Shedding Singer

Brady Singer @ TB (L) – 2.2 IP, 6 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 70 pitches.

I think I’m guilty of ignoring Brady Singer a bit this season and it’s time to talk it out. After a decent pair of starts against the ChiSox and Tigers, we just assumed Singer could handle the Rays. Not so much — 2.2 IP, 6 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks with 7 whiffs and 30% CSW, and it’s unsettling. Is Singer just a Toby? Is he even worth your roster spot?

As far as what he’s doing to get outs, not much has changed. He still relies on called strikes with sinkers while his slider can show up for whiffs here and there. After all, the pitch did hold a 19% SwStr here. The problem is, that’s not enough. His slider is good but not electric, making it tough for him to rely on it as a proper putaway offering. Meanwhile, the sinker isn’t a great mitigator of hard contact, essentially begging for a third pitch to help get strikes and keep batters off it through games. It adds up to a low ceiling and a lava floor. That sounds like a terrible game. Trust me, it is. Anyway, Singer is a decent play when he does face those poor offenses (even if this was one), so I guess I’m holding for the Pirates next, but don’t hesitate to use his spot to churn for others through the year. Keep an open mind.

 

Let’s see how every other SP did Thursday:

 

Carlos Martínez @ ARI (ND) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 86 pitches. CarMart boasted a no-hitter through the first six frames before it came apart in the seventh in a Careful, Icarus where all three hits came around to score. Womp womp. I’m still a bit skeptical that we can trust him moving forward and his schedule has made it easy for us with the Dodgers, Reds, and Cubs ahead. You know that ain’t for you.

Jon Duplantier vs STL (ND) – 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 86 pitches. Duplantier got a chance in the rotation with Widener out, and this was…not great. His slider is his best offering and earned 41% CSW, but he tossed it just 20% of the time, relying on sinkers and four-seamers without the command you want. Sit this one out until it clicks.

Marcus Stroman vs COL (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 90 pitches.

Atta boy Stroman, I slotted you in the top tier in the daily pitcher ranks and you did what you were supposed to against Rockie Road. Well, mostly. Your slider was legit, but your sinker was a bit off. That’s a pair of starts without it and that splitter you had last time out? Yeah, that didn’t show up at all. You’re lucky you have Arizona next before your two starts against the Padres. You’ve got time to figure it out.

Ryan Weathers @ MIL (ND) – 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 78 pitches.

The fella is producing quality frames, but it’s just four and there’s a lower floor here than someone like McClanahan. Let’s not dance around this any longer, I’d replace him if there’s anything decent on the wire.

Sonny Gray @ WSH (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 90 pitches.

So it wasn’t pretty as he earned just 5/38 whiffs on breaking balls, but hey, there’s a good start and you’re going to sit there and like it. I mean, of course I like it. YOU BETTER. I’m still waiting for that magical start when both the deuce and slide piece are doing wonderful things again and hopefully that’ll be next time out against Philly. Still start him, because duh.

Alek Manoah @ NYY (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 88 pitches.

Well this was a wonderful debut. I wrote all about it with 3,800 words and dozens of GIFs & the main takeaway is that you want to hold Alek everywhere. It’s a solid three-pitch mix with enough command to stave off anxiety. The only question is how many innings the Jays will let him throw, but let’s worry about that later.

Shane McClanahan vs KC (W) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 41% CSW, 63 pitches.

Am I sad that the Rays didn’t let Shane pitch the sixth despite just 63 pitches to his name? Oh absolutely. Am I still absolutely in the love with the man and don’t really care if he’s giving you five innings of this quality? YOU’RE DANG RIGHT I AM. He held an overall 25% SwStr in this one. OVERALL.

Adrian Houser vs SD (ND) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 84 pitches.

It took a total of three starts to edge out his 10 strikeout performance, but hey, we got there. If you’re wondering, there’s still nothing else in that repertoire save for the sinker and like a membrane with strong cellulose, that makes for a tough sell.

