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 June 2-8
AMERICAN LEAGUE
For the week June 2-8
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Felix Hernandez – at NYY, at TB Note: 2.30 ERA and 30 K in 31.1 IP since the 0 K effort at OAK |
| 2. Alex Cobb – at MIA, SEA Note: I don't really hold bad outings vs. TOR against SPs ... they're the AL's Colorado |
| 3. James Shields – STL, NYY |
| 4. Scott Kazmir – at NYY, at BAL Note: How is his resurgence not getting more love overall? |
| 5. Masahiro Tanaka – OAK |
| 6. Max Scherzer – BOS |
| 7. Corey Kluber – BOS Note: Logged at least 8 Ks all six of his May (60 in 43 IP) |
| 8. Hisashi Iwakuma – at ATL |
| 9. Yu Darvish – CLE Note: Pushed back with his neck, monitor his start on Saturday |
| 10. Chris Sale – at LAA |
| 11. David Price – MIA |
| 12. Anibal Sanchez – TOR, BOS Note: The meeting against TOR puts him behind some other 1-start studs |
| 13. C.J. Wilson – at HOU, CWS |
| 14. John Lackey – at CLE, at DET Note: Tough matchups, but Lackey has been great with 2 or fewer ER in 8 of his 11 starts |
| 15. Jose Quintana – at |
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 June 2-8
AMERICAN LEAGUE
SIT
NATIONAL LEAGUE
SIT
MLB TOP 100
For the week June 2-8
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Felix Hernandez – at NYY, at TB Note: 2.30 ERA and 30 K in 31.1 IP since the 0 K effort at OAK |
| 2. Alex Cobb – at MIA, SEA Note: I don't really hold bad outings vs. TOR against SPs ... they're the AL's Colorado |
| 3. James Shields – STL, NYY |
| 4. Scott Kazmir – at NYY, at BAL Note: How is his resurgence not getting more love overall? |
| 5. Masahiro Tanaka – OAK |
| 6. Max Scherzer – BOS |
| 7. Corey Kluber – BOS Note: Logged at least 8 Ks all six of his May (60 in 43 IP) |
| 8. Hisashi Iwakuma – at ATL |
| 9. Yu Darvish – CLE Note: Pushed back with his neck, monitor his start on Saturday |
| 10. Chris Sale – at LAA |
| 11. David Price – MIA |
| 12. Anibal Sanchez – TOR, BOS Note: The meeting against TOR puts him behind some other 1-start studs |
| 13. C.J. Wilson – at HOU, CWS |
| 14. John Lackey – at CLE, at DET Note: Tough matchups, but Lackey has been great with 2 or fewer ER in 8 of his 11 starts |
| 15. Jose Quintana – at LAD, at LAA Note: Gets overlooked, but he's developed into a very steady option |
| 16. Jon Lester – at DET Note: Lester, Gray, and Weaver drop a bit with tough matchups in a 1-start week |
| 17. Sonny Gray – at BAL |
| 18. Jered Weaver – CWS |
| 19. Hiroki Kuroda – OAK, at KC Note: 4.00 ERA in May was markedly better than 5.28 in April; 6.2 K:BB says even better work might be on way |
| 20. Chris Archer – at MIA, SEA |
| 21. David Phelps – SEA, at KC Note: Has a 3.18 ERA and 2.2 K:BB ratio in five starts since joining the rotation |
| 22. Dallas Keuchel – at MIN Note: One of the best breakouts of the season so far and his component numbers back it up |
| 23. Collin McHugh – LAA Note: His curveball has arguably been the best strikeout pitch for any starter this season |
| 24. Phil Hughes – HOU |
| 25. Yordano Ventura – STL Note: This start is TBD ... stay tuned for confirmation |
| 26. Garrett Richards – at HOU |
| 27. Jesse Chavez – at NYY Note: Faded a bit in May w/three starts under 6 IP, but his 3.90 ERA wasn't too bad |
| 28. Justin Verlander – TOR Note: Languished through May, but finished with a gem; rough matchup for him to try and stay hot, though |
| 29. John Danks – at LAD Note: The Dodgers are trash vs. LHP and Danks has been strong in four of his last five |
