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 Twitch.tv weekday mornings from 10 am-12 pm ET.
Jackson Jobe (DET) @ SFG (W) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 71 pitches.
After undergoing Tommy John surgery midway through the 2025 campaign, Jackson Jobe vanished for over a year as he recovered from the invasive elbow surgery. The former top pitching prospect and third overall pick in 2021 successfully made his return to a Major League mound, pulling off a disappearing act.
In his 2026 debut in San Francisco, Jobe went 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hit, 1 BB, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 71 pitches (W), showcasing the elite stuff that had us so excited about him last year. The results were not only better than we expected, but nearly better than anything he did in his first 10 starts.
Just 10 days into being 24 years old, Jobe has an electric right arm from which he unleashed lightning-bolt-fastballs reaching upwards of 100 mph. Sitting atop the zone like Zeus in Olympus, the four-seamer rains down on hitters, overwhelming them into swinging and missing. It induced five whiffs and returned 72% strikes as Jobe consistently and effectively dotted it upstairs. The extra 1-2 ticks (to average 98-99 mph) are likely a product of adrenaline from his return to the big leagues, but with 17″ of vert and 1.1 HAVAA (albeit with below-average 6.1′ extension), the pitch has excellent shape and will still dominate at 96-97 mph.
Its sidekick is a nasty slider that was located gloveside all game. All but three of the 18 breakers he threw landed on the gloveside third of the zone or off it. At 90 mph, that pristine command allowed the pitch to return 78% strikes, and I expect it to be more of a whiff offering (just two on Saturday) as he gets stretched out and nails the command low and gloveside.
The tertiary offerings are a 96-97 mph sinker that assists in the strike department against RHB, an unwieldly 85-86 mph changeup hunting whiffs to LHB, and a chaotic 82 mph curveball looking to invest in free real estate by stealing called strikes. He doesn’t need exceptional support for his one-two punch, but as long as he’s able to find pitches to hold up his strike rate when he struggles to find the zone or can induce a few extra whiffs when batters key into his attack, he’ll dominate most offenses.
The concerns moving forward are how consistently Jobe will command his mouthwatering stuff and what his workload looks like the rest of the way. In 2025, he walked 12% of the batters he faced, often struggling to find the zone with erratic command. If he can pull off the BSB or even just get his fastball upstairs and his slider gloveside at will, the walks shouldn’t be an issue. With the Tigers still in the playoff race (27% odds to make the playoffs according to Fangraphs), they’re sure to rely on Jobe for important innings down the stretch. They will be cautious, but if he can get into the Jared Jones (they have the same initials) range of 75-85 pitches every start, he’ll consistently set himself up for wins with decent volume.
Jobe gets the White Sox before heading to Pittsburgh and hosting the Rays. It’s not the biggest challenge, but we’ll surely gain a better understanding of his ceiling and floor over the next two weeks. I’m targeting his immense ceiling, grabbing him everywhere, and riding this out until we see signs of a PEAS. He may be a HIPSTER, but it’s worth the risk to give him a shot to rid himself of that label. (View Game Card)
Let’s see how every other SP did Saturday:
Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs LAA (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BB, 8 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 108 pitches.
Sandy keeps crushing. That’s three straight scoreless starts totalling 20 innings. He’s throwing plenty of strikes and inducing tons of weak contact, but more importantly, the whiffs are flowing as he’s induced double-digit whiffs in 11 of his last 12 starts during which he has a 2.43 ERA. This is the Sandy we know and love. (View Game Card)
Brandon Pfaadt (ARI) vs LAD (ND) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 93 pitches.
