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.
Marco Gonzales (PIT) @ CHW (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 60 pitches.
It’s important to grant a spotlight on the lesser names performing well, since they are the arms you’re truly making decisions about daily – is this a real start? Can I get value from him moving forward? Marco Gonzales was a veteran name performing well early in the year before he decelerated and hit the IL. In Friday’s return to the bump, he handled the White Sox with ease, returning 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 60 pitches, taking full advantage of a limited pitch count.
The small look was exactly what we’d want – precise changeups down-and-armside mixed with cutters hugging the gloveside edge. Sure, a few curveballs and heaters around the zone as well to mix things up, but those two pitches are the heart of Gonzales’ success when he’s granting fantasy managers value and to see him fall back into his classic mold is a welcome sight.
That’s not to say this was a declaration of trust. He still held a 1.40 WHIP and this was sprinkled with Blame it on the White Sox while he’ll likely be limited to just five frames in his next start, too. It’s simply a sticker to place inside your book of streaming options with another journeyman who can grant some volume against a poor team in the future. Noted. Come to think of it, I need a term for that. Not a Toby, but a pitcher who we recognize can go six frames with a boring line as a command arm. Your Mikolas, Pérez, Carrasco, Montas, etc. types. Let me know on Twitter if you have a fun term for them, I’ll workshop this.
Let’s see how every other SP did Friday:
Kyle Hendricks (CHC) @ STL (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 90 pitches.
Oh, right! Hendricks is one of them too! Pretty wild to see Hendricks have this good of an outing on a day where his changeup went just 50% strikes, but sometimes you face an aggressive lineup and they oblige. I feel like a blackjack player winning incessantly at the table when I say Thanks Cards.
Taj Bradley (TBR) vs CLE (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 97 pitches.
Uhhhh, are we getting close to AGA territory? It was another BSB game of 70%+ strikes with four-seamers up, 60% strikes with splitters down, and his cutter actually did its job over the plate with 81% strikes. HE’S FIGURED IT OUT. I admittedly didn’t believe he’d be able to hone it and I’m so glad he’s made the tweaks to produce as he has. It’s pretty bonkers and for now we just start the man and see if it sticks.
Garrett Crochet (CHW) vs PIT (ND) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 43% CSW, 28 pitches.
Don’t worry, it was part of the plan to be limited here, with the White Sox pushing Crochet to be the fifth arm in their rotation out of the break, effectively giving him a near two-week rest. See y’all? This is a perfect example of how teams manipulate the season to prevent the “September shutdown” event. Stop overplanning for September. Also, Jonathan Cannon was the bulk man for 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks, preventing him from starting on Sunday. Not a great showcase of his command with his sinker, sadly, with just 6/16 changeup strikes, forcing more sinkers over the plate than ideal. Welp, so it goes.
Spencer Schwellenbach (ATL) @ SDP (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 94 pitches.
Excellent command, large pitch mix, few whiffs, and seven innings for a Win. Is he just a command pitcher with a 95+ mph heater? I’m cool with that…? He hosts the Reds next and I’m holding.
Cole Ragans (KCR) @ BOS (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 23 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 102 pitches.
Aces gonna ace with a Gallows Pole fueled by 10 whiffs on the changeup. But his velocity was down! Yeah, there was something a bit off there and I wonder if the ASB will help him get the mechanical stuff he’s working on figured out + recover from any possible mid-season fatigue. I’m not worried about it, especially when he’s still dominant without his normal velocity.
Gerrit Cole (NYY) @ BAL (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 106 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. A huge one for Cole, looking like the stud the Yankees so badly need. His heater is great, the slider earned five whiffs off the edge of the plate, his cutter and curve were used heavily for strikes…it’s there. Welcome back. We missed you. Okay okay, show it to me again and then we’ll talk.
Kyle Harrison (SFG) vs MIN (W) – 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 83 pitches.
