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 Twitch.tv weekday mornings from 10 am-12 pm ET.
Jacob Lopez (ATH) @ MIN (W) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hit, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 91 pitches.
Remember when Jacob Lopez went on an insane hot streak in 2025, reeling off a stretch of 13 starts with a 2.17 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and a 30% strikeout rate? It made him someone to consider in the late rounds of fantasy drafts this past Spring, but after failing to rediscover that form and getting demoted to Triple-A by the beginning of June, the dream of him performing at that level for the 2026 campaign faded into the night.
The second half springs eternal hope for every pitcher looking to start over, and after Friday’s 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hit, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 91 pitches (W) line in Minnesota, Lopez is looking stronger than ever. Is this the start of a run similar to last year’s baker’s dozen dominance?
Not quite. Lopez grabbed our collective attention last year with high strikeout totals, fanning eight or more in six of his final 17 appearances. We’ve yet to see him exceed six punchouts this year. However, there’s hope he’s on the verge of finding more. After failing to eclipse a dozen whiffs in each of his first 14 appearances, he’s induced 14 and 13, respectively, in each of his last two starts.
Where are those whiffs coming from? It was his slider in his last start, but he found them across a trio of offerings on Friday. His low-90s four-seamer, which benefits from 7+ feet of extension, led the way with six whiffs, as he paired it up and armside with cutters. Sliders are the main putaway pitch, landing low and gloveside often.
Both secondaries are coming in slower, with the cutter down 1.5 ticks from last year with an extra 2 inches of drop, making it look more like a gyro slider than a cutter at 86 mph. The slider is performing more like a sweeper, with less drop and a two mph decrease in velo to a leisurely 76 mph. Those are distinct velo bands, but that might not be enough to neutralize RHB.
We saw him deploy a changeup 13% of the time last year, but its usage was down to 9% on Friday after being thrown just once in his previous start, as he’s been favoring the cutter. His command of the slowball is M.I.A., getting squeezed for 13% strikes despite a 25% zone rate (still terrible given its 0% O-Swing).
I’m not convinced Lopez will reach last year’s heights without his changeup, nor do I think the alterations to his cutter and slider suggest improved performance. There’s also the added factor of Sacré Verde, making him a pitcher to avoid when pitching at home. Lopez is likely to be a HIPSTER, rarely exploding for high strikeout totals, while mostly struggling to find the zone and avoid bats enough to rack up Ks and prevent homers. He’s an option in deep leagues while the A’s are reliant on him to provide innings in the rotation, but he’ll merely be a questionable tier streamer when on the road in standard leagues. (View Game Card)
Let’s see how every other SP did Friday:
Cam Schlittler (NYY) @ PHI (W) – 7.1 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 12 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 99 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. A dozen Ks via Canibal McSanchez domination. Good luck taking the Cy from him. (View Game Card)
Noah Cameron (KCR) @ DET (L) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 97 pitches.
Beck Way paved the way for Cameron to pitch the rest of the game in bulk relief. Is an opener really all he needed? Nah. He’s proven capable of racking up Ks, but has also been prone to blowups. He struck out seven and nine respectively in back-to-back starts leading up to the All-Star Break, but that was amid a stretch of 5+ runs in four of five starts. Poor command was the culprit for those struggles (usually the case for a pitcher like Cameron without great stuff), and it wasn’t much better here. There was 1-2 ticks extra velo across the board, and maybe pitching in relief changed his mindset enough to allow him to pitch closer to max effort. Four-seamers at 94 and curves at 84 is dope, but combining for 50% strikes nullifies their contributions. This was all changeup domination below the zone with cutters landing upstairs enough to get him to two strikes. That hasn’t been a consistent route to Success Town, and given his propensity for wavering command and gopher balls, I’m wanting to avoid him with MIN x2 on deck before he heads to LAD. If you wanna chase the Ks, go right ahead, just understand the risk he’s presented recently. (View Game Card)
Patrick Sandoval (BOS) vs TOR (ND) – 4.2 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 84 pitches.
The Irish Panda is settling in nicely amongst the bamboo green of Boston’s Fenway Park (which I just visited for the first time this past week!). His velo has stabilized, and his pitch count continues to climb, but his command still has a ways to go before we can consider him as a streamer. We need the Triforce approach, with four-seamers up, changeups low and armside, and sliders low and gloveside. With so much layoff between his last big league stint and this one, it may be a while before it all comes together. But it’s gonna happen this year, right? I want that more than anything, but it’s a promise I can’t keep. (View Game Card)
Tarik Skubal (DET) vs KCR (W) – 7.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 12 Ks – 25 Whiffs, 42% CSW, 91 pitches.