Who knew that the Dodgers’ kryptonite would be a starter who spent two months pitching out of the bullpen and in the minors? Pfaadt survived the star-studded lineup in mid-June and one-upped himself with his best start of the year. His approach has adapted to the lineup he faces on a given night, sometimes featuring a kitchen sink approach with six pitches at 10%+ usage, other times leaning on his former sinker-slider attack, and on Saturday, relying on four-seamers and changeups more than 60% of the time. His changeup command was dope low and armside, and four-seamers consistently jammed LHB, while RHB saw more than half of the pitches against them in the zone. Pfaadt is making the most of his underwhelming repertoire, but he’s fanned just 12% of the batters he’s faced in eight starts since returning to the Majors. That pitch-to-contact approach is unlikely to repeat a 1.32 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, even if he continues to produce 60%+ weak contact. If you want to Vargas Rule this, he’s a questionable start @ATL. (View Game Card)
Bubba Chandler (PIT) vs NYM (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BB, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 85 pitches.
No! I can’t be tempted like this anymore! Chandler’s stuff is so dope, but he’s failed to command it well enough to maximize its effectiveness, making him a PEAS and a HIPSTER. Those labels and his results make him easy to avoid until he comes out for outlier outings like this one, where he displays a different approach, better stuff, or improved command to get me unnecessarily excited. He always inevitably reverts to being frustrating. If you’re not gonna break out this year, then be quiet about your potential so we can get a huge discount this draft season! On Saturday, Chandler spotted four-seamers and sinkers upstairs and his new cutter-like slider gloveside and in the zone. If he could do that every time, he’d be dope. He can’t do that every time, can he? Nope! Boy, do I wish he could. (View Game Card)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) @ ARI (ND) – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 107 pitches.
Aces gonna ace for a Philly. The lack of a quality start and the sub-24% season-long strikeout rate are frustrating, but the dude has 11 wins, a 2.65 ERA, and a 0.89 WHIP through 21 starts. There’s no question that’s ace-level production. (View Game Card)
Casey Legumina (TBR) @ SEA (ND) – 1.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hit, 0 BBs, 1 K – 2 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 13 pitches.
Legumina opened like a string bean for a Rays bullpen game. Let’s keep it moving! (View Game Card)
Michael King (SDP) vs HOU (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BB, 6 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 93 pitches.
It’s difficult to be disappointed with King’s production this year, especially given the uncertainty that accompanied him entering the season. The ratios are great, but he hasn’t been someone to rely upon for strikeouts, making him a Toby. He may be changing that narrative, as he’s fanned 24% of the batters he’s faced in the 2nd half (21% in the 1st half). It’s supported by three games of 15+ whiffs, something he did just once in his first 19 starts. One thing to keep an eye on has been an extra tick of fastball velo, a harder sweeper, and noticeably improved pitch shapes. Sinkers and changeups are rising and running more, sweepers are rising and cutting more, and four-seamers are displaying increased vert. If this isn’t a one-night outlier and he’s able to wrangle the altered movement of those pitches, he could go on a second-half run that returns his Holly label. (View Game Card)
Kyle Bradish (BAL) @ TEX (L) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 98 pitches.
I don’t love seeing increased sinker usage and sub-50% strikes from curveballs. Bradish is looking to avoid damage on his heaters to allow his breakers to shine, so fastball reliance is a bad sign, indicative of a lack of secondary feel. He was lucky sliders earned chases on 57% of offerings out of the zone, as its command was slightly off as well. Breakers combined for a mere 18% zone rate, and their ability to still induce 10 whiffs speaks to just how nasty they are. Like the crazy pet hamster we’re afraid to take out of its cage, Bradish is someone we send out there every week hoping he won’t hurt us. (View Game Card)
Landen Roupp (SFG) vs DET (L) – 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 5 BBs, 3 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 85 pitches.
Captain to starship command: Do you read me?! Roupp has misplaced the precision that allowed him to excel in the first half. He bounced back after allowing nine runs across his previous two starts, but the walks remained, as he’s now doled out 12 free passes across his past three starts, his worst three-start stretch of the year. Saturday’s free pass frenzy got out of hand in a disastrous sixth frame in which he walked three of the first four batters he faced before being lifted. I’m willing to write that off as a brief mechanics malfunction. The overall command and pitch separation remain, allowing us to cling to the hope that he’s just a tweak away from getting back on track. Rockie Road up next may be the perfect remedy. (View Game Card)
Andrew Alvarez (WSN) vs CIN (ND) – 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BB, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 73 pitches.
