This article is part of our Weekly Pitcher Rankings series.
As always, remember that rotations are subject to change, so if you see something that isn't correct, assume that it was a change that has occurred since this was written and feel free to politely bring it up in the comments, and I'll let you know where the new arm slots.
For the week July 28 - Aug. 3
AMERICAN LEAGUE
For the week July 28 - Aug. 3
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Yu Darvish - NYY, at CLE Note: Many pitchers would kill for a 3.95 ERA and 76 Ks in 57 IP to be their "downside" |
| 2. Felix Hernandez - at CLE |
| 3. David Price - MIL Note: Trade feels like a longshot at this point; 1.88 ERA and 99 Ks in last 86.3 IP |
| 4. Chris Sale - MIN Note: He's allowed just 1 ER while going 7-plus IP in each of his three Jul starts heading into today |
| 5. Jon Lester - TOR |
| 6. Max Scherzer - CWS |
| 7. Corey Kluber - SEA Note: Kluber's K prowess has returned with a vengeance with three 10 K gms in his last four |
| 8. Hisashi Iwakuma - at CLE, at BAL |
| 9. Marcus Stroman - at BOS, at HOU Note: He has a 3.7 IP/5 ER mixed in with three 7 IP/0 ER gems in July |
| 10. Jose Quintana - at DET, MIN Note: Q has a 2.03 ERA, 28 Ks, and 4.0 K:BB ratio in 26.7 IP in July... with a 0-0 record |
| 11. James Shields - MIN, at OAK Note: After three-start blip, he has a |
As always, remember that rotations are subject to change, so if you see something that isn't correct, assume that it was a change that has occurred since this was written and feel free to politely bring it up in the comments, and I'll let you know where the new arm slots.
For the week July 28 - Aug. 3
AMERICAN LEAGUE
CONSIDER
SIT
NATIONAL LEAGUE
CONSIDER
SIT
MLB TOP 100
For the week July 28 - Aug. 3
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Yu Darvish - NYY, at CLE Note: Many pitchers would kill for a 3.95 ERA and 76 Ks in 57 IP to be their "downside" |
| 2. Felix Hernandez - at CLE |
| 3. David Price - MIL Note: Trade feels like a longshot at this point; 1.88 ERA and 99 Ks in last 86.3 IP |
| 4. Chris Sale - MIN Note: He's allowed just 1 ER while going 7-plus IP in each of his three Jul starts heading into today |
| 5. Jon Lester - TOR |
| 6. Max Scherzer - CWS |
| 7. Corey Kluber - SEA Note: Kluber's K prowess has returned with a vengeance with three 10 K gms in his last four |
| 8. Hisashi Iwakuma - at CLE, at BAL |
| 9. Marcus Stroman - at BOS, at HOU Note: He has a 3.7 IP/5 ER mixed in with three 7 IP/0 ER gems in July |
| 10. Jose Quintana - at DET, MIN Note: Q has a 2.03 ERA, 28 Ks, and 4.0 K:BB ratio in 26.7 IP in July... with a 0-0 record |
| 11. James Shields - MIN, at OAK Note: After three-start blip, he has a 2.03 ERA, 28 Ks, and 9.3 K:BB ratio in 26.7 IP over his last four |
| 12. Anibal Sanchez - CWS, COL |
| 13. Jake Odorizzi - MIL, LAA Note: Entered June with a 5.31 ERA ... it's at 3.97 now, plus he's a K machine |
| 14. Sonny Gray - KC Note: He's bounced back from his 5.40 ERA in June with a 0.95 in four July starts prior to Saturday |
| 15. Jeff Samardzija - at HOU |
| 16. Garrett Richards - at BAL Note: His 4 ER vs. DET was first time above 3 since May 30 (1.66 ERA in 70.7 IP) |
| 17. Alex Cobb - MIL |
| 18. Scott Kazmir - KC |
