Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Calming the Panic

Written by

Updated on July 23, 2016 11:18AM 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 July 25-31

AMERICAN LEAGUE

START

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Justin Verlander	at BOS, HOU	Since May 8: 2.76 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 106 Ks in 97.7 IP; also has a 2.95 ERA all year against not-Cleveland
2	Carlos Carrasco	WAS
3	Corey Kluber	OAK
4	Chris Sale	at CHC
5	Danny Salazar	WAS	He allowed more than 6 H just once through June before three 8 H outings in July, but has curbed BB as tradeoff
6	Matt Shoemaker	at KC
7	Jose Quintana	at MIN
8	Cole Hamels	KC	Rebounded from back-to-back 5 ER outings vs. MIN with 8 scoreless at CHC
9	Masahiro Tanaka	at HOU
10	Aaron Sanchez	SD, BAL
11	Yu Darvish	OAK
12	David Price	at LAA
13	Chris Tillman	COL, at TOR	Closed June on a downturn (14 ER in 3 starts of 5 or fewer IP), but now has 4 straight 7 IP/1 ER gems
14	Drew Pomeranz	DET, at LAA
15	Steven Wright	DET, at LAA
16	Lance McCullers	NYY	Dominance like Friday night is why I ranked him 29th for the rest of the season
17	Michael Fulmer	at BOS	This isn't a reaction to a rough night at

For the week July 25-31

AMERICAN LEAGUE

START

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Justin Verlander	at BOS, HOU	Since May 8: 2.76 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 106 Ks in 97.7 IP; also has a 2.95 ERA all year against not-Cleveland
2	Carlos Carrasco	WAS
3	Corey Kluber	OAK
4	Chris Sale	at CHC
5	Danny Salazar	WAS	He allowed more than 6 H just once through June before three 8 H outings in July, but has curbed BB as tradeoff
6	Matt Shoemaker	at KC
7	Jose Quintana	at MIN
8	Cole Hamels	KC	Rebounded from back-to-back 5 ER outings vs. MIN with 8 scoreless at CHC
9	Masahiro Tanaka	at HOU
10	Aaron Sanchez	SD, BAL
11	Yu Darvish	OAK
12	David Price	at LAA
13	Chris Tillman	COL, at TOR	Closed June on a downturn (14 ER in 3 starts of 5 or fewer IP), but now has 4 straight 7 IP/1 ER gems
14	Drew Pomeranz	DET, at LAA
15	Steven Wright	DET, at LAA
16	Lance McCullers	NYY	Dominance like Friday night is why I ranked him 29th for the rest of the season
17	Michael Fulmer	at BOS	This isn't a reaction to a rough night at CWS, but rather the excellence of BOS (especially in BOS)
18	Marco Estrada	SD
19	Rick Porcello	at LAA
20	Dallas Keuchel	NYY, at DET	Five straight of 3 or fewer ER, doesn't get enough run for helping key their surge
21	Felix Hernandez	at PIT
22	Trevor Bauer	OAK	Getting shoved around at BAL is hardly a cardinal sin
23	Danny Duffy	LAA
24	Matt Moore	at LAD	I've fallen for Moore a million times, but this slotting has as much to do with dearth of quality SPs in AL (2.68 ERA, 1.01 WHIP in last 53.7 IP)
25	J.A. Happ	BAL	Strikeout surge is helping fuel his recent run: 46 in 42.3 IP with 3.19 ERA, 1.21 WHIP
26	Jake Odorizzi	NYY
27	Rich Hill	at CLE	Not entirely sure he goes here as the blister problem has really hampered him; stay tuned
28	Chris Archer	at LAD	Could this be a showcase for his future team???
29	Ervin Santana	ATL, CWS
30	Hisashi Iwakuma	at CHC
31	James Paxton	at CHC	Friday was a microcosm of why it's hard to quit him even when he struggles badly: 7 IP/1 ER/9 K at TOR
32	Michael Pineda	at HOU, at TB	Nauseatingly inconsistent: 7 starts of 5-plus ER, 9 of 2 or fewer ER
33	CC Sabathia	at HOU
34	R.A. Dickey	BAL
35	Sonny Gray	at TEX	Command once again wobbly after looking sharp immediately upon return from DL; hard to bench, hard to start
36	Hector Santiago	at KC, BOS
37	Sean Manaea	at TEX
38	Kevin Gausman	at MIN	31:3 K:BB ratio in last 30.3 IP (3.86 ERA, 1.25 WHIP)
39	Josh Tomlin	OAK
40	Blake Snell	NYY	Allowed 1 H in 6 IP at COL; will show flashes, but remaining IP is a concern (+18.2 from last year's count)
41	Marcus Stroman	SD	Mentioned his volatility last time and true to form he went 8 IP/1 ER after a 6 ER dud
42	Doug Fister	NYY
43	Mike Fiers	at DET
44	Drew Smyly	NYY
45	Collin McHugh	at DET	Has allowed more than 4 ER just twice, both in April; since the 2nd such start: 3.65 ERA 1.34 WHIP; more floor than ceiling
46	Ian Kennedy	LAA, at TEX
47	Daniel Mengden	at TEX, at CLE
48	Dylan Bundy	COL	Recent reports suggest he could remain in the rotation the rest of the way; 2nd start much better than the 1st (5 IP/0 ER)
49	Martin Perez	OAK, KC
50	A.J. Griffin	KC
51	Yordano Ventura	at TEX	Game Score highlights his volatility: 28, 72, 66, 27, 35, 57, 58; matchup barely matters, it's all about him
52	Yovani Gallardo	COL, at TOR
53	James Shields	CHC, at MIN	I want to believe in the 2.52 ERA over his last six, but 4.4 K, 2.8 BB, 1.4 HR keeps me cautious
54	Edinson Volquez	at TEX
55	Kendall Graveman	at CLE

