Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher’s performance from every Friday game. I apologize for the jokes written in my delirium in advance. Have questions? Ask me during my office hours on Playback.tv weekday mornings from 10 am-12 pm ET.
Noah Cameron (KCR) @ MIN (ND) – 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 82 pitches.
Did you realize that rookie Noah Cameron has allowed just 2 ER across his first three outings? He tallied just three strikeouts in each of his first two outings but displayed his full ceiling against the Twins on Friday via 6.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 82 pitches. That’s stupid good. It sure is.
The biggest element here was the four-seamer. It allowed just two balls in play and was used more as a surprise pitch outside the zone, understanding its 94+ mph velocity of the spring is nowhere to be found. In addition, it somehow had 3.5″ extra inches of vert from where we last saw him…which didn’t help on the longball and sole blemish of the day. Still, a 18″ vert four-seamer with an elite hiLoc% that he doesn’t “give in” with over the plate is exactly what Cameron should be doing.
It only works if the secondaries are on point all of them were in this one. The RHB-heavy Twins saw 36% changeups that went 8/21 outs (38% of them returned an out!) including five whiffs, and all four of his cutter, change, slider, and curve returned strike rates above 70%. The slider was vicious for 5/9 whiffs, the curve surprised for a trio of outs, and the cutter was fantastic up-and-in to mix with the fastball.
I love this version of Cameron. I was initially worried the 90 mph fastball would be too much of a detriment, but its increased velocity to 91.7 mph merged with the massive jump in vert is a huge deal. His secondaries came alive more than ever and while this peak isn’t likely to be sustainable, you absolutely should pick him up for his next start against the Reds. I’m not sure how long he’s in the rotation after that with Ragans and Lugo returning shortly, though worry about that when the time comes.
Let’s see how every other SP did Friday:
Zack Wheeler (PHI) @ ATH (W) – 6.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 108 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. You can’t stop the man.
Drew Rasmussen (TBR) vs TOR (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 76 pitches.
Despite the line, Rasmussen’s cutter was a bit rough at just 47% strikes. Fortunately, the four-seamer destroyed LHB and his sinker did it’s part. We’re at six frames as expected by the end of May with room to spare at 74 pitches, though we’ll likely see strikeouts and a few more pitches once the breaking balls do better than 0/3 whiffs.
Landen Roupp (SFG) @ WSN (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 76 pitches.
The changeup was thrown more than the curve and it got outs while the sinker lived in the zone and took care of the LHB-heavy Nats. Phew. The curve went just 1/17 whiffs as he didn’t have nearly as good feel as we normally see. That changeup appearing saved the day and is exactly what we wanted to see from Roupp as he progresses through the year.
Yusei Kikuchi (LAA) vs MIA (W) – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 7 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 110 pitches.
This was standard Kikuchi with a whole lot of fastballs and sliders over the plate and he was able to escape too many jams because, you know, Blame it on the Marlins. You really want to be careful with the Yankees + Fenway next.
Clayton Kershaw (LAD) @ NYM (ND) – 2.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks – 0 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 26 pitches.
A Rain delay ended this one early and Kershaw has over 19″ of vert on his…88 mph four-seamer. Don’t chase it. Please.
Jacob Lopez (ATH) vs PHI (L) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 8 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 91 pitches.
I’m sorry, WHAT. A King Cole for Lopez as he blasted the Phillies with seven feet extension from a weird arm angle (but average HAVAA) at 91 mph. His strikeouts came from some high heaters, cutters, and low sliders and I’m super weirded out by it. Is that extension from the strange southpaw arm angle that confusing with the extra horizontal movement on the cutter vs. four-seamer (11″ of horizontal different at 3 mph difference) that it created twelve whiffs between them? I’m not sure. He certainly abused it against RHB staying away and making them wonder if it would come back over the plate or not. He’ll get the Jays next and maybe give it a shot. Who knows, this is interesting.
Chris Sale (ATL) vs SDP (ND) – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 95 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. He really doesn’t care for that changeup anymore and went 58% sliders here with 96 mph four-seamers. Incredible.
Paul Skenes (PIT) vs MIL (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 101 pitches.
Aces gonna ace. Always fun to see his four-samer obliterate.
Slade Cecconi (CLE) @ DET (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 84 pitches.
