Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Wednesday 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.
Gavin Williams (CLE) @ MIN (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 98 pitches.
Eight weeks. It took us eight weeks to finally watch Gavin Williams feature a cutter as his #2 pitch. Our borderline psychotic patience for the pitch to arrive rewarded us with 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 98 pitches (W) against the Twins and I truly hope you take this seriously.
The cutter isn’t just a meme. The pitch was featured 22% of the time and returned a 59% strike rate with all five balls in play returning outs. That doesn’t sound great. No, it wasn’t a ground-breaking pitch. But it doesn’t need to be. Featuring the cutter often at 91 mph amplified the effects of the heater. We’re talking 10/53 whiffs with a 36% CSW and now y’all get it. Having the cutter around makes the four-seamer better + the sweeper is still effective with a high strike rate of its own.
It really is unfortunate that Gavin is forced to deal with the Dodgers in his very next start, though as long as the cutter gets the same treatment (even if on the bench!), you should feel fantastic slotting him in against the Angels and Astros. It’s time.
Let’s see how every other SP did Wednesday:
Kevin Gausman (TOR) vs SDP (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks – 19 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 92 pitches.
Wow. Gausman went berserk with the splitter, featuring it exactly half of the time for 13/46 whiffs. NICK! THE SPLITTER WHIFFS! I know, I know, it’s been so long. Those splitters came with extra drop and horizontal ride and it may be time to jump back in. Let’s test it with the Rangers and take it from there. But he’s a HIPSTER! Yes, but this is a new thing. Gausman hasn’t showcased this kind of splitter for a long time. Here’s to hoping it sticks.
Brant Hurter (DET) @ STL (ND) – 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 37 pitches.
The Tigers elected to go with a bullpen game with Olson on the IL. It’s cool to see Hurter again, too, with a sinker that continues to generate outs and not a whole lot else.
Daniel Lynch IV (KCR) @ SFG (ND) – 1.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 40 pitches.
This was a bullpen game and I miss Ragans. And Lugo. Pew pew pew :(
Max Meyer (MIA) vs CHC (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 99 pitches.
Here’s a lovely surprise and I wish I could lean into it more. Meyer’s 95 mph four-seamer did most of the work as it returned outs with a boatload of strikes, while the slider and changeup struggled to be major factors, each with good moments and bad. I’m still wary of Meyer as this came without slider dominance nor the extra four-seamer velocity, nor a single sweeper whiff (0/12? Really?!). I’m out for the Padres next, but if that’s decent enough, Rockie Road should be worthwhile.
Dustin May (LAD) vs ARI (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 88 pitches.
OH SNAP. I’d written you off, May. I was sick and tired of seeing you sit 94 mph on the sinker (hey, 95 mph now!) with decent location and pair it with just a sweeper. Now we got 15 four-seamers + cutters in the mix and guess what? They tallied for 6/15 whiffs between them. IT’S ABOUT TIME, MAY. Yeesh. What took ya so long? The schedule ahead isn’t the greatest and just because those pitches did well here doesn’t mean they’ll be back against the Guardians. It’s a decent enough play to take the chance, but it’ll get tougher after. Keep your expectations in check.
Cade Horton (CHC) @ MIA (ND) – 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 92 pitches.
I saw PL staffer Jack Mueller compare Horton to a right-handed Justin Steele and it’s stuck in my head. His heater has the cut-action while his breaker is a wide band of shapes to confound batters. What he lacks in consistent location, he makes up for a bit in a legit changeup he whipped out here for 9/18 whiffs. WHOA. Yup. But seriously, work on that four-seamer precision. We can’t have you going 56% strikes with four hits on that thing, even if it’s sitting 96 mph (a tick up!). The sweeper and changeup look like whiff machines to their respective sides of the plate, but the four-seamer has to be on a better foundation. Here’s to Rockie Road and Natty Light up ahead in perfect situations to nail this down. Man, I was so wrong about Horton in January and I’m so happy to be.
Garrett Crochet (BOS) vs NYM (ND) – 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 85 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. I want to give a shoutout to Soto for striking out thrice to make this happen, swinging just once all game – on a sweeper outside to strike out for the third time. To those who think I’m being ridiculous with my “Sell!” take of Crochet, you should be aware of the heater returning 1/28 whiffs in this one + 60% of the Mets’ hits. It’s not the same four-seamer as last year now that he’s lost half a foot of extension. That’s not insignificant.
