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.
Gerrit Cole (NYY) vs NYM (L) – 4.1 IP, 5 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 77 pitches.
Right when we needed Gerrit Cole the most, the engine has sputtered. Three straight 3+ ER games preceded a destructive 4.1 IP, 5 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 77 pitches outing in the Bronx for the Subway Series and we gotta sit down and figure out how we can get this train moving again.
The good news? His velocity isn’t an issue. The heater sat 97 mph on Saturday, right at his season average, and the pitch was able to find enough strikes to at least be competitive. The problem is the fear. Cole’s slider has been the bouncer of hyper-aggressive batters in the past and this game provided slide pieces that either sat well within reach of out-in-front batters, or finished well out of the zone to keep them in their shoes. Sure, there’s a changeup and curve in the arsenal as well to support his fastball, but that slider has been the key to everything. I blame it for the ghastly 1 whiff returned between 61 four-seamers + sliders. ONE. WHIFF.
The interesting part? We’ve been here before with Cole, years ago. The solution back then was a cutter, which was effective in the short term and has since disappeared. He’s thrown just six total this season, four knocked into play and one returning a hit. I’m not sure why he’s moved on from it, but it sure seems like he should bring it back with his slider acting as it is.
Now let’s talk about you, the fantasy manager trying to squeeze every ounce of value from your roster in the final two weeks of the season. Cole is set to start @ARI on Friday, then against the Rays next Thursday. I believe he’ll have regular starts in both games given a low 115.1 IP tally thus far and the likely playoff implications of those games – the Yankees are just three games back from the Rays for the division and would love to avoid the first round. I don’t believe he’s as poor as he was here, and it could have been a better day if he simply converted more of his two-strike at-bats into punchouts or Koufax was a little kinder for 8/9 of those hits (or didn’t wait until the exact second to throw his first pitch, which left the yard off Lindor’s bat). You very likely don’t have a better gamble to take off the wire, so all I can do is wish you good luck. This should be fine. (View Game Card)
Let’s see how every other SP did Saturday:
Andrew Alvarez (WSN) vs LAA (ND) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 4 BBs, 8 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 97 pitches.
Hot dang, look at you! I had Alvarez as my reluctant streamer and boy does this fella deserve the Gold Star. He didn’t have the benefit of LHB to feature his breakers, but his excellent 83 mph two-plane curveball was filthy. A true Pikachu of a pitch that Alvarez relied upon whenever needed it, testing the waters with changeups, sinkers, and sliders, laying down the groundwork with the four-seamer upstairs, and they screaming I CHOOSE YOU loudly, knowing full well that the batter understood it meant another hook was coming and it didn’t matter. You may feel like that’s disingenuous seeing four walks in Alvarez’s line, but three came in a laborious second that included a strikeout, a pickoff, and a simple groundout to erase the free passes. In fact, Andy had a no-hitter through 5.1 IP before Siri hit a double off a first-pitch slider after a fan asked for one through their iPhone. Is this start enough for me to trust him in St. Louis next time out? Ehhhh…? Fifteen whiffs are the most of his career, and despite tossing 97 pitches in this one (this game is in a three-way tie for career-high in pitches thrown), I can’t ignore his constant inefficiencies that cause sub-five-inning outings in two of his last three. But I think the hook is great and more importantly, so does he. So sure, give it a ride. (View Game Card)
Bryan Woo (SEA) @ ATH (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 80 pitches.
This marks 3 ER total in six of his last seven games. I think he’s back, y’all. EVEN. ON. THE. ROAD. (View Game Card)
Joey Cantillo (CLE) @ MIN (ND) – 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 39% CSW, 56 pitches.
We saw Cantillo as the follower against the Twins and it worked wonders…for everything but his changeup, which found just 2/10 strikes, BUT it was coming it +2.6 ticks harder at 83.5 mph. So that’s cool. His curveball was as good as ever, the four-seamer found enough strikes, and we can put Cantillo back on the menu for a start @MIN up next. If that goes well, ATH + @KCR could be worth our time. (View Game Card)
Kyle Leahy (STL) vs CHW (ND) – 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 39% CSW, 38 pitches.
I can’t decide if I want to avoid Leahy or circle him for drafts next year. At the very least, I know you’re going to hear a lot of people labeling him as a sleeper for next season, and I’m not confident he has the consistent whiffability or the precision to replicate the summer run he had. (View Game Card)
Tim Mayza (PHI) @ ATL (ND) – 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 42% CSW, 31 pitches.
This was a bullpen game after Jesús Luzardo was skipped for shoulder soreness. It’s unclear if or when he’ll return before the end of the year, but at least his MRI results were not concerning. (View Game Card)
Spencer Arrighetti (TOR) vs BAL (W) – 2.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 50 pitches.
The Pasta Pirate appeared for 50 pitches with Spencer Miles opening for a pair of innings and it was a whole lot of nothin’. I hope we get to dine in 2027.
