Weekly Pitcher Rankings: No Way Jose on Road?

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Updated on August 27, 2016 5:28PM 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. 29 - Sept. 4

AMERICAN LEAGUE

START

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Yu Darvish	SEA, HOU	5 BB at CIN looks more like a blip than major trouble; 4 BB in 39 IP before that start
2	Justin Verlander	CWS	SinceJuly 1: .176 AVG (1st), 0.86 WHIP (1st), 2.00 ERA (3rd), and 28% K (t-5th) in 76.7 IP (1st)
3	Corey Kluber	MIN
4	Carlos Carrasco	MIA
5	Jose Quintana	at MIN	He's a bumpy June (5.51 ERA) from an insane season: 2.12 ERA before, 2.25 since
6	Cole Hamels	SEA	Only Kyle Hendricks has a better ERA than Hamels since the break (1.52 to 1.59)
7	Danny Duffy	DET
8	Masahiro Tanaka	at KC
9	Chris Sale	at DET
10	Matt Shoemaker	CIN, at SEA
11	Rick Porcello	TB, at OAK	Hasn't allowed more than 4 ER in any of his last 15 starts; has logged 7+ IP in each of his last six
12	Jake Odorizzi	at BOS, TOR	Not an easy slate, but he's got a 1.59 ERA since the break facing BAL, TOR, BOS, TEX, and NYY (2x)
13	J.A. Happ	at BAL
14	Michael Fulmer	at KC	Allowed 6 ER vs. BOS

