Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Saturday 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.
Andre Pallante (STL) vs CIN (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BB, 8 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 90 pitches.
Pitchers exceeding previously set expectations draw attention as fantasy managers attempt to weigh the prospect of a newly attainable ceiling. Some pitchers have made changes that suggest their new level could recur, while countless others simply experience a fortunate one-night blip.
Andre Pallante exceeded expectations with his best performance of the year against the Reds, tossing 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BB, 8 Ks, – 15 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 90 pitches (W), tying his season-high with eight strikeouts and completing the seventh frame for just the second time all year.
With an excellent slider inducing eight whiffs and 44% CSW as his primary offering, Pallante surged ahead of batters and efficiently put them away with four-seamers and curveballs. Those pitches combined for six of his eight strikeouts while sinkers and sliders were commanded well and churned outs on balls in play.
That approach isn’t surprising. It’s what he always does. So, while Pallante’s results exceeded our expectations, there were no significant approach changes that suggest the results deserved to be different. The only notable alteration to his stuff was a snappier curve coming in 1-2 mph harder, albeit with less movement. It gave batters fits in a way it hasn’t done all year, but it doesn’t account for Saturday’s domination.
As is often the case with pitchers displaying no noticeable approach or stuff changes amid an expectation-exceeding outing, Pallante was graced by the hands of Koufax. Not only was he fortunate on batted balls, returning 13 outs on 15 balls in play, but he was also unsustainably efficient in two-strike counts, producing a 67% putaway rate and calling into question the validity of his strikeout potential.
This start shouldn’t change our outlook for Pallante, but it was a good lesson in understanding the peaks and valleys of a pitcher’s performance and how, even if a pitcher exceeds expectations, they may not have rewritten their narrative. Pallante is still a Toby looking for grounders to find gloves. That’s a safe bet for 15-teamers, but a waiver wire streamer in standard leagues. (View Game Card)
Let’s see how every other SP did Saturday:
Dylan Cease (TOR) @ BOS (W) – 9.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hit, 3 BBs, 12 Ks – 20 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 120 pitches.
This was the third CGSHO of Cease’s career, and the first to come with double-digit strikeouts. He tied his season-high with a dozen punchouts, inducing a whopping 12 whiffs and half as many strikeouts with his slider alone. Sitting 1-2 ticks down is a bit concerning, especially when you consider that the support for Cease having a career-best season resides in the extra gas he’s found this year. Maybe holding back a little will allow him to command better. He threw 67% strikes here, and his pristine placement allowed him to induce 73% weak contact, making his 14 outs on 15 balls in play somewhat believable. However, with three walks, inflating his walk rate to a full-season career-high 10.5%, there’s a clear lack of control that will make him prone to short outings and blowups when he can’t keep the ball in the yard. We keep blindly starting him, but he may never be awarded the AGA tag. (View Game Card)
Hunter Brown (HOU) @ CHW (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 20 Whiffs, 37% CSW, 90 pitches.
Brown must’ve heard me complaining about the decline of his four-seamer because he decided to try to prove me wrong, throwing the pitch more than ever and to great success. Despite sitting 97 while inducing seven whiffs and four strikeouts, the heater held its worst shape of the year, falling to just 14-15″ iVB. This doesn’t feel like Brown proving he can succeed with a diminished fastball. It feels more like a pitcher who commanded the offering well and was fortunate to return 100% outs on nine balls in play off of the four-seamer despite 56% hard contact. With improved velo and command assisted by sinkers and curves in the form of 81% strikes and six whiffs on the former, as well as two extra ticks and five whiffs on the latter, this start appears to be sustainable. Without his prestigious heater rising above his opposition’s bats, I’ll still be somewhat skeptical. (View Game Card)
Shota Imanaga (CHC) @ PIT (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BB, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 84 pitches.
That’s back-to-back starts with sub-91 mph velocity, something Imanaga hadn’t done in 19 starts previously. Both outings came with single-digit whiffs, as he’s failing to overwhelm batters with his heater and locate his splitter on the edges of the zone. I can’t help but sound the alarm bells after this start. He’s avoided damage well enough that he hasn’t diminished his trade value, but it may be time to shop him around. If that velo doesn’t return, he’s in big trouble. (View Game Card)
Robbie Ray (SFG) vs LAA (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 80 pitches.
