35 articles
TEX • Pitcher • #35
about 2 months ago
While Leiter has proven the ability to miss many bats, he’s still prone to missing his spots. That’s what happened when he grooved an 0-1 changeup to Kyle Manzardo that wound up leaving the yard in the first inning. But after that, he completely shut down the Guardians’ lineup. His fastball was explosive at the top of the zone and that same changeup that burned him early was on point after that. Those two pitches combined to force 11 of his 17 swings-and-misses and the expanded repertoire he came into the season with has turned him into a solid major league starter with upside for much more if he can wrangle in that command just a bit more. Still, a 3.86 ERA across his first full season should be considered a resounding success considering he couldn’t hold a rotation spot before this year.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
about 2 months ago
Leiter gave up a run on two hits in the second inning. He stranded the bases loaded in the third before a hit and a sacrifice fly brought a run in to score in the fourth. After a scoreless fifth, Troy Johnston and Connor Norby slugged back-to-back homers in the sixth to knock Leiter from the game with two outs. He struck out four. The 25-year-old right-hander will take a 3.92 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and a 138/66 K/BB ratio across 144 2/3 innings into his final regular season start against the Guardians in Cleveland on Friday.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
2 months ago
Leiter’s own error led to an unearned run in the first, and a Josh Smith error preceded two more unearned runs in the fifth. He nearly got through seven with just one earned run allowed, but he gave up back-to-back doubles with two outs, and the inherited run scored after he was lifted. Leiter dropped to 9-9 with a 3.82 ERA. His velocity was down just a tad tonight, and he induced only five misses on 50 swings. It’s a little bit concerning, but he has to be kept active with the Marlins next on the schedule.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
2 months ago
The 25-year-old right-hander also issued a pair of walks while striking out four batter on the day. All of the damage done against him came with two outs in his final inning of work as Christian Yelich delivered an RBI single and William Contreras followed with a two-run knock. Leiter generated eight whiffs on 89 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 26 percent. He’ll attempt to get back on track as he carries a 3.81 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and a 130/64 K/BB ratio (132 1/3 innings) into Monday’s divisional showdown against the Astros in Houston.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
3 months ago
Both runs came in the first two innings. Leiter held the D-backs hitless the subsequent four innings and finished with eight strikeouts, but it wasn’t enough with the Rangers getting shut out. Leiter dropped to 9-8 with a 3.74 ERA. He’ll face the Brewers at home next time out. He’s not a bad bet then, but that he’s currently due to be matched up with Freddy Peralta, a win isn’t all that likely.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
3 months ago
Leither has now whiffed 17 batters over his last two starts. He wasn’t nearly as good as he was Saturday against the Guardians, but that’s more compliment to that start than insult to Friday. The 25-year-old still has some significant command issues to work through, but the quality of his arsenal is palpable. The D-backs are next.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
3 months ago
Leiter’s previous high in strikeouts was seven, which he’d done four times. It’s the second time in his career that he’s completed seven innings and the third time that he’s started and not allowed at least one run. Leiter actually had just nine whiffs on 44 swings and 93 pitches, but 21 called strikes gave him a 32% CSW. It’s awfully impressive what he can do when he possesses his best command, but it’d be nice to see him have it more consistently before playing him in mixed leagues. He’ll get the A’s next.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
3 months ago
Leiter allowed two homers, four additional hits and three walks and also threw two wild pitches, so it’s pretty incredible that he got out of this allowing only three runs. Luis Curvelo stranding both runners he inherited in the fourth inning helped. Leiter has a 3.86 ERA this month, but he’s pitched a total of 16 1/3 innings in his four starts, all of which have turned into losses for the Rangers. While Leiter himself has a fair 7-7 record and a 4.06 ERA, the Rangers are 7-15 in his starts. He’s due to face the Guardians on Saturday if the team sticks with him in the rotation.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
3 months ago
Leiter tossed two scoreless frames before giving up a solo homer to Blaze Alexander to lead off the third. He held the Diamondbacks off the board for two more innings, ending his day with three strikeouts over five frames. The 25-year-old right-hander will take a 3.94 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and a 96/54 K/BB ratio across 105 innings into a start against the Royals in Kansas City on Monday.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
3 months ago
Leiter has walked 18 over 25 innings in his last five starts, and while that didn’t hurt him in the first three, all of which were wins, he’s exited pretty early in back-to-back outings now. With Jon Gray throwing five innings Monday, the Rangers have another rotation candidate to turn to if Leiter remains wild. Leiter, though, should get the chance to start against the Diamondbacks next week.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
4 months ago
Leiter walked in a run in the second, and he gave up another run in the fifth after leaving. The stuff was once again solid, but the three free passes made this a shorter start than he would have liked; needing 92 pitches to get those 13 outs. He’ll look to work deeper while still missing bats against the Yankees on Wednesday.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
4 months ago
