Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Thursday 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.
Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs ATL (L) – 6.0 IP, 6 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 94 pitches.
I don’t expect many of you rolled with Sandy Alcantara today against Atlanta, but if you did, I feel for you. It was constant punishment Thursday night across 6.0 IP, 6 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 94 pitches (L) and while a start against Hotlanata shouldn’t be the straw that makes the camel turn around and give you a DUDE, THAT’S TOO MUCH STRAW, this performance wasn’t the convincing outing we wanted it to be. It was more of the same song – rare fastball whiffs, few changeups, and an inability to induce weak contact.
The Jays and Nationals are ahead and if you haven’t already made the tough decision, I implore you to consider making it now. With so many great arms you’ve liked grabbed off the wire across the last month, is Sandy the one you trust the least? Are you effectively lowering your floor by keeping him on your team? Then you know what you must do. He literally has a 16.4% strikeout rate right now, y’all. He’s not the guy we want him to be. You know how much it hurts for me to say that. (View Game Card)
Let’s see how every other SP did Thursday:
Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) vs COL (ND) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 99 pitches.
Don’t you just love it when a good stream works out just as it should? I appreciate you, ERod. So much that I may consider you for a start in Oracle Park next Tuesday. Suitman whispers into my ear. His changeup had a 52% strike rate with 1/21 whiffs?! And cutters + curves returned 40% strikes?! I TAKE IT BACK, CASH OUT FELLAS. (View Game Card)
Joey Cantillo (CLE) @ DET (W) – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 98 pitches.
Ahhhhh, thank you Cantillo. 27% SwStr on his changeup at a near 70% strike rate is truly all I ever want from him. Sure, the four-seamer will allow some hits and can be a bit wild, but as long as that slowball cooks, we know there will be some strikeout production. (View Game Card)
Zach Agnos (COL) @ ARI (ND) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 71 pitches.
Bullpen night for the Rockies turned into five shockingly great frames from Zach. Sadly, it doesn’t appear to much of anything to consider with 92/93 mph cutters that are just blegh cut-fastballs, and a legit 84 mph sweeper that, like his whole arsenal, he can’t locate with consistently. Sigh. I wish there was something solid in Colorado and I could be Agnostic, but Blas, there isn’t even Juan to latch onto. (View Game Card)
Spencer Miles (TOR) @ NYY (Hld) – 4.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 63 pitches.
Wow. I know it’s not five full frames, but that’s a Gold Star for Miles, rooted in a 29% SwStr rate curveball at 33% usage. Yeah, I’m just as shocked as you are. He’ll get the Marlins next and I still don’t quite understand why he got a Hold instead of a dub, but he’ll likely have another chance there. I’m not going for it, but it could happen. He’s just kinda meh. (View Game Card)
Braxton Ashcraft (PIT) @ STL (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 98 pitches.
Mmmmm that’s the good stuff. 68% strikes across his arsenal while featuring 55%+ sliders and curveballs. We keep rolling, obviously. (View Game Card)
Carlos Rodón (NYY) vs TOR (L) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 94 pitches.
Ayyyy, there’s a good start from Rodón. His velocity dropped to 93/94 mph, but he earned a ton of whiffs on the heater while his slider and surprise changeup helped plenty. He’s still struggling with his feel (some highly question locations and many poor misses), but don’t fret – it’s the Royals, Guardians, and Sawx in the Bronx up next. enjoy the co-share of the Gallows Pole (View Game Card)
David Peterson (NYM) @ WSN (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 82 pitches.
I couldn’t believe PL Bot picked Peterson as their streamer of the day, and I’m impressed. Peterson had his fourth straight game with 2 ER or fewer, albeit it never going past five frames in any. His command was as good it gets from him, nailing high four-seamers to RHB and away sliders to LHB, with the sinker finding enough strikes without damage to get by. The Nationals had three occasions with at least two on in his five frames, and he managed to wriggle out of most of it, including walking the bases loaded in the first. I’m happy for him and cannot endorse rolling with this in the future. Absolutely not. (View Game Card)
Luis Severino (ATH) @ LAA (ND) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 10 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 97 pitches.