Tyler Mahle (ATL) vs PHI (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 97 pitches.
That’s his fifth dub in 11 games where he’s averaged 6+ IP a game with a 2.01 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 22% strikeout rate. Let. It. RIDE. (View Game Card)
Ranger Suarez (BOS) vs KCR (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 39% CSW, 96 pitches.
Yessss. This was prime Suarez with fantastic fastballs + sliders to LHB and delicately avoiding the heart of the plate to RHB. Don’t think, just start Ranger for the Rays and Guardians up next. (View Game Card)
Kumar Rocker (TEX) @ ARI (ND) – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 37% CSW, 65 pitches.
You considered him for some strikeout help and hey! You got strikeout help without any damage. That’s good! We take these small victories with Rocker. So don’t start him regularly? Noooope. By the way, we also saw an appearance from Nathan Eovaldi, who returned from the IL to toss 45 pitches of decent baseball. His velocity is normal, but the command is…not quite what we want, save for the splitty that dominated. I’m curious if they let him start or not – he’s clearly not stretched out enough so I’d avoid it with such little time left. (View Game Card)
Paul Skenes (PIT) @ CHC (ND) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 82 pitches.
We’ll take this all day. Skenes is mostly just four-seamer, sinker, slider these days and I guess that’s okay? I dunno, at least he’s commanding well and mixing/matching his two fastballs effectively. He’s really just not that guy anymore. (View Game Card)
Zac Thornton (NYM) @ NYY (W) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 81 pitches.
Despite all the obvious red flags of low velocity, lack of whiffability, the “Shag Rug, etc., Thornton has still gotten it done. He was a bit more amped for the Subway Series with 93/94 mph velocity (+1.5 ticks!) and he did a great job landing inside with his cutter. I still wish it was more than just fastball/cutter for him to hang his hat on, though. I totally understand if you want to test this one a little longer, but I warn you – his six ER game of last week could very well appear again. He’s ultra reliant on the batted ball. (View Game Card)
Ian Seymour (TBR) vs HOU (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 10 Ks – 19 Whiffs, 41% CSW, 79 pitches.
A Golden Goal for Seymour in just 79 pitches is so cool after having one of his worst outings last week. I think he’s sticking in this rotation, y’all. (View Game Card)
Clay Holmes (CHC) vs PIT (ND) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 6 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 100 pitches.
You don’t roster The Adobe to improve your WHIP, and it’s painful to see the sixth get away from him after five clean frames. Careful, Icarus. Three hits and two of those walks came in this frame, which was extended by a bobbled grounder. What a rough Philly and we move on. He is who he is. (View Game Card)
Tyler Phillips (MIA) vs LAD (ND) – 3.2 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 68 pitches.
We didn’t expect much of anything against the Dodgers and…yep. This wasn’t much of anything. (View Game Card)
Michael King (SDP) @ SFG (W) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 96 pitches.
I’m glad he gave you the dub in a lovely matchup, but now it gets tough with Coors + Dodgers up next. You do you, y’all. I think the spectrum of outcomes is so wide that I may consider a streamer instead. But he has a 3.03 ERA on the year! This is very true. He also has a 9%+ walk rate and I’m never quite sure if he’ll have feel for his arsenal on a given day – 0/40 whiffs on fastballs here and just 3/32 on the slowball. Blegh. (View Game Card)
Peter Lambert (HOU) @ TBR (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 85 pitches.
You wanted a PQS, you got a PQS. Would have been better if he hadn’t come out for the seventh and allowed a lead-off double before getting the hook (yes, they later scored), but we’ll take it. (View Game Card)
Randy Dobnak (KCR) @ BOS (L) – 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 81 pitches.
So close. That WHIP is delicious and it was hard to watch this Philly unfold via two straight singles after getting the first two outs of the sixth. Like Holmes, this is who Dobnak is and that might be good enough for you @PIT and CHW up next. Here’s to a pair of quality starts to end the season. (View Game Card)
Connor Prielipp (MIN) vs CLE (W) – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 77 pitches.
Huh. Prielipp showed us a harder slider and curveball (two ticks on the hook to 85 mph!) without any drastic movement shift (okay, 2-3″ more vert on the slider but at 89 mph, that’s great, and it’s the same curve?! WHOA), but he couldn’t command either well, preventing more than 2/28 whiffs between the two. Ahhh so that’s why HAISTBMBWT?! Yup. But yeah, that is very interesting. Now he’ll get the Angels and boy do I wonder if he’ll carry the same velocity, which was completely stable on his fastballs, mind you. Something to consider. (View Game Card)
Luis Castillo (CHW) @ STL (L) – 2.2 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 61 pitches.
He was opened for and it didn’t help. Please stop. It hurts. (View Game Card)
Walbert Ureña (LAA) @ WSN (ND) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 101 pitches.
