Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Looking for Top Sale

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Updated on August 26, 2017 2:28PM EST

After a week with few studs with two starts, Week 22 gives us a top-heavy field. Keep in mind roster will expand Friday, likely causing even more turmoil come the weekend. Before locking your borderline double dippers in, take a moment to consider the chance they're bumped from the second start, especially if it's on Sunday.

Realizing the well-being of our Texas friends is far more more important than a few baseball games, there's a series, beginning Tuesday, scheduled between the Rangers and Astros in Minute Maid Park. The Astros are staying in Dallas Sunday, then will decide on Monday how they'll handle this week's games. Obviously, there are major fantasy implications. Again, keeping Texas in our thoughts, please post any specfic lineup questions in the comments and I'll do my best to help based on information available at the time.

UPDATED: Sunday August 27 9:00 PM ET

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Chris Sale	BOS	at TOR, at NYY	Couldn't find the plate last time versus Cleveland
2	Corey Kluber	CLE	at NYY, at DET	Fewer starts but better ERA and WHIP than Sale
3	Ervin Santana	MIN	vs. CWS, vs. KC	Improved skills countered regression
4	Luis Severino	NYY	vs. CLE, vs. BOS	Homers a llttle high lately
5	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	at TOR, at NYY	Red Sox unsung hero
6	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. BOS, at BAL	Ranking hurt by low strikeout rate
7	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	vs. TEX
8	Chris Archer	TB	at

UPDATED: Sunday August 27 9:00 PM ET

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Chris Sale	BOS	at TOR, at NYY	Couldn't find the plate last time versus Cleveland
2	Corey Kluber	CLE	at NYY, at DET	Fewer starts but better ERA and WHIP than Sale
3	Ervin Santana	MIN	vs. CWS, vs. KC	Improved skills countered regression
4	Luis Severino	NYY	vs. CLE, vs. BOS	Homers a llttle high lately
5	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	at TOR, at NYY	Red Sox unsung hero
6	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. BOS, at BAL	Ranking hurt by low strikeout rate
7	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	vs. TEX
8	Chris Archer	TB	at CWS
9	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	at DET
10	Carlos Rodon	CWS	vs. TB	Making case for top-50 starting pitcher next season
