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.tv (https://twitch.tv/pitcherlist) weekday mornings from 10 am-12 pm ET.
Alek Manoah (https://pitcherlist.com/player/alek-manoah/) (LAA) @ CLE (ND) – 5.0 IP, 0 ER, 2 Hits, 5 BBs, 2 Ks – 6 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 91 pitches.
Personally, I think Alek Manoah is a pitcher who has the potential to be a fantasy baseball gem, but his performance against the Cleveland Guardians on Monday was a bit of a letdown. While he managed to keep the damage to a minimum with only two hits and five shutout frames, his five walks were a major issue. His pitch selection, primarily sub-90 mph offerings, lacked the necessary bite and movement to keep batters off-balance. The once-promising mid-80s slider has transformed into a 78 mph sweeper, and his changeup, the only redeeming pitch, came in two variants, likely a sinker at 86 mph and a 81/84 mph change. For a pitcher with such poor stuff, it's understandable that Manoah struggled to throw strikes, resulting in a 55% or worse rate on everything. The Guardians took advantage, scoring seven runs in the game.
I cannot stress enough that fantasy baseball managers should avoid adding Manoah to their rosters. His performance against the Dodgers in his next start is also a significant concern. While he has the potential to be a solid pitcher, his current form and pitch selection make him a risky addition.
Let's take a look at how every other SP did on Monday:
Michael Soroka (https://pitcherlist.com/player/michael-soroka/) (ARI) @ TEX (W) – 6.1 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 89 pitches.
In my opinion, Michael Soroka is a pitcher who has been on a roll lately, and his performance against the Texas Rangers on Monday was no exception. With a 2.01 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 27% strikeout rate, and 6% walk rate through seven games, he has been a solid addition to fantasy rosters. His pitch separation is beautiful, with the cutter and curveball earning called strikes and fastballs avoiding the heart of the plate. While the high BABIP numbers express this impact, I'm not worried, as we're likely not going to get the same Soroka the rest of the way due to the amount of hard contact. However, he's a solid hold for a while, and I'm enjoying the 'Reds Carpet' ride.
Joey Cantillo (https://pitcherlist.com/player/joey-cantillo/) (CLE) vs LAA (W) – 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 34% CSW, 93 pitches.
Joey Cantillo had a solid performance against the Los Angeles Angels, earning a win with six strikeouts and a 34% CSW rate. While his changeup had a 42% strike rate, it's clear that he needs to improve his pitch selection and command to become a consistent fantasy option.
George Kirby (https://pitcherlist.com/player/george-kirby/) (SEA) @ HOU (W) – 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 2 BBs, 7 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 99 pitches.
George Kirby had a decent performance against the Houston Astros, but he still hasn't quite figured out how to put batters away. His sliders should be effective against right-handed batters, but the lack of movement and command is a concern.
Jakob Junis (https://pitcherlist.com/player/jakob-junis/) (TEX) vs ARI (L) – 2.2 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 0 BBs, 2 Ks – 3 Whiffs, 32% CSW, 31 pitches.
Jakob Junis had a rough outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but it was a bullpen game for the Rangers after Eovaldi was scratched with side soreness.
Ryan Weathers (https://pitcherlist.com/player/ryan-weathers/) (NYY) @ BAL (ND) – 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 1 Hits, 3 BBs, 9 Ks – 15 Whiffs, 36% CSW, 101 pitches.
Ryan Weathers had a phenomenal outing against the Baltimore Orioles, featuring all four of his pitches evenly. While he should have been pulled after six innings, he held a no-hitter through six frames and allowed only two runs in the seventh.
Brandon Young (https://pitcherlist.com/player/brandon-young/) (BAL) vs NYY (ND) – 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 97 pitches.
Brandon Young had an admirable performance against the New York Yankees, where his only mistake was throwing a 3-1 sinker over the plate to Rice.
Peter Lambert (https://pitcherlist.com/player/peter-lambert/) (HOU) vs SEA (L) – 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 96 pitches.
Peter Lambert had a much better performance against the Seattle Mariners, earning whiffs and going deep into games. With a clear ability to earn whiffs and go deep into games, he's a solid addition to 12-team rosters.
Drew Rasmussen (https://pitcherlist.com/player/drew-rasmussen/) (TBR) @ TOR (W) – 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks – 13 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 100 pitches.
Drew Rasmussen had a solid performance against the Toronto Blue Jays, with a 25% strikeout rate and a 100-pitch outing.
Trevor McDonald (https://pitcherlist.com/player/trevor-mcdonald/) (SFG) @ LAD (ND) – 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 9 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 101 pitches.
Trevor McDonald had a decent performance against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with a look at his changeup for 37% usage against left-handed batters. While it wasn't stellar, it's something to pair with his bowling-ball sinker and legit slider.
Roki Sasaki (https://pitcherlist.com/player/roki-sasaki/) (LAD) vs SFG (ND) – 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks – 12 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 91 pitches.
Roki Sasaki had a rough outing against the San Francisco Giants, with just two starts where he has returned fewer than 3 ER, and in both, he pitched exactly four innings.
Kevin Gausman (https://pitcherlist.com/player/kevin-gausman/) (TOR) vs TBR (L) – 4.2 IP, 6 ER, 10 Hits, 0 BBs, 5 Ks – 11 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 100 pitches.
Kevin Gausman had a rough outing against the Tampa Bay Rays, with a splitter that wasn't there and a high hit rate.
Game of the Day: Bryan Woo vs. Tatsuya Imai. I'd love for Woo to put the whole HR issue to bed, and Imai makes his return from the IL. But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? I've moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article (https://pitcherlist.com/category/fantasy/sp-streamers/).
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