The Bachelor Chouck is a fantasy baseball pitcher

Introducing the SP Roundup, a daily review of each Wednesday game’s starting pitcher performance in fantasy baseball. I’m sorry in advance for the jokes I wrote in my delirium. During my office hours on Playback . tv, which are weekday mornings from 10 am to 12 pm ET, feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

Tanner Houck (BOS) vs. CLE (W): 9 pitches, 0 innings, 0 runs scored, 3 hits, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts, 19 whiffs, 38 percent CSW.

Even after just three weeks, it seems unreal to think back to Tanner Houck’s days as our “streaming pick of the day” with a sub-10% rostership, living the single bachelor lifestyle on our waiver wire. After dominating in his first two games, he faltered in his third, but he made up for it in his next outing against the Guardians, pitching 94 pitches, 9 points, 0 runs, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts, 19 whiffs, and 38 percent CSW. That is, in fact, a MADDUX, a CGSHO, and a win. How delightful it is.

Here, Houck looked very different from an outing where he struggled to throw strikes outside of the zone. His splitters (or are they now circle changeups?) barely landed under the strike zone, his sliders consistently landed armside or down, and his sinker hugged the inside edge to induce grounders to LHB and stun RHB. This kind of performance is fantastic and gives us much more faith in his first two shows than in his one slip-up. If you were able to join him at the beginning of April, hang on tight. Houck’s development as a starting pitcher is finally paying off. Considering the volatility of his changeup/splitter thus far, I don’t quite think he’s SP3 material, but if what we saw here tonight holds true, my doubts will vanish like Grandpa’s when he sees Bart as a hostess. Hold on to this, Houck; we really need you.

See how Wednesday went for each other SP:.

Get your questions answered and enjoy reading the SP Roundup without any ads by subscribing to PL+ and becoming a part of our amazing Discord community!

Cristopher Sánchez (PHI) vs. COL (W): 6 points, 0 runs, 0 hits, 1 BB, 10 strikeouts, 18 walks, 34% CSW, and 97 pitches.

Sure, this was really awesome. Sánchez had his change and slider the entire game; blame the Rockies and everything. Seeing a pitch perform as he should and receive the rewards he deserves is enjoyable.

73 pitches, 6 points, 0 runs, 1 BB, 6 strikeouts, 11 whiffs, and 36 percent CSW were all recorded by Jake Irvin (WSN) against LAD (W).

Yes, please invite us to your birthday party the next time. That heater hit 96 mph and went 9/43 whiffs with a 37 percent CSW, but the curve returned an astounding 88 percent strike rate. I thought he must have struck the edges, but apparently not. This was CENTRAL fastball down the pipe. Though sometimes that’s just the way things are sewn together, I don’t really understand how the Dodgers allowed this to happen. IT’S LATE AND THAT’S WHAT WE DO, or are you just making this up again?

PIT (W) vs. Luis Severino (NYM): 6 points, 0 runs, 0 walks, 5 hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks, 8 Whiffs, 24 percent CSW, 96 pitches.

Sevy got a good result from this game, which was a series of “well, let me try this.”. Nick, please show him some affection already! Nah, I’m fine. The slider is still far from returning, and he still has a worse four-seamer. The cutter, on the other hand, worked just fine. Yes, I guess I could, but the Giants are next.

94 pitches, 32 percent CSW, 3 hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks, and 5 points in the air for Erick Fedde (CHW) against KCR (W).

Fedde was extremely late for this one, but it did work with his cutter and sweeper, and he managed to keep some good splits low. It’s a Toby’s arsenal, I just wish we could count on that dub showing up more frequently.

Albert Suárez (BAL) vs MIN (ND) – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 0 BBs, 4 Ks – 14 Whiffs, 29 percent CSW, 75 pitches.

Hot damn, you look amazing! I had my doubts that Suárez would display the same intensity we witnessed in his first spring start (not the ones that followed), but he received the surprise call for this one as Tyler Wells reached the IL. But, we got the hot stuff in this one, quickly identifying heaters that were hitting 96/97 mph upstairs and making every effort to keep batters honest with his cutter, curve, and changeup. Suárez utilized the extra adrenaline rush to sit 96 mph, so while it was a beautiful and enjoyable sight, it was unlikely to last. His secondaries aren’t good enough to hold him up, so if he gets another start, I imagine it will come with a worse heater. Suitman whispers, “THE ANGELS!” in my ear. Hmm, that might work.

