{"id":674319,"date":"2026-04-12T20:32:04","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T20:32:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/674319\/"},"modified":"2026-04-12T20:32:04","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T20:32:04","slug":"fantasy-baseball-sp-roundup-4-11-hacks-and-brax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/674319\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantasy Baseball SP Roundup 4\/11: Hacks And Brax"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher\u2019s 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.tv<\/a> weekday mornings from 10 am-12 pm ET.<\/p>\n

Braxton Ashcraft<\/a> (PIT) @ CHC (ND) \u2013 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks \u2013 16 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 77 pitches.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been stubborn about my opinion on\u00a0Braxton Ashcraft<\/a>\u00a0and after yesterday\u2019s Gallows Pole against the Cubs via 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 9 Ks \u2013 16 Whiffs, 35% CSW, 77 pitches (ND),\u00a0I\u2019d be betraying my ethos if I stuck to my guns just because of a bruised ego.<\/p>\n

That isn\u2019t to say that I\u2019m completely sold on Ashcraft. I still have my reservations about his ability to locate his arsenal effectively (~60% strikes on both four-seamers and curveballs with many easy takes), but I loved watching his 92 mph slider return 5\/9 whiffs (use it more!) and featuring an effective splitter to LHB \u2013 which I can get behind if used as a surprise pitch and not a main feature.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not going to speculate about his true talent, wondering about the Shag Rug that is sure to appear in time, or if the fastball is a strong enough foundation for the breakers to produce a 30% strikeout rate, or if his stamina is going to inhibit him across the season, etc. etc. What I\u00a0am\u00a0going to say is he\u2019s worth the hold for now given WSN, @ TEX, STL up next. That\u2019s obvious, you don\u2019t need me. I\u00a0would\u00a0be selling high if possible, though. There\u2019s a chance he produces the full year, absolutely, but in my view, there are too many red flags to believe we\u2019re watching a true breakout ahead of us.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s see how every other SP did Saturday:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Michael Wacha<\/a> (KCR) vs CHW (W) \u2013 8.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 7 Ks \u2013 15 Whiffs, 40% CSW, 88 pitches.<\/p>\n

I can see you now. You\u2019re\u00a0really\u00a0tempted to Vargas Rule this. He\u2019s been on such a tear with one earned run in three starts and he\u2019s using his full arsenal with two\u00a0changeups (kick-change and his signature), but it\u2019s the Yankees, BAL, Sacr\u00e9 Verde next.\u00a0He just earned a King Cole!\u00a0Against the CrySox. Fine, we gotta try, right?<\/p>\n

Parker Messick<\/a> (CLE) @ ATL (W) \u2013 6.2 IP, 0 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks \u2013 4 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 84 pitches.<\/p>\n

Oh dang, now he has a cutter! Exclusive to RHB and 2\/7 thrown returned outs in play. I\u2019ll take that all day as a fun surprise off his high four-seamer, helping out a SWATCH who has cruised through his first three starts with nearly six innings per game and just one earned run (like Wacha!). Solid schedule ahead too. ALL ABOARD!<\/p>\n

Ranger Suarez<\/a> (BOS) @ STL (W) \u2013 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks \u2013 7 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 84 pitches.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about dang time he came through. This precision we\u2019ve seen from Suarez during his previous hot stretches, though, and it may just be a Dennis with DET, NYY, @TOR up next. He\u2019s earned a shot against Detroit with this one, though.<\/p>\n

Foster Griffin<\/a> (WSN) @ MIL (W) \u2013 5.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 Hits, 3 BBs, 1 Ks \u2013 6 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 80 pitches.<\/p>\n

Eno and I talked about Foster on The Craft podcast this week and Eno pointed out that the large pitch mix + little data on Foster for Trajekt is likely helping him early on in the year. You saw Griffin get the focus after his last start and y\u2019all know I don\u2019t really love this. And yet, @PIT is next, with ATL + CrySox after. Maybe he can wriggle out some more dubs\u2026But three walks and just one strikeout!\u00a0Yeah, yeah\u00a0HAISTBMBWT?!\u00a0It doesn\u2019t instill confidence, especially with a terrible feel for the sweeper to LHB. Don\u2019t overinvest here.<\/p>\n

