Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Sunday 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.
Max Scherzer (TOR) vs CIN (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 19 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 114 pitches.
What a weekend. First, we had Justin Verlander give us a magnificent conclusion to his career on Saturday, and former teammate, the mad man himself, Max Scherzer just had to out-do the old fella with his own swan song on Sunday: 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 19 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 114 pitches (W). But Nick, he said he’s not sure if he’s coming back or not! I know, and yet, this is perfect. I think this is it.
It really was a special game, from the fake pull at the end of the seventh, a pitch count pushing past 110, one final Gallows Pole award to take home, and a proper showcase of the arsenal he’s overwhelmed batters with since 2008. It was prime Scherzer with all the fixins and I thoroughly enjoyed watching his changeup die down-and-away to LHB, four-seamers incessantly pound the zone for 76% strikes and 11/49 whiffs, curveballs flipped for early strikes, and sliders dipping for whiffs. It reminded me of his perfect game no-hitter against the Pirates and I’d even say this was his perfect game.
It was the end of an era in a brilliant blaze, and it hits me emotionally even more as I type now. I’ve created countless roundup titles for Scherzer over the 13 years since I launched Pitcher GIFs in 2014 (I bet I’m copying one today, and I don’t care. It’s the perfect title.), and I’m sharing a sliver of the same emotion as Scherzer with every keypress. I’m not sure when I’ll be writing my next SP Roundup article. Not just because of the expected MLB Lockout (please support us if you can!), but because my life has changed dramatically over the last four months.
In February 2027, I will become a father. Of twins.
Paired with rupturing my Achilles in July and searching for a larger home to house this 100% expansion of my family, on top of doing all the work I can to get Pitcher List as a business in a place to survive a very long winter ahead, my SP Roundups, podcasts, livestreams, The List, etc. has taken more of a backseat. There are bigger things than content in this world, and still, I’ll feel guilty that I couldn’t keep the routine I’d maintained for over a decade this season.
It’s why I couldn’t be luckier to have Jake Crumpler. I’ve been working closely with Jake for nearly two years now, initially intending to have a writer I fully trust to create the weekend roundup so I could get a little extra time off. Next spring will be the first time since this company’s inception that I have a responsibility bigger than this place, and it could be a situation where I hand over the keys to the Roundup while I focus on The List, streamer ranks, podcasts, operational decisions, etc. Nothing is final, of course, and yet, I don’t think there’s a single person who has read any of Jake’s roundups and thought, “Man, this isn’t as good as Nick’s.” He’s outstanding.
To be clear, I’m not going anywhere, obviously. I want to set expectations for the future as I figure out the very best usage of my time, what works efficiently, and what we can continue to create here at Pitcher List that allows me to be as flexible as possible to be the best father I can for two young children and a true partner for their incredible mother. As you all know, we have a stalwart full-time team at the site with Rick Graham as our Content Manager, Kyle Bland as the director of analytics, and Jeff Nyveen as our Technical Director, with hopefully more to add to that list as you, the readers, help us venture into the unknown to keep building this place into what it should be – the home of baseball for all.
ANYWAY MAX SCHERZER WAS DOPE AND MADE US FEEL DOPE. We need to take the time to recognize the impact of moments like these with a smile across our faces. Don’t be sad it’s over. Be happy it happened. Embrace the future filled not with better moments, but different moments, all packaged with the same bow. (View Game Card)
Let’s see how every other SP did Sunday:
Jacob Misiorowski (MIL) vs STL (W) – 5.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 68 pitches.
Aces gonna ace for a FULL YEAR. Whoa whoa whoa, you threw 68 pitches and gave us 5.1 frames, with a dub?! But five strikeouts. We expected five strikeouts in three innings! He was a league winner this season and, uh, I don’t suggest drafting him next year. The Top 200 SP will be out soon enough. (View Game Card)
Jared Jones (PIT) @ DET (ND) – 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 55 pitches.
