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.tv weekday mornings from 10 am-12 pm ET.
Bryce Miller (SEA) vs CHW (ND) – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 72 pitches.
This Bryce Miller focus is not to tell you he’s infallible and destined to be a Top 30 SP the rest of the way. It’s to highlight how he’s featuring not just the best four-seamer of his career, but also the best slider of his career, too. The two pitches dominated the White Sox on Tuesday via 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 72 pitches (ND) (for those upset about the Philly at 72 pitches, if the Mariners had a larger lead, I imagine he would have stuck it out to face Murakami with a man on second), and if he continues to pitch like this, he will be a Top 30 SP the rest of the way.
How are these pitches better? Why, it’s the second start where Bryce has sat two ticks higher with extra vert and three inches more cut on his four-seamer (97 mph + 20″ vert + 3/4″ cut at an average arm angle is bonkers) with 1.6 HAVAA to boot. I recall Alex Fast’s premier podcast episode of his own show had him and David Cone talking exclusively about why Miller’s four-seamer was elite and it’s even better now. The slider was an average 86 mph gyro, and it’s suddenly 88 mph with the same movement. We didn’t get to see him flex it against RHB much (mostly LHB), but it was a highly effective strike pitch as the primary secondary, even if the four-seamer outnumbered it 4:1.
Our concern for Miller has been twofold across his career. First, his lack of secondaries created a hyper reliance on his four-seamer. Second, given the necessity to execute with four-seamers, Miller often failed to be precise, mostly grip-it-and-rip-it with his heater, rather than nailing the top of the zone and keeping whatever secondaries down. This start effectively conquered both fears. It’s one start (plus last week, but Still ILL outings are less reliable) and I need more of a sample to propel Miller up the ranks with confidence, but what you just saw was an ace. If he’s truly deserving of the AGA title, it starts with replicating success in tough matchups, like a date with Sacré Verde next. Here. We. Go. (View Game Card)
Let’s see how every other SP did Tuesday:
Kumar Rocker (TEX) @ COL (W) – 7.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks – 19 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 103 pitches.
Excuse me?! Rocker gets a Gold Star (yes, even as the bulk arm) and has somehow returned a 3.60 ERA this season. It was a little cruel to pull him with two outs in the ninth of a 10-0 game (for not just him, but everyone in the stadium), but he’d just walked Tovar on six pitches (do you know how hard that is?) and they didn’t want to push him further past 100 pitches. Anyway, how is this happening? Ohhhh right! I comped him to Márquez, who was one of the rare pitchers to survive Coors. OBVIOUSLY. This was a ridiculous outing of sliders galore that the Rockies simply could not refuse chasing under the zone to grant Rocker a co-share of the Gallows Pole and I don’t care how good this line looks. He sat roughly two ticks down on everything (50 degrees may be why) and this sinker/slider combo is not. That. Good. Here’s a really dumb thought – I wonder if hitters are so used to your explosive 96+ mph heaters with 87+ mph gyro sliders that guys with blegh sinkers and sliders from the right side are overperforming (Elder, I’m looking at you). That’s a really dumb theory, right? Gotta be. (View Game Card)
Jacob Misiorowski (MIL) @ CHC (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 39% CSW, 74 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. I’m generally against using decimals in my writing, but I have to highlight the 39.3% strikeout rate that is so close to hitting 40%. We were also told the Brewers are trying to split out a cutter and a slider for Jay Mis, but save for one weird slider that had far more ride than it had any right to, every other slider/cutter was clumped together, with no way to distinguish between them. I’ll keep checking. (View Game Card)
Jason Alexander (HOU) @ MIN (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 80 pitches.
Wait, this worked?! Every decision I’ve made in my entire life has been wrong. We’re living in a society where Alexander can throw changeups galore and have a ball, and even add three inches of horizontal ride on his 91 mph four-seamer to effectively front-hip LHB for called strikes. His sinker did work inside to RHB, too, and I’m kinda tempted to endorse a start in Arlington up next. Weird, isn’t it? I am a little shocked they waited as long as they did to give Alexander another chance this year (this one was a surprise due to a late notice of a McCullers injury), and be mindful: The 2025 Astros frequently limited Alexander before facing the lineup a third time. He was absurdly efficient this time, and I’m not expecting a QS machine. (View Game Card)
Luinder Avila (KC) vs BOS (L) – 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 51 pitches.