| 19. Chris Archer - LAA Note: His volatility can be unnerving, but just stick with him because he always bounces back |
| 20. John Lackey - NYY |
| 21. Drew Hutchison - at HOU Note: 2.95 ERA in 83.3 road IP (7.71 in 37.3 home IP) |
| 22. Jesse Chavez - at HOU, KC Note: He's not the stud from Apr-May, but his 3.61 ERA the last two months is usable |
| 23. Trevor Bauer - SEA, TEX |
| 24. David Phelps - at TEX, at BOS Note: Phelps has a 3.76 ERA as a starter (3.86 in relief) |
| 25. Dallas Keuchel - OAK Note: Love the effort vs. MIA, let's see him handle a good team before putting him back up with the elites |
| 26. Justin Verlander - COL Note: At least he gets COL away from Coors (.672 OPS on road vs. RHP) |
| 27. Rick Porcello - COL |
| 28. Hiroki Kuroda - at TEX Note: His 3.39 ERA in the last two months has finally brought his ERA back under 4.00 |
| 29. Tyler Skaggs - at BAL |
| 30. Drew Smyly - CWS |
| 31. Phil Hughes - at KC Note: I'm growing a bit concerned with one my favorite sleepers (5.20 ERA in last 10) |
| 32. Danny Duffy - MIN |
| 33. Yordano Ventura - MIN Note: The 5.8 K/9 in his last 12 outings is down from a 9.8 K/9 mark in his first 8 |
| 34. Kevin Gausman - LAA |
| 35. Mark Buehrle - at BOS |
| 36. Brandon McCarthy - at TEX Note: He likely would've started to improve with ARI, too, but he has a 1.45 ERA in his first three starts with NYY |
CONSIDER
| 37. Collin McHugh - TOR Note: Returning from DL, but gets a neutered TOR offense |
| 38. Jered Weaver - at BAL, at TB Note: He's just a different pitcher on the road - 4.45 ERA, 5.9 K/9 (2.66, 7.9 at home) |
| 39. R.A Dickey - at BOS, at HOU Note: Interestingly it's the poor teams that kill him - 5.27 ERA vs. |
| 40. Chris Tillman - LAA, SEA Note: Love the 2.40 ERA in his last nine, but just 28 Ks and a 1.5 K:BB ratio |
| 41. Chris Young - at CLE Note: I just don't get it ... but I'm still not confident in him |
| 42. Jason Hammel - at HOU Note: He just hasn't been good with OAK, but this is a nice matchup |
| 43. Matt Shoemaker - at TB Note: 6.3 K:BB ratio in 15.3 IP with 19 Ks since 8 ER smashing at KC |
| 44. Hector Santiago - at TB Note: Last two months - 3.15 ERA, 35 Ks, and 3.5 K:BB ratio in 34.3 IP (6 GS, 2 relief app.) |
| 45. Danny Salazar - TEX Note: Not totally sold by his first start in return to MLB, but TEX isn't so scary |
| 46. Shane Greene - at BOS Note: Solid numbers so far, but just 19.3 IP |
| 47. John Danks - at DET Note: DET kills lefties, but Danks does have a 2.03 ERA vs. them in two starts |
| 48. Wei-Yin Chen - LAA Note: He's solid, but unspectacular and LAA kills LHP |
SIT
| 49. Clay Buchholz - TOR, NYY Note: Has allowed 4 ER in four of his last six (though does have a HOU shutout mixed in) |
| 50. Jeremy Hellickson - LAA Note: Only 4.3 IP in his debut, they may take him slowly to start; tough matchup, too |
| 51. Bud Norris - SEA |
| 52. Miguel Gonzalez - SEA |
| 53. Rubby de la Rosa - TOR Note: Love the talent, but he's not a close to a finishing product so he's tough to trust |
| 54. Roenis Elias - at BAL Note: 5.89 ERA in his last eight |
| 55. Brad Peacock - OAK, TOR |
| 56. J.A. Happ - at HOU |
| 57. Scott Feldman - OAK, TOR |
| 58. Yohan Pino - at CWS |
| 59. Chris Capuano - at BOS |
| 60. Jarred Cosart - TOR |
| 61. Kyle Gibson - at KC, at CWS |