SIT

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
56	Tyler Skaggs	at KC, BOS	TJ returner is definitely a wait-and-see, but he was impressive in 39.3 rehab IP
57	Tyler Duffey	ATL
58	Matt Boyd	HOU	Our projected starters page says Zimmermann, but reports say he'll make 2 rehab starts so I don't think he goes this wk
59	Anibal Sanchez	HOU
60	Eduardo Rodriguez	DET
61	Nathan Eovaldi	at TB
62	Kyle Gibson	BAL
63	Wade Miley	at CHC
64	Ivan Nova	at TB
65	Tommy Milone	CWS
66	Ricky Nolasco	CWS
67	Miguel Gonzalez	CHC, at MIN
68	Wade LeBlanc	at PIT
69	Brian Flynn	LAA, at TEX
70	Jacob Turner	at CHC
71	Vance Worley	at TOR
72	Mike Pelfrey	at BOS
73	Tim Lincecum	BOS
73	Jered Weaver	BOS
74	Kyle Lohse	OAK, KC

NATIONAL LEAGUE

START

Rank	Pitcher	Opponent(s)	Comments
1	Jake Arrieta	at CWS, SEA	The 7 IP/1 ER gem vs. NYM likely calmed the panic for those worried
2	Jose Fernandez	STL
3	Stephen Strasburg	at CLE	Justin Turner owned him for an afternoon, nothing more
4	Max Scherzer	at SF
5	Madison Bumgarner	CIN
6	Noah Syndergaard	STL, COL	Was solid at CHC (5.7 IP/1 R, it was unearned), but still just 5.7 IP so this isn't a normal 2-start for Thor
7	Carlos Martinez	at NYM, at MIA
8	Kyle Hendricks	at CWS, SEA	Hasn't allowed an ER in July and just 3 in his last 37.3 IP (0.72 ERA, 1.10 WHIP)
9	Jacob deGrom	COL
10	Johnny Cueto	WAS
11	Jon Lester	SEA	Has two 7.7 IP/1 ER sandwiched around 13 ER in 4.3 IP, but just 4, 2, 3, 3 Ks in those four starts
12	Adam Wainwright	at NYM
13	Steven Matz	COL
14	Kenta Maeda	ARI	51 Ks in first 57 IP; 61 in his last 51 IP (3.53 ERA, 1.20 WHIP)
15	Gerrit Cole	at MIL
16	John Lackey	CWS
17	Tanner Roark	at SF	Everything but his walk rate has been better than the 2014 breakout and his 2.6 BB/9 this year is hardly bad
18	Junior Guerra	PIT
19	Julio Teheran	PHI	Left Friday's start with an injury, news is scant as of my writing this so stay tuned
20	Vincent Velasquez	at ATL
21	Jaime Garcia	at NYM, at MIA
22	Jeremy Hellickson	at MIA, at ATL	Has faced both of these teams in his last 3 and went 14 IP/2 ER
23	Anthony DeSclafani	at SF, at SD
24	Michael Wacha	at MIA
25	Jason Hammel	CWS
26	Adam Conley	PHI
27	Aaron Nola	at ATL	6 IP/0 ER dominance vs. MIA might be enough to finally get him back on track
28	Mike Leake	at MIA
29	Joe Ross	at SF	Threw 152.7 IP last year so likely not facing too hard of a limit with just 95.3 IP this year
30	Zach Davies	ARI
