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.
Brandon Williamson (CIN) @ ATL (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 68 pitches.
Both Reds flamethrowers are on the shelf for the rest of the season, Singer is a shell of his former self, Lodolo has a blister problem, and Lowder isn’t grabbing anyone’s attention. The situation in Cincinnati has granted Brandon Williamson another shot to make his case for the 2027 rotation and he gave his most convincing argument yet in Atlanta on Tuesday: 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 68 pitches (W). The day marked the final audition for roster adds for any potential Sunday starter, and this outing is sure to add Williamson to many menus with a date in Toronto on Sunday.
If you’re desperate for ratio volume, there are worse arms to chase. Williamson’s cutter to RHB is his bread-and-butter and once again proved that it can serve as the apple in the classroom of Koufax with 9/10 outs on BIP. But take a moment to read the full line. Williamson completed six frames while throwing fewer than 70 pitches. Atlanta swung aggressively and made contact early, mostly leading to balls in gloves, outling a fortunate outing not just for his hit luck, but also speeding Williamson’s outing to the finish line.
That cutter was thrown nearly 45% of the time, with his RHB companion changeup failing to find success on its own (33% strike rate, yeesh), but acting as a mix-up offering to get Atlanta’s hitters to just barely miss the barrel. Sure, there were some sinkers, four-seamers, curveballs, and sweepers at the community BBQ, but these were the fellas at the grill.
It’s also a poor attack to LHB. The edges found little love while the heart was love-bombed so much it will likely take a moment to focus on themself after this. The Jays aren’t the most potent offense, but I’d still wager they can perform better than Atlanta.
If you need something, I get it. And while Williamson did the right thing by leaning more on his best pitch (the cutter), this wasn’t a corner turned to suggest continued success is on the horizon. Be careful. (View Game Card)
Let’s see how every other SP did Tuesday:
Carlos Rodón (NYY) vs TBR (W) – 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 96 pitches.
It sure is lovely to see a start where Rodón is able to have success across all three of his main fastball, slider, changeup trio. This is how it’s supposed to go. And I wouldn’t even say he had the best feel for each of the three pitches, either. I sure don’t know how to rank him for next year, and this is the end of his 2026 with brilliant marks but few frames. The ole volume/skill issue. (View Game Card)
Jared Jones (PIT) vs STL (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 86 pitches.
Yessss. Jared has been The Prince That Was Promised since his date with the Angels (shouldn’t it be The Prince Who Was Promised?) and he didn’t even have his best-breaker feel to get these results against the Cardinals. With just 97.2 IP to his name, I imagine the Pirates will let him go all out on Sunday in Detroit. Nice. (View Game Card)
Janson Junk (MIA) @ CHC (ND) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 84 pitches.
They let him go 84 pitches! They even kept him in after allowing a single with two outs in the fifth. Finally. We had a rare sighting of a whiffable heater via a 14% SwStr rate on his four-seamer, too, and it’s almost tempting to believe Junk is coming together after all this time. The fact he went so deep makes me a little more inclined to give it a shot against Atlanta up next, and let’s not go crazy. (View Game Card)
Cristian Javier (HOU) @ SEA (ND) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 45 pitches.
Annnnnd he left this game early with groin tightness. Ouch. I don’t think he’ll pitch on Sunday now and if he does, you’d think he’d be limited, no? Sad to see the fun second-half run end this way, and he’ll be someone to monitor early next season. Colton Gordon stepped up in his place for 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 70 pitches (L), and he could be the arm replacing Javier (or following) on Sunday. If it’s confirmed, @ATH is not the best gamble for a pitcher failing to earn strikeouts. (View Game Card)
Justin Wrobleski (LAD) vs SDP (W) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 0 BBs, 0 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 25 pitches.
This was a bullpen game, and Wrobleski was awarded the dub despite finishing the second since the Dodgers scored four in the previous half-inning. Yep, that’s how it is sometimes. Don’t expect him to properly start again.
Michael Soroka (ARI) @ COL (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 93 pitches.
Ohhhh BABY. We’re rolling with this for Sunday, even if the Sneks are out of it by then. He needs his reps and the curveball is BACK. (View Game Card)
Drew Rasmussen (TBR) @ NYY (W) – 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hits, 3 BBs, 11 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 114 pitches.
Aces gonna beast mode. I don’t understand why the Rays are pushing Rasmussen to 114 pitches this late into the year. Of all teams, the Rays are working their ace pitcher who has had high number of injuries for 114 pitches a week before they get a bye in the playoffs?! It’s not locked yet and the Yankees are on their heels. Five games back. FIVE. This wasn’t the moment. Oh, but foor your fantasy teams, yeah, this is dope and make us feel dope. We appreciate you, Rasmussen. (View Game Card)
Andre Pallante (STL) @ PIT (L) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 89 pitches.
That Koufax can be such a kind man. Sadly, no Win or strikeouts came with those luscious ratios, but let’s not get greedy. On this day, Andre was a Giant. No, he was a Cardinal. Andre The Cardinal? Is that a thing? Now you have me wishing the famous actor had a movie where he became pope like his version of Arnold’s Kindergarten Cop. (View Game Card)
Taj Bradley (MIN) @ SFG (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 104 pitches.
