Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Tuesday 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.
Michael Soroka (ARI) vs MIA (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 80 pitches.
Since returning from the IL in early August, I’ve stayed away from Michael Soroka. However, I finally saw what I wanted to see on Tuesday night across 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 80 pitches (ND) as he hosted the Marlins, and it may be time to reconsider him.
Well, maybe after the start in Coors, leaving just one potential start on 9/27 against the Padres as a start to circle. The reasoning is simple: Soroka isn’t a fantasy relevant starter unless he’s flexing elite pitch separation, leading the way with a curveball down-and-away from RHB. Those skills (especially the latter) have been missing for a month, but it was stellar against the Marlins, boasting a 24% SwStr rate on 31% curveball usage, while the four-seamer and cutter did work via 76% strikes. He even painted the sinker inside to RHB and changeup away to LHB with ease.
It’s not out of the question he steps up in Coors. I’m more inclined to believe that Soroka clicks into rhythm and soars from there rather than coughing this up to a one-start sample. That said, Coors in undefeated and I’d hate to ruin my season by hand-waving the most consistent red flag in fantasy baseball. However, I’d argue I want Soroka to produce poorly there as long as he maintains this pitch separation. If he does, I’m definitely circling his final start against the Padres. (View Game Card)
Let’s see how every other SP did Tuesday:
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) @ CIN (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 91 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. I feel like I need a DJ award – the A-lister Rock of the Year – just to give to The Inquisitor. Even though it’s just once a week, he’s still given us nearly 180 innings of quality. That’s dope. (View Game Card)
Jack Perkins (ATH) @ TBR (ND) – 6.2 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 83 pitches.
Hot dang, look at you! That’s a Gold Star for Perkins after I wrote him off for lack of ceiling across his last, oh I don’t know, fourteen games? It was arguably his best outing of the year, fueled by a highly unsustainable 73% PAR that allowed him to record eight punchouts with as many whiffs. I don’t even think he was on point with his arsenal, with a ton of donut command and far more chases out of the zone on his changeup than you’d expect given how much he spiked them. He heads to Cleveland next time out and I’m worried that’s a trap. It may have been his best line, but not his best start. (View Game Card)
Drew Anderson (DET) @ TOR (W) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 88 pitches.
You consider Anderson for a two-step and look at that! He came through in the first start of the week. Now the second…doesn’t exist. Wait, what. Flaherty is set to return and Anderson may be skipped to go on the final Sunday of the season instead. Not sure if that actually holds – why not let him run with this? – and if he gets the White Sox on Sunday or Nationals on Monday, you could do worse than this. I’m still worried that his four-seamer isn’t all too amazing and his split-change is volatile, but he’s clearly capable of making it through five. (View Game Card)
Griffin Jax (TBR) vs ATH (ND) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 37% CSW, 67 pitches.
There he is. I kinda want Jax everywhere next year. I think his overall arsenal is too good and more King Cole awards are sure to come his way. (View Game Card)
Jacob Misiorowski (MIL) @ PIT (W) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 19 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 82 pitches.
Aces gonna ace for yet another Gallows Pole. Funny story. Jay Mis is following Burnes’ playbook by winning a Cy Young pitching fewer than 180 innings (he’s at 166.1 IP at the moment). If they shut him down now, he’d be two outs under Burnes’ 2021 tally. It should have been Wheeler. IT REALLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN. Anyway, I don’t think they’re shutting him down, but who knows. Maybe they are super careful with a potential deep playoff run ahead. (View Game Card)
Antwone Kelly (PIT) vs MIL (L) – 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 44 pitches.
This was a bullpen game for the Pirates, with Luke Bachar and Brandon Eisert sharing most of the first five frames, Ramirez cleaning up the fifth, a brief disaster from Soto, then Kelly swooping in for the final three. So. Where’s the analysis? I dunno, can you tell me when you find it? Aren’t you–It’s just so difficult to sift through all these failed starters, you know? HEY COME ON NICK. Oh, Rick Graham, sorry, I didn’t see you there. I’ll say it louder next time. NICK.
Spencer Arrighetti (TOR) vs DET (L) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 52 pitches.
Oh, you thought the Pasta Pirate was ready for your enjoyment? Guess what! Smacks your plate of spaghetti off the table and it crashes to the floor. THAT REALLY HURT. I guessed that. Then why didn’t you guess Arrighetti wouldn’t be fantasy viable? Touché.