31	Jerad Eickhoff	at MIA, at ATL	MIA is no walkover as he learned his last outing (5 IP/5 ER), but going into those 2 venues is about the best you can do on the road
32	Bartolo Colon	STL, COL
33	Gio Gonzalez	at CLE, at SF
34	Jon Gray	at BAL	Since getting wrecked at STL: 3.11 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 64 Ks in 63.7 IP; at BAL no easy task, but he's been sharp
35	Scott Kazmir	ARI
36	Matt Wisler	PHI
37	Jeff Samardzija	WAS	Had a 3.14 ERA after CG 1 ER at TB, since: 7.16 ERA in 27.7 IP
38	Archie Bradley	at MIL
39	Tyler Anderson	at NYM
40	Tyler Chatwood	at NYM
41	Mike Foltynewicz	at MIN	Held up relatively well in Coors (5.7 IP/3 ER); has an ugly 1.8 HR/9, but 7 of his 12 came in 9.3 IP, 0.9 HR/9 in other 52.3 IP
42	Jameson Taillon	at MIL
43	Francisco Liriano	SEA	Was pitching better throughout July, but lacking normal K totals until a huge 6.7 IP/2 ER/13 K (and 0 BB) effort vs. MIL
44	Tom Koehler	PHI, STL
45	Wei-Yin Chen	PHI, STL	Don't ever feel great starting him now, but if you can't start him here, then just cut him
46	Jimmy Nelson	ARI
47	Brandon Finnegan	at SD	Another one of those "if you can't start him here, just cut him" guys
48	Robbie Ray	at MIL
49	Zach Eflin	at MIA	Has 2 CG in 8 MLB starts; take out 2.7 IP/8 ER debut at TOR and he's got a 2.07 ERA in 47.7 IP; 2 CGs are the only times he's topped 3 Ks
50	Tyler Glasnow	at MIL
51	Brandon McCarthy	TB
52	Chad Bettis	at BAL, at NYM	Has 5.00-plus ERA at home and on the road, but has notched a 3.46 ERA in four July starts
53	Bud Norris	TB, ARI
54	Christian Friedrich	CIN
55	Chase Anderson	ARI, PIT

SIT

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
56	Zack Godley	at LAD
57	Logan Verrett	STL
58	Dan Straily	at SF
59	Homer Bailey	at SD	Great landing spot coming back from TJ, but I still can't justify using him in anything but super-deep league (and even then ... )
60	Colin Rea	at TOR, CIN
61	Braden Shipley	at MIL, at LAD	Big prospect expected to get the call, but hasn't been special in Triple-A: 3.70 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 5.8 K, 3.5 K:BB
62	Andrew Cashner	at TOR
63	Matt Cain	CIN, WAS
64	Jose Urena	STL
65	Jake Peavy	CIN, WAS
66	Patrick Corbin	at MIL, at LAD
67	Edwin Jackson	CIN
68	Matt Garza	ARI, PIT
69	Luis Perdomo	at TOR
70	Cody Reed	at SF
71	Tyrell Jenkins	PHI
72	Lucas Harrell	at MIN, PHI
73	Jeff Locke	SEA
74	Jorge De La Rosa	at BAL, at NYM