Casey Mize<\/a> (DET) vs MIA (W) \u2013 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks \u2013 9 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 74 pitches.<\/p>\n

Sure, it was 50 degrees, but how long can I keep using that excuse for Mize\u2019s massive two tick velocity dip? He got away with a lot in this one and I\u2019d\u00a0Blame it on The Marlins\u00a0more than anything. No way I\u2019m starting him in Fenway.<\/p>\n

Erick Fedde<\/a> (CHW) @ KCR (L) \u2013 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 Hits, 1 BBs, 4 Ks \u2013 8 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 85 pitches.<\/p>\n

Hey, that\u2019s worthy of a Gold Star. Too bad this Birthday Party didn\u2019t grant the gift of a win, but you can\u2019t have it all. He has his increased faith in his sweeper to thank for the stellar day, bumping it up 13% usage to both LHB and RHB, earning a 21% SwStr rate and 73% strikes, while everything\u00a0else went 1\/41 whiffs.<\/p>\n

Mart\u00edn P\u00e9rez<\/a> (ATL) vs CLE (L) \u2013 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 2 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks \u2013 6 Whiffs, 30% CSW, 86 pitches.<\/p>\n

Honestly, that\u2019s as fantastic of an outing you could have hoped for from P\u00e9rez.\u00a0With a dub.\u00a0Sorry,\u00a0realistically\u00a0hoped for.<\/p>\n

Chris Bassitt<\/a> (BAL) vs SFG (ND) \u2013 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 7 Hits, 1 BBs, 2 Ks \u2013 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 89 pitches.<\/p>\n

In my head, all I can hear is Don King Lucius Sweet telling Moe Szyslak\u00a0You couldn\u2019t give me three rounds five innings?!\u00a0\u00a0I don\u2019t want this in my world.<\/p>\n

Nick Martinez<\/a> (TBR) vs NYY (ND) \u2013 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks \u2013 7 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 87 pitches.<\/p>\n

He battled and made it work against a tough offense, even if it\u2019s not great for your fantasy squads. It\u2019s good to see the changeup feel is generally there at 40% usage and now may be the time to stream with @PIT, Reds Carpet and @CLE next. Not a bad deep league option.<\/p>\n

Joe Ryan<\/a> (MIN) @ TOR (W) \u2013 7.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 Hits, 1 BBs, 5 Ks \u2013 10 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 91 pitches.<\/p>\n

Aces gonna ace. This was in a dome and he sat 92\/93 mph.\u00a0Wait, that\u2019s not 94 mph.\u00a0No, it\u2019s not. He sat there the entire game, for what it\u2019s worth, which means he\u2019s comfortable at that velocity and likely a new baseline for this year. It\u2019s not\u00a0terrible,\u00a0just not as exciting as we want it to be for him to be the potential elite stud we want him to be.<\/p>\n

Taijuan Walker<\/a> (PHI) vs ARI (W) \u2013 5.0 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 6 Ks \u2013 6 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 85 pitches.<\/p>\n

I love that some of y\u2019all still remember my anger that Turnbull\u2019s career effectively ended due to Walker\u2019s return from the IL. I don\u2019t care if this one went well, I\u2019ll never forgive the Phillies for that. ANYWAY, good job fella. You may get displaced by Wheeler after your next start against ATL (nooope), but who knows. You always find a way to here.<\/p>\n

Kyle Harrison<\/a> (MIL) vs WSN (L) \u2013 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 1 Ks \u2013 6 Whiffs, 21% CSW, 76 pitches.<\/p>\n