11	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. CWS
12	Mike Fiers	HOU	vs. TEX, vs. NYM	Better if chasing wins or in a points league
13	Ian Kennedy	KC	vs. TB, at MIN	All about categories. Play if you need wins, bench if ratios are tight.
14	Jason Vargas	KC	vs. TB
15	Charlie Morton	HOU	vs. NYM
16	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at NYY, at DET	Bauer Power having a solid second half
17	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	at NYY
18	Michael Fulmer	DET	at COL, vs. CLE	Lok K rate hurts chances in Coors Field
19	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	vs. BOS
20	Parker Bridwell	LAA	vs. OAK
21	Matt Andriese	TB	at CWS	Real soft landing for his potential return
22	Cole Hamels	TEX	at HOU
23	Andrew Heaney	LAA	vs. OAK, at TEX	Odd lines since return - 10 IP, 9 K with 0 BB, but 7 HR allowed
24	Rick Porcello	BOS	at TOR
25	Brad Peacock	HOU	vs. NYM
26	Sean Manaea	OAK	at SEA
27	Jeremy Hellickson	BAL	vs. TOR
28	Kevin Gausman	BAL	vs. TOR
29	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. SEA
30	Jake Junis	KC	vs. TB, at MIN
31	Sonny Gray	NYY	vs. BOS
32	Collin McHugh	HOU	vs. TEX
33	Lucas Giolito	CWS	vs. TB
34	Justin Verlander	DET	at COL
35	Troy Scribner	LAA	vs. OAK
36	Yovani Gallardo	SEA	vs. OAK
37	CC Sabathia	NYY	vs. CLE
38	Alex Cobb	TB	at KC
39	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at DET
40	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	at TEX
41	J.A. Happ	TOR	vs. BOS
42	Kendall Graveman	OAK	at LAA
43	Daniel Gossett	OAK	at LAA, at SEA
44	Andrew Albers	SEA	vs. OAK
45	Jharel Cotton	OAK	at SEA
46	Josh Tomlin	CLE	at NYY
47	Martin Perez	TEX	at HOU, vs. LAA
48	Chris Smith	OAK	at LAA
49	Chris Tillman	BAL	vs. SEA, vs. TOR
50	Jason Hammel	KC	at MIN
51	Ariel Miranda	SEA	at BAL
52	Jaime Garcia	NYY	vs. CLE, vs. BOS
53	James Shields	CWS	at MIN, vs. TB
54	Marco Gonzales	SEA	at BAL, vs. OAK
55	Blake Snell	TB	at CWS
56	Erasmo Ramirez	SEA	at BAL
57	Joe Biagini	TOR	at BAL
58	Buck Farmer	DET	vs. CLE
59	Nick Martinez	TEX	vs. LAA
60	A.J. Griffin	TEX	vs. LAA
61	Bartolo Colon	MIN	vs. CWS
62	Doug Fister	BOS	at NYY
63	Marco Estrada	TOR	at BAL
64	Wade Miley	BAL	vs. TOR
65	Dillon Gee	MIN	vs. KC
66	Miguel Gonzalez	CWS	at MIN
67	Jake Odorizzi	TB	at KC
68	Andrew Cashner	TEX	at HOU
69	Ubaldo Jimenez	BAL	vs. SEA
70	Ricky Nolasco	LAA	at TEX
71	Tom Koehler	TOR	vs. BOS, at BAL
72	Austin Pruitt	TB	at KC
73	Matt Boyd	DET	vs. CLE
74	Kyle Gibson	MIN	vs. KC
75	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	at COL, vs. CLE
76	Derek Holland	CWS	at MIN

