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 Playback.tv weekday mornings from 10 am-12 pm ET.
Kyle Hendricks (LAA) @ NYY (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 98 pitches.
There are times when a pitcher dominates out of the blue and we can point to a distinct change or a moment when their command is at its peak. Kyle Hendricks is not a pitcher we believe can return a stud performance even if either of those ideals were met, and yet he obliterated the Yankees in the Bronx for 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 98 pitches (W). Sure, I’ll give you the Gold Star Kyle, but let’s be real, you were in the right place at the right time.
The roundup title should help you grasp how terrible the Yankee offense has been. They have scored five runs total across their last six games and now have accrued 26 scoreless frames. It’s rough. This start featured a ton of hittable sinkers and they didn’t capitalize. In fact, we saw nine whiffs on fastballs, including four on his 87 mph four-seamer, which was painted armside, to be fair, but 87 mph. It’s just not believable and he caught a slumping team at the right time.
I imagine some will want to jump on this for his next start, but let’s have nuance and recognize that Hendricks should not have a 44% CSW on 54 fastballs against the Astros. Cool? Cool. Cool.
Let’s see how every other SP did Tuesday:
Bryan Woo (SEA) vs BOS (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 86 pitches.
Sometimes all you need to do is remove the AGA tag and a guy will get it together, you know? It’s the opposite of the List Curse. The breakers went 1/11 whiffs (lol) and this was four-seamer dominance at Woo’s best with 11/37 whiffs. I’ll still wish for something more, but when the fastballs cook, he cooks.
Seth Lugo (KCR) @ TEX (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 96 pitches.
Same goes for Lugo as I lowered him due to “not having the same strikeout upside.” WHOOPS. You may be surprised to know he failed to earn a single whiff on his best pitch, the hook, and instead racked em up with four-seamers and cutters each earning four apiece. He worked the upper edges well and I’m all for a start against the Padres. Maaaaybe not the Dodgers?
Antonio Senzatela (COL) @ WSN (W) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 0 Ks – 1 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 83 pitches.
I really wish I could give Senz-A the Gold Star here, but that would be discounting the hard work of Koufax, who let Antonio survive (1 unearned run) despite one whiff on 83 pitches. ONE! What a day.
Andrew Abbott (CIN) vs MIN (ND) – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 90 pitches.
He got Singled Out and still nearly survived six full frames. He’s still ultra arm-side with his heater and changeup with curves flipping over the zone and it’s still so weird. Still? YES STILL. IT’S A GOOD WORD. We’re still starting him without thought.
Dean Kremer (BAL) @ TBR (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 81 pitches.
Would you look at that, Dean Werewolf had one of those nights. He reduced his fastballs to roughly 33% usage and avoided the middle of the plate, relying on splitter and curves for over half his pitches. Wild, I know. You never know what he’ll wear on a given night (or if the shirt is ripped to shreds) and if the Yankees are really this cold through the weekend, then maybe he’s worth the start on Sunday. I wouldn’t, personally.
Jack Dreyer (LAD) vs SDP (ND) – 2.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 34 pitches.
He opened for 2.1 IP, 3 ER, and 54 pitches of Matt Sauer. Can I go now? Yes, nothing to see here.
Matthew Liberatore (STL) @ CHW (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 86 pitches.
Yeaaaah, this was a bit of Blame it on the White Sox, but props to Liberatore for getting his pitches over the plate and letting the CrySox do the rest. I dig the cutter and slider generally being effective, but the heater command was middle-middle a whole lot and that’s not conducive to success in most cases. He’ll get the Reds Carpet next so we keep moving forward and hope he has stronger signs next time.
Casey Mize (DET) vs PIT (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 92 pitches.
We’ll take it. The fastball was back down a tick to 94.5 mph instead of 95.5 mph, but the splitter earned strikes and the curve got whiffs – 6/19 – albeit, with a poor 47% strike rate. The cutter(ish) slider was able to help voer the plate for 7/10 strikes, though I was hoping to see a little more from it. This had some Blame it on the Pirates with hittable sliders and splitters, but the curve for whiffs and great four-seamer placement makes me happy to hold Mize against the Rays and Twins next.
Jason Alexander (HOU) @ ATH (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 95 pitches.