Good ole bullpen games, eh? Opened by the one-and-only future Ray himself, Bailey Falter. I hate this bit. Me too, because it should be over by now. PICK UP THE PHONE TAMPA BAY. We got this rarity due to Bubic’s move to the IL, allowing Stephen Kolek to stick in the rotation even if Ragans returns this weekend.
Landen Roupp (SFG) @ ARI (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 91 pitches.
His command is so good. The breakout is here – 3.27 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 27% strikeout rate thus far – and you cannot drop him. (View Game Card)
Chase Burns (CIN) @ PHI (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 86 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. Oh Burns, your company’s computer guy’s favorite starter entering the year, even with the injury concern. Please let us completely forget about that concern forever. Please. (View Game Card)
Anthony Kay (CHW) @ SEA (ND) – 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 89 pitches.
Don’t look now – I told you not to look! – but Kay has allowed just five ER total in his last four games. Yes, he hasn’t fanned more than five in any of them with a low 24% CSW in that time, but this game was really good. His sinker, cutter, and four-seamer command was the best he’s had all season, with his sweeper acting as the only fail point (2/15 strikes is unreal). Is my dream from the spring actually becoming a reality? Maybe if the changeup can be thrown more than 11% of the time to RHB, and he actually keeps his 70%+ strike rates on said 90+ mph pitches, then yeah, it would be. That’s a really hard IF, sadly. I’m still out with MIN, DET, @PHI next. (View Game Card)
Griffin Jax (TBR) vs BAL (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 44% CSW, 62 pitches.
I was hoping this would be the turning point for Jax and look at that, a 44% CSW for a King Cole. Gorgeous. Why do the Rays enforce innings over pitch count, though? He threw fewer pitches in this one for whatever reason, with his only fault being his second pitch of the game – a HR off a 1-0 96 mph fastball middle-in to Ward. Fun fact: Jax’s first six pitches featured 4 four-seamers. He threw just one more the rest of the game (5th inning for a flyout). His changeup was unreal to LHB (15/16 strikes at 50% CSW!), the sinker stole all the strikes (50% called strikes), and his curve + sweeper did the rest. What about the cutter? The pitch you loved? Oh, right. He didn’t have a good feel for that one. Wait, so his elite four-seamer/cutter combo was barely a factor? Yup. Changeups, breakers, effective sinkers. Oh snap. RIGHT?! With @BAL, DET, @MIA up next, I’m snagging him everywhere, even with that pitch count. You have to think he’ll get more and more stretched out while the four-seamer’s 96+ mph velocity is still very much present. (View Game Card)
Ranger Suarez (BOS) @ KCR (ND) – 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 81 pitches.
Blegh. This was not the Ranger we wanted to see. At all. And now he gets Hotlanta, BAL, @NYY. That’s incredibly worrisome. I talk a lot about how he needs to be in a rhythm and seeing it disappear in this one feels like a canary in a coal mine. Oh jeez. Yes, I’d swap Suarez for Jax. (View Game Card)
Jesús Luzardo (PHI) vs CIN (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 95 pitches.
Yep, that’s Luzardo. Four terrible starts (three in his first four), six stud starts. We keep rolling. (View Game Card)
Zebby Matthews (MIN) vs HOU (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 100 pitches.
I was down on his return to the majors last week and I’m very happy to report that his four-seamer was a tick up (everything was!) with two inches of extra vert and ride. Sweet! So it located it well, right? Uhhhh. Nope. Middle and outer third to RHB is not what we want to see, with some super hittable mistakes over the plate to LHB. The slider and curve were the winners of this outing (and the four-seamer’s 36% CSW and 80% strikes, of course), but I’m still heavily cautious. His secondaries are all 1-2 ticks down still and while he was generally accurate, it wasn’t the proper execution of an approach that makes me confident he’ll avoid damage as he’s done thus far. He’s a two-step against the White Sox and Pirates, and that looks like a winner, and yet, I feel like this is a trap play. (View Game Card)
Kyle Bradish (BAL) @ TBR (L) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 102 pitches.
