Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Sometimes One is Better than Two

Todd Zola ranks the pitchers for the upcoming week, where Milwaukee's Brandon Woodruff and his two-step against the Cubs and Pirates gives him the edge over the field.

Updated on June 27, 2021 11:53PM EST

Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Sometimes One is Better than Two

By:

Todd Zola

Updated on June 27, 2021 11:53PM EST

Weekly Pitcher Rankings

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It's another busy week with 98 games on the docket. Based on the projections fueling these rankings, it portends to be a high scoring week, and that's without the chance scoring spins out of control.

With so much uncertainty, making prudent pitching decisions is even more important. There's a fine line between aggressive and reckless. With the weather warming, it's time to back off forcing two-start guys into your lineup and pivot to single start options with a favorable matchup or even a dominant reliever.

As always, please direct rotation questions to the best Projected Starters grid in the business. I'm happy to address specific ranking inquiries, but I rely on our crack staff for the matchups.

UPDATED: Sunday June 27, 11:50 PM ET

Week of June 28 - July 4

Mixed

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comments
1	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	CHC, @PIT	5 HR allowed over last 19 IP
2	Trevor Bauer	LAD	SF, @WAS	Walks up but still ranking up punch outs
3	Lucas Giolito	CWS	MIN, @DET
4	Jacob deGrom	NYM	@ATL
5	Freddy Peralta	MIL	CHC, @PIT
6	Charlie Morton	ATL	NYM, MIA
7	Zack Greinke	HOU	BAL, @CLE
8	Robbie Ray	TOR	SEA, TB
9	Gerrit Cole	NYY	NYM
10	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	@MIL, @CIN
11	Trevor Rogers	MIA	@PHI, @ATL
12	Corbin Burnes	MIL	CHC	Spinning out of control?
13	Zack Wheeler	PHI	SD
14	Joe Musgrove	SD	@CIN	Only 14 K in last

It's another busy week with 98 games on the docket. Based on the projections fueling these rankings, it portends to be a high scoring week, and that's without the chance scoring spins out of control.

As always, please direct rotation questions to the best Projected Starters grid in the business. I'm happy to address specific ranking inquiries, but I rely on our crack staff for the matchups.

