Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Sunday 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.
Mason Englert (TBR) @ HOU (L) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 101 pitches.
I wanted to chat for a second about a pitcher I’ve written off plenty this year. Mason Englert was the surprise starter for the Rays on Sunday and his 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 101 pitches (L) effort is sure to turn heads. Is this the latest machination of the Rays who we need to roster?
Probably not, but who knows? His changeup was filthy with 74% strikes and a boatload of whiffs and I dug the cutter and slow curve that allowed his four-seamer to act more as a surprise heater upstairs. It’s not a package with the raw awesome stuff of a guy like Jax, but if you think of him like Nick Martinez, it makes sense – six pitches thrown at least 10% of the time with a changeup leading the pack.
Now that he’s properly stretched out to 101 pitches, he’s a viable option…in two weeks when we return from the All-Star Break. He could get the Jays when the time comes and I’m adding him as a streaming Toby option. He has a whiff pitch in the changeup (and sometimes the heater!), a strike pitch in the cutter, and decent enough breakers in the slow curve and slider to make it work for 5+ frames with his 92 mph four-seamer and sinker. (View Game Card)
Let’s see how every other SP did Sunday:
Emerson Hancock (SEA) vs TOR (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 92 pitches.
Hancock doesn’t quite add up to me – the four-seamer’s hilariously bad movement is still earning whiffs and acts as his foundation + the secondaries are nothing special – but he’s continuing to produce and is fully removed from the piggyback. Don’t think, just keep going. (View Game Card)
Joe Ryan (MIN) @ NYY (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 106 pitches.
Aces gonna ace with a King Cole. Since Ryan had his injury scare on May 3rd, he’s boasted a 3.15 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 31% strikeout rate in 65.2 IP across eleven starts. That’s hot. (View Game Card)
Eury Pérez (MIA) @ ATH (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 92 pitches.
So, uh, this was a perfect game and they pulled him. There are a whole lot of thoughts to be had here, and I’ll say this. One more inning wouldn’t have killed him. One more, and just see where things were, you know? You can skip his following start + the all-star break to give him rest he needs to recover after, and throwing 120 pitches even after being reinstated just two games earlier isn’t as big of a deal as it’s being made out to be. It feels like it was the smart, conservative thing to do, but I truly believe pitch counts are getting too much weight, rather than resting or high-intensity moments. BUT I DIGRESS. This was obviously a better version of Pérez than we normally get, but not as great as the line would suggest. None of his secondaries returned 60%+ strikes (high pitch count despite zero baserunners, after all) and I wouldn’t call the four-seamer accurately spotted (one 3-2 strikeout to Butler was a fortunately missed four-seamer for a called strike-three down-and-in right on the corner). The sweeper approach to RHB was much better, and to put things simply, you start Eury and hope we’re finally getting the dude we expected when we drafted him, with a great schedule ahead. Good luck. (View Game Card)
Peter Lambert (HOU) vs TBR (W) – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 90 pitches.
The version of Lambert I dig is BSB with four-seamers and changeups to LHB, and we had that in spades. He saved the sweeper for RHB, and it was deadly, consistently living on the outside edge. I wouldn’t reclassify him as anything more than a Toby, but we’re happy to hold him through this solid schedule. (View Game Card)
JP Sears (SDP) @ LAD (W) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 76 pitches.
Whoaaaa, what?! A Gold Star for Sears and this phenomenal outing against the Dodgers, earning a much-needed win for the Friars. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him stay along the outside edge so consistently, and it worked, stacking away from RHB with fastballs, sliders, changeups top-to-bottom. Does he actually have that kind of precision? You already know the answer. He’s a deep league stream, hoping this is a new plateau against the Jays on Friday. I wouldn’t hold that emotion if I were you. (View Game Card)
Javier Assad (CHC) vs STL (ND) – 4.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 80 pitches.
So close. One more out was all that you needed, Assad. ONE MORE. He even had the bases empty, but he didn’t navigate through the outing fast enough and 80 pitches was too much to push past, apparently. Sigh. This could be it for Assad and I wouldn’t hold and wait. (View Game Card)
Nick Lodolo (CIN) vs BAL (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 97 pitches.
Atta boy! The WHIP is a little higher than we like, though I see the pitch separation and high strike rates and nod approvingly. Totally understand if you’re scared of hosting the Cubs and heading to Coors. At the very least, I’m leaning start at home. (View Game Card)
Luinder Avila (KCR) vs PHI (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 69 pitches.
