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 Sept. 8-14
AMERICAN LEAGUE
For the week Sept. 8-14
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Felix Hernandez - HOU, OAK Note: 2.18 ERA in eight starts against these clubs this year (2.15 ERA in five starts vs. OAK) |
| 2. Jon Lester - at CWS, at SEA |
| 3. David Price - CLE Note: One bad inning against SF |
| 4. Hisashi Iwakuma - HOU |
| 5. Chris Sale - OAK |
| 6. Max Scherzer - KC Note: His first chance to avenge the 10 ER destruction from June 17 |
| 7. Corey Kluber - MIN |
| 8. Alex Cobb - at NYY Note: Another gem gives Cobb 11 straight of 2 or fewer ER (1.40 ERA in 70.7 IP) |
| 9. Yordano Ventura - BOS |
| 10. Matt Shoemaker - at TEX |
| 11. Phil Hughes - at CWS Note: Hasn't walked a batter in 33 IP (1.64 ERA, 26 Ks) |
| 12. Scott Kazmir - at CWS |
| 13. Collin McHugh - at SEA Note: Hasn't allowed more than 2 ER in any of his last seven starts (1.79 ERA in 45.3 IP) |
| 14. James Shields - at DET |
| 15. Jake Odorizzi - at NYY |
| 16. Marcus Stroman - CHC, TB Note: He's been facing TB a lot lately (this will be his third since |
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 Sept. 8-14
AMERICAN LEAGUE
SIT
NATIONAL LEAGUE
SIT
MLB TOP 100
For the week Sept. 8-14
AMERICAN LEAGUE
START
| 1. Felix Hernandez - HOU, OAK Note: 2.18 ERA in eight starts against these clubs this year (2.15 ERA in five starts vs. OAK) |
| 2. Jon Lester - at CWS, at SEA |
| 3. David Price - CLE Note: One bad inning against SF |
| 4. Hisashi Iwakuma - HOU |
| 5. Chris Sale - OAK |
| 6. Max Scherzer - KC Note: His first chance to avenge the 10 ER destruction from June 17 |
| 7. Corey Kluber - MIN |
| 8. Alex Cobb - at NYY Note: Another gem gives Cobb 11 straight of 2 or fewer ER (1.40 ERA in 70.7 IP) |
| 9. Yordano Ventura - BOS |
| 10. Matt Shoemaker - at TEX |
| 11. Phil Hughes - at CWS Note: Hasn't walked a batter in 33 IP (1.64 ERA, 26 Ks) |
| 12. Scott Kazmir - at CWS |
| 13. Collin McHugh - at SEA Note: Hasn't allowed more than 2 ER in any of his last seven starts (1.79 ERA in 45.3 IP) |
| 14. James Shields - at DET |
| 15. Jake Odorizzi - at NYY |
| 16. Marcus Stroman - CHC, TB Note: He's been facing TB a lot lately (this will be his third since Aug. 22) |
| 17. Chris Archer - at NYY, at TOR |
| 18. Sonny Gray - at CWS, at SEA Note: He hasn't been sharp down the stretch w/3+ ER in each of his last six (5.84 ERA in 37 IP) |
| 19. Danny Salazar - LAA, at DET Note: This is a remarkably difficult slate, but he's been sharp since his return with several tough opponents |
| 20. Jeff Samardzija - at CWS |
| 21. Michael Pineda - TB |
| 22. Drew Smyly - at TOR Note: Threw a shutout in TOR back in late-August |
| 23. James Paxton - OAK |
| 24. Derek Holland - ATL Note: Worries of light pitch counts were assuaged by 105 in seven strong innings during his season debut |
| 25. Dallas Keuchel - at LAA |
| 26. Jose Quintana - OAK |
| 27. Hiroki Kuroda - TB, at BAL |
| 28. Jered Weaver - at CLE, HOU Note: That trip to CLE is worrisome, but HOU at home should more than make up for it |
| 29. Miguel Gonzalez - at BOS, NYY Note: Pitching his best baseball right now (2.00 ERA in his last nine) |
| 30. Jason Vargas - at DET, BOS |
| 31. Justin Verlander - KC, CLE Note: At least he's missing bats (34 Ks in 35.3 IP over his last six) |
| 32. Jason Hammel - at SEA Note: Has a 2.40 ERA in his last five starts |
