Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article, where I rank each starting player’s performance at each Tuesday game. I apologize in advance for the jokes written in my delirium. Have questions? Ask me during my office hours on Twitch weekday mornings from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET.
Tyler Glasnow (TB) vs. BAL (L) – 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 6 hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 whiffs, 33% CSW, 85 pitches.
What is wrong with Tyler Glasnow? After a tough performance against the Athletics, he threw another clunker against the Orioles today and returned 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 6 hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 whiffs, 33% CSW, 85 pitches for fantasy executives who have patiently endured eight weeks without Glasnow on their rosters. Is that it? Has Glasnow turned into one? cherry bomb and his ace ambitions are gone?
It’s possible, but probably not. The four-seater did what it was supposed to do with consistent height within the zone, while the slider had a 67% hit rate. Sure, the curve wasn’t reliable at only 6/14 strikes, but a two-pitch Glasnow with a lot of strikes generally performs far better than 6 ER in less than five frames. So what are you saying the Orioles had his number for some reason and that’s it? …Yes? Sure you want more than five fastball throws and the curve should be better going forward, but honestly this was a bad day which I don’t think Glasnow threw as badly as the line suggests. Keep going with him and shop cheap if you can, although I’ll have to remove the AGA label for now. I’m sorry Bucko, I believe in you, it’s just that.
Let’s see how every other SP did on Tuesday:
Marcus Stroman (CHC) @ PIT (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 9 whiffs, 28% CSW, 98 pitches.
The guy can’t be stopped. Nick, it was the pirates. Sure, but you also have to defeat them, you know? Like Mauer’s non-double in the playoffs, that’s fair.
Daniel Lynch (KC) @ DET (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 11 whiffs, 24% CSW, 78 pitches.
There is your plain text gold star for the night, even though Lynch only managed two strikeouts in seven frames. He’s really a four seater/change guy now, throwing only 10 breaker total while the changeup happened 36% of the time. What’s odd is the high CSW of 36% despite a very questionable dominance on the field (at least he got it down the arm, but he can’t get it down), and I can’t imagine Lynch alone with Ball can consistently heat up and produce slower performance. This isn’t the ticket to a breakout campaign.
Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. TOR (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks – 19 whiffs, 38% CSW, 80 pitches.
Ohhhhhh baby! Get a load of his four seamer and slider positions, that’s perfection and everything I could have hoped for from Eury when he became a major league player. Even better, there’s still room for growth on his move, even if he’s only 5/12 points away. The boy is a real bargain and I’m sad that he won’t be around at some point this year. I wonder where he goes in the 2024 drafts…
Yusei Kikuchi (TOR) @ MIA (ND) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 8 whiffs, 25% CSW, 87 pitches.
Yesssss. So the curve could earn strikes again? Well, not really. It only returned 9/20 strikes… but the slider! That shattered the zone with a 76% hit rate while the four-seater cleaned up with a 36% CSW. Yes, but I figured the breakers in the zone were key. They are. So how am I supposed to feel? A little Blame it on the Marlins and Maybe Kikuchi is still pretty good. Look, athletics is next and that’s not enough to bench him, okay? Fine, we let it go, let it go
Reid Detmers (LAA) vs. LAD (ND) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 11 whiffs, 26% CSW, 98 pitches.
WHAT. Despite picking up the Rangers and Dodgers, Detmers thrived and now it’s hard to deny him as a clear mover. I still see some of the same flaws we saw before – floating sliders, questionable heaters, and a curve that’s not quite as reliable as we’d like – but sometimes you have to accept success and match an opponent against it White socks. We hope this is real. JACKSON! Get my DETMERS bobblehead out of the closet!
Clayton Kershaw (LAD) @ LAA (W) – 7.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 whiffs, 19% CSW, 103 pitches.
View TATIAGA go and pull off a win despite only having 19% CSW and some shaky breakball commands. The vet knows how to rig a start if it’s not working perfectly.
Cutter Crawford (BOS) @ MIN (W) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 6 hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 whiffs, 32% CSW, 77 pitches.
gasping. I KNOW. Crawford is a PLV favorite as his four seamer rating is as high as any SP out there and the pitch came through at 39% CSW tonight but when I saw the turn woke up a bit and cutters for strikes were, I raised an eyebrow too. There’s potential here, and once he turns one of his curves or sliders (this pitch needs some work) into a pitch with over 25% usage, it’s going to be fun. That’s a decent sized IF, and if there’s one situation where breakers take the spotlight, it’s as RHP against the White Sox. What’s his next launch? … You can’t be serious. Get your jacket, we’re going to Chicago.
