Fantasy Baseball SP Roundup 5/4: FreeLance Streamer

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 Playback.tv weekday mornings from 10 am-12 pm ET.

Lance McCullers Jr. (HOU) @ CHW (ND) – 3.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 87 pitches.

After years on the shelf, Lance McCullers Jr. made his return to the bump and showcased the same inefficiencies we saw in the past: 3.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 87 pitches (ND). The White Sox are one gorgeous gift of a return matchup, but when a pitcher is fighting themselves, they can’t fight the batter.

THAT SAID, hot dang did McCullers’ pitches look filthy. The slider was zooopin’ this way, the changeup wooooshing the other, and that knuckle curve kabloooom into the dirt. When he navigated an at-bat properly, it was disgusting. It just pains me that the only reliable offering was his changeup to LHB, while the curve went 5/13 strikes, sliders were 50%, and his 92 mph sinker (not 93-94 mph) landed around the edges but failed to get the call consistently.

He’s the same guy at heart. A HIPSTER destined to enamor throngs of managers from a few GIFs circling social media before waking up to a pitching line that feels out of place. He’s sure to have a magnificent strikeout game this year given his pitches’ stupid good movement, but the pitch count will always be too high for residency through six strong. If you need strikeout upside, I’m okay with this. For everything else, there’s Mastercard a waiver wire full of better options week-to-week.

 

Let’s see how every other SP did Sunday:

 

Freddy Peralta (MIL) vs CHC (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 89 pitches.

The changeup saved the day with a 41% CSW while the four-seamer was effective but inconsistent and flying out of the zone a bit more than he’d like. I’m glad he’s finding a way to combat Professor Chaos and we don’t have much of a choice but to roll with this Cherry Bomb.

Reese Olson (DET) @ LAA (W) – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 94 pitches.

The change and slider are cooking. We’re talking 15/42 whiffs between them while the four-seamer fell to just 16% usage. IT’S WHAT WE WANT. But that’s because he faced few LHB, who saw 40% four-seamers. PIPE DOWN OVER THERE AND LET ME HAVE THIS.

Stephen Kolek (SDP) @ PIT (W) – 5.1 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 84 pitches.

This was a last-minute surprise and those who saw it at the final moment and took a shot on a desperate Sunday for a Win were highly rewarded. Enjoy the Gold Star Kolek, it may be the last one you earn. Yes, he does throw 94/95 mph sinkers for 72% strikes and a fair amount of horizontal break (17″!), but it doesn’t come with the best command. The changeup was solid to LHB, the slider got outs to RHB (even if pretty blegh), but y’all know this isn’t a starter to roster. This was Blame it on the Pirates.

Logan Webb (SFG) vs COL (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 96 pitches.

A good ole take down of Rockie Road never gets old. Hey Webb, if you cruise against the Twins, too, I’ll give you that AGA label, alright?

Nick Martinez (CIN) vs WSN (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 86 pitches.

After losing the changeup for a start, it returned in a big way, allowing the four-seamer to excel upstairs against LHB. The slider also had itself a lovely day with a 53% CSW to RHB and voila, there’s your glorious time against the Nationals. I love this version of Martinez, even if the cutter, sinker, and curve were all failing constantly. Seeing over 50% sliders and changeups to RHB is a joy – Martinez should be leaning into these pitches more than others.

MacKenzie Gore (WSN) @ CIN (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 9 Ks – 19 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 100 pitches.

Another Gallows Pole for Gore (even if it’s a co-share) while the strike issues are still plaguing him. He’s flaunting his Cherry Bomb nature right in front of us. He is our loveable Popeye. I yam what I yam.

Jacob deGrom (TEX) vs SEA (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 89 pitches.

Aces gonna ace. He’s sitting 97 mph still and he simply threw a few too many hittable sliders. That’s really it, he’s still dope and makes us feel dope.

Garrett Crochet (BOS) vs MIN (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 89 pitches.

Aces gonna take a baseball to the nose and give us a scare. But he stayed in the game! Not that, Crochet sat 94 mph on his fastball. Wait, wasn’t he at 97 mph last year? SURE WAS. His extension is ALSO still down (I’ll stop saying this unless he actually hits 7.0 feet again) and this is getting really scary. Let’s be happy it worked, but the fact he threw just 15 four-seamers should tell you how little he believes in the pitch right now. He went heavy on sinkers and cutters to mask his four-seamer’s lack of explosiveness and I’d sell sell sell where I had him.

JP Sears (ATH) @ MIA (ND) – 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 80 pitches.

