Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Wednesday 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.
José Soriano (LAA) vs BAL (ND) – 3.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 69 pitches.
The first month of the season gave us a wondrous 0.24 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 31% strikeout rate from José Soriano across six starts with just one ER allowed in 36.2 IP. Sadly, after Wednesday’s 3.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 69 pitches (ND) against the Orioles, Soriano has returned 0 ER just once in his last eleven games, holding a 5.49 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, and 23% strikeout rate in 57.1 IP. Yikes.
This isn’t to say that Soriano is terrible now. Baseball is a game of hot and cold stretches with ebbs and flows and pitchers will produce some days and struggle in others. For Soriano, the biggest shift has been his four-seamer’s 63% strike rate in these eleven games – a clip the pitch eclipsed in each of his first six outings. The drop in four-seamer effectiveness has reverted him back to his shifty 2025 self, where he will have moments of 7.2 IP of 1 ER ball and seven strikeouts and others like this futility against the Orioles, even when his curveball performed up to standard with a 43% CSW.
So what do you do with him? Why, you treat him like a HIPSTER. Start him in good matchups like @SEA and @TEX up next, with the understanding that the low floor is still very much present. Don’t hold on too tight if there’s legit value on the wire, and don’t throw him away if you need a Hail Mary play. Just treat April like the rest of us – no expectation to appear again for the rest of the year. (View Game Card)
Let’s see how every other SP did Wednesday:
Tanner Bibee (CLE) @ CHW (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 89 pitches.
We’ll take this all day. Koufax was certainly kind, though I want to give Bibee credit for 75% weak contact generated by sinkers, cutters, and four-seamers. It still irks me watching him throw without precision, and I truly don’t think his recent stretch of success is meant to last. Remember the changeup that was such a huge part of his approach? It’s gone now. He’s instead going sinker heavy (37% usage) and it’s not an elite offering. It’s fine at 16″ run, but it really shouldn’t be so successful. (View Game Card)
Tyler Mahle (SFG) vs ATH (ND) – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 70 pitches.
Hot dang, look at you! That’s a Gold Star for Mahle in his Still ILL nearly a month since we last saw him. I love seeing 93/94 mph on his heater and… yeah just that. He’s an NL-Only streaming option against the Sneks up next, and that’s the kindest way I can put it. (View Game Card)
Gage Jump (ATH) @ SFG (ND) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 97 pitches.
Duuuuuude, this is so cool. If only Jump could pitch in Oracle Park all the time. His heater and slider continue to be reliable strike offerings, with the former landing down a fantastic foundation at 96 mph, 17″ vert, and a 1.7 HAVAA. He also tickled the zone with some changeups to RHB (which I hope we see more in future starts), too. Hold onto Jump, y’all. It’s rare to see rookies with solid stuff consistently earning strikes with their #1/#2 pitches like this. (View Game Card)
Griffin Jax (TBR) vs KCR (W) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 88 pitches.
WHOA. What? He went five innings for the seventh time in nine games. But it’s the first game over 72 pitches and he threw 88 pitches. Oh snap. This could be a turning point, where the Rays could let him travel deeper than the fifth if he’s not pushing 75/80 pitches, like the mid-60s of his last three starts. That, plus his consistent changeup dominance (32% SwStr rate!) and sweeper feel, should excite you. I wonder what we’ll see in a repeat matchup in Kansas City next week… (View Game Card)
Shane Drohan (MIL) @ CIN (ND) – 4.1 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 98 pitches.
Ehhhhh. I brought you back onto The List, for this?! It’s not as though the Brewers tinkered and gave him the early hook – he did it to himself with an inefficient 4.1 frames that needed 98 pitches. This was a game of great control and poor command, where everything kept falling middle-down in the zone and the Reds easily fought off pitches for plenty of foul balls, leading to more walks and more hits than you’d expect. And that’s the real problem with Drohan – he doesn’t have a great putaway offering. That money pitch to get the job done. I hope he can fix it when he hosts the Reds next week, as @ARI + @PIT after are a bit tantalizing, too. (View Game Card)
Miles Mikolas (WSH) vs PHI (ND) – 3.1 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 60 pitches.
Oh hey, didn’t see you there past the exciting Carson Palmquist performance. Wait, yes I did, you’re here. I guess there’s some value in max-start leagues, but then again, the WHIP is poor and it’s a HAISTBMBWT?! I’ve spent far too much time here. (View Game Card)
Mike Burrows (HOU) @ TOR (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 93 pitches.
Oh wow. A Birthday Party for Burrows, where his best pitch went 1/20 whiffs and his 89 mph did work to RHB. I’m happy for you, fella. After returning at least ten whiffs in five of your first six outings, you’ve done so just twice in your last ten. It’s rough out there. No, I don’t believe he’s turned a corner here, keep staying away from this. (View Game Card)
Ryan Weathers (NYY) @ DET (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 97 pitches.