MLB TOP 100

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Jake Arrieta	at CWS, SEA	The 7 IP/1 ER gem vs. NYM likely calmed the panic for those worried
2	Jose Fernandez	STL
3	Stephen Strasburg	at CLE	Justin Turner owned him for an afternoon, nothing more
4	Justin Verlander	at BOS, HOU	Since May 8: 2.76 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 106 Ks in 97.7 IP; also has a 2.95 ERA all year against not-Cleveland
5	Max Scherzer	at SF
6	Madison Bumgarner	CIN
7	Noah Syndergaard	STL, COL	Was solid at CHC (5.7 IP/1 R, it was unearned), but still just 5.7 IP so this isn't a normal 2-start for Thor
8	Carlos Carrasco	WAS
9	Corey Kluber	OAK
10	Carlos Martinez	at NYM, at MIA
11	Kyle Hendricks	at CWS, SEA	Hasn't allowed an ER in July and just 3 in his last 37.3 IP (0.72 ERA, 1.10 WHIP)
12	Chris Sale	at CHC
13	Danny Salazar	WAS	He allowed more than 6 H just once through June before three 8 H outings in July, but has curbed BB as tradeoff
14	Jacob deGrom	COL
15	Johnny Cueto	WAS
16	Matt Shoemaker	at KC
17	Jose Quintana	at MIN
18	Jon Lester	SEA	Has two 7.7 IP/1 ER sandwiched around 13 ER in 4.3 IP, but just 4, 2, 3, 3 Ks in those four starts
19	Adam Wainwright	at NYM
20	Steven Matz	COL
21	Cole Hamels	KC	Rebounded from back-to-back 5 ER outings vs. MIN with 8 scoreless at CHC
22	Masahiro Tanaka	at HOU
23	Aaron Sanchez	SD, BAL
24	Kenta Maeda	ARI	51 Ks in first 57 IP; 61 in his last 51 IP (3.53 ERA, 1.20 WHIP)
25	Yu Darvish	OAK
26	David Price	at LAA
27	Chris Tillman	COL, at TOR	Closed June on a downturn (14 ER in 3 starts of 5 or fewer IP), but now has 4 straight 7 IP/1 ER gems
28	Drew Pomeranz	DET, at LAA
29	Steven Wright	DET, at LAA
30	Gerrit Cole	at MIL
31	Lance McCullers	NYY	Dominance like Friday night is why I ranked him 29th for the rest of the season
32	John Lackey	CWS
33	Tanner Roark	at SF	Everything but his walk rate has been better than the 2014 breakout and his 2.6 BB/9 this year is hardly bad
34	Junior Guerra	PIT
35	Julio Teheran	PHI	Left Friday's start with an injury, news is scant as of my writing this so stay tuned
36	Vincent Velasquez	at ATL
37	Jaime Garcia	at NYM, at MIA
38	Jeremy Hellickson	at MIA, at ATL	Has faced both of these teams in his last 3 and went 14 IP/2 ER
39	Anthony DeSclafani	at SF, at SD
40	Michael Fulmer	at BOS	This isn't a reaction to a rough night at CWS, but rather the excellence of BOS (especially in BOS)
41	Marco Estrada	SD
42	Rick Porcello	at LAA
43	Dallas Keuchel	NYY, at DET	Five straight of 3 or fewer ER, doesn't get enough run for helping key their surge
44	Michael Wacha	at MIA
45	Jason Hammel	CWS
46	Felix Hernandez	at PIT
47	Trevor Bauer	OAK	Getting shoved around at BAL is hardly a cardinal sin
48	Danny Duffy	LAA
49	Matt Moore	at LAD	I've fallen for Moore a million times, but this slotting has as much to do with dearth of quality SPs in AL (2.68 ERA, 1.01 WHIP in last 53.7 IP)
50	J.A. Happ	BAL	Strikeout surge is helping fuel his recent run: 46 in 42.3 IP with 3.19 ERA, 1.21 WHIP
51	Jake Odorizzi	NYY
52	Rich Hill	at CLE	Not entirely sure he goes here as the blister problem has really hampered him; stay tuned
