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.
Sean Manaea (NYM) @ PHI (ND) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 95 pitches.
I was surprised by Sean Manaea’s performance against Atlanta last weekend and felt confident enough to label him as the streamer of the day against the Phillies on Thursday. It wasn’t a stellar time on the mound, but he continued to display a better skillset than anything we’ve seen since late 2024 via 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 95 pitches (ND). It may be time to consider him for a pickup.
The velocity isn’t the highlight – 91/92 mph is higher than the 88/89 mph we saw in the spring, but not the 93/94 mph of his heyday – but rather the command. He nailed sinkers inside to LHB and dotted four-seamers upstairs to RHB, while sweepers and cutters stayed down-and-away to LHB with ease. Doing that over 90+ pitches (his final two sweepers to Marsh we gorgeous!) is a welcome sight…though the velocity didn’t hold. He was clearly laboring in the fifth and sixth, sitting 88-90 in the fifth, then tossing an 87 mph sinker in that final at-bat to Marsh for his sole PA in the sixth. Not great.
Fun note: I want to applaud Manea for recognizing his lack of stamina and converting to cutters in the fifth. After throwing 88 mph for a strike to start the fifth, he then threw four sweepers to fan Schwarber, pitched around Harper with four cutters and a sweeper, then threw two more cutters to Bohm before two 89/90 mph four-seamers led to a double-play. But those cutters weren’t great. They were new – he’d only thrown five cutters all game before tossing six in seven straight pitches in the fifth – and knowing how to finagle an inning when you don’t have your best stuff is a skill I want to give credit when it’s due.
Anyway, does all of this add up to grabbing Manaea? With the Cubs on Wednesday, followed by a two-step of Jays + @ATL, I’m on the fence. I think it’s worthwhile in your 15-teamers, but not a lock for 12-teamers. His stamina is an issue that may bite him against teams with solid thump. It does appear that Manaea is in this rotation for the long haul now, though, and that may justify the add. (View Game Card)
Let’s see how every other SP did Thursday:
Bryan Woo (SEA) vs BAL (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 89 pitches.
Hey Woo. Thank you. I can’t call you an ace again right away, but can you give us like two or three more of these? Just to ensure everyone isn’t sill worried about those five 4+ ER games. K, thx. (View Game Card)
Gage Jump (ATH) vs LAA (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 107 pitches.
Ohhhhh baby. The biggest concern we had for Jump coming up was not the home park, but the volatility. Is he a strike thrower? Five starts in, and his four-seamer holds a 76% strike rate with the slider sitting just under 70% itself, and this outing was nearly identical to his season-long marks. The fastball stays up, the curveball stays down, the slider gets strikes in between. It’s what you want to see from a BSB approach, and if he ever gets the slowball working, it’s game over, man. I love seeing @SFG and MIA on the docket, though you likely want to bench him when he hosts the Dodgers on June 29th. (View Game Card)
Joe Ryan (MIN) @ TEX (W) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 97 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. He’s at 94 mph with harder secondaries that returned a 75% strike rate between them at 33% usage. That’s dope. It sure is, friend. It sure is. (View Game Card)
Sean Burke (CHW) @ NYY (W) – 7.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 20 Whiffs, 39% CSW, 88 pitches.
Hot dang, look at you! That’s an easy Gold Star for Burke, who has been as volatile as any. A Golden Goal against the Yankees is a lovely surprise, and maybe all he needs is an opener. And the bright lights of the Bronx. Or maybe he just felt great and elected to hurl two ticks harder on his four-seamer and land it upstairs with authority, while the slider was capable of going Dancing With The Disco to RHB. Yeah, that’s it. With the wounded Guardians up next, hard not to make him a Questionable Start at the very least, no? (View Game Card)
Ryan Weathers (NYY) vs CHW (ND) – 6.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 88 pitches.
Weathers has allowed 5+ ER in five starts this year. Weathers has allowed 2+ HR in five starts this year. It’s the same picture. It truly is as simple as that, and as y’all know, HRs are the noisiest of stats. Anyway, the strikeouts are still alive like the sound of music with a 27% SwStr on his changeup (dope) and I dig the secondary-heavy approach to RHB to keep batters off the heaters as much as possible. We’re all good. (View Game Card)
Shane Drohan (MIL) vs CLE (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 91 pitches.
I’ll take this all day. I removed Drohan from The List this week as literally the final cut once I got the news of Senga’s return, and I’ve had to answer a lot of questions since. This outing didn’t do a whole lot to convince me to bring him back, with lower velocity on his breakers (84 mph slider, 79 mph curve), and middling fastballs. It’s fine, and against the weak Guardians, I was hoping he would put on a display as he flips all the eggs onto my face. Now with @CIN next, I don’t feel the need to hold. (View Game Card)
Parker Messick (CLE) @ MIL (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 9 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 96 pitches.
