Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Two-Start Aces in Thin Supply

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Updated on September 16, 2017 10:21AM EST

It's hard to believe, 24 down, just two to go. Unfortunately, the inventory for two-start pitchers is thin, especially among the aces.

Expect more in-week changes than normal to occur next week as clubs opt to shut down young hurlers and not take chances with those with health issues. Focus on teams in the playoff hunt, including teams battling for home-field advantage. Not only are these clubs more apt to stick with their scheduled starters, they're likely to let them pitch deep into important games.

UPDATED Sunday, September 17 8:45 PM ET

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Ervin Santana	MIN	at NYY, at DET
2	Jose Berrios	MIN	at NYY, at DET	Passed 175 IP this season and still going strong
3	Corey Kluber	CLE	at SEA
4	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at LAA, at SEA	Great setup, average offenses in pitcher's parks
5	Chris Archer	TB	vs. CHC, at BAL
6	Luis Severino	NYY	at TOR	Neck and neck with Verlander for best AL pitcher in 2H…after Kluber
7	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. BOS, vs. TB	3.45 ERA, 1.05 WHIP with 66 K and 15 BB last 57 1/3 IP
8	Chris Sale	BOS	at BAL
9	Justin Verlander	HOU	vs. LAA
10	Brad Peacock	HOU	vs. CWS	2.98 ERA a little lucky, but you can't fake an 11.4 K/9
11	Collin McHugh	HOU	vs. CWS, vs. LAA
12	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. KC, vs. NYY	Solid floor, but ceiling capped with low whiffs and IP/G
13

<>It's hard to believe, 24 down, just two to go. Unfortunately, the inventory for two-start pitchers is thin, especially among the aces.

UPDATED Sunday, September 17 8:45 PM ET

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Ervin Santana	MIN	at NYY, at DET
2	Jose Berrios	MIN	at NYY, at DET	Passed 175 IP this season and still going strong
3	Corey Kluber	CLE	at SEA
4	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at LAA, at SEA	Great setup, average offenses in pitcher's parks
5	Chris Archer	TB	vs. CHC, at BAL
6	Luis Severino	NYY	at TOR	Neck and neck with Verlander for best AL pitcher in 2H…after Kluber
7	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. BOS, vs. TB	3.45 ERA, 1.05 WHIP with 66 K and 15 BB last 57 1/3 IP
8	Chris Sale	BOS	at BAL
9	Justin Verlander	HOU	vs. LAA
10	Brad Peacock	HOU	vs. CWS	2.98 ERA a little lucky, but you can't fake an 11.4 K/9
11	Collin McHugh	HOU	vs. CWS, vs. LAA
12	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. KC, vs. NYY	Solid floor, but ceiling capped with low whiffs and IP/G
13	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	at SEA
