This article is part of our Weekly Pitcher Rankings series.
As always, remember that rotations are subject to change, so if you see something that isn't correct, assume that it was a change that has occurred since this was written and feel free to politely bring it up in the comments, and I'll let you know where the new arm slots.
For the week May 5-11
AMERICAN LEAGUE
For the week May 5-11
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Max Scherzer - HOU, MIN Note: This kind of slate for one of the game's best can carry a H2H team |
| 2. Yordano Ventura - at SD, at SEA Note: Both opponents in top 10 in Ks against RHP |
| 3. Scott Kazmir - SEA, WAS Note: Nats are strong vs. LHP, but Kaz has handled all comers brilliantly |
| 4. Justin Verlander - MIN |
| 5. Masahiro Tanaka - at MIL Note: Even when he's not at his best, he still looks very good (i.e. Saturday vs. TB) |
| 6. James Shields - at SD |
| 7. Felix Hernandez - at OAK |
| 8. Yu Darvish - BOS Note: Nice two-start guys push Darvish lower than usual |
| 9. David Price - BAL |
| 10. Sonny Gray - WAS |
| 11. Jon Lester - at TEX Note: at TEX hasn't been terrifying date yet, and both Red Sox have looked great for the most part |
| 12. John Lackey - at TEX |
| 13. Jose Quintana - at CHC, ARI Note: Navigated a hell of a schedule in April and came out of it all right |
| 14. Chris Tillman - at TB, HOU Note: I'm a fan of Tillman, but |
As always, remember that rotations are subject to change, so if you see something that isn't correct, assume that it was a change that has occurred since this was written and feel free to politely bring it up in the comments, and I'll let you know where the new arm slots.
For the week May 5-11
AMERICAN LEAGUE
CONSIDER
SIT
NATIONAL LEAGUE
CONSIDER
SIT
MLB TOP 100
For the week May 5-11
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Max Scherzer - HOU, MIN Note: This kind of slate for one of the game's best can carry a H2H team |
| 2. Yordano Ventura - at SD, at SEA Note: Both opponents in top 10 in Ks against RHP |
| 3. Scott Kazmir - SEA, WAS Note: Nats are strong vs. LHP, but Kaz has handled all comers brilliantly |
| 4. Justin Verlander - MIN |
| 5. Masahiro Tanaka - at MIL Note: Even when he's not at his best, he still looks very good (i.e. Saturday vs. TB) |
| 6. James Shields - at SD |
| 7. Felix Hernandez - at OAK |
| 8. Yu Darvish - BOS Note: Nice two-start guys push Darvish lower than usual |
| 9. David Price - BAL |
| 10. Sonny Gray - WAS |
| 11. Jon Lester - at TEX Note: at TEX hasn't been terrifying date yet, and both Red Sox have looked great for the most part |
| 12. John Lackey - at TEX |
| 13. Jose Quintana - at CHC, ARI Note: Navigated a hell of a schedule in April and came out of it all right |
| 14. Chris Tillman - at TB, HOU Note: I'm a fan of Tillman, but his being 14th shows thinness atop AL ranks |
| 15. Chris Archer - BAL, CLE Note: 3 gems, 3 duds; despite the risk I still love the upside |
| 16. Jered Weaver - NYY, at TOR |
| 17. Hisashi Iwakuma - KC |
| 18. Jesse Chavez - SEA Note: Did you hop off the bandwagon after some shakiness in HOU? Fears were assuaged in TEX |
| 19. C.J. Wilson - NYY |
| 20. Zach McAllister - MIN, at TB |
| 21. Martin Perez - at COL, BOS Note: Not panicking after first dud start, but knocked him down because of tough slate |
| 22. Drew Hutchison - at PHI |
| 23. Justin Masterson - MIN Note: Up, down, up, down, up, down |
| 24. Rick Porcello - HOU |
| 25. Drew Smyly - HOU |
| 26. Corey Kluber - at TB Note: Maddeningly inconsistent thus far, but I'm sticking with him |
| 27. CC Sabathia - at MIL Note: When K:BB Misleads - The CC Sabathia Story |
| 28. Danny Salazar - MIN |