Four-seamers are back on the menu! Ray threw more of them than sinkers for the first time in over a month, spreading hope that he might finally be figuring things out. It’s his superior heater, and his reliance on it will lead to more believable successful outings in the future. We’re still waiting for the command of sliders and changeups to come around, as they combined for 52% strikes on Saturday, but at least the approach is coming into focus. If he can return to pulling off the BSB while throwing plenty of strikes, he’ll earn my stamp of re-approval. (View Game Card)
Nick Martinez (TBR) vs CLE (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 84 pitches.
At this point, I’d be surprised if Martinez’s Vargas Rule ended. After 20 starts, can’t you just say this is his new baseline? There’s a part of me that wants to trust him more as a pitcher who has consistently proven capable of influencing weak contact, but I know deep down that a pitcher with a 14% strikeout rate, making him so heavily reliant on batted ball luck, can’t maintain a sub-2.50 ERA throughout a whole season. (View Game Card)
Kendry Rojas (MIN) vs ATH (ND) – 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hit, 1 BB, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 56 pitches.
With a limited arsenal featuring a dope slider supported by Empty Velocity heaters, Rojas isn’t designed to be stretched out to face an order three times through. His slider command and fastball velocity are enough to flummox hitters for a few frames, but it becomes diminished and predictable as he pitches deeper into games. It makes him an arm who excels in short stints and projects as a reliever in the future. (View Game Card)
JP Sears (SDP) @ MIA (W) – 3.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hit, 1 BB, 3 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 55 pitches.
Sears followed Randy Vásquez, who opened with 2.2 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hit, 2 BBs, 0 Ks – 1 Whiff, 19% CSW, 37 pitches. Neither of these guys are getting me excited. I’ve gotta be pumped if I’m going to endorse you as a fantasy league add! (View Game Card)
Brian Keller (PHI) vs NYY (ND) – 3.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 39 pitches.
Another opener and another pitcher who likely won’t make his way onto many fantasy rosters. Tim Mayza opened for Keller, who made his long-awaited MLB debut at 32 years old. Injuries and a failed NPB career prevented him from getting a shot in MLB, but he was afforded the opportunity to showcase his stuff on Saturday. He displayed decent command of a four-pitch mix that features a trio of fastball variants in the mid-80s to low 90s and a slider in the low-80s. Avoiding the heart of the plate and keeping four-seamers upstairs allowed him to efficiently complete a trio of frames. There is room in the rotation for Keller to establish himself, but we’ll have to see what he looks like a couple of times through the order before we can make a complete assessment. (View Game Card)
Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) vs SEA (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BB, 8 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 91 pitches.
Having allowed 3+ runs in nine of his past ten starts, there was little guarantee that Eovaldi would provide a helpful ERA. He avoided the long ball and churned plenty of outs with a splitter that thrived in the zone. Eovaldi’s year-to-year success has been masked by in-season volatility, likely driven by the inherent volatility of his primary pitch (splitter). While that means he’ll have stretches where he struggles to limit runs, it also means he’ll have streaks of utter dominance. Hopefully this is the start of the latter. (View Game Card)
Brandon Young (BAL) vs ATL (ND) – 6.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 94 pitches.
I’ve been a staunch advocate of Young for most of the season, and he continues to check boxes that get me excited to roster him universally. My favorite development from this start was a season-high fastball velocity that saw him sitting just under 96 mph. It did cost him an inch of vert, but at 17″ with 1.2 HAVAA, the pitch can thrive in the zone. Just one whiff, but 70% strikes, allowing splitters and sliders to hunt for chases out of the zone and curveballs to sneak into it to steal called strikes. It worked, as the former two combined for 10 whiffs and all six strikeouts, hinting at the potential for Young to shake his Toby label and find his way onto The List. With a 3.06 ERA and a 24% strikeout rate across his last six starts, I want to be starting Young everywhere, even vs PHI next. (View Game Card)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) @ NYM (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 100 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. Four-seamers were upstairs, but a little too high, returning just 50% strikes and preventing him from achieving his strikeout potential. We’ll take this all day, though. (View Game Card)
Casey Mize (DET) vs KCR (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 85 pitches.