14	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. TEX, vs. CLE	Home starts helps, but low K-rate drops rankings
15	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	vs. CWS
16	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	vs. MIN
17	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at HOU, vs. KC	Pedestrian K-rate, but stuff and pedigree to improve
18	Sonny Gray	NYY	at TOR	Currently slated for one, but could pick up second start
19	Martin Perez	TEX	at SEA, at OAK
20	James Paxton	SEA	vs. TEX	Threw 50 pitches in 1 1/3 IP in his return, really struggled vs. Astros
21	Alex Cobb	TB	at BAL	Set career high in innings, getting better as season progresses
22	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	at BAL
23	Doug Fister	BOS	at BAL, at CIN	Pixie dust ran out last start
24	Charlie Morton	HOU	vs. LAA
25	Cole Hamels	TEX	at SEA
26	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	at CIN
27	Felix Hernandez	SEA	vs. TEX	Looked good in return, could ramp up to 65-70 pitches this time
28	Danny Duffy	KC	at CWS
29	J.A. Happ	TOR	vs. KC
30	Jason Vargas	KC	at TOR
31	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	at TOR	Don't expect more than 4 or 5 frames
32	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at LAA
33	Josh Tomlin	CLE	at LAA
34	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	vs. CLE, at HOU
35	Sean Manaea	OAK	vs. TEX
36	Erasmo Ramirez	SEA	vs. CLE
37	Kendall Graveman	OAK	vs. TEX
38	Parker Bridwell	LAA	vs. CLE
39	Jason Hammel	KC	at CWS
40	Rick Porcello	BOS	at CIN
41	CC Sabathia	NYY	vs. MIN
42	Jake Junis	KC	at TOR
43	Garrett Richards	LAA	at HOU
44	Jharel Cotton	OAK	at DET, vs. TEX	13 HR allowed in previous 38 2/3 IP
45	Kevin Gausman	BAL	vs. BOS
46	Andrew Cashner	TEX	at SEA
47	Matt Andriese	TB	at BAL
48	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	vs. KC
49	Miguel Gonzalez	TEX	at OAK
50	Nick Martinez	TEX	at OAK
51	Ian Kennedy	KC	at CWS	Strikeouts way down, squashing any potential help
52	Jake Odorizzi	TB	at BAL
53	Jeremy Hellickson	BAL	vs. TB
54	Blake Snell	TB	vs. CHC
55	Buck Farmer	DET	vs. OAK, vs. MIN
56	Ricky Nolasco	LAA	vs. CLE
57	Jaime Garcia	NYY	vs. MIN
58	Kyle Gibson	MIN	at DET
59	Chad Bell	DET	vs. OAK
60	Daniel Gossett	OAK	at DET
61	Ubaldo Jimenez	BAL	vs. TB
62	Daniel Mengden	OAK	at DET
63	Joe Biagini	TOR	vs. NYY
64	Anibal Sanchez	DET	vs. OAK
65	Sam Gaviglio	SEA	at TOR
66	Brett Anderson	TOR	vs. KC
67	Matt Boyd	DET	vs. MIN
68	Marco Estrada	TOR	vs. NYY
69	Gabriel Ynoa	BAL	vs. TB
70	Andrew Heaney	LAA	at HOU
71	Myles Jaye	DET	vs. MIN
72	Adalberto Mejia	MIN	at DET
73	Wade Miley	BAL	vs. BOS
74	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	vs. MIN
75	James Shields	CWS	at HOU
76	Marco Gonzales	SEA	vs. CLE
77	Dylan Covey	CWS	vs. KC
78	Bartolo Colon	MIN	at NYY
79	Carson Fulmer	CWS	at HOU

