Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Friday 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.
Patrick Corbin (TEX) @ WSN (L) – 8.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 89 pitches.
Can I give Patrick Corbin a little love today? After going eight frames of 8.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 89 pitches (L) against the Nationals, Corbin has made eleven starts and returned 3 ER or fewer in all of them. Sure, just three have been at least six frames, but this is the Corbin! Which? The only one still standing. And maybe you should learn to stand him a little more.
This game was clearly the impact of Koufax, though the cards were set up for success. The Nationals are far worse against LHP and allowed Corbin to lean heavily on sliders and cutters on the outer half and down, while the same slide piece stayed low to RHB with sinkers living in the zone to both. It wasn’t spectacular, it didn’t come with absurd cutters or a ton of dominance – in fact, you could have blinked and not realized it was already the eighth inning. However, he has certainly found a groove with the Rangers and a better feel for the slider and cutter this season, allowing him to be an option for QS leagues.
Is this enough to roster in 12-teamers? Not really. @MIN, KCR, @PIT are next, which make him a Toby for 15-teamers, but the floor is still low with a 17% strikeout rate and a diminished Win chance. However, that defense behind him is a plus and he’s at least putting himself in a position to succeed for six frames, unlike the man we’ve seen across the last 3+ years.
Let’s see how every other SP did Friday:
Sonny Gray (STL) vs LAD (W) – 6.1 IP, 0 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 90 pitches.
What a Sonny day this was. Who cares if it’s the Dodgers, if Sonny is spotting the breakers and landing sinkers for called strikes, with delicate four-seamers and cutters on the edges to LHB, it doesn’t matter who he gets. That’s a lot of things that need to go well. Oh and changeups 8/10 strikes to LHB, too. This can’t be repeatable. Uhhh, maybe? He kinda does this. Enjoy the King Cole and expect success with a great schedule ahead.
Michael Soroka (WSN) vs TEX (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 85 pitches.
Yessss. Soroka’s curveball returned a whopping 45% CSW with five of those seven strikeouts and the four-seamer + sinker combo did enough against a struggling Rangers lineup. I love seeing those inside sinkers to RHB and we even saw 38% changeups to LHB that are still a work in progress, but converted three outs and was a welcome addition. Sadly, it’s a bit risky for the Mets next, but you may want to give that a spin in order to get Soroka for Rockie Road the start after.
Randy Vásquez (SDP) @ MIL (ND) – 4.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 78 pitches.
He almost made it a full five frames and props to him for allowing zero runs in the process. Can’t allow hits with RISP if you throw just 51% strikes, right?
Ryan Rolison (COL) vs NYM (ND) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 15 pitches.
He opened for Antonio Senzatela who gets a Gold Star for 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 84 pitches. No, it’s not a spectacular outing, but four shutout is absurdly good for Senz-A. APPRECIATE IT.
Tarik Skubal (DET) vs CHC (W) – 7.2 IP, 1 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 94 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. Oh look, he’s averaging 97/98 mph on his fastballs and still carries one of the most dominant changeups in baseball.
Chad Patrick (MIL) vs SDP (L) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 98 pitches.
Whoa, they let Patrick go 98 pitches and six full frames! The cutter led the way per usual and the four-seamer was spotted well upstairs with sinkers along the edges. As long as the heaters are well spotted, he’ll have success, it’s just easy to see how this goes terribly wrong. He doesn’t have a reliable changeup or breaker and the heaters are not strong offerings unless spotted.
Kodai Senga (NYM) @ COL (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 22 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 109 pitches.
A Gallows Pole rooted in 14/47 whiffs in that ghost fork is gorgeous. Curious to see the slider show up more than usual the one time he’s in a park that would suppress its movement, but it worked for 5/17 whiffs and we’re having a jolly good time.
Zack Littell (TBR) vs MIA (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 72 pitches.
He got away with a ton of sinkers over the plate to RHB, the slider returned just 55% strikes, and the splitter was far worse than we usually see. But the line was great! Sure was. Blame it on the Marlins. He heads to Fenway next and you already know he shouldn’t be touched.
Colton Gordon (HOU) @ CLE (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 75 pitches.
