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 Playback.tv weekday mornings from 10 am-12 pm ET.
Carson Fulmer (LAA) @ TOR (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 88 pitches.
It’s hard to have a ton of conviction for Carson Fulmer but you may start to find some after yesterday’s 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 88 pitches against the Jays. Eight strikeouts are eight strikeouts, even if Fulmer hovered a VPQS against a middling Jays lineup, and I can see Fulmer convincing us his career aspirations are worth it to all of us. MERMAN, father. MERMAN.
Watching this one, I was a bit nervous watching his sinker get attacked easily into play, but he was able to spot the pitch around the zone plenty, setting up a few filthy sliders and changeups. The curveball is still a question mark (he’s allowed damage in the past off the breaker and Loperfido gave one a ride here), though that slider should be the main focus moving forward. With the Mariners up next, Fulmer could be a surprise stream if his slider is featured more than 17% of the time. It was the most impressive offering, and his feeling is good enough to carry him through the start. Go Dancing With The Disco and you’ll be swimming with ease.
Let’s see how every other SP did Saturday:
Pablo López (MIN) vs STL (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 21 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 96 pitches.
That’s my GUY. A Golden Goal for PabLó, sitting 96/97 mph for another start, but this time carrying great feel for both his sweeper and changeup. He’s been locked in for a month now, holding a 2.39 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 23% strikeout rate across his last eight games. I feel like he’s deserving of the AGA label, but I’ll give it one more start. Just one more.
Zac Gallen (ARI) @ BOS (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 4 BBs, 9 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 99 pitches.
Ayyyy you survived! By…what. No way. You went BSB?! Like really BSB?! His heater touched low location just a handful of times and instead went not just high four-seamers (with many out of the zone upstairs) but high cutters too. Thing is, his curve and change was brilliantly spotted down and it messed up Red Sox hitters. Is that the answer for Gallen? I don’t know. He tried to do this last year for a moment and it failed, but this is plenty more extreme with his fastball intent and he had his changeup working as well as ever. I hope for his sake this is real and something that works well for him. I’m excited to watch more.
Bowden Francis (TOR) vs LAA (W) – 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hits, 3 BBs, 12 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 117 pitches.
Ohhhhh MY. It’s nice to pitch against the Angels, but hot dang, this is getting silly. Bowden located four-seamers well and paired it with a ton of splitters in the zone, with all of his strikeouts coming from pitches landing right on the edges…save for one floated splitter Pillar really shouldn’t have swung at. Am I bonkers for saying this isn’t sustainable? Francis’ four-seamer doesn’t profile out as elite and that splitter went 4/40 whiffs – a 10% SwStr rate. It all seems so precarious and now he heads into Fenway. Look, just Vargas Rule it and take your shot – the results are too good, right?
David Peterson (NYM) @ SDP (W) – 7.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 96 pitches.
Look at this guy go. I guess we’re just gonna Vargas Rule this and chat later. But he was down 1-2 ticks on his heater. I know! And 0/21 whiffs on his slider and changeup! Isn’t it weird and unsustainable?!
Michael King (SDP) vs NYM (L) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 85 pitches.
Aces gonna get burned by the error. King took the Loss after a wild fourth inning, capped off by a Lindor Grand Slam on a hanging sweeper (all unearned runs). He’s still the King with a Crown.
Ranger Suárez (PHI) @ KCR (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 72 pitches.
Ayyyy he’s back! And boy did I not like this one. His sinker was stupid fortunate at a 50% called strike rate despite sitting down the pipe at 91 mph, the changeup was nothing exception (9% CSW!), and his curveball was decent, not great. That line certainly looks good, but the skills were not. That said, it was a Still ILL and we generally expect better from the second start, so fine. Let’s start him for 80+ pitches against Atlanta and go from there. It’s not like you were gonna drop him regardless of what I said, anyway.
Shota Imanaga (CHC) @ MIA (W) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 99 pitches.
