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 Playback.tv weekday mornings from 10 am-12 pm ET.
Patrick Corbin (WSH) vs BOS (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 96 pitches.
Every pitcher has his day and this was brilliance for Patrick Corbin in Fenway via 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 96 pitches, securing an obvious Gold Star and a raised eyebrow from this fella. Oh come on Nick, it’s Corbin! It’s just one of those days. Oh really?
If there’s a world where Patrick is consistently producing for your squads, it features this version of Corbin. We’re talking full-on BSB with excellent high heaters and precise low sliders, resulting in 9/45 slider whiffs and a 12% SwStr rate across his sinkers. Just look at the plot, it’s beautiful.
That slide piece was coming in hotter than usual at 82 mph (we’ve seen that a bit over a few starts), with a little less break in exchange for tighter precision. It’s not the first time I’ve seen Patrick on paper look actually solid, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it all come together to get results.
He’ll get the Yankees next and while this has all the makings of a Birthday Party, at least you can consider the former Cy Young contender in dire situations. That has to be an upgrade from his previous designation, no?
Let’s see how every other SP did Thursday:
Lance Lynn (LAD) vs MIL (ND) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 87 pitches.
He can’t be stopped. The cutter is still on the shelf (just eight thrown!) as the four-seamer took center stage with some curves and sliders in the mix. The schedule is still solid (@CLE + ARI next) and there’s no reason to bench. What a wonderful trade.
Corbin Burnes (MIL) @ LAD (ND) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 98 pitches.
FINALLY. That’s a Golden Goal for Burnes on the one start of the year I decided to put Burnes outside the top tier for the day. You’re welcome. I was worried about the Dodgers’ offense + the cutter not returning whiffs and both were quelled – 9/56 whiffs and 34% CSW on the cutter – while the curveball and slider stepped up for 30%+ CSW each. This is absolutely better (duh) and I want to see it again. Please don’t relapse on us again.
Zac Gallen (ARI) @ SD (W) – 6.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 100 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. This was a tough one. The curve and cutter each held a near 45% strike rate (yuuuuck), turning this one into a start filled with peppering as many fastballs as possible into the zone and hoping for the best. Fortunately, it worked well enough, but yeah, this isn’t sustainable. We need those other pitches back.
Angel Zerpa (KC) vs SEA (ND) – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 84 pitches.
Huh, they didn’t open for him after all. Zerpa tossed a ton of sliders over the plate with four-seamers scattered up and out of the zone + changeups that flew armside among a few decent ones. That doesn’t sound like a glowing recommendation. I wonder why.
José Quintana (NYM) @ STL (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 97 pitches.
Yesssss. The four-seamer was upstairs, the sinker armside, and the curve + changeup down. Now you can drop him with Atlanta + Texas next. That’s fantasy baseball, Suzyn. I won’t be surprised if he sticks around on the wire for you to jump back in on in September, just make sure not to judge him too harshly for what’s to come.
Chris Sale (BOS) @ WSH (L) – 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 65 pitches.
The Red Sox didn’t push him over 65 pitches as his velocity fell to…oh no. 91.5 mph. He topped out – TOPPED OUT – at 93.6 mph. Ummmmmm. I didn’t see a single report on it, but it’s not outlandish to wonder if there’s something bothering him. He got squeezed a bit and spotted his four-seamer beautifully here and I’d imagine if he were allowed to go a normal 90 pitches, he’d have gone at least six of production. But that velocity…it’s scary y’all.
Adam Wainwright (STL) vs NYM (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 0 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 93 pitches.
Awwwww, so close to Win #199. Then again, getting 0/93 whiffs doesn’t seem like a recipe for success, do they? I legit don’t think I’ve ever seen that.
Rich Hill (SD) vs ARI (L) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 56 pitches.
This is so close to worthwhile and it still blows my mind that this 43-year-old is tossing competitive baseball. Unreal.
George Kirby (SEA) @ KC (ND) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 73 pitches.
Of course, the #1 play of the day winds up allowing the most ER. Destiny. The Royals are putting on a show offensively, messing up starters left and right, while Kirby didn’t have his best stuff. The slider and curve were mediocre, the four-seamer failed to blow by bats, and he relied a bit too much on the sinker to find his outs. It’s awfully frustrating after his 9 IP, 0 ER game, but it’s a–Don’t say it Nick, you said it so much yesterday–One Night Bland. NOOOOOOOO.
Game of the Day
Cole Ragans vs. Chicago Cubs – I’M GETTING HYPED AND YOU CAN’T STOP ME.
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 All-Pro Reels (https://www.flickr.com/photos/joeglo/) | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)