Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Mr. Consistency

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Updated on August 22, 2015 2:10PM EST

As always, remember that rotations are subject to change, so if you see something that looks incorrect, assume that it was a change that occurred since this was written and feel free to politely bring it up in the comments, I'll let you know where the new arm slots.

For the week Aug. 24-30

AMERICAN LEAGUE

START

Rank	Pitcher	Opp	Comments
1	Dallas Keuchel	at NYY, at MIN	Even his bad starts aren't crushers as he's gone at least 6 IP in all 25 of his starts
2	David Price	at TEX	Now has a 1.78 ERA in four starts with TOR
3	Chris Sale	BOS	Remember freaking out about the back-to-back 7 ER duds? Just posted B2B 15 and 14 K efforts in 14 total IP
4	Chris Archer	MIN
5	Corey Kluber	at CHC, LAA	I don't feel as confident as I used to about two gems here, he just hasn't had the consistency we expected
6	Carlos Carrasco	MIL
7	Danny Salazar	LAA
8	Sonny Gray	at ARI	The D'Backs offense isn't one to be taken lightly; obviously not sitting Gray, but auto-gem isn't guaranteed
9	Johnny Cueto	BAL
10	Cole Hamels	BAL	Starting to settle in with his new team and should be great down the stretch provided that groin is in fact OK
11	Jake Odorizzi	KC
12	Felix Hernandez	OAK	He wasn't bad in the rebound from the 10 ER at Fenway, but still far from the Felix we expect (6 IP/4 ER with

START

Rank	Pitcher	Opp	Comments
1	Dallas Keuchel	at NYY, at MIN	Even his bad starts aren't crushers as he's gone at least 6 IP in all 25 of his starts
2	David Price	at TEX	Now has a 1.78 ERA in four starts with TOR
3	Chris Sale	BOS	Remember freaking out about the back-to-back 7 ER duds? Just posted B2B 15 and 14 K efforts in 14 total IP
4	Chris Archer	MIN
5	Corey Kluber	at CHC, LAA	I don't feel as confident as I used to about two gems here, he just hasn't had the consistency we expected
6	Carlos Carrasco	MIL
7	Danny Salazar	LAA
8	Sonny Gray	at ARI	The D'Backs offense isn't one to be taken lightly; obviously not sitting Gray, but auto-gem isn't guaranteed
9	Johnny Cueto	BAL
10	Cole Hamels	BAL	Starting to settle in with his new team and should be great down the stretch provided that groin is in fact OK
11	Jake Odorizzi	KC
12	Felix Hernandez	OAK	He wasn't bad in the rebound from the 10 ER at Fenway, but still far from the Felix we expect (6 IP/4 ER with 4 Ks)
13	Scott Kazmir	at MIN
14	Justin Verlander	LAA
15	Garrett Richards	at CLE	Since that 0.7 IP/6 ER in the Bronx, he has a 3.09 ERA in 90.3 IP over his L13 starts
16	Masahiro Tanaka	HOU	HRs are his problem and HOU's strength so this isn't the best matchup
17	Hisashi Iwakuma	OAK, at CWS
18	Nathan Eovaldi	HOU, at ATL	Eovaldi has done his best work at home lately, but a trip to ATL offers a nice chance at a road gem
19	Nate Karns	MIN, KC
20	Jose Quintana	BOS, SEA	The 1.30 WHIP puts a ceiling on his value
21	Erasmo Ramirez	KC
22	Taijuan Walker	at CWS	Has gone 6+ IP in each of his L5 with a 3.15 ERA and 31 Ks in 34.3 IP
23	Drew Smyly	MIN
24	Chris Tillman	at KC	Has a 2.13 ERA over his L8 starts and 5 of the 12 ER came in one start
25	Eduardo Rodriguez	at NYM	Hard to get a handle on him as the bad starts come without rhyme or reason (8 ER at MIA)
26	Marco Estrada	at TEX	Actually been better at home despite taking up residence at the Rogers Centre (2.97/3.47 home/road ERA split)
27	Collin McHugh	at NYY	Now has a 2.84 ERA in his L12 starts; Ks haven't held up from last year, but still a very useful arm
28	Luis Severino	at ATL	Only three starts, but very impressive stuff to start his MLB career
29	Kyle Gibson	HOU
30	Andrew Heaney	at CLE	Fewer than 5 Ks in each of his L6 starts, but still getting the results with a 3.28 ERA and 1.18 WHIP
31	Kevin Gausman	at TEX
32	Jeff Samardzija	BOS, SEA	I've given up on him recapturing his previous form at any point this year, still starting him, but expectations are lowered
33	Chris Bassitt	at SEA
34	Edinson Volquez	at TB
35	Mike Fiers	at NYY	Love the no-no vs. LAD, but this is still a HR-prone guy going to the Bronx so I can't jump him TOO high in the rankings
36	R.A. Dickey	DET
37	Mark Buehrle	at TEX, DET	Of course PHI (4 IP/4 ER) would break up his excellent run (2.16 ERA in 91.7 IP before that)
38	Kris Medlen	BAL, at TB	He's been pretty good in relief so far: 2.51 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 14 Ks in 14.3 IP; cautiously optimisic here
39	Wei-Yin Chen	at KC
40	Yovani Gallardo	BAL
41	Derek Holland	TOR, BAL	Looked very sharp in return from the DL, but TOR basically makes this a one-start week
42	Carlos Rodon	SEA
43	Drew Hutchison	DET	He's weirdly awesome at home; there's plenty of talent here, but he's still figuring it all out
44	Hector Santiago	at DET	Get TOR/DET in back-to-back outings which is the worst possible combo for a lefty (1-2 in wRC+)
45	Scott Feldman	at MIN
46	Yordano Ventura	BAL
47	Ivan Nova	HOU
48	Wade Miley	at CWS
49	Jesse Chavez	at SEA