I’ve been losing faith in Sevy and I’m so glad he took advantage of a weak Angels offense away from Sacré Verde for a Golden Goal. This was the best sweeper and cutter command I’ve seen all year from him, with the cutter jamming LHB for outs and the sweeper dominating RHB with fantastic precision down-and-away. I see y’all, tempted to give this a shot against the White Sox in Sacramento on Tuesday, and I hope you feel my hand slapping you off your mouse. But he’s allowed 2 ER or fewer in five of his last six! All but one of those were on the road. Oh snap. Be careful. (View Game Card)
Cade Cavalli (WSN) vs NYM (L) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 84 pitches.
Oh Mets, you’re so kind. The sweeper and curve (they are super alike) were fantastic, while Cavalli was unbelievably efficient at taking down 75% of all batters who saw two-strike counts. I want to remind you that Cavalli has fanned five or fewer in all but four games this season, with half of those against the Mets. He’ll get the LHB-heavy Guardians, Marlins, then Sneks up next, and while I’m not saying he’s destined to regress from his recent run in a huge way, I will say that I don’t believe he can continue to survive on 37% four-seamers with a 58% strike rate and 1/31 whiffs. I don’t see this a true breakout season, sadly. (View Game Card)
José Soriano (LAA) vs ATH (ND) – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 103 pitches.
I’m so glad to see it. All four main pitches had a 60%+ strike rate (1/4 on sliders BUT WHATEVER) and this train is still getting all the coal it needs. And more this weekend! That’s Cole and Cole, ya dingus. He’ll get the Tigers and Rockie Road ahead and I don’t see how you’d stop starting him against those two. Please let this be real for the full season. (View Game Card)
Casey Mize (DET) vs CLE (L) – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 95 pitches.
Look at this line, I expected to see Mize’s slider to be the one in a morning robe, sipping coffee as it took in the glistening morning light. I am the leader here. NO YOU’RE NOT, SLIDER. A 48% strike rate is not the pitch that deserves morning patio coffee. Sure, it was a lot more LHB and I’m happy the splitter and sinker got the job done (that splitter rocked), but why couldn’t that slide piece (and the 92/93 mph four-seamer, for that matter) look halfway decent? Fortunately, it’s the Angels next and Mize should get far more RHB to get that slider back again. (View Game Card)
Spencer Strider (ATL) @ MIA (W) – 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 100 pitches.
We’ll take a PQS with nine strikeouts, a low WHIP, and a dub, even against the Marlins. That said, I can’t be the only one who sees 4/48 whiffs on his four-seamer and furrows an eyebrow. Wait two. Two furrowed eyebrows. That’s a lot of furrowing. It’s to represent the collective furrowing of managers everywhere who look past the box score and hold themselves back from declaring Strider fully back to form after a solid outing. It’s a small collective, but a meaningful one. Eye, eye. He’ll go to Fenway next and it’s good enough to start there, but I can’t help but be afraid. Three solo shots hit here by LHB against three different pitches and I can’t help but wonder if they would have happened if they weren’t at below average velocities. But he threw 14 changeups and 13 curveballs! He did! And those changeups earned whiffs at a mediocre strike rate, and curve stole a fair number of strikes, but it was the Marlins. I still don’t see Strider suddenly being a four-pitch guy. Do it again, alright? (View Game Card)
Dustin May (STL) vs PIT (L) – 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 91 pitches.
The cutter to LHB was legit, and he was cooking through five frames until all the baserunners in the sixth for a Careful, Icarus. The sweeper wasn’t the devastating pitch we wanted it to be against RHB (1/5 strikes ain’t it), but he did have the sinker and cutter working well, and that cutter was incredible to LHB as it hugged the inside edge. I love seeing that from May, and this could simply be a case of “Fix the sweeper to RHB” and he takes off. What about the changeup? Oh, stop throwing that. You can’t get it down. (View Game Card)
Game of the Day
Connor Prielipp vs. Payton Tolle – I know, Gerrit is back and that’s super fun. BUT LOOK AT THIS. Two young southpaws going 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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Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)