The 25-year-old rookie right-hander racked up seven strikeouts on the afternoon. The only blemish on his day came on a run-scoring double off the bat of Sean Murphy in the second inning. Aside from that, he was brilliant. Leiter generated 13 swings and misses on 100 pitches on the day, registering a solid CSW of 29 percent. Now 7-6 on the season, Leiter will carry a 4.09 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and an 83/45 K/BB ratio (92 1/3 innings) into Friday’s matchup against the Mariners in Seattle.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
4 months ago
Leiter, who was 1-4 with a 5.97 ERA in his previous six starts, had some trouble with Nick Kurtz, who homered and doubled off him. But no one else in the A’s lineup posed him much of a problem. Leiter struck out seven and walked four. The stuff is obviously there, but he does need to shed some walks before he’ll be much of a factor in fantasy leagues. He’ll get the Braves next.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
4 months ago
Leiter gave up five hits, walked four and struck out six. The 25-year-old right-hander pitched around traffic on the base paths for most of his outing. Leiter was still able to notch his first win since May 30. He’ll take a 4.37 ERA and 69/38 K/BB ratio in 80 1/3 innings into the All-Star break.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
5 months ago
Leiter punched out five batters on the night while issuing a pair of walks. He was very inefficient, needing 85 pitches (54 strikes) to record the 11 outs that he did get. The damage done against him came on an RBI single by Luis Arraez in the third and an RBI double by Fernando Tatis Jr. in the fourth inning after Leiter had exited with two men on and two outs. The 25-year-old hurler got 12 whiffs on the night, posting a CSW of 22 percent. He’ll try to bounce back as he carries a 4.32 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and a 63/34 K/BB ratio (75 innings) into his first half finale against the Astros in Houston on Friday.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
5 months ago
The 25-year-old right-hander piled up seven strikeouts on the afternoon and didn’t walk a batter. The lone blemish on his day came on an RBI single by Mitch Garver in his final frame. Leiter generated 14 swings and misses on 88 pitches on the afternoon — five of those on his slider — while registering a CSW of 28 percent. Leiter now sports a 4.29 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and a 58/32 K/BB ratio over 71 1/3 innings through his first 14 starts on the season. He’ll look to get back in the win column when he squares off against the Padres in San Diego on Saturday.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
5 months ago
Leiter was pulled at 88 pitches after walking Oneil Cruz to open the fifth inning, and then the bullpen allowed the floodgates to open. Still, this was a matchup that Leiter should have dominated, and he simply couldn’t command the baseball. He had just nine called strikes and a 23 percent CSW on the day with a 49 percent zone rate. The sinker was a huge pitch earlier in the year for him because he can command it for a strike, but it also led to some blister issues, and he threw just five of them total today. At this stage, it’s hard to roster Leiter outside of the deepest formats, and we would not feel good about starting him next week against Seattle.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
5 months ago
The 25-year-old right-hander walked two and struck out four batters in the ballgame. The Royals jumped on him early, scoring three times in the opening inning, including a two-run blast off the bat of Salvador Perez. Perez then added an RBI double in the fourth and a solo shot in the sixth while Bobby Witt Jr. contributed a solo homer in the fifth inning. Leiter generated eight whiffs on 94 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of only 24 percent. He’ll look to put this one behind him and bounce back as he carries a 4.40 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and a 49/30 K/BB ratio (61 1/3 innings) into Sunday’s matchup against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
5 months ago
Leiter was erratic from the first to last pitch he threw here. The lead-off batter reached base in each of his four innings and he didn’t throw a single stress-free pitch. He only threw a first pitch strike to seven of the first 14 batters he faced through three innings and had a very tough time finding the feel for his changeup. That forced him to throw his slider a bit more than he probably would’ve liked to against left-handed batters and his pitch count kept ticking up and up as he struggled to put hitters away. He’s scheduled to face the Royals and Pirates in a two-start week coming up.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
6 months ago
Leiter allowed three hits with one walk, and he struck out six. The only run allowed came on a solo shot by the red-hot Junior Caminero, and outside of that and a double from Brandon Lowe, Leiter sailed through the Tampa Bay lineup. Leiter now has an ERA of 3.48 after 10 1/3 innings of one-run baseball over his last two starts, and he’s worthy of streaming consideration for Wednesday’s scheduled start vs. the Twins.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
6 months ago
Leiter allowed three hits with one walk, and he struck out six. The only run allowed came on a solo shot by the red-hot Junior Caminero, and outside of that and a double from Brandon Lowe, Leiter sailed through the Tampa Bay lineup. Leither now has an ERA of 3.48 after 10 1/3 innings of one-run baseball over his last two starts, and he’s worthy of consideration for Wednesday’s scheduled start vs. the Twins.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
6 months ago
It was frustrating that the Rangers pulled Leiter with a five run lead and a runner on first with two outs just one out shy of a quality start. Even more frustrating, that runner was on first because Leiter hit Willson Contreras with two strikes after he laid off a tough changeup. Nevertheless, this was a solid start despite him only forcing nine swings-and-misses with just three total between his fastball and slider. He will need to miss more bats with that fastball to get to the next level, but he’s had a strong string of starts lately. He’s scheduled to face the Rays next time out.