SIT

Rank	Pitcher	Opp	Comments
50	Ervin Santana	at TB	Actually looked better at NYY despite Greg Bird's domination of him
51	Ubaldo Jimenez	at KC, at TEX	Since the break: 7.12 ERA in 36.7 IP and that's with 8 IP/0 ER at LAA and 7 IP/2 ER vs. ATL mixed in
52	Henry Owens	at CWS
53	Trevor Bauer	LAA	I love Ks and all, but these Ks come at too steep a cost: your ratios
54	CC Sabathia	at ATL
55	Martin Perez	TOR	He's been quite solid since that collapse vs. NYY (1 IP/8 ER), but it's TOR so I'm passing
56	Vidal Nuno	at CWS
57	Jered Weaver	at DET, at CLE	I'm just not buying it at 82-83 mph
58	Danny Duffy	BAL, at TB	Who would've thought his 2.93 ERA in nine starts was a fluke? After all, he had 24 Ks and a 1.3 K:BB ratio in 55.3 IP;
59	Miguel Gonzalez	at KC, at TEX
60	Felix Doubront	at SEA, at ARI
61	Mike Montgomery	OAK, at CWS
62	Colby Lewis	TOR
63	Josh Tomlin	MIL
64	Phil Hughes	at TB, HOU
65	Kendall Graveman	at ARI
66	Mike Pelfrey	HOU	I'm obliged to mention his 1.97 ERA at home, but it comes with a 5.2 K/9 and 2.3 K:BB
67	Buck Farmer	at CIN, at TOR
68	Nick Tropeano	at DET
69	Matt Boyd	at TOR
70	Tommy Milone	at TB
71	Alfredo Simon	LAA
72	John Danks	SEA
73	Steven Wright	at NYM
74	Joe Kelly	at CWS, at NYM
75	Randy Wolf	LAA