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Rank	Pitcher	TEAM	Opponent(s)	Comments
1	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	at PHI, vs. SF	Many head to head playoffs hoping Kershaw wins them their title
2	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	at ATL, at NYM	ERA and WHIP high lately, but skills exactly the same
3	Chase Anderson	MIL	at PIT, vs. CHC	Helping to make up for the loss of Jimmy Nelson
4	Patrick Corbin	ARI	at SD, vs. MIA	Continues to throw well, draws a pair of beatable lineups
5	Max Scherzer	WAS	at ATL
6	Robbie Ray	ARI	at SD	1.42 ERA, .75 WHIP with 45 K and 6 BB last 25 1/3 IP
7	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	at NYM
8	Alex Wood	LAD	at PHI	Workload seems to be catching up
9	Zack Greinke	ARI	vs. MIA
10	Jon Lester	CHC	at TB, at MIL
11	Madison Bumgarner	SF	at LAD
12	Jacob deGrom	NYM	vs. WAS
13	Rich Hill	LAD	vs. SF
14	Zack Godley	ARI	at SD
15	Jon Gray	COL	at SD
16	Yu Darvish	LAD	at PHI
17	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. LAD
18	Carlos Martinez	STL	at CIN	Weekly reminder Reds excellent vs. RHP
19	Jeff Samardzija	SF	at LAD
20	Julio Teheran	ATL	vs. PHI	Pitched reasonably well for last two months
21	Dan Straily	MIA	vs. NYM, at ARI	In a rut but hs been solid all season
22	Kenta Maeda	LAD	at PHI
23	Luke Weaver	STL	at CIN	Only 4 HR alllowed in 47 2/3 IP
24	Jameson Taillon	PIT	vs. MIL, vs. STL
25	Tyler Anderson	COL	at SD
26	German Marquez	COL	at SF, at SD	Two weak offenses in great pitcher's parks
27	Jake Arrieta	CHC	at MIL	Tentative, will know more after Saturday bullpen
28	Gerrit Cole	PIT	vs. STL
29	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	at MIL
30	Brent Suter	MIL	at PIT, vs. CHC	3.94 FIP/4.30 xFIP suggests actual 3.66 artifically low
31	Michael Wacha	STL	at PIT
32	Lance Lynn	STL	at PIT
33	Jose Quintana	CHC	at MIL
34	Chad Bettis	COL	at SD
35	Johnny Cueto	SF	vs. COL
36	Jose Urena	MIA	vs. NYM
37	Mark Leiter	PHI	vs. LAD
38	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	vs. SF
39	Ivan Nova	PIT	vs. STL
40	Luiz Gohara	ATL	vs. WAS, vs. PHI	Could help with K's, but ratios are risky
41	Luis Perdomo	SD	vs. ARI, vs. COL
42	Trevor Williams	PIT	vs. MIL
43	John Lackey	CHC	at TB
44	Taijuan Walker	ARI	vs. MIA
45	R.A. Dickey	ATL	vs. PHI
46	Dinelson Lamet	SD	vs. ARI
47	Tyler Chatwood	COL	at SF
48	Tanner Roark	WAS	at ATL
49	Nick Pivetta	PHI	vs. LAD, at ATL
50	Jackson Stephens	CIN	vs. STL, vs. BOS
51	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	vs. CHC
52	Seth Lugo	NYM	at MIA
53	Zach Davies	MIL	vs. CHC
54	Matt Garza	MIL	at PIT
55	Sean Newcomb	ATL	vs. WAS
56	Jhoulys Chacin	SD	vs. COL
57	Steven Brault	PIT	vs. MIL
58	Jake Thompson	PHI	vs. LAD
59	Adam Conley	MIA	at ARI
60	Clayton Richard	SD	vs. ARI
61	Jack Flaherty	STL	at CIN, at PIT
62	Ben Lively	PHI	at ATL
63	Dillon Peters	MIA	at ARI
64	Matt Harvey	NYM	at MIA, vs. WAS
65	Odrisamer Despaigne	MIA	vs. NYM
66	Chris Stratton	SF	at LAD
67	Homer Bailey	CIN	vs. STL
68	Sal Romano	CIN	vs. BOS
69	Robert Gsellman	NYM	vs. WAS
70	Matt Moore	SF	vs. COL
71	Henderson Alvarez	PHI	at ATL
72	Robert Stephenson	CIN	vs. BOS
73	Rookie Davis	CIN	vs. STL
74	Rafael Montero	NYM	at MIA
75	Travis Wood	SD	vs. COL
76	Edwin Jackson	WAS	at NYM
77	Max Fried	ATL	vs. WAS
78	Jordan Lyles	SD	vs. COL