| 33. Brandon McCarthy - at BAL Note: This venue and lineup do scare me |
| 34. Chris Capuano - TB |
| 35. Drew Hutchison - CHC Note: High risk/high reward - 6, 6, 2, 4, 1, 6, 7, 1, 0, 3 ER in his last 10 |
| 36. Carlos Carrasco - at DET |
| 37. Shane Greene - at BAL Note: The slide in ranking is more about the opponent and venue than it is an overreaction to his BOS start |
| 38. Wei-Yin Chen - at BOS |
| 39. Chris Tillman - at BOS |
| 40. Rick Porcello - KC Note: Is he hitting a wall with 21 H allowed in his last two starts? |
| 41. Hector Santiago - at TEX, HOU Note: Worst start in a couple of months his last time out |
| 42. Roenis Elias - HOU |
| 43. R.A Dickey - TB |
| 44. Kyle Lobstein - CLE Note: CLE has struggled vs. LHP all year and Lobstein racked up 10 Ks in 5.3 IP his last time out |
| 45. Rubby de la Rosa - at KC |
| 46. Kevin Gausman - NYY |
| 47. C.J. Wilson - HOU |
| 48. Brett Oberholtzer - at LAA |
SIT
| 49. Trevor Bauer - MIN, at DET Note: Bauer through Happ could have some appeal depending on your desperation level, but if you're close in ERA and WHIP, these risks are too large |
| 50. Danny Duffy - BOS Note: Pulled after one pitch on Saturday; stay tuned, but bench for now |
| 51. Joe Kelly - BAL, at KC |
| 52. Jeremy Guthrie - at DET, BOS |
| 53. Brandon Workman - BAL |
| 54. Anthony Ranaudo - BAL |
| 55. Mark Buehrle - CHC |
| 56. Clay Buchholz - at KC |
| 57. Bud Norris - NYY |
| 58. Scott Feldman - at LAA |
| 59. J.A. Happ - TB |
| 60. Jeremy Hellickson - at TOR Note: That comeback train has slowed considerably, but also understandably |
| 61. Chris Young - OAK Note: The component numbers have collapsed again so I'm back out (0.9 K:BB in his last four) |
| 62. John Danks - OAK, MIN |
| 63. Trevor May - at CLE, at CWS |
| 64. Brad Peacock - at SEA |
| 65. Hector Noesi - MIN |
| 66. Kyle Gibson - at CLE |
| 67. Ricky Nolasco - at CLE |
| 68. Nick Tropeano - at SEA |
| 69. Nick Tepesch - LAA |
| 70. Nick Martinez - ATL |
| 71. Colby Lewis - LAA |
| 72. Allen Webster - at KC |
| 73. Tommy Milone - at CWS |
| 74. T.J. House - MIN |
| 75. Robbie Ross - LAA |
| 76. Cory Rasmus - at TEX |
| 77. Scott Carroll / Chris Bassitt - OAK, MIN Note: They're supposed to split the fifth starter's role, so maybe each will get one of the starts |
| Notes: HOU and BOS using six starters; CWS might do the same; BAL and NYY have a doubleheader Friday where neither starter is penciled in for the second game, so keep an eye out for updates; TEX is still a jumbled mess, so they are even more subject to changes |
NATIONAL LEAGUE
START
| 1. Clayton Kershaw - SD Note: A real treat for Kershaw owners in the midst of H2H playoffs |
| 2. Jordan Zimmermann - ATL, at NYM Note: Hasn't allowed more than 3 ER in any of his last eight (2.33 ERA in 54 IP) |
| 3. Cole Hamels - MIA |
| 4. Johnny Cueto - STL |
| 5. Tyson Ross - at ARI Note: Has a 1.82 ERA in his last 12 starts (six home, six away) |
| 6. Julio Teheran - at TEX Note: A little shaky vs. PHI, but a trip to TEX is actually a welcomed sight for pitchers this year |
| 7. Zack Greinke - at SF |
| 8. Madison Bumgarner - at ARI Note: Had 0 Ks for the first time in his career on Saturday |
| 9. Stephen Strasburg - ATL |
| 10. Lance Lynn - at CIN |
| 11. Jake Arrieta - at TOR Note: Solid bounce-back after getting roughed up in CIN |
| 12. Hyun-Jin Ryu - at SF |
| 13. Zack Wheeler - WAS Note: Had his first tough start of the second half last time out (2.57 ERA in nine starts; 58 Ks in 56 IP) |