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Rank	Pitcher	TEAM	Opponent(s)	Comments
1	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. MIA, at MIL	Slated to return after weekend setback
2	Rich Hill	LAD	at ARI, at SD	Only threw 99 pitches in 10th inning walkoff loss to Pirates
3	Jake Arrieta	CHC	vs. PIT, vs. ATL	Getting better as season progresses
4	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. ATL, at MIA	12 ER in last 11 1/3 IP, should rebound
5	Luke Weaver	STL	at MIL, at SF	Real deal with real big strikeout potential this week
6	Jeff Samardzija	SF	at SD, vs. STL	Strikeouts sliding, but matchups favorable
7	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	at SD	Not official, but could return with no setbacks
8	Yu Darvish	LAD	at SD
9	Alex Wood	LAD	at SD
10	Madison Bumgarner	SF	vs. STL
11	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. MIA	Lest last outing with calf cramps, but says he's OK
12	Carlos Martinez	STL	at MIL
13	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	at MIL
14	Zack Greinke	ARI	vs. LAD
15	Jacob deGrom	NYM	at CIN	Reds top-5 offense versus RHP
16	Dan Straily	MIA	vs. PHI
17	Matt Moore	SF	at SD, vs. STL
18	Julio Teheran	ATL	at PHI	Damage has been done, but has been pitching well lately
19	Jimmy Nelson	MIL	vs. WAS	34 runners allowed in last 3 games, spanning 15 IP
20	R.A. Dickey	ATL	at PHI, at CHC
21	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	vs. ATL
22	Kenta Maeda	LAD	at ARI
23	Jose Quintana	CHC	vs. PIT
24	Mark Leiter	PHI	vs. ATL, at MIA	Should get a decent look down the stretch
25	Jose Urena	MIA	at WAS, vs. PHI	Will need more whiffs to take it to next level
26	Gerrit Cole	PIT	vs. CIN	Tougher matchup that may appear
27	Ty Blach	SF	at SD
28	Luis Castillo	CIN	at PIT	Better control away from being very intriguing
29	Tanner Roark	WAS	at MIL
30	Robbie Ray	ARI	vs. LAD	Sharp in return vs. Mets, Dodgers tougher test
31	Zack Godley	ARI	vs. LAD, at COL	Great test for one of 2017's breakout hurlers
32	Trevor Williams	PIT	at CHC, vs. CIN
33	Chase Anderson	MIL	vs. STL	Held his own in Coors first game off DL
34	Sal Romano	CIN	vs. NYM, at PIT
35	Mike Montgomery	CHC	vs. PIT, vs. ATL	Two starts pending, Jon Lester could return
36	Jhoulys Chacin	SD	vs. SF, vs. LAD	1.86 ERA, 1.01 WHIP at Petco, but hurt hand last time out
37	Ivan Nova	PIT	at CHC
38	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	vs. WAS
39	Michael Wacha	STL	at SF	Has completely lost pitch efficiency
40	Lance Lynn	STL	at SF
41	Vance Worley	MIA	at WAS, vs. PHI
42	Zach Davies	MIL	vs. WAS
43	Lucas Sims	ATL	at PHI, at CHC
44	Jameson Taillon	PIT	vs. CIN	Hit rate remains high
45	Jon Gray	COL	vs. ARI
46	Jerad Eickhoff	PHI	vs. ATL
47	Justin Nicolino	MIA	vs. PHI
48	John Lackey	CHC	vs. ATL
49	Luis Perdomo	SD	vs. SF, vs. LAD
50	Dinelson Lamet	SD	vs. LAD
51	Travis Wood	SD	vs. SF
52	Ben Lively	PHI	at MIA
53	Edwin Jackson	WAS	vs. MIA, at MIL
54	Antonio Senzatela	COL	vs. DET, vs. ARI
55	Mike Leake	STL	at SF
56	Matt Garza	MIL	vs. STL, vs. WAS
57	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	at CHC
58	Tyler Mahle	CIN	at PIT
59	Nick Pivetta	PHI	at MIA
60	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	at ARI
61	Chad Kuhl	PIT	at CHC
62	Adam Conley	MIA	at WAS
63	Chris Flexen	NYM	at CIN, at HOU
64	German Marquez	COL	vs. DET
65	Homer Bailey	CIN	vs. NYM
66	Chad Bettis	COL	vs. DET
67	Chris Stratton	SF	vs. STL
68	Sean Newcomb	ATL	at CHC
69	Patrick Corbin	ARI	at COL
70	Seth Lugo	NYM	at HOU
71	Robert Stephenson	CIN	vs. NYM
72	Taijuan Walker	ARI	at COL
73	Kyle Freeland	COL	vs. ARI
74	Matt Harvey	NYM	at HOU
75	Clayton Richard	SD	vs. LAD
76	Rafael Montero	NYM	at CIN

