue to believe that Kirby isn’t taking full advantage of his arsenal. His sweeper isn’t landing off the plate away, it’s landing on the black. That seems great, but it makes batters comfortable swinging often, especially when the sinker and four-seamer also land on the outer third. Yes, he threw four sinkers just off the inside corner effectively (two whiffs and two fouls!), but that was 4/27 sinkers to RHB. I know he’s capable of playing a better East-West game than this. I just want to see him try it once. (View Game Card)
Michael Lorenzen (COL) vs ARI (L) – 4.2 IP, 6 ER, 9 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 101 pitches.
If you’re scrolling down for the Lorenzen take, you are one special fella. I don’t even know what you want from me. (View Game Card)
Brayan Bello (BOS) @ ATL (L) – 5.0 IP, 7 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 98 pitches.
Clearly, they should have used an opener. To be Frank, and not Nick, Bello isn’t that much different of a pitcher here than in his previous outings. Sure, a better cutter or easier matchup may have prevented a HAISTBMBWT?!, but it should be perfectly clear that Bello isn’t the guy you want. (View Game Card)
Grayson Rodriguez (LAA) vs LAD (L) – 3.2 IP, 7 ER, 7 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 79 pitches.
I had no idea when we’d see GrayRod actually pitch again and here was hit first start of the year: A Still ILL against the Dodgers. This was a Spider-Man meme matchup with Sasaki of similar deadzone 96 mph four-seamers, mediocre gyro sliders in the mid-80s that were their best pitch, and a slowball as a major focus. Grayson’s command was far worse, though, and I have zero expectations moving forward. This is not the guy from years ago. (View Game Card)
Game of the Day
Trevor Rogers vs. Shane McClanahan – Two southpaws I’m into go at it.
But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.
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