Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Friday 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.
Jared Jones (PIT) vs MIN (ND) – 4.1 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 77 pitches.
Sea shanties are being sung joyously as we welcome Jared Jones back to the Majors. UCL surgery prevented the still just 24-year-old righty from making an appearance in 2025. After a long journey of recovery, faring the calm waters of the minor leagues, Jones made his long-awaited return in Pittsburgh, taking on the Twins and producing 4.1 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 77 pitches (ND) in a performance that failed to live up to the excitement.
The results don’t tell the whole story, as Jones came back firing cannonballs harder than ever, increasing his still impressive 97 mph 2024 four-seamer velo to 99 mph in his 2026 debut. It failed to retain the same amount of lift (-1.6″ to 15-16″ of iVB), but when you’re throwing that hard, it doesn’t matter, and it can give the ball less time to achieve rise during its abbreviated path to the plate. I’d expect the velo on the four-seamer to come down without the debut adrenaline, allowing the vert to return. The most important thing is that he maintained, and even improved, his flat approach angle with 1.8 HAVAA.
That elite heater is the foundation, and it laid it on thick with six whiffs and 79% strikes, proving to be both overwhelming and reliable. Unfortunately, it landed in the middle of the plate twice, leading to two bombs headed toward the Allegheny, accounting for three of his five runs allowed. Those were the only two times it was turned around for a hit, but he’ll need some time to work on his precision upstairs.
Now what about those secondaries? With the heater cooking up spicy meals for the rest of the crewmates in the arsenal, they were on fire and a little bit rambunctious. His slider looked exactly the same, albeit with extra drop (which is a good thing). It came in at 89 mph and was able to be controlled (68% strikes), but not commanded, as it landed above the zone a few too many times for my liking.
Unlike in Jones’ debut 2024 campaign, he actually made room for the second and third mates. Both the curve and the changeup were thrown 20% of the time, after being used just 9% and 7% of the time, respectively, in 2024. The Captain Hook came in four ticks harder with the same shape. If you think I’m trying to emphasize how insane that is by utilizing italics, you’d be correct. He limboed it below the zone, inducing four whiffs and 33% CSW. This is huge for his development, giving him another weapon for both righties and lefties when his slider isn’t there. Changeups also showed up with nearly three extra mph, sitting 92-93 mph, and had the same effect, landing below sea level versus lefties, for a trio of whiffs and 40% CSW.
The expansion of his arsenal, turning these tertiary pitches into legit offerings with consistent command, makes him a complete pitcher. Not only does he have support for the slider when he can’t find the command, but it also allows him to cut back the fastball usage, making it a more effective surprise pitch when he lands it upstairs. I’m so hyped for the Davy Jones ascension!
He’s the second-to-last piece of the Pirates’ pitching puzzle, with Seth Hernandez being the final piece of a legendary five-man rotation that is destined to become infamous among opposing batters. Captained by Paul Skenes, with crewmates Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, Jones, and Hernandez, I’m officially dubbing this group the Worst Generation. Good luck scoring against the Pirates. (View Game Card)
Let’s see how every other SP did Friday:
Brayan Bello (BOS) @ CLE (L) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 63 pitches.
Bello with an opener is built different! In four appearances with an opener, he has a 0.71 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 20% K-BB%. In seven starts, he has a 9.68 ERA, 2.25 WHIP, and 0% K-BB%. That can’t be real. You better believe it! Taking on a lefty-heavy Guardians lineup, he needed his changeup to show up. KNOCK KNOCK Is that who I think it is?! Changeup, buddy! Long time no see! Oh, and you brought gifts! Five whiffs and 69% strikes, you didn’t have to! If the Red Sox are okay with Bello arriving late to the party (you know I am, whiffs are my favorite!), he should continue to avoid the mental block that makes him a completely different guy beginning the game. The increased win chance is something every fantasy manager can get behind. (View Game Card)
MacKenzie Gore (TEX) vs KCR (W) – 6.1 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 99 pitches.
