Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Sunday 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.
Max Scherzer (TOR) vs SEA (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 10 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 97 pitches.
I really didn’t think Max Scherzer still had it in him. After a 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 10 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 97 pitches is an absolute absurd line when you realize Scherzer’s previous season high was five strikeouts on August 2nd. It was his second game with double-digit whiffs all year. It lowered his ratios to 6.16 ERA and 1.39 WHIP. It has been BAD and yet, well, just lok at that gorgeous line.
I feel a little wrong carrying that headline for today’s roundup as Max is far from a sure thing these days in the common sense. What I’m aiming to communicate is how a guy like Scherzer is never truly down for the count. He went six frames of one earned run on March 31st this year and did the same on the aforementioned August 5th start. He’s still able to sit 93 mph and get whiffs on his slider (5/15 is pretty bonkers, though), while mixing cutters inside to LHB and flip a curve over the plate or surprise with a changeup.
The question is if he’s able to execute all of it in tandem on a single day. This was a lovely moment of the season amplified by the passivity of the Mariners (13/44 called strikes on four-seamers is a gift) and it shouldn’t mean that you’re running to the wire to pick up Scherzer. Nevertheless, it is an exhibition of the potential many of us (myself included!) thought was tucked away inside a rugged cardboard box in the attic. Who knows, maybe it’ll come out one more time before your playoffs are over. (View Game Card)
Let’s see how every other SP did Sunday:
Andrew Alvarez (WSN) vs MIA (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 97 pitches.
I’ve been low on Alvarez and it feels wrong to stay low when it’s been a 2.41 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 21% strikeout rate across his last seven games. Oh, that’s it? You’re not going to tell us that you’re still down on him? Sorry, I was taking a sip of water. HOWEVER, this was a rare start of 90+ pitches from Alvarez, who was even allowed to return for the seventh with 91 pitches to his name, which he squandered with a leadoff walk. Womp womp. It’s no surprise he led with the curveball inside the zone to get through this one, but the real hero in my eye is the sinker that elegantly sat along the edges away or down, leading to 5/6 outs in play and a strikeout. It allowed his four-seamer to rarely live over the plate and stay upstairs, and be the much-needed setup man for the curveball and changeup (the latter of which was pretty meh, but at least he’s trying to make it work). If that sinker command sticks, then I’m much more interested. That’s a big IF to me + it’s the Dodgers next, and I should mention that Alvarez has gone five straight with eclipsing an 11% SwStr rate and ten straight without returning a clip above 13%. In fact, he hasn’t fanned more than six batters all season. Be careful. (View Game Card)
Zebby Matthews (MIN) vs CHW (W) – 8.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 103 pitches.
A game after showcasing the best slider of his season, Zebby…goes 1/14 whiffs on the pitch for a 57% strike rate. Wait what. Yuuuup. This was a game of four-seamer and cutters living in the zone 65% of the time, leading to all the outs as Koufax was a super kind man. He nearly pulled off a Maddux, but it took 14 pitches to allow two singles and a flyout in the ninth, ending the hopes for a CGSHO. The truly best part of this start? His pitch separation to LHB. He actually located around the edges constantly, even getting the low strike changeup down to change eye level well. Pair that with a schedule against the White Sox, Guardians, and Angels up next, I’m suddenly interested in Zebby again. And who knows, maybe that slider is actually great again next time out. (View Game Card)
Tyler Glasnow (LAD) @ DET (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 85 pitches.
Yessss. He’s still super hard to hit and is up to 85 pitches. THIS IS GREAT. Thanks for returning just in time for the playoffs. (View Game Card)
Will Warren (NYY) vs BOS (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 98 pitches.
Duuuuude. This was awesome. Warren hasn’t gone a full seven since his spectacular eleven-strikeout game on April 18th, and it was with four-seamers and sweepers doing most of the work to RHB, with sinkers and changeups entering the party to LHB. We even saw him dabble with a gyro slider at 88 mph that I love, with both thrown in two-strike counts down-and-away to RHB, where it returned a whiff (K) and a groundout. Where has that been since, I dunno, FOREVER?! He also sat 94/95 mph and had a harder changeup as well, and hot dang, I wish we always got this version of Warren. Even with the locations to LHB? Okay, fine. He got away with a lot over the plate to LHB. STILL. That slider has me awfully curious and the near 75% strike rates on his four-seamer and sweeper are a beautiful sight. Let’s do this against the Padres next, eh? (View Game Card)
Tyler Mahle (ATL) vs COL (ND) – 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 89 pitches.
Ayyyy, a co-share of the Gallows Pole in a start where Mahle took full advantage of Rockie Road via 93 mph heaters and great low splitters. That’s a 2.33 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 24% strikeout rate since July 11th via 54 IP in nine games (exactly 6.0 IP per start). What an awesome pickup this been. I’m going for it against the Phillies x2 and Houston in his next three. (View Game Card)
Robbie Ray (SDP) @ TBR (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 93 pitches.