Ken Waldichuk (OAK) @ CLE (ND) – 1.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 whiffs, 37% CSW, 27 pitches.
Waldi (the off-brand Waldo) was found today as the opening speaker Luis Medina, who did everything you asked with 4.1 IP from 1 ER, five baserunners and four strikeouts. He almost would have won too, if it weren’t for those interfering helpers. It’s an exciting piece for when you’re in dire need of some production and are careful not to use it often.
Gerrit Cole (NYY) vs SEA (W) – 7.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 20 whiffs, 34% CSW, 105 pitches.
Aces become aces. Guess what? He eventually pushed the slider down and it dominated for 7/28 whiffs (25% SwStr rate!) and 36% CSW. This is the Cole we know and love. It’s about time.
Jordan Montgomery (STL) @ WSH (W) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 9 whiffs, 24% CSW, 94 pitches.
Hey, that’s another productive outing from The bear And that’s shocking, since both his change and his curve both give 25% CSW or worse. He mastered his fastballs well and avoided the heart of the plate, and the Nationals ate it up. Good for you JorMont, keep it up.
Ranger Suárez (PHI) vs. ATL (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 whiffs, 29% CSW, 99 pitches.
Okay, I love that. Suárez was on tour and I had a clash here against Atlanta, so despite his clear rhythm he ended up in the third division. I should have had more faith, Ranger. With NYM + WSN + @MIA next up, there’s no excuse to hold him back at this point.
Spencer Strider (ATL) @ PHI (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 8 hits, 0 BBs, 9 Ks – 22 whiffs, 33% CSW, 103 pitches.
Aces become aces. What, did you expect him to keep failing despite rocking a stupid good fastball and slider? Start with your studs.
Michael Lorenzen (DET) vs. KC (L) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks – 13 whiffs, 31% CSW, 93 pitches.
Lorenzen is the kind of arm you go up against weak offenses with, and despite the 1.50 WHIP, it’s a pretty sight. Unfortunately @TEX, @COL, TOR is ahead because he needs to repent or something. I don’t know, the baseball gods are after him for some reason and luckily you can lock it up until after the all-star break.
Seth Lugo (SD) @ SF (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 8 whiffs, 30% CSW, 66 pitches.
He is back again! It was clear Still sick with just 66 throws, but brave managers were rewarded with five productive frames of solid fastballs and a very inconsistent curveball. Seriously, a 43% hit rate is really bad considering you’ve thrown the roll the most times. It’s a safe bet that things will get better in the future and I have no problem picking him up against Nationals next. The only concern is the pitch count, which could limit him to less than five frames even if he were efficient in that case.
Framber Valdez (HOU) vs NYM (W) – 8.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks – 19 whiffs, 38% CSW, 94 pitches.
Aces become aces. There was a little Careful Icarus here because Valdez allowed his only two runs in the eighth inning and I don’t care. Why? Because his cutter moved with 11/27 turns at 48% CSW and thus drove his King Cole. That’s the good thing.
Aaron Civale (CLE) vs. OAK (ND) – 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 14 whiffs, 32% CSW, 100 pitches.
Sometimes you play the matchup and sometimes the matchup plays you. Isn’t that the same? Sure, that’s why we started Civale, and while we didn’t get a win, we’re all kind of happy here. Next up is MIL + @CHC + KCR and I suggest you sit back and let the assembly line do its job. Thank you for choosing 70%+ and 38% CSW cutters and curves.
Dylan Cease (CWS) vs. TEX (ND) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 hits, 2 BBs, 9 Ks – 24 whiffs, 36% CSW, 101 pitches.
Yes, the slider is back. Like really back. Like 19 puffs and 43% CSW back. How – we get it. On the last launch we saw that the slider worked almost as well, but I was concerned it might be a one-off thing. Combining that slider with a heater comfortably seated over it and a curveball that dropped pretty far into the zone was all it took to thwart one of the bigs’ best offenses. you love to see it enjoy this gallows pole, You man of salvation.
Johan Oviedo (PIT) vs. CHC (L) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 10 whiffs, 20% CSW, 101 pitches.
Hey, that’s great. The slider had a correct CSW of 31% and the heater found enough hits without damage to get it through six frames. Be wary of legitimate attacks at Oviedo but he should get through more often against mediocre sides.
Kyle Bradish (BAL) @ TB (W) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 13 whiffs, 36% CSW, 92 pitches.
When are you going to show some respect to BRADISH?! Maybe now? This slider was stupidly good at 12/44 whiffs and 41% CSW while the curve had a 68% hit rate. That’s the good thing, especially about 70% of all his pitches. It’s the approach that works best for Bradish – the old Guardians way – and if he can continue to have a 65%+ break ball break rate, it will continue to work. Let’s hope so.