There he is. I’m in disbelief right now when I tell you that Messick sat 96 mph on his four-seamer. Not just that, he also landed it at the top of the zone with 16″ of vert and it turned into a 32% SwStr rate, leaving the sinker to return a hilarious 42% called strike rate underneath. If only he had his changeup on point…Well that’s the thing. He’s supposed to have his changeup cooking. That’s the norm. Imagine if this velocity sticks and the changeup is dope…But new skills vs. old skills! You’re right. We usually see a new skill fade before the old skill returns, not “He’ll now regain the old skill and now have TWO ACES! become his best self.” But hey, it could happen. (View Game Card)
Aaron Nola (PHI) vs NYM (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 97 pitches.
We’ll take this Dusty Donut from Nola all day after the pain he’s put us through and look at this, 93/94 mph fastballs! I thought you were done flirting with mid-90s, but you just couldn’t take your eyes of ’em at the bar, could ya? His fastball command was far better, too, going front-hip to LHB often and pairing it with good curveballs and changeups down. Just two poor pitches to Soto led to both earned runs via solo shots, and boy do I wish I could buy into this velocity and feel. What hath Nola day become? (View Game Card)
Trey Yesavage (TOR) @ BOS (ND) – 7.1 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 95 pitches.
Zero walks?! LOW FASTBALLS?! Whoaaaa, this is kinda cool?! I mean, the splitter is still volatile and there were so many terrible misses, but a 30% SwStr rate on the slider to RHB is likely a product of said low fastballs messing with batters as they chased the breaker into the dirt. I want to see him do it again before I properly trust that he’s leaning into the low fastball (let alone, commanding everything), but I’d give it a shot against the Astros and take it from there. (View Game Card)
Shane Baz (BAL) @ SEA (L) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 99 pitches.
I have to hand it to Baz – that’s seven straight of 3 ER or fewer where he’s boasted a 2.62 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 21% strikeout rate. Yes, three HRs in seven games will do that, and, sadly, it’s all still a bit unsustainable. The hook was effective in previous outings, but it returned sub 60% strikes and just 3/32 whiffs here, with the cutter shockingly stepping up to boast a whopping 84% strike rate with little damage. That doesn’t add up. I will give him props, though. All three runs came in a bamboozlin’ of the first frame, to which he settled down and cooked. Too bad Woo was on the other side, eh? He’ll get the Angels next and I’m fine starting him if you want to roll with this hot stretch, but don’t push your luck too much. He’s not a different arm in my book. (View Game Card)
Sonny Gray (BOS) vs TOR (ND) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 89 pitches.
A touch of Careful, Icarus as Sonny allowed a solo shot to kick off the seventh and ruin your perception of this Sonny delight, but overall, I’m happy. Now it’s Coors + Yankees and that’s a harder sell. I don’t blame you for taking a break once or twice, though he could still pull it off. (View Game Card)
Noah Cameron (KCR) vs STL (W) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 108 pitches.
Blegh. I’m happy he earned a Win (thanks, Libby!), but too many pitches hung up in the zone, and even with the high CSW changeup, I wish it was a larger weapon down-and-away. Is this a good enough version of Cameron to succeed against the Rays? Yeah, I think so. But not a lock for 12-teamers. (View Game Card)
Ryan Johnson (LAA) @ ATH (L) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 89 pitches.
Oh hey! Remember him? The guy who was pushed into the rotation earlier in the season and was quickly ignored? You can keep doing that. It’s a cutter and sweeper with more lift than his 92/93 mph 6″ vert sinker, with a splitter as his main offering to LHB that returned 2/24 whiffs. You can do so much more with your life. (View Game Card)
Matthew Liberatore (STL) @ KCR (L) – 1.2 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 48 pitches.
The fella got Singled Out in the second, but these weren’t stellar pitches that Koufax steered toward the grass. This marks four straight games of single-digit whiffs after returning at least eleven in four straight prior, and that should concern you. It should have concerned you even beforehand when he allowed at least 11 ER in three of those high whiff games. Or maybe the 4.71 ERA and 1.50 WHIP before this start. THE CONCERN IS EVERYWHERE. (View Game Card)
Jack Leiter (TEX) vs MIN (L) – 4.0 IP, 6 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 76 pitches.
Hey, you. The person who still wants to roster Leiter because the stuff is so cool and he has a 23% strikeouts rate. Why are you still rostering him? Stop it. Stop eating all the lunches rostering Letier. (View Game Card)
Game of the Day
Tarik Skubal vs. Chicago White Sox – I just want him to be the dopest of dope again.
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 Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)