Four-seamer got a whole lot of strikes and outs and I think he got away with a decent amount. Curve was getting all the chases at 6/15 whiffs. Slider was meh and too much in the zone. Not a believer in the four-seamer yet.
MacKenzie Gore (WSN) vs SFG (L) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 9 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 91 pitches.
Pretty awesome to see Gore excel in this one despite 1/22 curve whiffs & 45% strikes on both breakers. Four-seamer dominance upstairs at 70% strikes saved the day and that’ll always save the day if Gore can nail it.
Miles Mikolas (STL) vs ARI (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 81 pitches.
Is there a pitch that does more for a mediocre arm than Mikolas’ slider? The four-seamer allowed the only run of the day via the longball and the slider earned all the strikes and outs while batters continued to salivate over potential 92 mph meatballs. What a guy.
Sean Burke (CHW) vs TEX (W) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 89 pitches.
Nothing special, sadly. The four-seamer played keep-away at 93 mph (remember when that was 95/96 mph?) and the curve + slider filled the zone in the meantime. They really couldn’t touch his slider here for whatever reason.
Nick Pivetta (SDP) @ ATL (ND) – 6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 7 Ks – 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 102 pitches.
He allowed a solo shot to Acuña on his first pitch of the night and went six shutout across 101 pitches after. That’s baseball, Suzyn. I’m a bit worried about Pivetta in the summer days of San Diego, though the cutter is getting more involved with the sweeper to RHB and I’m a fan of that approach. Enjoy the Marlins + Giants + Brewers up next.
Pablo López (MIN) vs KCR (ND) – 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 102 pitches.
I chatted with López about this and apparently he saw Justin Topa throw a bullpen with his kick-change and thought “I can do that.” Yesterday was the best he’s felt with the pitch (even if he plunked a guy with it) and it helped mitigate some of the lingering effects of his hamstring injury that has him not sitting as long as usual on his back leg. These are the little things I mean when I say “finding a rhythm” for pitchers. There are so many variables going on behind the curtain and it’s great to know PabLó is on the way up.
Cade Povich (BAL) @ BOS (ND) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 98 pitches.
The curve was on top of its game, though the four-seamer and changeup and sweeper were suspect. I’m not the biggest fan of chasing this against the Cardinals next.
Freddy Peralta (MIL) @ PIT (ND) – 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 22% CSW, 101 pitches.
We got a whole lot Professor Chaos here as his four-seamer and changeup made up nearly 85% of his pitches and sat comfortably under 60% strikes. That’s the life of a Cherry Bomb. Opponents don’t mean NUTHIN.
Tanner Gordon (COL) vs NYY (W) – 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks – 4 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 75 pitches.
Hello, it’s Nick. Yeah! I thought you recognized my voice. Mmhmmm, another game of the night. Think ‘bad pitcher who shockingly did well.'”>Gold Star order, this time for Tanner. No, not that Tanner. Right?! THE YANKEES! IN COORS! Saturday afternoon delivery? Perfect. No, just one, I don’t think we’ll have to engrave his name again for a while. Take care!
Jackson Jobe (DET) vs CLE (L) – 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 89 pitches.
Jobe saw a LHB-heavy lineup, requiring the change to step up like a Reebok Fitness class from the 90s and it did without a sweat. I wish the four-seamer could have been elevated a bit more, otherwise it wouldn’t have allowed all four of Jobe’s hits, while the slider did a ton of work to fill the zone for the slowball at 65% strikes and nearly 30% usage. The curve is still a work in progress, but we’re seeing all the pieces get their reps. It’s all coming together for a summer breakout.
Ryan Gusto (HOU) vs SEA (ND) – 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks – 5 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 79 pitches.
I certainly didn’t expect to see Gusto back so soon and you should be shocked to see six strikeouts with just five whiffs, especially with 0/29 whiffs on the four-seamer. That’s supposed to be the leader pitch, after all. It was the cutter and curve filling the zone that pushed forward here, but no, I wouldn’t want this for my fantasy teams.
Hunter Greene (CIN) vs CHC (ND) – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 83 pitches.
He sat 100 mph with nearly 18″ of vert and the slider was in the zone plenty. He didn’t spot his pitches incredibly well, leading to 25/83 foul balls and an inefficient day at the park, but you can blame the Cubs for that.