For the week Aug. 29 - Sept. 4

AMERICAN LEAGUE

START

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Yu Darvish	SEA, HOU	5 BB at CIN looks more like a blip than major trouble; 4 BB in 39 IP before that start
2	Justin Verlander	CWS	SinceJuly 1: .176 AVG (1st), 0.86 WHIP (1st), 2.00 ERA (3rd), and 28% K (t-5th) in 76.7 IP (1st)
3	Corey Kluber	MIN
4	Carlos Carrasco	MIA
5	Jose Quintana	at MIN	He's a bumpy June (5.51 ERA) from an insane season: 2.12 ERA before, 2.25 since
6	Cole Hamels	SEA	Only Kyle Hendricks has a better ERA than Hamels since the break (1.52 to 1.59)
7	Danny Duffy	DET
8	Masahiro Tanaka	at KC
9	Chris Sale	at DET
10	Matt Shoemaker	CIN, at SEA
11	Rick Porcello	TB, at OAK	Hasn't allowed more than 4 ER in any of his last 15 starts; has logged 7+ IP in each of his last six
12	Jake Odorizzi	at BOS, TOR	Not an easy slate, but he's got a 1.59 ERA since the break facing BAL, TOR, BOS, TEX, and NYY (2x)
13	J.A. Happ	at BAL
14	Michael Fulmer	at KC	Allowed 6 ER vs. BOS last time out; had allowed 6 ER in previous four starts combined
15	Aaron Sanchez	at BAL
16	David Price	at OAK
17	Chris Archer	TOR	Not only does he lead the AL in strikeouts, but he's got a 3.11 ERA in his last 10 starts
18	Marcus Stroman	at TB	After topping 5 Ks just twice in his first 13 starts, he's done in 8 of his last 12 (78 Ks in 75.3 IP)
19	Felix Hernandez	at TEX	Swinging strike rate has surged to 13% in last six starts; was just 8% in first 12
20	James Paxton	at TEX, LAA	Solid in return from DL going 5 IP/3 ER with all the runs coming in the first before allowing 2 H the rest of the way
21	Hisashi Iwakuma	at TEX, LAA
22	Marco Estrada	at BAL
23	Kevin Gausman	NYY
24	Drew Pomeranz	TB	Don't look now, but he has a 4.06 ERA w/BOS which is in line w/what we should've expected (had him at ~3.60 personally)
25	Dallas Keuchel	at TEX
26	Carlos Rodon	at MIN
27	Steven Wright	TB	KC greeted him rudely from the DL w/5 ER in the first, but allowed 3 H over 5 IP the rest of the way
28	Danny Salazar	MIA
29	Dylan Bundy	NYY
30	Ervin Santana	CWS	Remember how Verlander is 3rd in ERA since July 1? He's behind Kyle Hendricks (1.34) and Santana (1.96)
31	Drew Smyly	at BOS
32	Sean Manaea	at HOU, BOS	BOS crushed him for 8 ER in just 2.7 IP back in May; pitching much better now, plus it's in OAK
33	Trevor Bauer	MIN, MIA
34	CC Sabathia	at KC, at BAL
35	Yordano Ventura	DET
36	Ian Kennedy	NYY	Has allowed just 5 ER in his last six starts; no surprise that he's good when preventing HR, but HR rate always lingers
37	Matt Boyd	CWS, at KC	Great 2.45 ERA since the break, but be mindful of the 1.8 HR/9 in that time; 7 of the 8 HRs were solo shots
38	Anibal Sanchez	at KC	A 4.09 ERA over his last 7 doesn't seem that great, but 40% of his 20 ER came in one outing at TEX (2.70 ERA otherwise)
39	Taijuan Walker	LAA
40	Daniel Norris	CWS
41	Mike Fiers	OAK
42	Eduardo Rodriguez	at OAK	Was pitching brilliantly before injury: 2.52 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 39 Ks, and 3.3 K:BB ratio in 39.3 IP
43	Doug Fister	at TEX
44	Kyle Gibson	CWS
45	Chad Green	at BAL	HRs usually at the core of his bad starts, including Saturday when BAL popped 3 to chase him after 4.7 IP
46	Joe Musgrove	OAK, at TEX
47	R.A. Dickey	at TB
48	Collin McHugh	OAK
49	Blake Snell	TBD	Alex Cobb is supposed to return but I could see them going to a 6-man
50	Michael Pineda	at BAL	This matchup terrifies me ... actually just having Pineda on my team terrifies me, too
51	Francisco Liriano	at TB
52	Tyler Skaggs	at SEA
53	Edinson Volquez	NYY
54	Josh Tomlin	MIN
55	Derek Holland	HOU
56	Matt Andriese	at BOS
57	A.J. Griffin	TBD	Colby Lewis is slated to return on Sept. 3 and could push Griffin out; he has a 6.75 ERA in 22.7 August IP
58	Ross Detwiler	at HOU
59	Kendall Graveman	at HOU
60	Martin Perez	SEA
61	Luis Cessa	at KC
62	Hector Santiago	at CLE
63	Ricky Nolasco	CIN
64	Dillon Gee	NYY, DET
65	Andrew Triggs	BOS
66	Wade Miley	TOR, NYY
67	Andrew Albers	at CLE, CWS
68	James Shields	at DET, at MIN
69	Zach Neal	BOS
70	Yovani Gallardo	TOR
71	Ubaldo Jimenez	TOR
72	Jered Weaver	CIN, at SEA
73	Anthony Ranaudo	at DET, at MIN
73	Pat Dean	at CLE, CWS