MLB

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Chris Sale	BOS	at TOR, at NYY	Couldn't find the plate last time versus Cleveland
2	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. MIA, at MIL	Slated to return after weekend setback
3	Corey Kluber	CLE	at NYY, at DET	Fewer starts but better ERA and WHIP than Sale
4	Rich Hill	LAD	at ARI, at SD	Only threw 99 pitches in 10th inning walkoff loss to Pirates
5	Jake Arrieta	CHC	vs. PIT, vs. ATL	Getting better as season progresses
6	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. ATL, at MIA	12 ER in last 11 1/3 IP, should rebound
7	Ervin Santana	MIN	vs. CWS, vs. KC	Improved skills countered regression
8	Luis Severino	NYY	vs. CLE, vs. BOS	Homers a llttle high lately
9	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	at TOR, at NYY	Red Sox unsung hero
10	Luke Weaver	STL	at MIL, at SF	Real deal with real big strikeout potential this week
11	Jeff Samardzija	SF	at SD, vs. STL	Strikeouts sliding, but matchups favorable
12	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	at SD	Not official, but could return with no setbacks
13	Yu Darvish	LAD	at SD
14	Alex Wood	LAD	at SD
15	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. BOS, at BAL	Ranking hurt by low strikeout rate
16	Madison Bumgarner	SF	vs. STL
17	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	vs. TEX
18	Chris Archer	TB	at CWS
19	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	at DET
20	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. MIA	Lest last outing with calf cramps, but says he's OK
21	Carlos Martinez	STL	at MIL
22	Carlos Rodon	CWS	vs. TB	Making case for top-50 starting pitcher next season
23	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	at MIL
24	Zack Greinke	ARI	vs. LAD
25	Jacob deGrom	NYM	at CIN	Reds top-5 offense versus RHP
26	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. CWS
27	Mike Fiers	HOU	vs. TEX, vs. NYM	Better if chasing wins or in a points league
28	Dan Straily	MIA	vs. PHI
29	Ian Kennedy	KC	vs. TB, at MIN	All about categories. Play if you need wins, bench if ratios are tight.
30	Jason Vargas	KC	vs. TB
31	Charlie Morton	HOU	vs. NYM
32	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at NYY, at DET	Bauer Power having a solid second half
33	Matt Moore	SF	at SD, vs. STL
34	Julio Teheran	ATL	at PHI	Damage has been done, but has been pitching well lately
35	Jimmy Nelson	MIL	vs. WAS	34 runners allowed in last 3 games, spanning 15 IP
36	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	at NYY
37	Michael Fulmer	DET	at COL, vs. CLE	Lok K rate hurts chances in Coors Field
38	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	vs. BOS
39	Parker Bridwell	LAA	vs. OAK
40	Matt Andriese	TB	at CWS	Real soft landing for his potential return
41	R.A. Dickey	ATL	at PHI, at CHC
42	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	vs. ATL
43	Kenta Maeda	LAD	at ARI
44	Cole Hamels	TEX	at HOU
45	Jose Quintana	CHC	vs. PIT
46	Mark Leiter	PHI	vs. ATL, at MIA	Should get a decent look down the stretch
47	Jose Urena	MIA	at WAS, vs. PHI	Will need more whiffs to take it to next level
48	Gerrit Cole	PIT	vs. CIN	Tougher matchup that may appear
49	Ty Blach	SF	at SD
50	Luis Castillo	CIN	at PIT	Better control away from being very intriguing
51	Andrew Heaney	LAA	vs. OAK, at TEX	Odd lines since return - 10 IP, 9 K with 0 BB, but 7 HR allowed
52	Rick Porcello	BOS	at TOR
53	Brad Peacock	HOU	vs. NYM
54	Tanner Roark	WAS	at MIL