Max Fried (NYY) @ MIN (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 88 pitches.
THERE HE IS. Phew. You know, it’s kinda wild to see 106 innings from Fried at 2.63 ERA and 0.98 WHIP after everything we’ve endured from him, but then again, he’s averaged 1 ER in five innings across his nine games since returning from the IL + a 30% strikeout rate, so I guess we’re cool. (View Game Card)
Ryan Johnson (LAA) vs SEA (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 90 pitches.
Yessssss. Johnson didn’t have the same increased velocity (down almost two ticks from four of his last five games), but the cutter and sweeper did their job beautifully with splitters earning more whiffs than usual. I guess we’re going for it against the Twins and Mariners, eh? (View Game Card)
Davis Martin (CHW) @ CLE (L) – 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 0 Ks – 1 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 71 pitches.
I guess this is what takes for Martin to do well these days, eh? Pure Koufax bribery. He does not care about your dang bread! EAT IT DRY. (View Game Card)
Hunter Brown (HOU) vs KCR (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 10 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 91 pitches.
Oh BABY. Did the four-seamer dominate? Not really. He dropped its usage to 21% and gave us meh velocity at 95/96 mph, but its vert climbed to 18″ (thanks dome!) and it did well enough. This was instead sinkers on the edges + all the curveballs at 84 mph for tons of whiffs (47% strikes is terrible though) and landing under the zone incessantly…wait a second. That’s no curveball. It’s pretty clear Brown is going cutter, slider, curve now – the “slider” is 93/94 mph and 8″ vert, the slider is a drop-slider at 0″ sweep, 6″ drop, and the curveball is near 17″ drop. I kinda love it – that’s some legit movement and the slider to RHB at 87 is a solid choice. First I’ve seen this from Brown and I think I’m jumping in for 2027 if people are worried about the 1.29 WHIP. It was a season of recalibration. (View Game Card)
Janson Junk (MIA) @ ARI (ND) – 3.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 72 pitches.
Junk, with all his strength, sat 1.5 ticks harder (bizarro Tidwell, you’ll see) and was pulled after three innings with a high pitch count. I still don’t understand how he has just a 16% strikeout rate. (View Game Card)
Blade Tidwell (SFG) @ STL (W) – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 95 pitches.
Hot dang, look at you! It was TidWell in St. Louis as he sat, uh, 1.5 ticks down on his four-seamer and poorly located his slider and sweeper upstairs. I’m just gonna stop y’all there. Please don’t. (View Game Card)
Martín Pérez (ATL) @ CHC (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 90 pitches.
You started Pérez for a dub and a decent ERA and, why, look at that! Way to be exactly what we asked for. But the WHIP! We didn’t ask for that. (View Game Card)
Logan Gilbert (SEA) @ LAA (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 96 pitches.
Aces gonna ace with a slightly higher WHIP than we wanted. Stupid sixth-inning longball. We got the good version of Gilbert – lots of fastballs returning 75% strikes – and we keep starting the man, obviously. (View Game Card)
Kevin Gausman (CHC) vs ATL (ND) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 94 pitches.
He was so close at securing six frames, with just two hits total at 5.1 IP. A single, HR, single, and one more lineout ended his day with more blemishes than all of his first five innings. It’s fantastic to see Gausman have such a good feel for his splitty again that he pushed its usage to a whopping 56% clip. It’s the Marlins + Fenway next and I think it’s worthwhile, but I know. I KNOW. He’s burned you plenty. (View Game Card)
Sean Manaea (NYM) vs BAL (ND) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 67 pitches.
Ayyyy, he came through! He went Dancing With The Disco via sweepers over the plate at nearly 40% usage with a 91.4 mph four-seamer “backing it up”. Why is that in quotations? Because was it was giving cover like Black Widow with a gun in the first Avengers movie. Everyone else is absurdly superhuman and you just have a gun?! How is this going to help things? Anyway, it’s @TEX and @WSH up next, which look kinda appealing, though I’m not in love with starting Manaea in either one. You do you. (View Game Card)
Jacob deGrom (TEX) vs BOS (W) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 92 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. We wanted a little more than five innings and that’s because we’re greedy. WE CAN’T HELP IT. (View Game Card)
Walker Buehler (SDP) @ COL (ND) – 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 92 pitches.
