Fantasy Baseball Pitchers Who Excelled and Struggled in July: David Peterson, Sonny Gray and More

We just went over fantasy baseball hitters who excelled and struggled in July, and now will turn our attention to pitchers.

We'll keep the focus on the most notable fantasy pitchers.

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Best and Worst ERAs

Among qualified pitchers, Nathan Eovaldi had the best earned run average in July at 0.59. He went 5-0 over five starts, posting three quality starts along the way. Eovaldi struck out 30 batters over 30 2/3 innings and allowed three runs (two earned) on 21 hits and eight walks.

Eovaldi continues to shine in 2025, and he's now a pitcher to hold on to, instead of a sell-high candidate. He will regress at some point, but he'll still probably be an above-average fantasy asset, and you want those guys on your roster. Only trade him if you are blown away by an offer.

Paul Skenes had a 0.67 ERA in July. He went 2-1 over five starts, with two quality starts sprinkled in. Skenes had 36 punchouts over 27 innings, and allowed two runs on 21 hits and three walks. Now could be a time to sell high on Skenes, not because I think he's going to fall off, but because he will have his innings limited, thus capping his fantasy ceiling.

Trevor Rogers had a 1.03 ERA over four starts. He went 3-1 and produced a quality start in all four outings. Rogers struck out 22 batters over 26 1/3 innings. He's up to 87% rostered now, and will get to 100% if he keeps pitching well in his next couple appearances, so scoop him up if you still can. Rogers is also a sell-high candidate if you expect him to regress, and he's likely to lose a little value after Baltimore sold so much at the trade deadline.

David Peterson had a 1.05 ERA over four starts. He went 2-9 and had four quality starts. Peterson struck out 18 batters over 25 2/3 innings, while allowing five runs (three earned) on 22 hits and seven walks. Peterson is at 88% rostered right now (and really should be closer to 100%), but he's a sell-high candidate looking at his recent results, season numbers and career marks - regression is bound to come at some point, and it could be in August.

Nick Pivetta posted a 1.17 ERA over five starts - he went 2-1 with four quality starts mixed in. Pivetta struck out 30 batters over 30 2/3 innings, while giving up six runs (four earned) on 18 hits and eight walks. He's rostered in all fantasy leagues, and is a regression candidate looking at his numbers this year and what he's done in the past - he's also nearing his innings marks from the past couple years, so now is a great time to sell him high.

Sonny Gray had the worst ERA among qualified pitchers. He had a 7.81 mark over six starts. Gray went 2-3 and didn't have a quality start. He struck out 32 batters over 27 2/3 innings, while allowing 26 runs (24 earned) on 43 hits and three walks.

Gray is a bounceback candidate in August, and his trade value is way down, so he's a buy-low option. He's still owned in all leagues, but could eventually be dropped if his struggles continue, so there's reason to also ship him away for something now.

MacKenzie Gore had a 6.75 ERA over five starts. He went 1-3 and had one quality start. He struck out 19 batters over 24 innings and allowed 18 runs on 25 hits and 15 walks. Gore is down to 92% rostered and is trending down. Depending on how you view Gore going forward, he's either a bounceback candidate and worth buying low on, or someone to ship out now before his value dips more.

Logan Webb had a 6.18 ERA over five starts. He still went 2-2, but had just one quality start. Webb allowed 19 runs on 37 hits and 10 walks over 27 2/3 innings, while striking out 28 batters. He's rostered in all leagues yet, so now is a time to buy low on him, as better days should be ahead.

Other Excelling Pitchers

Logan Gilbert and Nick Lodolo led the big leagues with 38 strikeouts each last month.

Gilbert was 1-2 over five starts and had one quality start. He posted a 3.04 ERA over 26 2/3 innings, allowing 12 runs (nine earned) on 20 hits and 10 walks. He's trending up after missing time earlier this season. Gilbert is a player I'd prefer to keep, not sell high on,

Lodolo is nearly up to 100% rostered, but a few of you can still grab him for free. He went 3-1 with four quality starts over five outings last month. Lodolo had a 1.89 ERA, allowing seven runs on 21 hits and four walks. He's an affordable trade target at the very least, but some might view him as a sell-high candidate.

Jack Flaherty struck out 37 batters over 25 1/3 innings. He had a 1-1 record and two quality starts over five outings. Flaherty allowed 10 runs on 27 hits and nine walks. He's at 92% owned, but probably should be at 100% - scoop him up if you can, otherwise look to trade for a pretty affordable and reliable fantasy arm.

Edwin Diaz and Robert Suarez had seven saves each in July. Both of their teams got relievers during the trade season, but Diaz's job is still locked in, while Suarez might be replaced by Mason Miller.

Diaz went 2-0 with no runs allowed over 11 innings in July. He had 18 strikeouts and just four hits and walks allowed. Diaz is the No. 2 fantasy closer right now, and he could challenge Josh Hader for the top spot with a couple more big months down the stretch.

Suarez was 1-0 with two runs allowed over 10 innings. He gave up seven hits and no walks, while striking out 11. I was surprised to see the Padres land Miller with how Suarez has looked of late, and for most of this season. It's a detriment to Suarez's fantasy outlook, and not many are going to want to trade for him either.

Other Pitchers Trending Down

Sticking with relievers, Carlos Estevez blew three saves in July. He went 2-1 and had a 3.75 ERA over 12 innings pitched. Estevez allowed six runs (five earned) on 14 hits and two walks, while striking out seven. He's still at 93% rostered, so the blown saves didn't turn many fantasy owners off, but it might have lowered his trade value if you are looking for closer help.

Kyle Finnegan went 0-2, blew a save and earned two saves over a rough July for Washington. He allowed 10 runs on 10 hits and four walks, while striking out seven. Finengan was still traded to Detroit, where he could split the closer role with Will Vest. Finnegan is down to 70% owned, and it could keep dropping if he doesn't earn save chances for the Tigers.

Among qualified starting pitchers with notable fantasy relevance, Shane Baz tied for the most losses (four). He went 0-4 with a 5.40 ERA over 28 1/3 innings - Baz allowed 17 runs on 32 hits and nine walks. He struck out 30 batters and had three quality starts, so it wasn't all bad for him. Baz is down to 71% rostered, and is looking more like a deep-league keeper with standard league streaming possibility as August begins.

Clay Holmes had no quality starts over six outings. He went 1-2 with a 4.91 ERA, allowing 19 runs (16 earned) on 35 hits and 11 walks. Holmes only struck out 16 batters. Holmes is down to 78% rostered and should be much lower than that already. He passed his career high in innings a while ago, and the effects of starting over coming out of the bullpen are starting to show up. Trade him away if you still can, as he's about to be a drop candidate in all standard leagues.

Dylan Cease had no quality starts over five outings as well. He went 0-3 and had a 5.67 ERA over 27 innings. Cease allowed 18 runs (17 earned) on 26 hits and 11 walks, but still struck out 36 batters. He was on the trade block, but ended up staying in San Diego. He's down to 96% rostered, but is not deserving of that mark - look to trade him, or don't give up much if you are treating him as a buy-low target.