Jacob Misiorowski (SP-MIL) put together arguably the most complete start of his young MLB career against the Pirates on Sunday afternoon as he allowed just 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks while racking up 8 strikeouts over 7 IP. The 23 year-old righty fired 74 of his 108 pitches for strikes while keeping the ball in the yard. Misiorowski now owns a 4.09 ERA, 12.6 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and 3.07 xFIP through his first 55 IP in the majors. A .268 BABIP and 66.5% strand rate have inflated his ERA a bit, but he hasn't helped himself with subpar control that was a trend throughout his minor-league career. Misiorowski has yielded some loud contact as Statcast shows a 41.5% hard-hit rate, 8% barrel rate, and average exit velo of 89.5 mph, but the good news is that opposing hitters have mustered just an 81.5% in-zone contact rate while he's missed bunches of bats (14% swinging-strike rate). He lines up to face a Cardinals lineup next weekend that has largely struggled since the All-Star break.
Bubba Chandler (SP-PIT) got lit up by the Brewers on Sunday afternoon as he surrendered 9 runs (all earned) on 9 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3 over just 2.2 IP in his first MLB start. The 22 year-old RHP kept the ball in the yard as he fired 43 of his 68 offerings for strikes in the contest. Chandler now owns a 7.36 ERA, 7.4 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, and 3.99 xFIP through his first 14.2 IP in the majors as his first 3 appearances came out of the bullpen. Fantasy owners should not fret over Sunday's implosion as Chandler flashed some upside in the minors this season, registering a 4.05 ERA, 10.9 K/9, 4.8 BB/9, and 4.62 xFIP in 100 IP at the Triple-A level. The subpar control is obviously a concern, but Chandler has shown an ability to miss bats (12.5% swinging-strike rate in Triple-A this season) as well as limit loud contact (38% hard-hit rate and average exit velo of 88.5 mph in Triple-A this year). He lines up to face the Nationals in the nation's capital next weekend in a less daunting assignment.
Nick Lodolo (SP-CIN) is expected to start on Monday in San Diego after an illness forced him to miss his scheduled start against the Blue Jays on Tuesday. It's not exactly a daunting matchup as the Padres rank 23rd in MLB in team OPS (.678) over the last 15 days and 19th in the majors this season against LHP (.681), so fantasy owners should start Lodolo in that one. For his part, the 27 year-old southpaw has put together a strong 2025 campaign in which he's thrown a career-high 134.1 IP in which he's recorded a 3.22 ERA, 8.7 K/9, 1.7 BB/9, and 3.71 xFIP. While his strikeouts have ticked downward thanks to a dip in his swinging-strike rate (11.5%) even as opposing hitters have posted a career-high 87% in-zone contact rate against Lodolo, he's shown much better control than in the past (his previous low BB/9 was 2.6 in 2023). He's benefited from a 79.5% strand rate (76.5% career) and .270 BABIP (.304 career), but overall Lodolo has delivered mid-rotation value this season.
Luis Castillo (SP-SEA) earned the win against the Braves on Sunday as he allowed just 1 run on 4 hits and no walks while recording 6 punchouts over 6 IP. The 32 year-old righty served up a solo blast while tossing 54 of his 82 pitches for strikes in the outing. Castillo has been solidly productive in 2025 as he now claims a 3.85 ERA, 8 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, and 4.16 xFIP across 161.1 IP. Given his eroding swinging-strike rate, which tumbled for the second straight season to 11% while the opposition's in-zone contact rate has also climbed for the second straight season to 85.5%, Castillo is a mid-rotation arm at best for fantasy at this point. That's especially the case since opposing hitters have made more loud contact than ever with Statcast showing a 48.5% hard-hit rate, 11% barrel rate, and average exit velo of 91 mph; all are career highs. Next weekend's start against the visiting Angels will be a favorable one for Castillo, but the long-term outlook isn't great here as he will be 33 when the 2026 campaign opens and his average fastball velocity has now slipped each season since 2020.
Drew Rasmussen (SP-TB) blanked Cleveland over 5 IP on Sunday as he scattered 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out a pair over 5 IP. The 30 year-old righty threw 45 of his 82 pitches for strikes in the outing. Rasmussen has outperformed his peripherals in 2025 as he owns a 2.64 ERA, 7.5 K/9, 2 BB/9, and 3.67 xFIP across 139.2 IP. The club does not let him pitch deep into games, even when he's throwing well, as he's averaged less than 5 IP per outing this season. Rasmussen has benefited from a .245 BABIP (.267 career) and 83.5% strand rate (76.5% career) while his 9.5% swinging-strike rate is a career low and the opposition's 88% in-zone contact rate is up from 82% a year ago. Meanwhile, opposing hitters have made a good bit of loud contact against him as Statcast shows a 43% hard-hit rate, 6.5% barrel rate, and average exit velo of 90.5 mph. Those are not encouraging trends with a visit to Wrigley slated for next weekend.
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