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.
DL Hall (MIL) @ CIN (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 83 pitches.
The return of DL Hall to the Brewers rotation has me excited, simply to see if his April showcase was a fluke or if he could retain the skills that made us excited as a reliever in 2023. Hall’s Win on Friday night in Cincinnati suggests he’s the man we’ve envisioned – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 83 pitches is a superb line – though I’m not as impressed as I thought I’d be,
The velocity is up to 94/95 from 92/93 (sweet!) and his heater has a better HAVAA, but it’s not quite there. Just 1/37 four-seamer whiffs and an average attack angle (1.1 vs. the 0.7 steep angle of before) don’t showcase the elite 1.4 HAVAA of 2023 that forced fantastic 14%+ SwStr rates that set the tone for his secondaries.
I’m most encouraged by Hall’s changeup, which stepped forward as his most trusted secondary and boasted a high strike rate. This is a LHP-changeup league as we’ve seen from the likes of Skubal, Ragans, Anderson, and many others, and nailing down that slowball will continue to be a major element of Hall’s game moving forward.
The breakers were fine. He failed to execute them as he planned for whiffs (2/28), but they found the zone enough to help along the way, opening the door for refinement in time.
In the short term, Hall is heading back to the minors after his appearance in Friday’s double-header. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Brewers elect to move one of their starters into a bullpen role down the stretch in preparation for the playoffs, opening the door for Hall to get more time in the majors to refine his craft (hey, we did a live The Craft podcast yesterday! Watch it here.) as a starter. Pay attention and if he gets a great matchup, he could be a streaming option.
Let’s see how every other SP did Friday:
Pablo López (MIN) vs TOR (W) – 7.2 IP, 0 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 106 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. The four-seamer is just bullying at this point at 95/96 and 7.2 feet of extension. The changeup and sweeper did little in the whiffs department, but played off the four-seamer so well that he nearly frolicked all the way through nine frames. What a stud.
Framber Valdez (HOU) vs KCR (ND) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 98 pitches.
What an incredible resurgence from Valdez in the second half this year. His curveball has been the catalyst and was magnificent here at a 73% strike rate and 9/37 whiffs, and I wish he could have told me he had figured it out before I called him a Cherry Bomb back in June. He should have been kept in for the no-hitter. Maybe. They also need Valdez fresh for the playoff run and I understand the choice.
Tanner Houck (BOS) @ DET (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 95 pitches.
It’s weird seeing a successful line and a King Cole despite watching the game and feeling awfully insecure about the fella’s pitches. This was a LHB-heavy lineup and Houck’s splitter went roughly 50% strikes as it struggled to land on the armside edge. Houck was (understandably) nervous to throw his splitter and sweeper over the plate to said LHB and it made for a game of meticulous spotting away that ultimately worked. I’m glad he came through in the solid matchup but hot dang, I’M STILL NERVOUS. It’s the Mets next and that’s okay, but then it’s tough and I don’t think I’m starting him against the Orioles and Yankees.
Adam Oller (MIA) @ SFG (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 90 pitches.
Hot dang, look at you! That’s a Gold Star for Adam as he went Oller nothing with his heater and curve – the latter returning far better results than I’ve seen previously. It was mostly heaters doing all the work with inconsistent secondaries in other outings, but on Friday the slurve + curve (I’m calling it one pitch, a curve) went 60% strikes for 39% CSW and 8/38 whiffs, allowing his fastball to do the rest. That’s pretty dang great for a cross-body arm and I’m sad he gets the Phillies next. If the skills are still there in that one, take note of the Pirates + Nationals after.
Blake Snell (SFG) vs MIA (ND) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 20 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 96 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. This was classic BSB with a low 41% zone rate on his heater as it cruised upstairs + curves delicately placed down low for a Gallows Pole. The real hero? 11 changeup whiffs because THAT’S WHAT’S UP.
JP Sears (OAK) @ TEX (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 97 pitches.
Hmmmm. The four-seamer wasn’t the dominant pitch this time around, failing to land upstairs with worse velocity, but it generated a ton of outs and strikes for Sears, leading to chases out of the zone on his changeup that made it absurdly good (and some fortunate outs on changeups down the pipe…), despite a 50% strike rate. So they made contact on those changeups and hit into outs? Yup. It’s almost like the Neckbeard approach except I don’t think Sears was trying to do it. He’s a Cherry Bomb with all of this volatility and it’s up to you if you want to lean into it….with the Mariners up next. Then the Tigers. Then the White Sox. I GUESS WE’RE GOING IN.