He didn’t leave with a Win, nor did he leave with a ton of strikeouts, but I guess this start helps. So thanks Sears, have fun against the Yankees as we watch from afar. So very afar.

Edward Cabrera (MIA) vs ATH (ND) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 86 pitches.

Hmmm. Not really a great result to chase, nor did we see growth in his arsenal to suggest he’s figured something out for the future. Yeah, we’re still out.

Shota Imanaga (CHC) @ MIL (L) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 84 pitches.

Imanaga left this one with a hamstring injury and it’s hard not to expect Cade Horton to get the call soon as a result. It’s really too bad – Shota has been absurdly reliable this season. As for Cade, he started today and dominated for five strikeouts and one run across six frames, nearly 80 pitches. However, I’m not interested in chasing him for fantasy squads. Wat. He’s a two-pitch guy with four-seamers/sliders where the fastball is 95 mph with six feet of extension (ewww), 14″ of vert (blegh) and a steep HAVAA. In other words, it’s a great breaker and mediocre slider. Wait, isn’t that the same as Ben Brown? Huh. I guess it is. Oh no.

Taj Bradley (TBR) @ NYY (W) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 17% CSW, 88 pitches.

He survived for a Win despite a HAISTBMBWT?! and three walks. Yep, totally what we expected. Sincerely ask yourself why you want to roster this HIPSTER. You can stop paying rent for him, it’s okay.

Tanner Bibee (CLE) @ TOR (W) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 86 pitches.

Remember when I was stoked about the cutter returning in his last start? It went 0/15 whiffs here. Sure, a ton of strikes, but no, that last outing looks like a Dennis at this point. That’s not fun at all. I wish I had better news for you. I see his next outing against the Phils and I’m scared just like all of you are.

Bryce Elder (ATL) vs LAD (W) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 86 pitches.

Oh wow. I’m tempted to give the Gold Star to Elder instead as his fastball command was incredible. He skirted the top and bottom of the zone beautifully with his sinker and four-seamer, and even though they didn’t have fantastic strike rates, they toyed with the Dodgers well and let his slider do the work inside the zone. Wow, I wish Elder could pitch like this every time out. Welp, that’s highly unlikely so we celebrate this Birthday Party and carry on.

Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) @ PHI (ND) – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 10 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 101 pitches.

I guess strikeouts are back on the menu…? Ehhh y’all know I’m not going to buy it with all of his secondaries returning 50% strikes or fewer (Erod’s fastballs just aren’t that good). It really is wild to see, though – three games tallying 32 strikeouts between them. Incredible.

Erick Fedde (STL) vs NYM (W) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 5 BBs, 4 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 101 pitches.

Well ain’t that one of the ugliest Wins we’ve seen in a bit, eh? When you said you wanted to be Spider-Man I didn’t realize you were going for the 15-teamer version. Sure, I guess you could Win that, if Tyler Anderson doesn’t mess things up for you, or some other random name I’m forgetting. I’m usually better, IT’S LATE.

Chris Paddack (MIN) @ BOS (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 94 pitches.

Same ole stuff here. Oh how I wish Paddack had a legit breaking pitch and could get up to 95 mph on his heater, not this paltry 93 mph with a meh slider and curve. Sigh.

Will Warren (NYY) vs TBR (L) – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 102 pitches.

Eight strikeouts! And 93 mph with horrible vert as the four-seamer was tagged often by LHB. He DID throw them down the pipe a ton. Sure, that and the changeup wasn’t much of a nullifier, while the sweeper was shockingly effective at sneaking over the plate for called strikes. What about RHB? They saw sinkers well over the plate and I hated it. Ah. He has a future, but this is the present. He’s a gift? No, maybe later. He’s a future present, but this is the present where Warren is coal. Wait, so he’s like Cole? The guy he’s replacing in the rotation? No, I, um, DON’T ROLL WITH WARREN RIGHT NOW. Okay, okay, yeesh.

Kyle Gibson (BAL) vs KCR (ND) – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 81 pitches.

Hey, improvement is all that matters, right? We should see better than 3/12 strikes on the sweeper and sinkers + changeups failing to hit the desired 60% strike threshold. Why am I spending so much on this, Gibson lacks the tone you want. You’ve made that joke for like ten years. IT STILL PICKS UP. Now you’re just doing guitar stuff. Don’t fret, I can string this along for ages. MAKE IT STOP.

Dustin May (LAD) @ ATL (L) – 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 97 pitches.