Was it the prettiest? Nah. Did he still produce for y’all? Absolutely. The slider was a lot more reliable in this one, save for the 1-0 meatball to Yandy for a solo shot in the sixth (blame me, I just tuned in for the start of that inning), and full steam ahead. His sinker and four-seamer are not destined to be 55% strike pitches moving forward. Okay, maybe the four-seamer, but that’s by design. Hopefully. (View Game Card)
Parker Messick (CLE) @ DET (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 81 pitches.
Really strange to see Messick favor sinkers over four-seamers to RHB at the moment, but he’s feeling them and it opened the door for four-seamer whiffs, earning two punchouts on the pitch because that’s what he does. HOWEVER, I was really jazzed about his new cutter to RHB and it’s completely disappeared. No idea why, and I’m also weirded out by a 43% strike rate on his changeup to RHB. Welp, he’s still great. (View Game Card)
Braxton Garrett (MIA) vs ATL (ND) – 3.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 65 pitches.
Garrett was demoted to Triple-A after this one, making us all speculate if Thomas White is making his MLB debut shortly in his place. If you have room for a spec add, absolutely go for it. He has a gorgeous two-plane slider from the left side that should make him worthy of your attention. PILOT Rule n all if it happens, of course. (View Game Card)
Luis Castillo (SEA) vs CHW (L) – 2.1 IP, 2 ER, 1 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 54 pitches.
Welcome to the piggy-back role, Castillo. I’m so sorry it has come to this.
Ryne Nelson (ARI) vs SFG (ND) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 88 pitches.
My heart sank when I watched two solo shots to kick off the second, but the fella stuck it out for us to last through seven frames. Super abnormal for his four-seamer to return just 2/44 whiffs, but the slider is staying down and helping much more than it did in the past. I’m very much in for Rockie Road and @TEA, obviously. (View Game Card)
Griffin Canning (SDP) vs LAD (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 72 pitches.
You know, after the two-run HR in the first, Canning was pretty dang good across his next four. There’s a part of me that wants to be the clever one and go for it against the Phils + Nats, but it’s not a good enough proposition. (View Game Card)
Ben Brown (CHC) vs MIL (L) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 82 pitches.
Ah yes, another game of the 2.5 pitcher where his four-seamer didn’t get whiffs, the curveball overperformed (32% SwStr rate?!) and it wasn’t enough. I can’t emphasize it enough. This. Ain’t. It. (View Game Card)
Keider Montero (DET) vs CLE (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 Hits, 4 BBs, 1 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 85 pitches.
Wait, Montero, you’re supposed to be the WHIP stabilizer. I am, it was a bad start and I still had just a 1.25 WHIP. But four walks! And just one strikeout! HAISTBMBWT?! My job isn’t to pass the butter. YOU GAVE US A WONKA. WE GOT NOTHING. I gotta catch the bus–NOTHING. (View Game Card)
Will Warren (NYY) vs TOR (W) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 86 pitches.
Blegh. The man was Singled Out with four line drives in the fourth, though his sinker wasn’t quite as sharp as we’ve seen as it nibbled a bit too much around the edges and his sweeper + changeup weren’t stellar. So it goes. We still like him, but maybe not as much as the other hot arms like Henderson, Prielipp, Early, etc. He’s yet to eclipse 13 whiffs in any game thus far, after all. (View Game Card)
Mitch Keller (PIT) @ STL (ND) – 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 83 pitches.
It was raining a bit in this one, but is that why he allowed a two-run HR? Maybe the HBP that prevented him from finishing the sixth, which came around to score. Yes, he was that close to a PQS. He’s the same guy. (View Game Card)
Martín Pérez (ATL) @ MIA (ND) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 10 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 78 pitches.