| 29. Garrett Richards - at TOR Note: Allowed 8 H to OAK, then 8 H combined in four starts; betting against his 4.5 H/9 holding |
| 30. Jake Peavy - CIN |
| 31. Jason Vargas - at SEA Note: Another nice venue/matchup for the veteran lefty; keep riding the wave for now |
| 32. Hiroki Kuroda - at LAA |
| 33. Dan Straily - SEA |
| 34. Trevor Bauer or Josh Tomlin - MIN, at TB Note: Still not sure who gets two-start week. If it's Tomlin, drop to a "Consider" behind Guthrie |
| 35. Roenis Elias - at OAK, KC Note: Done enough to show some confidence in him across a lot of formats |
| 36. John Danks - CHC |
| 37. Danny Duffy - at SEA |
| 38. Tyler Skaggs - at TOR Note: Want more Ks, but the improved control is a great step forward |
| 39. Wei-Yin Chen -HOU |
| 40. Miguel Gonzalez - HOU |
| 41. R.A. Dickey - LAA Note: Can't imagine the frustration of having him again this year |
| 42. David Phelps - at LAA, at MIL Note: Not sure he goes more than 5 IP in either, but has been much better after pair of horrid outings to start season |
CONSIDER
| 43. Dallas Keuchel - at DET Note: Skills are supporting his nice start, but trip to DET is probably best avoided |
| 44. Robbie Ray - HOU, MIN Note: Youngster getting the call for Sanchez and gets a very soft landing |
| 45. Robbie Ross - at COL, BOS Note: Be really cautious with this two-pack |
| 46. J.A. Happ - at PHI, LAA |
| 47. Tommy Milone - WAS Note: On one hand, he's at home where he flourishes, but Nats are tops in wOBA against LHP |
| 48. Jeremy Guthrie - at SD, at SEA |
| 49. Colby Lewis - COL Note: Ready to become viable asset as he rounds into form, but I'm avoiding COL if possible |
SIT
| 50. Kyle Gibson - at CLE, at DET |
| 51. Mark Buehrle - PHI Note: Fanned 11 in season debut; has 12 in 31.3 IP since |
| 52. Collin McHugh - at BAL Note: Still skeptical, but definitely paying attention |
| 53. Phil Hughes - at DET Note: On the rise, IMO; I'm monitoring him closely |
| 54. Ubaldo Jimenez - at TB |
| 55. Clay Buchholz - at TEX Note: B2B decent efforts aren't enough to get me to use him in TEX |
| 56. Brandon Morrow - PHI |
| 57. Erasmo Ramirez - at OAK Note: Up for a doubleheader |
| 58. Matt Harrison - COL |
| 59. Ricky Nolasco - at CLE |
| 60. Chris Young - at OAK, KC |
| 61. Sam Deduno - at CLE, at DET Note: Joining the rotation; intriguing talent, but only a deep-league option |
| 62. Cesar Ramos - BAL |
| 63. Hector Santiago - NYY |
| 64. Bud Norris - at TB |
| 65. Felix Doubront - CIN |
| 66. Jake Odorizzi - CLE |
| 67. Brett Oberholtzer - at DET, at BAL |
| 68. Jarred Cosart - at DET, at BAL |
| 69. Hector Noesi - at CHC, ARI |
| 70. Scott Carroll - CHC |
| 71. Vidal Nuno - at LAA |
| 72. Brandon Maurer - KC |
| 73. Andre Rienzo - ARI |
| 74. Brad Peacock - at DET |
| 75. Erik Bedard - CLE |
| 76. Kevin Correia - at CLE |
NATIONAL LEAGUE
START
| 1. Zack Greinke - at WAS, SF Note: Gets nod over Kershaw with brilliant start and Kershaw's injury-slowed start to season |
| 2. Clayton Kershaw - at WAS, SF Note: He's baaaaack!!! |
| 3. Jordan Zimmermann - LAD, at OAK |
| 4. Jose Fernandez - at SD |
| 5. Adam Wainwright - at ATL Note: Cubs' 6 ER off of him on May 2 was as many as he'd allowed through six starts |
| 6. Nathan Eovaldi - NYM, at SD Note: Aggressive ranking, but look at numbers he's put up, and is facing two inept offenses |
| 7. Johnny Cueto - COL Note: Not sure even the high-powered Rockies offense can tame him |
| 8. Julio Teheran - CHC Note: Still awaiting more consistent Ks, but everything else has been near perfect |
| 9. Cliff Lee - at TOR |
| 10. Stephen Strasburg - LAD Note: If you can buy at even a sliver of a discount, do it |
| 11. Matt Cain - at PIT, at LAD |
