Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Thursday 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.
Framber Valdez (DET) vs ATH (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 87 pitches.
You’ve waited all year for Framber Valdez to get his act together. You’re sick and tired of hearing me outline Framber’s oscillating nature and heavy reliance on curveball feel that is sure to appear any minute now. Well, you can start rejoicing; salvation is here: 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 87 pitches (W).
Valdez took down the Athletics with ease on Thursday and it was everything we’ve been waiting for – sinkers for strikes and outs, changeups for whiffs, good sliders to LHB, and, most importantly, a DOPE curveball. After sending dozens of messenger pigeons and straining hope as he leaned out the stony window of his spire, wings appeared as a silhouette over the sunset in Detroit, carrying a 74% strike rate and 44% CSW. Six strikeouts followed the glorious flapper of feathers, as we all dropped our heads with a smile. I can let go of this hate and be free, like the pigeon.
It’s truly that simple. I haven’t seen Valdez’s curveball perform this well since his first two starts of the season and as we’ve watched him across his last two seasons, he lives and dies with the hook. It’s entirely possible it was one day and he falls right back into the pit next time out, though you can’t get have a hot stretch without a hot start. The schedule doesn’t provide hurdles, either, and this may be the time to “buy high” if a manager believes it’s a small opportunity to sell and get out. (View Game Card)
Let’s see how every other SP did Thursday:
Jesús Luzardo (PHI) @ CIN (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 11 Ks – 20 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 96 pitches.
Duuuuude, YES. He’s a premium Cherry Bomb and you just have to start him, even if he’s more susceptible than most to an annoying blowup outing. He got those out of the way in April, obviously, and now you get to enjoy the lovely summer of King Cole awards and eleven strikeouts to pad your week. You know, he’s only had one game above 2 ER since May 8th, and just two since April 15th. That’s two in fifteen starts. (View Game Card)
Brady Singer (CIN) vs PHI (L) – 7.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 89 pitches.
Oh hey! Looks like Singer needs a 44% SwStr rate slider with a 78% strike rate to make an outing like this work, and I’m a little surprised the result was just five strikeouts. It’s a 2.86 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across his last six now, though just a 50% QS rate in that time. Not really the most encouraging sign for Singer, but @TEA could be a worthy play in 15-teamers. (View Game Card)
Merrill Kelly (ARI) @ SDP (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 94 pitches.
Ayyyy, atta boy Kelly. I feel guilty endorsing this one only for his changeup to return a 52% strike rate as his most thrown pitch, while the four-seamer’s velo jumped a tick and his slider was as good as ever at a 29% SwStr rate. Yeah, I totally expected those gains in this one and deserve all the credit. Regardless, his command was solid overall and his schedule is decent ahead. He’s a Toby. (View Game Card)
Trevor Rogers (BAL) vs CHC (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 89 pitches.
He’s locked in, y’all. It’s still 94 mph generally upstairs + the sweeper and change are working. Let it ride, let it ride. (View Game Card)
David Peterson (CHC) @ BAL (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 77 pitches.
Seriously?! A Gold Star for Peterson who didn’t have the control success normally carries, with Koufax helping him massively as he escaped with just 1 ER despite allowing at least one baserunner each frame. Don’t be fooled, y’all. (View Game Card)
Bailey Ober (MIN) vs CLE (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 74 pitches.
Arguably deserving of that Star is Ober, who gave us a strong effort in his Still ILL. Blame it on the Guardians n all with an 88 mph four-seamer and highly suspect locations and I’m still trying to understand why this worked at all. (View Game Card)
Patrick Sandoval (BOS) @ CHW (ND) – 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 65 pitches.
We haven’t seen the Irish Panda since 2024 and in his season debut, I was impressed. This was the SWATCH lifestyle with stellar changeups down (always been his best pitch) and sliders + four-seamers filling in the gaps. The heater was back up to its 94+ mph velocity of old, but the already hittable fastballs have since lost more movement, and I’m worried he can’t survive with just that slowball moving forward. Add in a difficult schedule of BAL, Sacré Verde, @LAD, and you have a very clear avoid. But maybe if the skills are there we can stream him later… (View Game Card)
Paul Blackburn (NYY) @ TBR (ND) – 2.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 35 pitches.
Blackburn opened for this bullpen game for the Yankees, electing to save an option of one of their prospects with rest coming on the horizon for their bullpen. It makes sense, and it’s not like they sacrificed a dub to do it. Let’s move on. (View Game Card)
Gavin Williams (CLE) @ MIN (W) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 11 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 103 pitches.
THIS IS DOPE. Gavin has returned to his old ways of four-seamers leading the fastball brigade, and is wisely mixing his sinker here there, leading to a pair of outs against RHB. Meanwhile, both sweepers and curveballs are filling the zone with ease, and we’ve reached the end goal. He’s doing exactly what he should, even without the cutter being in the picture. The four-seamer is simply the best its been at 98.5 mph and 7.2 feet of extension, supported by a surprise sinker. (View Game Card)
Sean Manaea (NYM) vs KCR (W) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 97 pitches.
Huh. He’s still at 90/91 mph and maybe the Royals really are that meh? This was also just the second time Manaer has reached six frames, let alone seven, and I’m seeing all the Koufax love in this one. I’m still out against the Brewers and especially against the Dodgers. (View Game Card)
Carson Whisenhunt (SFG) vs COL (W) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 87 pitches.