MLB

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	at PHI, vs. SF	Many head to head playoffs hoping Kershaw wins them their title
2	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	at ATL, at NYM	ERA and WHIP high lately, but skills exactly the same
3	Ervin Santana	MIN	at NYY, at DET
4	Jose Berrios	MIN	at NYY, at DET	Passed 175 IP this season and still going strong
5	Corey Kluber	CLE	at SEA
6	Chase Anderson	MIL	at PIT, vs. CHC	Helping to make up for the loss of Jimmy Nelson
7	Patrick Corbin	ARI	at SD, vs. MIA	Continues to throw well, draws a pair of beatable lineups
8	Max Scherzer	WAS	at ATL
9	Robbie Ray	ARI	at SD	1.42 ERA, .75 WHIP with 45 K and 6 BB last 25 1/3 IP
10	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at LAA, at SEA	Great setup, average offenses in pitcher's parks
11	Chris Archer	TB	vs. CHC, at BAL
12	Luis Severino	NYY	at TOR	Neck and neck with Verlander for best AL pitcher in 2H…after Kluber
13	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. BOS, vs. TB	3.45 ERA, 1.05 WHIP with 66 K and 15 BB last 57 1/3 IP
14	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	at NYM
15	Chris Sale	BOS	at BAL
16	Alex Wood	LAD	at PHI	Workload seems to be catching up
17	Zack Greinke	ARI	vs. MIA
18	Jon Lester	CHC	at TB, at MIL
19	Justin Verlander	HOU	vs. LAA
20	Brad Peacock	HOU	vs. CWS	2.98 ERA a little lucky, but you can't fake an 11.4 K/9
21	Collin McHugh	HOU	vs. CWS, vs. LAA
22	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. KC, vs. NYY	Solid floor, but ceiling capped with low whiffs and IP/G
23	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	at SEA
24	Madison Bumgarner	SF	at LAD
25	Jacob deGrom	NYM	vs. WAS
26	Rich Hill	LAD	vs. SF
27	Zack Godley	ARI	at SD
28	Jon Gray	COL	at SD
29	Yu Darvish	LAD	at PHI
30	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. LAD
31	Carlos Martinez	STL	at CIN	Weekly reminder Reds excellent vs. RHP
32	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. TEX, vs. CLE	Home starts helps, but low K-rate drops rankings
33	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	vs. CWS
34	Jeff Samardzija	SF	at LAD
35	Julio Teheran	ATL	vs. PHI	Pitched reasonably well for last two months
36	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	vs. MIN
37	Dan Straily	MIA	vs. NYM, at ARI	In a rut but hs been solid all season
38	Kenta Maeda	LAD	at PHI
39	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at HOU, vs. KC	Pedestrian K-rate, but stuff and pedigree to improve
40	Luke Weaver	STL	at CIN	Only 4 HR alllowed in 47 2/3 IP
41	Jameson Taillon	PIT	vs. MIL, vs. STL
42	Tyler Anderson	COL	at SD
43	German Marquez	COL	at SF, at SD	Two weak offenses in great pitcher's parks
44	Jake Arrieta	CHC	at MIL	Tentative, will know more after Saturday bullpen
45	Sonny Gray	NYY	at TOR	Currently slated for one, but could pick up second start
46	Martin Perez	TEX	at SEA, at OAK
47	James Paxton	SEA	vs. TEX	Threw 50 pitches in 1 1/3 IP in his return, really struggled vs. Astros
48	Gerrit Cole	PIT	vs. STL
49	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	at MIL
50	Brent Suter	MIL	at PIT, vs. CHC	3.94 FIP/4.30 xFIP suggests actual 3.66 artifically low
51	Alex Cobb	TB	at BAL	Set career high in innings, getting better as season progresses
52	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	at BAL
53	Michael Wacha	STL	at PIT
54	Lance Lynn	STL	at PIT
55	Doug Fister	BOS	at BAL, at CIN	Pixie dust ran out last start
56	Charlie Morton	HOU	vs. LAA