Ryan Yarbrough (NYY) vs TEX (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 43% CSW, 81 pitches.
Uhhhh that’s a Gold Star and a King Cole. Wow, 81 pitches?! The Fratty Pirate was given the keys to the castle with his sinker and cutter, racking up all the called strikes while the changeup was a stupid good nullifier down-and-away. This is incredibly atypical and a shock for everyone involved. Let’s be happy for the fella finding a way to stick around in the bigs and succeeding with an 87 mph fastball.
Andrew Heaney (PIT) vs CIN (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 97 pitches.
Heaney was granted the chance to stroll down the Reds Carpet and he did so with a lovely smile on his face. He landed the four-seamer up with good changeups down, while the breakers were kinda meh across the board. All good, that heater dominated the poor offense and we move on to the next stream.
Tylor Megill (NYM) @ BOS (ND) – 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 10 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 39% CSW, 85 pitches.
Megill’s heaters were so fun to watch. He was getting noises out of me watching this one on stream with The Kid Mero and Dellin Betances, but the slider wasn’t the same pitch we’ve seen. He added some velocity to it in exchange for losing more than four inches of drop. That’s not what we want to see. That slide piece has been a gamechanger for him and even if the four-seamer earned all the strikes, his lack of back-up led to 11/37 foul balls on that fastball and the pitch count racking up to get him gone before five full frames. Be thrilled you got value out of this inside Fenway, though, and the White Sox should make for a fun night in your lineups.
Chad Patrick (MIL) vs BAL (ND) – 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 89 pitches.
Whoa nelly! That’s seven whiffs each on cutters and four-seamers! It’s too bad he induced 27 foul balls that it knocked him out of the game early, but I am starting to wonder if there is something actually real or if this is just the Luck of the Chad. Nah, he chucked a lot over the plate and the Orioles are kinda struggling badly at the moment. It’s the Red Sox next, anyway.
Jacob deGrom (TEX) @ NYY (ND) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 20 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 103 pitches.
Aces gonna ace for a Gallows Pole in an entertaining matchup against the Bronx Bombers. The changeup came alive for 6/13 whiffs against LHB while the heater and four-seamer were effective (just not stupid effective with his slider and four-seamer each returning a sub 28% CSW). deGoat even flirted with sitting 98 mph because why not.
Tomoyuki Sugano (BAL) @ MIL (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 88 pitches.
Is it sexy? No! Is it pretty cool that he’s spotting splitters and sweepers for solid ratios? Yes! Treat him like a Toby and you’ll be happy. The Cardinals + White Sox make me happy to keep streaming him.
Taj Bradley (TBR) vs HOU (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 84 pitches.
This was chaos and y’all know I don’t like chaos. I don’t want to touch it and I’m happy for all of you who are still holding on. It’s a tough life out there.
Chris Paddack (MIN) vs CLE (L) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 91 pitches.
As expected, Paddack was able to do well with his changeup and four-seamer separation to LHB, though he was Singled Out and gave you a Dusty Donut. This really does showcase the limited ceiling with Paddack – he got all the LHB, executed his four-seamer and changeup incredibly well, and this is what we get. Just a thought.
Brady Singer (CIN) @ PIT (L) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 17% CSW, 102 pitches.
It’s far from pretty and Blame it on the Pirates. Just 1/29 slider whiffs as Singer continues to struggle with the breaker. He just can’t quite figure that thing out these days. With the Royals and Brewers on the horizon, it doesn’t feel right to let him go, but this was a Dusty Donut against the Pirates. THE PIRATES.
Randy Vásquez (SDP) @ TOR (L) – 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 73 pitches.
Yeah, that’s Randy, alright.
Corbin Burnes (ARI) @ LAD (L) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 96 pitches.
Burnes was looking pristine until a three-run shot with two outs in the sixth. He told Eno Sarris that he has no plans to bring back the low vert cutter, which I personally don’t understand, but the offering did work in this one with stellar examples running inside to LHB and a whopping 75% strike rate at 30% CSW. That’s not the elite cutter of old, but it allowed for a secondary or two to take over, and that’s what we got. His curve went 9/23 whiffs, while the sinker, change, and slider all returned 75%+ strikes. Not the greatest locations over the plate, but we’ll take this all day against the Dodgers. The Pirates should be a breeze next week.
