Pitching was the story for this roster — Michael King was the headliner, tossing 6.0 innings with eight strikeouts and a 30.2% CSW to keep you afloat on an otherwise quiet night when the offense managed just three hits and no runs. Connelly Early delivered length and a win (6.2 IP) but the clean line came with loud contact underneath, and Shota Imanaga flashed elite whiff rates while still surrendering too many hard-hit balls — so both feel useful but fragile. Ryne Stanek’s 22-pitch, one-inning outing (three strikeouts) popped in high leverage, but his recent workload could limit short-term availability. On offense Tyler O’Neill had the roughest night (0-for-4, 3 K) despite a 105.0 mph average exit velocity, and you should keep an eye on platoon/usage quirks (DeLauter) and reliever workloads when setting lineups for the next slate.
Michael King gets the nod after posting 6.0 IP, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. The pitching line has a mixed sustainability read. The CSW rate checked in at 30.2%. He is now up to 34 strikeouts on the season after adding 8. Season pitching line now sits at 3 W, 1 L, 0 SV, 0 HLD, 34 K, 15 BB, and 33.2 IP. Rate stats now sit at 2.41 ERA and 1.04 WHIP.
Tyler O'Neill had the roughest roster line after going 0-for-4, 3 K. He went hitless across 4 at-bats. The swing-and-miss showed up with 3 strikeouts. The toughest spot was a late close-game strikeout in the 9th. The contact quality was light at 105.0 mph average exit velocity.
6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HR allowed, win. He generated limited swing-and-miss (26% CSW, 18.6% whiff rate) while allowing nine hard-hit balls and an 89.6 mph average exit velocity, so the clean line feels fragile beneath the surface. Through four innings he had two hits, one walk and no runs, but the outing turned in the seventh when an RBI homer produced his only earned run before he left with the bases empty. His pitch mix shifted toward more curveball usage and fewer sinkers, yet the sinker and changeup produced no whiffs today, which helps explain the loud contact. Next start: 2026-05-01 at home against the Houston Astros in a hitter-friendly park.
1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K. Ryne Stanek worked the eighth inning for the Cardinals. He leaned heavily on a four-seam fastball (59.1% usage) that averaged 99.3 mph and produced a 38.5% CSW after he de-emphasized the split-finger from his mix. Stanek entered with the game tied, faced three batters in a high-leverage frame and struck out all three on a 22-pitch outing. The clean line and uptick in velocity are encouraging, but swing-and-miss support is limited across his samples and his recent relief workload is heavy enough to cloud short-term availability. Fantasy verdict: Stanek is more of a role-and-skills watch than an automatic move; he could be limited for the next game at Pittsburgh on 2026-04-27.
1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, win. Lucas Erceg entered in the top of the 10th with no outs and a runner on second in a tied game and worked a 21-pitch, high-leverage inning that produced two strikeouts and a walk. He leaned on his sinker (38.1% usage) after shifting his mix, but the pitch averaged 94.1 mph down from recent starts and his overall CSW was only about 23.8% with limited whiffs. The tidy box score masks a fragile underlying profile: light chase and swing-and-miss support and reduced velocity.
Jordan Walker 1-for-2, 2 BB. The box score looked better than the underlying contact: average exit velocity was a weak 72.9 mph with no hard-hit balls, yet his tracked bat speed jumped to 82.1 mph with an 86.7-mph peak. He singled off Emerson Hancock (R) in three plate appearances against the starter before seeing a lightly rostered bullpen. He is in the projected lineup. Next up is on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates, with Mason Montgomery lined up as the projected starter.
Chase DeLauter went 1-for-1, delivering a pinch-hit single in the top of the ninth in a late, close spot. The contact was modest average exit velocity 82.6 mph and his tracked bat speed averaged 64.3 mph (68.3 mph max), down about 5.3 mph from his prior-season baseline, a signal that the underlying quality and an elevated injury-risk proxy are concerning. The hit came against starter Louis Varland, a right-hander, so the damage was against the starter in a favorable matchup. Next up is at home against the Tampa Bay Rays, with Steven Matz lined up as the projected starter.
5.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, loss. He generated a strong whiff profile (38.6% whiff rate, 30.0% CSW) and his four-seam averaged 92.0 mph, but he also surrendered loud contact six hard-hit balls and three barrels. Through four innings he had allowed three hits, two walks, three runs and five strikeouts; the outing turned in the sixth when he struck out a batter, gave up a double and exited with runners on the corners, one of which later scored after the bullpen took over. He looks more like a bench or matchup-only pitcher right now. Next start: 2026-05-01 at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks in a roughly neutral park.
Marcell Ozuna 1-for-4, 2 K produced a standout 101.1 mph average exit velocity, a top-slate Statcast mark even though his contact quality otherwise looked modest. Tracked bat speed averaged 67.5 mph (top swing 77.3 mph), down 4.7 mph from his prior-season baseline, and his strikeout rate has climbed to 33.3% over the last nine games, so the signal is mixed between strong contact and underlying risk. He is in the projected lineup. He opened against left-hander Kyle Harrison and collected his lone hit in two plate appearances versus the starter, then struck out twice later in the game. Louis Cardinals, with Dustin May lined up as the projected starter.
Heliot Ramos was 0-for-4, 1 K, and the box looked quiet even though the contact quality was better than the line suggests. He posted a 91.5 mph average exit velocity with a 108.6 mph max EV that top mark stood out for the day and came with one barrel and two hard-hit balls. The underlying form is real: over his last nine games he is batting .333 with three homers, seven RBI and six runs, and his strikeout rate has dipped to 22.7% over the last 14 days (versus a 30.8% season rate). Ramos has started seven straight games and is projected to start Saturday in Philadelphia at hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park against lefty Jess Luzardo, giving him the platoon edge. He opened against Max Meyer in a same-side matchup. Next up is on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies, with Jess Luzardo lined up as the projected starter.
Jake Cronenworth went 0-for-4, and the contact quality was modest his average exit velocity sat at just 79.7 mph. That line continues a poor stretch: he has a 0.513 OPS in the last 14 days (40 PA) and a 0.587 OPS over 21 days, with a roughly 20% strikeout rate. Playing time has been rising he has started six of the last seven games and logged 26 plate appearances in that span but he hit ninth today after averaging a 7th-slot over the prior week. He opened against Ryne Nelson in a tough matchup. Next up is at home against the Chicago Cubs, with Matthew Boyd lined up as the projected starter.
Bryan Woo is lined up to face the Royals on Friday May 1st.
Did not play on 2026-04-26 Graham Ashcraft did not appear for the Reds, and he has three relief outings and 51 pitches logged in the last seven days with just one day since his previous appearance, so this non-appearance looks like a usage pause rather than a health alert.
Jacob deGrom is lined up to face the Yankees on Tuesday April 28th.
Jordan Westburg and the Baltimore Orioles had the day off on 2026-04-26. Westburg remains on the 60-day injured list after being placed there March 22, per SportsDataIO player details. He has not recorded any recent plate appearances, so there is no fresh performance data to assess. Fantasy-market data shows him at roughly 34 percent ownership, fitting more of a watch-list/streamer-pool profile while his availability remains the primary factor to monitor.
Paul Skenes is lined up to face the Cardinals on Thursday April 30th.
Sean Murphy and the Gwinnett Stripers had the day off on 2026-04-26. Murphy remains on the 10-day injured list and did not record any plate appearances, so there is no recent game performance to assess. Local outlets have posted rehab photos of him with Gwinnett, per Fulton Neighbor, but he is still listed as unavailable. He is a low-roster-market option at roughly 6% ownership and reads as a deeper-league roster candidate.