| 30. Tyler Skaggs – CWS |
| 31. Mark Buehrle – STL Note: I'm still a bit skeptical ... but the TOR offense should support him even if (when) the ERA regresses |
| 32. Jake Odorizzi – MIA |
| 33. Drew Smyly – BOS |
| 34. Drew Pomeranz – at NYY Note: The next time he logs 6 IP will be the first time this year |
| 35. R.A Dickey – at DET |
| 36. Kyle Gibson – at MIL, HOU |
| 37. Roenis Elias – at TB |
| 38. Rick Porcello – TOR Note: Had 9 BB in first nine starts before a 6 BB nightmare in OAK |
| 39. Chase Whitley – at KC Note: Still waiting to make his home debut |
| 40. Brad Peacock – LAA Note: Looked solid in May with a 4.02 ERA and 34 Ks in 31.3 IP over five starts |
| 41. Erik Bedard – SEA |
| 42. Drew Hutchison – at DET, STL Note: On the fence here as Hutch has severe home/road splits (7.71/2.33 ERA split) |
| 43. Trevor Bauer – at TEX Note: Looking better in 2014, but still far from a completed product |
SIT
| 44. Danny Duffy – at STL, NYY |
| 45. Bud Norris – at TEX, OAK Note: Can't trust any of these next three in TEX, even with their lighter lineup |
| 46. Justin Masterson – BOS, at TEX |
| 47. Ubaldo Jimenez – at TEX |
| 48. Rubby de la Rosa – at DET Note: I'm a huge fan, but this is a rough matchup for his second start of the season |
| 49. Wei-Yin Chen – OAK |
| 50. Chris Tillman – OAK Note: Allowed 2 HR in first four w/1.71 ERA; has allowed 7 HR in last seven w/7.30 ERA |
| 51. Jarred Cosart – LAA |
| 52. Jason Vargas – STL |
| 53. Jake Peavy – at CLE |
| 54. J.A. Happ – at DET |
| 55. Samuel Deduno – at MIL, HOU |
| 56. Scott Feldman – at MIN |
| 57. Chris Young – at TB |
| 58. Miguel Gonzalez – at TEX |
| 59. Nick Tepesch – CLE |
| 60. Brandon Maurer – at ATL |
| 61. Matt Shoemaker – at HOU |
| 62. Brandon Workman – at CLE |
| 63. Colby Lewis – BAL |
| 64. Nick Martinez – BAL |
| 65. Ricky Nolasco – MIL |
| 66. Tommy Milone – at BAL |
| 67. Vidal Nuno – OAK |
| 68. Josh Tomlin – at TEX |
| 69. Jeremy Guthrie – NYY |
| 70. Andre Rienzo – at LAA |
| 71. Liam Hendriks – at DET, STL |
| 72. Hector Noesi – at LAD |
| 73. T.J. House – BOS |
| 74. Kevin Correia – MIL |
| 75. Joe Saunders – BAL |
NATIONAL LEAGUE
START
| 1. Clayton Kershaw – CWS, at COL Note: Holds the top NL spot even with a trip to Colorado |
| 2. Adam Wainwright – at KC Note: Has allowed 13 of his 22 ER in two starts |
| 3. Johnny Cueto – PHI |
| 4. Gerrit Cole – at SD Note: Fanned 37 in 37 May IP w/4 QS in six tries |
| 5. Stephen Strasburg – PHI Note: Since his 4 IP/6 ER dud at MIA – 2.03 ERA, 57 K, 5.7 K:BB in 53.3 IP |
| 6. Madison Bumgarner – at CIN Note: Bounced back from April w/a brilliant May – 2.08 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 48 Ks, and 9.6 K:BB ratio in 39 IP |
| 7. Julio Teheran – at ARI |
| 8. Doug Fister – at SD Note: He's been excellent since struggling in his season debut with a 1.86 ERA and 15:1 K:BB ratio |
| 9. Jeff Samardzija – MIA |
| 10. Zack Greinke – at COL Note: Don't love the matchup obviously, but he's been excellent this year |
| 11. Michael Wacha – at KC |
| 12. Cole Hamels – at CIN Note: If the 4.43 ERA offers any sort of discount, pounce on it |
| 13. Nathan Eovaldi – at CHC |
| 14. Zack Wheeler – at CHC, at SF Note: Inconsistency is annoying, but skills are there for an ERA nearly a run lower than his 4.31 |
| 15. Homer Bailey – SF, PHI Note: 5 QS in six tries during May, but still just a 4.26 ERA thanks to his 3.7 IP/6 ER dud at PHI; still running him out there |