A southpaw with a big curve? Now, that’s what I’m talking about! Okay, Koufax. We get it, you play favorites. That’s 26 outs on 32 balls in play in Alvarez’s first two starts since returning to the rotation in August. The fortunate batted ball luck has made him efficient enough to reach (and surpass) the sixth frame in both starts, something he only did once in his first 15 outings of the year. There’s deep league streaming potential @NYM and @TEX up next, but I’ve got my eyes set on Rockie Road in late August. (View Game Card)
George Kirby (SEA) vs TBR (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 99 pitches.
The line’s pretty underwhelming, but Kirby’s pitch separation was something to take note of. He nailed sweepers armside, kept four-seamers upstairs, and nearly got sinkers inside to RHB, while LHB were jammed up and in by four-seamers and sinkers, as sweepers looked to sneak in the front door and changeups+curveballs hunted for whiffs. This might be the most promising command we’ve seen from him all year. There’s definitely some polish needed to return results that get us pumped, as four-seamers went sub-50% strikes and secondaries returned just 25% CSW vs LHB, but this is certainly a step in the right direction. (View Game Card)
Jacob deGrom (TEX) vs BAL (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BB, 9 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 88 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. That’s more like it. Don’t question the deGrominator! (View Game Card)
Kyle Freeland (COL) @ STL (ND) – 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 101 pitches.
There was a chance Freeland made this work outside of Coors after tossing a complete game in his last start, but curveballs didn’t have the same effect they had in Denver, with a 3% SwStr% and just 55% strikes. COL story, bro. (View Game Card)
Gerrit Cole (NYY) vs ATL (W) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 37% CSW, 82 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. Well, isn’t that fitting? A King Cole for Gerrit Cole! It wasn’t the typical overwhelming performance with a ton of whiffs, but rather four-seamers sitting low and curveballs landing high, combining to steal 20 called strikes. That’s not the approach I want to see from a guy who should be looking to pull off the BSB. I’m a little bit concerned about him maintaining his AGA tag when he’s induced double-digit whiffs in just five of his 14 starts this year. We keep starting him regardless. (View Game Card)
Anthony Kay (CHW) vs CLE (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BB, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 83 pitches.
That’s more than O-Kay! We got Anthony in 4-Kay, as he tossed 5.1 scoreless frames before serving up his only two extra-base hits of the game – a double followed by a two-run homer. Careful, Icarus! Kay’s harder, 92-93 mph cutter he’s been throwing since late June has allowed him to neutralize RHB, and as long as he commands changeups low and throws some effective breakers, he’s going to be a reliable Toby we can stream against bottom third offenses. The Tigers up next are ranked 13th in wRC+ against southpaws, and that’s a bit too borderline for me in standard leagues, but it’s all systems go in deep leagues. (View Game Card)
Gage Jump (ATH) @ BOS (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 11 Ks – 19 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 100 pitches.
Gage’s performances have been jumping all over the place. He’s allowed 5+ runs in half of his last eight starts, but also has racked up 7+ strikeouts in half of them as well. It’s hard to know when he’s going to blow up or in which starts the strikeouts will come. I wish I could just say, “avoid him at home and start him on the road,” but that approach doesn’t appear consistent, as he’s gotten blown up at home and blows up despite piling up the punchouts. We may be able to forget his recent struggles altogether, as he locked in on Saturday, recovering his lost velocity (second-highest mark of the year), throwing plenty of strikes (second-highest strike rate of the year), and expanding his arsenal to take pressure off his four-seamer, all of which led to a career-high 11 strikeouts and the Gallows Pole. That’s enough for me to trust him in Kansas City next Wednesday, but it’s best to avoid him hosting Texas in Sacré Verde this week, as they’re a top-five offense against southpaws. (View Game Card)
Gavin Williams (CLE) @ CHW (ND) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 102 pitches.
