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 Playback.tv weekday mornings from 10 am-12 pm ET.
Clayton Kershaw (LAD) @ MIA (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 5 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 84 pitches.
This is such a tough moment for Clayton Kershaw managers. Tonight’s 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 5 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 84 pitches was not a showcase of TATIAGA but of a pitcher clearly still dealing with shoulder soreness. His velocity was nearly three ticks down and he bore down as much as he could to locate his stuff to get through the game. This isn’t Kershaw.
So here’s the situation. He’s slated to get the Nationals next and is going to be pitching through this for as long as he can. And if Kershaw says he’s not going to go on the IL, then fine, Kershaw is in our lineups. I know, it’s terrifying and I’m here for you. I think it’s best to give this one more shot and see if he feels a bit better before pulling the trigger. If there’s anyone who can figure this out, it’s the best pitcher of our generation.
Let’s see how every other SP did Tuesday:
Brandon Woodruff (MIL) @ PIT (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 97 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. I think he’s earned it by now.
Pedro Avila (SD) vs PHI (W) – 6.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 6 BBs, 1 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 91 pitches.
Ummmm. Hi. What deal did you make and can I make it too? Look, you’re not Blake Snell and can’t justify the high walk rate vs. low hit rate and all if it comes with just one strikeout (HAISTBMBWT?!). It doesn’t work like that.
Ken Waldichuk (OAK) vs TOR (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 90 pitches.
Hey, you dropped this Gold Star. Don’t you dare lose it, I’m not sure you’re going to get another any time soon. Suitman whispers in my ear He threw a WHAT?! 21 changeups for a 33% SwStr rate?! Huh. Yeah I don’t think that’s gonna be a thing but…huh.
Dean Kremer (BAL) @ LAA (ND) – 4.2 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 92 pitches.
Womp womp…? Sure, it’s a 0 ERA, but he failed to go five and the WHIP hurts. He was just a bit off with his cutter and without that dominating, his foundation starts to get jelly legs. Nothing is better with jelly legs. He still has a solid schedule ahead and we’re holding – the cutter should return to form.
Ryan Walker (SF) @ CHC (ND) – 1.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 40 pitches.
I make eye contact with Ryan. Oh please, just let me give him the nod and walk pas—“Hey Nick!” Don’t respond. “Funny how we keep running into each other, did you get my invitat—” Whoops! Gotta run, tell Jakob Junis I say hi! “But he only threw 44 pitches today…” Wow, poor guy! BYE.
Chris Bassitt (TOR) @ OAK (W) – 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 97 pitches.
It’s always satisfying to see a pitcher come through exactly when they should. And a Gallows Pole along the way? That’s just beautiful.
Framber Valdez (HOU) @ TEX (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 98 pitches.
Framber and an annoying high WHIP. Name a better another duo. At least he shelved the change in favor of curves this time around, but just 32% curves + cutters still ain’t it. Why are you accepting sinkers for a spin of the BABIP wheel instead of dominating with your best pitches? H*ck, the cutter was a true cutter at 89/90 (not 84/85) and went 7/11 strikes and zero hits. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT.
José Quintana (NYM) @ WSH (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 97 pitches.
Atta boy Quintana. Keep holding the man until he gets Atlanta. This should work with his stellar Toby command.
Gerrit Cole (NYY) vs DET (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 104 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. Did you really have to do our WHIP dirty like that?
Bryce Miller (SEA) @ CIN (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 97 pitches.
Why can’t you just be normal?! He couldn’t locate the slider, and his four-seamer didn’t have the ferocity we normally see from Bryce. I’m glad his ERA survived the trip, but this ain’t fun. One more start left for your fantasy season as he gets the Rays before LAD + TEX + HOU, let’s hope it’s a good one.
Alex Faedo (DET) @ NYY (ND) – 2.2 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 40 pitches.
A short one for Faedo sadly, and I hope he gets stretched out enough to take advantage of the glorious schedule ahead of him. Sure can’t pick him up now, though.
Reid Detmers (LAA) vs BAL (ND) – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 98 pitches.
Hey, this wasn’t so bad! Nick, the slider earned just a few whiffs, his heater was just 93 mph and not well spotted, and the curve and changeup were decent but not great as he was 1-2 ticks down on everything. Hey, the results weren’t so bad!
Kyle Freeland (COL) @ ARI (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 90 pitches.
Aha! There’s the good outing from a Rockies starter in Arizona as Freeland danced around the edges elegantly. Nick, it was almost a VPQS. But it wasn’t! FINE. I wonder if all five of them – Freeland, Flexen, Blach, Gomber, Anderson – will find a way to make it work. It’s weird and wild and these are the things I get excited about. Let me be, and likely ignore this for your own fantasy purposes.
Jesús Luzardo (MIA) vs LAD (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 90 pitches.
Yesssss. He’s getting better at avoiding the heart of the plate with his slider, and even in a start where he didn’t have a consistent changeup, he executed the right ones at the right times to get outs, while the spotted slider and heater did the rest. We’re past the August valley in full, with only one scary start left – two weeks against Atlanta. Strap in, y’all.
Tanner Bibee (CLE) vs MIN (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 5 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 87 pitches.
