Trevor Long

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.  

Trevor Rogers vs PHI (L) – 1.2 IP, 7 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 63 pitches.

It’s been an April of many Top 40 pitchers not quite performing as we’d hoped and Trevor Rogers certainly gets added to the (unfortunate) list after his ghastly 1.2 IP, 7 ER, 4 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 63 pitches against the Phillies yesterday. Yeeeesh. It felt like the Phillies were on every pitch Rogers threw, and there was some speculation about pitch tipping that ultimately could be the reason for this disaster. His strikezone plot shows a pitcher living around the edges instead of constant mistakes and I implore y’all to truly think whether this was a poor outing if I hadn’t told you otherwise. HA! That wasn’t yesterday’s strikezone plot, but of a dominant game from last year. Really? Nah, just messing with you again, that was yesterday. See? Wasn’t nearly as bad as the line suggests.

Shenanigans aside, this stinks. 0/12 CSW on changeups is so not the Rogers way and we’re still antsy to see him replicate his 2021 first half. Considering his slider was better in this one + his fastball wasn’t chaotic, nor was the velocity down…yeah, I’m willing to chalk this one up to That’s Baseball, Suzyn. Look y’all, this stuff happens and it’s amplified immensely during the season’s April gestation period. You shouldn’t be doing anything with Rogers except sending him wonderful words of encouragement and all positive vibes during this tough time. You should be with Trevor for the long haul.

 

Let’s see how every other SP did Saturday:

 

Justin Verlander @ SEA (W) – 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 8 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 37% CSW, 87 pitches.

Some days it’s nice to just sit back and watch a veteran perform his craft. I won’t give him the AGA label yet, but we all know he deserves it after this co-share of the Gallows Pole. Force us next time, Verlander.

Tanner Houck vs MIN (W) – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 89 pitches.

Huh. Kinda weird to see Houck look like a Toby eh? His slider went just 2/27 whiffs, which is all kinds of weird, and he’s still figuring himself out in the rotation. It’ll come. I can’t help but be a little scared for his date with the Blue Jays next time out, but I think we have to roll the dice and hope for the best.

Carlos Carrasco vs ARI (ND) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 17 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 82 pitches.

Ohhhh snap. The slider had maybe one or two moments of bliss among a whole lot of blegh, but hot dang that changeup was filthy. 10/23 whiffs and it allowed Carrasco to soar against the Sneks. I’m not sure the pitch will be consistent quite yet and if the slider doesn’t catch up, there could be some problems against the Giants next. But enjoy this share of the Gallows Pole and I totally understand everyone taking a shot on Carrasco until something breaks.

Julio Urías vs CIN (ND) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 65 pitches.

DidYouPutYourNameInTheGobletOfFire AreYouThrowing95mphAgain?! 92.3 mph. Oh no. Ohhhhh no no no. That’s three straight games of it including his final tune-up before the start of the year and yeah, that’s a huge problem. I’m glad he performed well, but this wasn’t a day of precision, either, and I’m so conflicted. I want to drop him on The List a good amount, but I also need to recognize that guys ramp up through the year, correct mistakes, etc. I can’t rule out that Urías adjusts and looks pristine by May. It is awfully terrifying though, and that does deserve weight. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.

Michael Kopech vs TB (ND) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 75 pitches.

Hey alright! He still has some kinks to iron out with his fastball command, but I was impressed by his ability to feature his curveball in the zone for strikes + incredible precision glove-side and down with his slider. I wonder if this is something that will properly develop through the year or if we have a Cherry Bomb in our hands. Let’s hope for the former.

Zac Gallen @ NYM (ND) – 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 66 pitches.

You’re back! We’ve missed you. Sadly, the stuff wasn’t nearly as good as we hoped — four-seamer didn’t have the increased tick in velocity, his curve and cutter returned sub 20% CSW, etc. — but hey, you’re starting and now you’ll be around 75 pitches or so next time out against the Nationals. Sounds good to me.

Tyler Wells vs NYY (ND) – 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 64 pitches.

He’s a weird one. Wells emphasized not just heaters but changeups high in the zone, while turning to the slider down..ish. I can’t say I was blown away watching this from Wells, but he does get the Athletics next…eh. At just 75 pitches and with a risk of a surprise offense outburst from Oakland, Wells will have to wait another day for me to toss my coin to him.

Steven Matz @ MIL (W) – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 77 pitches.

Ah, there’s the Matz that gets us to keep coming back. You’re likely going to get what you paid for if you stick with it through the year, just don’t hold too tight if it goes south for weeks.

Kris Bubic vs DET (ND) – 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 6 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 89 pitches.

Oh Bubic, you are a perfect example of a Frozen Banana. I hope you figure it out.

Matt Manning @ KC (ND) – 2.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 38 pitches.

He left this one with shoulder discomfort, which isn’t much of a surprise as he sat 92.9 mph in this one. Poor guy, it just hasn’t gone his way in the majors.

Adrian Houser vs STL (L) – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 97 pitches.

Sure, I’ll take that if I streamed Houser. Which I absolutely didn’t, but if I did, this would be fine. His stuff isn’t doing anything to excite, though, so we move on.

Antonio Senzatela vs CHC (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 86 pitches.

A 1.40 WHIP with 1 ER and two strikeouts in Coors. That’s the Senz-A way.

Ian Anderson @ SD (W) – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 89 pitches.

Oh thank Blevins. Not only did Anderson throw fastballs plenty more in the zone, he actually got his changeup down. What a wondrous day this is. The curveball went 9/13 strikes as well and this is it. This is the Anderson I’ve been dreaming of. Now the question is if it was a Birthday Party or something legit that we’re going to see consistently. I have a bad feeling he relapses next time, but one can hope.

