Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Saturday 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.
Rich Hill (BOS) vs TB (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 11 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 40% CSW, 95 pitches.
Doing the morning streaming articles, I had to constantly update Rich Hill throughout the last week as he would be the expected pitcher…and then get scratched repeatedly. We finally saw the veteran southpaw toss against the Rays and I had zero expectations for a lengthy start, let alone a productive one for fantasy managers, and boy was I wrong: 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 11 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 40% CSW, 95 pitches. Yeah. Astounding.
That’s a King Cole for those counting at home, as Hill brought out cutters and sliders to match with the standard four-seamer and curve. H*ck, Statcast has seven different pitches listed, including sinker, change, and slow curve as well (66.9 mph!), as Hill maneuvered his way through the Rays lineup with one of the hardest four-seamers he’s had all year at 89.4 mph velocity. It’s as if he needed to show Boston (and all of us, really) that he still had something left in the tank.
You’ve made your point Richard, the question is whether this start outlines more success against the Rangers next. I’m fine taking the chance – four-seamers were placed well here, after all – and it could be one of those “ride through September” stretches that we forget about as soon as November hits. Let’s run with it once more. For old-time’s sake.
For those unaware of Rh Factors, my late grandfather was part of the team of doctors who developed RhoGam to fight Rh disease. You can read more about it here.
Let’s see how every other SP did Saturday:
Adam Oller (OAK) vs NYY (ND) – 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 88 pitches.
Oh come on. Seriously?! One hit in eight frames?! Yeah no, this is a Birthday Party and I can’t accept Adam being a thing now. Don’t chase it against the Orioles unless you’re desperate.
Domingo Germán (NYY) @ OAK (ND) – 7.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 79 pitches.
He was the other optional streamer behind Peterson, and Domingo had it working, albeit all in the same quadrant – down-and-armside inside the zone. There’s another level to unlock with his heater and changeup, but the 43% CSW curveball is still intact and I’d hold for the Rays up next. Those ratios are very not him, though – manage your expectations.
Shohei Ohtani (LAA) @ TOR (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 109 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. No stomach bug this time and Ohtani dominated with his slider per usual. He’s getting better with his four-seamer as well and I truly regret how wrong I was about Ohtani entering this season. I saw 2021 as the “ceiling” and we’ve hit last year’s marks and then some. What a stud.
Kyle Gibson (PHI) vs PIT (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 103 pitches.
You know Gibson, I feel like we don’t appreciate you enough. You take advantage of the good matchups as you should, and so what if you labor against good teams. You make it easy for us.
Brandon Woodruff (MIL) vs CHC (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 10 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 37% CSW, 97 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. The four-seamer is cooking and it means we’re all feasting.
Drew Smyly (CHC) @ MIL (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 86 pitches.
Another quarter has been put into this ride as the BSB is still alive. He failed to get enough curveballs below the zone, leading to just two strikeouts, but BABIP was in his favor and life is good. He still has 93.6 mph velocity and y’all should be thrilled about that. Now is the real test: St. Louis. You can say no to that and still hold on if you want.
David Peterson (NYM) vs COL (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 102 pitches.
Ayyyyy, my cheating of The List last week hopefully helped you out, enticing you to pick up Peterson for this start. The slider was fantastic and huge props to him for getting through the sixth frame – I expected him to get pulled after allowing a one-out single. The Nationals are next and he should be added in your 12-teamers.
Alex Cobb (SF) @ MIN (ND) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 99 pitches.
Sorry Wood, we needed your sacrifice to make this Cobb start work. He had his splitter working in this one (YES!) and the command was as good as you could possibly hope for. I think you’re safe for the Phils next.
Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs LAD (W) – 9.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 10 Ks – 19 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 111 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. This was the start that earned Alcantara the Cy Young. He needed to take down his personal demons and soar above all.
Dean Kremer (BAL) @ HOU (W) – 7.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 96 pitches.
The Dean MACHINE. It’s weird, I’m still not enamored, but I respect his cutter command a great deal, which led to a whole lot of outs and the ability to go into the eighth against the Astros. The four-seamer velocity is down, though, and that sinker…got a bit lucky. But hey, it’s Oakland on the horizon, so let’s keep it going.
Alek Manoah (TOR) vs LAA (L) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 105 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. I was excited about the slider whiffs returning last time and they disappeared here (just 10% CSW!) but earned a ton of foul balls and outs and we can’t be upset about that. And now it’s the Pirates?! What a lovely day that’ll be.
Luis Castillo (SEA) vs CLE (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 10 Ks – 21 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 115 pitches.
Aces gonna ace and earn a Gallows Pole. I love watching Castillo dominate with heaters, just imagine if his changeup was better than 3/24 whiffs…
Eduardo Rodriguez (DET) @ TEX (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 78 pitches.
There’s a Dusty Donut for ya. I think you’re okay against the Mariners + Angels next, but boy is he not the guy we wanted him to be in April. You may even want to bench Eduardo just for that Seattle start if you need to be cautious.