NATIONAL LEAGUE

START

Rank	Pitcher	Opp	Comments
1	Jacob deGrom	at PHI, BOS	Has allowed 7 ER in L7 starts; has 15 QS in L16 starts (1.44 ERA in 112.7 IP with 121 Ks)
2	Jake Arrieta	at SF, at LAD	Has 12 straight QS with a 1.26 ERA and 81 Ks in 86 IP
3	Stephen Strasburg	SD, MIA	Emerged from Coors with just 2 H allowed; now has a 1.35 ERA and 25 Ks in 20 IP since return from DL
4	Clayton Kershaw	CHC
5	Zack Greinke	at CIN
6	Max Scherzer	SD	Hasn't been great in Aug., but only one truly bad start; nothing to worry about (still 29 Ks in 21 IP)
7	Noah Syndergaard	at PHI, BOS
8	Jon Lester	CLE, at LAD
9	Gerrit Cole	at MIA	Also enduring a modest Aug. (4.70 ERA in 23 IP), but a trip to MIA is a perfect remedy to get back on track
10	Michael Wacha	at SF
11	Matt Harvey	BOS
12	Madison Bumgarner	CHC	Not only pitching brilliantly of late, but also getting the support en route to 7 Ws in his L8 starts
13	Lance Lynn	at ARI, at SF
14	Francisco Liriano	COL
15	Julio Teheran	COL, NYY	Doesn't matter as much this week, but he's been excellent in three of his L4 on the road; dominant at home (2.44 ERA, 1.01 WHIP)
16	Jaime Garcia	at ARI, at SF
17	James Shields	at WAS, at PHI
18	Joe Ross	MIA	Back-to-back sub-5 IP games seems more competition-influenced than anything else, SF & LAD are top two offenses vs. RHP
19	Carlos Martinez	at ARI	Hard not to think fatigue is playing a role in three 5 IP outings over his L4
20	John Lackey	at ARI
21	Jordan Zimmermann	MIA
22	Patrick Corbin	STL, OAK	It seems that ARI will pull him quickly when it's clearly not working so hopefully that protects against the 6+ ER nightmare
23	Shelby Miller	COL
24	Tyson Ross	at WAS	He's allowed more than 3 ER just twice and hasn't allowed more than 4 ER in any single outing
25	Jimmy Nelson	at CLE	Has a 1.87 ERA in his L8 starts with 49 Ks in 53 IP
26	Gio Gonzalez	SD
27	Taylor Jungmann	CIN
28	Raisel Iglesias	at MIL	Has settled into the rotation nicely with five straight starts of 6+ IP (2.84 ERA, 29 Ks in 31.7 IP)
29	Andrew Cashner	at WAS
30	Kyle Hendricks	at SF
31	Mike Leake	STL	Finally slated to return from the hammy on Saturday
32	Jason Hammel	at LAD	Seems to still be affected by his hammy and at the Dodgers isn't the best place to get right
33	Wily Peralta	at CLE, CIN
34	Robbie Ray	STL, OAK
35	Rubby De La Rosa	STL	Has a 2.54 ERA in his L7 starts, though just 26 Ks in 46 IP; lefties are still problematic
36	Aaron Nola	SD
37	Brett Anderson	at CIN	Love that he's been able to stay healthy this year with a solid 140.7 IP
38	John Lamb	LAD, at MIL
39	Charlie Morton	at MIA, COL
40	J.A. Happ	at MIA, COL	The latest Searage Reclamation? 2.87 ERA in 15.7 IP with 16 Ks so far
41	Alex Wood	at CIN, CHC	He's walked at least 2 batters in seven straight starts, unsurprisingly has a 4.81 ERA in those starts
42	Jorge De La Rosa	at ATL, at PIT	Enjoying a strong August: 2.55 ERA in 24.7 IP with 3 of 4 starts on the road
43	Jake Peavy	CHC
44	Jon Gray	at ATL	This is your life now, Jon: 1.7 IP/7 ER on Friday in Coors
45	Mat Latos	CHC	I really liked the Wood/Latos additions to the back of LAD's rotation, but both have been very unimpressive thus far
46	Ian Kennedy	at PHI
47	Jon Niese	at PHI
48	Tom Koehler	PIT, at WAS	He has a sharp home/road split, but going to WAS isn't that scary the way they've been playing
49	Chase Anderson	OAK	Injury to Hellickson cut his demotion, but it was deserved with a 7.66 ERA in his L5 starts

SIT

Rank	Pitcher	Opp	Comments
50	Jeff Locke	at MIA
51	Jerad Eickhoff	NYM	Great debut, but it was against the Marlins so we still need to see more
52	Anthony DeSclafani	LAD
53	Dan Haren	at SF
54	Randall Delgado	STL	Long-time Delgado supporter so I'm intrigued by his joining the rotation; still going to wait-and-see, though
55	Ryan Vogelsong	STL
56	Colin Rea	at PHI	He's been fine in two MLB starts, but nothing to write home about
57	Matt Cain	CHC, STL	Offers a glimpse of the vintage Cain every once in a while, but not enough to feel confident about starting him
58	Matt Wisler	NYY
59	Kendry Flores	PIT
60	Mike Foltynewicz	COL	Looks more RP-ish every time out
61	Matt Garza	CIN
62	Williams Perez	NYY
63	Adam Conley	at WAS
64	Bartolo Colon	at PHI
65	Justin Nicolino	PIT
66	Adam Morgan	NYM, SD	Even when it looks good results-wise there just aren't enough Ks to feel all that confident
67	Aaron Harang	NYM	`
68	David Holmberg	LAD
69	Chris Rusin	at PIT
70	Yohan Flande	at ATL
71	Keyvius Sampson	DET, at MIL
72	Brad Hand	PIT, at WAS
73	Jerome Williams	NYM, SD
74	David Hale	at PIT