Sonny Gray @ BOS (L) – 1.2 IP, 2 ER, 1 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 31 pitches.

Gray left this game with a hamstring injury and was placed on the IL this morning. Bummer.

Bryse Wilson vs WSH (ND) – 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 77 pitches.

I wonder if we’ll actually have a moment where Bryse will deserve our attention this year. That one day where we act like Tom Hanks throwing FAAB at Bryse shouting his name with slightly perturbing emotion.

Anthony DeSclafani @ CLE (ND) – 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 64 pitches.

I mean, okay? It happened. I’m upset to see just 64 pitches, but this feels like a start we completely forget. What am I even talking about?

Jameson Taillon @ BAL (ND) – 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 69 pitches.

Ehhhhhhh this is a whole lot of nothin’. I’m not seeing the whiffs that I’m chasing on his slider and curveball (2/30!) but at least they’re earning strikes. The major surprise here is Taillon failing to earn a single whiff on his four-seamer. That’s wild. He simply didn’t elevate it like he normally does. Now that he’s around 70 pitches, you can imagine him comfortably going through five against the Guardians, so yeah that’s fine with me.

Paul Blackburn @ TOR (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 73 pitches.

Ayyyy he survived the Jays! His sinker landed inside to right-handers constantly, resulting in outs or some very generous strike calls, while his changeup and curve were good enough against lefties. I’m still torn about Blackburn here: I see him essentially as a Toby but if you want to Vargas Rule this against the Orioles next week, by all Johns means, go for it.

Cal Quantrill vs SF (ND) – 4.2 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 91 pitches.

Watching Quantrill vs. Tony Disco was pretty entertaining — I was acting the same way I do when a pop star puts out two singles that are literally the same song (I’M LOOKING AT YOU GAYLE). As for Cal, he’s doing the same ole schtick but needed 91 pitches to come up short of five frames. He’s a Toby y’all.

Corey Kluber @ CWS (ND) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 75 pitches.

Yeah, that’s cool with me against the ChiSox. I’m thrilled to see the cutter still doing great things at 42% CSW, but the sinker? It’s down to 88.1 mph now and I’m kinda worried. I was hoping for 91/92 mph last year and we got 90 mph. Now we’re down to 88 — one more tick and we’ll never make it back to the future. Now he gets the Sawx and despite the cutter, it’s not enough for me to trust him there.

Ranger Suárez @ MIA (W) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 78 pitches.

He allowed a MONSTER shot to Jorge Soler (not on a fastball) and didn’t have his best sinker command. This is kinda what we expected…right? I imagine Suárez will find a legit groove at some point, but yeah, the idea he flirts with a 3.00 ERA or something like that is not what you should have signed up for. He’s a Toby but with a touch more upside on a winning team. That’s fine.

Hunter Greene @ LAD (L) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 16 Whiffs, 39% CSW, 80 pitches.

Whoa. I really could be undervaluing that heater from Greene, which is pretty hilarious given it averaged 100.2 mph in this one. I’m thrilled he was able to live a lot more around the zone in this one, but it still has that feeling of “Here, hit it” instead of actually pitching with command and I can’t get the thought out of my head. Meanwhile, the slider that impressed me last time out went just 50% strikes and despite the Golden Goal fueled by heaters, the issues are still mostly present. But hey, I could very well look like a massive doofus after my lack of enthusiasm for Greene two weeks ago (maybe I already do?) and to be completely Grimes, that’s fine with me. The world needs more dope 100 mph starting pitchers.

Noah Syndergaard @ TEX (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 82 pitches.

The dude keeps surviving and all we can do is keep starting him. Is the fastball fast? Nah. Is the slider whiffing? Nope. But the change is whiffing — 6/22 — and the curveball went 9/13 strikes. That’s cool and gives him a shot for this type of performance every start. I’d so be selling high, though. He’s Thor only in name at this point.

Chris Flexen vs HOU (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 72 pitches.

A PQS against the Astros ain’t so bad, but y’all know not to chase Flexen. There’s little point in 12-teamers.

Josh Rogers @ PIT (L) – 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 76 pitches.

It’s the wrong Rogers! Well, it’s spelled differently. And despite the line, he was kinda the…right Rogers…?? Nah, this is silly and I’m going to stop now. Cool.

Taylor Hearn vs LAA (L) – 3.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 82 pitches.

It’s not what you want. Hearn is a streaming option at best. This wasn’t it.

Nick Martinez vs ATL (L) – 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 7 Hits, 4 BBs, 3 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 80 pitches.

Nooooo. He allowed a trio of longballs to Atlanta struggled to find the zone with, well, everything, and it was a tough day at the park. Am I a man excited for Martinez as a solid back-end guy through the year? Absolutely. Do I feel that he’s worth stashing through the Dodgers next week? Not particularly. If there’s something enticing on the wire, go for it. I don’t imagine Martinez will be snatched up quickly in your league.

Hyun Jin Ryu vs OAK (ND) – 4.0 IP, 5 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 1 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 53 pitches.

Hey y’all. Nick here. You see this line. You know what’s up. He’s rostered in 80% of leagues right now. Please don’t let that be you.

Mark Leiter Jr. @ COL (L) – 3.1 IP, 7 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 74 pitches.

He sat just 90.8 mph in this one. It’s weird to see a Leiter without any gas. AND THAT’S THE ROUNDUP, ENJOY YOUR SUNDAY!

 

Game of the Day 

Aaron Ashby vs. St. Louis Cardinals – Ashby is getting his crack at the rotation and I’m excited to see if he can demand indefinite residency.

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 livestream! I answer all questions there for free: 9:00 am – 11:00 am ET Monday through Friday.

Photo by Ed Vill | Adapted by Justin Paradis (JustParaDesigns on Twitter)