Fantasy Baseball SP Roundup: Jesús Bizzaro

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.

Jesús Luzardo (MIA) vs TBR (L) – 4.1 IP, 9 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 83 pitches.

All it takes is one terrible start to completely ruin a season and Jesús Luzardo just had his against the Rays: 4.1 IP, 9 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 83 pitches. If you can believe it, Luzardo went 3 IP with ease across just 34 pitches before the wheels came off and I’m still shocked the Marlins let him go as deep as he did into the fifth frame to get credited for nine runs.

This outing isn’t the biggest surprise, though. Luzardo has been a premium Cherry Bomb for a while, rooted in a four-seamer with atrocious shape, reliant on its 96 mph velocity and precision to avoid destruction, while the changeup and slider did their best to help nullify the pitch as well. Thing is, when the heater can’t get a strike and the slider and change become the only options, that’s when batters get comfortable and begin teeing off. Luzardo has been great at toeing the line for a while, but when it fails, it clearly fails.

This start doesn’t justify a drop of Luzardo. The velocity was there and it was obviously just a pair of really bad innings with some terrible moments. He’ll get the Guardians and Nationals up next and if you haven’t rage-dropped him yet, I think we can all agree that he should generally help more than hurt the rest of this season. However, I certainly need to lower him in my ranks to the Cherry Bomb tier and recognize that he’s still the guy of old – the heater isn’t great, the slider and change still make mistakes, and he’s ready to join José Berríos as the Good Undulator. That’s all you got? I’M WORKSHOPPING IT.

 

Let’s see how every other SP did Tuesday:

 

Frankie Montas (CIN) @ COL (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks – 20 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 96 pitches.

Hot dang, look at you! I can’t believe I’m typing this, but Montas earned a Gold Star due to going full BSB in Coors. Four-seamers were up, sliders and splitters were down, and the fella earned a whopping twenty whiffs with phenomenal command. Absolutely bananas. Boy do I wish I could believe he could do it again, but one start is an exception. Two is a suggestion. Three is confirmation. We have a ways to go.

Luis Gil (NYY) vs MIN (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 88 pitches.

That’s seven straight games of 1 or 0 ER and 6+ IP from Gil – the longest in Yankee history. Whoa. Say it with me, y’all. Strikes, strikes STRIKES STRIKES STRIKES…He’s one start away from the AGA label, as the final boss looms: The Dodgers. If Gil can come through against a legit offense, then there’s nothing left to be afraid of.

Jared Jones (PIT) vs LAD (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 100 pitches.

This was dope. Jones vs. Betts gave us some of the most fun at-bats, featuring 101 mph heaters and some absurd ability from Betts to foul off tough pitches, and overall, Jones brought the good stuff. Four-seamers were sitting 98+ mph and located upstairs, while his slider landed down-and-gloveside, even with a rare curve here and there. Aces. Gonna. Ace. Glad he can put that rough patch behind him.

Jack Flaherty (DET) @ TEX (W) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 60 pitches.

Flaherty was cruising until he left the game with back tightness. IS HE OKAY?! Yeah, they said he’d still make his next start, we good. Just like his slider and curve tonight. Dang straight. Thanks for toughing it out for five frames to grab a Win for us.

Trevor Richards (TOR) vs BAL (ND) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 40 pitches.

What year is it?! We eventually got to 3.1 IP and 4 ER of Bowden Francis and we can move on from this one pretty quickly. Nothing to see here y’all.

Jared Koenig (MIL) @ PHI (ND) – 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 47% CSW, 15 pitches.

Jared opened for the second night in a row, here for Colin Rea, who has lowered his ERA to a shockingly low 3.53 mark after today’s 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks. Against the Phillies no less. Huh. Welp, no way I’m acting on that, I don’t want Colin to make a mockery out of me.

Corbin Burnes (BAL) @ TOR (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 99 pitches.

Aces gonna ace. You couldn’t give us just a few more strikeouts, could you? His cutter simply isn’t as precise as it was in the past.

Patrick Sandoval (LAA) vs SDP (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 100 pitches.

I really haven’t been giving the Irish Panda enough love this season. His changeup and slider both worked in this one (both!) and once again, he excelled without a ton of fanfare. I wish it weren’t the Astros next, but I may still give that a shot just to feel better about holding him for the Giants afterward. He’s in a groove, y’all.