I was hoping Jones would unlock his slider when facing the Angels on September 4th, and I really should hope more often. Just 3 ER total in five starts including that one with a 39% strikeout rate and 20% SwStr rate…against the Angels, Whtie Sox, Brewers (3 ER!), Cardinals, Tigers. His heater isn’t the leader of the pack in the same way we’ve seen in the past, though, and I’m still a little hesitant to prop him up in my rankings for 2027 for that reason. It’s the classic balance of “He could be the next Cease!” vs. a HIPSTER all year long. (View Game Card)
Logan Gilbert (SEA) vs LAA (ND) – 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 41% CSW, 61 pitches.
Aces gonna tease managers with a no-hitter and get pulled after four with 13 , while pumpng 98 mph because why not? You’ve got a long winter to rest. Funny story, he’s your Ryan/Shota type of higher ERA, low WHIP guys, but he can flirt with a 30% strikeout rate instead of 25%. That’s dope. (View Game Card)
Jack Flaherty (DET) vs PIT (ND) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 19 pitches.
I waited over two months for…19 pitches of Flaherty? At 91.7 mph? Uhhhh no thanks? (View Game Card)
Peter Lambert (HOU) @ ATH (ND) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 41 pitches.
The Astros pieced together a much-needed win against the Athletics, and pulled Lambert early when they grabbed a 4-0 lead after the top of the third. The man served us oh-so-well this year and I won’t forget his service. Next year? We’ll see how the wire looks. (View Game Card)
Seth Johnson (ATH) vs HOU (ND) – 1.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 36 pitches.
He opened for Brady Basso, who was rocked in his sole frame, allowing 4 ER and getting the hook with two outs. Welp, here’s to avoiding Athletics starters again in 2027. Not even Jump? Uggggh THE PARK IS SO BAD. (View Game Card)
Carson Seymour (SFG) vs LAD (ND) – 1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 40% CSW, 10 pitches.
Wait. Where’s my Anthony Molina?! How could you do this to me? Seymour appeared for this bullpen game and there’s nothing to report here. It’s Empty Velocity and I’m not interested in Seymour for 2027. (View Game Card)
Dean Kremer (MIN) vs TEX (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 74 pitches.
Yesssss. Despite a massive velocity decline to just 91 mph (sat 92/93 mph most of the year, peaked at 94 mph on April 18th before he missed 2+ months with injury), he was excellent across seven frames to the chagrin of Texas Rangers fans everywhere. In addition, I’d even argue that he’s throwing a four-seamer, cutter, and slider, where his cutter and four-seamer are getting grouped as the four-seamer, thus pushing his velocity down at least a tick. Anyway, he’ll be in the Twins’ rotation next season and he’ll be a decent deep-league play due to volume, while sticking around as your standard streaming option in 12-teamers. (View Game Card)
Zack Wheeler (PHI) vs TBR (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 97 pitches.
The Phillies suddenly needed the dub with the Sneks catching up before the final day, sending Wheeler to the bump and granting being the AGA he is. One more year of Wheeler to go, and it’s absurd to think he had a 3.00 ERA and 30% strikeout rate the season after getting TOS surgery. He’s unbelievable. (View Game Card)
Randy Vásquez (SDP) vs ARI (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 68 pitches.
Whoa, they let him go six frames?! And look at that, for yet another season, Vásquez ended the year under a 4.00 ERA in 140.2 IP (with a 15% strikeout rate and 1.27 WHIP, but in real baseball, that doesn’t matter, does it?). Props to the fella for it and for giving the Padres’ pen a rest before their playoff series this week. Now if he could take one more step forward next year… (View Game Card)
Braxton Garrett (CHC) @ BOS (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 70 pitches.
Hot dang, look at you! Garrett tossed from the bump for his third time this season and just the first since two rough starts for the Marlins in May, here making his sole appearance in a Cubs uniform. Five innings with 1 ER and a dub? That’s a Gold Star with an arsenal that Garrett utilized well as a SWATCH around the edges to RHB. It sure looks like he lowered his arm angle and got a ton more drop on everything + extra rise on his heater(?), and it’s possible he’s a regular in the rotation next season, believe it or not. Something at least to be aware of. (View Game Card)
Anthony Kay (CHW) vs COL (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 74 pitches.