Harrison took a comebacker\u2026wait, no, a fastball to the kneecap from teammate Gary S\u00e1nchez<\/a> when he covered first in the opening frame. Say what.\u00a0Yeaaah. He stuck around and didn\u2019t showcase a velocity dip until the final inning, but now he\u2019s off to get an MRI and that doesn\u2019t sound great.\u00a0Brandon Sproat<\/a>\u00a0came in on his bullpen day for 3.2 IP, 1 ER, 1 Hits, 3 BBs, 3 Ks \u2013 4 Whiffs, 20% CSW, 65 pitches\u00a0and guess what? He\u2019s\u00a0also\u00a0getting looked at for a knee injury after diving for a ball during this game. He\u2019s apparently okay and I\u2019m glad we\u00a0finally\u00a0got a decent line from the fella, even if his sinker went 43% strikes and the overall command was pretty iffy. He should be back in the rotation on Saturday, with the Pirates and Arizona after and you know me. I\u2019m tempted to give it a whirl as I see Sproat with a TIARA. Just one game where it clicks and we\u2019re off to the faces. Those matchups minimize the risk a little, right?\u00a0You gotta let it go Nick.\u00a0I\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m simply not the guy who will give up because the results aren\u2019t great for a handful of games. That\u2019s not 100% correlation, y\u2019all. And yet,\u00a0obviously\u00a0there\u2019s a decent chance it doesn\u2019t pan out. You do you.<\/p>\n

Kyle Leahy<\/a> (STL) vs BOS (L) \u2013 4.0 IP, 2 ER, 3 Hits, 3 BBs, 2 Ks \u2013 4 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 71 pitches.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re still not there yet. Here\u2019s to hoping he gets it for the Astros next so we can circle the Marlins and Pirates after.<\/p>\n

Max Fried<\/a> (NYY) @ TBR (ND) \u2013 8.0 IP, 3 ER, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 6 Ks \u2013 9 Whiffs, 33% CSW, 94 pitches.<\/p>\n

Aces gonna ace with a Careful, Icarus in the eighth as he allowed the tying run to score after just getting the 3-2 lead in the top of the frame. The good news? He\u2019s a little higher on his sinker velocity.\u00a0If only the changeup were a touch better\u2026<\/p>\n

Emmet Sheehan<\/a> (LAD) vs TEX (W) \u2013 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 4 Hits, 1 BBs, 6 Ks \u2013 16 Whiffs, 38% CSW, 77 pitches.<\/p>\n

OH BABY. Not only did he hit 96+ mph for the first time this year, he\u00a0sat\u00a095.2 mph across the outing, with a small dip in the sixth as we normally see across the league. And look at that, a co-share of the Gallows Pole! What a lovely day.\u00a0Except for the pain caused by that Nimmo fella.\u00a0Yeaaaah, a leadoff HR and a two-run shot in the sixth (Careful, Icarus) did all the damage here \u2013 both pitches located down-and-in to Nimmo and super correctable. I\u2019m so sorry for the doom and gloom, and I\u2019m so happy it\u2019s time to jump back in.<\/p>\n

Brandon Pfaadt<\/a> (ARI) @ PHI (L) \u2013 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks \u2013 13 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 101 pitches.<\/p>\n

Is this the last start of Pfaadt? Kelly is expected back this week and I don\u2019t see who gets the axe otherwise, given Soroka\u2019s stellar strikeout ability. And yet, a PQS against the Phillies with a strong cutter and sweeper + effective sinker is pretty cool. Too bad the four-seamer, curve, and change still need polish.<\/p>\n

Edward Cabrera<\/a> (CHC) vs PIT (ND) \u2013 5.0 IP, 3 ER, 8 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks \u2013 11 Whiffs, 28% CSW, 98 pitches.<\/p>\n

It was cold once again (48 degrees, yeesh) and I\u2019m blaming the two tick drop in changeup and four-seamer velocity on it, but at least both the sinker and four-seamer returned 60% strikes (barely).\u00a0Who cares, that was a bad start.\u00a0Yeeeaaaah, not a fun one at all. He\u2019ll get the Mets next, who are laboring as much as any team, and I think we just close our eyes and let it fly. This should be better when he\u2019s in warmer weather.<\/p>\n

Brandon Williamson<\/a> (CIN) vs LAA (ND) \u2013 4.0 IP, 3 ER, 3 Hits, 6 BBs, 3 Ks \u2013 9 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 93 pitches.<\/p>\n

Blegh.\u00a0His changeup was great to RHB, but the cutter was\u00a0horrendous\u00a0with a 37% strike rate. That\u2019s the pitch that gets me excited for Williamson and after boasting that feel last game, it\u2019s awfully disappointing to see it disappear. So what do we do now? Why, stream him against the Twins and act like this didn\u2019t happen.\u00a0Seriously?\u00a0I\u2019ll put him in questionable start if I must, but in all likelihood, yeah, I\u2019m in. This pitch is\u00a0the\u00a0pitch for him. That said, the ceiling isn\u2019t too\u00a0high and the risk is clear, so fine, top of Questionable.<\/p>\n