Aces gonna ace…but three strikeouts against the Marlins? A tick down in velocity?! At least it was 19-20″ of iVB and the elite HAVAA still…but then why did you return just 2/44 whiffs on heaters?! Likely because the Marlins went up there hacking at heaters, leading to whiffs and a ton of splitter outs. That makes sense, okay, we’re cool. Please get back to like 92 mph if you can, okay?
Ben Lively (CLE) vs TEX (W) – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 105 pitches.
Lively is a prime example of a Baha Man and no, I really can’t explain it. I don’t know how those fastballs survive as well as they do. Lively is singlehandedly carrying this Guardians team out of the depths of that rotation and it really needs to be talked about more. The man has ELEVEN WINS.
Julian Aguiar (CIN) @ PIT (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 91 pitches.
Hot dang, look at you! That’s a Gold Star as I had zero expectations Aguiar had enough in the tank to go a full six and find enough outs. But he’s a sinkerballer, they can do that. Totally fair, I wasn’t aware Koufax was smiling down on the fella here. Seriously, he didn’t spot those sinkers well at all. The start may convince he can be fine against Oakland, but I’d heavily suggest against that.
Charlie Morton (ATL) vs WSN (ND) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 95 pitches.
Morton’s hook has been much better over the last few weeks, yet he still gave you that ghastly WHIP. Why? Because there’s nothing else here. I’d be terrified of the Phillies up next if I were you. And me. I am terrified.
Albert Suárez (BAL) vs HOU (ND) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 91 pitches.
Atta boy Suárez. I didn’t expect this to go well, but you survived against a legit offense and was one out away from a Win and Quality start. So close. Sadly it’s Coors next and we move on, but it looks like the CrySox follow and that’s a bucket o’ fun.
Jake Irvin (WSN) @ ATL (ND) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 83 pitches.
Uhhhh, he threw just 12 curveballs. Nope. Nope nope nope nope.
Bradley Blalock (COL) @ NYY (W) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 5 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 96 pitches.
Hey, that’s pretty solid for a start against the Yankees, even if it was away from home. He went Dancing With The Disco, merged with fastballs sneaking in around the East-West edges and a fair number of effective splitters, too. And yet, that’s a horrible WHIP in a peak start. You can’t do this.
Kutter Crawford (BOS) vs ARI (L) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 88 pitches.
It ain’t pretty, but it worked. The slider and curve took a backseat (just 20 between them) to go 77% four-seamer and cutter, with the latter acting like a Dancing With The Disco performance. It’s…okay. His overall command was good, but he’s not overwhelming batters and that makes me a bit nervous watching him, still. I guess we keep going.
Blake Snell (SFG) @ SEA (ND) – 3.0 IP, 2 ER, 0 Hits, 6 BBs, 5 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 74 pitches.
Aces gonna oh. BUT YOU WERE IN SEATTLE. He couldn’t find his fastball release point and the curve, while still great at 65% strikes and many whiffs, it wasn’t the savior. I’m gonna chalk it up to something wrong with the mound or his something and point to the fact that he still didn’t allow a hit. That’s cool n stuff. I guess. DON’T DO THIS TO US.
Framber Valdez (HOU) @ BAL (L) – 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 104 pitches.
The streak continues. His curve was a bit worse than the recent stretch, recording a sub-60% strike rate and 23% CSW, but it was still a strong offering and kept the Orioles tepid to take hacks on his sinker. Phew. That meant we saw a 38% called strike sinker (lol) and a Philly with a strong strikeout rate. We’ll take it, even if we were hoping for a slightly better outcome.
Tarik Skubal (DET) @ CHW (W) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 88 pitches.
Aces gonna…oh come on, against the CrySox?! His velocity was down more than a tick to 95.8 mph (still good) and his pitches over the plate were hit. Whatareyagonnado.
George Kirby (SEA) vs SFG (L) – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 95 pitches.