Aces gonna watch their strikeout streak come to an end. I love streaks of all kinds, and am super disappointed to see this one end just one start shy of history. Well on his way to a sixth straight start of double-digit strikeouts, Williams struggled facing the lineup a third time through. Sam Antonacci really wore him down, popping out to end a nine-pitch battle, preceding a center-cut sinker to Munetaka Murakami getting turned around for a dinger. That was followed by an eight-pitch at-bat that resulted in a deflected single on a well-placed sweeper and a strikeout that took seven pitches to record. The White Sox were grinding out at-bats! 27 pitches after the opening of the sixth, Williams was removed from the game only for the inherited runner to come around and score. Nonetheless, he’s still throwing harder, relying on four-seamers over sinkers, and throwing effective sweepers. He hasn’t lost his AGA tag. (View Game Card)
Max Scherzer (TOR) @ PHI (ND) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 84 pitches.
Scherzer is grinding through the final starts of his legendary career in an effort to climb the all-time strikeouts leaderboard. With this start, Mad Max surpassed The Big Train, placing him inside the top 10 with 3516 career strikeouts. Ninth overall isn’t out of reach, as he needs 19 more punchouts to surpass Gaylord Perry. (View Game Card)
Peter Lambert (HOU) @ SDP (L) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 97 pitches.
It was a bit of a bamboozlin’ in the first, as Lambert walked two batters, but he escaped the jam by trading a run for two outs and closing out the inning with a strikeout. I wish he recorded more than a pair of punchouts the rest of the way, but a summer-low 27% putaway rate is to blame, not a lack of ability or stuff. Lambert has become a reliable Holly with a 2.29 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 27% strikeout rate since the beginning of June and deserves to be started without question. (View Game Card)
Aaron Nola (PHI) vs TOR (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 97 pitches.
Live every day like it’s Nola day! Right, I’ll be as confounding as possible so people don’t know what to do with me. Nola’s curveball is dope, and sometimes it’s enough to carry him through five productive frames. The Five Frames Woods have been difficult for Nola to navigate this year, so he hasn’t had many fantasy managers grabbing his hand to follow him through the foliage. Let’s Blame it on the Blue Jays. (View Game Card)
Chris Sale (ATL) @ NYY (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 103 pitches.
Aces gonna ace for a PQS and a Dusty Donut. We’ve gotta be happy with the strikeouts Chris salvaged from this yard Sale. (View Game Card)
Seth Lugo (KCR) vs CHC (W) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BB, 5 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 90 pitches.
Another successful surgery as Dr. Lugo sliced and diced the Cubs for a PQS. There’s no clear approach or spectacular command, but Lugo is a master at sequencing his deep, seven-pitch kitchen sink to produce enough weak contact to survive six frames. It makes him a reliable option in quality start leagues and someone to avoid in standard leagues. If you’re not worried about strikeouts or ratios and are looking for a desperate win, give him a chance in Anaheim. For the rest of ya’ll, leave him on the wire. (View Game Card)
Taj Bradley (MIN) @ MIL (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 97 pitches.
Like an old gaming system, Bradley’s command can turn off at any moment. He dominated for eight straight starts before last week’s four-walk, sub-60%-strike-rate four-seamer, and 40% strike rate splitter. He locked in his four-seamer here, with 78% strikes, but lost his cutter in the process. Curveballs were called upon to provide some strike rate relief, but it too was unwieldy, as secondaries combined for just 52% strikes. When Bradley is dominating, he’s returning 60%+ strikes (and hopefully 65%+) on four-seamers, cutters, and splitters. If not, he’s susceptible to walks, inefficiency, and batted ball damage. It’s that simple. It could click back in at any moment, but he won’t receive any respite with PHI, ATL, and Sacré Verde across the next two weeks. Given his dominance this year, I’d give him one more chance to find his command, but be wary that he’s displaying signs of incoming regression. (View Game Card)
Robert Gasser (MIL) vs MIN (ND) – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 94 pitches.