Ayyyyy. That’s the fifth productive start from Avila in seven games, though not one has been a full six frames. And yet, I’m still tepid and don’t think he’s worth the play in 12-teamers, unless Win hunting over the weekend like this one. Just not enough juice for the squeeze. (View Game Card)
Emmet Sheehan (LAD) vs SDP (L) – 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 96 pitches.
He was awfully inefficient (54% strikes on the slider, tons of foul balls on the changeup), but he’s now flirting with 96 mph again and I’m still very much in. It’s nice to see a changeup focus against LHB again, too. Buy low while you can. (View Game Card)
Brandon Sproat (MIL) @ ARI (ND) – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 92 pitches.
Ehhhhh, this wasn’t in control and it was a frustrating watch. He held an unsustainably high 70% two-strike rate, but instead of the standard 45% putaway rate, just 29% of the batters he faced with a two-strike count sulked back to the dugout. There’s yer problem. I’d bench him against the Pirates, but hope he’s still suggesting success to feel confident against the Mets and Rockie Road after. (View Game Card)
Casey Mize (DET) @ TEX (W) – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 94 pitches.
Yessss. The four-seamer held a high 20% SwStr rate, while the slider continued to be the stabilizer for strikes. The splitter was great and we’re in business, y’all. It’s PHI, @LAA, KCR next and I see no reason to pull him from the lineup. (View Game Card)
Trey Yesavage (TOR) @ SEA (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 96 pitches.
The command from last game didn’t return, but the zone-heavy four-seamer did, and his slider joined him for some Dancing With The Disco action. Too bad the splitter can’t be trusted at all, still. I’m glad it’s better, but I really don’t trust this man’s ability to locate and he’s still a HIPSTER in my book. (View Game Card)
Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) vs MIL (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 102 pitches.
He had tossed six shutout before a single and HR put two runs on the board before handing over the pearl. Careful, Icarus. Let’s stop and recognize how remarkably well Erod is pitching. Including this solid performance, he’s holding a 2.02 ERA and 1.10 WHIP across his last 80.0 IP in thirteen starts…with a sub-18% strikeout rate. Enjoy the Vargas Rule while it lasts. (View Game Card)
Nolan McLean (NYM) @ ATL (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 96 pitches.
I’m thrilled with this line given the offense and how poorly he threw his sweeper to LHB. The curveball stepped up to earn four punchouts and he was able to work a four-seamer/sinker/cutter mix effectively over the plate + the rare changeup for a whiff. I still watch him and wish for more, but he’s getting better, step by step. (View Game Card)
Erick Fedde (CHW) @ CLE (W) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 89 pitches.
I didn’t trust him, but he had an opener and escaped with a dub. GOOD FOR YOU. Suitman whispers into my ear. Two ticks up on the sinker to 96 mph? 3-4 ticks up on the cutter to 94 mph?! Uhhhh what. That’s such a huge leap for the cutter and all it did was lose about an inch of horizontal. SOMETHING IS UP. Maybe he’s worth the stream against the Athletics up next…then again, the sinker and cutter have similar vert, and it could be argued that this cutter is the four-seamer at a super low 7″ vert that matches the sinker but with 9″ horizontal difference between them. Is that actually that good? Then again, the sweeper also saw a 1.5 tick velocity boost, so it’s not like nothing is changing. Huh. You don’t need to jump the gun in 12-teamers, but your AL-Only leagues may want to. (View Game Card)
Ryan Johnson (LAA) vs BOS (L) – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 87 pitches.
Ehhh, I know he’s gotten more strikeouts than we’ve expected lately, but that cutter and splitter are not so good that they should fully mask a terrible 92 mph sinker. I’m still out. (View Game Card)
Kyle Bradish (BAL) @ CIN (L) – 7.2 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 106 pitches.
We saw breakers for strikes and we’ll take this line from Bradish. It was a 3-2 slider over the plate for a two-run HR that did most of the damage (right after Steer fouled off a 3-2 slider in the same spot over the plate…GOTTA GET IT DOWN), with a backed-up 2-1 curve inside to Stewart in the 8th that ended his night and scored his third ER. Careful, Icarus. This is good Bradish. Not Radish, not Badish, but good ole Breadish. Safe for any meal. Be happy with Breadish. (View Game Card)
Aaron Nola (PHI) @ KCR (L) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 19 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 98 pitches.
Wooooow. Not just a “Gallosws Pole”, but a full steer away from fastballs with just 37% usage between four-seamers and sinkers. That’s pretty dang cool. (View Game Card)
Matthew Liberatore (STL) @ CHC (L) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 78 pitches.