Blegggggh. He’s not an ace anymore, sadly. The slider command wasn’t great, the heaters weren’t out of the zone, and it’s all close but not enough. Kirby isn’t a filthy-stud-pitch McGee, he needs to be spotting better than “Here you go, it’s always in the zone!” I thought you were doing that, but something has changed. It’s annoying.
Colin Rea (MIL) @ OAK (W) – 6.2 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 102 pitches.
He cruised through five, then ran into trouble in the following two frames, ending up with a Careful, Icarus. Womp womp. Nothing new here, he’s the same ole guy who has been putting up surprisingly decent starts without anything exceptional, though the command here wasn’t as spectacular as other outings. I’d pass on a date in Cin City up next.
Sonny Gray (STL) @ MIN (L) – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 99 pitches.
Blegh. A high cutter left the yard for a three-run shot as a part of a nightmarish 4 ER third frame, and while he earned a ton of whiffs, Gray did have plenty of mistakes in here too – more than usual. He’s been awfully frustrating to roster since his stellar start to the year and I still believe he’s a Holly at the end of the day. The skills are still a step above your standard arm and deserve to be rostered.
Taj Bradley (TBR) @ LAD (ND) – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 99 pitches.
He almost made it worthwhile, but the home runs cost him. This start doesn’t really change anything (if he were incredible then maybe) as it was the Dodgers, so my thoughts stand. He’s a Cherry Bomb and the risk is up to you.
Joe Boyle (OAK) vs MIL (L) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 8 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 104 pitches.
Boyle elected to go 50/50 with sliders and heaters and the dude just can’t throw fastballs for effective strikes. It’s why he went 14/22 foul balls on swings (that’s stupid high) – they were down the pipe or out of the zone. That meant longer at-bats and more strikeouts or walks, and YOU CAN’T TRUST THE GUY. This ain’t it.
Brady Singer (KCR) vs PHI (L) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 11 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 100 pitches.
Look, Johnny! Isn’t it beautiful? Wow Dad, the colors! I know son. That’s why we call him a Cherry Bomb.
Clayton Kershaw (LAD) vs TBR (ND) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 88 pitches.
He’s Dancing With The Disco and even against the Rays, he’s becoming more predictable and easier to hit. Bummer. I have to believe he’ll figure this out and become serviceable at the very least, but get the idea of TATIAGA out of your heads. I’d bench him against the Sneks in Arizona.
Valente Bellozo (MIA) vs CHC (L) – 4.2 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 5 BBs, 1 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 16% CSW, 83 pitches.
Remember that magic he had? Annnnnnd IT’S GONE. Far worse command, dropped velocity, and a whole lot of PAIN. Valente has Val Dente your ratios and you won’t let him do it again.
Ky Bush (CHW) vs DET (L) – 3.0 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 60 pitches.
You thought you’d be sneaky and start Ky after he survived against the Astros. Sadly, that great slider went 0/11 whiffs in this one with a 9% CSW. Don’t Ky on this hill.
Will Warren (NYY) vs COL (L) – 3.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 76 pitches.
Wow. So that’s twice I’ve been burned by Warren against a terrible offense as the streaming pick of the day. Okay, okay, I’ve learned my lesson. Cherry Bomb it is, making the Cardinals a coin flip.
Jon Gray (TEX) @ CLE (L) – 2.0 IP, 6 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks – 1 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 53 pitches.
There is a time when Gray’s slider is cooking and he’s a solid play. Now is not that time.
Jake Woodford (PIT) vs CIN (L) – 3.1 IP, 7 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 74 pitches.
The Amish Mustang can’t exert himself for your teams and please stop asking him to.
Game of the Day
Robbie Ray vs. Bryan Woo – My #1 and #2 SP players of the day. Awwwww yeah.
But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.
Have Questions? – Join my morning Playback.tv livestream! I answer all questions there for free: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET Monday through Friday.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)