Ben Lively (CIN) vs. COL (ND) – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 whiffs, 28% CSW, 80 pitches.
Oh Raggedy Anne. How I miss those exciting days when your slider steals the show. Now you look in your sack and realize you’ve snagged the final season of Dexter. You stole the wrong show and that’s what you get.
George Kirby (SEA) @ NYY (L) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 4 whiffs, 29% CSW, 95 pitches.
I’ve had lots of praise for Kirby this season, blown away by his four-seater’s SwStr rate of over 17% and wondering if he’ll have a reliable second place finish. Well, we got the latter with a 48% CSW slider at a whopping 35% duty cycle, but that’s probably because his fastball hit 1/28 CSW. ONE. That’s 4% CSW without a single whiff and I’m shattered. HOW CAN THAT BE. When the Mariners last faced off against the Yanks, both Bryce and Logan were crushed with their fastballs while Kirby rocketed up. “You can never outrun the Yankees,” they said the next day via vocal telegram. I guess they got their revenge and yet it was only 3 ER in seven frames. The fact that Kirby was able to adapt so well in such a clear breakaway of a game shouldn’t be overlooked. cool stuff
Bailey Ober (MIN) vs BOS (L) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 9 whiffs, 23% CSW, 95 pitches.
Ehhhhh, that’s not what we wanted. Ober failed to achieve a 23% CSW on any of his fastballs, changes, or sliders. Instead, he relied on a curve (out of nowhere) to help him reach the finish line. That said, pitch separation is still what we want to see, and my feelings about Ober haven’t changed one bit.
Anthony DeSclafani (SF) vs. SD (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 9 whiffs, 31% CSW, 88 pitches.
If you’re still listing Tony Disco because of his hit April, I strongly encourage you to stop. This blurb looks familiar to me. That’s because I’ve been doing it for about a month now. Please keep going so you can dance another night.
Ryne Nelson (ARI) @ MIL (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 whiffs, 29% CSW, 84 pitches.
It’s not as bad as Nelson, but unfortunately the secondaries were nothing new. No, that was the point where the stoker did well against a weak offense. Sigh. There is no Ryne or reason.
Justin Verlander (NYM) @ HOU (L) – 7.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 whiffs, 24% CSW, 94 pitches.
It was really a bad third set that threw Verlander out and I think he played pretty well throughout the game. It’s interesting that he’s not overwhelming hitters like we’ve seen in the past, but he has good localization and I’m confident he’ll be consistently productive throughout the year. As a legitimate top 10 arm, we might have to tone down expectations, but as holly? Yes, that’s an easy target.
Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) @ CWS (ND) – 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 whiffs, 27% CSW, 92 pitches.
Strange that Eovaldi’s worst start in ages comes against the White Sox and – NOOOOOOO. What? He’s back at fastballs at a speed of 93.8 mph. Oh no. “OH NO” IS RIGHT. He lost two ticks with the already slightly sunk four-seater and three ticks with the cutter. Recall that he used to hit 96/97 mph on fastballs, and when he hit 94 mph in the second half last year, he scared us a lot. 93.8 is… not good. If you’re on the PL Discord, you know it’s the fourth game in a row at a slowing pace of four players and…yes. That’s scary.
Colin Rea (MIL) vs. ARI (ND) – 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 7 hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks – 7 whiffs, 26% CSW, 74 pitches.
Rea is Colin All Angels and hopes they can win the next game to help him survive. A pitcher gotta do what a pitcher gotta do.
MacKenzie Gore (WSH) vs. STL (L) – 6.0 IP, 5 ER, 9 hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 15 whiffs, 30% CSW, 98 pitches.
womp womp This four-seater is a veritable weapon when it’s on top (10/53 whiff!), but the pitch has dropped a little down while the slider wasn’t reliable. There’s really real potential here if he can make it BOD and I want so much to believe that he can do it. However, I still wonder if the Nationals are actively helping him with that, and the fact that I’m even questioning that irks me. THE IRK. IT HURTS.
Noah Davis (COL) @ CIN (L) – 4.0 IP, 5 ER, 5 hits, 4 BBs, 2 Ks – 5 whiffs, 20% CSW, 81 pitches.
Noah, get the GOAT. We need something worth seeing in Colorado.
game of the day
AJ Smith-Shawver vs. Aaron Nola – We’re watching this as a community LIVE on Playback.tv at 6:25pm ET. get through! It’s 100% free.
But Nick?! Where are the streaming tips? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.
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Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)