Yeah, Gore’s definitely back. After a rough five-start stretch during which his command played hide and seek (14% BB%), he finally found it with success (5% BB%) in three of his last four starts (one was cut short due to an injury scare). Unafraid to fill up the zone with four-seamers, the southpaw relied heavily on a passive Royals lineup, allowing him to steal 12 called strikes with the heater while going 8/10 outs on balls in play. The willy-nilly-ness of his curveballs and cutters showed his lack of precision vs RHB, but his stuff is so good that we just need to see him be competitive around the zone with the intent of going BSB. Intent was apparent vs LHB, as he jammed them with sinkers and got them chasing sliders away, while four-seamers made up for the duo’s lack of strikes. Just keep throwing strikes, big guy. B-big guy. SpongeBob, big guy, pants, OKAY. I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it. (View Game Card)
Adam Macko (TOR) @ BAL (ND) – 1.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 30 pitches.
Macko opened for Austin Voth, who went 3.1 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BB, 0 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 70 pitches (ND). There was once a time when Voth was intriguing, but that was long before he jumped around organizations, ultimately spending 2025 pitching to a 3.96 ERA with a 17% strikeout rate in NPB. Curveballs were the star of the show, and everybody quickly went on their phones instead of being subject to the 44% strikes it returned. At least four-seam fastball is in this film. I loved it in that one about heaters in the attic. Wasn’t that a horror film? Oh, right. 40% strikes and minus two ticks here. Spooky! (View Game Card)
Brandon Eisert (CHW) vs DET (ND) – 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 19 pitches.
Get it off me! Dude chill! It’s just an opener. This wasn’t a bullpen game. Phew. Who did Eisert open for? I’m not sure it’s any better than a bullpen game. Was it Erick Fedde? Don’t trust the Feds. The White Sox thought they could pull a Red Sox and turn their underperforming starter into an ace just by throwing him in relief. Fedde disappointed with 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 84 pitches (ND). 49% strikes on everything that wasn’t a sweeper, and you don’t need me to tell you to avoid Fedde @MIN next. (View Game Card)
Luis Severino (ATH) vs NYY (L) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 1 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 23 pitches.
This line is a bit misleading. Yes, Severino was removed with arm soreness, and we’re praying it doesn’t require an IL stint. However, a throwing error hid the fact that he served up a three-run dinger to Paul Goldschmidt and looked destined for a disaster outing. Just please don’t start him at home. (View Game Card)
Troy Melton (DET) @ CHW (ND) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 89 pitches.
Melton round two didn’t ease concerns about his ceiling. He’s not beating the Toby allegations. Four-seamers and sliders thrown 70% of the time were a shotgun blast of donut command, and both exhibited decreased movement. The lack of precision led to just one strikeout, forcing us to exclaim HAISTBMBWT?! You’re not going to butter a donut. Maybe he shouldn’t be serving donuts as hors d’oeuvres! Koufax was on Melton’s side, patting his back as he went 20/26 outs on balls in play, allowing him to survive seven frames. I’m still starting him @TBR next, but if he can’t get his heaters up and sliders down, he’ll quickly become a pitcher without a high enough ceiling to chase and with a floor to be wary of. (View Game Card)
Justin Wrobleski (LAD) vs PHI (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 39% CSW, 88 pitches.
We were fools to think Wrobleski’s hot streak would simply end. That’s a Golden Goal and a Gold Star as Wrobleski pulled off the BSB with four-seamers upstairs and sliders down. 26/48 CSW on fastballs is bonkers! He’s going to make me start believing in him if he continues increasing his velo and expanding his arsenal. Heaters sped up to a season high 95 mph, sliders flashed 86-87 mph on the gun, and sinkers/changeups/curveballs combined for 11% usage. Keep up that trend, and you’ll cruise @ARI, @PIT, and TBR. (View Game Card)
Carlos Rodón (NYY) @ ATH (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 16% CSW, 93 pitches.
We love seeing Rodón complete his first six-inning start of the year, but it’s concerning to see just three whiffs. I’ll call this an aberration of foul balls. The A’s fought off 24 pitches, which, in normal circumstances, are 50/50 balls in play or whiffs. So, we can expect more swings and misses moving forward, and can be grateful he only served up a solo shot in Sacré Verde. (View Game Card)
Walbert Ureña (LAA) @ TBR (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 92 pitches.