There’s the command worry creeping in with plenty of secondaries landing in the middle of the plate in this one. His four-seamer is staying elevated, though, even if it’s nibbling a bit too much at times. We’re still in with a good schedule n all, and I’m awfully curious what his 2024 ADP will look like. Me? I expect to be lower on him than others.
Miles Mikolas (STL) @ ATL (W) – 6.2 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 95 pitches.
That’s essentially a VVPQS and honestly, props to Mikolas. For those not in QS leagues, I can’t believe you actually started him and I hope those ratios are worth the dub. And the two strikeouts. … and the two strikeouts.
Sonny Gray (MIN) @ CLE (ND) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 101 pitches.
It’s not the glistening start we’re used to this year from Gray, but a PQS ain’t so bad…? The schedule is so good that we’re obviously holding n all, but yeah, this ain’t what we wanted.
Zach Eflin (TB) vs BOS (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 89 pitches.
Your fantasy MVP (not mine, I was far too low on him and regret it every day) wasn’t at his peak and still found a way to (mostly) help your fantasy squads. He normally doesn’t lose his sinker and cutter as much as he did here. It’s not the easiest ROS schedule, but he avoids the elites and you’re sure not letting go.
Brandon Pfaadt (ARI) vs COL (L) – 3.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 70 pitches.
Yikes, he got the early hook against Rockie Road, spoiling a great matchup. I don’t think Pfaadt pitched all that differently from what we’ve seen recently and that’s just baseball. Or maybe he’s not that good. Okay, maybe that, too. Be careful with the Cubs ahead for two starts in a row.
Kyle Hendricks (CHC) vs SF (ND) – 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 83 pitches.
Awwww, Hendricks has been so stable all year as your Toby and in one of the best matchups he’ll ever get, he couldn’t get through the sixth without his fourth run, ruining the night despite a King Cole. I DON’T WANT YOUR STINKIN’ AWARD.
Dylan Cease (CWS) @ KC (ND) – 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 96 pitches.
It’s interesting. Was the slider good tonight? On one hand, it obviously was with 12/45 whiffs and a 36% CSW, however as a pitch thrown about half the time, it went just 60% strikes, landing as clear mistakes in the dirt or right down the pipe often. Cease is the prototypical volatile arm even inside games, where he’s 50/50 on each pitch. It makes for a strikeout-heavy arm who will hurt everywhere else. We’ve been over this and you’ve already made your choice. I hope.
Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) vs HOU (L) – 1.1 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 1 Whiffs, 14% CSW, 35 pitches.
Eovaldi returned from the IL to…sit 94 mph, earn one whiff and get trounced. Yeaaaah, he shouldn’t have returned. START COLE RAGANS ALREA—Oh. Right. If only they gave him a chance back in June…
Connor Phillips (CIN) vs SEA (ND) – 4.2 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 95 pitches.
The kid throws hard – 97 mph heaters – and we saw him challenge the Mariners incessantly with the heater, boasting a high 60% zone rate on the pitch here. It didn’t fare too well, sadly, while the sweeper had a ton of whiffs (7/20), but just 55% strikes. In short, he’s a bit wild, doesn’t overpower as much as you’d want with his heater, and comes with a Shag Carpet that is a bit too dangerous to trust in most situations. That said, if he’s able to locate a little better against the Tigers, there is some hope for another seven-strikeout game without the blips we saw here.
Kutter Crawford (BOS) @ TB (ND) – 3.2 IP, 5 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 96 pitches.
Blegh. It sure feels like we move on from Crawford now, but if you want to give it one more go against the Yankees up next, you’re more than free to do so. It just feels too meh for me.
Michael Soroka (ATL) vs STL (L) – 3.0 IP, 5 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 60 pitches.
Ouch. A pair of longballs messed up Soroka as all five baserunners came around to score. I actually think he pitched decently well, save for those two four-seamers and if they keep him in the rotation, I’d still consider him against the Pirates next week. He should be more than 70 pitches there.
Michael Lorenzen (PHI) @ SD (L) – 6.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 94 pitches.
Please stop, he’s already dead. Do I have to be the one to tell you? What. He gets Atlanta ne–Noooo. Let me finish. He gets Atlanta next time and the one after. NOOOOOOOO.
Brady Singer (KC) vs CWS (ND) – 5.0 IP, 6 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 59 pitches.
The slider command was worse. The sinker was down the pipe. Velocity was down a tick. Not great, Bob. You can take the chance a second time against the ChiSox if you must, but this looks like a clear drop to me, especially with 2x Houston following.
Andre Jackson (PIT) vs MIL (L) – 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 3 Hits, 5 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 83 pitches.
Womp womp. He’s mostly four-seamer/changeup and y’all know that’s not the skill set I look for from youngins. He does get the Nationals and Yankees next and with the Pirates allowing him to go at least 80 pitches, there’s a shot he finds gloves and makes it worthwhile. He’ll be in the DNS tier for me after this performance, sadly.
Patrick Corbin (WSH) vs NYM (L) – 4.0 IP, 8 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 83 pitches.
How does he do it. I cannot imagine what it’s like to be Corbin these days. But he’s stinkin’ rich. I think he’d give a whole lot of it away to not have so many games like this one.
Game of the Day
Justin Verlander vs. Max Scherzer – The best friends gotta fight in a battle for the AL West. Ohhhhh boy.
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 Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)