Ten strikeouts?! Pérez didn’t have ten strikeouts in his last three starts combined. In fact, he had ten total strikeouts after his first four starts. 10 strikes = 36% of his season total across nine games prior. We get it. I’m going to Blame it on the Marlins here with a lot of these strikeouts landing well over the plate and did I mention he had 28 strikeouts in nine starts before this? WE GET IT. I’m not in against the Nats up next. (View Game Card)
Matthew Liberatore (STL) vs PIT (ND) – 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 77 pitches.
He was great through four, then he fell apart in the fifth. Maybe it was the rain, maybe it was just getting Singled Out, but what matters most is his current curveball feel. It’s cooking. Too bad I don’t want to risk this against the Reds in Cincy + Cubs, but this could be Libby turning things around. Solid changeup and cutter, too, with intent to go up with his heater (albeit frequently too high). (View Game Card)
Emmet Sheehan (LAD) @ SDP (ND) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 67 pitches.
Wat. His velocity fell a lot to an average of 93 mph by the fourth, but the real damage came from a pair of two-run blasts. That said, he didn’t get a single whiff on his four-seamer and that’s troubling. Too many down the pipe to RHB, while the ones he did elevate were mostly fouled off, or in Adujar’s case, launched over the fence. He gets Rockie Road next so we continue the Cherry Bomb ride. (View Game Card)
Jacob Lopez (ATH) @ LAA (ND) – 3.2 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 83 pitches.
The four-seamer is so dang rough and without a single changeup whiff, it forced the slider and cutter to do far too much. I really hope he doesn’t live as the example we point to when a pitcher goes on a 10-game heater. Look at JLo! He was a stud for 13 games in 2025 and that was it! (View Game Card)
Foster Griffin (WSN) vs NYM (W) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 97 pitches.
We gave it another spin after the disaster last game and to be fully honest, this was Bichette smacking two HRs off the fella, the second on a legit 3-2 cutter up-and-in that would have eaten up so many others. The only other mistake punished was a 1-2 changeup to Vientos middle-down for a double and the third, fourth, and fifth were easy as the 3.14 ERA he should have after a few good matchups. But alas, it’s HotLanta next and I don’t want him there. The Padres aren’t good against southpaws + the Sneks follow, making it worthwhile to jump back in next weekend, but I don’t think you need to hold for it. (View Game Card)
Dylan Cease (TOR) @ NYY (L) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 9 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 100 pitches.
He looked so good through three, didn’t he? Welcome to the Cease experience. Yes, it was two HRs that burned him, but the three runners on base for both were all from free passes. That’s the real issue. His HR/9 was minuscule prior to this outing and he’s destined to allow fewer solo shots than his peers. He’s also destined to have one of the highest strikeout rates in baseball, too. The sweetest Cherry Bomb of them all. (View Game Card)
Nolan McLean (NYM) @ WSN (L) – 5.2 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 100 pitches.
Aces gonna allow an “inside the park” grand slam in the second (it’s ALWAYS an OF error), an actual HR in the third, errors in the fourth…Sigh. I’m still waiting for McLean’s first goose egg outing of the year. His biggest question entering the season was his attack to LHB and the Nationals, even with their good fortune mixed with poor defense, took advantage of the suspect approach from McLean. Obviously, nothing we can do about this and expect a full rebound against the Marlins for two straight starts. (View Game Card)
Tanner Gordon (COL) vs TEX (L) – 6.1 IP, 7 ER, 12 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 81 pitches.
What, you expect this to go well? Gordon is the commissioner, not the superhero. (View Game Card)
Reid Detmers (LAA) vs ATH (L) – 5.2 IP, 8 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 19 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 92 pitches.
You may have read the roundup for years and not noticed how it’s sorted by IP and ER. Understanding that, it’s always a shock to see an award winner at the bottom, but here we are with a Gallows Pole and 8 ER in the books for Detmers. It was a product of getting Singled Out in the third, though a fair number of those hits came on poor heaters and sliders over the plate. And even with those whiffs, my fear of waning slider command is blossoming into reality more each start. I have no issue with anyone moving on right now; however, I also understand wanting to truly see if this is a decline with starts against the Rangers and Rays up next. (View Game Card)
Game of the Day
Zach Thornton vs. Washington Nationals – It’s a PILOT Rule and I’m curious what the low 90s southpaw slinger can do.
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)