I was more impressed by Alexander than I thought I would. He tossed six scoreless frames (Careful, Icarus) with a legit changeup to both LHB and RHB for 9/31 whiffs, paired with a sinker that generated outs inside to RHB and a sweeper that has great movement, but isn’t spotted well enough to earn whiffs (or strikes for that matter, 6/16 strikes here). I’d be kinda interested in him for deeper leagues if he were to get regular starts or a good schedule, but this looks like a spot start + he would have the Angels (or Phils) and Cubs next if he were starting regularly. If he can find some extra velocity on that 91/92 mph sinker (1″ vertical is legit sink!) and make the sweeper staple against LHB, the changeup can do the rest. It’s disgusting.
Ben Brown (CHC) vs MIL (W) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 86 pitches.
Brown failed to earn a single whiff on 55 four-seamers. And he had a 40% CSW on his curve. Sure, sure, and you got a strikeout per inning with a Win. But a 3.60 ERA with a 1.60 WHIP ain’t makes you wonder how worth it rostering Brown is. He’s the same guy, y’all.
Slade Cecconi (CLE) @ SFG (W) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 82 pitches.
Ayyy, it worked! I didn’t have much faith in Cecconi here and I’m happy to be wrong. The slider was legit against RHB at 7/25 whiffs, while his LHB approach is still a work in progress. The curve was down, but 5/11 strikes isn’t enough, making the four-seamer do most of the work and that’s not what you want at 94 mph without much juice. He heads to Sacré Verde next and that’s a NOPE from me.
Brandon Pfaadt (ARI) @ TOR (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 81 pitches.
The sweeper and heaters worked well against RHB, while LHB saw an erratic mix of super high heaters and some changeups and curves down. At least we’re seeing both again? I’m glad he has a good start under his belt now and maybe it’ll get his confidence going for a start in Coors?
David Festa (MIN) @ CIN (ND) – 3.2 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 81 pitches.
Blegh. The slider is the pitch that needs to improve the most as it’s failing to be a significant weapon at just two whiffs and 17% usage. You can see how it works at times, but until the trio of four-seamer, change, and slider work in tandem, I’d prefer to chase others. He’s too inefficient.
David Peterson (NYM) @ ATL (ND) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 93 pitches.
This was a Careful, Icarus with Peterson allowing a walk and hit before getting pulled and both inherited runners scoring. Prior to the 8th frame, what we saw was sinkers and changeups painted armside with occasional high heaters and sliders landing away to LHB + curves flipped in here and there. I dig it, I just wish there was a little more at-bat to at-bat consistency. Those walks add up and get to the WHIP, sadly.
Will Warren (NYY) vs LAA (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 11 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 41% CSW, 93 pitches.
I think it’s pretty apparent why I’m a fan of Warren after a start like this. What’s remarkable to me is how he earned this King Cole and eleven strikeouts without his best secondaries. The sweeper failed to hover the gloveside edge across the game, often overthrown or landing too far over the plate. returning 60% strikes with just three whiffs. Nay, this was Warren nailing the outside edge to RHB with his fastballs and I love that he has feel for backdoor strikeouts. The ERA will get better when he actually has his sweeper and changeup working too, you know. Get on board while you still can.
Zack Littell (TBR) vs BAL (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 91 pitches.
A PQS from Littell is a welcome thing, though for non-QS leagues, this isn’t a start worth rostering. It’s a 3.10 ERA and 1.08 WHIP since April 16th, but I’m not sure I can buy those ratios moving forward, which would then fail to justify the 16% strikeout rate. You can do better streaming in my view. His Dancing With The Disco + splitter combo is so…mid.
Michael Soroka (WSN) vs COL (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 93 pitches.
A PQS with nine strikeouts is a great stream in my book. As expected, Soroka went hard on the curve and 12/46 whiffs at 46% CSW is fantastic. A few too many hangers and some hittable fastballs (with more non-competitive ones than usual, too) messed him up a touch, but he was solid overall. No, we didn’t get much changeup development, sadly. It’s the Dodgers next and you can put him on the wire for that.
Robbie Ray (SFG) vs CLE (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 102 pitches.
Aces gonna power through six frames for a PQS after a rocky start. Did he throw a ton of fastballs again? Why yes! He did! You sound happy about it. I’m not! I legitimately don’t understand why he threw only six sliders, even throwing more curves than slide pieces to LHB (just one slider there!), and making this harder for himself by featuring the four-seamer nearly 60% of the time. The curve was excellent at 36% usage and a 60% strike rate, why not throw that more? I dunno, it’s weird and we just keep moving forward with him. If he has a rough outing next time out, it may be time to remove the AGA tag.