David Price vs SF (ND) – 2.2 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 46% CSW, 35 pitches.

I mean, sure David. I wish you were throwing 95 pitches instead of 35, but sure, great job. Cool seeing you live at 94 mph again.

Patrick Sandoval @ OAK (ND) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 84 pitches.

This was supposed to be Shohei Ohtani, but he got delayed in traffic and had to ride BART to get to the stadium — too late to prepare and he’ll start tomorrow. The Irish Panda stepped up and performed admirably in his place. I don’t think there’s quite enough here at the moment for us to latch onto (outside of the fact he doesn’t have a real spot in the rotation), so let’s just give him the thumbs up and move along.

Chris Bassitt vs LAA (W) – 9.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 114 pitches.

Look at this wonderful man. He didn’t earn more than three whiffs on a single one of his pitches, yeah he just kept plodding along, earning outs with sinkers and four-seamers. That’s right, his breakers didn’t do a whole lot and he just shoved heaters over the plate and forced the Halos to do something about it. You know, the standard Bassitt approach. There’s no reason to stop believing now with Seattle, Arizona, and Kansas City ahead.

Chris Flexen vs TEX (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 87 pitches.

Oh hey, it’s Flexen at the beach! His success is all about four-seamers and cutters playing off each other and he did it to a wonderful effect against the Rangers. It’s hard to expect Flexen to perform at his peak on a given night, though, so yeah, this has Birthday Party written all over it.

Joey Lucchesi vs COL (ND) – 3.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 70 pitches.

Lucchesi and failing to go four full innings — please try to find me a better duo.

Bruce Zimmermann @ CWS (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 82 pitches.

Look at that, Bruce had his four-seamer command again! The WHIP wasn’t great but whatever, the man survived. Props to him for that.

Germán Márquez @ NYM (L) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 39% CSW, 62 pitches.

A start on the road against the depleted Mets lineup? Yup, this had success written all over it for Márquez. He needed this. It’s up to you if you want to trust him against the Rangers in Coors next. I’m leaning start but ehhhhhh. Coors, man.

Shane Bieber @ DET (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hits, 4 BBs, 12 Ks – 24 Whiffs, 42% CSW, 103 pitches.

Aces gonna ace. Yeah yeah yeah, that’s what I get for making him #5 or whatever. Four walks just isn’t his style, though it does mean he sat outside the zone a bit more, so I guess that’s a positive shift for him. In the end, he walked four and still earned a King Cole,so what do I know, save for his curveball earning a fantastic 49% CSW across 45 thrown. That I do know and boy do I love it.

Spencer Howard @ MIA (ND) – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 66 pitches.

Yeah, yeah, we didn’t really expect Howard to go more than five frames at most and four seems about right. What really mattered was if his secondary stuff showed up today. The result? Just 30% non-fastballs and they produced 2/20 whiffs. Just like using construction paper scissors on plastic, that ain’t gonna cut it. I’m still out until I see that slider and/or changeup show up in a major way.

Dylan Cease vs BAL (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 10 Ks – 29 Whiffs, 39% CSW, 111 pitches.

Sooooo Cease had the most obvious Gallows Pole of the year as he earned 29 whiffs, 14 of which coming from his four-seamer. His slider was on point as it has been over the last month, but the fastball, that was a surprise. He spotted it often at the top of the zone at 95 mph and it’s hard to not fawn. The changeup and curveball…well they’re not something to be trusted but it doesn’t really matter if that fastball and slider are working. And now he gets Cleveland + 2x Detroit?! HAVE MERCY.

Pablo López vs PHI (ND) – 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 92 pitches.

Oh, look at that. Another fantastic start for PabLó without a win in his name. Baseball isn’t fair, just like his changeup. Cool to see him rely on 20% cutters in this one too, going 13/18 for strikes. I’m all for that, though it’s not the aggressive cutter of many others you may associate the pitch with. It helps, just not enough to be a replacement for the changeup when the pitch disappears. It’s been a great season of that slow ball being there the heavy majority of the time and here’s to hoping it stays that way.