Yeaaaah, that’s the Buehler we know and hate. A HAISTBMBWT?! while one out away from a decent 5 IP, 2 ER effort with a poor WHIP. The most boring almost-production you’ll find. (View Game Card)
Foster Griffin (CLE) vs CHW (ND) – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 83 pitches.
He was already over 60 pitches after three frames and started his fifth with a HBP and double, knocking him out of the game early despite flashing a range of 1-3 ticks added velocity on his offerings. Is it time to move on? Let’s even ignore the sole poor inning of his last outing, Griffin had averaged 4 Ks per game in his previous five and this isn’t the most inspiring of efforts. Explore options. (View Game Card)
Bailey Ober (MIN) vs NYY (L) – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 101 pitches.
Oh hey! Two outs away from a VVVPQS! That’s not good, Nick. No, it’s not! At least he’s almost at 88 mph now, but he’s just 0.1 ticks away from traveling to a former time when he sat 92 mph. I don’t want to go back to this future. (View Game Card)
Rhett Lowder (CIN) vs LAD (L) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 91 pitches.
Despite the, uh, everything, Lowder was one two-run shot away from making this a worthy outing. It helps having the hardest sinker he’s had all season, a sinker that has featured upped velocity in each of his last four starts…outings that have each allowed at least 3 ER. Now he’ll host the Cubs and I feel the weight of that coat stand as Lowder takes off his hat at the end of the day. I want to give you support but all I can do is hold this hat. THEN HOLD THIS HAT I WILL. We’ve all been that coat rack in our lives. Well, the good ones of y’all. (View Game Card)
Jackson Kent (WSN) vs PHI (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 88 pitches.
He could become Clark in time, but for now, he’s Frank. Who’s Frank Kent? Exactly. The 7+ feet extension as a SWATCH at 93 mph is always going to be interesting… (View Game Card)
Kyle Freeland (COL) vs SDP (ND) – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 50 pitches.
A pure Wonka from Freeland, redeemed by Ryan Feltner’s fantastic performance of 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 61 pitches (W) to earn the dub. That’s a pretty cool performance from Feltner in a super fun Birthday Party that Freeland attended begrudgingly. I thought TODAY was my birthday… (View Game Card)
Shane Baz (BAL) @ NYM (ND) – 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 68 pitches.
Yikes. That’s a pair of rough ones in a row for Baz and he’s starting to lose some velo and a lot of feel for his curveball. Not a great sign this deep into the season and given the limited ceiling in the first place, I suggest trying something else out instead. (View Game Card)
Michael Wacha (KCR) @ HOU (L) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 99 pitches.
Two Peña HRs and an Alvarez bomb = all four runs allowed in a 0.87 WHIP outing from Wacha. Just saying, it’s not as bad as it looks. But two strikeouts! Yeah, that’s not cool. He could not close the door on batters in the slightest (he struggled to locate anything down except his slider…which was spiked and went 0/8 strikes. Whoops), and I’m expecting a bit better next time against the Pirates and Guardians. (View Game Card)
Patrick Sandoval (BOS) @ TEX (L) – 2.2 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 68 pitches.
The Irish Panda once again leaves with a black eye. He’s a Panda, isn’t that always the case? Now you get my drift. (View Game Card)
Cristopher Sánchez (PHI) @ WSN (L) – 6.1 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 98 pitches.
We’re down to a 1.22 WHIP for the season, which isn’t the worst, but since June 14th, it’s a 4.22 ERA and 1.38 WHIP, you know, the first rough outing after his absurdity of 5 ER in eight games that included five straight 0 ER games of 7+ IP. I wonder how Sánchez will be treated in drafts next year. He’s tallied 215 strikeouts and kept a sub 3.00 ERA for the season, after all. Not to mention, this outing was another time his changeup failed miserably to support his sinker, with an embarrassing 35% strike rate, and I generally like to make decisions with pitchers asking simple questions. “Do I believe that Sánchez’s changeup is destined to be a poor strike pitch?” No, I do not. And if I don’t, then surely I’d be down to draft him next year, right? (View Game Card)
Andre Pallante (STL) vs SFG (L) – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 99 pitches.
Bleeeeegh. I was hoping Pallante could avoid the wrath of Koufax, but he failed to locate well with a four-seamer that failed to move consistently across the outing. (View Game Card)
Game of the Day
Logan Henderson vs. Jared Jones – Mmmmmm that’s some good baseball. I hope.
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)