| 16. Bartolo Colon – at PHI, at SF |
| 17. Ervin Santana – at ARI |
| 18. Dan Haren – CWS Note: Has allowed more than 3 ER just once this year (4 ER at ARI) |
| 19. Mike Minor – SEA |
| 20. Hyun-Jin Ryu – at COL Note: Matchup obviously drops him some |
| 21. Jordan Zimmermann – PHI Note: 74 H in 59.7 IP is worrisome, but I'm still buying long-term |
| 22. Wily Peralta – at MIN |
| 23. Kyle Lohse – at PIT Note: Took 11 starts to finally allow more than 3 ER (4 ER vs. BAL) |
| 24. Tyson Ross – WAS |
| 25. Tanner Roark – at SD |
| 26. Jon Niese – at SF Note: He remains underrated despite yet another great stretch of work |
| 27. Ian Kennedy – PIT |
| 28. Mike Leake – SF Note: He's not a sub-3.00 ERA guy with these skills, but a mid-3.00s ERA is definitely viable |
| 29. Gavin Floyd – SEA |
| 30. Jason Hammel – MIA |
| 31. Aaron Harang – at ARI Note: The skills say this is very real so while I understand the skepticism, some of it should be fading two months into the season |
| 32. Brandon McCarthy – ATL |
| 33. Tim Hudson – NYM |
| 34. Josh Beckett – CWS |
| 35. Ryan Vogelsong – at CIN |
| 36. Dillon Gee (or Jacob deGrom) – at CHC Note: Obviously if it's deGrom, drop him down into the sits |
| 37. Wade Miley – ATL |
| 38. Henderson Alvarez – TB, at CHC |
| 39. Alfredo Simon – PHI Note: He and Cingrani are battling for their spot each time out with Latos closer to returning |
| 40. Yovani Gallardo – MIN, at PIT Note: The mid-3.00s ERA is a mirage if these skills continue |
| 41. Charlie Morton – at SD, MIL |
| 42. Brandon Cumpton – MIL |
| 43. Francisco Liriano – at SD Note: A trip to SD gives him a shot to get hot with back-to-back gems |
| 44. Marco Estrada – at MIN Note: He's allowed at least 1 HR in all but one start and 17 overall |
| 45. A.J. Burnett – at WAS |
| 46. Tony Cingrani – SF Note: He's a mess right now and currently fighting for his rotation spot |
| 47. Jordan Lyles – ARI |
| 48. Travis Wood – NYM Note: Erased a pair of gems w/a 7 ER dud in MIL, but this matchup is too good to pass up |
| 49. Jake Arrieta – NYM, MIA |
| 50. Jorge de la Rosa – ARI, LAD |
| 51. Rafael Montero – at CHC Note: Unsurprisingly inconsistent early on, but the skills are there and this is a prime matchup |
| 52. Tom Koehler – at TB |
| 53. Tim Lincecum – at CIN, NYM Note: Had a strong May (2.86 ERA), but left his last outing w/blister so stay tuned |
SIT
| 54. Edwin Jackson – NYM |
| 55. Yusmeiro Petit – NYM |
| 56. Jaime Garcia – KC, at TOR Note: I'm not sending the three Cards into TOR, especially Miller, who has been awful lately |
| 57. Lance Lynn – at TOR |
| 58. Shelby Miller – KC, at TOR |
| 59. Matt Garza – MIN, at PIT |
| 60. Tim Stauffer – PIT, WAS Note: Thanks for that start this week, Timmy ... supercool stuff! |
| 61. Josh Collmenter – at COL Note: Congrats on your shutout, now kindly find your spot on the bench |
| 62. Edinson Volquez – MIL |
| 63. Jhoulys Chacin – LAD |
| 64. Franklin Morales – LAD |
| 65. Donn Roach – PIT |
| 66. Juan Nicasio – ARI |
| 67. Chase Anderson – at COL, ATL |
| 68. David Buchanan – at WAS, at CIN |
| 69. Blake Treinen – PHI, at SD |
| 70. Bronson Arroyo – at COL |
| 71. Kyle Kendrick – at WAS |
| 72. Eric Stults – WAS |
| 73. Roberto Hernandez – NYM, at CIN |
| 74. Jacob Turner – at TB |
| 75. Randy Wolf – TB, at CHC |
MLB TOP 100
| 1. Felix Hernandez – at NYY, at TB Note: 2.30 ERA and 30 K in 31.1 IP since the 0 K effort at OAK |