Having allowed more than two runs just once this year, Ureña has made up for the transgressions of his namesake with a 2.44 ERA through 10 games. We usually get a tour of changeup city, but he instead found increased movement on his fastballs and trust with his sweeper. The slowball was still a key contributor to righties, but his poorly-shaped four-seamer added an inch of vert and lived upstairs, while sinkers and sweepers landed in the bottom half to righties. The breaker isn’t necessarily the savior, failing to find the zone consistently (29% zone rate), but it gives him a much-needed additional option against same-handed batters to keep them from swatting sinkers. Now it’s Rockie Road and my sweet tooth is aching! You should probably get that checked out. (View Game Card)
Logan Webb (SFG) @ COL (ND) – 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 86 pitches.
In his return from a three-week stint on the IL with knee bursitis, Webb was tested in Coors and struggled with inefficiency. He continuously dealt with long at-bats as his sinker and sweeper couldn’t consistently find the zone (combined 51% strikes), and this could’ve been a lot worse if not for some love from Koufax via 8/11 outs on balls in play and a solid 46% per-batter PAR. This was Webb shaking off the rust in a tough environment. @MIL next will be much different. (View Game Card)
Paxton Schultz (WSN) vs SDP (ND) – 1.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 26 pitches.
Another opener! Schultz pitched the first frame ahead of Andrew Alvarez, who returned 3.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 74 pitches (ND). Even against a Padres offense weak against southpaws, Alvarez fanned just one batter. HAISTBMBWT?! There has to be a world where his elite curveball can shine brighter than 22% CSW. I was a fan of his locations, flipping hooks in the lower third, and going up and gloveside with four-seamers, but the heater has awful shape. We’re talking 92 mph with a high arm angle, 12″ of iVB, and -0.1 HAVAA (I didn’t even know it could go negative). It’s super hittable and is a clear pitch for batters to target, as they spit on the elite curve. Maybe just throw the curve an obscene amount so batters have no choice but to offer at it. Just a thought. (View Game Card)
Nick Martinez (TBR) vs LAA (W) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 88 pitches.
At this point, analysis is futile. Martinez is on an all-time Vargas Rule, having not allowed more than two runs through 12 outings thus far, leading to a 1.62 ERA (third in MLB among qualified starters). He must have some sort of deal with Koufax that allows him to keep doing this despite a 15% strikeout rate. It could end at any point, but we’ll continue starting him until it does. It’s like riding a rollercoaster that you won’t admit you’re afraid to ride. Just close your eyes and smile, and it will be over before you know it! (View Game Card)
Freddy Peralta (NYM) vs MIA (ND) – 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 94 pitches.
It’s been too much Professor Chaos this year, and the bit is starting to get old. A dope changeup can only propel insomuch as you throw an effective heater. Just 52% strikes on said heater, forcing Peralta into deep counts. It didn’t help that Koufax isn’t a fan of Peralta’s alter-ego either, leading to a .545 BABIP vs LHBs. The inconsistency will be maddening, but nothing has changed to lead us to bench him @SEA next. (View Game Card)
Coleman Crow (MIL) @ HOU (ND) – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 61 pitches.
Coleman Crow Medicine Show rocked me like a Wagon Wheel (yes, that’s my favorite band, and yes, it was the first song I learned on banjo). There must’ve been some sort of smell coming from the batter’s box, because Crow was afraid to get close to it, and decreased his extension by 0.3 feet. That made his already slow 91 mph fastballs appear even more hittable. Luckily, he focused on cutters instead. Oh, were they good? No, they just weren’t four-seamers or sinkers. This arsenal lacks the OOMPH that makes me want to write more about it, and the Brewers aren’t willing to let him see the lineup a third time. (View Game Card)
Kai-Wei Teng (HOU) vs MIL (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 91 pitches.