Mize was pulled early from his last start with groin tightness and a wrist contusion. The effects were obvious on Saturday as he sat sub-92 (was 94-95 last year) without pristine command while inducing a season-low four whiffs. Knowing he was hurting, Koufax had his back, allowing him to return 15 outs on 18 balls in play. Let’s hope this was just a one-time thing. I was just starting to get used to Mize’s domination. (View Game Card)
Ryan Weathers (NYY) @ PHI (W) – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BB, 7 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 97 pitches.
I’m loving Weather’s insistence on his new approach, hiding fastballs to allow his secondaries to shine. It allows his hittable heaters to avoid damage and forces batters to do something with whiffable offerings. It also helps when you throw 1-2 ticks harder across the board and locate changeups effectively low and armside against a RHB-heavy lineup. I’m more willing than I’ve been since May to place Weathers in the probably start tier @CHW next. (View Game Card)
Bryce Elder (ATL) @ BAL (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 8 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 98 pitches.
Woah! Not too bad, Bryce. We haven’t seen you rack up strikeouts like this since early May. Unfortunately, it was a product of a 62% putaway rate and half of them coming via called strike sinkers. His command was a little better in this one, so if that sticks around with moderate success vs WSN next, we can stream him vs MIA afterward. Just don’t get too excited. We won’t see another April-May run again this year. (View Game Card)
Michael Wacha (KCR) @ DET (ND) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 96 pitches.
We love that! Wacha completed the seventh frame for the ninth time this year, putting him in a three-way tie with Cristopher Sánchez and Logan Webb for the most such starts in 2026. The strikeouts may not flow, and his ratios may be at risk when he doesn’t receive a wink from Koufax, but his dependability and volume make him someone worth rostering everywhere. (View Game Card)
Sean Burke (CHW) vs HOU (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BB, 10 Ks – 19 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 102 pitches.
We went from making part-time work puns to fully trusting Burke as one of the best starters in the league. His last seven outings have been electric, producing a 1.61 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and a 34% strikeout rate. His 18″ iVB, 95 mph four-seamer is that legit. As long as sliders or curveballs show up, he’s gonna have a great time. Let’s hope it continues against the Boston-Bronx rivalry in consecutive outings. (View Game Card)
Nolan McLean (NYM) vs LAD (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 96 pitches.
A King Cole against the Dodgers is nothing to scoff at. McLean was feeling his quartet of pitches with gloveside movement, as curveballs, cutters, sweepers, and sliders combined for 12 whiffs and 49% CSW, as he kept them low constantly. We’ve been waiting for his secondaries to come alive to support his pair of reliable heaters, and to see it happen against the reigning champions on the back of a double-digit strikeout performance makes me feel confident in him moving forward. It’s felt rocky, but a 2.17 ERA and 28% strikeout rate across his last 10 starts suggests the storm wasn’t as devastating in hindsight. (View Game Card)
Robert Gasser (MIL) vs COL (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 77 pitches.
Gasser took advantage of Rockie Road, pulling off an effective BSB with changeups finally showing up to take down a righty-loaded lineup. The slowball has felt like the missing piece for a 4SFB-sinker-sweeper arm without weapons that excel against the handedness he’ll face most often. Watching it lead his arsenal with 75% strikes inspires hope that he can be trusted more often as a streamer. Give it a whirl @LAA next. (View Game Card)
Mason Barnett (ATH) @ MIN (L) – 3.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BB, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 54 pitches.
With Luis Severino still recovering from a strained shoulder, J.T. Ginn dealing with a finger blister, and Aaron Civale being dealt to the Cubs, the A’s are counting on Barnett as an innings eater. He’s not quite stretched out to be able to claim that title, but he’s well on his way. His 96 mph fastball doesn’t have great shape, and I don’t have faith in his slider carrying his entire arsenal. There’s always the Sacré Verde factor to worry about as well. I’m not itching to find out what Barnett looks like across six frames. (View Game Card)
Eury Pérez (MIA) vs SDP (L) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BB, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 104 pitches.