| 12. Jon Niese - at MIA, PHI Note: Quietly been great and deserves more attention |
| 13. Homer Bailey - at BOS, COL Note: Not a great slate to build off his good start against MIL, but I remain confident overall |
| 14. Jeff Samardzija - CWS, at ATL Note: 6th- and 8th-ranked teams in Ks vs. RHP should bring his lagging K rate up |
| 15. Gio Gonzalez - at OAK |
| 16. Ervin Santana - STL |
| 17. Dan Haren - at WAS Note: Interesting what health can do to hit and home-run rates |
| 18. Andrew Cashner - KC |
| 19. Madison Bumgarner - at LAD Note: Hasn't allowed fewer than 6 H in a game, only went 4.3 IP the two times he "held" opponents to 6 H |
| 20. A.J. Burnett - at TOR |
| 21. Mike Minor - STL Note: What rust? |
| 22. Gerrit Cole - STL Note: Hasn't been a star just yet, but the results have still been very useful |
| 23. Michael Wacha - at PIT |
| 24. Alex Wood - CHC Note: Knew he'd regress some, just didn't expect so much in one outing ... in MIA, no less! |
| 25. Marco Estrada - ARI Note: Two MIL chic sleepers have exceeded expectations through first month |
| 26. Wily Peralta - ARI |
| 27. Zack Wheeler - at MIA |
| 28. Lance Lynn - at PIT |
| 29. Tyson Ross - MIA Note: Inconsistency is frustrating, but the top shelf potential is too much to pass up |
| 30. Cole Hamels - TOR Note: Scratched from May 4 start due to flu; slated to face TOR on Tuesday |
| 31. Matt Garza - ARI, NYY |
| 32. Francisco Liriano - STL |
| 33. Kyle Lohse - NYY |
| 34. Jenrry Mejia - PHI Note: Surprisingly large number of pitchers have had a start vs. MIA as their worst of the year |
| 35. Jason Hammel - at ATL |
| 36. Dillon Gee - PHI Note: Held strong deep into his last two outings, normally a problem for him |
| 37. Shelby Miller - at ATL, at PIT Note: Not sold on the 3.15 ERA, he's only this high because of two starts; sell |
| 38. Aaron Harang - STL, CHC Note: Wouldn't insta-cut him after the MIA beating, especially with CHC later in the week |
| 39. Henderson Alvarez - NYM, at SD |
| 40. Robbie Erlin - KC, MIA Note: Both SD lefties get two nice matchups in their spacious home ballpark |
| 41. Eric Stults - KC, MIA |
| 42. Doug Fister - LAD Note: Not a great matchup off DL, but healthy Fister would rate much higher even in tough matchup, so starting him here |
| 43. Josh Beckett - SF |
| 44. Tanner Roark - at OAK |
| 45. Ian Kennedy - MIA Note: 5.00 ERA at home despite 1.17 WHIP, 9.0 K/9 and 4.5 K/BB |
| 46. Travis Wood - at CWS Note: Impressed with his start, but the White Sox aren't to be taken lightly so be careful |
| 47. Jacob Turner - at SD Note: Couldn't pick a better spot to return from the DL |
| 48. Bartolo Colon - at MIA Note: He hates rain ... it cost him an outing vs. PHI and instead put him at COL |
| 49. Yovani Gallardo - NYY |
CONSIDER
| 50. Wade Miley - at CWS Note: Like the pitcher, hate the matchup |
| 51. Alfredo Simon - COL |
| 52. Tom Koehler - NYM |
| 53. Edinson Volquez - STL |
| 54. Mike Leake - at BOS |
| 55. Jhoulys Chacin - at CIN Note: Get an idea of how he looks on Sunday and decide from there |
| 56. Charlie Morton - SF Note: Maybe two-start week; see 74th spot in NL |
| 57. Jordan Lyles - TEX, at CIN Note: Command-and-control, pitch-to-contact strategy is working well, both home and away |
| 58. Tim Lincecum - at PIT |
| 59. Juan Nicasio - TEX, at CIN Note: Rockies have some decent arms and run support will be there, if you're trolling for wins |
SIT
| 60. Edwin Jackson - CWS, at ATL |
| 61. Kyle Kendrick - TOR, at NYM |
| 62. Roberto Hernandez - TOR, at NYM |
| 63. Brandon Cumpton - SF |
| 64. Jake Arrieta - at CWS Note: Someone to monitor, but a dangerous spot early in his return |