Seth Lugo (KCR) @ HOU (ND) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 93 pitches.
Atta boy Lugo. Nine pitches at your disposal and I’m thrilled to see much more pitch separation between them here, utilizing all four edges of the zone instead of shoving them all over the plate. With Lugo’s great end-of-season schedule, you have to endure two more tough decisions against the Guardians and Yankees, and yes, you’re clearly doing it now. I appreciate giving us the easy decision, Lugo. WE NEEDED THIS.
Reynaldo López (ATL) @ PHI (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 96 pitches.
He’s still throwing harder after the IL stint (96/97!) and it’s pretty unreal how ReyLó is the stud sleeper pick of the year. The man is cooking.
Tylor Megill (NYM) @ CHW (W) – 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 97 pitches.
NICE. That’s a great outing for Megill, who you may have given a shot for a Blame it on the White Sox start and were well rewarded. The slider showed up and did work downstairs for fouls and outs (few whiffs, sadly,), while the 95/96 heater with great extension was generally in the upper half. I’m kinda tempted to give it a whirl against the Sawx next, but the ceiling is still in question as I don’t trust the four-seamer command start-to-start and I still want more from the cutter and slider.
Rhett Lowder (CIN) vs MIL (L) – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 4 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 77 pitches.
Meh? Meh. His four-seamer isn’t a good pitch, and this whole thing could work if it were a legit 95/96 mph offering with great shape and command, but that’s not what I saw. Yes, his sinker had a front-hip strikeout that was cool as the 7up spot, but it was a moment, and I wouldn’t want Lowder to be a sinker-focused arm, anyway. I also question his exaggerated windup, which has a ton of moving parts and is often removed by coaches for its difficulty to replicate with every pitch. It’s an easy answer for why he failed to execute often and generally makes me question when we could trust him. All that said, the slider is legit and his changeup showed potential, which will both be there if he figures out his overall execution + fastball issues. For now, we pass and hope something gets fixed over the winter. He can’t do this at a poor six feet of extension and below average HAVAA unless he wants to go the full sinkerballer route and act like a Michael King type without the precision. So Will Warren? HOW DARE YOU. But yes.
Marcus Stroman (NYY) vs STL (W) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 98 pitches.
Finally, the Stroman we’ve been expecting for, what, a month? Two months? He didn’t live down as much as he normally does, but his kitchen sink with more secondary whiffs than usual got him through it, finagling through getting Singled Out on multiple occasions. Thanks fella, I’m still a bit worried against the Cubs and Royals.
Albert Suárez (BAL) @ COL (W) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 95 pitches.
Would you look at that. Way to come through in Coors, Suárez, as I had dropped you in leagues for this one. The curve was the hero (not the four-seamer!) as it landed in the zone often and surprised Rockies batters and if you held on, now you get the White Sox. AWWWW YEAH.
Kevin Gausman (TOR) @ MIN (L) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 103 pitches.
I’ll always get a chuckle looking at Gausman’s breaking ball numbers, here going 3/10 strikes on sliders that were well spiked in the dirt. Meanwhile, the splitter is still underwhelming (14/31 strikes for a 45% strike rate?!) and the heaters had to do most of the work once again. Sigh. He’s a Toby these days and I guess we don’t have much of a choice but to keep trying.
Samuel Aldegheri (LAA) vs SEA (L) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 79 pitches.
This ain’t it. The four-seamer was decently spotted with some decent sliders and it was decently decent. The four-seamer metrics are atrocious (6 feet of extension too?!) and even from the left side, the lack of strong changeup that was floated up-and-armside meant this was a Toby at best who escaped with 2 ER in five frames. I’d avoid for now, hoping his second start showcases better skills.
Shota Imanaga (CHC) @ WSN (W) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 96 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. PQS, whatever. We take this all day, even with the velocity dropping to sub 91 mph. It’s too good of a shape + command with his other offerings.
Austin Gomber (COL) vs BAL (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 90 pitches.
A VPQS for Gomber is fantastic, FWIW. Let’s be happy for him.
Colin Rea (MIL) @ CIN (ND) – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 92 pitches.
Rea did what he does and it didn’t work. At least he gets the Cardinals and Giants next, but it’s not a ton of upside and I’d prefer to chase something else.
Clayton Kershaw (LAD) @ ARI (ND) – 1.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 0 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 27 pitches.
Kershaw left this one with a bone spurs in his knee and will likely hit the IL. I guess Justin Wrobleski is sticking in the rotation until Glasnow or Yamamoto show up, which gives more time for Buehler and Bobby to figure it out. Yes, you can drop him – I don’t think Kershaw will be too productive even if he avoids the IL.