Aces gonna ace for a Golden Goal. The Tigers are gonna get an absolute HAUL if they deal him in the next week. (View Game Card)
Jesús Luzardo (PHI) vs NYY (L) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BB, 9 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 105 pitches.
I think Luzardo has passed enough tests. His Coronation Day is swiftly approaching. He’s allowed more than two earned runs just twice across his last 17 starts while fanning 30% of the batters he’s faced. That’s AGA material! (View Game Card)
Matthew Boyd (CHC) @ PIT (ND) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 97 pitches.
It’s working, but it’s not convincing. Boyd commanded his fastball well upstairs, but 2/31 changeup CSW tells you everything you need to know. A 90% LOB% on 10 baserunners is how he survived seven frames. Four of his last five starts have come with single-digit whiffs, making his next outing @STL questionable and the follow-up vs LAD a clear avoid. (View Game Card)
Roki Sasaki (LAD) @ NYM (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks – 21 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 94 pitches.
Not quite the 100 mph average fastball velo we got last time (still 98-99), but the results were so much better, it’s hard to give a care. He traded the velo for his best four-seamer shape of the year, showcasing nearly 18″ of vert on average with 1.1 HAVAA and 7.1′ of extension. That’s all kinds of dope. Every kind? Nah. He didn’t command the pitch well. 70% strikes, but very few landed upstairs, leading to literally all of the damage (three hits, two walks, and a homer) coming off the four-seamer. That’s a pretty strong weak point. It also set up splitters perfectly, allowing them to induce a whopping 15 whiffs and 48% CSW. Are we back in on Sasaki? It’s hard for me to buy back in again, not because he’s a Dodger, but because I put all my faith in him once and he stabbed me in the back immediately. Maybe that was too quick of a reaction, because his last 11 starts have produced a 4.05 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 26% strikeout rate. He may be a little volatile (Cherry Bomb), but I think his rest-of-season production will be worth the bumps along the way. (View Game Card)
Dustin May (STL) vs CIN (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BB, 8 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 89 pitches.
We’re finally back on track! After throwing a CGSHO, May struggled to a 9.92 ERA and a 2.20 WHIP across his next five outings, as he was unable to find his control (13% BB%) amid poor luck and inefficiency. This is more in line with what we should expect from May moving forward. A trio of high-velo fastball variants overwhelming in the zone alongside a sweeper looking to miss bats. He’s proven to have a strikeout ceiling worth chasing, and outside of his first two starts and this recent stretch, has been one of the safer arms given his ability to induce weakly hit grounders in front of an admirable defense. (View Game Card)
Jared Jones (PIT) vs CHC (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BB, 5 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 83 pitches.
Fastballs and sliders galore! And look at that, the Pirates let him achieve a season-high 83 pitches. Maybe the reins will be loosened as the year goes on. They’ll definitely want him unrestricted if they make the playoffs. Fastballs didn’t land high often enough for this to be labeled a BSB, and that’s why he induced just seven whiffs, needing Koufax to get him through six frames via 13 outs on 15 balls in play. He’s a Chase Burns-lite, making him worth starting every week. (View Game Card)
Sean Manaea (NYM) vs LAD (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 84 pitches.
Way to survive the Dodgers, Manaea! If you’re feeling your fastball, then just keep throwing it. He increased the four-seamer’s usage by nearly 30%, pumping 91 mph heaters in the zone at will (68% zone%!), as the consistently passive Dodgers allowed it to steal 12 called strikes while evading damage via 15 foul balls. Called strikes and foul balls aren’t an anagram for sustainable success, even if he took down the Dodgers. (View Game Card)
Zack Littell (WSN) vs ARI (L) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BB, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 77 pitches.
Littell followed Carson Palmquist for another successful relief outing. In eight appearances out of the bullpen, Littell has pitched to a 2.79 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and an 18% K%. Those results lie in stark contrast to his production as a starter (6.64 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 14% K% in 13 starts). So which one is he?! Neither and both. That’s contradictory! He’s somewhere in between. That purgatory area isn’t worth our time in fantasy, even if he comes through every once in a while. (View Game Card)
Shane McClanahan (TBR) vs CLE (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 71 pitches.