PL Bot liked this one far more than I expected at I’m pressed at the result. The sweeper did as much as it could (it’s fine) and the four-seamer + sinker cleaned up the rest for a lot of maneuvering around baserunners + puting away batters for the punchout (four out of five came on 92 mph heaters!). Yes, there’s seven feet of extension here with legit horizontal movement on the sinker (18″), but is that enough with a meh sweeper and poor vert?
Edward Cabrera (MIA) @ TBR (L) – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 63 pitches.
I don’t understand why the Marlins pulled Cabrera so early. Sure, he was struggling to earn strikes with his four-seamer, but a simple change to the sinker would have sufficed – 46% strikes on 22 four-seamers and 100% strikes on six sinkers. The changeup is still good, the slider is fine, the curve was fine…THIS WAS UNJUST. He gets the Nationals next and sign me up there. Please throw a ton of changeups to LHB-heavy crew, not 34% changeups vs. 41% four-seamers against LHB here.
Joe Ross (PHI) @ PIT (ND) – 2.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 29 pitches.
This was a bullpen game to help reset the rotation and get Zack Wheeler back on track. I hope you had a great time, Joe.
Ben Brown (CHC) @ DET (L) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 92 pitches.
I’ve been LOUD in my distrust of Brown and he certainly made a point here against the Tigers. He’s trying his best to introduce the kick-changeup to LHB (15% usage!) and it worked well for more strikes than usual (7 for 9!) and huge props to him. Are you trusting him against the Phillies now? I guess it’s questionable, though I still can’t quite believe the heater is killer enough to return 11/16 outs…with a HR. And survive with a 54% strike curve (though 10/26 whiffs is dope). Hopefully the 96/97 mph velocity sticks instead of 95 mph.
Davis Martin (CHW) vs KCR (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 92 pitches.
Okay, this was seriously legit. I LOVED his heater in this one, sitting upstairs perfectly and catalyzing 10/40 whiffs (whoa!), made possible by legit cutters up against LHB and down-and-away against RHB (missed a lot here but in the area and set up the heaters). The changeup and sinker filled in the rest of the zone respectively, and this is the most I actually buy Martin. I do wish the changeup wasn’t floated so much over the plate, but that heater and cutter command is very real. I regret the DNS, y’all. I SEE IT NOW.
Seth Lugo (KCR) @ CHW (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 97 pitches.
Thank you White Sox for helping Lugo shake off some of the rust. He’s not quite back yet, but it’s a process. Maybe hold off against the Yankees and return after?
Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) @ CIN (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 72 pitches.
This was a Still ILL in a tough park and I’m impressed. Sure, he threw some poor four-seamers to RHB, but he paired it with a great changeup down-and-away consistently, which would have allowed for more in other circumstances. He’s okay in 15-teamers, but shallower leagues may want to look elsewhere with the Mariners and @TOR up next. For those wondering why you haven’t gotten the stats for this yet, this game was suspended until Saturday due to rain. Rodriguez will end with a No Decision.
Hayden Birdsong (SFG) vs ATL (ND) – 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 5 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 93 pitches.
Hayden went 56% strikes as he turned to the stadium in his best Russel Crowe pose, Are you not entertained?! No, Hayden, I’m not. I want you to be the guy who never walks batters and actually puts hitters on their heels. Is that so much to ask? It obviously is, why are you asking that. BECAUSE I’M A DREAMER DANGIT.
Nick Lodolo (CIN) vs ARI (ND) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 86 pitches.
I’m still a fan of Lodolo leaning into the changeup, though it wasn’t as dominant as we’ve seen with plenty landing too high and meaty. The curve also had some poor moments among its 6/25 whiffs, while the fastballs were fantastic upstairs (save for one…) and I’m very much buying Lodolo’s rhythm as he’s finally getting runway without interruption. For those wondering why you haven’t gotten the stats for this yet, this game was suspended until Saturday due to rain. Lodolo will end with a No Decision.
Spencer Schwellenbach (ATL) @ SFG (ND) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 94 pitches.
It’s a PQS and I wanted more. Don’t look at me like that, I know you did too. He didn’t get his heater upstairs and the secondaries are earning strikes, but not spotting the edges, leading to more hits and fewer whiffs. I have to wonder – are we sure we like the pitching crew in Atlanta? Both Holmes and “Mr Crescendo” have struggled to find at least one of their secondaries this year and we haven’t seen a whole lot of growth across two months. Just a thought that I hope is really stupid.