I’m glad he came through. I also can’t believe he got away with a ton of really bad pitches to get through this one. Are the Twins that bad without Royce? Come on Nick, give Kyle credit! Sure sure sure, he executed some good changeups that got outs, but I still can’t get over how I’ve yet to see Harrison nail down an approach that I can point to and say “YES! DO THAT!”
Carlos Carrasco (CLE) @ TBR (L) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 82 pitches.
See? Like Hendricks and Marco, CC has a long enough leash and decent enough arsenal to find a way if things go just right. But this was only helpful for the ERA. YOU GET MY POINT. He’s still Dancing With The Disco and it gives him a shot.
Tarik Skubal (DET) vs LAD (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 101 pitches.
Aces gonna ace with a King Cole. If Wheeler is hitting the IL, Skubal becomes SP #1, you know. Incredible.
Cooper Criswell (BOS) vs KCR (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 104 pitches.
Whoa, six frames! 100 pitches! And ten baserunners with a HAISTBMBWT?! But at least there’s a chance now and that’s at least something. We’ll see if the schedules align sometime in the future.
Hunter Brown (HOU) vs TEX (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 93 pitches.
How did this work. Terrible command, changeups doing whatever, fastballs without much intent…but here we are. I’m not a believer that Brown is locked in (we saw his last one!) and I’d be a little cautious about letting him fly without thought in the second half. Suitman whispers into my ear The Mariners are next?! Then who cares, START THE MAN.
Andrew Heaney (TEX) @ HOU (L) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 84 pitches.
This was the Heaney we’ve seen the last few weeks and he had a good performance despite the Loss, especially against the Astros. Keep rolling with Heaney – that’s three outings of this new feel and it’s productive.
Jackson Rutledge (WSN) @ MIL (ND) – 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 89 pitches.
I don’t hate his armside 95mph sinkers + gloveside cutters/sliders approach at all and if this command sticks, he could absolutely be something if he gets more chances in the rotation and the right matchups come his way. Just throwing it out there.
Yariel Rodríguez (TOR) @ ARI (ND) – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 82 pitches.
Why didn’t they let him go six this time? Because he threw the same number of pitches and got 50% more outs in his previous games. Oh. This is more of the Yariel I’m familiar with, save for the strikeout explosion that can’t be trusted. Oh, and he was 1-2 ticks down. Let’s not do this ya’ll.
Hogan Harris (OAK) @ PHI (ND) – 3.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 6 BBs, 0 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 70 pitches.
Two whiffs? Six walks? Zero strikeouts? How did you allow just two runs?! So, um, yeah. HAISTBMBWT?! and I don’t know why you’d trust Hogan right now.
Ryne Nelson (ARI) vs TOR (ND) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 98 pitches.
The Ryne keeps finding a way. That’s 8 ER total across five of his last six starts, once again with his four-seamer leading the way. A sub 30% ICR on the pitch, returning 10/11 outs on balls in play. That’s how he’s getting it done and with his heater’s shape looking elite (17/18 inches of iVB, seven feet extension, 96 mph!), I may have to start believing he can be the man he’s supposed to be. If only I trusted his slider and cutter to stay low…By the way, according to our Four-Seamer metrics App (PL Pro exclusive), his Fan 4+ mark (expected whiff chance based on four-seamer’s velo and shape) ranked #2 of all heaters yesterday, just behind Taj. Above Ragans, Cole, Skubal, Crochet, Woo, Brown, Ryan, etc. Makes you think.
Sonny Gray (STL) vs CHC (L) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 102 pitches.
Aces gonna give us a Dusty Donut as we don’t love those ratios. That’s three straight starts of six strikeouts and 3+ ER now from Sonny and I know you feel it. Forget about it, it’s a small stretch, move on.
Sean Manaea (NYM) vs COL (W) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 107 pitches.
Ayyyy more slider usage and nine strikeouts followed. Now Miami is up next and we’re still jumping all over this.
Cade Povich (BAL) vs NYY (L) – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 5 BBs, 6 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 97 pitches.