Logan Webb<\/a> (SFG) @ BAL (L) \u2013 6.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 3 BBs, 6 Ks \u2013 11 Whiffs, 31% CSW, 98 pitches.<\/p>\n

You know, I had Webb ranked around #30 in the fall since I didn\u2019t believe Webb was the high strikeout arm of 2025 and the 1.20+ WHIP felt inevitable to repeat. Then I slowed raised him for his expected volume n all, and now he has a 5.25 ERA and 1.38 WHIP with just a 20% strikeout rate in four games.\u00a0Small sam\u2013I know. It\u2019s dumb to quote this stuff\u00a0now,\u00a0but at the very least, can I stop calling him an ace? He\u2019s a Holly.\u00a0Always has been.<\/p>\n

Germ\u00e1n M\u00e1rquez<\/a> (SDP) vs COL (W) \u2013 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 2 BBs, 5 Ks \u2013 12 Whiffs, 24% CSW, 86 pitches.<\/p>\n

It was a revenge game and a part of me\u00a0really\u00a0want to slot him at the bottom of the third tier, and unfortunately for M\u00e1rquez, he didn\u2019t have the feel for his breakers. Poor locations on those led to three HRs on fastballs (two from Moniak!) and that\u2019s your ballgame. Welp, back to never considering him again.<\/p>\n

Janson Junk<\/a> (MIA) @ DET (L) \u2013 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks \u2013 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 99 pitches.<\/p>\n

Blegh.\u00a0Man, this is frustrating. Junk\u2019s new-and-improved stuff is so thrilling and I don\u2019t regret endorsing him a week ago. I\u00a0do\u00a0wish I could believe he could feature above-average command that would let his improved fastball to land upstairs frequently. THAT SAID, after pitching in domed Miami and warmer environments, it\u2019s clear the 50 degree weather affected him with a massive velocity drop across everything from the first frame. So fine, I\u2019ll hold for the next two against the Brewers and St. Louis\u00a0in Miami\u00a0and take it from there.<\/p>\n

George Klassen<\/a> (LAA) @ CIN (L) \u2013 2.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 Hits, 5 BBs, 2 Ks \u2013 8 Whiffs, 18% CSW, 72 pitches.<\/p>\n

Yeaaaah, Klawssen ain\u2019t it. The Kla code is apparently \u201chope it\u2019s a strike\u201d. I cannot co-work with that.<\/p>\n

Jacob Lopez<\/a> (ATH) @ NYM (W) \u2013 5.0 IP, 5 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 5 Ks \u2013 9 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 96 pitches.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m still waiting for that one start where Lopez has the cutter\/four-seamer attack up-and-away to RHB working for a fantastic K\/BB ratio. Until then, I\u2019m out.<\/p>\n

Jack Leiter<\/a> (TEX) @ LAD (L) \u2013 3.2 IP, 5 ER, 5 Hits, 4 BBs, 4 Ks \u2013 8 Whiffs, 25% CSW, 93 pitches.<\/p>\n

Yes, it was the Dodgers. I know. It\u2019s also @ATH, PIT, NYY up next, and if Leiter were able to locate his arsenal effectively, I\u2019d have more faith to stick it out with him. I will mention, I\u00a0did\u00a0like that he replicated most his pitches\u2019 movement far more in this one than his last start (save for the changeup and its 41% strike rate. Blegh.), but then again, does that actually signal better feel\/command? Anyway, I still consider Leiter a HIPSTER and I\u2019d rather try other arms.<\/p>\n

Lance McCullers Jr.<\/a> (HOU) @ SEA (ND) \u2013 4.1 IP, 6 ER, 5 Hits, 2 BBs, 4 Ks \u2013 6 Whiffs, 29% CSW, 79 pitches.<\/p>\n

Womp womp.\u00a0Not even in Seattle, I guess. The new cutter wasn\u2019t stealing strikes as it did in his season debut and boy was his secondary all over the place. Let\u2019s just not.<\/p>\n