| 14. Gerrit Cole - CHC Note: Two rough inning vs. STL, but otherwise great in three starts since returning |
| 15. Adam Wainwright - COL Note: Has a 3.71 ERA and 48 Ks in his last 12 starts (77.7 IP) |
| 16. Alex Wood - at TEX |
| 17. Gio Gonzalez - at NYM |
| 18. Ian Kennedy - at LAD |
| 19. Mike Fiers - MIA Note: MIL turned to their ace-of-the-moment to stop the streak |
| 20. Andrew Cashner - at LAD Note: Has three great starts since returning despite a high of 96 pitches |
| 21. Michael Wacha - at CIN, COL Note: They can afford to be careful with him so this might only be 8-9 innings of work even if he pitches brilliantly |
| 22. Doug Fister - ATL, at NYM |
| 23. Jacob deGrom - COL, WAS Note: Right back on track after that initial tune up from the DL |
| 24. Mike Minor - at WAS, at TEX Note: Has made it into the 7th in each of his last five starts (2.52 ERA, 29 Ks in 35.7 IP) |
| 25. Yovani Gallardo - MIA, CIN |
| 26. Ryan Vogelsong - at ARI, at SD |
| 27. John Lackey - at CIN Note: Now has back-to-back 9 H games and 54 in 44.3 IP with StL |
| 28. Ervin Santana - at WAS |
| 29. Tanner Roark - at NYM |
| 30. Wily Peralta - MIA |
| 31. Mat Latos - at MIL Note: 34 H in his last four (23 IP), though one was in COL and another in BAL |
| 32. Wade Miley - at SF |
| 33. Jimmy Nelson - CIN |
| 34. Tom Koehler - at MIL |
| 35. Jake Peavy - at ARI |
| 36. Yusmeiro Petit - at SD Note: Both Giants were hammered in COL to the surprise of nobody |
| 37. Tim Hudson - at SD |
| 38. Kyle Lohse - CIN Note: Two 7 ER outings in August have him sputtering toward the finish |
| 39. Dillon Gee - WAS |
| 40. Jon Niese - COL, WAS |
| 41. Edinson Volquez - at PHI, CHC Note: I'm still holding my breath every time out, but he's got a 2.02 ERA in his last 13 starts |
| 42. Mike Leake - STL, at MIL |
| 43. David Buchanan - PIT, MIA |
| 44. Jarred Cosart - at MIL Note: The component numbers are rarely impressive, but he's shown he can have periods of success built on inducing weak contact |
| 45. Tsuyoshi Wada - at PIT Note: Rain shortened his last outing, but it wasn't going that well anyway |
| 46. Vidal Nuno - SD |
| 47. Dan Haren - SD |
| 48. Trevor Cahill - SD |
| 49. Chase Anderson - SD Note: The Padres have actually hit him hard twice, but I'm still starting him |
| 50. Jeff Locke - at PHI, CHC Note: 13 BBs and 6 Ks in his last three; 6 BBs and 14 Ks in three before that |
| 51. Nathan Eovaldi - at MIL |
| 52. Francisco Liriano - at PHI Note: Not as implosion-prone as his MIN days making him easier to trust |
| 53. Bartolo Colon - COL Note: He has seven starts of 5-plus ER and nine of 1 or fewer; how much volatility can you stomach? |
SIT
| 54. Vance Worley - at PHI Note: Worley through Wieland could have some appeal depending on your desperation level, but if you're close in ERA and WHIP, these risks are too large |
| 55. Matt Garza - MIA Note: Crushed in his return making it risky to run him out there again if you're on the cusp of some ERA/WHIP movement |
| 56. Aaron Harang - at WAS |
| 57. Tyler Matzek - at NYM |
| 58. Kyle Hendricks - at TOR |
| 59. A.J. Burnett - PIT |
| 60. Dylan Axelrod - STL, at MIL |
| 61. Jordan Lyles - at NYM, at STL |
| 62. Shelby Miller - at CIN, COL |
| 63. Roberto Hernandez - SD, at SF |
| 64. Felix Doubront - at PIT |
| 65. Jorge de la Rosa - at STL |
| 66. Josh Collmenter - at SF |
| 67. Odrisamer Despaigne - at LAD |