57 pitches, 25% CSW, 3 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 1 BB, and 2 strikeouts were all recorded by Bryse Wilson (MIL) against SDP (ND).

This bullpen game was led by Bryse, and he performed admirably. Bravo to him and all that, let’s move on.

A total of 109 pitches, 17 whiffs, 39 percent CSW, and 7 points and 2 innings were pitched by Michael King (SDP) against MIL (L).

Hello everybody. Kindly cease DMing me with inquiries about whether King is done. He’s not done cooking. All four of his pitches are performing incredibly well; in fact, he is cooking with a King Cole. This is the individual you selected.

Pablo López (MIN) @ BAL (ND): 6 points, 0 runs, 1 run, 2 hits, 0 walks, 7 strikeouts, 13 strikeouts, 28% CSW, 87 pitches.

Aces will always be Aces. This week on The Craft, Eno and I discussed Pablo. I blamed his recent setbacks on his shaky command of the four-seamer. So, yeah, so he fixed it today? Um, no. Throughout the entire game, he pounded that heater thigh-high and emerged unscathed. It’s hard to believe Pablo will have a bad fastball spotting percentage this year, but I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet.

Keaton Winn (SFG) at MIA (W): 81 pitches, 27 percent CSW, 6 points, 0 innings, 1 ER, 4 hits, 1 BB, and 4 Ks.

Keaton Loss is not his name. Haha, that’s hilarious. Even though a 1/37 whiff splitter with a 57 percent strike rate isn’t very reliable against teams that don’t rhyme with Barlins, we’ll take this all day. In the end, he might be a Toby, and that might be sufficient to defeat the Mets. Oh, I wouldn’t.

91 pitches, 6 innings, 0 runs, 1 ER, 1 Hit, 1 BB, 7 strikeouts, 6 whiffs, and 30% CSW were all delivered by Bryce Miller (SEA) against CIN (W).

Miller has a nice line there, and even though it seems a little bit like he’s blaming the Road Reds, I appreciate that he’s trying his hardest to stay afloat in the zone with sweepers and sinkers. Though perhaps that will change with time, I’m still worried that there isn’t a credible pitch available besides a reasonably commanding four-seamer. We’re taking a chance against the Rangers, I suppose.

93 pitches, 14 Whiffs, 34 percent CSW, and 5 points and 2 innings pitched by Trevor Rogers (MIA) against SFG (ND).

Good grief, that changeup and slider must be cooking! Nope, not at all. He went only 1/9 on slider whiffs and 15% CSW on 33 changeups. Is that really all there are? Only nine breakers? With his fastballs, Rogers cut up the Giants for a Philly, going 10/51 with a return percentage of 45 percent. You ask, how? I said, “IT’s the BSB, y’all,” without saying anything. Please try to keep your emotions in check while you read this plot. Rogers obviously altered his strategy, which is noteworthy because this kind of command is rarely repeated over multiple starts. This is a totally functional solution.

Reid Detmers (LAA) vs. TBR (ND): 5 1½ innings, 1 run, seven hits, one walk, four strikeouts, ten strikeouts, 26% CSW, and ninety pitches.

Okay, this was undoubtedly Detmers’ worst outing of the season. His four-seamer was commanded far worse across the zone and came in softer at 93/94 (but got 19″ of iVB, which is insanely good). However, it felt like an outing where Detmers had to really work for outs because his slider and changeup weren’t particularly spectacular. Perhaps he was lucky to be facing a struggling Rays offense rather than playing at his peak. Though there is more risk involved than we’d like, we’ll still give it another shot against the Orioles.

21 Whiffs, 28 percent CSW, 101 pitches; Kevin Gausman (TOR) vs. NYY (ND): 5 points, 0 innings, 1 run, 4 hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks.

His velocity had returned to 95 mph, but his splitter was having a terrible time finding strikes. It was consistently landing well below the zone, with a dismal strike rate of 45 percent for the evening. Aces gonna ace? I think so. Aw shucks. Let’s be glad Gausman was able to allow just one earned run in the process because that can’t happen to him. I wouldn’t wager that Gausman has permanently lost his splitter, and if the fastball velocity were to increase again, I would feel totally secure in starting Gausman against the Royals.