McClanafans witheld their cheers in McClanahan’s second-half debut, and their joy was muted on Friday. While we can celebrate his velo returning to 96 mph and his highest whiff total in over a month, the pitch count has me hesitant to get excited about these next two months. Are the Rays planning on limiting his workload down the stretch so he can enter the postseason at full strength? It’s a smart plan for a team poised for a deep postseason run, but it could severely impact his fantasy production. Let’s pray he can be efficient enough with his allotted pitches to keep him relevant. With an outing vs TEX preceding The Green Mile, he’s going to need to be at the top of his game. (View Game Card)
Ryan Gusto (MIA) vs SDP (ND) – 3.1 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BB, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 57 pitches.
He’s no Gusteau, and he won’t even be a Linguine until he can complete five frames (a feat he hasn’t accomplished in 12 appearances). His fastballs and sweepers aren’t ideal for handling LHB, making him someone who’d struggle multiple times through the order, but they do have potential to take down RHB if he can learn to locate them better. Let’s let Gusto thaw out more before giving him a shot. Yes, Chef! (View Game Card)
Germán Márquez (SDP) @ MIA (ND) – 2.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 37 pitches.
The Padres have caught on to the fact that Márquez doesn’t really have the stuff to trust multiple times through the order. His pitch count has fallen from 85 to 59 to 37 in successive starts. Not a great development if you’re looking to vulture a win. There is an interesting silver lining, though. His four-seamer held nearly three extra inches of iVB, making it a pitch that sat 95 with 17-18″ of vert and 1.0 HAVAA. That would be cool if he didn’t diminish it with the worst extension in the league (5.4 feet). What about the slider? Good eye! He threw it 24% more often than usual with movement similar to Tatsuya Imai’s backward breaker. It all feels like a weird small sample size fever dream. Coming from a player without a track record for success, I’m not willing to read into it. (View Game Card)
Trevor Rogers (BAL) vs ATL (ND) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 88 pitches.
I’ll say the same thing about this start as I do about complementary coffee. Keep ’em coming! Rogers keeps brewing his BSB approach to perfection. The 82% overall strikes he returned is like beautiful latte art, making something so good that much more enjoyable. That’s a 1.80 ERA across his last nine starts. The Trevorista has awoken! (View Game Card)
Zebby Matthews (MIN) vs ATH (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 15% CSW, 92 pitches.
Increased velo! A quality start! Great bounce back, huh? Nope! Three times as many walks as strikeouts (HAISTBMBWT?!), just five whiffs, and 15/18 outs on balls in play. Sigh…The 67% weak contact and 61% ground balls make the batted ball results a bit more believable, but not quite enough to have me testing it with KCR x2 up next. But their lineup isn’t that intimidating. Neither is Zebby. (View Game Card)
Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) @ WSN (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 98 pitches.
It seemed as though the All-Star Break broke E-Rod’s rhythm, as he opened the second half with his worst start of the year, but he bounced right back with exceptional command to take down the lefty-killing Nationals. The great ERA is an optical illusion, though. He tied his season-high with 10 baserunners despite 80% weak contact. Does the discrepancy in hit and contact quality suggest he should allow fewer hits or louder contact next time out? Your answer to that question will determine whether or not you’re starting him @PIT next. I’m leaning start given his command here and Pittsburgh’s offensive step down against lefties. (View Game Card)
Tomoyuki Sugano (COL) @ MIL (W) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BB, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 93 pitches.
Way to go, Sugano! A season-high 12 whiffs is nothing to scoff at for a kitchen sink arm calling Coors home. (View Game Card)
Rhett Lowder (CIN) @ STL (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 1 Hit, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 76 pitches.
This is about as good as it gets for the young Toby. It seems like such an old man’s label, yet some highly-ranked prospects reach that status via the safety of their floor rather than their ace potential. The 2023 seventh overall pick will hold his rotation spot until Nick Lodolo can figure out how to prevent blisters from forming on his fingers. Until then, Lowder will be a deep-league streaming option. (View Game Card)
MacKenzie Gore (TEX) vs SEA (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 96 pitches.
Like the Baldwin Steps, everything was upstairs. Not much was in the zone, making it difficult for Gore to remain efficient. If only he had the control to shove his great stuff over the plate. Alas, we can only hope to capture the brief moments when it all comes together for a strikeout explosion. (View Game Card)
Grant Holmes (ATL) @ BAL (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 91 pitches.