| 68. Joe Wieland - at ARI |
| 69. Kyle Kendrick - PIT, MIA |
| 70. Brad Penny - at MIL, at PHI |
| 71. Alfredo Simon - STL |
| 72. Christian Bergman - at NYM |
| 73. Randall Delgado - SF |
| 74. Jerome Williams - PIT |
| 75. Jacob Turner - at TOR |
| 76. Travis Wood - at PIT |
| 77. Eric Stults - at ARI |
| 78. Franklin Morales - at STL |
| 79. Brad Hand - at PHI |
| Notes: ARI, CHC, MIL, SD using six starters |
MLB TOP 100
| 1. Felix Hernandez - HOU, OAK Note: 2.18 ERA in eight starts against these clubs this year (2.15 ERA in five starts vs. OAK) |
| 2. Jon Lester - at CWS, at SEA |
| 3. Clayton Kershaw - SD Note: A real treat for Kershaw owners in the midst of H2H playoffs |
| 4. Jordan Zimmermann - ATL, at NYM Note: Hasn't allowed more than 3 ER in any of his last eight (2.33 ERA in 54 IP) |
| 5. Cole Hamels - MIA |
| 6. Johnny Cueto - STL |
| 7. David Price - CLE Note: One bad inning against SF |
| 8. Hisashi Iwakuma - HOU |
| 9. Chris Sale - OAK |
| 10. Max Scherzer - KC Note: His first chance to avenge the 10 ER destruction from June 17 |
| 11. Tyson Ross - at ARI Note: Has a 1.82 ERA in his last 12 starts (six home, six away) |
| 12. Julio Teheran - at TEX Note: A little shaky vs. PHI, but a trip to TEX is actually a welcomed sight for pitchers this year |
| 13. Corey Kluber - MIN |
| 14. Alex Cobb - at NYY Note: Another gem gives Cobb 11 straight of 2 or fewer ER (1.40 ERA in 70.7 IP) |
| 15. Zack Greinke - at SF |
| 16. Madison Bumgarner - at ARI Note: Had 0 Ks for the first time in his career on Saturday |
| 17. Stephen Strasburg - ATL |
| 18. Lance Lynn - at CIN |
| 19. Yordano Ventura - BOS |
| 20. Matt Shoemaker - at TEX |
| 21. Phil Hughes - at CWS Note: Hasn't walked a batter in 33 IP (1.64 ERA, 26 Ks) |
| 22. Scott Kazmir - at CWS |
| 23. Collin McHugh - at SEA Note: Hasn't allowed more than 2 ER in any of his last seven starts (1.79 ERA in 45.3 IP) |
| 24. Jake Arrieta - at TOR Note: Solid bounce-back after getting roughed up in CIN |
| 25. Hyun-Jin Ryu - at SF |
| 26. James Shields - at DET |
| 27. Jake Odorizzi - at NYY |
| 28. Marcus Stroman - CHC, TB Note: He's been facing TB a lot lately (this will be his third since Aug. 22) |
| 29. Chris Archer - at NYY, at TOR |
| 30. Sonny Gray - at CWS, at SEA Note: He hasn't been sharp down the stretch w/3+ ER in each of his last six (5.84 ERA in 37 IP) |
| 31. Zack Wheeler - WAS Note: Had his first tough start of the second half last time out (2.57 ERA in nine starts; 58 Ks in 56 IP) |
| 32. Gerrit Cole - CHC Note: Two rough inning vs. STL, but otherwise great in three starts since returning |
| 33. Adam Wainwright - COL Note: Has a 3.71 ERA and 48 Ks in his last 12 starts (77.7 IP) |
| 34. Danny Salazar - LAA, at DET Note: This is a remarkably difficult slate, but he's been sharp since his return with several tough opponents |
| 35. Jeff Samardzija - at CWS |
| 36. Michael Pineda - TB |
| 37. Drew Smyly - at TOR Note: Threw a shutout in TOR back in late-August |
| 38. James Paxton - OAK |
| 39. Derek Holland - ATL Note: Worries of light pitch counts were assuaged by 105 in seven strong innings during his season debut |
| 40. Alex Wood - at TEX |
| 41. Gio Gonzalez - at NYM |
| 42. Ian Kennedy - at LAD |
| 43. Mike Fiers - MIA Note: MIL turned to their ace-of-the-moment to stop the streak |
| 44. Dallas Keuchel - at LAA |
| 45. Jose Quintana - OAK |
