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.
Gerrit Cole (NYY) @ DET (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 95 pitches.
Is it time for us to recognize Gerrit Cole as “back”? You’d be inclined to think so after destroying the Tigers with a line of 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 95 pitches on Friday night, though I’m not entirely certain.
First of all, the Tigers aren’t the greatest litmus test. Yeah yeah yeah, give me more. Right, of course. The slider earned strikes but returned just 2/18 whiffs and the heater was good, but down almost a tick as well.
It’s weird. I want to go ahead and award Cole the AGA tag but I can’t shake the concern of Blame it on the Tigers and a lack of fastball/slider dominance. They were great, just not YO I’M GERRIT THE DESTROYER. Give me one more start against the Guardians.
Let’s see how every other SP did Friday:
Aaron Nola (PHI) vs WSN (ND) – 6.2 IP, 0 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 111 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. Even year Nola is now at a 3.45 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP, 11 Wins, and 142 strikeouts. Works for me.
Aaron Civale (MIL) vs CLE (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 92 pitches.
Ehhhhhh, it was cutters and sinkers with the rare slider and sweeper down. He did spot those cutters and fastballs well like a Neckbeard, but that precision is less consistent than his lack of feel for his breakers. I am still a bit cautious but do acknowledge that a start against the Cards is in the Questionable Start tier moving forward.
Ryan Pepiot (TBR) vs ARI (ND) – 5.1 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 80 pitches.
Pepiot returned from the IL and surprised me by pitching into the sixth frame while staving off a tough Arizona crew. His fastball was on point with a ton of iVB, though I wish I saw more from his secondaries to get animated for his next starts. Suitman whispers in my ear. Oakland and Seattle?! NOW I’M PUMPED.
Brennan Bernardino (BOS) @ BAL (ND) – 0.2 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 13 pitches.
Bernardino opened for 3.1 IP and 6 ER of Cooper Criswell. We knew that wasn’t gonna work and let’s move on.
Ryne Nelson (ARI) @ TBR (ND) – 6.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 94 pitches.
Nothing quite like 20″ of iVB on Nelson’s heater, which would be 100th percentile if he averaged it every outing. The Trop’s iVB inflation is real. Seriously, Eli Ben-Porat showed it perfectly. That said, his four-seamer is still legit and carries his entire arsenal, breezing through the Rays with a stupid high 79% strike rate. I’ll be keeping close tabs on his cutter/slider development this off-season. There’s another level to unlock.
Michael Lorenzen (KCR) @ CIN (W) – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 83 pitches.
WE’VE GOT FEWER FASTBALLS Y’ALL. And more curveballs. AND MORE CURVEBALLS. And a lot of pitches over the heart of the plate. AND A LOT OF- Wait, that’s not great. No, it’s not, Nick. Welp, that’s a typical Lorenzen start, I guess. Flip things over the plate, mess around with many pitch types (seven in this one including one slider for a ball), and hope it keeps runs off the board. I’m cool with a start against the Angels up next.
Kyle Hendricks (CHC) vs TOR (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 82 pitches.
Oh, I guess this worked. Cool. Let’s be happy for the fella.
Garrett Crochet (CHW) @ HOU (ND) – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 45% CSW, 55 pitches.
Lol. A Gallows Pole and you only threw 55 pitches. He even showed off a pair of sliders (one for a strikeout of Alvarez) and messed around with the changeup, too. But Crochet’s cross-body, elite extension four-seamer at 98 mph from the left side is just too dang unique and unhittable that he went 11/29 whiffs against the Astros. Yeah, a 38% SwStr rate four-seamer with 31% overall SwStr in this game. Un. REAL. So please, Chicago, I beg of you. STOP LIMITING HIM TO FOUR FRAMES.
Beau Brieske (DET) vs NYY (L) – 1.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 30 pitches.
We saw two openers before Brant Hurter appeared and did a fantastic job with 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks against the mighty Yankees, with a pair of solo shots leaving the only stains on the night. He’s a sinker/sweeper/change southpaw who doesn’t come across as electric. He was able to mess around the zone enough with each offering, though it feels like this was the BABIP ceiling here and not an arm to rely on moving forward. Maybe against the weaker offenses, especially in max-start leagues.
Paul Skenes (PIT) vs SEA (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 93 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. His fastball velocity is still hovering 98 mph instead of the 99+ games we saw before, but that’s totally fine with me. What isn’t fine is his curve and splinker acting far worse than before. Gotta throw more strikes than this.
Simeon Woods Richardson (MIN) @ TEX (W) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 17% CSW, 78 pitches.
This was a start of sliders and changeups hanging around the zone and SWR exhaling after anxiously seeing the ball head toward the heart of the plate out of his hand. HAISTBMBWT?! It’s another tough matchup against the Padres up next and while you can give that a whirl, I look at this outing and see how close this was to hurting your team. Is the chance for a Win that much better than your other options?
Patrick Corbin (WSN) @ PHI (ND) – 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 96 pitches.
At least the cutter is back to 23% usage? I got nothing. JUST GO 50% USAGE AGAIN. For the memes. Or maybe it’ll actually work, wouldn’t that be nice?
José Soriano (LAA) vs ATL (ND) – 3.1 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 76 pitches.
They pulled him in the fourth given the heavy workload in the middle of an inning and you can blame his sinker command being a bit more out of whack than what we saw across his last few outings. He’ll get the Royals up next and I’m fine with that one, though he is still a Cherry Bomb.
Sean Manaea (NYM) vs MIA (W) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 106 pitches.