Sonny Gray (MIN) vs SF (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 90 pitches.
Ehhhhh, it’s all helpful, just that 4:4 K:BB rate is like the brown bruise of a banana that you know doesn’t matter but you don’t feel great about it. I guess you keep going against the White Sox.
Luis Cessa (CIN) @ WSH (ND) – 4.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 57 pitches.
I kinda dream there was someone who constantly wished I took Luis seriously. Come on Nick! Put him on The List! I’d get this DM after each appearance and start he’d throw. Why? Because it would be InCessant.
Dustin May (LAD) @ MIA (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 86 pitches.
Hmmmmm. The heater wasn’t nearly as good as we saw in his return and while I’m still very in on Dustin, I wonder how the rest of the month will shape up. When will the command arrive in full?
Kyle Freeland (COL) @ NYM (L) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 95 pitches.
Huh. Nice job Freeland. Still…[insert Colorado blurb]. You know the one.
Zach Plesac (CLE) @ SEA (W) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 95 pitches.
Solid stuff from Plesac, who flipped the script and dominated more with changeups than sliders. He’ll face Seattle a second time and that’s a coin flip.
Yu Darvish (SD) @ KC (W) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 102 pitches.
Aces gonna go seven frames once again and make you love him for it. It’s interesting to see Darvish settling more as a “better than Toby” pitcher as he’s carrying just a 24.6% strikeout rate for the season, but I’ll take massive IP volume with a 3.41 ERA and 0.99 WHIP all day of the week over the slightly fewer punchouts.
Paolo Espino (WSH) vs CIN (L) – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 89 pitches.
I waited so long for this. For…a bad ERA, bad WHIP, a Loss, and four strikeouts. NOOOOOOOOO
José Urquidy (HOU) vs BAL (L) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 102 pitches.
Oh. The 50%+ four-seamer hath returned. And just 3/39 whiffs on his secondaries, with only the slider sitting above a 19% CSW. Sigh. He’s gotta get those pitches down, dangit. The four-seamer is doing its part super well.
Merrill Kelly (ARI) @ CWS (W) – 7.1 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 99 pitches.
That’s a Dusty Donut with just one ER more than you’re okay with (Careful, Icarus), but whatever, he’s still rolling and I’m amazed how long this was kept up. I wonder if people are gonna draft him next year inside the Top 300. You have to think so, right? I mean, I’m not – Dodgers are the first series, after all – but I can see it.
Charlie Morton (ATL) @ STL (ND) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 93 pitches.
Ugggggh. Stupid Cardinals being all hot n whatnot. The Marlins are some welcome respite.
Daniel Lynch (KC) vs SD (L) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 9 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 91 pitches.
Nope, not there yet. He’ll flash promise every start until he can stop fighting with himself and actually put pitches where he wants to. He’s a fun sleeper pick for next year because of it – who knows, maybe he can make that tweak over the off-season.
Davis Martin (CWS) vs ARI (L) – 3.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 63 pitches.
Naaaah. But at least it beats Dallas down below.
Jeffrey Springs (TB) @ BOS (L) – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 86 pitches.
Hmmmm. It was a tough first frame for Springs, but he settled down nicely thereafter and I generally dig his arsenal, stiff. The Yankees are another challenge, though I think I let him loose there, too.
Jordan Montgomery (STL) vs ATL (ND) – 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 8 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 85 pitches.
Ahhhh, so he is mortal. The fastballs weren’t nearly as effective as they were against the easier offenses and it was his downfall here. Don’t get yourself down, he’ll get the Cubs again next start, and as long as he has decent four-seamer command there, it’ll be sunshine and rainbows once again for The Bear.
Tyler Beede (PIT) @ PHI (L) – 3.0 IP, 6 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 74 pitches.
Okay okay, I get it. He’s a Frozen Banana and I was too optimistic. Yeesh.
Dallas Keuchel (TEX) vs DET (L) – 5.1 IP, 7 ER, 11 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 96 pitches.
Oh Dallas. We won’t forget the seasons you had.
Game of the Day
Clarke Schmidt vs. Adrian Martinez – I wonder how these young arms will perform – they both have some intriguing upside to them.
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 Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)
in the late seventies, I worked at the Columbia -Presbyterian Hospital where Dr. Gorman was director. In the three years I worked there to help pay for school I met him only once. A native of Australia if I remember correctly, he was always travelling around the world lecturing. Students worked the overnight shift cross matching blood for emergency transfusions. I doled out hundreds of Rho -Gam units in my three years probably making a fortune for your grandfather and Dr. Gorman. I remember one night having to track Dr Gorman down, waking him up in a Paris hotel room, for permission to hand out a unit of blood that was not perfectly cross matched. Much later in life my wife received Rho=Gam during the birth of my second and third children. Millions of mothers, fathers and their healthy children are indebted to great men like your grandfather and Dr. Gorman.
PS, i love this site, particularly your stuff.