| 2. Clayton Kershaw – CWS, at COL Note: Holds the top NL spot even with a trip to Colorado |
| 3. Alex Cobb – at MIA, SEA Note: I don't really hold bad outings vs. TOR against SPs ... they're the AL's Colorado |
| 4. James Shields – STL, NYY |
| 5. Scott Kazmir – at NYY, at BAL Note: How is his resurgence not getting more love overall? |
| 6. Masahiro Tanaka – OAK |
| 7. Max Scherzer – BOS |
| 8. Corey Kluber – BOS Note: Logged at least 8 Ks all six of his May (60 in 43 IP) |
| 9. Adam Wainwright – at KC Note: Has allowed 13 of his 22 ER in two starts |
| 10. Johnny Cueto – PHI |
| 11. Gerrit Cole – at SD Note: Fanned 37 in 37 May IP w/4 QS in six tries |
| 12. Stephen Strasburg – PHI Note: Since his 4 IP/6 ER dud at MIA – 2.03 ERA, 57 K, 5.7 K:BB in 53.3 IP |
| 13. Madison Bumgarner – at CIN Note: Bounced back from April w/a brilliant May – 2.08 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 48 Ks, and 9.6 K:BB ratio in 39 IP |
| 14. Julio Teheran – at ARI |
| 15. Hisashi Iwakuma – at ATL |
| 16. Yu Darvish – CLE Note: Pushed back with his neck, monitor his start on Saturday |
| 17. Chris Sale – at LAA |
| 18. David Price – MIA |
| 19. Doug Fister – at SD Note: He's been excellent since struggling in his season debut with a 1.86 ERA and 15/1 K:BB ratio |
| 20. Jeff Samardzija – MIA |
| 21. Zack Greinke – at COL Note: Don't love the matchup obviously, but he's been excellent this year |
| 22. Anibal Sanchez – TOR, BOS Note: The meeting against TOR puts him behind some other 1-start studs |
| 23. C.J. Wilson – at HOU, CWS |
| 24. John Lackey – at CLE, at DET Note: Tough matchups, but Lackey has been great with 2 or fewer ER in 8 of his 11 starts |
| 25. Jose Quintana – at LAD, at LAA Note: Gets overlooked, but he's developed into a very steady option |
| 26. Michael Wacha – at KC |
| 27. Cole Hamels – at CIN Note: If the 4.43 ERA offers any sort of discount, pounce on it |
| 28. Nathan Eovaldi – at CHC |
| 29. Zack Wheeler – at CHC, at SF Note: Inconsistency is annoying, but skills are there for an ERA nearly a run lower than his 4.31 |
| 30. Homer Bailey – SF, PHI Note: 5 QS in six tries during May, but still just a 4.26 ERA thanks to his 3.7 IP/6 ER dud at PHI; still running him out there |
| 31. Bartolo Colon – at PHI, at SF |
| 32. Ervin Santana – at ARI |
| 33. Dan Haren – CWS Note: Has allowed more than 3 ER just once this year (4 ER at ARI) |
| 34. Mike Minor – SEA |
| 35. Jon Lester – at DET Note: Lester, Gray, and Weaver drop a bit with tough matchups in a 1-start week |
| 36. Sonny Gray – at BAL |
| 37. Jered Weaver – CWS |
| 38. Hiroki Kuroda – OAK, at KC Note: 4.00 ERA in May was markedly better than 5.28 in April; 6.2 K:BB says even better work might be on way |
| 39. Chris Archer – at MIA, SEA |
| 40. David Phelps – SEA, at KC Note: Has a 3.18 ERA and 2.2 K:BB ratio in five starts since joining the rotation |
| 41. Dallas Keuchel – at MIN Note: One of the best breakouts of the season so far and his component numbers back it up |
| 42. Collin McHugh – LAA Note: His curveball has arguably been the best strikeout pitch for any starter this season |
| 43. Phil Hughes – HOU |
| 44. Hyun-Jin Ryu – at COL Note: Matchup obviously drops him some |
| 45. Jordan Zimmermann – PHI Note: 74 H in 59.7 IP is worrisome, but I'm still buying long-term |
| 46. Wily Peralta – at MIN |
| 47. Kyle Lohse – at PIT Note: Took 11 starts to finally allow more than 3 ER (4 ER vs. BAL) |
| 48. Tyson Ross – WAS |
| 49. Tanner Roark – at SD |