NATIONAL LEAGUE

START

Rank	Pitcher	Opponent(s)	Comments
1	Jose Fernandez	at NYM, at CLE	Has a 1.91/4.42 home/road ERA split, but his 13.0 K/9 and 4.5 K:BB ratio on the road suggest better numbers ahead
2	Johnny Cueto	ARI, at CHC	One of baseball's best starters ... again; how does he not get more love?
3	Jake Arrieta	PIT, SF	Even with the elevated walk rate, he hasn't been anything close to bad (2.62 ERA, 1.04 WHIP)
4	Max Scherzer	at PHI	Only had 4 HR-free starts in the first half (19 total starts), has 5 in 8 over the second half (2.65 ERA, 0.7 HR/9)
5	Madison Bumgarner	at CHC
6	Kyle Hendricks	PIT
7	Jon Lester	SF
8	Julio Teheran	SD, at PHI	Bumpy return in ARI (6 IP/6 ER), but this is a great two-step to get back on track
9	Tanner Roark	at PHI, at NYM	BBs up in 2H (from 2.7 to 3.3 BB/9), but he's still pitching very well (2.96 ERA, 1.16 WHIP)
10	Gerrit Cole	at CHC, MIL
11	Carlos Martinez	at MIL, at CIN	He's topped 5 Ks just once in the second half (33 in 45 IP)
12	Vincent Velasquez	ATL
13	Jason Hammel	SF	Has allowed just 22 ERsince July 1, but 16 came in two horrific starts at NYM and at COL; has a 1.26 ERA otherwise
14	Adam Wainwright	at MIL
15	Noah Syndergaard	MIA	Eager to see how he throws on Saturday evening after an 8 IP/0 ER gem at SF last time out
16	Zack Greinke	at SF
17	Kenta Maeda	at COL, SD
18	Jacob deGrom	WAS	Being skipped earlier in the week so this is no guarantee
19	Matt Moore	ARI
20	Steven Matz	MIA, WAS	Coming off of the shoulder scare for a two-start so he could be rusty or limited in innings so he's lower than normal
21	Gio Gonzalez	at PHI
22	Zach Davies	STL, at PIT	Quietly has a 3.45 ERA over his last 15 starts with a 4.2 K:BB ratio
23	Jameson Taillon	MIL
24	Anthony DeSclafani	STL
25	Jeremy Hellickson	ATL
26	Jerad Eickhoff	WAS	Solid 3.53 ERA in his last six starts, but a 1.8 HR/9 has me leery
27	Jaime Garcia	at CIN	3 huge duds and 2 eight-inning gems in his last 5 gives you an idea of the risk attached to starting him
28	John Lackey	SF
29	Jeff Samardzija	at CHC
30	Dan Straily	at LAA, STL	His 1.98 second-half ERA is tied w/Justin Verlander for 6th-best; hasn't allowed >2 ER in any of the 8 starts
31	Tyler Anderson	LAD
32	Rich Hill	at COL, SD	Looked filthy in his return, but now I have to trust him in Colorado?
33	Ivan Nova	MIL
34	Robbie Ray	at SF	Finally turning the Ks into some real success: 1.50 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 29 Ks in last 24 IP
35	Brandon Finnegan	at LAA
36	Mike Leake	at CIN
37	Homer Bailey	STL
38	David Phelps	at NYM	It's crazy how fast it can turn: 3 no-hit innings to open his Friday start, but then 4 ER in a 33-pitch 4th inning ended his night
39	Bartolo Colon	MIA
40	Jimmy Nelson	at PIT
41	Jon Gray	LAD, ARI	Big fan of Gray, but I can't get psyched about 2 home starts for him
42	Lucas Giolito	at NYM
43	Luke Weaver	at MIL
44	Mike Montgomery	PIT	Not sure he can really be a mixed league asset right now, plus Lackey's return likely ends his SP tenure after this week
45	Andrew Cashner	at CLE
46	Mike Foltynewicz	at PHI
47	Tom Koehler	at NYM, at CLE	He's been passable this year, but always a much better home pitcher so I'm not chasing 2 on the road from him
48	Matt Wisler	SD	Brilliant in his return to the majors (8 IP/1 ER) and gets a start vs. SD to stay hot; still like his stuff, but he's volatile
49	Seth Lugo	MIA
50	Jake Thompson	WAS, ATL
51	Edwin Jackson	at ATL
52	Ryan Vogelsong	at CHC
53	Jeff Hoffman	LAD	C'mon, gimme some road starts for him
54	A.J. Cole	at NYM
55	Braden Shipley	at COL	Coors ...
56	Zack Godley	at COL	on Coors ...
57	Archie Bradley	at COL	on Coors
58	Christian Friedrich	at ATL
59	Jarred Cosart	at LAD
60	John Gant	SD
61	Luis Perdomo	at LAD
62	Paul Clemens	at ATL
63	Adam Morgan	WAS
64	Bud Norris	at COL	Has returned to earth with LAD: 5.40 ERA and a modest 2.4 K:BB; have fun in Coors
65	Jake Peavy	at CHC
66	Chad Kuhl	at CHC
67	Wily Peralta	STL
68	Jose Urena	at NYM
69	Joel De La Cruz	at PHI
70	Chad Bettis	ARI
71	Clayton Richard	at LAD
72	Matt Garza	STL
73	Jorge De La Rosa	ARI
74	Tim Adleman	at LAA