A super tough second frame messed up this outing (a worse VVVPQS is hard on the ratios), but at least you got seven strikeouts for your time…? Yeah, I know. His changeup wasn’t as reliable as usual and his sweeper + four-seamer combined for 0/14 CSW. Not whiffs. C. S. W. Like if the author of Narnia got a dub instead of a loss. Don’t let this sour your enthusiasm and let him fly against the Twins. (View Game Card)
Andrew Sears (DET) vs COL (ND) – 4.1 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 77 pitches.
Awwwww. I was hoping he’d be his best self against Rockie Road, and to be frank, he was pretty solid, even if an inside-and-off-the-plate four-seamer to Goodman returned a three-run HR. There’s promise in his approach of a high heater, lower changeup, and 81/82 mph breaker, but it’s not quite enough juice at the moment. (View Game Card)
Tyler Glasnow (LAD) @ MIA (L) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 7 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 91 pitches.
Aces gonn–dude. A 53% strike rate on four-seamers? 47% on sinkers?! What is this?! Don’t answer that. The man struggled to find his release point, even shortening his extension to try to slow things down and figure it out, but nay, this wasn’t his day. That doesn’t mean it won’t be against the Giants for both of his next starts, which I expect him to make in full as he needs to be fully ready to go for the playoff run ahead. Just ignore this, alright? That’s what you said last time, too. THEN KEEP DOING IT. (View Game Card)
Tanner Gordon (COL) @ DET (ND) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 10 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 87 pitches.
Yeaaaaaaah. No. (View Game Card)
Cooper Hjerpe (STL) vs CHW (L) – 1.0 IP, 4 ER, 2 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 52 pitches.
I consider Hjerpe as a sneaky Win play as Leahy’s follower and…yikes. The true side-winder couldn’t locate any of his pitches (25/52 strikes =48% clip. Yeeeesh.) and that was that. I still kind love the four-seamer and change from his -1 arm angle, but it depends on his ability to actually locate effectively. It seems as though the Cardinals will continue to use Hjerpe after Leahy moving forward, granting two more chances against the Nationals and Pirates that I wouldn’t outright ignore.
Cesar Perdomo (SFG) vs SDP (L) – 4.2 IP, 5 ER, 10 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 74 pitches.
First Molina, now Perdomo. I was hoping he’d nail the changeup command a second time, but alas, he didn’t, and the Padres went feasting on both the slowball and the 93 mph four-seamer that leaked over the plate and down. With the Dodgers ahead, just ignore him for now. (View Game Card)
Shane Drohan (MIL) vs CIN (ND) – 3.2 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 60 pitches.
Bleeeegh. This is not the guy we were looking for. This wasn’t a particularly terrible performance from Drohan, but it wasn’t exceptional, and Drohan isn’t good enough to be his meh self on a given day. We haven’t seen a great ceiling from Drohan for a while now, and I would definitely move on to other options. (View Game Card)
Kyle Bradish (BAL) @ TOR (L) – 3.0 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 56 pitches.
Bradish was placed on the 15-day IL with lower abdominal discomfort, which effectively removes him from the rest of the season. This was one of the bigger misses of my pre-season and I know it sounds bonkers, but if he’s going around the 40s/50s next year, count me in. I’ll continue to attest that his breakers are fantastic and there was a sizeable stretch of the season where this was going great. Yeah, but that ended. YOU DON’T NEED TO REMIND ME. (View Game Card)
Gage Jump (ATH) vs SEA (L) – 2.0 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 44 pitches.
Welp, Jump’s velocity was down 2-3 ticks and he left early with shoulder soreness. Sigh. I don’t see how you can chance this with just two weeks left in the year. I don’t see why the Athletics would, either. (View Game Card)
Brandon Pfaadt (ARI) vs TEX (L) – 6.2 IP, 6 ER, 10 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 99 pitches.
Ahhhh dangit. A horrible fifth frame with a solo shot, a HBP, four singles, and a double saw all six runs score. Yes, that means he was stellar in all other innings and the man was burned. Burned! Nick, you’ve made excuses for him constantly with 5 straight games averaging 4 ER a game following four shutout games. It’s over! But 17 whiffs! Tied for the most he’s earned all year! FINE. He’ll get the Yankees next and that’s too risky. If he’s still solid there, the Padres will be Pfaadt’s final outing on Saturday the 26th and that could be a sneaky desperate weekend option. Just a thought. (View Game Card)
Brady Singer (CIN) @ MIL (L) – 4.0 IP, 8 ER, 8 Hits, 5 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 95 pitches.
Make that ten straight 3+ ER games for Singer with LAD and ATL up ahead. Oh jeez. (View Game Card)
Game of the Day
Noah Cameron vs. Payton Tolle – Two young southpaws each succeeding with completely different approaches.
But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.
Have Questions? – Join my morning Twitch.tv livestream! I answer all questions there for free: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET Monday through Friday.
Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)