| 50. Jon Niese – at SF Note: He remains underrated despite yet another great stretch of work |
| 51. Ian Kennedy – PIT |
| 52. Mike Leake – SF Note: He's not a sub-3.00 ERA guy with these skills, but a mid-3.00s ERA is definitely viable |
| 53. Gavin Floyd – SEA |
| 54. Jason Hammel – MIA |
| 55. Aaron Harang – at ARI Note: The skills say this is very real so while I understand the skepticism, some of it should be fading two months into the season |
| 56. Yordano Ventura – STL Note: This start is TBD ... stay tuned for confirmation |
| 57. Garrett Richards – at HOU |
| 58. Jesse Chavez – at NYY Note: Faded a bit in May w/three starts under 6 IP, but his 3.90 ERA wasn't too bad |
| 59. Justin Verlander – TOR Note: Languished through May, but finished with a gem; rough matchup for him to try and stay hot, though |
| 60. John Danks – at LAD Note: The Dodgers are trash vs. LHP and Danks has been strong in four of his last five |
| 61. Tyler Skaggs – CWS |
| 62. Brandon McCarthy – ATL |
| 63. Tim Hudson – NYM |
| 64. Josh Beckett – CWS |
| 65. Ryan Vogelsong – at CIN |
| 66. Mark Buehrle – STL Note: I'm still a bit skeptical ... but the TOR offense should support him even if (when) the ERA regresses |
| 67. Jake Odorizzi – MIA |
| 68. Drew Smyly – BOS |
| 69. Dillon Gee (or Jacob deGrom) – at CHC Note: Obviously if it's deGrom, drop him down into the sits |
| 70. Wade Miley – ATL |
| 71. Henderson Alvarez – TB, at CHC |
| 72. Alfredo Simon – PHI Note: He and Cingrani are battling for their spot each time out with Latos closer to returning |
| 73. Yovani Gallardo – MIN, at PIT Note: The mid-3.00s ERA is a mirage if these skills continue |
| 74. Charlie Morton – at SD, MIL |
| 75. Brandon Cumpton – MIL |
| 76. Francisco Liriano – at SD Note: A trip to SD gives him a shot to get hot with back-to-back gems |
| 77. Marco Estrada – at MIN Note: He's allowed at least 1 HR in all but one start and 17 overall |
| 78. A.J. Burnett – at WAS |
| 79. Drew Pomeranz – at NYY Note: The next time he logs 6 IP will be the first time this year |
| 80. R.A Dickey – at DET |
| 81. Tony Cingrani – SF Note: He's a mess right now and currently fighting for his rotation spot |
| 82. Jordan Lyles – ARI |
| 83. Travis Wood – NYM Note: Erased a pair of gems w/a 7 ER dud in MIL, but this matchup is too good to pass up |
| 84. Jake Arrieta – NYM, MIA |
| 85. Jorge de la Rosa – ARI, LAD |
| 86. Rafael Montero – at CHC Note: Unsurprisingly inconsistent early on, but the skills are there and this is a prime matchup |
| 87. Tom Koehler – at TB |
| 88. Tim Lincecum – at CIN, NYM Note: Had a strong May (2.86 ERA), but left his last outing w/blister so stay tuned |
| 89. Kyle Gibson – at MIL, HOU |
| 90. Roenis Elias – at TB |
| 91. Rick Porcello – TOR Note: Had 9 BB in first nine starts before a 6 BB nightmare in OAK |
| 92. Chase Whitley – at KC Note: Still waiting to make his home debut |
| 93. Brad Peacock – LAA Note: Looked solid in May with a 4.02 ERA and 34 Ks in 31.3 IP over five starts |
| 94. Erik Bedard – SEA |
| 95. Drew Hutchison – at DET, STL Note: On the fence here as Hutch has severe home/road splits (7.71/2.33 ERA split) |
| 96. Trevor Bauer – at TEX Note: Looking better in 2014, but still far from a completed product |
| 97. Edwin Jackson – NYM |
| 98. Yusmeiro Petit – NYM |
| 99. Jaime Garcia – KC, at TOR Note: I'm not sending the three Cards into TOR, especially Miller, who has been awful lately |
| 100. Lance Lynn – at TOR |