Niiiiice. Kay had failed to go a full six in any of his previous six outings and to claim a dub against Rockie Road on the final game of the year is huge. A little disappointing to see him record 16 whiffs with just four punchouts, but his changeup & sweeper approach to RHB came out of nowhere and I’m here for it. We’re talking nearly 30% more of the pair combined, from 40% to 68% usage, and it obviously worked – especially the slowball (10/20 whiffs!). Throw in 97 mph velocity (a tick up) and he sure looks like a potential SWATCH for next year. JUST SAYIN’. (View Game Card)
Janson Junk (MIA) vs ATL (ND) – 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 64 pitches.
Oh come on Miami, it’s the last game of the year! He got the first two on, induced a groundout, fanned a batter, and…pulled him. PULLED HIM! He almost got out of it for the full five innings but nooope. Can’t let him have that moment to go into the off-season. So silly. I’ll have a soft spot for Junk given the stuff marks across his arsenal, though I don’t think I’ll buy in properly until he gets out of Miami. I dunno, I feel as if there’s something going on there that makes him more predicatable/easier to square up than his ability dictates. (View Game Card)
Parker Messick (CLE) @ KCR (ND) – 3.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 64 pitches.
I’m honestly surprised they let him go over 60 pitches, but whatever. Messick is the perfect example of a pitcher that I’m very thankful for in 2026 and I’d be happy rostering in 2027, but anticipate the cost to be too high given he just had a peak season that shouldn’t be replicated. (View Game Card)
MacKenzie Gore (TEX) @ MIN (ND) – 2.1 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 0 Ks – 0 Whiffs, 12% CSW, 25 pitches.
The Rangers called on Gore to save their season, but the southpaw was sitting well under 94 mph early and they pulled him in the third after he concluded the second sitting 92.5 mph on the fastball. That’s over 2.5 ticks down from his season average. Oh no. We may not hear anything about this for a while (unless he gets surgery) and you’d be wise to make a note of it before draft season next year. (View Game Card)
Jack Dreyer (LAD) @ SFG (ND) – 2.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 32 pitches.
No Emmet Sheehan, sadly, just Dreyer, a touch of Justin Wrobleski, Bobby Miller, and Roki Sasaki, and we move onto the postseason. Let’s move on. (View Game Card)
Shota Imanaga (CHC) @ BOS (ND) – 1.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 75% CSW, 12 pitches.
I didn’t expect to see much of anything from Shota, so of course it was a perfect encapsulation of his season – three strikeouts on three pitches + a solo HR in between. Y’all know I’m down for another season of Shota next year at his likely discounted draft price. (View Game Card)
Daniel Lynch IV (KCR) vs CLE (ND) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 76 pitches.
See? Not as bad as the atrocity last time out! He leaned into the sinker and axed the four-seamer (the correct move as that four-seamer is terrible), and we generally better locating around the edges of the plate. It’s not an impressive arsenal, still, and I have no expectations for success in 2027, sadly. There’s no juice here. (View Game Card)
River Ryan (DET) vs PIT (L) – 1.1 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 39 pitches.
Blegh. A HR on a legit fastball inside to Griffin started his day, then he couldn’t land the slider, making it tough for him to do anything low in the zone. The good news? He’s still filthy as h*ck and I’m interested for 2027. I won’t go bonkers about it, but I think Ryan will be a great pitcher to roster for the season. (View Game Card)
Yusei Kikuchi (LAA) @ SEA (L) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 90 pitches.
Huh. A lot of weird splitters and poor shape four-seamers in here, while his curveball clearly changed to be a sweeper, at 2/3 ticks harder. It’s all just blegh, but he was timely with slider and splitter whiffs to collect a fair number of punchouts. I’m happy for those who needed them and cashed in, and I’m not optimistic about 2027 for Kikuchi. He’ll get strikeouts, but at what cost? (View Game Card)
Patrick Sandoval (BOS) vs CHC (ND) – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 98 pitches.
The Irish Panda failed to give you any production across all of September, why did you think this would be any different? (View Game Card)
Michael Soroka (ARI) @ SDP (ND) – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 77 pitches.