He’s close to the SWATCH life, though his four-seamer needs a bit more polish inside the zone before I can fully endorse him. This was Rockie Road, after all. He’s not at the 95+ mph we saw in the spring, and I’m still shocked he was able to get through LHB with a 13% zone rate across fastballs and sliders, but 15 whiffs are 15 whiffs. Don’t overlook the name when he gets more chances, and let’s hope he takes that final step to become a Bennett-type arm. (View Game Card)
Anthony Kay (CHW) vs BOS (L) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 92 pitches.
This was an impressive start from Kay. The changeup and four-seamer were a great combo to RHB, while sweepers were able to float in for a called strike or get a whiff at their backfoot, and cutters…were competitive (terrible sub-40% strike rate, but in great spots just outside the inner corners). Maybe he’s finally developing the command I wanted him to have, maybe it was a better day than most where he didn’t have to do much against LHB. Not the worst stream ever against the Jays next. (View Game Card)
Janson Junk (MIA) vs SEA (W) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 5 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 79 pitches.
Ay, not bad! Good to see him back in the rotation, and this can go either way now. His stuff is not in question; it’s all about the execution, and while I’d play it safe and call him a PEAS, those searching for something could get value from Junk @HOU at the very least. If he locks in, there is a legit arm here. (View Game Card)
Griffin Canning (SDP) vs ARI (L) – 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 74 pitches.
He survived. Not in a way that gets us excited and circles his next start, sadly. It’ll take time for us to walk through the Griffin door. (View Game Card)
Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) vs LAA (ND) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 10 Ks – 23 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 99 pitches.
Three runs?! This was absurd. Eovaldi got Singled Out for all three runs, one early in the game, and his final two following catcher’s interference, a walk, and a single to end his day in the seventh. Careful, Icarus. I truly think he’s one of the best rebound candidates for the second half (Gallows Pole, too!), even if he may have an injury history that could turn its head down the road. (View Game Card)
Logan Henderson (MIL) @ STL (W) – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 76 pitches.
The final two runs came when he left the game in the sixth after a HBP and walk (Careful, Icarus), and he showed us a new look of favoring far more changeups and cutters than usual, holding back on his stellar heater. Can’t say I love that, but then again, the fastball came in with two inches less vert, which does make a huge difference. I’m a little worried about that + the general tick down in velocity across the board that I was hoping would be reversed given the adrenaline of returning to the field, but for now, we’re just happy he’s back. Oh, and getting @MIA, Rockie Road, and LAA next. OH BABY. (View Game Card)
Bryce Elder (ATL) @ PIT (ND) – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 69 pitches.
Why are you still riding inside this pumpkin? IT’S A PUMPKIN?! Sir, it’s 11:00am. You can get off now. (View Game Card)
Jack Perkins (ATH) @ DET (L) – 3.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 67 pitches.
He was opened for and gave us a pretty inspiring outing. I wonder if they just wanted to give him a limited outing to take full advantage of the ASB, with his next start coming on the 21st @ ARI, followed by a time in Sacré Verde hosting the Sawx. Those could be decent for you, so I’d hold in deeper formats and consider streaming in shallower. (View Game Card)
Mitch Keller (PIT) vs ATL (L) – 3.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 72 pitches.
He got the early hook for racking up 72 pitches in three frames and I am asking you once again, why must you roster Keller over anyone else? (View Game Card)
Bryce Miller (SEA) @ MIA (L) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 9 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 81 pitches.
Aces gonna…oh no. I was hand-waving his diminished 95.8 mph four-seamer velocity last game, but now we’re seeing 95.1 with a peak of 95.8 mph. His secondaries were generally spotted where they should, but the four-seamer was hanging out too comfortably in the zone and everything was off. That bone spur that he didn’t get surgery for…it sure seems like it’s bothering him again. I HATE THIS. (View Game Card)
Ryan Feltner (COL) @ SFG (L) – 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 92 pitches.
Sigh. I still had him in the Do Not Start tier, but after such a good start in Coors, I had some hope he could replicate it a touch in Oracle Park, you know? (View Game Card)
Reid Detmers (LAA) @ TEX (ND) – 4.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 82 pitches.
Ouch. A lot of hittable pitches were hit, especially on the four-seamer, and that’s your ballgame. Sometimes it’s just “Hey, pitch better, I know you can.” (View Game Card)
Andre Pallante (STL) vs MIL (L) – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 97 pitches.
Womp womp. A classic case of Pallante having successful sinkers and sliders and failing poorly with his four-seamer and curveball. He could bounce back @ARI and @LAA next – he just missed a bit with the four-seamer inside to LHB, for example – though that’s more of a 15-team gamble. (View Game Card)
Michael Wacha (KCR) @ NYM (L) – 4.2 IP, 6 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 104 pitches.
Awwww, against the Mets?! Like you have choice paralysis on the MVC2 character select screen, the Mets took him for a ride in the fifth inning and Koufax just sat there and did nothing. This isn’t a start that should alter your perception of Wacha and he’s still a decent Toby for the Padres up next. (View Game Card)
Drew Rasmussen (TBR) vs NYY (L) – 2.1 IP, 6 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 61 pitches.
Aces gonna…wat. This didn’t look like atypical Rasmussen and Koufax was absurdly cruel in the third frame to blow this one out of proportion. It’s a standard One Night Bland and whatareyagonnado. (View Game Card)
Game of the Day
Shota Imanaga vs. Hunter Greene – I want Shota to dominate despite the small park + Greene should be back on track with far more than 52% four-seamer strikes.
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)