Okay, this is a lot better. 65%+ strike rates on both the sinker and sweeper generally is enough to take down a squad, but this was Atlanta. Yes, May didn’t locate his sinker as well as he could have and we didn’t see a whole lot else outside those two pitches, but at least it’s not as poor as we’ve seen as of late. I guess we still hold off with the Diamondbacks up next, but I think I’m game after that.

Tylor Megill (NYM) @ STL (ND) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 90 pitches.

Blegh. Sure, a King Cole, but the slider held a horrific 44% strike rate, leading to more called strikes than we should expect on the four-seamer and sinker and not enough putaway ability. I really don’t want to doubt Megill’s command as we venture further into the season, but this wasn’t one of those good days. Get it together.

Bryse Wilson (CHW) vs HOU (ND) – 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 89 pitches.

He did what he could. We can leave Wilson on the other side of the fence.

Bowden Francis (TOR) vs CLE (L) – 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 79 pitches.

Francis is the same guy. The four-seamer is good and induces weak contact, but the splitter isn’t enough support. His heater’s low 18% CSW opens the door for more to go wrong with balls in play, too, and I see a ‘Toby” here. Not a horrific ERA pitcher, just a guy you hope gets the right breaks on a given day and makes it through six. His fastball can still get outs in a hurry.

Andrew Heaney (PIT) vs SDP (L) – 3.2 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 100 pitches.

So, we all jumped off before last start, right? Cool, just checking.

Andre Pallante (STL) vs NYM (ND) – 3.1 IP, 4 ER, 9 Hits, 4 BBs, 1 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 14% CSW, 72 pitches.

It’s difficult to find a pitcher featuring four offerings and a CSW under 18% on all of them, but here we are. Four walks with just one strikeout (HAISTBMBWT?!) and can I stop talking about this now? Cool, thanks.

Jack Kochanowicz (LAA) vs DET (L) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 77 pitches.

How do you spell Kochanowicz? With one K. HAISTBMBWT?! It’s pretty strange seeing Jack throw just 29% sinkers, but he couldn’t spot the dang thing and resorted to everything else to find his way through this. It wasn’t pretty, but he found 15 outs. Kinda like seeing the sitcom protaganist arrive three hours late in rags after going through the worst night of their life only to find everyone left but their spouse. Man, I always hated watching those. Too much anxiety and knowing how it would end. Poorly. Just like Jack? Wow. Uhh, yeah. Sigh.

Michael Lorenzen (KCR) @ BAL (ND) – 4.2 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 85 pitches.

Yeaaaah, that’s Lorenzen. The most forgotten about SP in the AL Central. Seriously, ask a random person to name all five Kansas City Royals starters and Lorenzen is the last one they’ll get. I promise you. They won’t get any of them. Ugh, a random baseball person. I know. Oh. Not even Pew Pew Pew? Never heard of him.

Germán Márquez (COL) @ SFG (L) – 4.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 68 pitches.

Sure, that checks out. COL story, bro.

Logan Evans (SEA) @ TEX (L) – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 11 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 92 pitches.

I’m telling y’all, you don’t want to hang around with Evans. Like, any of them? Well you can hang around with Drelich (he’s dope), but not more than one. Simpsons did it, Simpsons did it. Shhhhh, just don’t go after the wrong Logan, alright?

Blade Tidwell (NYM) @ STL (L) – 3.2 IP, 6 ER, 9 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 82 pitches.

Don’t start pitchers in MLB debuts, especially ones doing so in a doubleheader where they’ll get sent down after (because even if it does work out, you can’t hold). He pumped mid-to-upper 90s heaters and settled in a 95/96 mph and I’m generally a fan of it, but the Cardinals were able to jump on it as the slider and sweeper went just 3/29 whiffs. I don’t believe he’s nearly as poor as the line suggests and I’d keep an eye on Tidwell once he gets a true grasp on a rotation spot. For now, let’s just be happy the debut is out of the way for when he actually gets a shot.

Ranger Suárez (PHI) vs ARI (ND) – 3.2 IP, 7 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 82 pitches.

Welcome back! Wait…Oh no. It was a clear Still ILL with his unknown pitch count and a date with the Sneks, though I don’t want to downplay Suárez’s command. It wasn’t nearly as poor as the line looks and it’s closer to the approach we normally see when he’s cooking. You may want to take a shot against the Guardians, believe it or not.

 

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Game of the Day

 

Ben Casparius vs. Sandy Alcantara – We have low expectations for Sandy while we hope Casparius can take full advantage of the matchup, across what should be a short leash.

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/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)