Bleeeggggh. I had high hopes for this one, especially with the sudden necessity for the Sneks in the playoff hunt. He was a bit unfortunate with timely hits by the Padres, though it wasn’t the sharpest we’ve seen Soroka in his time. I’m curious how fantasy managers will treat Soroka next season now that he ended his season witha 3.41 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 24% strikeout rate in 116 innings. I see him as a decent Toby out of the draft who relies on rhythm. If he’s not there early, I’d avoid until he shows sign of it in-season. I’m not going to expect him to be on point right away. (View Game Card)
Tanner Houck (BOS) vs CHC (L) – 3.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 1 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 50 pitches.
OH SNAP. I didn’t see this one coming and I love getting an unexpected look at a pitcher the final weekend, as it can truly shape our impression of them for the off-season. Well, this doesn’t shape things positively with a 92/93 velocity instead of the 95 mph we’re used to from Houck, with less movement across the board on all his pitches. I was hoping to be excited, and now I’m ignoring until he gives me a reason to pay attention. (View Game Card)
JR Ritchie (ATL) @ MIA (L) – 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 15% CSW, 87 pitches.
I was enthused by Ritchie’s 82/83 mph curveball last start and I still think it’s a lovely pitch. However, its usage fell to just 13% (was 28% for the year and 35% last time out!) for some unknown reason and I hate that. I also hate the Careful, Icarus via three runs scoring with two outs in the sixth, but the point is next year, not now. Will that curveball be everything next year? I hope so. (View Game Card)
Kyle Freeland (COL) @ CHW (L) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 62 pitches.
Ah yes, the standard “Sure, I guess that happened” start on the final day of the year. Nothing like a 6.65 ERA and 1.52 WHIP across 26 starts, am I right? (View Game Card)
DJ Herz (WSN) vs NYM (ND) – 3.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 65 pitches.
He’s trying to be a SWATCH and look at that! The slowball was generally down! And 72% strikeouts on a 93 mph four-seamer! Two of those “strikes” were meatballs hit for HRs. Yeah, totally fair. I think there’s some sneaky value in Herz for next year as he’s sure to get a ton of runway in this rotation, but moreso for deeper leagues that need the innings without horrible ratios. In shallower leagues, he’s a streamer. (View Game Card)
Brandon Williamson (CIN) @ TOR (L) – 3.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 76 pitches.
When Williamson can spot his cutter inside to RHB at will + nail the four-seamer up and changeup down, I’ll be interested as a true Toby. For now, it’s just too risky in Cincy. (View Game Card)
Nick Martinez (TBR) @ PHI (L) – 2.2 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 50 pitches.
Seriously?! Martinez had a 2.94 ERA heading into this one and this ruckus pushed him up fourteen points. The audacity! To ruin a perfectly wonderful sub-3.00 ERA career season on the final day like that. We still thank you for all you’ve done for our fantasy teams, Nick. You’re talking to Martinez, right? Yes…oh. Okay, I know how that sounds, but yes, that was to Martinez. I SWEAR. (View Game Card)
Sean Manaea (NYM) @ WSN (L) – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 100 pitches.
Womp womp. After performing so well in the start priot, Manaea’s heater fell to 91 mph and didn’t have the domination upstairs we like to see, nor the sweeper aiding consistently. I’m kinda amazed he tossed 150.2 IP this season and I’m sure some will be down to give him a spin next year after showcasing a 22% strikeout rate with a sub-7% walk rate, and I’ll only get behind that if he’s comfortably over 92 mph in the spring. And even then, I’d still have hesitations. (View Game Card)
Andre Pallante (STL) @ MIL (L) – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 10 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 91 pitches.
Even with this outing, Pallante still had an ERA under 4.00 (3.83). He’s someone who benefited plenty from his situation in St. Louis (solid defense, great home park) and I didn’t see enough of a leap in his arsenal to treat him as anything more than a streamer. I’m expecting more of the same next year and hope to be wrong. What, he gets worse? Don’t be like that! Sorry, I’ve been here, on your couch for what feels like over a decade now, I can’t help myself! I know. …Can I stay a little longer? As long as you like. (View Game Card)
Game of the Day
PLAYOFFS Y’ALL – Seriously, Playoff baseball IS THE BEST.
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.
Photos by Mathew Tsang and Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)