| 65. Franklin Morales - at TEX |
| 66. Jorge de la Rosa - at TEX |
| 67. Ryan Vogelsong - at LAD |
| 68. Josh Collmenter - at MIL |
| 69. Bronson Arroyo - at MIL |
| 70. Brandon McCarthy - at CWS |
| 71. Mike Bolsinger - at MIL, at CWS Note: Extra start actually hurts him when compared to teammates |
| 72. Paul Maholm - SF |
| 73. Tyler Lyons Note: Could be at ATL or skipped; stay tuned |
| 74. Pirates Sixth Starter? Note: Open spot Monday, though they could just take the currently slated rotation and move it up a day, giving Morton two starts; stay tuned |
| 75. Reds Fifth Starter Note: No need this week despite Cingrani's DL'ing |
MLB TOP 100
| 1. Max Scherzer - HOU, MIN |
| 2. Zack Greinke - at WAS, SF |
| 3. Clayton Kershaw - at WAS, SF |
| 4. Jordan Zimmermann - LAD, at OAK |
| 5. Yordano Ventura - at SD, at SEA |
| 6. Jose Fernandez - at SD |
| 7. Scott Kazmir - SEA, WAS |
| 8. Adam Wainwright - at ATL |
| 9. Justin Verlander - MIN |
| 10. Nathan Eovaldi - NYM, at SD |
| 11. Masahiro Tanaka - at MIL |
| 12. James Shields - at SD |
| 13. Johnny Cueto - COL |
| 14. Julio Teheran - CHC |
| 15. Felix Hernandez - at OAK |
| 16. Yu Darvish - BOS |
| 17. Cliff Lee - at TOR |
| 18. Stephen Strasburg - LAD |
| 19. Matt Cain - at PIT, at LAD |
| 20. Jon Niese - at MIA, PHI |
| 21. Homer Bailey - at BOS, COL |
| 22. Jeff Samardzija - CWS, at ATL |
| 23. David Price - BAL |
| 24. Sonny Gray - WAS |
| 25. Gio Gonzalez - at OAK |
| 26. Ervin Santana - STL |
| 27. Dan Haren - at WAS |
| 28. Jon Lester - at TEX |
| 29. John Lackey - at TEX |
| 30. Andrew Cashner - KC |
| 31. Madison Bumgarner - at LAD |
| 32. Jose Quintana - at CHC, ARI |
| 33. A.J. Burnett - at TOR |
| 34. Mike Minor - STL |
| 35. Gerrit Cole - STL |
| 36. Michael Wacha - at PIT |
| 37. Chris Tillman - at TB, HOU |
| 38. Chris Archer - BAL, CLE |
| 39. Jered Weaver - NYY, at TOR |
| 40. Alex Wood - CHC |
| 41. Marco Estrada - ARI |
| 42. Wily Peralta - ARI |
| 43. Hisashi Iwakuma - KC |
| 44. Jesse Chavez - SEA |
| 45. Zack Wheeler - at MIA |
| 46. Lance Lynn - at PIT |
| 47. Tyson Ross - MIA |
| 48. Cole Hamels - at NYM |
| 49. C.J. Wilson - NYY |
| 50. Zach McAllister - MIN, at TB |
| 51. Martin Perez - at COL, BOS |
| 52. Matt Garza - ARI, NYY |
| 53. Drew Hutchison - at PHI |
| 54. Justin Masterson - MIN |
| 55. Rick Porcello - HOU |
| 56. Drew Smyly - HOU |
| 57. Corey Kluber - at TB |
| 58. CC Sabathia - at MIL |
| 59. Francisco Liriano - STL |
| 60. Kyle Lohse - NYY |
| 61. Jenrry Mejia - PHI |
| 62. Danny Salazar - MIN |
| 63. Garrett Richards - at TOR |
| 64. Jake Peavy - CIN |
| 65. Jason Hammel - at ATL |
| 66. Dillon Gee - PHI |
| 67. Shelby Miller - at ATL, at PIT |
| 68. Hiroki Kuroda - at LAA |
| 69. Dan Straily - SEA |
| 70. Trevor Bauer or Josh Tomlin - MIN, at TB |
| 71. Aaron Harang - STL, CHC |
| 72. Henderson Alvarez - NYM, at SD |
| 73. Robbie Erlin - KC, MIA |
| 74. Eric Stults - KC, MIA |
| 75. Doug Fister - LAD |
| 76. Josh Beckett - SF |
| 77. Tanner Roark - at OAK |
| 78. Ian Kennedy - MIA |
| 79. Travis Wood - at CWS |
| 80. Jason Vargas - at SEA |
| 81. Roenis Elias - at OAK, KC |
| 82. John Danks - CHC |
| 83. Danny Duffy - at SEA |
| 84. Tyler Skaggs - at TOR |
| 85. Wei-Yin Chen -HOU |
| 86. Miguel Gonzalez - HOU |
| 87. R.A. Dickey - LAA |
| 88. Jacob Turner - at SD |
| 89. Bartolo Colon - at MIA |
| 90. Yovani Gallardo - NYY |
| 91. Wade Miley - at CWS |
| 92. Alfredo Simon - COL |
| 93. Dallas Keuchel - at DET |
| 94. Edinson Volquez - STL |
| 95. David Phelps - at LAA, at MIL |
| 96. Mike Leake - at BOS |
| 97. Jhoulys Chacin - at CIN |
| 98. Charlie Morton - SF |
| 99. Tommy Milone - WAS |
| 100. Jordan Lyles - TEX, at CIN |