We should call Teng “The Janitor” with how much he loves his sweeper. I don’t blame him. It’s an elite breaker, and it’s propelled him to moderate success in his return to the rotation. However, a janitor also needs glass cleaner, a mop, and that yellow bucket with the soapy water and the contraption that squeezes the moisture out of the mop, otherwise the building won’t be thoroughly cleaned. In other words, Teng is missing support for his sweeper, making him someone to avoid despite the recent results. (View Game Card)
Grant Holmes (ATL) @ CIN (ND) – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 80 pitches.
Holmes is a prime example of what Teng is destined to become. He has an elite slider without the offerings to support it. Sometimes, the breaker comes alive and propels him to noteworthy performances (like his 10-K outing from last week), but most of the time, it leads to frustrating outings like this one where he didn’t have the proper weapons to handle LHBs. (View Game Card)
Slade Cecconi (CLE) vs BOS (ND) – 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 69 pitches.
Regardless of results, I always check Cecconi’s four-seamer and cutter velocity to see if it’s worth considering joining the Slade Brigade. Checks velo and sees the four-seamer at 94 and the cutter at 89. Heck yeah! Now do it again…and maybe one more time after that, so we can feel confident about jumping in after you face NYY x2. (View Game Card)
Michael Lorenzen (COL) vs SFG (ND) – 3.2 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 70 pitches.
You’re in a bad state when it’s surprising that this start raised your season-long ERA. Your ratios are now as big as your muscles! (View Game Card)
Trevor Rogers (BAL) vs TOR (ND) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 84 pitches.
So close! The Orioles should have called it quits after six shutout innings with just three baserunners, but nope! The seventh went single, homer, double, homer, hook. Careful, Icarus. His approach vs RHBs was beautiful, with four-seamers landing upstairs for plenty of strikes (74%), changeups sitting low and armside for whiffs (four), and sweeper/cutters keeping batters honest. I can’t say he’s all the way back without seeing him repeat this command or having more opportunites to showcase he’s solved LHBs, but I’m willing to take the shot @BOS next. (View Game Card)
Zack Wheeler (PHI) @ LAD (L) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 90 pitches.
Four solo shots?! I guess the silver lining is that he allowed the minimum amount of damage on the long balls, but those four tie a career-high for homers he’s allowed in a start. I turned to immediately point fingers at the reduced velocity on four-seamers, but he was up half a tick to 95-96 mph. This was just Wheeler getting beaten by some of the best hitters in the game. Every dinger came off the bat of a former All-Star (Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith). Whatareyougonnado? Start him against the Padres next. I was thinking the same thing. (View Game Card)
George Kirby (SEA) vs ARI (ND) – 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 87 pitches.
By George! Why do you keep doing this to us? You’re supposed to have elite command, so you must be choosing to throw your pitches in the most illogical locations. Who’s drawing up this gameplan? Picasso? Cool, yeah, let’s throw sinkers away to RHBs, so they don’t tunnel with low sweepers. Oooh, and then against LHBs we can just throw everything down the middle. That’ll really defy expectations, making the spectator ponder, “hmmm I wonder what he was trying to invoke with that”. It’s definitely not invoking any whiffs! Get it together, bro! Ocean waves, ocean waves. Let’s pray the Mets can fix him next week. (View Game Card)
Chris Paddack (CIN) vs ATL (L) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 0 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 86 pitches.
Paddack is doing a decent job of going BSB with promising four-seamers (93 mph and 18-19″ of vert) and signature changeups. I also like that his new ballclub is imploring him to incorporate other offerings to help him find that perennially elusive tertiary offering. Good luck, Cincinnati. It’ll be more difficult to find than the One Piece, and we’ve been searching for that since before I was born. If he somehow becomes the Pirate King, he could be a sneaky streamer outside of Great American Smallpark. (View Game Card)
Stephen Kolek (KCR) @ TEX (L) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 91 pitches.
Coming off a CGSHO, there was some concern that Kolek might be dealing with some fatigue. It sure seemed that way at first, as he allowed four runs (two earned) in the first before settling in for three one-hit frames and closing things out with a two-run shot in the fifth. Kolek is a Toby worthy of streams versus bottom-half offenses. Avoid @CIN next, but the TEX rematch afterwards seems worthwhile. I don’t expect 6/7 baserunners to come around to score next time. (View Game Card)
Taj Bradley (MIN) @ PIT (ND) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 87 pitches.
