Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Monday game. I apologize for the jokes written in my delirium in advance. Have questions? Ask me during my office hours on Twitch weekday mornings from 9 am-11 am ET.
Joe Ryan (MIN) vs KC (W) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 80 pitches.
I’m not exactly sure what to make out of Joe Ryan. His 2022 hasn’t been a disaster by any means, but I haven’t seen the development I’ve been hoping for either, expressed well in tonight’s Win against the Royals via 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 80 pitches.
You see, Ryan tossed just nine sliders in this entire start. His four-seamer pounded the zone plenty for a 70% strike rate and relied on his changeup to keep batters honest and it was fine. Is that changeup and its 80% strike rate & 39% CSW the answer to stability? I don’t think so – the change is okay, but nothing special.
And that’s really the problem. We all know Ryan has a plus four-seamer, but the slider hasn’t become a sturdy #2, with Ryan now going to something else on his belt to find proper support for his heater. I’m glad it worked in this one – against the Royals – and I’m not confident it’s enough for the final seven weeks. You should be fine starting him against the Rangers next week, but consider him almost like a Toby as long as his heater is without a true companion.
Let’s see how every other SP did Monday:
Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs SD (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 108 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. He held a 32%+ CSW on his change, four-seamer, and slider, and let’s be honest – if he didn’t go seven frames, we’d be in a fury. What a man.
Julio Urías (LAD) @ MIL (W) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 94 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. The four-seamer was back to 94.4 mph and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it. I wish he were a touch more pitch-efficient, though, like good ole Sandy above.
Marcus Stroman (CHC) @ WSH (ND) – 4.2 IP, 0 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 94 pitches.
Stroman’s fifth frame began with an error and never seemed to end, bouncing Stroman out of the game with two unearned runs to his name, which became four a batter later. Despite the 0 ER, it’s still disappointing to see Stro knocked out before the end of the fifth, resulting in two straight disappointing starts versus Natty Lite. Brush it off, he has a cushy rest of season schedule pitching in the NL Central, and Stroman is sure to help you out more than hurt.
Jalen Beeks (TB) @ NYY (ND) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 37% CSW, 19 pitches.
Beeks opened for Ryan Yarbrough, who cruised to the tune of 4.0 IP, 3 Hits, 0 ER, 0 BBs, 6 Ks and a Win. Sure, the Yanks are in a legit funk, but The Fratty Pirate did come through in a major way with his cutter and curve. There may be something to this and could be worth the deep stream against the Royals next for a possible cheap win.
Johnny Cueto (CWS) vs HOU (W) – 8.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 100 pitches.
Why did I ever question the Cueto magic? Like flirtatiously adding extra letters to a text greeting, WHY WHY WHY.
José Urquidy (HOU) @ CWS (ND) – 7.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 94 pitches.
Ahhhhh, it’s good to see Urquidy back to the old ways of using his secondary pitches. Gone are the 50%+ four-seamers, let’s regale the return of 38% fastball usage with 46% breakers. PLAY THE TRUMPETS! For real, though, I’m stoked to see him turn to his full arsenal again. Waaaay better this way.
Alex Cobb (SF) vs ARI (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 96 pitches.
The splitter was far from sparkling with just 17% CSW and 4/46 whiffs, but it earned outs while the sinker earned a bevy of called strikes – much needed as the curve held a paltry 36% strike rate. Not the best start to have right before a date in Coors – it’s okay, you can drop Cobb. You don’t need to hold through it.
Aaron Civale (CLE) vs DET (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 10 Ks – 18 Whiffs, 45% CSW, 82 pitches.
Oh hey, that’s a Golden Goal for Civale as he took full advantage of his date with the Tigers. Simply put, the curveball was NASTY, earning 64% CSW and 11/36 whiffs, earning most of his strikeouts on the hook. It was glorious. It was also, I repeat, the Tigers. Let’s not get carried away here. I hope he can go two-thirds cutter + curve for the foreseeable future.
Glenn Otto (TEX) vs OAK (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 6 BBs, 1 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 90 pitches.
Soooo that’s a Win and a low ERA, so we’re cool with this but six walks?! Just one strikeout?! HAISTBMBWT?! Yeah, you don’t need me to tell you to avoid this. He’s kinda close with some high heaters and low curves, but it’s far too chaotic without good enough stuff.
Gerrit Cole (NYY) vs TB (L) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 104 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. Cole did his best to get the Yankees back on track but he wasn’t quite able to turn it up to 11, you know? So it goes.
Drew Hutchison (DET) @ CLE (ND) – 5.1 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 101 pitches.
Before y’all start sending me letters that Hutch has allowed just 7 ER total across his last four games, take a look at that WHIP and remember it was massive in his last two outings as well. Don’t Startsky Hutch.
Spencer Strider (ATL) vs NYM (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 87 pitches.