MLB TOP 100

Rank	Pitcher	Opp	Comments
1	Jacob deGrom	at PHI, BOS	Has allowed 7 ER in L7 starts; has 15 QS in L16 starts (1.44 ERA in 112.7 IP with 121 Ks)
2	Jake Arrieta	at SF, at LAD	Has 12 straight QS with a 1.26 ERA and 81 Ks in 86 IP
3	Stephen Strasburg	SD, MIA	Emerged from Coors with just 2 H allowed; now has a 1.35 ERA and 25 Ks in 20 IP since return from DL
4	Clayton Kershaw	CHC
5	Zack Greinke	at CIN
6	Max Scherzer	SD	Hasn't been great in Aug., but only one truly bad start; nothing to worry about (still 29 Ks in 21 IP)
7	Noah Syndergaard	at PHI, BOS
8	Dallas Keuchel	at NYY, at MIN	Even his bad starts aren't crushers as he's gone at least 6 IP in all 25 of his starts
9	David Price	at TEX	Now has a 1.78 ERA in four starts with TOR
10	Chris Sale	BOS	Remember freaking out about the back-to-back 7 ER duds? Just posted B2B 15 and 14 K efforts in 14 total IP
11	Jon Lester	CLE, at LAD
12	Gerrit Cole	at MIA	Also enduring a modest Aug. (4.70 ERA in 23 IP), but a trip to MIA is a perfect remedy to get back on track
13	Michael Wacha	at SF
14	Matt Harvey	BOS
15	Madison Bumgarner	CHC	Not only pitching brilliantly of late, but also getting the support en route to 7 Ws in his L8 starts
16	Chris Archer	MIN
17	Corey Kluber	at CHC, LAA	I don't feel as confident as I used to about two gems here, he just hasn't had the consistency we expected
18	Carlos Carrasco	MIL
19	Danny Salazar	LAA
20	Sonny Gray	at ARI	The D'Backs offense isn't one to be taken lightly; obviously not sitting Gray, but auto-gem isn't guaranteed
21	Johnny Cueto	BAL
22	Cole Hamels	BAL	Starting to settle in with his new team and should be great down the stretch provided that groin is in fact OK
23	Jake Odorizzi	KC
24	Lance Lynn	at ARI, at SF
25	Francisco Liriano	COL
26	Julio Teheran	COL, NYY	Doesn't matter as much this week, but he's been excellent in three of his L4 on the road; dominant at home (2.44 ERA, 1.01 WHIP)
27	Jaime Garcia	at ARI, at SF
28	James Shields	at WAS, at PHI
29	Joe Ross	MIA	Back-to-back sub-5 IP games seems more competition-influenced than anything else, SF & LAD are top two offenses vs. RHP
30	Carlos Martinez	at ARI	Hard not to think fatigue is playing a role in three 5 IP outings over his L4
31	John Lackey	at ARI
32	Felix Hernandez	OAK	He wasn't bad in the rebound from the 10 ER at Fenway, but still far from the Felix we expect (6 IP/4 ER with 4 Ks)
33	Scott Kazmir	at MIN
34	Justin Verlander	LAA
35	Garrett Richards	at CLE	Since that 0.7 IP/6 ER in the Bronx, he has a 3.09 ERA in 90.3 IP over his L13 starts
36	Masahiro Tanaka	HOU	HRs are his problem and HOU's strength so this isn't the best matchup
37	Hisashi Iwakuma	OAK, at CWS
38	Nathan Eovaldi	HOU, at ATL	Eovaldi has done his best work at home lately, but a trip to ATL offers a nice chance at a road gem
39	Nate Karns	MIN, KC
40	Jose Quintana	BOS, SEA	The 1.30 WHIP puts a ceiling on his value
41	Jordan Zimmermann	MIA
42	Patrick Corbin	STL, OAK	It seems that ARI will pull him quickly when it's clearly not working so hopefully that protects against the 6+ ER nightmare
43	Shelby Miller	COL
44	Tyson Ross	at WAS	He's allowed more than 3 ER just twice and hasn't allowed more than 4 ER in any single outing
45	Jimmy Nelson	at CLE	Has a 1.87 ERA in his L8 starts with 49 Ks in 53 IP
46	Erasmo Ramirez	KC
47	Taijuan Walker	at CWS	Has gone 6+ IP in each of his L5 with a 3.15 ERA and 31 Ks in 34.3 IP
48	Drew Smyly	MIN
49	Chris Tillman	at KC	Has a 2.13 ERA over his L8 starts and 5 of the 12 ER came in one start
50	Gio Gonzalez	SD