Were our concerns not unfounded after all? Bradley has historically struggled with his command, negating his impressive stuff. So far this year, he’d thrown enough strikes and improved his stuff enough to mask the bust potential lurking beneath the surface. It emerged from the Allegheny, as his splitter failed to find the zone (55% strikes, 27% zone rate), and he got squeezed on four-seamers (50% strikes despite a 58% zone rate). It didn’t matter that he displayed increased velo, or that his cutter dominated (six whiffs and 71% strikes), or that most of the damage came during a three-run first in which he was Singled Out and hurt by a defensive miscue. Okay, maybe that stuff does matter. We keep starting Bradley, but just be wary of the potential for the floor to fall out as soon as the command disappears. (View Game Card)
Andre Pallante (STL) vs CHC (ND) – 3.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 75 pitches.
Oh, come on, Koufax! That’s not fair. Pallante showed up with his best stuff, sitting a tick up on heaters, and two mph up on his breakers, but you had to let him get Singled Out with an unreal .571 BABIP. Those breakers were legit though. Sliders at 89 were commanded well for 72% strikes, supporting his sinker inside to RHBs and his cut-four-seamer over the plate to LHBs. The hook at 80 mph was much better, but the command still needs some work. Some?! Okay, maybe a lot of work. It returned just 20% strikes, failing to solve Pallante’s biggest issue – a trusted secondary vs LHBs. I won’t rule out success vs TEX next. (View Game Card)
Lucas Giolito (SDP) @ WSN (ND) – 2.2 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 1 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 77 pitches.
That’s now 12 walks to just six strikeouts through three starts for Giolito as he continues to maintain sub-91 mph four-seamer velocity. The changeup emphasis is the right direction, but when the rest of his arsenal returns just 43% strikes, it doesn’t matter how good the slowball is. I love Giolito as a person. That sounds like a backhanded compliment. I don’t think there’s much argument that he’s a better pitcher than streamer at the moment, and I don’t mean streamer in the fantasy sense. (View Game Card)
Max Meyer (MIA) @ NYM (ND) – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 106 pitches.
Meyer, how could you?! Against the Mets of all teams…Four-seamer shape was great, he threw 66% overall strikes, and changeups, despite less than ideal locations, were generally helpful vs LHBs. I’m struggling to figure out why he pitched so poor- ope! There it is! His sweeper and slider locations were all over the place, with plenty landing in the nitro zone or above it altogether. His breakers are his signature pitches, so when they’re not elite, neither is he. I’d expect him to get them back immediately. (View Game Card)
Shota Imanaga (CHC) @ STL (L) – 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 75 pitches.
The homers are a real problem. After serving up just five long balls in his first nine starts, Imanaga has channeled his 2025 self with eight dingers in his past three starts. The clear problem has been the loss of splitter precision. It’s catching too much of the plate, and while that wasn’t the case in his first blowup (he failed to find the zone), or his second one (it missed plenty of bats), the pitch’s volatility is becoming apparent. This is why we’re so hesitant about splitter-reliant profiles. With the weather continuing to heat up and Imanaga being a fly-ball-focused, homer-prone arm, we’ll see more games like this. There will be dominance interspersed, but I think we can expect him to pitch a lot more like he did in 2025 than he did in 2024 moving forward. (View Game Card)
Zac Gallen (ARI) @ SEA (ND) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 84 pitches.
I thought this was a safe stream for Gallen, who had proven himself somewhat competent, but BOY, was I wrong. Excuse me! I had my Bar Mitzvah. I’m a man now. How was I supposed to know if you didn’t invite me?! Gallen’s pitch separation was awesome, but four-seamers were too far upstairs, and he got tagged for three homers, as batters were clearly not fooled. Please go back to throwing your fastball low to utilize your elite vert to catch batters off guard while tunneling with your secondaries. Too bad we won’t be finding out if he’s even listening to me, as he faces LAD next. NOPE! (View Game Card)
Game of the Day
Bryan Woo vs. Ryne Nelson – It’s the four-seamer fashion show!
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 Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)