Dane Dunning (TEX) vs. DET (ND): 5 innings, 0 runs scored, 1 run down, 3 hits, 4 walks, 5 strikeouts, 11 strikeouts, 31% CSW, 70 pitches.

You can hold off for the Mariners to play next or return Dunning to the wire as we rostered him specifically for this broadcast. If there was anything I needed before then, I would be happy to let him go. It’s all up to you.

Jonathan Cannon (CHW) vs. KCR (ND): 5 innings, 0 runs, 1 run, 3 hits, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts, 5 strikeouts, 23% CSW, 79 pitches.

In his Major League Baseball debut, he showed off a sinker, sweeper, and cutter focus that resulted in numerous groundball returns. If pitching for the right team, he profiles out like a decent Toby, but the ChiSox haven’t been that “Right Team” since Konerko was a thing. This Cannon Fodder is inferior to other options.

Pfaadt Brandon (ARI) vs. CHC (L): 7 points, 0 runs, 2 innings, 6 hits, 0 walks, 6 strikeouts, 8 walks, 30% CSW, 94 pitches.

In order to enable his sweeper to perform well in the zone and return outs on his four-seamer, Pfaadt introduced more sinkers here, returning 48 percent CSW on the pitch with 9/21 called strikes. For Pfaadt, it might be a step in the right direction, but I think we still need more. Even with this strong line, it still looks pretty meh. Is a sinker/four-seamer enough to support his sweeper?

TEX (ND) vs. Tarik Skubal (DET): 6 1½ innings, 2 runs scored, 5 hits, 1 BB, 6 strikeouts, 14 whiffs, 33 percent CSW, 86 pitches.

Aces will always play aces. The four-seamer went 1/17 whiffs while maintaining a speed of just under 96 mph. His most frequently thrown pitch was actually a sinker (31% usage), which combined with 41% CSW to work incredibly well. However, isn’t he a bully who uses his four-seamer? I know, it’s weird, but it worked against a very good Rangers team, and we’re past trying to work things out with Skubal. Let it all hang out, people.

Michael Wacha (KCR) against CHW (L): 92 pitches, 24 percent CSW, 9 whiffs, 0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, and 4 Ks.

It functions even without the Win he deserved; it’s just not very exciting. With Wacha finding his changeup once again, I feel a little better about him than Singer when they play Toronto next.

6 points, 0 innings, 2 runs scored, 4 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts, 7 walks, 26% CSW, and 104 pitches for Andrew Abbott (CIN) vs. SEA (L).

Abbott can have that all day, but I’m not overly excited by the 3/46 whiffs he gets across his secondaries. If he can’t replicate that skill, at least he’s showing that he can keep his four-seamer upstairs consistently now. The Phillies are up next, and I’m still searching for safer streams.

Marcus Stroman (NYY) vs. TOR (ND): 5 + 1 IP, 2 ER, 6 Hits, 2 BBs, 2 Ks, 10 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 99 pitches.

Yes, of course. We move on from the Stroman life. You guys already know he’s a sinkerballer because he can appear on any given day with any combination of his curve, cutter, slider, and splitter. That’s all. Mostly sliders and curves were used here, and they worked well. All we can do is start him at the conclusion of our rotations.

WSN (L) vs. Landon Knack (LAD): 5 scoreless innings, 2 runs scored, 4 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, 7 whiffs, 24% CSW, and 75 pitches.

I was thinking this would be another Kyle Hurt, a bullpen affair, but nope, we saw Knack and his dubious two-pitch approach go a full five frames. Whoa, they let Knack go 75 pitches!? Okay, so there are also curves and changeups for a combined 30% usage, but none of it screams “ELECTRIC” (boogie woogie, I hate that I just typed that), so even in light of the Dodgers’ team background, I’d pass on this. It’s as though Knack isn’t a strong enough character to take the lead in a franchise, but rather a collection of disparate parts.

Ben Lively (CLE) vs. BOS (L): 5.0 innings, 2 runs scored, 3 hits, 1 BB, 7 strikeouts, 8 walks, 34% CSW, 79 pitches.

I understand a little bit now: the sweeper and four-seamer were taken inside the zone continuously, but still. This line is meant to trick you; Lively isn’t the newest hot thing. 34 percent CSW? Seven strikeouts in just eight whiffs? REmain in the line, line.

Brady Singer (KCR) at CHW (ND): 5+0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks – 10 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 93 pitches.