UPDATED: Sunday June 27, 11:50 PM ET

Week of June 28 - July 4

Mixed

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comments
1	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	CHC, @PIT	5 HR allowed over last 19 IP
2	Trevor Bauer	LAD	SF, @WAS	Walks up but still ranking up punch outs
3	Lucas Giolito	CWS	MIN, @DET
4	Jacob deGrom	NYM	@ATL
5	Freddy Peralta	MIL	CHC, @PIT
6	Charlie Morton	ATL	NYM, MIA
7	Zack Greinke	HOU	BAL, @CLE
8	Robbie Ray	TOR	SEA, TB
9	Gerrit Cole	NYY	NYM
10	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	@MIL, @CIN
11	Trevor Rogers	MIA	@PHI, @ATL
12	Corbin Burnes	MIL	CHC	Spinning out of control?
13	Zack Wheeler	PHI	SD
14	Joe Musgrove	SD	@CIN	Only 14 K in last 19.1 IP
15	Chris Bassitt	OAK	TEX
16	Walker Buehler	LAD	SF
17	Yu Darvish	SD	@PHI
18	Carlos Rodon	CWS	MIN
19	Aaron Nola	PHI	MIA
20	Nick Pivetta	BOS	KC, @OAK	HR regression in full force, but 20 K in last 16.2 IP helping minimize damage
21	Kevin Gausman	SF	@LAD
22	Max Scherzer	WAS	LAD
23	Anthony DeSclafani	SF	@LAD, @ARI
24	Kyle Gibson	TEX	@SEA
25	James Kaprielian	OAK	TEX, BOS
26	Hyun Jin Ryu	TOR	SEA
27	Jameson Taillon	NYY	LAA, NYM
28	Caleb Smith	ARI	@STL, SF
29	Jose Urquidy	HOU	BAL
30	Logan Gilbert	SEA	TEX
31	Sean Manaea	OAK	TEX
32	Ian Anderson	ATL	MIA
33	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	@TOR
34	Lance Lynn	CWS	MIN	In a rut but should snap out of it
35	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	@WAS
36	Jose Berrios	MIN	@CWS
37	Kenta Maeda	MIN	@CWS, @KC
38	Zac Gallen	ARI	SF
39	Wade Miley	CIN	PHI, CHC
40	Luis Garcia	HOU	BAL
41	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	@ATL
42	Chris Flexen	SEA	@TOR, TEX
43	Danny Duffy	KC	@BOS, MIN	Will he regain pre-injury form?
44	Sonny Gray	CIN	CHC
45	Tyler Mahle	CIN	CHC
46	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	@CLE
47	German Marquez	COL	PIT, STL
48	Framber Valdez	HOU	@CLE
49	JT Brubaker	PIT	MIL
50	Taijuan Walker	NYM	@ATL
51	Dylan Cease	CWS	MIN, @DET	Still inconsistent
52	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	KC
53	Matt Manning	DET	@CLE, CWS
54	Blake Snell	SD	@CIN, @PHI
55	Pablo Lopez	MIA	@PHI
56	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	@OAK
57	Rich Hill	TB	@WAS, @TOR
58	Jake Odorizzi	HOU	@CLE
59	Mike Foltynewicz	TEX	@OAK, @SEA
60	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	LAA
61	Ross Stripling	TOR	TB
62	Joe Ross	WAS	TB, LAD	2.25 ERA, .85 WHIP with 22 K in 20 IP over 3 GS
63	Andrew Heaney	LAA	@NYY
64	Alek Manoah	TOR	TB
65	Zach Eflin	PHI	MIA
66	Alex Cobb	LAA	BAL
67	Max Fried	ATL	NYM
68	Patrick Sandoval	LAA	BAL
69	Zach Davies	CHC	@MIL, @CIN
70	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	@NYY
71	Merrill Kelly	ARI	SF
72	Luis Castillo	CIN	SD
73	Frankie Montas	OAK	BOS
74	Marco Gonzales	SEA	TEX
75	Shane McClanahan	TB	@TOR
76	Tarik Skubal	DET	CWS
77	Mike Minor	KC	@BOS
78	Kyle Muller	ATL	MIA
79	J.C. Mejia	CLE	DET, HOU
80	Kwang Hyun Kim	STL	ARI
81	Michael King	NYY	LAA, NYM
82	Mix 12 Reliever
83	Steven Matz	TOR	SEA
84	Julio Urias	LAD	@WAS
85	David Peterson	NYM	@NYY
86	Chris Paddack	SD	@CIN
87	Zac Lowther	BAL	@HOU
88	Cole Irvin	OAK	BOS
89	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	@TOR
90	Domingo German	NYY	LAA
91	Vince Velasquez	PHI	MIA, SD
92	Dylan Bundy	LAA	@NYY, BAL	Haven't been so wrong about a Bundy since I wasn't into Kelly growing up
93	Cal Quantrill	CLE	DET
94	Adbert Alzolay	CHC	@CIN
95	Kolby Allard	TEX	@OAK
96	Tony Gonsolin	LAD	@WAS
97	Mix 15 Reliever
98	Max Kranick	PIT	MIL
99	Ryan Weathers	SD	@PHI
100	Dallas Keuchel	CWS	@DET
101	Jordan Lyles	TEX	@SEA
102	Marcus Stroman	NYM	@NYY
103	Alex Wood	SF	@ARI
104	Dane Dunning	TEX	@OAK
105	Johnny Cueto	SF	@ARI
106	Sammy Long	SF	@ARI
107	Casey Mize	DET	CWS
108	Brady Singer	KC	MIN
109	Adrian Houser	MIL	@PIT
110	Adam Wainwright	STL	@COL
111	Bailey Ober	MIN	@CWS, @KC
112	Spencer Howard	PHI	@CIN, SD
113	Griffin Canning	LAA	@NYY
114	Patrick Corbin	WAS	LAD
115	Eric Lauer	MIL	@PIT
116	Drew Smyly	ATL	NYM
117	Brad Keller	KC	@BOS, MIN
118	Jake Faria	ARI	@STL, SF
119	Jon Gray	COL	PIT
120	Jake Arrieta	CHC	@MIL
121	Eli Morgan	CLE	DET, HOU
122	Tylor Megill	NYM	@ATL
123	Keegan Akin	BAL	@LAA
124	Tyler Anderson	PIT	@COL, MIL
125	Carlos Martinez	STL	ARI, @COL
126	J.A. Happ	MIN	@KC
127	Garrett Richards	BOS	KC, @OAK	Simply cannot trust until he gets his head on straight
128	Kyle Freeland	COL	PIT, STL
129	Alex Young	ARI	@STL
130	Jerad Eickhoff	NYM	@WAS, @NYY
131	Logan Allen	CLE	HOU
132	Martin Perez	BOS	KC
133	Jorge Lopez	BAL	@LAA
134	Griffin Jax	MIN	@CWS
135	Zach Thompson	MIA	@ATL
136	Justus Sheffield	SEA	@TOR
137	Vladimir Gutierrez	CIN	SD
138	Wil Crowe	PIT	MIL
139	Jon Lester	WAS	TB
140	Kris Bubic	KC	@BOS
141	Tony Santillan	CIN	SD
142	Jose Urena	DET	@CLE
143	Paolo Espino	WAS	NYM, LAD
144	Wily Peralta	DET	@CLE
145	Michael Wacha	TB	@WAS
146	Antonio Senzatela	COL	STL
147	Wade LeBlanc	STL	ARI, @COL
148	Tom Eshelman	BAL	@HOU, @LAA
149	Sam Hentges	CLE	HOU
150	Cody Poteet	MIA	@PHI
151	Chad Kuhl	PIT	@COL
152	Matt Harvey	BAL	@HOU
153	Chase De Jong	PIT	@COL
154	Johan Oviedo	STL	@COL
155	Chi Chi Gonzalez	COL	STL

