Drew Thorpe (SP-CHW) blanked the Royals over 6 IP on Sunday, scattering 3 hits and 2 walks while fanning 5. The 23 year-old righty tossed 62 of his 97 pitches for strikes in the contest. Overall, Thorpe has benefited from much good luck so far in his big league career, as his ERA is a nice 3.03 through 38.2 IP (7 starts) but his 5.6 K/9, 4 BB/9, and 5.20 xFIP are all not so pretty. Thorpe simply walks too many batters, doesn't miss many bats (9.5% swinging-strike rate), and has benefited greatly from a lucky 158 BABIP. We'll see if regression begins next Friday against Seattle.
Spencer Schwellenbach (SP-ATL) took the L against the Cardinals on Sunday as he allowed 4 runs on 7 hits and no walks while racking up 8 punchouts over 6 innings of work. The 24 year-old righty fired 72 of his 98 pitches while surrendering a trio of big flies in the outing. Schwellenbach now owns a 4.62 ERA, 8.7 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, and 3.76 xFIP through his first 9 big-league starts (50.2 IP). The flurry of homers on Sunday was certainly concerning, but the longball wasn't a major issue for him before that outing and his Statcast profile entering the start was pretty solid - a 36.5% hard-hit rate, 3% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 87.5 mph. There's also some swing-and-miss ability here, as Schwellenbach has logged a 12.5% swinging-strike rate so far this season while also displaying solid control. He lines up to face the Mets on the road late next week.
Shane Baz (SP-TB) walked the tightrope against the Yankees in the Bronx on Sunday and somehow came out of it unscathed as he allowed no runs on 4 hits and 5 walks while fanning just 1 over only 3.1 IP. The 25 year-old righty threw 41 of his 76 offerings for strikes in the outing. Baz now owns a 3.95 ERA, 7.9 K/9, 4.6 BB/9, and 5.11 through his first three starts (13.2 IP) of the season. The results so far might be disappointing, but are understandable given that he's returning from Tommy John surgery. Control issues are to be expected, although it's encouraging to see that his average fastball velocity (a bit over 96 mph) is right about where it was in the majors in 2021 and 2022. Expect ups and downs as he continues to shake off rust and move forward from TJS. Up next is a turn against the Reds next weekend.
Tyler Phillips (SP-PHI) earned a W against the Pirates on Sunday afternoon as he fired 6 shutout innings in which he scattered 4 his and a walk while striking out 3. The 26 year-old righty threw 51 of his 85 offerings for strikes in the outing. Phillips has impressed in his first 3 big-league appearances, compiling a 2.81 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 0.6 BB/9, and 3.05 xFIP in a tiny sample size of 16 IP (2 starts, 1 relief appearance). To be sure, he's benefited greatly from a 92% strand rate and .244 BABIP, but the rookie's control has been stellar while he's missed a bunch of bats (14.5% swinging-strike rate). The Statcast profile isn't pretty (42% hard-hit rate, 23% barrel rate, and average exit velocity of 91.5 mph), but we'll see how that looks as the sample size becomes more substantial. He'll face a greater challenge in Cleveland on Saturday.
David Peterson (SP-NYM) is a strong streamer or DFS play for Monday as he's slated to take on the Marlins. The 28 year-old southpaw has been solid if unspectacular through his first 8 starts of the season, logging a 3.09 ERA, 6.6 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and 4.53 xFIP in 43.2 IP. He's coming off a strong start right before the All-Star break (6 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 3 BB, 5 K) and has surrendered more than 2 ER in an outing only once so far this season. A big part of the allure here is admittedly his opponent, as the Miami lineup ranks dead last in baseball with a team OPS of just .611 against lefties.
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