No HRs = Great outing. IT’S THAT SIMPLE. Why are you shouting? Because I wasn’t sure if the scarecrow could hear me. The strawman? Yeah. You wouldn’t be the things he was saying. (View Game Card)
Braxton Ashcraft (PIT) vs SEA (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 10 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 41% CSW, 86 pitches.
Oh dang. Golden Brax is carving his path toward AGA again with this King Cole rooted in devilish curveballs and sliders. I’ll give him two starts against the Phils and Nationals to secure the crown. You got this. (View Game Card)
Ranger Suarez (BOS) @ COL (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 102 pitches.
Mmmm that’s the good stuff. But the WHIP! But it was Coors. FINE. I don’t see why you’d bench him against WSH, @LAA, @NYM. Enjoy the ride. (View Game Card)
Trey Yesavage (TOR) vs HOU (ND) – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 5 BBs, 5 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 105 pitches.
Sigh. I know it’s 1 ER in nearly six frames, but the low fastball failed to return. Instead, he earned 2/38 whiffs on the pitch with a 45% strike rate. Is that good? Dude. Yesavage shifted to go Dancing With The Disco, throwing 44% sliders in 105 pitches, while the splitter was hard to watch. Some were excellent, some came out of his hand absolutely wrong. He’s still on the volatile path, y’all. (View Game Card)
Eury Pérez (MIA) vs TEX (ND) – 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 68 pitches.
This was as good as you could want from an erratic arm not stretched out in a Still ILL. Definitely sit him in Coors and Sacré Verde and wait until he shows us something legit. (View Game Card)
Erick Fedde (CHW) vs CLE (ND) – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 75 pitches.
Not bad for a dude I definitely do not trust. His approach to LHB (cutter up and changeup away) was great and the sweeper landed in the zone easily to RHB with sinkers along the edges and…all of that results in a 2.00 WHIP and two strikeouts against one of the worst offenses around. Yup. (View Game Card)
Carson Palmquist (WSN) vs PHI (ND) – 3.1 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 58 pitches.
He opened for Mikolas and I totally forgot he escaped the cells of Denver. He comes with 7.4 feet of extension and upped his velocity to 92 mph, but there’s no changeup for this southpaw and this ain’t enough.(View Game Card)
Mitch Bratt (ARI) @ STL (ND) – 3.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 54 pitches.
It was the MLB debut for Bratt, who wasn’t stretched out in the minors and doesn’t have the stuff you want at 92 mph. Interesting cut on his four-seamer, though. (View Game Card)
Jacob deGrom (TEX) @ MIA (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 24 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 91 pitches.
Aces gonna be like GIMME THAT AWARD. Alright, alright, here’s your Gallows Pole. Yeeeeesh. He did a fabulous job keeping his slider down and not tossing too many hittable four-seamers, and he had himself a Marlins feast. So good to see it. (View Game Card)
Shohei Ohtani (LAD) @ MIN (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 20 Whiffs, 39% CSW, 89 pitches.
Aces gonna sit at least two ticks up on everything. We’re talking an average four-seamer just under 100 mph. AVERAGE. He maxed at 101.7 mph, which shortly followed 101.4 on the black at 1-2…that was hit for a single into center for the sole RBI hit of the day. That second frame aside, this was awesome to see and I still can’t believe his ADP was SP #20 in two-Ohtani leagues. BONKERS. (View Game Card)
JP Sears (SDP) vs ATL (W) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 81 pitches.
We haven’t seen Sears in a long time (didn’t they go out of business?) and this 2026 debut showed us an improved changeup that he kept a little too far down and out of the zone. The cutter and four-seamer aren’t anything special, sadly, and despite the solid line against a strong team, I’m not sure his high heaters can continue to be this effective. Maybe I’m underrating 14″ of vert at a 25 degree arm angle…? I wonder if he’ll get another start or if they’ll go back to Canning. If he does get another shot, it would be against the Cubs in all likelihood, which is a clear pass, too. (View Game Card)
Aaron Nola (PHI) @ WSN (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 86 pitches.
Oh hey! We’re back at 91/92 mph! Wait, that’s bad. Yuuuup. On the positive, he located beautifully with four-seamers and curveballs going BSB + changeups away, while a few poorly located sinkers were the sole issue. Is it enough to start him against the Pirates and Royals? Ehhhhhh maybe? Nola has gone six frames just once since his May 4th outing against the Marlins. Not fun. (View Game Card)
Trey Gibson (BAL) @ LAA (ND) – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 66 pitches.
The slider is filthy…when he executes it. I’m excited for Trey next year, hoping we see a much-improved pair of fastballs that aren’t deadzone at 94/95 mph. (View Game Card)
Rhett Lowder (CIN) vs MIL (L) – 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 100 pitches.
It’s not great, but you may want a little bit Lowder now with another start against the Brewers…only if you’re desperate in a QS league. Too many pitches left over the plate to LHB for my taste, but the slider and changeup are looking solid. (View Game Card)
Javier Assad (CHC) @ NYM (W) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 83 pitches.