American League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Lucas Giolito	CWS	MIN, @DET
2	Zack Greinke	HOU	BAL, @CLE
3	Robbie Ray	TOR	SEA, TB
4	Gerrit Cole	NYY	NYM
5	Chris Bassitt	OAK	TEX
6	Carlos Rodon	CWS	MIN
7	Nick Pivetta	BOS	KC, @OAK	HR regression in full force, but 20 K in last 16.2 IP helping minimize damage
8	Kyle Gibson	TEX	@SEA
9	James Kaprielian	OAK	TEX, BOS
10	Hyun Jin Ryu	TOR	SEA
11	Jameson Taillon	NYY	LAA, NYM
12	Jose Urquidy	HOU	BAL
13	Logan Gilbert	SEA	TEX
14	Sean Manaea	OAK	TEX
15	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	@TOR
16	Lance Lynn	CWS	MIN	In a rut but should snap out of it
17	Jose Berrios	MIN	@CWS
18	Kenta Maeda	MIN	@CWS, @KC
19	Luis Garcia	HOU	BAL
20	Chris Flexen	SEA	@TOR, TEX
21	Danny Duffy	KC	@BOS, MIN	Will he regain pre-injury form?
22	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	@CLE
23	Framber Valdez	HOU	@CLE
24	Dylan Cease	CWS	MIN, @DET	Still inconsistent
25	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	KC
26	Matt Manning	DET	@CLE, CWS
27	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	@OAK
28	Rich Hill	TB	@WAS, @TOR
29	Jake Odorizzi	HOU	@CLE
30	Mike Foltynewicz	TEX	@OAK, @SEA
31	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	LAA
32	Ross Stripling	TOR	TB
33	Andrew Heaney	LAA	@NYY
34	Alek Manoah	TOR	TB
35	Alex Cobb	LAA	BAL
36	Patrick Sandoval	LAA	BAL
37	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	@NYY
38	Frankie Montas	OAK	BOS
39	Marco Gonzales	SEA	TEX
40	Shane McClanahan	TB	@TOR
41	Tarik Skubal	DET	CWS
42	Mike Minor	KC	@BOS
43	J.C. Mejia	CLE	DET, HOU
44	Michael King	NYY	LAA, NYM
45	Steven Matz	TOR	SEA
46	Zac Lowther	BAL	@HOU
47	Cole Irvin	OAK	BOS
48	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	@TOR
49	Domingo German	NYY	LAA
50	Dylan Bundy	LAA	@NYY, BAL	Haven't been so wrong about a Bundy since I wasn't into Kelly growing up
51	Cal Quantrill	CLE	DET
52	Kolby Allard	TEX	@OAK
53	Dallas Keuchel	CWS	@DET
54	Jordan Lyles	TEX	@SEA
55	Dane Dunning	TEX	@OAK
56	Casey Mize	DET	CWS
57	AL Reliever
58	Brady Singer	KC	MIN
59	Bailey Ober	MIN	@CWS, @KC
60	Griffin Canning	LAA	@NYY
61	Brad Keller	KC	@BOS, MIN
62	Eli Morgan	CLE	DET, HOU
63	Keegan Akin	BAL	@LAA
64	J.A. Happ	MIN	@KC
65	Garrett Richards	BOS	KC, @OAK	Simply cannot trust until he gets his head on straight
66	Logan Allen	CLE	HOU
67	Martin Perez	BOS	KC
68	Jorge Lopez	BAL	@LAA
69	Griffin Jax	MIN	@CWS
70	Justus Sheffield	SEA	@TOR
71	Kris Bubic	KC	@BOS
72	Jose Urena	DET	@CLE
73	Wily Peralta	DET	@CLE
74	Michael Wacha	TB	@WAS
75	Tom Eshelman	BAL	@HOU, @LAA
76	Sam Hentges	CLE	HOU
77	Matt Harvey	BAL	@HOU