The line looks bad, but I’m impressed that Povich whipped out his cutter and curve for 12 whiffs between them. He showed more skills in this one and I’m more inclined to believe in a strong second half. I wonder how his next start goes.
Carson Spiers (CIN) vs MIA (W) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 90 pitches.
The ERA isn’t fun, but a 1.20 WHIP with nine strikeouts and a Win? All. Day. Pretty cool to see at least four whiffs on four different pitches, but this had some Blame it on the Marlins action, of course, and Atlanta is next. Nope.
James Paxton (LAD) @ DET (ND) – 3.2 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 1 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 81 pitches.
The day I published this tweet, we saw Paxton down 1-2 ticks on the heater and have horrific control of his arsenal. You did this. I did this. But seriously, not a fun time and we need to keep considering Paxton as a questionable arm who’s just a chance for a Win and nothing more. Isn’t he the Dodgers ace right now? Oh no. Nah, that’s Stone. I think.
Matt Waldron (SDP) vs ATL (L) – 7.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 16% CSW, 80 pitches.
Against Atlanta, it’s hard to believe Waldron could survive with just 11/25 strikes on his knuckleball. That said, a 1.00 WHIP and 4 ER across seven is respectable given the circumstances…but yeah. HAISTBMBWT?! He hasn’t had that knuckler a whole lot as of late.
Ranger Suárez (PHI) vs OAK (L) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 97 pitches.
Oh dear. The changeup disappeared on him. Just eleven were thrown for zero CSW and 27% strikes and I could hear your gasp over here in Cape Cod. We knew the fall would happen at some point and it’s just a question of how long the valley will last until he becomes a proper arm again. The good news? It’s the All-Star Break when he can hopefully get some rest and hit the reset button. I think you still start him against the Pirates.
Tyler Anderson (LAA) vs SEA (ND) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 92 pitches.
A pair of two-run shots ruined this one for Anderson, who otherwise did pretty well across the night. Not for a start against the Mariners, and after eight shutout frames of ten strikeouts. Okay, fair, but whatareyagonnado. He elevated his changeup about half the time here in a shocking turn of events and I wouldn’t expect that to be a problem moving forward.
Freddy Peralta (MIL) vs WSN (L) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 10 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 92 pitches.
IT IS I! THE BRINGER OF YOUR DEMISE! THE RULER OF ENTROPY! THE DOCTOR OF INSTABILITY! Okay, okay, settle down Professor Chaos. We’re not happy you’re here, so let’s take our 9 and dial it back to a 3. Peralta’s volatile control is as frustrating as anything and you’re kinda stuck with it. Peralta could go on that second-half run, after all.
Bryan Woo (SEA) @ LAA (ND) – 3.1 IP, 4 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 66 pitches.
Oh look, another sub 70 pitches game from Woo as he tries to get settled in and stretched out. He’ll get the Angels a second time past the break and I hope that’s at least 75 pitches. I think I’d give it a go – the HAISTBMBWT?! may stick, but the eleven baserunners certainly will not.
Joe Ryan (MIN) @ SFG (L) – 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 98 pitches.
Aces gonna not have much outside the heater and run into trouble…without a longball. A bit frustrating of a start and you just gotta consider it a One Night Bland and move on.
Tanner Gordon (COL) @ NYM (L) – 3.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 81 pitches.
He didn’t have the command from his debut and the stuff sure isn’t gonna save him. COL story, bro.
Yonny Chirinos (MIA) @ CIN (L) – 5.2 IP, 7 ER, 8 Hits, 4 BBs, 1 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 89 pitches.
He went Dancing With The Disco and…nope. He’s really just a super desperate play on a given night.
Game of the Day
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Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)
Come to think of it, I need a term for that. Not a Toby, but a pitcher who we recognize can go six frames with a boring line as a command arm. Your Mikolas, Pérez, Carrasco, Montas, etc. types. Let me know on Twitter if you have a fun term for them, I’ll workshop this.
How about SIX AND DONE?