That’s a Dusty Donut if you wanted some strikeouts and a Win at the cost of ratios. Not sure I’d call it a streaming victory, but I’ll let y’all decide. Up to you if you want to spin the wheel another time when he faces the Padres next week. I think I’m gonna pass, even with the elite defense behind him. (View Game Card)
Martín Pérez (ATL) @ SDP (L) – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 82 pitches.
Oh, so we’re going to regress against one of the worst LHP-hitting teams in the league. Got it. And here I thought the 4s were with him…Huh? He doesn’t throw a four-seamer. No, the 4s. The force. Look at the stat line. But that’s a bad stat line, did you want him to add one more ER? For my non-OCD OCD? Yeah, kinda. HERETIC. I can’t say I’m thrilled to start him against the Cardinals in two of his next three, but the Mets may produce a dub in between. (View Game Card)
Sean Manaea (NYM) vs CHC (ND) – 3.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 86 pitches.
Blegh. I still believe Manaea is pitching better, and you should blame the fiesty Cubs for fouling off so many pitches – 31% of all four-seamers thrown is the result of a team of rascals, I tell ya. We still haven’t seen Manaea go six frames of excellence yet, making me hesitant to lean on him for a start against the Jays up next. (View Game Card)
Tarik Skubal (DET) vs NYY (L) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks – 21 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 85 pitches.
He’s obviously dope with 21 whiffs, nine strikeouts, and a sub 1.00 WHIP, but I can’t give you that coveted AGA tag until you’re able to resist three homeruns on one night, including a blast to 38-year-old Goldschmidt on your first batter of the day. He’ll get there, of course. That changeup was hilariously good at a 46% SwStr rate and 85% strike across 26 thrown. That’s just so dumb. (View Game Card)
Joe Ryan (MIN) vs LAD (L) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 98 pitches.
Aces gonna blegh. This was a poor third inning with four hits and his sole walk allowing three runs, then dominance otherwise. He’s still at 94 mph and his breakers are solid. Whataryagonnado. I don’t even think I can blame the illness for this one as he still pitched pretty dang well overall. (View Game Card)
Shota Imanaga (CHC) @ NYM (W) – 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 69 pitches.
Nooooo. Three HRs?! All on four-seamers? The two against RHB were quality pitches upstairs, FWIW, and hey! That’s a sub 1.00 WHIP with a dub, so it’s not like this was a disaster and we keep starting him, but dangit Shota, I want you to fufill the prophecy. IM AN AGA…(View Game Card)
Noah Cameron (KCR) @ TBR (L) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 108 pitches.
Womp womp. Alright, I’m jumping off this boat. As much as I want to believe that he’s a better pitcher now, it’s just not adding up to be a good value proposition for y’all. Sorry about that. (View Game Card)
Bryan Woo (SEA) @ PIT (L) – 4.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 86 pitches.
Ooooof. That’s his fourth dud in six games and it all came apart in the fourth frame with all 5 ER to his name. Sure, he didn’t get help from Arozarena in left struggling to get to a fly ball near the line, but he threw many hittable fastballs the Pirates laced, and that’s on Woo. He’s going through a moment and I’ll tell you this: He’s going to come out of it and be stronger for it. Woo hasn’t truly faced that yet in the majors and all we can do is keep trusting him, believing in the talent. It’s there, truly. After all, it’s a 1.04 WHIP on the year with a 4.26 ERA and a 25% strikeout rate. That’s just some bad timing. (View Game Card)
Nolan McLean (NYM) vs CHC (L) – 6.0 IP, 6 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks – 19 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 104 pitches.
Nooooolan! Simply put, he was great until Busch hit a three-run HR in the fifth, then allowed a second three-run blast to Swanson with two outs in the sixth. Sigh. Both pitches weren’t stellar – a meh cutter to Busch, a 1-0 fastball down the pipe to Swanson – and they eradicated a high whiff game for McLean, who was still erratic and lacked polish, but was clearly able to befuddle most hitters. Like Woo, I’m holding my nose and continuing to start him. (View Game Card)
Kyle Freeland (COL) vs BOS (ND) – 6.0 IP, 6 ER, 11 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 81 pitches.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch land. (View Game Card)
Matthew Liberatore (STL) vs ARI (L) – 5.1 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 98 pitches.
Libby is available for free and yet so many don’t give it a moment’s glance. Think about that. (View Game Card)
Game of the Day
Cam Schlittler vs. Connelly Early – It’s the two 2025 debut arms of Red Sox vs. Yankees going at it. This is so fun.
But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.
Have Questions? – Join my morning Twitch.tv livestream! I answer all questions there for free: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET Monday through Friday.
Photos by α Oinam/Unsplash and Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire | Featured image by Ethan Kaplan (@djfreddie10.bsky.social on Blue Sky and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)