FLA • Pitcher • #35
6 months ago
Winkler, a former A’s prospect, is in the majors for the first time. He hit .275/.331/.423 with 15 steals in 15 attempts for Jacksonville, which is a step up from what he typically hit in the A’s system. Still, he’s probably a 26th man at best, and he could return to the minors when Xavier Edwards is activated.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
6 months ago
The five walks put him at 94 pitches through five and ensured that he wouldn’t return for the sixth with a 4-2 lead. Things fell apart immediately after he left, as the White Sox scored six runs in the sixth. Still, that was more because of the defense than the bullpen. This really wasn’t one of Leiter’s more impressive outings. Besides the walks, he gave up 10 hard-hit balls, including a homer, and settled for just six whiffs and three strikeouts. He seems like a mediocre play in mixed leagues with the Cardinals next on the docket.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
6 months ago
Leiter struck out four and walked two on the day while posting a 20 percent whiff rate and 26 percent CSW. It doesn’t wasn’t an electric outing from the 25-year-old, but he was consistently in and around the strike zone and deserved better. He had allowed just one run on one hit through seven innings, but he was brought out to start the eighth and allowed two straight singles. Both of those runners came around to score when Robert Garcia allowed a three-run home run to Isaac Paredes. Leiter has not been as impressive as he looked at times in spring training, but he has a solid 4.25 ERA and is in a great position with a start against the White Sox next week.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
6 months ago
Leiter seemed to be blossoming in the two starts before a blister shut him down, but now he’s back looking like the guy he was a year ago. In three starts since returning, he’s given up 12 runs and amassed an 8/10 K/BB ratio in 13 innings. He averaged 97.8 mph with his fastball in the first start back, which was right in line with his two pre-IL starts, but he was down to 97.2 mph last Friday and 96.8 mph today. There’s still a lot of upside here, but he seems like a weak play against quality offenses right now. Fortunately, he’ll get the Rockies at home next time out.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
7 months ago
It is both literally and figuratively impossible to have a quality start if you give up a grand slam, and Leiter did that to Cal Raleigh to ruin any chance of that occurring. He also allowed a solo homer to Raleigh earlier in the contest, and he didn’t fool the Seattle hitters with two strikeouts before exiting. Leither has been either very good or quite the opposite when on the mound this year, which helps explain a 4.58 ERA to open the campaign. His chance to bounce back comes next week against Boston.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
7 months ago
Back from a blister that put him on the IL, Leiter seemed more like the guy he was last year than the one who was so impressive in two starts to begin the season. Besides the four walks, he also got just four misses on 31 swings, and five of the nine balls in play against him were hit hard. Still, those who held on to him during his IL stint should at least see how he performs next against the Mariners before considering dropping him.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
7 months ago
He’s back. Leiter shouldn’t have any workload restrictions on Sunday against the Giants after throwing 60 pitches earlier this week in his final rehab start for Triple-A Round Rock. The 25-year-old former top prospect looked outstanding in a pair of early-season starts before a blister on his right middle finger sent him to the injured list. Leiter should be rostered in all fantasy formats until further notice.
TEX • Pitcher • #35
7 months ago
The original expectation had been that Leiter would take over Kumar Rocker’s spot in the rotation on Monday against the Athletics, but it sounds like they want him back as soon as possible. That means that Patrick Corbin would presumably be pushed back and start in Rocker’s place on Monday.
Source: Jared Sandler