Ryan Feltner<\/a> (COL) @ SDP (L) \u2013 4.0 IP, 6 ER, 7 Hits, 3 BBs, 4 Ks \u2013 13 Whiffs, 27% CSW, 82 pitches.<\/p>\n

Okay, so Feltner\u00a0is\u00a0throwing harder (up to 95 from 93\/94) with a ton more extension (not six feet, but 6.5 feet!) and it doesn\u2019t matter as his pitches feature suspect movement. But at least now we know!<\/p>\n

Eric Lauer<\/a> (TOR) vs MIN (L) \u2013 5.1 IP, 7 ER, 5 Hits, 5 BBs, 3 Ks \u2013 5 Whiffs, 26% CSW, 95 pitches.<\/p>\n

I failed y\u2019all by not reporting on Lauer\u2019s case of the flu that affected his last outing, and it sure looks like his two tick dip in velocity is down with the sickness. Please move on from Lauer before I get a headache from hearing all of you screaming OOOOWAHHHAHHHAHH.<\/p>\n

Luis Castillo<\/a> (SEA) vs HOU (ND) \u2013 3.1 IP, 7 ER, 10 Hits, 1 BBs, 3 Ks \u2013 13 Whiffs, 23% CSW, 91 pitches.<\/p>\n

Castillo is bad in the cold.\u00a0This was a closed dome in Seattle.\u00a0Oh.\u00a0Everything got tagged by the Astros, even with Castillo\u2019s solid slider command to RHB. It\u2019s really hard to endorse Castillo for your rosters when he puts up disaster starts like this\u00a0at home,\u00a0which is usually the only scenario where you actually trust him in your roster. I think it\u2019s time to move on, y\u2019all. I\u2019ve been discouraged by his arsenal for a bit and I don\u2019t think this is worthwhile.<\/p>\n

Kodai Senga<\/a> (NYM) vs ATH (L) \u2013 2.1 IP, 7 ER, 8 Hits, 2 BBs, 3 Ks \u2013 6 Whiffs, 19% CSW, 72 pitches.<\/p>\n

Oh jeeeeeeeeeez. Senga was sitting 96\/97 mph in the first, before a pair of singles and walks in a laborious second pushed him (but his last heater was 97.4 mph), and then it fell to 94 mph in the fird as he was\u00a0pushed.\u00a0It looked as though he was throwing changeups mixed with his forkball in this one (originally classified as sinkers, but they were at 86\/87 mph), and this was a day of Senga simply not finding any sort of rhythm. He didn\u2019t have the cutter to save him, he went with the forkball more often to\u00a0try\u00a0to find something, and it was just a terrible day. I don\u2019t think that late velocity dip is super scary \u2013 72 pitches with just seven outs is a tiring effort \u2013 and I\u2019m going to stick it out. Maybe bench him for the Cubs, but I have to believe he either hits the IL or is good enough to start for the Twins and Nationals.\u00a0IL?!\u00a0Well, if the concern here is velocity dips n all, that would be an injury, no? I do not believe he will at all, but that\u2019s the only scenario I see where we\u2019re not cool with Senga on the 23rd vs. MIN.<\/p>\n

Game\u00a0of the Day\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jacob deGrom<\/a> vs. Roki Sasaki<\/a> \u2013\u00a0It\u2019s deGrom vs. the Dodgers. I love that. And maybe Sasaki is okay?<\/p>\n

But Nick?! Where are the streaming picks? \u2013\u00a0I\u2019ve moved them to the daily SP Matchups & Streamer Rankings article<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Have Questions? \u2013 Join my morning Twitch.tv livestream!<\/a> I answer all questions there for free: 10:00 am \u2013 12:00 pm ET Monday through Friday.<\/p>\n

Photo by Dustin Bradford\/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter\/X; @justinparadis.bsky.social on BlueSky)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome to the SP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every starting pitcher\u2019s performance from every Saturday…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":674320,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2290],"tags":[5],"class_list":{"0":"post-674319","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-baseball","8":"tag-baseball"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116393641118515859","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=674319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674319\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/674320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=674319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=674319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=674319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}