Atta boy Manaea, thanks for the Win. His sinker was the workhorse upstairs as the sweeper, slider, and change were…around. Don’t feel like you need to hold onto Manaea with the Orioles up next.
Logan Gilbert (SEA) @ PIT (L) – 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 96 pitches.
Aces gonna ace with essentially a PQS and a resemblance of the Bailey Special. That slider is cooking, but the rest of his arsenal isn’t quite as overpowering as we’d want for Gilbert to bombard the Pirates and become their captain.
Nick Martinez (CIN) vs KCR (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 80 pitches.
We’ll take a PQS from an arm barely rostered in your leagues. The changeup went 6/18 whiffs and I still wish it was used a little more than the cutter that he featured over the plate. He’ll get the Jays next and I think that’s a decent start for the Questionable Start tier. A bit risky on the ratios for 12-teamers.
Spencer Schwellenbach (ATL) @ LAA (L) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 37% CSW, 92 pitches.
That’s a King Cole only because Crochet wasn’t able to go five frames. And because Schwellenbach is dope and makes us feel dope. Yes, that too. He’s leaning into his breakers incredibly well, even showcasing his splitter here and there. The four-seamer is still the susceptible pitch – 8/11 of all balls in play were off the 96/97 mph heater with terrible iVB – and I still want him to limit the pitch a bit moving forward. It’ll help turn that ERA around if he can move from ~35% usage to ~20/25%. You’re almost there.
Cal Quantrill (COL) vs SDP (W) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 92 pitches.
COL story, bro. I mean it, the splitter went 1/25 whiffs and that’s not the guy who was fantastic earlier in the year.
Spencer Arrighetti (HOU) vs CHW (L) – 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 93 pitches.
Womp womp. The Pasta Pirate threw a ton of strikes with heaters and cutters, but the curve, sweeper, and change were all a bit erratic, while the heater wasn’t upstairs as we wanted. Still, 14 whiffs and just five strikeouts against the CrySox? It should have been a touch better and now you’re facing the Orioles and Phillies up next, making for a tough decision on your end. I think it’s too risky, and if it’s gonna be a two-week stash…I don’t think there’s enough time in the season for that.
Justin Wrobleski (LAD) @ STL (W) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 79 pitches.
Huh. Wrobleski elected to go with curveballs as his primary secondary pitch over the slider we saw in his last appearance in the majors. It wasn’t all that great, though, as it was used more as a surprise called strike offering than a proper “Yo, I got you” pitch. Nick, that can’t be how you actually talk. Yo dude, chill. I’ve watched you on stream. CHILL. With Glasnow and River down, Wrobleski is likely to get another turn in the rotation, which should be a fun time as he hosts the Rays. I’d consider that one.
Yariel Rodríguez (TOR) @ CHC (ND) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 88 pitches.
At least the splitter appeared and he threw 88 pitches? To be fair, this was actually one of the best performances stuff-wise, but it didn’t go his way against the Jays. I see this as more of a peak for his ability (not the results) with questionable command through it. I’m not acting like a bass and latching onto this thin thread of hope. Don’t take the bait.
Andrew Heaney (TEX) vs MIN (L) – 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 97 pitches.
Blegh. The home runs are destroying Heaney again, which are the least sticky element of pitching – not much of a surprise given their super small sample. How can such a small thing be so impactful? I’d consider giving it a spin against the Pirates if you’re in need of strikeouts. But the ratios! The HRs! Not. Sticky. I just told you.
Roddery Muñoz (MIA) @ NYM (L) – 3.1 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 93 pitches.
This was a man Dancing With The Disco and realizing that none of his friends were dancing. Sinker, cutter, four-seamer, changeup, where did you go?!
Miles Mikolas (STL) vs LAD (L) – 5.2 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 100 pitches.
Hey, seven strikeouts! Hey, you never considered this start against the Dodgers and you’re happy you didn’t get the ERA! Yay! He sat 1-2 ticks up on everything, though. Okay, that is kinda cool. Could be something decent against the Brewers next but probably not.
Gavin Williams (CLE) @ MIL (L) – 4.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 92 pitches.
Blegh. The heater returned 21/46 foul balls, which prevented Williams from putting away batters and earning outs on the heater like he normally does. Meanwhile, the curve and cutter weren’t helping out as much as they needed to, and that’s your ballgame. Seriously, this was legit just a weird foul ball game. You know, I wonder if you can look at extreme starts for pitchers (best and worst) and define it by the games where they are well above or well below their average foul ball rates…If you’re reading this, take a look and tag me on Twitter. I legit think there’s something to that idea.
Matt Waldron (SDP) @ COL (L) – 5.2 IP, 7 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 102 pitches.
Don’t Trust A Knuckleballer. For real, though.
Corbin Burnes (BAL) vs BOS (L) – 4.0 IP, 8 ER, 10 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 95 pitches.
Aces gonna implode. It happens to the best of us and the biggest impact is likely that it’ll take him out of the Cy Young running. It’s too early to say that! Well, he wasn’t gonna win on strikeouts this time around – ERA was his best bet. Now he’s at 3.10 and with Skubal down at 2.50, it’s harder to see it working out. Then there’s Ragans, Crochet, Gilbert, Ober, Blanco, etc. Sorry Burnes, this ain’t the year. For your fantasy squads, note that his cutter went 0/40 whiffs. Sticky stuff helped in 2021, but that pitch held a 17%+ SwStr in 2021. It’s down to 9% this year. Recalibrate your idea of Burnes.
Game of the Day
Bobby Miller vs. St. Louis Cardinals – HE’S BACK. And likely not fixed. BUT BACK.
But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.
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