The housing market is making it tough on The Real Estate Broker. That’s not fair to the market. True. If he stopped breaking the Huascar Rule, he’d have a lot more suitors. His superhero slider needs a sidekick. (View Game Card)
Trey Yesavage (TOR) @ BOS (ND) – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BB, 9 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 93 pitches.
Yesavage has been listening to Broken Bells on repeat because he’s lost control. But he only gave up one free pass. Yet was still too inefficient to make it into the fifth inning. This was less Yesavage throwing wildly and more so his insistence on ending at-bats with a strikeout. A whopping 94% of his at-bats made it to two strikes. With an 18% per-pitch putaway rate, that meant deep counts and long at-bats. He’s still too chaotic to shake his HIPSTER label. Start at the risk of your own headaches. (View Game Card)
Spencer Arrighetti (HOU) @ CHW (ND) – 1.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 0 Ks – 1 Whiff, 21% CSW, 33 pitches.
The Pasta Pirate was pulled early due to nerve irritation in his right foot. It’s unclear if he’ll avoid an IL stint, but either way, it’s best to avoid his next start given it’ll likely be limited or disastrous. Why not both? (View Game Card)
Logan Webb (SFG) vs LAA (ND) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 99 pitches.
Without the feel for his sweeper (43% strikes), Webb went 75% sinkers and changeups. It somewhat worked, but seeing-eye singles and a pair of triples ruined what was otherwise a perfectly fine start. It’s hard to be happy about this one, but sometimes it’s best to just be grateful for a healthy pitcher who completes six frames often. (View Game Card)
Davis Martin (CHW) vs HOU (ND) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 17% CSW, 88 pitches.
Martin had five shutout innings under his belt before he was Singled Out of the ballgame in the sixth. He left the bases loaded and watched all three come around to score for a Careful, Icarus. His inability to miss bats recently, with single-digit whiffs in five of his last six starts, has me steering clear. He gets plenty of grounders, but has been unable to limit hard contact, making his reliance on balls in play unsustainable. (View Game Card)
Shane Drohan (MIL) vs COL (L) – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 92 pitches.
This seemed like a no-brainer against Rockie Road, but Drohan failed to come through. He might’ve been trying too hard, sitting 1-2 ticks up across the board, affecting his ability to effectively command his arsenal. A walk to leadoff the seventh that came around to score after his hook made the line look slightly worse than it already was (Careful, Icarus). Let’s give him another shot @SFG next, but be aware that he’s not someone you have to hold. He’s been hard to figure out, with stuff and command that don’t fully support what he’s done thus far. (View Game Card)
Bryce Miller (SEA) @ TEX (L) – 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BB, 0 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 89 pitches.
Yikes. Miller’s velo is still sub-96, making his formerly unhittable heater much more mortal, leading to a trio of hits and a dinger. With splitters looking like the last pick in the dodgeball tournament and sliders avoiding the zone like the plague, cutters didn’t stand a chance as the last line of defense. Nary a strikeout, as only the cutter induced multiple whiffs. HAISTBMBWT?! His heater still has great shape, and he’s succeeded in years past at 95 mph, so all hope is not lost. I’m not advocating for anything drastic, but it may be wise to bench Miller as he heads to Hollywood next. (View Game Card)
Grayson Rodriguez (LAA) @ SFG (ND) – 4.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 80 pitches.
At least GrayRod realized the fastball-changeup needs some help, as he incorporated breakers a third of the time. It came at the expense of changeups, but it should be the heater getting thrown less. It sat a tick down at 95 mph, and despite an extra inch of iVB (to 16-17″) with 1.1 HAVAA and 7.3′ of extension, the pitch was pummeled for five hits and a pair of long balls. This ain’t it, folks. (View Game Card)
Joey Cantillo (CLE) @ TBR (L) – 3.2 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BB, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 74 pitches.
Has the league already adjusted to Cantillo’s new approach? He succeeded for a few weeks with 93 mph velo, curveball emphasis, and a new cutter, but it hasn’t worked the last two times out. Last time, he had the whiffs (17) to suggest it’s still working, but he induced single-digit swings and misses for the first time in over a month on Friday. His command wasn’t spectacular, but I’m going to declare this one a Singled Out. Six of the eight hits he allowed were singles as he returned a .500 BABIP. I’m still holding and starting him @CIN next. (View Game Card)
Game of the Day
Hunter Brown vs. Sean Burke – I’m looking for Brown to rediscover his fastball shape and control, while being excited about the continuation of Burke’s ascension.
But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.
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Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)