Not even a rain delay could stop Strider as he “proved his point” of bad luck in his last start. To be fair, he didn’t command his heater any better in this one, so there’s actually some truth to the whole luck thing…except he may have gotten fortunate this time around, instead. Annnnyway, I’m glad he survived, even without the major strikeout production, and let’s hope the slider gets more strikes against the Astros next time.
Freddy Peralta (MIL) vs LAD (L) – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 92 pitches.
Blegh. This one was a tough call given Peralta’s limited pitch count prior to & facing the Dodgers, and while I’m happy to see him at 92 pitches (it means little reservation moving forward), I dislike seeing the need for so many pitches across just twelve outs. His heater was as erratic as I’ve ever seen and not even an improved strike rate on his breakers could nullify it. But have no fear, he should fare better against the Cubs over the weekend.
Shohei Ohtani (LAA) vs SEA (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 97 pitches.
Aces gonna ace and oddly turn away from his slider (just 24% thrown) in favor of 97 mph heaters – his worst pitch of the bunch. Well, it worked in this one with a 37% CSW so what do I know and I respect Ohtani a whole lot for changing his pitch mix to figure out a way to be successful without his best pitch. It isn’t an easy thing to do.
Luis Castillo (SEA) @ LAA (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 109 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. The slider wasn’t nearly the same as it was against the Yankees, but the four-seamer is putting in some legit work and the changeup is looking solid once again. Things are good.
James Kaprielian (OAK) @ TEX (L) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 94 pitches.
Ayyyy it worked! Jimmy Hat came through against the Rangers for a decent ERA with five strikeouts, though I can’t say I truly dug what the man was doing with his heater and breakers. Sure, he got sliders and curves over the plate, but everything seems awfully hittable. I don’t want to trust this against the Mariners.
Noah Syndergaard (PHI) @ CIN (W) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 77 pitches.
Yeah, I’ll take a decent ERA and a low(ish) WHIP from Thor. Honestly, this is kinda what you’re hoping for given his high BABIP tendencies, soooo yay?
Bryan Garcia (DET) @ CLE (W) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 88 pitches.
Hey, that’s pretty dang good from Garcia and his 92 mph heater + decent slider. I’m not sure we’ll see him again though, and even if we do…
Joe Musgrove (SD) @ MIA (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 112 pitches.
Aces gonna be mediocre. Hmmm, I may have been unwise to leave Musgrove inside the second tier today on The List. His slider hasn’t been itself as of late, and while the curve returned 40% CSW here, without the slider also doing wonderful things, it makes him more susceptible to a start like this against a terrible offense. Sure, a PQS and a 1.33 WHIP isn’t the worst thing, but we expect much more.
Josiah Gray (WSH) vs CHC (ND) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 10 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 105 pitches.
Hot dang, look at you! Sure, it’s a PQS that hurts in standard leagues, but ten strikeouts, now that plays anywhere. He did a fantastic job with the slider and curve down-and-armside and it’s games like these that make you wonder what could happen if Josiah finds legit command in his four-seamer. Sigh. He’s still a Cherry Bomb, sadly, which makes for a difficult decision against the Padres ahead.
Xzavion Curry (CLE) vs DET (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 72 pitches.
Ummmm, I’m not just in love with his name, but also that first-inning breaker. Ooooof it has some lovely action on it. I also dig his heater sitting upstairs and seemingly getting to the mitt faster than the 93 mph on the gun, and it makes me wonder if there’s something here with more polish + time to develop. He needs to figure out the slightly violent mechanics though, as it’s a little too quick and led to a fair amount of his poor locations, in my opinion. Regardless, this was a fun surprise today.
Kyle Bradish (BAL) @ TOR (ND) – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 4 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 96 pitches.
Bradish’s slider looked solid at times, but sadly it was awfully wild + the fastball is still too dang blegh. Not yet.
Yusei Kikuchi (TOR) vs BAL (L) – 3.1 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 80 pitches.
You gave up on Kikuchi a while ago, right? Cool. Look at you, being so smart.
Carlos Carrasco (NYM) @ ATL (L) – 2.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 51 pitches.
Bad news: Carrasco left this one with a side injury. I hope he’s alright, but we may be seeing more David Peterson in the near future – up to you if you want to trust him in the doubleheader against Philly this Saturday.
Kris Bubic (KC) @ MIN (L) – 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 10 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 94 pitches.
So here’s the thing. Bubic is still showcasing increased velocity (92.6 mph is great!), but his command of the four-seamer, change, and curve is out of whack with some moments of bliss. It’s a tough gamble against the Rays next time, but there’s a better chance than usual with that new velocity. Something to consider in AL-Only leagues.
Mike Minor (CIN) vs PHI (L) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 10 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 105 pitches.
I’ll take “seasons that people are completely ignoring and for good reason” for $200.
Madison Bumgarner (ARI) @ SF (ND) – 5.2 IP, 6 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 95 pitches.
Yeaaaaah, we’re done here. Now more strolling down Madison Ave. We are not Mad Men.
Game of the Day
Justin Verlander vs. Dylan Cease – Cease is the only one who can hold a candle to Verlander’s run. This should be fun.
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)