Domingo Germán vs TOR (L) – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 98 pitches.

Solid start here from Germán as he allowed a pair of longballs and not much else against a strong Jays lineup. Curveball was still alive, and while I wish there was more from his changeup, as long as he has a decent fastball to pair with the breaker, he’s fine on a given night. With the Rays next, you should feel pretty good about it.

Antonio Senzatela @ NYM (L) – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 67 pitches.

On first glance, this looks fine, but when you realize it’s just four frames, you’ll see that this start, like the goggles, does nothing. Streaming Record: 36-17. This may be the only time I trust Senz-a all year — it’s the most ideal circumstance! — and he couldn’t pull it out. Of course he couldn’t.

Kolby Allard @ SEA (L) – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 57 pitches.

It was the first start of Dralla’s season and I guess this is good. For him. For you? Nah, this doesn’t do a whole lot of anything, like this stress ball on my desk. Why did I purchase you.

Stephen Strasburg vs CIN (L) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 87 pitches.

Soooo he’s still at 91.8 mph on his fastball, and I’m worried. The worse heater forced him to throw over 1/3 curveballs, though they were super effective at a 42% CSW. I’m not sure I have the confidence to rely on Stras against Atlanta right now with this meh of a heater + struggles with his changeup (1/5 CSW!). That’s where we’re at.

Jordan Montgomery vs TOR (ND) – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 1 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 16% CSW, 73 pitches.

It was far from a solid matchup and sadly The Bear wasn’t able to bring his A-game to match it. His previously superb hook earned just 22% CSW while his changeup and sinker didn’t do a whole lot better, propelling a horrid 16% CSW and just one strikeout. One strikeout?! HAISTFMFWT?! I don’t know random person, I DON’T KNOW. He should be fine against the Rays next time out, he’ll snap out of it.

Tyler Anderson vs CHC (L) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 88 pitches.

Save for enduring one of the most ridiculous of plays that I still can’t wrap my head around, Anderson had a decent day on the bump — something he desperately needed after the shellacking he received last time out. He gets the Royals and that’s not a terrible deep stream. He really didn’t have his changeup in this one, though. Seriously, it went 0/8 CSW. That should return next time.

Kyle Hendricks @ PIT (W) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 83 pitches.

Sure, it’s not ideal against the Pirates, but alright. His curveball still isn’t the pitch we saw last season, but at least his changeup has picked up its slack across his last four starts. It’s a debatable sit for me against the Padres next, but at least he’s made it a tough call now.

Matthew Boyd vs CLE (L) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 102 pitches.

Ouch. He relied on his slider heavily and went just 4/28 CSW for an atrocious 14% clip. I think that tells the tale and has been the narrative I’ve discussed this season as I just can’t be a Boyd Boy again until that slider returns. Go and get her/him/them, Boyd, and become a Boyd Man. We all know you can. He gets the Brewers + Mariners next so I’d still hold on here.

Robbie Ray @ NYY (L) – 4.2 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 80 pitches.

Blegh. He allowed a two-run shot to Aaron Judge and didn’t have the same command of his fastball, acting like an Aussie as he was featuring it in the bottom third of the zone instead of the top third (I’m so sorry for that one). It’s the first hiccup I’ve seen from Ray in regards to his fastball command since he made the shift in his third start of the season and while it could be him sliding out of rhythm, it’s too small a sample to suddenly suggest his magical days are over. I’m still in, especially with Miami next.

Alex Wood @ LAD (L) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 83 pitches.

Sooo that ERA ain’t pretty but a 1.00 WHIP and eight strikeouts? Yeah, that’s still really good — not everything is wins and ERA. His slider is still solid and the sinker sat 92 mph. The schedule is easier now and you should keep drifting with Wood.

 

Game of the Day

 

Dinelson Lamet vs Framber Valdez – Dinelson is starting and that’s always fun + Framber has returned. Let’s hope we get more than seven innings combined.

 

But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.

 

Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Aaron Polcare