Brayan Bello (BOS) vs BAL (ND) – 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 87 pitches.
The sweeper its job in two-strike counts but it was super weird to see Bello’s affinity for the breaker against LHB. It was more apparent watching the changeup constantly fail + the sinker was loosely featured over the zone. There was something exciting, though: A cutter featured against LHB for 80% strikes that saved the day. Boy do I wonder if that sticks around and gets thrown more than 10 times. That could be a solution for the long run.
Emerson Hancock (SEA) @ HOU (W) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 9 Hits, 0 BBs, 3 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 92 pitches.
A VPQS ain’t so bad from Hancock – at least you got a dub! – and for those who wanted to see the whiffs return, understand that the changeup is his best pitch. Ohhh, the Astros are a RHB-heavy lineup! Yep, that means fewer victims of the slowball. He had some solid outs with the sinker but didn’t get it inside exclusively and in concert with a mediocre slider, you have most of your hits. Let’s not do this.
Tyler Mahle (TEX) @ CHW (L) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 96 pitches.
Blegh. This seemed like an easy one against the CrySox and the BSB action was solid with four-seamers generally up + splitters/sliders down to LHB/RHB respectively. Batters didn’t go fishing and strikes were a bit harder to come by. So it goes. The schedule is pretty fantastic moving forward save for the Jays next and I think we hold.
Clarke Schmidt (NYY) @ COL (L) – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks – 19 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 97 pitches.
We saw less horizontal break and a lot more vertical break (as expected) from Schmidt’s pitches, with the cutter shining for 11/57 whiffs en route to a Gallows Pole. Sadly, the pitch had a few too many mistakes and led to most of the troubles you see here. Don’t be harsh on this one.
Eric Lauer (TOR) @ TBR (L) – 4.1 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 85 pitches.
WHAT YEAR IS IT???!!! I really wish Bloss didn’t get hurt. Sigh.
Griffin Canning (NYM) vs LAD (ND) – 2.2 IP, 3 ER, 1 Hits, 4 BBs, 1 Ks – 2 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 54 pitches.
The rain interrupted this one but things weren’t looking good prior. You can ignore this one, though. Dodgers + wet baseballs + super hot Vargas Rule = we obviously start vs. White Sox.
Zac Gallen (ARI) @ STL (L) – 5.2 IP, 4 ER, 3 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 100 pitches.
Ugggggh. You can never expect Gallen to aucceed on a night with just 14% curveballs. He elected to lean on the four-seamer and changeup, which prevented hits but came with a horrifically low strike rate. The fastball? Nah, that was cool. The changeup went 6/18 strikes. Oh no. Yup. That seems fixable, right? I’m not sure why he had this approach and he nearly made it work through six scoreless with all four runs coming in his final frame (three in his final pitch!). This should be fine against the Pirates.
Matthew Boyd (CHC) @ CIN (ND) – 4.0 IP, 4 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks – 8 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 93 pitches.
He was Singled Out early. That said, he’s still lacking the slider – 2/10 whiffs is a 20% SwStr rate but far from the usage we expect – and he’s that close to being a phenomenal Holly. Surely, his signature breaker returns in time, right?
Sandy Alcantara (MIA) @ LAA (L) – 5.1 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks – 7 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 100 pitches.
I dunno y’all. I DON’T KNOW. The changeup nor breakers are earning enough strikes, and it seems like he’s out there slinging heaters and hoping for the best. He shouldn’t be so wild with his command and I’m going to sit here and tell you it won’t be the most frustrating experience all season, but who knows when the TIARA will be removed? Likely when he’s traded. Probably. He’ll get the Padres + Rockie Road + Pittsburgh up next. I’m going to hold because I just can’t help myself, but I understand if you’re DONE. It doesn’t help when you start the sixth frame loading the bases on a walk, double, walk. Don’t care if it’s catcher’s inference, that can’t happen.
Game of the Day
Kyle Harrison vs. Jake Irvin – I’m stoked to see the harder and flatter heater from Harrison + Irvin could be in a new groove.
But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? – I’ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article.
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Featured Image by Ethan Kaplan (@djfreddie10.bsky.social on Blue Sky and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram)