Another day, another Brewers’ southpaw getting manhandled by a Twins lineup that’s supposed to struggle against lefties. After Shane Drohan got roughed up on Friday, many turned to Gasser for a weekend stream. He showed up throwing a tick harder, but he failed to get his four-seamer upstairs to pull off the BSB, leading to 10 baserunners (he hit a batter) and a hook before the fifth. Now he heads to Hollywood before hosting Atlanta. Back to the wire with you. We’ve got an electric stove now. (View Game Card)
Jake Bennett (BOS) vs ATH (L) – 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 88 pitches.
That’s 3+ runs in four straight starts for Bennett immediately after producing six straight starts with fewer than three runs. He walked multiple batters just once during that streak, but has done so in each of his last three starts. He no longer carries the pristine pitch separation of his four-seamer/changeup BSB approach, and the batted ball fortune that accompanied it has run out of luck. He may be able to get back on track in Pittsburgh next against a lineup that struggles against lefties, but their proficiency won’t matter if he’s unable to recover his command. (View Game Card)
Clay Holmes (CHC) @ KCR (L) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 K – 4 Whiffs, 17% CSW, 70 pitches.
In his return from the IL after missing two months with a fractured leg resulting from being hit by a comebacker, Holmes didn’t look his best. It’s been a while, so it’s easy to forget that he opened the season with eight starts of a 1.86 ERA. There was hope that this elite ground ball merchant would come to Chicago and immediately benefit from the best defense in baseball. Ultimately, he likely will figure things out to become a reliable Toby, but he’s got to do some of the work himself! HAISTBMBWT?! (View Game Card)
Walbert Ureña (LAA) @ MIA (L) – 2.1 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 50 pitches.
Unable to find the zone with anything but sinkers, Ureña was Singled Out while struggling to keep additional runners off base, walking a trio of batters across fewer than a trio of frames. It’s disappointing it came in such a cushy matchup in Miami, but he’s still throwing 99+ mph with an elite changeup and emerging sweeper, so we’ll write this one off and give him a chance to make up for it against the Rangers next. (View Game Card)
Chase Burns (CIN) @ WSN (L) – 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 96 pitches.
Aces gonna exit the sixth with the bases loaded and watch two inherited runs score. Careful, Icarus. I’m a bit concerned that he’s dealing with the effects of fatigue as he’s blown past his career high in innings pitched (109.1 IP in 2025, 124 IP in 2026). After sitting around 98 mph throughout the first half, he’s been sub-97 in each of his four second-half starts. As long as he pulls off the BSB with high fastballs and low sliders, he should excel, but there may be a point where the Reds skip his starts or limit his outings with no chance at making the playoffs. (View Game Card)
Matthew Liberatore (STL) vs COL (L) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 94 pitches.
After shutting out the Blue Jays for six frames in his last start, some semblance of success against Rockie Road seemed like a foregone conclusion. Welp, this is why fantasy baseball has given me trust issues. (View Game Card)
Robert Stock (NYM) @ PIT (L) – 3.0 IP, 8 ER, 9 Hits, 5 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 80 pitches.
The Pirates are a tough offense, and even with dramatically improved stuff in his return to the Majors, Stock didn’t stand a chance. Every pitch held a strike rate north of 63%, so the five walks appear to be a collapse of focus or confidence in deep counts. Hey, I’d also lose focus and confidence if I returned a bonkers .692 BABIP despite 54% weak contact. I still think his improved stuff gives him a chance to be relevant in deeper leagues, especially if the Mets continue to let him start. He’d get the post-deadline Nationals next. (View Game Card)
Game of the Day
Troy Melton vs. Logan Webb – Melton has been electric this year, while Webb has been ole’ reliable.
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)
