Skenes’ Velocity Dilemma Sparks Debate in Friday SP Roundup
Pitcher List’s SP Roundup for 7/31 centers on Paul Skenes, whose latest outing continued his trend of struggle even as his velocity dips into the mid-90s; the analysis argues the fastball still plays, but his secondaries and location have deteriorated, leading to louder contact and more homers, though his high strikeout rate keeps him startable. Managers face a tough choice between benching him or riding out the slump, especially with luck factors like BABIP and HR/FB skewing results. The piece also recaps Friday’s other starters, highlighting Will Warren’s adjusted approach, Dylan Cease’s continued effectiveness despite lower velo, Shota Imanaga’s strong splitter-driven outing, Painter’s encouraging return, and several other notes on pitcher usage and matchups.