MLB TOP 100

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Jose Fernandez	at NYM, at CLE	Has a 1.91/4.42 home/road ERA split, but his 13.0 K/9 and 4.5 K:BB ratio on the road suggest better numbers ahead
2	Johnny Cueto	ARI, at CHC	One of baseball's best starters ... again; how does he not get more love?
3	Jake Arrieta	PIT, SF	Even with the elevated walk rate, he hasn't been anything close to bad (2.62 ERA, 1.04 WHIP)
4	Yu Darvish	SEA, HOU	5 BB at CIN looks more like a blip than major trouble; 4 BB in 39 IP before that start
5	Justin Verlander	CWS	SinceJuly 1: .176 AVG (1st), 0.86 WHIP (1st), 2.00 ERA (3rd), and 28% K (t-5th) in 76.7 IP (1st)
6	Max Scherzer	at PHI	Only had 4 HR-free starts in the first half (19 total starts), has 5 in 8 over the second half (2.65 ERA, 0.7 HR/9)
7	Corey Kluber	MIN
8	Madison Bumgarner	at CHC
9	Kyle Hendricks	PIT
10	Carlos Carrasco	MIA
11	Jon Lester	SF
12	Jose Quintana	at MIN	He's a bumpy June (5.51 ERA) from an insane season: 2.12 ERA before, 2.25 since
13	Cole Hamels	SEA	Only Kyle Hendricks has a better ERA than Hamels since the break (1.52 to 1.59)
14	Danny Duffy	DET
15	Julio Teheran	SD, at PHI	Bumpy return in ARI (6 IP/6 ER), but this is a great two-step to get back on track
16	Tanner Roark	at PHI, at NYM	BBs up in 2H (from 2.7 to 3.3 BB/9), but he's still pitching very well (2.96 ERA, 1.16 WHIP)
17	Gerrit Cole	at CHC, MIL
18	Carlos Martinez	at MIL, at CIN	He's topped 5 Ks just once in the second half (33 in 45 IP)
19	Masahiro Tanaka	at KC
20	Chris Sale	at DET
21	Matt Shoemaker	CIN, at SEA
22	Rick Porcello	TB, at OAK	Hasn't allowed more than 4 ER in any of his last 15 starts; has logged 7+ IP in each of his last six
23	Jake Odorizzi	at BOS, TOR	Not an easy slate, but he's got a 1.59 ERA since the break facing BAL, TOR, BOS, TEX, and NYY (2x)
24	Vincent Velasquez	ATL
25	Jason Hammel	SF	Has allowed just 22 ERsince July 1, but 16 came in two horrific starts at NYM and at COL; has a 1.26 ERA otherwise
26	J.A. Happ	at BAL
27	Adam Wainwright	at MIL
28	Noah Syndergaard	MIA	Eager to see how he throws on Saturday evening after an 8 IP/0 ER gem at SF last time out
29	Michael Fulmer	at KC	Allowed 6 ER vs. BOS last time out; had allowed 6 ER in previous four starts combined
30	Aaron Sanchez	at BAL
31	David Price	at OAK
32	Chris Archer	TOR	Not only does he lead the AL in strikeouts, but he's got a 3.11 ERA in his last 10 starts
33	Zack Greinke	at SF
34	Kenta Maeda	at COL, SD
35	Marcus Stroman	at TB	After topping 5 Ks just twice in his first 13 starts, he's done in 8 of his last 12 (78 Ks in 75.3 IP)
36	Jacob deGrom	WAS	Being skipped earlier in the week so this is no guarantee
37	Matt Moore	ARI
38	Steven Matz	MIA, WAS	Coming off of the shoulder scare for a two-start so he could be rusty or limited in innings so he's lower than normal
39	Gio Gonzalez	at PHI
40	Zach Davies	STL, at PIT	Quietly has a 3.45 ERA over his last 15 starts with a 4.2 K:BB ratio
41	Felix Hernandez	at TEX	Swinging strike rate has surged to 13% in last six starts; was just 8% in first 12
42	James Paxton	at TEX, LAA	Solid in return from DL going 5 IP/3 ER with all the runs coming in the first before allowing 2 H the rest of the way
43	Hisashi Iwakuma	at TEX, LAA
44	Marco Estrada	at BAL
45	Jameson Taillon	MIL
46	Anthony DeSclafani	STL
47	Jeremy Hellickson	ATL