Adam Mazur (SDP) @ LAA (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 77 pitches.

Ayyyy welcome to the bigs! I had low expectations for Mazur and after watching him, I can understand why some were high on him. You can throw away the four walks from your assessment – it’s an MLB debut, so poor command is routine – as the report suggested far better control than what we saw here. If he’s able to spot the heater upstairs and back it up with sliders down + curves for strikes + changeups armside, then he has a legit shot at being a stable 12-teamer arm. Thing is, that four-seamer shape is poor. Decent iVB, but terrible extension and a steep HAVAA make its 95 mph easier to hit than the velocity would suggest. It just doesn’t seem like enough of a ceiling to chase this year, though if there are any gains in the four-seamer shape, I can imagine myself jumping on board. This likely won’t be a thing until 2025 at the earliest. Otherwise, he’s a streaming option given expected good command + a slider that can earn whiffs at times. I just worry he’ll allow a ton of hits off that heater + the Shag Rug is always present.

Cristopher Sánchez (PHI) vs MIL (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 83 pitches.

Oh we’re still at 95 mph on the sinker and life is lovely, even with just three whiffs to his name. Appreciate the power sinker, believe in the changeup moving forward, and celebrate the good times.

Tyler Glasnow (LAD) @ PIT (L) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 97 pitches.

Aces gonna ace. Sorry Glasnow, there’s this Rookie who is kinda stupid good and stole the Win from you. Just be better next time.

Chris Flexen (CHW) @ CHC (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 63 pitches.

SUNS OUT GUNS OUT. We Flexen at the beach? WE FLEXEN AT THE BEACH. His breakers worked down in the zone and he had decent enough cutters to get through this outing. Let’s be happy for this Birthday Party and enjoy the cake. It’s not cake, it’s gelato. It’s three flavors of gelato smashed together into a log. That’s an ice cream cake. THAT’S JUST A LOT OF GELATO.

Shota Imanaga (CHC) vs CHW (ND) – 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 69 pitches.

What a dumb fourth inning that was. A single, a doink, a grounder to third that was a tailor-made double play booted, and then the floodgates opened for four unearned runs total. That’s baseball, Suzyn. Oh, and a rain delay that ended his start too soon. Most of those hits came in the error-fueled inning, with the final blow coming off a hung 82 mph splitter that left the yard. At least his HR problem doesn’t go on your fantasy record, right? Nothing to worry about with Imanaga.

Spencer Arrighetti (HOU) vs STL (ND) – 3.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 64 pitches.

He left early with a calf contusion after taking a 104 mph comebacker to the…calf. He was pitching decently well and I’m a bit sad about this one, but dems the breaks. Whatareyagonando. Now that Cristian Javier is getting TJS, Arrighetti is secured in the Astros rotation and is set to get the Giants up next. Not a bad stream there as I still believe in that heater.

Max Fried (ATL) @ BOS (W) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 13 Ks – 21 Whiffs, 40% CSW, 103 pitches.

Aces gonna ace. That’s six of his last eight games going at least seven frames and hot dang, THE STRIKEOUTS HATH ARRIVED. A Golden Goal is one h*ck of a statement toward proving his presence in the top tier of The List. All six of his pitches returned a 30%+ CSW. The prince that was promised.

David Peterson (NYM) @ WSN (W) – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 81 pitches.

Ayyyy we got slider whiffs! 6/26 here and Peterson got his first dub of the season. So we’re back in on Peterson? Nah, not really. Against the Marlins next week? Sure, that’s fine. It’s mostly just sinker/slider, though, and I wouldn’t expect a whole lot from the southpaw.

George Kirby (SEA) @ OAK (W) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 94 pitches.

Hmmmmm. The slider wasn’t as well located, but it’s coming in harder once again at 88 mph and it’s clearly working with a whopping 48% CSW, matching his perfectly located four-seamer’s clip. Yeah, okay. We’re back. I think. You have two starts ahead – Royals and Rangers – and if you execute in both, you’re back in. Don’t let us down.

Blake Walston (ARI) vs SFG (ND) – 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 88 pitches.