National League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	CHC, @PIT	5 HR allowed over last 19 IP
2	Trevor Bauer	LAD	SF, @WAS	Walks up but still ranking up punch outs
3	Jacob deGrom	NYM	@ATL
4	Freddy Peralta	MIL	CHC, @PIT
5	Charlie Morton	ATL	NYM, MIA
6	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	@MIL, @CIN
7	Trevor Rogers	MIA	@PHI, @ATL
8	Corbin Burnes	MIL	CHC	Spinning out of control?
9	Zack Wheeler	PHI	SD
10	Joe Musgrove	SD	@CIN	Only 14 K in last 19.1 IP
11	Walker Buehler	LAD	SF
12	Yu Darvish	SD	@PHI
13	Aaron Nola	PHI	MIA
14	Kevin Gausman	SF	@LAD
15	Max Scherzer	WAS	LAD
16	Anthony DeSclafani	SF	@LAD, @ARI
17	Caleb Smith	ARI	@STL, SF
18	Ian Anderson	ATL	MIA
19	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	@WAS
20	Zac Gallen	ARI	SF
21	Wade Miley	CIN	PHI, CHC
22	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	@ATL
23	Sonny Gray	CIN	CHC
24	Tyler Mahle	CIN	CHC
25	German Marquez	COL	PIT, STL
26	JT Brubaker	PIT	MIL
27	Taijuan Walker	NYM	@ATL
28	Blake Snell	SD	@CIN, @PHI
29	Pablo Lopez	MIA	@PHI
30	Joe Ross	WAS	TB, LAD	2.25 ERA, .85 WHIP with 22 K in 20 IP over 3 GS
31	Zach Eflin	PHI	MIA
32	Max Fried	ATL	NYM
33	Zach Davies	CHC	@MIL, @CIN
34	Merrill Kelly	ARI	SF
35	Luis Castillo	CIN	SD
36	Kyle Muller	ATL	MIA
37	Kwang Hyun Kim	STL	ARI
38	Julio Urias	LAD	@WAS
39	David Peterson	NYM	@NYY
40	Chris Paddack	SD	@CIN
41	Vince Velasquez	PHI	MIA, SD
42	Adbert Alzolay	CHC	@CIN
43	Tony Gonsolin	LAD	@WAS
44	Max Kranick	PIT	MIL
45	Ryan Weathers	SD	@PHI
46	Marcus Stroman	NYM	@NYY
47	Alex Wood	SF	@ARI
48	Johnny Cueto	SF	@ARI
49	Sammy Long	SF	@ARI
50	NL Reliever
51	Adrian Houser	MIL	@PIT
52	Adam Wainwright	STL	@COL
53	Spencer Howard	PHI	@CIN, SD
54	Patrick Corbin	WAS	LAD
55	Eric Lauer	MIL	@PIT
56	Drew Smyly	ATL	NYM
57	Jake Faria	ARI	@STL, SF
58	Jon Gray	COL	PIT
59	Jake Arrieta	CHC	@MIL
60	Tylor Megill	NYM	@ATL
61	Tyler Anderson	PIT	@COL, MIL
62	Carlos Martinez	STL	ARI, @COL
63	Kyle Freeland	COL	PIT, STL
64	Alex Young	ARI	@STL
65	Jerad Eickhoff	NYM	@WAS, @NYY
66	Zach Thompson	MIA	@ATL
67	Vladimir Gutierrez	CIN	SD
68	Wil Crowe	PIT	MIL
69	Jon Lester	WAS	TB
70	Tony Santillan	CIN	SD
71	Paolo Espino	WAS	NYM, LAD
72	Antonio Senzatela	COL	STL
73	Wade LeBlanc	STL	ARI, @COL
74	Cody Poteet	MIA	@PHI
75	Chad Kuhl	PIT	@COL
76	Chase De Jong	PIT	@COL
77	Johan Oviedo	STL	@COL
78	Chi Chi Gonzalez	COL	STL