53	Adam Conley	PHI
54	Aaron Nola	at ATL	6 IP/0 ER dominance vs. MIA might be enough to finally get him back on track
55	Chris Archer	at LAD	Could this be a showcase for his future team???
56	Ervin Santana	ATL, CWS
57	Mike Leake	at MIA
58	Joe Ross	at SF	Threw 152.7 IP last year so likely not facing too hard of a limit with just 95.3 IP this year
59	Zach Davies	ARI
60	Jerad Eickhoff	at MIA, at ATL	MIA is no walkover as he learned his last outing (5 IP/5 ER), but going into those 2 venues is about the best you can do on the road
61	Bartolo Colon	STL, COL
62	Gio Gonzalez	at CLE, at SF
63	Jon Gray	at BAL	Since getting wrecked at STL: 3.11 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 64 Ks in 63.7 IP; at BAL no easy task, but he's been sharp
64	Hisashi Iwakuma	at CHC
65	James Paxton	at CHC	Friday was a microcosm of why it's hard to quit him even when he struggles badly: 7 IP/1 ER/9 K at TOR
66	Michael Pineda	at HOU, at TB	Nauseatingly inconsistent: 7 starts of 5-plus ER, 9 of 2 or fewer ER
67	Scott Kazmir	ARI
68	Matt Wisler	PHI
69	Jeff Samardzija	WAS	Had a 3.14 ERA after CG 1 ER at TB, since: 7.16 ERA in 27.7 IP
70	CC Sabathia	at HOU
71	R.A. Dickey	BAL
72	Archie Bradley	at MIL
73	Sonny Gray	at TEX	Command once again wobbly after looking sharp immediately upon return from DL; hard to bench, hard to start
74	Hector Santiago	at KC, BOS
75	Sean Manaea	at TEX
76	Tyler Anderson	at NYM
77	Tyler Chatwood	at NYM
78	Mike Foltynewicz	at MIN	Held up relatively well in Coors (5.7 IP/3 ER); has an ugly 1.8 HR/9, but 7 of his 12 came in 9.3 IP, 0.9 HR/9 in other 52.3 IP
79	Jameson Taillon	at MIL
80	Francisco Liriano	SEA	Was pitching better throughout July, but lacking normal K totals until a huge 6.7 IP/2 ER/13 K (and 0 BB) effort vs. MIL
81	Kevin Gausman	at MIN	31/3 K:BB ratio in last 30.3 IP (3.86 ERA, 1.25 WHIP)
82	Josh Tomlin	OAK
83	Blake Snell	NYY	Allowed 1 H in 6 IP at COL; will show flashes, but remaining IP is a concern (+18.7 from last year's count)
84	Marcus Stroman	SD	Mentioned his volatility last time and true to form he went 8 IP/1 ER after a 6 ER dud
85	Tom Koehler	PHI, STL
85	Wei-Yin Chen	PHI, STL	Don't ever feel great starting him now, but if you can't start him here, then just cut him
86	Doug Fister	NYY
87	Mike Fiers	at DET
88	Drew Smyly	NYY
89	Jimmy Nelson	ARI
90	Brandon Finnegan	at SD	Another one of those "if you can't start him here, just cut him" guys
91	Collin McHugh	at DET	Has allowed more than 4 ER just twice, both in April; since the 2nd such start: 3.65 ERA 1.34 WHIP; more floor than ceiling
92	Ian Kennedy	LAA, at TEX
93	Daniel Mengden	at TEX, at CLE
94	Robbie Ray	at MIL
96	Dylan Bundy	COL	Recent reports suggest he could remain in the rotation the rest of the way; 2nd start much better than the 1st (5 IP/0 ER)
97	Zach Eflin	at MIA	Has 2 CG in 8 MLB starts; take out 2.7 IP/8 ER debut at TOR and he's got a 2.07 ERA in 47.7 IP; 2 CGs are the only times he's topped 3 Ks
98	Martin Perez	OAK, KC
99	A.J. Griffin	KC
100	Yordano Ventura	at TEX	Game Score highlights his volatility: 28, 72, 66, 27, 35, 57, 58; matchup barely matters, it's all about him