Huge props to Bradley. After his IL stint and needing a few starts to get his footing, he’s returned a 3.46 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 29% strikeout rate and 10.5% walk rate across 18 starts and 106.2 IP. I obviously worry about the walk rate and see a 6.4 Hit/9 that is unlikely to stick next year, and I wonder if the extra tick of velocity in the second half vs 2025 (97.5 vs. 96.5) is here to stay. I have no clue where I’ll rank him, and I’m guessing y’all are gonna hate it. (View Game Card)
Parker Messick (CLE) @ BOS (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 96 pitches.
He won’t be stopped. The Guardians will push him on Sunday if their future is still undecided, but expect him to be scratched if their fate is locked, either to preserve bullets for next year or rest him for the playoffs. For your sake, I hope it’s a close race. (View Game Card)
MacKenzie Gore (TEX) vs NYM (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 77 pitches.
It wasn’t pretty, but we’ll take it. Three total whiffs is a rough sight, and despite executing some of his offerings, it was yet another day of laboring on the bump with a four-seamer that hovered 94 mph all game (not 95+). The Rangers are neck-and-neck with the Astros for the division and if they need a Win on Sunday, Gore will start and go as long as they’ll take him. However, if it’s decided before then – in or out – I’d imagine they limit him or scratch him completely. (View Game Card)
Shota Imanaga (CHC) vs MIA (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 91 pitches.
Despite holding a stupid high 1.77 HR/9 for the season, Imanaga, ONCE AGAIN, produced an ERA well under 4.00 (3.74), a strong WHIP (1.10) and a strikeout per inning (171). I think we accept him for who he is at this point, yeah? (View Game Card)
JR Ritchie (ATL) vs CIN (L) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 8 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 86 pitches.
Hot dang, look at you! That’s a Gold Star for Ritchie, who I’ve written off all year. He figured out that his curveball is his best pitch with two-plane movement at 83+ mph and leaned on it 35% of the time with solid command, helping him earn a near 75% overall PAR that is 30 points higher than his season average. Oh, so the strikeouts aren’t real? Probably not, sorry. I sure hope he continues to lean on that curveball, though, and I’ll raise him a little in my Sunday ranks as an option against the Marlins. (View Game Card)
Jackson Kent (WSN) @ DET (W) – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 72 pitches.
It’s a Dusty Donut for Kent, who took advantage of having Riley Cornelio open for 2.2 strong frames, and wriggled through four innings to snag a dub. The traditional four-seamer/change approach wasn’t working and he adapted to go 40% sliders out of nowhere, which saved the day via 70%+ strikes and plenty of whiffs. Now imagine if all three were working. Super sleeper for 2027? (View Game Card)
Sean Manaea (NYM) @ TEX (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 99 pitches.
Phew. The heater came to PLAY. It wasn’t harder or anything, it was simply harder to pick up than usual (for one reason or another) and the Rangers whiffed 14/51 times on the 91/92 mph four-seamer. You love to see it, especially when you were debating your Sunday options. That said, it’s not a guarantee Manaea is the guy for Sunday – the Mets have no reason to push Manaea’s 144.2 IP any further – but if he’s going, I’m down. (View Game Card)
Nick Martinez (TBR) @ NYY (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 94 pitches.
Hey now, seven strikeouts? You’re trying to get over a 15% strikeout rate, aren’t you? It’s 15.3% after this one. WELL HOT DAWG! If only we could freeze batters on sinkers and get them chasing heaters above the zone all the time, eh? One more to go before we put a cap on this incredible career year. (View Game Card)
Anthony Molina (SFG) vs MIN (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 85 pitches.
I dig the kid. His 96/97 mph heater is the foundational pitch you want to see that he can throw for strikes and generally land in the upper third with decent vert, even if it’s not an elite heater. The changeup and breakers (it’s not a curveball, it’s a slider) need a bit of polish to land where they should, but they show promise and I’ll have my eye on him for 2027. We could get one more look at him on Sunday if the Giants feel so inclined, but that will likely be Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson and now we wonder when the right time will be to add Molina off the wire in 2027. (View Game Card)
Payton Tolle (BOS) vs CLE (ND) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 91 pitches.
Aces gonna meh. Tolle was Singled Out as he had less faith in his four-seamer to find the zone than his sinker (42% four-seamer zone rate is low for him), which returned five hits as it had to do more work against RHB than usual. At least it’s just a Dusty Donut with a poor WHIP and solid ERA and strikeouts. That’s the end of Tolle’s season, too, as he’ll be benched to rest up for the playoffs. Good luck, fella. America needs to see more of you. (View Game Card)
Yusei Kikuchi (LAA) @ ATH (ND) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 17% CSW, 88 pitches.