I’d be cautious against the Jays next. Only nine four-seamers at 2/9 strikes as we’re back to the old Singer we know and…endure?

A. J. P. France (HOU) vs. ATL (ND): 5 innings, 0 runs, 2 runs scored, 4 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, 13 strikeouts, 24% CSW, 90 pitches.

I remain concerned about his next start against the Cubs, despite France having a fantastic line against the potent Georgia offense. Thankfully, he is now letting his cutter, change, and curve do the heavy lifting in the zone rather than launching heaters everywhere, but it all looks a bit too mediocre to continue taking chances against strong offenses.

Bailey Falter (PIT) vs. NYM (L): 5 innings, 0 runs scored, 2 runs scored in the field, 4 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, 5 strikeouts, 26% CSW, 73 pitches.

Now that Falter has made some strong starts for the Pirates, my only question is whether they will genuinely sell him to the Rays when they come calling in July. Please, Nick, don’t force this trade. I can simply feel it in my body. You haven’t yet found a guy in my fantasy that you should pursue.

Jordan Wicks (CHC) vs. ARI (ND): 4 1½ innings, 2 runs scored, 5 hits, 1 BB, 5 strikeouts, 9 whiffs, 27% CSW, 74 pitches.

Oh no. The heater only produced 1/27 whiffs as a result of this command, which was much worse than what we received the last time. Afterwards, we’ll give it another go. Oh no, please refrain from doing that. He faces the Astros, and after his erratic performance this evening, there’s no assurance he’ll bounce back. Hey everyone, stop burning the wicks at both ends.

98 pitches, 30 percent CSW, 6 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts, and 5 points and 2 innings pitched by Paul Blackburn (OAK) against STL (W).

I was told there would never be another run allowed by Paulie Punchouts (seven Ks!). Instead, we nearly had a VVVPQS and a nice reminder that the Vargas Rule has specific definitions. Do you really think I should start him against the Yankees? I won’t give you that look again.

Zack Littell (TBR) vs. LAA (ND): 5 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 0 BBs, 7 Ks, 16 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 107 Pitches.

Littell’s sliders are still high, but at least he matched them with low splitters this time, as his sinker saw 29% of calls for strikes. So I can stop analyzing Littell for another week, let’s all celebrate the Tigers up next. He’s simply very peculiar.

Max Fried (ATL) vs. HOU (ND): 5.0 innings, 3 runs scored, 7 hits, 4 walks, 2 strikeouts, 8 strikeouts, 18% CSW, 96 pitches.

The Aces’ fifth inning will be difficult, and his changeup will falter once more. Although Fried needs to improve his slowball to become the southpaw we want, he outperformed a formidable Houston team by finding sinkers and four-seamers. The next time out against the Marlins, he ought to have a field day.

Steven Matz (STL) vs. Oakland (L): 5 innings, 0 runs, 5 runs scored, 7 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, 9 strikeouts, 22% CSW, 94 pitches.

But it was MATZ! This was Oakland, after all. Seeking to avoid punishment, he hurled heaters along Broadway. Don’t try to get away with tossing heaters down Broadway.

Feltner (COL) vs. PHI (L): 51½ innings, 6 runs scored, 9 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts, 23 strikeouts, 32 percent CSW, 94 pitches.

Story of COL, Br-wait. His slider went 7/32 whiffs, but surprise! His changeup went 10/19 whiffs. Is that a Gallows Pole? His four-seamer and slider did well? That’s crazy, whoa. Me. BE AWARE. It could be a case where it wasn’t in the scouting report and the Phillies didn’t know what to do with it, but hot dang, this adds another wrinkle to the whole “I wish Feltner pitched for another team. Even when he has a nearly 25% SwStr rate on certain days, he is still not worth it; regrettably, we can’t trust him within Coors. To put it mildly.

Game of the Day.

Jack Leiter vs. Detroit Tigers: ANOTHER MLB DEBUT IS HERE. Come join the fun as I live-stream it at Playback . tv/pitcherlist at 1:00 pm ET!

Nick, though, where are the streaming recommendations? They’ve been moved to the SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings page every day.

Having questions? Come ask me anything live on Playback . tv in the morning from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm ET, Monday through Friday. My services are free of charge.

Ethan Kaplan, @DJFreddie10 on Twitter and @EthanMKaplanImages on Instagram, is the creator of the featured image.