| 62. Colby Lewis - NYY |
| 63. Zach McAllister - TEX |
| 64. Scott Carroll - MIN |
| 65. Nick Tepesch - at CLE |
| 66. Nick Martinez - NYY |
| 67. Josh Tomlin - SEA |
| 68. Jeremy Guthrie - at OAK |
| 69. Hector Noesi - at DET |
| 70. Kevin Correia - at KC |
| 71. Miles Mikolas - at CLE |
| 72. Logan Darnell - at CWS |
| 73. Bruce Chen - at OAK |
| 74. Jake Peavy Replacement - NYY |
| 75. Mariners Fifth Starter - at BAL Note: Maybe Taijuan Walker gets called back up? |
NATIONAL LEAGUE
START
| 1. Cole Hamels - at NYM, at WAS Note: Pitching like an ace again - 2.04 ERA, 111 Ks, 3.5 K:BB ratio in his last 105.7 IP |
| 2. Clayton Kershaw - ATL Note: It's stupid how good he is ... |
| 3. Tyson Ross - STL, ATL Note: Two home starts (1.89 ERA in 11 at Petco) is enough to vault him over some one-start aces |
| 4. Adam Wainwright - MIL |
| 5. Johnny Cueto - at MIA |
| 6. Julio Teheran - at LAD Note: He's gone 7-plus in six of his last seven (Mets roughed him up at Citi in the other) |
| 7. Jake Arrieta - COL |
| 8. Madison Bumgarner - PIT, at NYM |
| 9. Zack Greinke - ATL |
| 10. Stephen Strasburg - at MIA, PHI Note: Neither of these next two Nats has been ace-like lately, but I still like 'em with this intra-division two-start slate |
| 11. Jordan Zimmermann - at MIA, PHI |
| 12. Lance Lynn - at SD, MIL |
| 13. Doug Fister - PHI Note: I thought we'd have actually seen his Ks go up, not down; everything else is sharp |
| 14. Gio Gonzalez - PHI Note: 2.50 ERA and 37 Ks in 26 IP since returning from the DL (prior to Saturday at CIN) |
| 15. Hyun-Jin Ryu - CHC |
| 16. Zack Wheeler - PHI Note: Rolling of late with a 2.30 ERA, 42 Ks, and 2.8 K:BB ratio in his last 43 IP (despite a 2 IP/6 ER vs. OAK mixed in there) |
| 17. Homer Bailey - ARI, at MIA Note: Finally stabilizing with a 3.34 ERA in his last 9, but chiseling a 5.04 ERA takes more than (down to 4.22 now) |
| 18. Ian Kennedy - at ATL, ATL Note: That's not a typo, he faces them twice in a row |
| 19. Ervin Santana - SD, at LAD |
| 20. Kyle Lohse - at TB, at STL |
| 21. Jesse Hahn - STL |
| 22. Cliff Lee - at WAS Note: I wouldn't freak out over a tough return, he should be OK |
| 23. Tanner Roark - at MIA Note: All five WAS pitchers in the top 23; 2.20 ERA in last 10 |
| 24. Mat Latos - at MIA |
| 25. Jacob deGrom - SF |
| 26. Bartolo Colon - PHI, SF Note: Both of these could be dealt before their second start |
| 27. A.J. Burnett - at NYM, at WAS |
| 28. Mike Leake - ARI, at MIA |
| 29. Josh Beckett - ATL, CHC Note: His last five - three scoreless outings, but a 9.31 ERA in the other two |
| 30. Yovani Gallardo - at TB |
| 31. Wily Peralta - at STL Note: Back-to-back gems after that 9 ER meltdown vs. PHI |
| 32. Matt Garza - at TB Note: Maybe he can slow down TB, his old franchise |
| 33. Tim Hudson - PIT Note: Hasn't been otherworldly like earlier, but you can live with his 3.48 ERA over his last 10 |
| 34. Alfredo Simon - ARI |
| 35. Jon Niese - SF Note: He isn't winning you your league, but he's a solid arm |
| 36. Wade Miley - at CIN Note: Rough showing in PHI last time out, but 3.61 ERA and 59 Ks in last 57.3 IP |
| 37. Alex Wood - at LAD Note: Nice work against, San Diego, buddy |
| 38. Ryan Vogelsong - at NYM |
| 39. Charlie Morton - at SF |