I can’t help but carry a stupid grin seeing starts like these from Ray these days. He’s so clearly still figuring things out – 50% strikes on curveballs, sinkers and slider (21% curves, 5% sliders to RHB?! WE’RE DOING THIS AGAIN?!) – but it still worked. The four-seamer was much better and I’m so glad to see it return 35%+ overall usage with a 61% strike rate as it sat upstairs. Don’t stop believing in the heater, and please start believing in the backfoot slider to RHB again, please. (View Game Card)
Parker Messick (CLE) vs KCR (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 105 pitches.
The best Holly of them all. What an awesome season. (View Game Card)
Zack Wheeler (PHI) @ LAA (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 108 pitches.
There he is. Hey, random voice, get out of here. But the line was great! He still walked six, was erratic with his four-seamer, and I’m just writing more because of the rule of threes. I’m super happy the secondaries worked better and his sinker was accurate inside to RHB. The four-seamer is stil not that pitch again. It doesn’t mean I’m benching him, but we’re not totally back yet. (View Game Card)
José Urquidy (CHW) @ MIN (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 67 pitches.
Snap Snap Snip Snap. Urquidy came in as the follower and was put in a tough spot for a dub after Hicks allowed 3 ER in the first. He found the edges well to earn lots of weak contact that Koufax approved of and guided to gloves, but we did see a drop in velocity to 90/91 mph, and it may explain how he returned just one strikeout (HAISTBMBWT?!) despite earning more whiffs than in his eight-strikeout game. That’s Baseball, Suzyn. I’m not interested outside of a desperate need for a Win. The lower velocity puts this at a super low margin for error. (View Game Card)
Janson Junk (MIA) @ WSN (ND) – 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 17% CSW, 65 pitches.
Oh look, the Marlins pulled him at 4.2 innings for the third time in seven starts. And none rejoiced. He’s gone five full just three times since the start of the second half, and returned two strikeouts or fewer in each of his last five starts. That’s brutal. (View Game Card)
Yusei Kikuchi (LAA) vs PHI (L) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 92 pitches.
Hot dang, look at you! I was curious about this start from Kikuchi and he blew away my expectations here, earning a lovely Gold Star. How you ask? Why, four strikeouts on his deadzone four-seamer, three of which right down Broadway. That’s the part that makes me a bit cautious after this, but the 88 mph gyro slider is stellar and keeps me intrigued. With the Pirates and Nationals up next, it’s very tempting. Consider him a HIPSTER and an option if you need to take a risk for upside. (View Game Card)
Drew Rasmussen (TBR) vs SDP (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 97 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. Standard affair here, and simple, boring production is so lovely this time of year. (View Game Card)
Zac Thornton (NYM) vs HOU (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 97 pitches.
That’s a Toby. He’s still really good at jamming RHB with his cutter and keeping the heater up, while we saw a bit more of the sweeper this time around, too. It helped earn strikes, but mostly via foul balls and he’s still the same fella. (View Game Card)
Ethan Pecko (HOU) @ NYM (W) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 83 pitches.
I’m glad he could get a productive game under his belt before the Astros felt like they had enough of the experiment. He went sweeper-heavy to both sides of the plate and pummeled the zone with sinkers, while the cutter and four-seamer played keep-away for absurdly low zone rates. That’s not enough for me. (View Game Card)
Chase Burns (CIN) @ CHC (W) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 100 pitches.
Aces gonna allow a solo shot on his first pitch then cruise for almost six frames if not for a rare Bregman error to start the sixth. It’s still a Gallows Pole due to a ton of strikes off the slider and 98 mph four-seamer velocity + it looks like Burns is experimenting with a sinker and y’all KNOW I’m down for that (even if it went 44% strikes across nine thrown, it earned an out! Kinda got inside! And was only used to RHB!. Great to see him get back on the horse. (View Game Card)
Mason Adams (COL) @ ATL (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 74 pitches.
Ayyyy a Colorado pitcher survived on the road! He hasn’t pitched in Coors yet. Oh, don’t worry. That’s coming. But I am worried. Good. We also saw four innings of shutout ball from Ryan Feltner in relief as the game went into extras, and props to him for doing everything he could, until the Manfred runner did him in to end the game in the tenth. Welp, you can forget about Feltner again, just wanted to give him props. (View Game Card)
Braxton Ashcraft (PIT) @ STL (W) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 71 pitches.
Hey, Golden Brax, why are you not throwing your slider in two-strike counts? Seriously, you’ve made it better by lowering the vert to super close to a gyro slider AT 92.6 MPH, and you’re just going to not use it?! It looked like a short leash as well, though he labored through the fifth with two quick outs followed by a walk and three singles, where both runs scored. Still, it’s a whole slew of weirdness that should be better and yet that’s a 17% strikeout rate across seven of his last eight games (yes, I’m omitting the ten strikeout game for a second). What is going on. (View Game Card)
Kumar Rocker (TEX) @ MIL (ND) – 3.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 7 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 86 pitches.