Casey Mize (DET) vs BOS (ND) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 85 pitches.
Ayyyy he’s back! And that’s not a terrible line! I mean, it’s not a good line. And his four-seamer was down to 93/94 (not 95/96+). And his splitter went 1/15 whiffs. But the slider! 50% CSW! Well, yes, that’s cool, but that was more “I got some over the plate and they took it with only one whiff away to a RHB and two whiffs to LHB that we pretty meh.” The other sliders were horribly executed and…yeah. No. He’s not fixed. I’m sorry, I wish I had better news.
Erick Fedde (STL) @ NYY (L) – 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 96 pitches.
Fedde needed to be at his best and a poor changeup for a two-run shot was the final blow that turned this surprisingly solid performance into a bit of a disappointment. Cutters and sweepers were generally what you wanted to see and it makes for a safe enough play against the Mariners up next.
Nick Martinez (CIN) vs MIL (ND) – 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 89 pitches.
He went full kitchen sink with a slower changeup leading the pack at 21% usage, which wasn’t nearly as good as we’ve seen in the past. Let’s pass on NickMart.
Martín Pérez (SDP) @ TBR (W) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 101 pitches.
Too many sinkers over the plate that got hit + a curve that was launched over the fence despite actually being a good pitch. Pérez’s changeup is looking great, though, and I’d still stream him against the Tigers and Mariners. Maybe the Rays are someone to avoid against LHP streamers…Nah.
Jonathan Cannon (CHW) vs NYM (L) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 92 pitches.
He’s not living the Neckbeard life enough yet with too many uncompetitive pitches mixed with lax-zone offerings. One day, he’ll get there. One day.
Jon Gray (TEX) vs OAK (L) – 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 72 pitches.
Please stop trying to make Gray a thing. Seriously, just let it go. And let Jack Leiter take his rotation spot while you’re at it.
Bailey Falter (PIT) @ CLE (ND) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 59 pitches.
Three whiffs, eh? This was a pretty easy avoid in Cleveland, but now it’s the Nats + Marlins + Cards and that could be a sneaky run in deeper formats. Circle them for your 12-teamers if you’re in need, but not as a target.
Ranger Suárez (PHI) vs ATL (L) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 78 pitches.
Blegh. He pitched much better than his first start back from the IL, especially with locating his changeup, but a few poor pitches over the plate did him in. Now is the time to jump in, though. The command is better and the matchups are easier. He should be a solid play for September, especially at 80+ pitches.
George Kirby (SEA) @ LAA (W) – 5.2 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 82 pitches.
Hey Kirby, what happened to throwing your fastball up and out of the zone? It was working well for you early in the year and now you’ve returned to over-throwing strikes and it’s a large reason for three home runs – all three on fastballs up and in the zone. I wonder if 2025 is the real breakout season for Kirby.
Zac Gallen (ARI) vs LAD (ND) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 100 pitches.
Dang Dodgers with their three-run HRs. Gallen didn’t have his best heater or changeup in this one, either, as I’m still waiting for that groove to kick in. Will we ever get there? He tried going BSB last time out and that seemed to disappear here, leaving me wondering what we’ll see next. At least it’s the Giants and we’re going with that one, of course.
Ben Lively (CLE) vs PIT (ND) – 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 94 pitches.
Bleeeeegh. He did get a ton of four-seamer called strikes per usual, but the Pirates took advantage of the consistent flow of middle-middle pitches. Not Lively’s best stuff in this one, but the schedule is too good to give up now. The Royals are next. Yeah yeah yeah, then the White Sox, Rays, Cardinals. FINE.
Jake Irvin (WSN) vs CHC (L) – 4.2 IP, 7 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 103 pitches.
I actually think Irvin had more going for him in this one than in recent outings, save for his four-seamer failing to get enough of the zone upstairs, leading to far too many sinkers over the plate. Just treat him like a Cherry Bomb to avoid unless you need to take a gamble.
Taj Bradley (TBR) vs SDP (L) – 2.1 IP, 8 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 71 pitches.
Speaking of Cherry Bomb arms…oh boy. 0/28 whiffs on curves + splitters as he couldn’t get either of them down. The cutter didn’t help either and the man cannot find a groove for location again. The schedule is too tough to continue doing this, though he could dominate regardless if he finds that feel. Don’t put yourself in a position where you need Bradley to click.
Game of the Day
Cole Ragans vs. Yusei Kikuchi – Pew Pew Pew with Kikuchi’s FB/SL? Awwww yeah.
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)