Paxton Schultz (TOR) @ MIN (ND) – 2.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 40 pitches.
This was a bullpen game with Eric Lauer eventually showing up for 2.1 innings, snatching a Win, and getting out of dodge. Welcome to modern baseball.
Justin Wrobleski (LAD) @ STL (L) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 104 pitches.
Wow, 104 pitches is a whole lot for Wrobleski. Isn’t he supposed to be a good Win chance arm? Why is it a loss? Because it was a Sonny day. And get this – he’s throwing a wide variety of pitches now, instead of the heavy four-seamer approach with some sliders. Nay, this was 28% sinkers, 26% cutters, and 12% curves to go with 14% sliders and 12% four-seamers. But here’s the thing – he’s throwing HARD. Like over three ticks harder at 97 mph on the four-seamer. Does so with a 1.6 HAVAA suggests that this could be a fantastic pitch and yet, just 12 thrown without getting it upstairs a whole lot, leading to three hits. Sigh. You Dodgers and your resistance to high heat. He’s got my attention now as a kitchen sink arm with a potentially legit four-seamer (lower arm angle, definitely) and I hope he gets more chances to start.
Kyle Hendricks (LAA) vs SEA (W) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 85 pitches.
That’s one Dusty Donut as Hendricks benefited from Bryce still feeling off. Don’t follow up with this professor.
Logan Allen (CLE) vs HOU (L) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 88 pitches.
Can’t say we expected anything and we got…nothing. Why am I still disappointed? Because he actually located his arsenal well and it still didn’t work. GUESS YOU DON’T NEED ME ANYMORE. I am you, though. Stop, that, I don’t have therapy until Tuesday.
Will Warren (NYY) vs BOS (W) – 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 6 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 84 pitches.
I’m surprised Warren went 67% four-seamers to LHB here, though it was mostly a product of failure with his curve, sweeper and changeup to find strikes. The pitch didn’t have the vert of old but sat 94 mph and was the sole offering that held this together until a Careful, Icarus sixth frame with three of his four walks and leaving with the bases loaded, lucky to have only two runners score. Expect better from the secondaries in the future – two whiffs on sweepers, curves, and changeups are not who he is and I can’t help but notice that Warren’s four-seamer extension was 7.0 feet here, while his last start in Los Angeles was 6.6 feet. I wonder what that’s about.
JP Sears (ATH) vs BAL (W) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 86 pitches.
You’re rolling with Sears? Why?
Bailey Falter (PIT) vs PHI (ND) – 3.2 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 65 pitches.
His four-seamer was a bit off (59% strikes) and even with many strikes and only one hit on everything else, that lacking four-seamer messed him up. He’ll get the Marlins next and I see that as a sneaky stream given their LHP weakness. Fun fact: These four runs were more than his total ER across his last six starts. No, I didn’t realize he’d allowed just 3 ER in that time and it goes to show why ERA is not predictive. But it was for the five starts after the first good one! Why are you the way you are.
Bailey Ober (MIN) vs TOR (L) – 7.0 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 87 pitches.
Two longballs off a four-seamer and a sweeper were the blemishes here. He’s the same guy he’s been – low-end Holly n all – and we move on.
Dean Kremer (BAL) @ ATH (L) – 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 82 pitches.
There’s a reason we call him Dean Werewolf. Make sure you check the skies before letting him fly.
Bryce Miller (SEA) @ LAA (L) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 70 pitches.
He’s not there. Miller is dealing with a bone spur and has little-to-no pitch seperation, while the four-seamer isn’t doing much to overwhelm. Get the thing upstairs and work the BSB and then we can talk. You can’t start him against the Sneks, but maybe he’s better when he hosts the Sawx @TEA.
Walker Buehler (BOS) @ NYY (L) – 2.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 67 pitches.
It’s the Yankees and Buehler hasn’t figured it out yet. He was amped and sat 94/95 mph instead of the standard 93 mph, though he threw few of them and they were punished. The slider lean isn’t a large surprise but still needs some refined as well and…yeah. You can do better.
Game of the Day
Hunter Brown vs. Gavin Williams – This should be a fun time. We could see two arms look like studs.
But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.
Have Questions? – Join my morning Playback.tv livestream! I answer all questions there for free: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET Monday through Friday.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)