Andre Pallante (STL) vs DET (L) – 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 90 pitches.
The velocity just keeps climbing as now he’s sitting 95.3 mph, which is cool to see, but he allowed a quartet of hits off that fastball while the other offerings struggled to earn strikes. But hey, the Tigers, this wasn’t the time to start Pallante anyway. It won’t be for a while, sadly.
Shane Smith (CHW) vs SEA (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 87 pitches.
I’m sad to report that the four-seamer fell to 93.7 mph in this one. But the gains! THE GAINS! I know, I was hoping he’d be at least sitting 95 mph forever now and hopefully this was just a one-game blip. His kick change was filthy at times (8/26 whiffs) and a massive waste pitch otherwise, and I think he’ll reconsider using the sinker, as one of the four he threw landed over the fence for a bamboozling of three runs in the first. He’s not doing enough to make us stop rostering him just yet and it could work against the Mets next time out.
Taijuan Walker (PHI) @ COL (W) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 68 pitches.
At least you got a Win? Yay?
Logan Webb (SFG) vs KCR (L) – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 10 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 77 pitches.
Jeeeeez Webb, against the Royals? Really? Nothing to get worried about, just one of those days getting Singled Out, even if two of those runs came off the bat of a Salvy blast on a 91 mph sinker. Whatareyagoonado.
Jack Kochanowicz (LAA) @ ATH (ND) – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 5 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 99 pitches.
The Jack of One Trade is doing what I want him to do with his sinker – keep it low all day – but he didn’t get enough chases to justify the low 34% zone rate. Meanwhile, the changeup to LHB was ultra hittable and returned a pair of longballs + the slider and four-seamer failed to cover for the sinker, like that one “friend” you really shouldn’t have hung out with in college. Shannon. Excuse me? She never had my back. Come on Shannon, WE DESERVE BETTER.
Logan Evans (SEA) @ CHW (ND) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 90 pitches.
Back-to-back jacks in the fourth ruined this one from Evans, which featured a heavy lean into secondaries as the pair of fastballs saw just 25% usage between them. I’m down with that approach and he could prove helpful against Natty Light up next. Don’t love it, but those were some lovely sweepers and cutters to RHB.
Hunter Brown (HOU) @ TBR (L) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 15% CSW, 91 pitches.
Blegh. Despite keeping the changeup down super well to LHB, Hunter failed to return a single whiff. On the changeup? On all secondaries. We’re talking 0/34 whiffs on changeups + curves + sliders. Oh dear. Throw in a poor strike rate on his four-seamer on top of it all, and you have yourself a rough outing. But whatever, you’re allowed one, h*ck, two! Have a ball, you’ve earned a day off. Uhhh, isn’t this the stuff you were worried about with Brown? Sure, but one game doesn’t make a pitcher. Here’s to hoping he rebounds against the Athletics.
JP Sears (ATH) vs LAA (ND) – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 93 pitches.
And thus, the legend of Sears crumbled before us. Four baseballs stole our joy and took them over the fences of Sacré Verde, as Sears became wrapped in paper. The man is a Double Bubble.
Carson Palmquist (COL) vs PHI (L) – 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 10 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 16% CSW, 86 pitches.
I feel for the southpaw. Why did I have to be drafted by the Rockies?
Joe Ryan (MIN) vs CLE (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 89 pitches.
This was technically not a start, but in relief of Ober from Monday’s suspended game. It wasn’t a pretty day to pitch and 91/92 mph heaters aren’t the Ryan we’re accustomed to seeing. I think we hand-wave this one in general and be happy he was able to have solid pitch separation as he threw exclusively to LHB.
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Game of the Day
Nathan Eovaldi vs. Carlos Rodón – I’m watching this live at 12:30 pm with Randy Wilkins of Views From 314 and ESPN’s “The Captain”. Can’t wait! What about Giolito? He’ll give me the greatest birthday gift of all – silencing the haters (Please Giolito, I don’t ask for much).
But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.
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