57	Cole Hamels	TEX	at SEA
58	Jose Quintana	CHC	at MIL
59	Chad Bettis	COL	at SD
60	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	at CIN
61	Felix Hernandez	SEA	vs. TEX	Looked good in return, could ramp up to 65-70 pitches this time
62	Danny Duffy	KC	at CWS
63	Johnny Cueto	SF	vs. COL
64	Jose Urena	MIA	vs. NYM
65	J.A. Happ	TOR	vs. KC
66	Mark Leiter	PHI	vs. LAD
67	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	vs. SF
68	Ivan Nova	PIT	vs. STL
69	Luiz Gohara	ATL	vs. WAS, vs. PHI	Could help with K's, but ratios are risky
70	Luis Perdomo	SD	vs. ARI, vs. COL
71	Jason Vargas	KC	at TOR
72	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	at TOR	Don't expect more than 4 or 5 frames
73	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at LAA
74	Josh Tomlin	CLE	at LAA
75	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	vs. CLE, at HOU
76	Trevor Williams	PIT	vs. MIL
77	Sean Manaea	OAK	vs. TEX
78	Erasmo Ramirez	SEA	vs. CLE
79	John Lackey	CHC	at TB
80	Kendall Graveman	OAK	vs. TEX
81	Parker Bridwell	LAA	vs. CLE
82	Taijuan Walker	ARI	vs. MIA
83	R.A. Dickey	ATL	vs. PHI
84	Dinelson Lamet	SD	vs. ARI
85	Tyler Chatwood	COL	at SF
86	Jason Hammel	KC	at CWS
87	Rick Porcello	BOS	at CIN
88	CC Sabathia	NYY	vs. MIN
89	Jake Junis	KC	at TOR
90	Garrett Richards	LAA	at HOU
91	Jharel Cotton	OAK	at DET, vs. TEX	13 HR allowed in previous 38 2/3 IP
92	Tanner Roark	WAS	at ATL
93	Kevin Gausman	BAL	vs. BOS
94	Nick Pivetta	PHI	vs. LAD, at ATL
95	Jackson Stephens	CIN	vs. STL, vs. BOS
96	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	vs. CHC
97	Andrew Cashner	TEX	at SEA
98	Seth Lugo	NYM	at MIA
99	Matt Andriese	TB	at BAL
100	Zach Davies	MIL	vs. CHC
101	Matt Garza	MIL	at PIT
102	Sean Newcomb	ATL	vs. WAS
103	Jhoulys Chacin	SD	vs. COL
104	Steven Brault	PIT	vs. MIL
105	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	vs. KC
106	Miguel Gonzalez	TEX	at OAK
107	Nick Martinez	TEX	at OAK
108	Ian Kennedy	KC	at CWS	Strikeouts way down, squashing any potential help
109	Jake Odorizzi	TB	at BAL
110	Jeremy Hellickson	BAL	vs. TB
111	Jake Thompson	PHI	vs. LAD
112	Blake Snell	TB	vs. CHC
113	Buck Farmer	DET	vs. OAK, vs. MIN
114	Adam Conley	MIA	at ARI
115	Ricky Nolasco	LAA	vs. CLE
116	Clayton Richard	SD	vs. ARI
117	Jack Flaherty	STL	at CIN, at PIT
118	Ben Lively	PHI	at ATL
119	Dillon Peters	MIA	at ARI
120	Matt Harvey	NYM	at MIA, vs. WAS
121	Jaime Garcia	NYY	vs. MIN
122	Kyle Gibson	MIN	at DET
123	Odrisamer Despaigne	MIA	vs. NYM
124	Chad Bell	DET	vs. OAK
125	Chris Stratton	SF	at LAD
126	Daniel Gossett	OAK	at DET
127	Homer Bailey	CIN	vs. STL
128	Ubaldo Jimenez	BAL	vs. TB
129	Daniel Mengden	OAK	at DET
130	Joe Biagini	TOR	vs. NYY
131	Sal Romano	CIN	vs. BOS
132	Anibal Sanchez	DET	vs. OAK
133	Sam Gaviglio	SEA	at TOR
134	Brett Anderson	TOR	vs. KC
135	Matt Boyd	DET	vs. MIN
136	Robert Gsellman	NYM	vs. WAS
137	Marco Estrada	TOR	vs. NYY
138	Gabriel Ynoa	BAL	vs. TB
139	Andrew Heaney	LAA	at HOU
140	Matt Moore	SF	vs. COL
141	Myles Jaye	DET	vs. MIN
142	Henderson Alvarez	PHI	at ATL
143	Robert Stephenson	CIN	vs. BOS
144	Rookie Davis	CIN	vs. STL
145	Rafael Montero	NYM	at MIA
146	Travis Wood	SD	vs. COL
147	Adalberto Mejia	MIN	at DET
148	Wade Miley	BAL	vs. BOS
149	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	vs. MIN
150	Edwin Jackson	WAS	at NYM
151	James Shields	CWS	at HOU
152	Max Fried	ATL	vs. WAS
153	Marco Gonzales	SEA	vs. CLE
154	Jordan Lyles	SD	vs. COL
155	Dylan Covey	CWS	vs. KC
156	Bartolo Colon	MIN	at NYY
157	Carson Fulmer	CWS	at HOU