| 40. Aaron Harang - at LAD, at SD Note: Hasn't allowed more than 3 ER in any of his last six (2.20 ERA in 41 IP) and he gets SD! |
| 41. Chase Anderson - at CIN, PIT |
| 42. Henderson Alvarez - WAS, CIN |
| 43. Jeff Locke - at ARI Note: 2.38 ERA in 56.7 IP since recall on June 8th (5.3 IP/6 ER in only other start before that) |
| 44. Tom Koehler - CIN |
CONSIDER
| 45. Mike Minor - at SD Note: All of these next three are struggling to varying degrees, but it's hard to sit anyone vs. SD ... especially AT SD |
| 46. Shelby Miller - at SD |
| 47. Joe Kelly - at SD |
| 48. Tim Lincecum - PIT Note: Seems like his surge might've been schedule-induced |
| 49. Odrisamer Despaigne - STL Note: The NL's Chris Young? He has a 1.31 ERA with a 1.6 K:BB ratio |
| 50. Francisco Liriano - at SF, at ARI |
| 51. Vance Worley - at SF, at ARI Note: He's not great, but you could do much worse |
SIT
| 52. Nathan Eovaldi - WAS, CIN Note: I love Eovaldi, but he just hasn't been anywhere near the same of late |
| 53. Dillon Gee - PHI |
| 54. Jimmy Nelson - at STL |
| 55. Dan Haren - CHC Note: Haren is being skipped once in the rotation, but he's supposed to return here |
| 56. Edinson Volquez - at ARI |
| 57. Jake Peavy - at NYM Note: The NL and SF specifically should improve his HRs, but let's see it first |
| 58. Vidal Nuno - PIT |
| 59. Brett Anderson - at CHC |
| 60. Jorge de la Rosa - at CHC, at DET Note: 5.37 ERA on the road is more than two runs higher than his 3.23 home mark |
| 61. Trevor Cahill - at CIN, PIT |
| 62. Kyle Hendricks - at LAD |
| 63. Tsuyoshi Wada - COL, at LAD |
| 64. Travis Wood - COL |
| 65. Jacob Turner - CIN |
| 66. Brad Hand - WAS |
| 67. Kyle Kendrick - at NYM |
| 68. Roberto Hernandez - at WAS |
| 69. Eric Stults - ATL |
| 70. Edwin Jackson - COL, at LAD |
| 71. Tyler Matzek - at CHC |
| 72. Josh Collmenter - PIT |
| 73. Franklin Morales - at DET |
| 74. Yohan Flande - at CHC, at DET |
| 75. Cardinals Fifth Starter - MIL Note: Martinez is out of the rotation, but they still only have four listed |
MLB TOP 100
| 1. Yu Darvish - NYY, at CLE Note: Many pitchers would kill for a 3.95 ERA and 76 Ks in 57 IP to be their "downside" |
| 2. Cole Hamels - at NYM, at WAS Note: Pitching like an ace again - 2.04 ERA, 111 Ks, 3.5 K:BB ratio in his last 105.7 IP |
| 3. Clayton Kershaw - ATL Note: It's stupid how good he is ... |
| 4. Felix Hernandez - at CLE |
| 5. David Price - MIL Note: Trade feels like a longshot at this point; 1.88 ERA and 99 Ks in last 86.3 IP |
| 6. Chris Sale - MIN Note: He's allowed just 1 ER while going 7-plus IP in each of his three Jul starts heading into today |
| 7. Tyson Ross - STL, ATL Note: Two home starts (1.89 ERA in 11 at Petco) is enough to vault him over some one-start aces |
| 8. Adam Wainwright - MIL |
| 9. Johnny Cueto - at MIA |
| 10. Julio Teheran - at LAD Note: He's gone 7-plus in six of his last seven (Mets roughed him up at Citi in the other) |
| 11. Jake Arrieta - COL |
| 12. Jon Lester - TOR |
| 13. Max Scherzer - CWS |
| 14. Corey Kluber - SEA Note: Kluber's K prowess has returned with a vengeance with three 10 K gms in his last four |
| 15. Hisashi Iwakuma - at CLE, at BAL |
| 16. Marcus Stroman - at BOS, at HOU Note: He has a 3.7 IP/5 ER mixed in with three 7 IP/0 ER gems in July |
