MLB starting pitchers shift strategies to improve recent performance results

Five Major League Baseball pitchers are seeing improved results following deliberate adjustments to their pitching approaches this season. Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Dylan Cease has maintained a 1.57 ERA over his last seven starts despite a decrease in velocity, which he appears to use as a tactical tool to deceive hitters early in games. Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Braxton Ashcraft has stabilized his performance by increasing his sinker usage to generate more ground balls, while Kansas City Royals starter Noah Cameron has lowered his ERA to 1.29 over his past seven appearances. Cameron attributes much of his success to calling his own pitches and reducing his reliance on his four-seam fastball. These tactical changes have directly influenced the pitchers' current statistical trajectories as the 2026 season enters its final stretch.

• 2:33 PMCBS Sports — Fantasy Baseball: Five starting pitchers who've changed, man -- and seemingly for the better