Liberatore is a Werewolf with one random strikeout game a month and a man to ignore otherwise. He gets Altanta next and I wouldn’t expect the fur to appear. (View Game Card)
Tyler Mahle (SFG) @ COL (ND) – 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 75 pitches.
I’m sorry, Mahle has decided to throw sinkers and not four-seamers?! Oh, Coors was weird and it completely messed up the pitch classifications. Got it. You can thank some beautiful splitters down to LHB for a lot of those whiffs and I’m actually interested in starting Mahle against Rockie Road next time out, even if it’s a 92 mph fastball. (View Game Card)
Kumar Rocker (TEX) vs DET (L) – 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 85 pitches.
On one hand, he’s doing the right thing by throwing cutters and sliders 65% of the time. On the other, he should be throwing them 85% of the time. Why? Well, because four of his five hits came on sinkers or four-seamers, THAT’S WHY. (View Game Card)
Ranger Suarez (BOS) @ LAA (ND) – 2.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 53 pitches.
Suarez was removed with adductor tightness and don’t mind me, I’m going to go curl in a corner after riding this for ages. Blame Ranger for the late roundup, definitely not me traveling to Cape Cod to see my nephews for the one chance I get all year. (View Game Card)
Cade Cavalli (WSN) vs PIT (ND) – 2.1 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 63 pitches.
All the fun gains from last time – increased velocity, insane curveballs, major cutter usage jump – were gone. Sometimes you just have an awesome day and get humbled by a much better opponent next time out. Yankees + Sacré Verde are next and I’d be very cautious. I’m so disappointed he wasn’t able to replicate his peak, but I’m not disappointed in his public apology after his incident in Fenway last week. I wish more players spoke with regret after acting poorly toward others, and I respect Cavalli for taking it to heart and featuring what seemed to be genuine reflection. Whether you believe its authenticity or not, just the act of showcasing it matters. (View Game Card)
Martín Pérez (ATL) vs NYM (L) – 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 77 pitches.
We already had one slow-tossing successful southpaw get removed early due to injury, and now Pérez joined Suarez after taking a comebacker to the arm and now he’s on the 15-day IL. Huge bummer given his shocking value for sneaky Wins, but it’s not like he pitched injured before the comebacker, either, with a tick down across the board. No need to IL stash here, you can drop and not spend the roster spot if you’re full. (View Game Card)
Bubba Chandler (PIT) @ WSN (ND) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 0 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 13% CSW, 86 pitches.
So, uh, this ain’t it. 50% strikes on both four-seamer and slider is awfully disappointing, with just two whiffs for a pitcher with 98 mph velocity. If you haven’t moved on yet, you really should. (View Game Card)
Ryan Weathers (NYY) vs MIN (L) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 88 pitches.
This is getting incredibly frustrating, isn’t it? We’ve seen just three great outings from Weathers in his last nine starts and while you want your emotions to be validated, here I am telling you that I’d keep holding. You know he’s had a 16% SwString in three of his last four games, right? And a 64% LOB rate in these nine starts with a 30% HR/FB? Yeah, but when can I just be happy and not frustrated all the time? I dunno, but it’s likely more times than not moving forward. That’s all I got for ya. (View Game Card)
Tanner Gordon (COL) vs SFG (ND) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 94 pitches.
This didn’t work?! Oh right. Two first names. How could I be so foolish? (View Game Card)
Tanner Bibee (CLE) vs CHW (ND) – 4.0 IP, 6 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 62 pitches.
Remember that stupid good command we saw last time out for Bibee? Yeah, that’s gone. Now we get the HAISTBMBWT?! with poor ratios, too. But that means I get nothing. Sure does. Oh no. Hopefully the coin flips to the winning side against the Marlins. (View Game Card)
Gage Jump (ATH) vs MIA (L) – 3.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 85 pitches.
Bleeeegggh. This was a rough one for Jump’s four-seamer, which still found strikes, but was far easier to hit than usual, in some obnoxious ways, and others that were a bit too over the plate. He also got burned for trying to make the changeup a thing twice, and I appreciate that he’s putting in work on the pitch, but we may see fewer of it now with such a poor afternoon with the offering. This doesn’t warrant a drop in my view, and I’ll be starting him against the White Sox with the velocity and strike rates on his fastball and slider still very much alive. (View Game Card)
Game of the Day
Cam Schlittler vs. Griffin Jax – FUN.
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 Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)