Just when I was starting to get comfortable with Pérez, he fails to miss bats while surviving seven frames with fortunate batted ball luck. That’s my fault for not recognizing that just because Pérez has been throwing more strikes doesn’t mean he has the command to maximize the whiff potential of his incredible stuff. There will be nights where he struggles to miss bats. At least he threw plenty of strikes and his stuff deadens bats enough to produce weak contact two-thirds of the time. (View Game Card)
Foster Griffin (WSN) vs ARI (W) – 6.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BB, 2 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 108 pitches.
This was Griffin’s first start with more than one earned run since the end of May, and if not for a two-out rally in the seventh, he would’ve escaped this one with just two runs against him. The lack of whiffs recently is a bit concerning (three of last four starts with single-digit whiffs), but I can’t find anything suggesting that his approach, command, or stuff has changed. Keep blindly starting him until he convinces us not to. (View Game Card)
Tanner Bibee (CLE) @ TBR (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 107 pitches.
Like a carnival game, Bibee’s often a coin flip and an underwhelming reward for guessing correctly. We got a VVVPQS for trusting him in The Trop, as he lived upstairs with his trio of fastball variants. I hope you had fun! (View Game Card)
Paul Skenes (PIT) vs CHC (L) – 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 11 Ks – 22 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 105 pitches.
Aces gonna win the Gallows Pole with 11 strikeouts and get Singled Out to ruin his ratios. He allowed six hits on 11 balls in play, with just one of them going for extra bases, and watched two inherited runners score after he was lifted in the sixth frame. It was a confluence of unfortunate factors coming together to make an excellent start look so much worse than it actually was. (View Game Card)
Sonny Gray (BOS) vs TOR (L) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 10 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 75 pitches.
The skies were Gray in Boston as Sonny was Singled Out. You can blame his poor command a little bit, but a .474 BABIP and seven singles can certainly be blamed on the wrath of Koufax. Next time, I’d love to see him live out of the zone more than 44% of the time. His stuff is great, but it’s not overwhelming. He’s prone to being hit around if he’s not getting batters to chase. (View Game Card)
Mitch Bratt (ARI) @ WSN (L) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 5 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 92 pitches.
Bratt’s casing has been removed, and just like the horrible sausage imagery I’ve invoked, it wasn’t pretty. His low-90s heaters found their way upstairs often, but so did his curveball. It caught batters off guard for 10 called strikes, but it didn’t do so often enough, leading to damage and a failure to take the pressure off of his heaters. With sinkers failing to subdue LHB, Bratt didn’t have a shot. (View Game Card)
Bryan Woo (SEA) @ TEX (L) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 95 pitches.
The home/road splits are real! I truly thought that this was less of a mental thing than it’s turned out to be. Even in pitcher-friendly Globe Life Field, Woo couldn’t avoid bats often enough to prevent inflated ratios. He was Singled Out with a .500 BABIP, but with half of the hits against him returning extra bases, Woo was more prone to damage than the unlucky BABIP indicates. The silver lining is that he’s throwing sliders and curveballs more, cutting back on fastballs in an effort to become less predictable. His next two starts are at home, where he’s pitched to a 2.20 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and 30% K% in nine starts, but I’m still not avoiding him on the road. I don’t trust that a pitcher can be that good, but only in one place. (View Game Card)
Ryan Feltner (COL) @ MIL (L) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BB, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 82 pitches.
Even outside of Coors, Feltner is prone to damage. Rockies fielders are going to need an RF Safety Plan next time he pitches to pretect them from all the radioactive batted balls headed their way. (View Game Card)
Hunter Greene (CIN) @ STL (L) – 5.1 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 89 pitches.
Greene lulled us into a false sense of security with a successful start in Coors following a dozen-strikeout masterpiece. His velo fell 1-2 ticks, but it didn’t hurt him until the sixth frame when everything fell apart. After a leadoff walk and a popout, six straight baserunners reached, leading to a six-run frame that knocked him out of the game. I’m still a believer in Greene’s stuff, and I trust that he’ll throw enough strikes and overwhelm enough with four-seamers and sliders to offset his lack of pristine command and a tertiary offering. (View Game Card)
Ryan Johnson (LAA) @ SFG (L) – 3.1 IP, 8 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BB, 4 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 69 pitches.
There was enough recent success from Johnson that it made some sense to start him in San Francisco. Welp! Won’t be trying that again! (View Game Card)
Game of the Day
Logan Gilbert vs. Jacob deGrom – Yes, please!
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)