Yikes. I labeled Rocker as a guy who could get you strikeouts on a desperate Sunday, but I didn’t realize it could only happen if he fanned seven across nine outs. Yeeesh. The Brewers wisely resisted plenty of sliders under the zone, spat on a ton of wasted sinkers, then fouled them off plenty to return more walks. It wasn’t a fun day for Rocker, but at least we know the cutter and slider are still whiffable, and he’s settling in around 16/17″ of horizontal run on the sinker. He’s the same. (View Game Card)
Framber Valdez (DET) vs LAD (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 105 pitches.
He got a Whiff! Thirteen of them! And produced a Bailey Special against the Dodgers! That’s awesome. A PQS with a loss is not for your standard leagues, and the hope of this being a major turnaround start dissolves like the Alka-Seltzer you’ve routinely digested this season once you realize his curveball went 54% strikes. Sigh. At least it’s a harder changeup with some weird new movement? So you’re saying there’s a chance. I mean, it is @CLE and Rockie Road up next, but then again…we’ve been down this road too many times. (View Game Card)
Matthew Liberatore (STL) vs PIT (L) – 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 107 pitches.
Wow, that’s a 29% strikeout rate across Libby’s last eleven games. Why do I think you won’t care. Well…it’s also been a low 12% SwStr rate with a 5.21 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and nearly nine hits per game despite a great team defense and pitcher-friendly home park. He’s also gone 0-7 across his last eight games, for what it’s worth. His slider has been a much better putaway-rate offering to both LHB and RHB in that time (this was no exception), and I really loved seeing a lot of them placed backfoot to RHB here – it should be no surprise that he’s gone much heavier into throwing sliders to RHB since, why, eleven starts ago. It has been an efficient putaway offering, but the problem still lies with Liberatore’s hittability overall. Maybe that gets better as the increased slider usage continues and its feel improves… (View Game Card)
Logan Gilbert (SEA) @ TOR (L) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 87 pitches.
Aces gonna make us feel glum. It’s kinda a Wonka, which is not something we ever expect from Gilbert. If you’ve followed these roundups, you know the issue. Seriously? The fastball? Yup. It wasn’t reliable for strikes and got hit often. So it goes, at least the slider and splitter worked well. (View Game Card)
Dustin May (MIL) vs TEX (L) – 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 97 pitches.
It wasn’t sparkling, but it was meh until he started his fifth frame with a pair of walks and ended walking to the dugout after allowing a ground-rule double to score both. Fastballs allowed a few too many hits (down-and-away sinkers to RHB with shockingly good precision is kinda cool…? I wish he threw a few more inside + breakers away, but that’s a skill we haven’t seen from him before), and the sweeper didn’t earn a single whiff. At least the cutter is still great and a curveball appeared against LHB for 4/12 whiffs. I’m still holding. (View Game Card)
Chris Bassitt (BAL) @ ATH (W) – 5.2 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 99 pitches.
He was bashed for a few frames to start the outing and to his credit, he settled down to nearly complete six, granting him the opportunity for a dub that his teammates miraculously provided. I think this is a mediocre 15-team play or a desperate QS/Win play in 12-teamers. (View Game Card)
Ranger Suarez (BOS) @ NYY (L) – 5.1 IP, 6 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 101 pitches.
Oh jeez. I was hoping this game would jumpstart Suarez’s feel, but he truly hasn’t gotten it back since his IL stint. Outside of the Still ILL, Suarez has fanned four just once and has yet to return double-digit whiffs after doing so across six straight games until his injured outing. It’s your classic TIARA situation, and I can’t tell you when it’ll come off. (View Game Card)
Shota Imanaga (CHC) vs CIN (L) – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 85 pitches.
Can someone make a version of Hitchcock’s The Birds but have Shota as the main character getting attacked by HRs? He’s now averaging two per game across his last six outings, here with three of them raining on his parade. What parade? He was at 92 mph! Yeah, but the splitter and sweeper weren’t good. Well, yeah. But the four-seamer velocity is usually the problem. He allowed two HRs off four-seamers. I GET IT. He’ll head into Miami next and that’s too good of a matchup for me to avoid, especially after an 18% SwStr rate game. But the HRs. Do they fly south this time of year? (View Game Card)
Jeffrey Springs (ATH) vs BAL (L) – 4.2 IP, 7 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 90 pitches.
Ain’t no sunshine…or rainbows. A three-run shot in the fourth and the fifth will do that to you. You know, Springs has gone six frames with under 4 ER and 5+ strikeouts twice all year, and hasn’t done so since April 14th. Pretty clear avoid. (View Game Card)
Seth Lugo (KCR) @ CLE (L) – 3.2 IP, 9 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 93 pitches.
You may not believe this, but Lugo came out pumping ched. At least for him. He hit 95 mph in each of his last three fastballs of the first inning, sitting 2 ticks up for the game. But sadly, a pair of three-run HRs and trouble in the third ruined his day.They simply hit the dude regardless. That’s Baseball, Suzyn. Yes, two of those in one roundup. IT WAS BASEBALL. (View Game Card)
Game of the Day
George Kirby vs. Payton Tolle – I’d love for this to be 14 innings of dopeness between them.
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 Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)