| 17. Jose Quintana - at DET, MIN Note: Q has a 2.03 ERA, 28 Ks, and 4.0 K:BB ratio in 26.7 IP in July... with a 0-0 record |
| 18. Madison Bumgarner - PIT, at NYM |
| 19. Zack Greinke - ATL |
| 20. James Shields - MIN, at OAK Note: After three-start blip, he has a 2.03 ERA, 28 Ks, and 9.3 K:BB ratio in 26.7 IP over his last four |
| 21. Anibal Sanchez - CWS, COL |
| 22. Stephen Strasburg - at MIA, PHI Note: Neither of these next two Nats has been ace-like lately, but I still like 'em with this intra-division two-start slate |
| 23. Jordan Zimmermann - at MIA, PHI |
| 24. Lance Lynn - at SD, MIL |
| 25. Jake Odorizzi - MIL, LAA Note: Entered June with a 5.31 ERA ... it's at 3.97 now, plus he's a K machine |
| 26. Sonny Gray - KC Note: He's bounced back from his 5.40 ERA in June with a 0.95 in four July starts prior to Saturday |
| 27. Jeff Samardzija - at HOU |
| 28. Garrett Richards - at BAL Note: His 4 ER vs. DET was first time above 3 since May 30 (1.66 ERA in 70.7 IP) |
| 29. Alex Cobb - MIL |
| 30. Scott Kazmir - KC |
| 31. Chris Archer - LAA Note: His volatility can be unnerving, but just stick with him because he always bounces back |
| 32. Doug Fister - PHI Note: I thought we'd have actually seen his Ks go up, not down; everything else is sharp |
| 33. Gio Gonzalez - PHI Note: 2.50 ERA and 37 Ks in 26 IP since returning from the DL (prior to Saturday at CIN) |
| 34. Hyun-Jin Ryu - CHC |
| 35. Zack Wheeler - PHI Note: Rolling of late with a 2.30 ERA, 42 Ks, and 2.8 K:BB ratio in his last 43 IP (despite a 2 IP/6 ER vs. OAK mixed in there) |
| 36. Homer Bailey - ARI, at MIA Note: Finally stabilizing with a 3.34 ERA in his last 9, but chiseling a 5.04 ERA takes more than (down to 4.22 now) |
| 37. Ian Kennedy - at ATL, ATL Note: That's not a typo, he faces them twice in a row |
| 38. Ervin Santana - SD, at LAD |
| 39. Kyle Lohse - at TB, at STL |
| 40. Jesse Hahn - STL |
| 41. Cliff Lee - at WAS Note: I wouldn't freak out over a tough return, he should be OK |
| 42. Tanner Roark - at MIA Note: All five WAS pitchers in the top 23; 2.20 ERA in last 10 |
| 43. Mat Latos - at MIA |
| 44. Jacob deGrom - SF |
| 45. Bartolo Colon - PHI, SF Note: Both of these could be dealt before their second start |
| 46. A.J. Burnett - at NYM, at WAS |
| 47. Mike Leake - ARI, at MIA |
| 48. Josh Beckett - ATL, CHC Note: His last five - three scoreless outings, but a 9.31 ERA in the other two |
| 49. John Lackey - NYY |
| 50. Drew Hutchison - at HOU Note: 2.95 ERA in 83.3 road IP (7.71 in 37.3 home IP) |
| 51. Jesse Chavez - at HOU, KC Note: He's not the stud from Apr-May, but his 3.61 ERA the last two months is usable |
| 52. Trevor Bauer - SEA, TEX |
| 53. David Phelps - at TEX, at BOS Note: Phelps has a 3.76 ERA as a starter (3.86 in relief) |
| 54. Yovani Gallardo - at TB |
| 55. Wily Peralta - at STL Note: Back-to-back gems after that 9 ER meltdown vs. PHI |
| 56. Matt Garza - at TB Note: Maybe he can slow down TB, his old franchise |
| 57. Tim Hudson - PIT Note: Hasn't been otherworldly like earlier, but you can live with his 3.48 ERA over his last 10 |
| 58. Alfredo Simon - ARI |
| 59. Dallas Keuchel - OAK Note: Love the effort vs. MIA, let's see him handle a good team before putting him back up with the elites |
| 60. Justin Verlander - COL Note: At least he gets COL away from Coors (.672 OPS on road vs. RHP) |