51	Taylor Jungmann	CIN
52	Raisel Iglesias	at MIL	Has settled into the rotation nicely with five straight starts of 6+ IP (2.84 ERA, 29 Ks in 31.7 IP)
53	Andrew Cashner	at WAS
54	Kyle Hendricks	at SF
55	Mike Leake	STL	Finally slated to return from the hammy on Saturday
56	Eduardo Rodriguez	at NYM	Hard to get a handle on him as the bad starts come without rhyme or reason (8 ER at MIA)
57	Marco Estrada	at TEX	Actually been better at home despite taking up residence at the Rogers Centre (2.97/3.47 home/road ERA split)
58	Collin McHugh	at NYY	Now has a 2.84 ERA in his L12 starts; Ks haven't held up from last year, but still a very useful arm
59	Luis Severino	at ATL	Only three starts, but very impressive stuff to start his MLB career
60	Kyle Gibson	HOU
61	Andrew Heaney	at CLE	Fewer than 5 Ks in each of his L6 starts, but still getting the results with a 3.28 ERA and 1.18 WHIP
62	Kevin Gausman	at TEX
63	Jeff Samardzija	BOS, SEA	I've given up on him recapturing his previous form at any point this year, still starting him, but expectations are lowered
64	Chris Bassitt	at SEA
65	Jason Hammel	at LAD	Seems to still be affected by his hammy and at the Dodgers isn't the best place to get right
66	Wily Peralta	at CLE, CIN
67	Robbie Ray	STL, OAK
68	Rubby De La Rosa	STL	Has a 2.54 ERA in his L7 starts, though just 26 Ks in 46 IP; lefties are still problematic
69	Aaron Nola	SD
70	Brett Anderson	at CIN	Love that he's been able to stay healthy this year with a solid 140.7 IP
71	John Lamb	LAD, at MIL
72	Charlie Morton	at MIA, COL
73	J.A. Happ	at MIA, COL	The latest Searage Reclamation? 2.87 ERA in 15.7 IP with 16 Ks so far
74	Edinson Volquez	at TB
75	Mike Fiers	at NYY	Love the no-no vs. LAD, but this is still a HR-prone guy going to the Bronx so I can't jump him TOO high in the rankings
76	R.A. Dickey	DET
77	Mark Buehrle	at TEX, DET	Of course PHI (4 IP/4 ER) would break up his excellent run (2.16 ERA in 91.7 IP before that)
78	Kris Medlen	BAL, at TB	He's been pretty good in relief so far: 2.51 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 14 Ks in 14.3 IP; cautiously optimisic here
79	Wei-Yin Chen	at KC
80	Alex Wood	at CIN, CHC	He's walked at least 2 batters in seven straight starts, unsurprisingly has a 4.81 ERA in those starts
81	Jorge De La Rosa	at ATL, at PIT	Enjoying a strong August: 2.55 ERA in 24.7 IP with 3 of 4 starts on the road
82	Jake Peavy	CHC
83	Yovani Gallardo	BAL
84	Derek Holland	TOR, BAL	Looked very sharp in return from the DL, but TOR basically makes this a one-start week
85	Carlos Rodon	SEA
86	Drew Hutchison	DET	He's weirdly awesome at home; there's plenty of talent here, but he's still figuring it all out
87	Hector Santiago	at DET	Get TOR/DET in back-to-back outings which is the worst possible combo for a lefty (1-2 in wRC+)
88	Scott Feldman	at MIN
89	Yordano Ventura	BAL
90	Ivan Nova	HOU
91	Wade Miley	at CWS
92	Jesse Chavez	at SEA
93	Ervin Santana	at TB	Actually looked better at NYY despite Greg Bird's domination of him
94	Jon Gray	at ATL	This is your life now, Jon: 1.7 IP/7 ER on Friday in Coors
95	Mat Latos	CHC	I really liked the Wood/Latos additions to the back of LAD's rotation, but both have been very unimpressive thus far
96	Ian Kennedy	at PHI
97	Jon Niese	at PHI
98	Tom Koehler	PIT, at WAS	He has a sharp home/road split, but going to WAS isn't that scary the way they've been playing
99	Chase Anderson	OAK	Injury to Hellickson cut his demotion, but it was deserved with a 7.66 ERA in his L5 starts
100	Jeff Locke	at MIA