55	Robbie Ray	ARI	vs. LAD	Sharp in return vs. Mets, Dodgers tougher test
56	Zack Godley	ARI	vs. LAD, at COL	Great test for one of 2017's breakout hurlers
57	Trevor Williams	PIT	at CHC, vs. CIN
58	Chase Anderson	MIL	vs. STL	Held his own in Coors first game off DL
59	Sal Romano	CIN	vs. NYM, at PIT
60	Mike Montgomery	CHC	vs. PIT, vs. ATL	Two starts pending, Jon Lester could return
61	Jhoulys Chacin	SD	vs. SF, vs. LAD	1.86 ERA, 1.01 WHIP at Petco, but hurt hand last time out
62	Ivan Nova	PIT	at CHC
63	Sean Manaea	OAK	at SEA
64	Jeremy Hellickson	BAL	vs. TOR
65	Kevin Gausman	BAL	vs. TOR
66	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	vs. WAS
67	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. SEA
68	Jake Junis	KC	vs. TB, at MIN
69	Sonny Gray	NYY	vs. BOS
70	Michael Wacha	STL	at SF	Has completely lost pitch efficiency
71	Lance Lynn	STL	at SF
72	Collin McHugh	HOU	vs. TEX
73	Lucas Giolito	CWS	vs. TB
74	Justin Verlander	DET	at COL
75	Vance Worley	MIA	at WAS, vs. PHI
76	Troy Scribner	LAA	vs. OAK
77	Yovani Gallardo	SEA	vs. OAK
78	Zach Davies	MIL	vs. WAS
79	CC Sabathia	NYY	vs. CLE
80	Lucas Sims	ATL	at PHI, at CHC
81	Alex Cobb	TB	at KC
82	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at DET
83	Jameson Taillon	PIT	vs. CIN	Hit rate remains high
84	Jon Gray	COL	vs. ARI
85	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	at TEX
86	J.A. Happ	TOR	vs. BOS
87	Jerad Eickhoff	PHI	vs. ATL
88	Justin Nicolino	MIA	vs. PHI
89	John Lackey	CHC	vs. ATL
90	Kendall Graveman	OAK	at LAA
91	Daniel Gossett	OAK	at LAA, at SEA
92	Luis Perdomo	SD	vs. SF, vs. LAD
93	Dinelson Lamet	SD	vs. LAD
94	Travis Wood	SD	vs. SF
95	Ben Lively	PHI	at MIA
96	Andrew Albers	SEA	vs. OAK
97	Edwin Jackson	WAS	vs. MIA, at MIL
98	Jharel Cotton	OAK	at SEA
99	Antonio Senzatela	COL	vs. DET, vs. ARI
100	Josh Tomlin	CLE	at NYY
101	Mike Leake	STL	at SF
102	Matt Garza	MIL	vs. STL, vs. WAS
103	Martin Perez	TEX	at HOU, vs. LAA
104	Chris Smith	OAK	at LAA
105	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	at CHC
106	Tyler Mahle	CIN	at PIT
107	Chris Tillman	BAL	vs. SEA, vs. TOR
108	Nick Pivetta	PHI	at MIA
109	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	at ARI
110	Jason Hammel	KC	at MIN
111	Ariel Miranda	SEA	at BAL
112	Chad Kuhl	PIT	at CHC
113	Adam Conley	MIA	at WAS
114	Chris Flexen	NYM	at CIN, at HOU
115	German Marquez	COL	vs. DET
116	Jaime Garcia	NYY	vs. CLE, vs. BOS
117	James Shields	CWS	at MIN, vs. TB
118	Marco Gonzales	SEA	at BAL, vs. OAK
119	Blake Snell	TB	at CWS
120	Erasmo Ramirez	SEA	at BAL
121	Joe Biagini	TOR	at BAL
122	Homer Bailey	CIN	vs. NYM
123	Chad Bettis	COL	vs. DET
124	Buck Farmer	DET	vs. CLE
125	Chris Stratton	SF	vs. STL
126	Nick Martinez	TEX	vs. LAA
127	Sean Newcomb	ATL	at CHC
128	Patrick Corbin	ARI	at COL
129	A.J. Griffin	TEX	vs. LAA
130	Seth Lugo	NYM	at HOU
131	Bartolo Colon	MIN	vs. CWS
132	Robert Stephenson	CIN	vs. NYM
133	Doug Fister	BOS	at NYY
134	Marco Estrada	TOR	at BAL
135	Taijuan Walker	ARI	at COL
136	Wade Miley	BAL	vs. TOR
137	Dillon Gee	MIN	vs. KC
138	Kyle Freeland	COL	vs. ARI
139	Miguel Gonzalez	CWS	at MIN
140	Matt Harvey	NYM	at HOU
141	Jake Odorizzi	TB	at KC
142	Andrew Cashner	TEX	at HOU
143	Ubaldo Jimenez	BAL	vs. SEA
144	Ricky Nolasco	LAA	at TEX
145	Clayton Richard	SD	vs. LAD
146	Tom Koehler	TOR	vs. BOS, at BAL
147	Austin Pruitt	TB	at KC
148	Matt Boyd	DET	vs. CLE
149	Kyle Gibson	MIN	vs. KC
150	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	at COL, vs. CLE
151	Rafael Montero	NYM	at CIN
152	Derek Holland	CWS	at MIN
153	Kyle Gibson	MIN	vs. KC