| 61. Rick Porcello - COL |
| 62. Hiroki Kuroda - at TEX Note: His 3.39 ERA in the last two months has finally brought his ERA back under 4.00 |
| 63. Tyler Skaggs - at BAL |
| 64. Drew Smyly - CWS |
| 65. Phil Hughes - at KC Note: I'm growing a bit concerned with one my favorite sleepers (5.20 ERA in last 10) |
| 66. Danny Duffy - MIN |
| 67. Yordano Ventura - MIN Note: The 5.8 K/9 in his last 12 outings is down from a 9.8 K/9 mark in his first 8 |
| 68. Kevin Gausman - LAA |
| 69. Mark Buehrle - at BOS |
| 70. Jon Niese - SF Note: He isn't winning you your league, but he's a solid arm |
| 71. Wade Miley - at CIN Note: Rough showing in PHI last time out, but 3.61 ERA and 59 Ks in last 57.3 IP |
| 72. Alex Wood - at LAD Note: Nice work against, San Diego, buddy |
| 73. Ryan Vogelsong - at NYM |
| 74. Charlie Morton - at SF |
| 75. Aaron Harang - at LAD, at SD Note: Hasn't allowed more than 3 ER in any of his last six (2.20 ERA in 41 IP) and he gets SD! |
| 76. Chase Anderson - at CIN, PIT |
| 77. Henderson Alvarez - WAS, CIN |
| 78. Jeff Locke - at ARI Note: 2.38 ERA in 56.7 IP since recall on June 8th (5.3 IP/6 ER in only other start before that) |
| 79. Tom Koehler - CIN |
| 80. Mike Minor - at SD Note: All of these next three are struggling to varying degrees, but it's hard to sit anyone vs. SD ... especially AT SD |
| 81. Shelby Miller - at SD |
| 82. Joe Kelly - at SD |
| 83. Tim Lincecum - PIT Note: Seems like his surge might've been schedule-induced |
| 84. Odrisamer Despaigne - STL Note: The NL's Chris Young? He has a 1.31 ERA with a 1.6 K:BB ratio |
| 85. Francisco Liriano - at SF, at ARI |
| 86. Vance Worley - at SF, at ARI Note: He's not great, but you could do much worse |
| 87. Brandon McCarthy - at TEX Note: He likely would've started to improve with ARI, too, but he has a 1.45 ERA in his first three starts with NYY |
| 88. Collin McHugh - TOR Note: Returning from DL, but gets a neutered TOR offense |
| 89. Jered Weaver - at BAL, at TB Note: He's just a different pitcher on the road - 4.45 ERA, 5.9 K/9 (2.66, 7.9 at home) |
| 90. R.A Dickey - at BOS, at HOU Note: Interestingly it's the poor teams that kill him - 5.27 ERA vs. |
| 91. Chris Tillman - LAA, SEA Note: Love the 2.40 ERA in his last nine, but just 28 Ks and a 1.5 K:BB ratio |
| 92. Chris Young - at CLE Note: I just don't get it ... but I'm still not confident in him |
| 93. Jason Hammel - at HOU Note: He just hasn't been good with OAK, but this is a nice matchup |
| 94. Matt Shoemaker - at TB Note: 6.3 K:BB ratio in 15.3 IP with 19 Ks since 8 ER smashing at KC |
| 95. Hector Santiago - at TB Note: Last two months - 3.15 ERA, 35 Ks, and 3.5 K:BB ratio in 34.3 IP (6 GS, 2 relief app.) |
| 96. Danny Salazar - TEX Note: Not totally sold by his first start in return to MLB, but TEX isn't so scary |
| 97. Shane Greene - at BOS Note: Solid numbers so far, but just 19.3 IP |
| 98. John Danks - at DET Note: DET kills lefties, but Danks does have a 2.03 ERA vs. them in two starts |
| 99. Nathan Eovaldi - WAS, CIN Note: I love Eovaldi, but he just hasn't been anywhere near the same of late |
| 100. Clay Buchholz - TOR, NYY Note: Has allowed 4 ER in four of his last six (though does have a HOU shutout mixed in) |