Ehhhh, if you streamed him, this wasn’t worth it. No dub, no QS, a poor WHIP, and just two strikeouts outweigh 2 ER in 5.1 IP. He had all the chances to put batters away and rack up strikeouts, but went just 2/27 on executing in two-strike counts. Sitting over a tick down on your fastball never helps and it adds more haze to a final start on Sunday @TEA. Still questionable with a chance to push the needle, but the odds are dwindling. (View Game Card)
Dustin May (MIL) @ PHI (ND) – 2.0 IP, 2 ER, 1 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 36 pitches.
He pitched on three days’ rest (I’m not sure why) and was pulled after a second frame that included a two-run shot. We should see May one more time before the end of the year and hopefully they give him proper rest and let the leash go, but this could be what the Brewers plan to do for the playoffs – a short leash with heavy reliance on their pen. I love him as a sleeper for 2027, marking the thrid straight year I’ll be touting the fella. It worked for a while y’all! (View Game Card)
Drew Anderson (DET) vs WSN (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 39% CSW, 71 pitches.
A King Cole across a PQS is a beautiful thing from Anderson. Yes, the ERA isn’t pretty, and nor is the Loss, but you don’t see! This was Anderson’s only game of six innings all season. The Nationals helped by swinging half the time, sure, but Anderson’s 76% strike rate gave them little choice, while the split-change was as good as you’ll ever see it with a 31% SwStr rate. All this while sitting 1-2 ticks down on everything. Welp, this very well could be the last time we see him all season with just four games remaining for the Tigers and I’m super happy for the guy. (View Game Card)
Zack Wheeler (PHI) vs MIL (ND) – 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 11 Ks – 23 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 101 pitches.
Aces gonna ace for a Gallows Pole, but get Singled Out in the sixth to ruin the day. We had no idea what we’d get from Wheeler this season post-TOS surgery and it’s astonishing he tossed 156 innings of a 3.06 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 30% strikeout rate. What. A. STUD. (View Game Card)
Max Fried (NYY) vs TBR (L) – 6.2 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 97 pitches.
Aces gonna allow three singles in the seventh and get pulled with two outs only to watch two more score under his name. Careful, Icarus. That closes the door on an awfully strange season for Fried, who endured injuries multiple times, preventing him from throwing back-to-back 90-pitch games after May 8th, despite going 90+ in seven of his first nine games (86 on a blissful opening day and 89 in six shutout on April 27th). You bet I’ll be drafting Fried against next year as his ADP falls due to lack of volume, even if there’s a larger injury risk. (View Game Card)
Anthony Kay (CHW) @ KCR (ND) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 65 pitches.
Womp womp. Kay struggled against RHB and didn’t have his precision around the edges like we normally see, forcing him to go too heavy with his sweeper for 56% strikes. If the White Sox are still battling for the division on Sunday, he’ll get Rockie Road, which could serve him well, but I don’t see this as a fantastic play on Sunday. Kay hasn’t gone a full five frames since August 20th. (View Game Card)
Logan Gilbert (SEA) vs HOU (L) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 10 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 81 pitches.
Aces gonna get bamboozled on four straight hits to start the game, and throw a terrible 1-0 slider to Walker for a three-run bomb in the third. He showcased a massive loss in extension (7.2 feet, not 7.6 feet), making his four-seamer more hittable and propelling the Singled Out evening, and it’s all a bit sad that it could be Gilbert’s final start of the season. The Mariners could throw him out there on Sunday if they wanted to, but why do it? 182 innings is enough bullets already. Because they have no one else. That’s…fair. I’d imagine he could get pulled after three or four innings if he does start. (View Game Card)
Michael King (SDP) @ LAD (L) – 4.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 81 pitches.
Blegh. King was not pitching his best baseball and the Padres’ hopes of snatching a playoff spot from the Sneks has all but faded at this point. It could mean King skips Sunday date with said snakes, and even if he does go, he’ll likely be limited after tossing 185 innings this year. (View Game Card)
Kyle Freeland (COL) vs ARI (L) – 3.0 IP, 5 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 69 pitches.
Yeah, makes sense. He split his time with Zach Agnos, who fared better in his four innings of work (and just one strikeout, “HASITBMBWT?!”), and–why are you sleeping? (View Game Card)
Brady Basso (ATH) vs LAA (ND) – 2.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 17% CSW, 52 pitches.
You really don’t want to slap the Basso. That’s so violent! You’re right. Don’t bunch the Brady? I don’t know how to feel. I’ll take it. (View Game Card)
Daniel Lynch IV (KCR) vs CHW (L) – 4.0 IP, 9 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 78 pitches.
Annnnnnd that’s why we didn’t add Lynch after a pair of solid five inning starts. Uh. You didn’t. I WAS DESPERATE. The Royals are sure to let him start on Sunday in an effort to enter the off-season in such a horrific manner, which may provide some value against the Guardians if they elect to rest their starts (they could have sealed the division the night before). And even if all of those things are true…I’d still bench Lynch unless I had no other choice. (View Game Card)
Game of the Day
Logan Henderson vs. Aaron Nola – Logan has been so dang good and Nola is trying to end his regular season on a high note.
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 Lawrence Iles/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)
