These are the hottest SP and RP in MLB from the past week:
Starting Pitchers:
Paul Skenes (PIT – SP): Week’s Line: 15.2 IP, 0.57 ERA, 0.45 WHIP, 15 K, 8.88 K9, 2 QS
Look at that line again and consider the Pirates only won one of those games. Saw a quip yesterday from Donny Chedrick and it sums up Skenes perfectly – “Hard to feel bad for a guy dating a model that will one day sign a half-billion dollar contract, but folks, the Pirates have made it possible.”
Logan Webb (SF – SP)
Week’s Line: 14.0 IP, 1.29 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 17 K, 10.93 K9, 2 QS
Webb has been phenomenal this season, and last week was no different – two big boy games at home (San Diego and Atlanta), with a CSW (called/swinging strike rate) north of 30%.
Jack Flaherty (DET – SP)
Week’s Line: 12.0 IP, 0.75 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 13 K, 9.75 K9, 2 QS
Flaherty seems to have hit his groove for one of the best teams in the bigs. Sunday against the red-hot Cubs was a clinic.
George Kirby (SEA – SP)
Week’s Line: 12.0 IP, 3.00 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 17 K, 12.75 K9, 1 QS
He’s back! Right? RIGHT? I mean, it was the Angels, but anytime someone K’s 14 in a single game, I’m going to feature them. 12 innings, one walk. One. The location is elite-elite.
Chris Sale (ATL – SP), Merrill Kelly (ARI – SP)
Sale’s Line: 6.0 IP, 1.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 10 K, 15.00 K9, 1 QS
Kelly’s Line: 7.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.29 WHIP, 8 K, 10.29 K9, 1 QS
Featuring them both here, because it seemed unfair to roll with Sale when Kelly outdueled him Wednesday night.
Bryce Elder (ATL – SP)
Week’s Line: 8.0 IP, 1.13 ERA, 0.38 WHIP, 12 K, 13.50 K9, 1 QS
Can’t gush about one Brave (Sale) and not feature Elder, who came out and HANDLED the Giants on Saturday. Struck out Acuna Jr., Olson, and Ozuna twice each. Stones, friends.
Cristopher Sanchez (PHI – SP)
Week’s Line: 13.0 IP, 2.08 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 13 K, 9.00 K9, 2 QS
Sanchez has pitched well for the Phils, and threw a couple quality starts last week as well. Yes it was the Pirates on Sunday, but he also held down the hot-hitting Blue Jays.
Freddy Peralta (MIL – SP)
Week’s Line: 12.0 IP, 2.25 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 12 K, 9.00 K9, 2 QS
Erratic with the strikeouts (nine against the Reds, three against the Pads) and a few too many walks (5), but this is the bag with Peralta. San Diego simply couldn’t do anything against Freddy on Sunday.
Tanner Bibee (CLE – SP)
Week’s Line: 12.2 IP, 3.55 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 12 K, 8.85 K9, 2 QS
The Yankees got him on Tuesday (yes, he gets a pass for that), but a real nice follow-up effort at home against the Astros on Sunday. And the strikeouts are back, which is nice.
MacKenzie Gore (WSH – SP)
Week’s Line: 7 IP, 0 ERA, 0.57 WHIP, 7 K, 9.00 K9, 1 QS
Swoooooon. The breakout continues, and after he got out of the bases-loaded jam in the top of the first against the Cubs (three straight singles to open the game), Gore allowed just two baserunners (BB, HBP) in the next six innings.
Relief Pitchers:
Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels: Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 6 K, 13.50 K9, 4 S/H
Big innings for Detmers this week, who has found success in the pen. He got shelled a bit at the end of April, but has been fantastic since the transition to high-leverage work.
Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Angels
Week’s Line: 2.25 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 3 K, 6.75 K9, 3 S/H
Jansen shut the door three times this week – twice against the M’s and once in Boston (his old stomping grounds, kinda). He’s sporadic, but was locked in last week.
Carlos Estevez, Kansas City Royals
Week’s Line: 2.70 ERA, 2.10 WHIP, 4 K, 10.81 K9, 3 S/H
Seven baserunners in three innings isn’t amazing, but a big part of that damage came in a third of an inning in the Lou in the first half of a double-header. Rest of the week he did his job.
Randy Rodriguez, San Francisco Giants
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.27 WHIP, 7 K, 17.17 K9, 3 S/H
The best pitcher in the SF pen is starting to get some high-leverage work. And if I’m listing the top five relief pitchers in the bigs, RR is absolutely in my mix.
Jake Bird, Colorado Rockies
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 3 K, 10.11 K9, 3 S/H
Bet you didn’t expect to see me feature a Colorado Rockies pitcher in any “hottest” article. But here we are. Three holds, including Friday against the Mets, where he struck his way out of an inherited bases-loaded jam.
Josh Hader, Houston Astros
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 6 K, 18.00 K9, 2 S/H
Remember that Top 5 list I mentioned? Yeah, Hader is there. He’s locked in right now, and has only given up two hits, two walks, and one earned run in the last month.
Robert Suarez, San Diego Padres
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP, 3 K, 6.75 K9, 2 S/H
The Padres flamethrower (two pitches averaging over 98.0 MPH) only allowed two baserunners in four innings of work on the road last week. His 21 saves on the season ranks among the best in the bigs.
Aroldis Chapman, Boston Red Sox
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, 3 K, 11.59 K9, 2 S/H
Speaking of flamethrowers, I give you Aroldis Chapman – who threw seven pitches OVER 100.0 MPH this week (twice over 102.0). Think he was motivated in the Bronx this weekend?
Bryan Abreu, Houston Astros
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 4 K, 12.00 K9, 2 S/H
Part of one of the best RP duos in the league, Abreu excels in the set-up. Yes, it was the Pirates, but still.
David Bednar, Pittsburgh Pirates
Week’s Line: 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP, 6 K, 18.00 K9, 2 S/H
Speaking of the Pirates, Bednar had a really good week with big boy games against the Astros and Phillies. And Friday against the Phils – looking-swinging-swinging.
