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.
Matt Manning (DET) vs NYY (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 81 pitches.
I’ve been pretty against Matt Manning for the past month and I’m pretty shocked to announce that after today’s 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 81 pitches gem against the Yankees, Manning has a 1.03 WHIP across nearly 77 innings this season. Yeah.
He’s also allowed just one earned run across four games now and that can’t all be good fortune, can it? On one hand, his BABIP has been below .120 across his last four starts including this one. On the other, PLV adores Manning, ranking him inside the top 25 of all starting pitchers, and suggesting that his recent run comes with a bit of legitimacy. Watching him, I can’t personally get on board. It reminds me a bit of Michael Lorenzen where he’s hucking sliders into the zone with reckless abandon, while the fastball isn’t guided with precision, nor looking like an elite offering.
All of that said, he gets a lovely schedule ahead. Manning will get the Yankees a second time before squaring up against the White Sox and Angels. It seems like a good mix of “well, maybe Nick is wrong but if he isn’t, it won’t be that bad, right?” and even if I think this stretch is the best version of Manning, the next step down could still be worthwhile. Just keep hurling those 98th-percentile PLV sliders, please.
Let’s see how every other SP did Thursday:
Jakob Junis (SF) @ SD (ND) – 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 58 pitches.
I wonder how Junis feels throwing four no-hit innings only to get pulled at 58 pitches. I bet pretty annoyed. Yup. Without a doubt. Sean Manaea followed, throwing over 80 pitches for fewer outs as he walked five and I cannot stand what they are doing in San Francisco. #LetTheKidsPlayAndByKidsIMeanTheirStartingPitchers.
Braxton Garrett (MIA) @ WSH (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 1 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 73 pitches.
One whiff. ONE. I don’t think you need me to tell you this shouldn’t be this good. That’s a HAISTBMBWT?! with his sinker command still giving me the Wily Peraltas. I think you mean the Willies. Yeah, same thing.
Pedro Avila (SD) vs SF (L) – 3.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 77 pitches.
He was overworked in the third with a few errors and I actually think there’s something decent here with a light BSB approach, but there’s no need to chase this quite yet.
Clarke Schmidt (NYY) @ DET (ND) – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 94 pitches.
Bleeeegh. This was the clear streaming choice and Schmidt didn’t come through, even if he had seven strikeouts. He had a rough fifth frame and it was the showers after his third run of the inning. He’ll get a chance for redemption in a repeat start against the Tigers next week and I think we give it another go. So you had a bad day inning…
Spencer Strider (ATL) @ LAD (W) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 92 pitches.
Aces gonna earn a Golden Goal and run into some HR trouble. This was such a good game and even with one or two extra ER, y’all know it’s still a productive start. That’s what aces do.
Joan Adon (WSH) vs MIA (L) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 84 pitches.
It’s all super mediocre, even with a changeup getting introduced here for a decent number of strikes. The command wasn’t great, the stuff wasn’t great, any decision you made to start him wasn’t great.
Lance Lynn (LAD) vs ATL (L) – 4.1 IP, 7 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 13% CSW, 104 pitches.
It’s Atlanta and that second frame was brutal, capped off by a Ronald Acuña Jr. grand slam. Not a single pitch returned a CSW above 17%. Whoa. You’re smart enough not to judge Lynn for this start and will keep him around for the Marlins start next. Let him serve as yet another warning to be careful with starters against Atlanta. As if you needed it.
Game of the Day
Max Fried vs. Julio Urías – SpidermanPointing.gif. They should both be aces and this series is just so much fun as we get an early glimpse of October. I love a good preview without any spoilers.
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)