| 46. Andrew Cashner - at LAD Note: Has three great starts since returning despite a high of 96 pitches |
| 47. Michael Wacha - at CIN, COL Note: They can afford to be careful with him so this might only be 8-9 innings of work even if he pitches brilliantly |
| 48. Hiroki Kuroda - TB, at BAL |
| 49. Jered Weaver - at CLE, HOU Note: That trip to CLE is worrisome, but HOU at home should more than make up for it |
| 50. Doug Fister - ATL, at NYM |
| 51. Jacob deGrom - COL, WAS Note: Right back on track after that initial tune up from the DL |
| 52. Mike Minor - at WAS, at TEX Note: Has made it into the 7th in each of his last five starts (2.52 ERA, 29 Ks in 35.7 IP) |
| 53. Yovani Gallardo - MIA, CIN |
| 54. Miguel Gonzalez - at BOS, NYY Note: Pitching his best baseball right now (2.00 ERA in his last nine) |
| 55. Jason Vargas - at DET, BOS |
| 56. Ryan Vogelsong - at ARI, at SD |
| 57. John Lackey - at CIN Note: Now has back-to-back 9 H games and 54 in 44.3 IP with StL |
| 58. Justin Verlander - KC, CLE Note: At least he's missing bats (34 Ks in 35.3 IP over his last six) |
| 59. Jason Hammel - at SEA Note: Has a 2.40 ERA in his last five starts |
| 60. Brandon McCarthy - at BAL Note: This venue and lineup do scare me |
| 61. Ervin Santana - at WAS |
| 62. Tanner Roark - at NYM |
| 63. Wily Peralta - MIA |
| 64. Mat Latos - at MIL Note: 34 H in his last four (23 IP), though one was in COL and another in BAL |
| 65. Wade Miley - at SF |
| 66. Jimmy Nelson - CIN |
| 67. Tom Koehler - at MIL |
| 68. Jake Peavy - at ARI |
| 69. Yusmeiro Petit - at SD Note: Both Giants were hammered in COL to the surprise of nobody |
| 70. Chris Capuano - TB |
| 71. Drew Hutchison - CHC Note: High risk/high reward - 6, 6, 2, 4, 1, 6, 7, 1, 0, 3 ER in his last 10 |
| 72. Tim Hudson - at SD |
| 73. Kyle Lohse - CIN Note: Two 7 ER outings in August have him sputtering toward the finish |
| 74. Carlos Carrasco - at DET |
| 75. Shane Greene - at BAL Note: The slide in ranking is more about the opponent and venue than it is an overreaction to his BOS start |
| 76. Wei-Yin Chen - at BOS |
| 77. Chris Tillman - at BOS |
| 78. Dillon Gee - WAS |
| 79. Jon Niese - COL, WAS |
| 80. Edinson Volquez - at PHI, CHC Note: I'm still holding my breath every time out, but he's got a 2.02 ERA in his last 13 starts |
| 81. Rick Porcello - KC Note: Is he hitting a wall with 21 H allowed in his last two starts? |
| 82. Hector Santiago - at TEX, HOU Note: Worst start in a couple of months his last time out |
| 83. Roenis Elias - HOU |
| 84. Mike Leake - STL, at MIL |
| 85. David Buchanan - PIT, MIA |
| 86. Jarred Cosart - at MIL Note: The component numbers are rarely impressive, but he's shown he can have periods of success built on inducing weak contact |
| 87. R.A Dickey - TB |
| 88. Kyle Lobstein - CLE Note: CLE has struggled vs. LHP all year and Lobstein racked up 10 Ks in 5.3 IP his last time out |
| 89. Rubby de la Rosa - at KC |
| 90. Tsuyoshi Wada - at PIT Note: Rain shortened his last outing, but it wasn't going that well anyway |
| 91. Vidal Nuno - SD |
| 92. Dan Haren - SD |
| 93. Trevor Cahill - SD |
| 94. Kevin Gausman - NYY |
| 95. C.J. Wilson - HOU |
| 96. Brett Oberholtzer - at LAA |
| 97. Chase Anderson - SD Note: The Padres have actually hit him hard twice, but I'm still starting him |
| 98. Jeff Locke - at PHI, CHC Note: 13 BBs and 6 Ks in his last three; 6 BBs and 14 Ks in three before that |
| 100. Nathan Eovaldi - at MIL |