Meh. He’s trying to be a Toby and he certainly did his best trying to execute the Neckbeard approach, but ended up too inefficient to make it through five frames. It’ll probably click at some point for Walston and I’ll give him a large thumbs up far far away when it does.

Kyle Harrison (SFG) @ ARI (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 95 pitches.

Whoa, he actually located his changeup well! And it’s a poor ERA and WHIP with under a strikeout per inning and a Loss. Makes you think.

Ryan Pepiot (TBR) @ MIA (W) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 89 pitches.

That heater was legit as its pitch shape lived its best life at the top of the zone for 13/56 whiffs and powered through a rough first frame that never wanted to end. Y’all better believe in the dude, he’s coming for that AGA label and all it takes is a touch more consistency on either the change or slider. I see it coming before July.

Dane Dunning (TEX) vs DET (L) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 84 pitches.

You may have grabbed Dunning for the stream and at least you got a 1.00 WHIP? I dunno, his sinker got the called strikes we wanted, but the rest didn’t earn whiffs as we discussed in the pre-game meeting. How could you do this to us? THE TEAM?!

Bailey Ober (MIN) @ NYY (L) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 89 pitches.

We were scared of this start and it ultimately hurt across the board. Thing is, he only allowed one HR and it was a porch shot to right that barely got out, and the walks are truly what got him. It wasn’t a product of the four-seamer, though, it was his lack of faith in his changeup. Why would he only throw nine of them? Honestly, I do not know. That pitch is only one of the highest-rated PLV pitches in all of baseball. Weird. At least he’s still sitting 92 mph and located upstairs with his heater. We press on.

Kutter Crawford (BOS) vs ATL (L) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 87 pitches.

We have a bit of a Careful, Icarus here as Kutter allowed a three-run shot in the sixth, with two unearned runs earlier in the game not going into the books. Overall, I’m not too concerned about Kutter, but I still think he’s not pitching to the best of his ability. And that’s fine – his four-seamer, kutter, and sweeper are all above-average pitches even if not perfectly spotted – but it does keep him inside the Holly tier instead of pushing higher up. Brush this off and keep starting him despite the recent trend of clunky ERAs – the CrySox should fix that.

Mitch Spence (OAK) vs SEA (L) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 99 pitches.

Blegh. I had a soft spot for this one and was hoping Spence could locate his cutters and sliders effectively. Narrator: He did not. The ceiling is too low without solid command on those pitches, which coming in at 90/83 mph, respectively. Like smacking the TV when the signal is lost, try something else.

Ty Blach (COL) vs CIN (L) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 10 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 87 pitches.

Blach. That’s it, you know you don’t need more than that. LET ME SLEEP.

DJ Herz (WSN) vs NYM (L) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 75 pitches.

We had another MLB debut in DJ Herz, replacing Trevor Williams as he nurses a flexor tendon issue. There are elements to like with Herz – a decent fastball that should perform well if he commands it upstairs + a strong change and promising cutter – and I think the standard MLB debut jitters got in the way. I’d wait another outing before considering this as he gets Atlanta, but if the command looks better, I may jump in with the Marlins after.

Seth Lugo (KCR) @ CLE (ND) – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 98 pitches.

He’s mortal. Well, actually he flew too close to the sun as his final two runs came in the seventh frame in a very obvious Careful, Icarus. This changes little and I’d still start him against the Mariners. The Dodgers after that however…

Triston McKenzie (CLE) vs KCR (ND) – 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 86 pitches.

Hey, at least he got nine whiffs on the curve? Okay okay, we can’t trust McKenzie. I know, I left him off The List, after all. Thing is, he gets the Marlins over the weekend and that could be alright with his curveball waking up recently. JUST SAYIN’.

Andre Pallante (STL) @ HOU (L) – 3.0 IP, 6 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 75 pitches.

Yeaaaah, not great. I didn’t expect production, but I was hoping for skills to show up that would suggest streaming him on Sunday against “Rockie Road’. That’s still a possibility, but there has to be a better option, right? His four-seamer and sinker were not fun pitches to watch here.

 

Game of the Day

 

Spencer Schwellenbach vs. Nick Pivetta – This could be the fun game where Mr. Crescendo gets picked up everywhere, while Pivetta establishes he can take down anyone.

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 Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)