Chris Bassitt (TOR) vs ARI (ND) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 97 pitches.
Hey, that’s good for a questionable Bassitt against a strong offense. He had incredible pitch separation with high cutters, away sinkers, and tons of curves over the plate to LHB, which is an…odd approach. The cutter was too high (47% strikes overall, yikes), the curveball too hittable, and away sinkers are not my jam. But hey! It was enough for a PQS! At least he gets the CrySox next and that’s cool with me.
Bailey Falter (PIT) @ DET (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 78 pitches.
It was the Tigers and I had low expectations. Not much new here with the breaker of last game not doing a whole lot save for some flipped over the plate for called strikes. Maybe he can be a deep NL-Only play against the Rangers, but that’s it for now.
Randy Vásquez (SDP) @ LAD (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 68 pitches.
Hey, that’s not so bad against the Dodgers. Koufax helped and yes, he should have been tossed for obviously throwing at Ohtani, but whatever. They hit, you hit, then warnings and ejections. Yeah yeah yeah, I know. It was just so blatant. ANYWAY, the Royals are next and I think that’s a pass. Not enough juice for the squeeze.
Cal Quantrill (MIA) vs PHI (ND) – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 74 pitches.
He left this one early with cramps and it’s not like you were expecting him to go six strong anyway.
Spencer Schwellenbach (ATL) vs NYM (ND) – 7.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 23 Whiffs, 40% CSW, 97 pitches.
This is an improvement! A terrible slider to Soto for a solo shot, a horrible righty-on-righty splitter at 0-2 to Taylor for another solo bomb + a dumb flare to right that somehow landed scored the other two. Otherwise, this was four-seamer dominance mixed with better secondaries to earn a Gallows Pole. The splitter earned strikeouts, only a few cutters were over the middle, and half of his curves were what we want. It’s good to see the four-seamer not pulling all of the weight for once and I’m so very in.
Jesús Luzardo (PHI) @ MIA (L) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 103 pitches.
He’s totally fine. Careful, Icarus by walking the first two batters of the six, who both came around to score. A poor 97 mph heater for a two-run blast was the real damage and he didn’t have his best four-seamer command. This isn’t back to tipping again!
Chad Patrick (MIL) @ CHC (L) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 74 pitches.
The cutter is still cool, but nothing supported it well and it was the Cubs. You may want to take the dive against the Twins to set up for Rockie Road after, though it may be hard to reach the ceiling with Patrick’s shorter leash than others.
Shane Smith (CHW) vs STL (L) – 4.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 87 pitches.
The one week I finally acknowledged that Smith is productive, the regression hits. He was a bit Singled Out but the secondaries didn’t help nearly as much as we’ve seen previously. He’s at 95/96 mph and 17″ of vert with generally high locations still and we keep rolling with him.
JP Sears (ATH) vs HOU (L) – 3.1 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 0 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 76 pitches.
Womp womp. He went back to the changeup for another start and it wasn’t nearly as good as the previous outing. His four-seamer was upstairs n all, but not finding the zone enough and the slider was smack in the middle.
Jack Leiter (TEX) vs KCR (L) – 5.2 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 94 pitches.
Oh Jack Zippo. Your command needs to be figured out. The slider? Down-middle of the zone and too hittable. Four-seamer? In the zone but not focused upstairs. The changeup and curve were floated often, too, while the sinker did go up but it shouldn’t be up! That should be the armside edge. Sigh. The stuff is there but he’s a PEAS for now and I can’t tell you when it’ll click. At least he’s getting his developmental reps now.
Walker Buehler (BOS) @ SEA (L) – 3.1 IP, 8 ER, 8 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 93 pitches.
Oh jeez. The command is not good, y’all. So many hung pitches and poorly spotted heaters. The slider is the true winner to RHB, but against LHB, he has a whole lot of work to do. Establish the heater better, don’t leave a changeup up to Raleigh for a grand slam, and figure out a way to throw something down-and-armside. Seriously, three total pitches of 93 were in that quadrant. He’s not ready. Duh.
Game of the Day
Jacob Misiorowski vs. Jameson Taillon – Can Jay Mis throw enough strikes and build upon his debut? Will Taillon admit he has a long lost brother?
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 Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)