48	Kevin Gausman	NYY
49	Drew Pomeranz	TB	Don't look now, but he has a 4.06 ERA w/BOS which is in line w/what we should've expected (had him at ~3.60 personally)
50	Dallas Keuchel	at TEX
51	Carlos Rodon	at MIN
52	Steven Wright	TB	KC greeted him rudely from the DL w/5 ER in the first, but allowed 3 H over 5 IP the rest of the way
53	Danny Salazar	MIA
54	Jerad Eickhoff	WAS	Solid 3.53 ERA in his last six starts, but a 1.8 HR/9 has me leery
55	Tyler Anderson	LAD
56	Jaime Garcia	at CIN	3 huge duds and 2 eight-inning gems in his last 5 gives you an idea of the risk attached to starting him
57	Rich Hill	at COL, SD	Looked filthy in his return, but now I have to trust him in Colorado?
58	John Lackey	SF
59	Ivan Nova	MIL
60	Jeff Samardzija	at CHC
61	Dylan Bundy	NYY
62	Dan Straily	at LAA, STL	His 1.98 second-half ERA is tied w/Justin Verlander for 6th-best; hasn't allowed >2 ER in any of the 8 starts
63	Ervin Santana	CWS	Remember how Verlander is 3rd in ERA since July 1? He's behind Kyle Hendricks (1.34) and Santana (1.96)
64	Drew Smyly	at BOS
65	Sean Manaea	at HOU, BOS	BOS crushed him for 8 ER in just 2.7 IP back in May; pitching much better now, plus it's in OAK
66	Trevor Bauer	MIN, MIA
67	CC Sabathia	at KC, at BAL
68	Yordano Ventura	DET
69	Ian Kennedy	NYY	Has allowed just 5 ER in his last six starts; no surprise that he's good when preventing HR, but HR rate always lingers
70	Matt Boyd	CWS, at KC	Great 2.45 ERA since the break, but be mindful of the 1.8 HR/9 in that time; 7 of the 8 HRs were solo shots
71	Robbie Ray	at SF	Finally turning the Ks into some real success: 1.50 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 29 Ks in last 24 IP
72	Brandon Finnegan	at LAA
73	Anibal Sanchez	at KC	A 4.09 ERA over his last 7 doesn't seem that great, but 40% of his 20 ER came in one outing at TEX (2.70 ERA otherwise)
74	Mike Leake	at CIN
75	Homer Bailey	STL
76	Taijuan Walker	LAA
77	Daniel Norris	CWS
78	Mike Fiers	OAK
79	Eduardo Rodriguez	at OAK	Was pitching brilliantly before injury: 2.52 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 39 Ks, and 3.3 K:BB ratio in 39.3 IP
80	David Phelps	at NYM	It's crazy how fast it can turn: 3 no-hit innings to open his Friday start, but then 4 ER in a 33-pitch 4th inning ended his night
81	Bartolo Colon	MIA
82	Jimmy Nelson	at PIT
83	Doug Fister	at TEX
84	Jon Gray	LAD, ARI	Big fan of Gray, but I can't get psyched about 2 home starts for him
85	Kyle Gibson	CWS
85	Lucas Giolito	at NYM
86	Luke Weaver	at MIL
87	Chad Green	at BAL	HRs usually at the core of his bad starts, including Saturday when BAL popped 3 to chase him after 4.7 IP
88	Mike Montgomery	PIT	Not sure he can really be a mixed league asset right now, plus Lackey's return likely ends his SP tenure after this week
89	Andrew Cashner	at CLE
90	Mike Foltynewicz	at PHI
91	Tom Koehler	at NYM, at CLE	He's been passable this year, but always a much better home pitcher so I'm not chasing 2 on the road from him
92	Joe Musgrove	OAK, at TEX
93	R.A. Dickey	at TB
94	Collin McHugh	OAK
96	Blake Snell	TBD	Alex Cobb is supposed to return but I could see them going to a 6-man
97	Seth Lugo	MIA
98	Jake Thompson	WAS, ATL
99	Matt Wisler	SD	Brilliant in his return to the majors (8 IP/1 ER) and gets a start vs. SD to stay hot; still like his stuff, but he's volatile
100	Edwin Jackson	at ATL