Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Athletics and Pirates Hitting Upstream

Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Athletics and Pirates Hitting Upstream

This article is part of our Weekly Pitcher Rankings series.

So much for an increase in run scoring. As demonstrated in the most recent Z Files, homers are stable, but runs are down due to more strikeouts and a dip in BABIP. As we've learned over the past season and a half, notes like this are strictly descriptive, not predictive. The data suggests it's still safe to stream, but streaming this season is all about picking on the weaker lineups, focusing on how the team performs against the handedness of the starting pitcher.

To that end, here are the best targets against which to stream.

Left-Handed Starters

TeamK%BB%HR%WOBA
Cleveland Guardians21.3%7.8%1.5%0.269
Miami Marlins27.7%7.3%2.2%0.273
Oakland Athletics22.5%8.3%1.8%0.279
Pittsburgh Pirates25.8%6.9%3.4%0.284
Los Angeles Angels24.9%9.7%2.4%0.292
Arizona Diamondbacks23.4%8.5%2.6%0.293
Baltimore Orioles25.4%8.0%2.7%0.295

The Guardians and the Athletics sport the lowest and third-lowest wOBA against southpaws, but they make good contact, so don't expect your lefty to rack up a bunch of punch outs. As is usually the case, context drives the better options.

Right-Handed Starters

TeamK%BB%HR%WOBA
Oakland Athletics23.8%6.5%2.1%0.258
Detroit Tigers24.1%6.8%1.8%0.265
Pittsburgh Pirates25.1%8.7%2.8%0.287
Chicago White Sox20.3%6.1%1.8%0.290
Texas Rangers23.4%7.1%3.1%0.291
Cincinnati Reds24.1%7.5%2.3%0.291
Tampa Bay Rays24.8%8.0%2.6%0.293

Oakland and Pittsburgh are the only teams populating both lists. The White Sox

So much for an increase in run scoring. As demonstrated in the most recent Z Files, homers are stable, but runs are down due to more strikeouts and a dip in BABIP. As we've learned over the past season and a half, notes like this are strictly descriptive, not predictive. The data suggests it's still safe to stream, but streaming this season is all about picking on the weaker lineups, focusing on how the team performs against the handedness of the starting pitcher.

To that end, here are the best targets against which to stream.

Left-Handed Starters

TeamK%BB%HR%WOBA
Cleveland Guardians21.3%7.8%1.5%0.269
Miami Marlins27.7%7.3%2.2%0.273
Oakland Athletics22.5%8.3%1.8%0.279
Pittsburgh Pirates25.8%6.9%3.4%0.284
Los Angeles Angels24.9%9.7%2.4%0.292
Arizona Diamondbacks23.4%8.5%2.6%0.293
Baltimore Orioles25.4%8.0%2.7%0.295

The Guardians and the Athletics sport the lowest and third-lowest wOBA against southpaws, but they make good contact, so don't expect your lefty to rack up a bunch of punch outs. As is usually the case, context drives the better options.

Right-Handed Starters

TeamK%BB%HR%WOBA
Oakland Athletics23.8%6.5%2.1%0.258
Detroit Tigers24.1%6.8%1.8%0.265
Pittsburgh Pirates25.1%8.7%2.8%0.287
Chicago White Sox20.3%6.1%1.8%0.290
Texas Rangers23.4%7.1%3.1%0.291
Cincinnati Reds24.1%7.5%2.3%0.291
Tampa Bay Rays24.8%8.0%2.6%0.293

Oakland and Pittsburgh are the only teams populating both lists. The White Sox are the only team with a low wOBA versus righties along with a low strikeout rate. The White Sox low HR clip drives the limited production, so using righties with high home run rates make sense against the Pale Hose, as well as the punchless Tigers.

For those curious, all of this is factored into the formulaic rankings.

Please keep in mind the schedule is taken from the Probable Pitchers page, so please direct rotation question to that space. As always, I'm happy to address specific ranking questions below.

UPDATED: Monday July 11 1:15 AM ET

Week of July 11-17

Mixed

RankPitcherTMOPPCommentsMIX12MIX15
1Gerrit ColeNYYCIN, BOS   
2Aaron NolaPHI@STL, @MIA   
3Logan WebbSFARI, MIL   
4Sandy AlcantaraMIAPHIA true throwback  
5Max ScherzerNYM@ATL, @CHC11K in 6 IP his first game back  
6Corbin BurnesMIL@SF   
7Max FriedATLNYM, @WAS   
8Kevin GausmanTORPHI, KC   
9Shane BieberCLECWS, DETGood pair to get back on track  
10Shane McClanahanTBBOS   
11Alek ManoahTORKC   
12Clayton KershawLAD@LAA   
13Pablo LopezMIAPIT   
14Miles MikolasSTLPHI, CIN   
15Framber ValdezHOU@LAA   
16Brandon WoodruffMIL@SF   
17Justin VerlanderHOUOAK   
18Shohei OhtaniLAAHOULast earned run against June 9, 30.2 IP scoreless since  
19Julio UriasLAD@LAA   
20Dylan CeaseCWS@CLE, @MINStrikeouts galore, but ratios at risk  
21Yu DarvishSDARI   
22Luis SeverinoNYYCIN   
23Carlos RodonSFMIL   
24Zack WheelerPHI@TOR   
25Spencer StriderATLNYM, @WAS30 K, 3 BB last 18 IP  
26Tony GonsolinLAD@STL   
27Triston McKenzieCLEDET   
28Cristian JavierHOU@LAA   
29Alex CobbSFARI, MIL2.35 ERA, 1.11 WHIP over last 15 IP  
30Cal QuantrillCLECWS, DET   
31Zac GallenARI@SF   
32Corey KluberTBBOS, BAL   
33Jordan MontgomeryNYYBOS   
34Eric LauerMIL@SF   
35Zach PlesacCLEDET   
36Luis GarciaHOU@LAA   
37Jon GrayTEXOAK   
38Brady SingerKCDET   
39Chris SaleBOS@TB, @NYYWelcome back!  
40Nestor CortesNYYCIN   
41Charlie MortonATLNYM   
42Tyler WellsBAL@TB   
43Tyler AndersonLAD@STL   
44Shane BazTBBAL   
45Jose UrquidyHOUOAK   
46Martin PerezTEXSEA   
47Frankie MontasOAK@HOU   
48Merrill KellyARI@SF, @SD   
49Alex WoodSFMIL   
50Beau BrieskeDET@KC, @CLEOn the road, but soft pair1%11%
51Ranger SuarezPHI@MIA   
52Luis CastilloCIN@NYY   
53Adam WainwrightSTLLAD   
54Robbie RaySEA@TEX   
55Logan GilbertSEA@TEX   
56Drew RasmussenTBBOS   
57Ross StriplingTORKC   
58Kyle WrightATL@WAS   
59Michael PinedaDET@KC, @CLE 7% 
60Lance LynnCWS@CLE, @MIN   
61Devin SmeltzerMINCWS 32% 
62Sonny GrayMINCWS   
63Jameson TaillonNYYBOS   
64Josh WinderMINMIL, CWS 7%19%
65Trevor RogersMIAPIT, PHI   
66Josiah GrayWASSEA, ATL   
67Joe RyanMINMIL   
68Tarik SkubalDET@KC   
69Kyle GibsonPHI@MIA   
70Braxton GarrettMIAPIT 5%38%
71Dean KremerBAL@TB   
72Kutter CrawfordBOS@TB 0%0%
73Keegan ThompsonCHCBAL   
74MacKenzie GoreSDARI   
75Lucas GiolitoCWS@CLE   
76Jake OdorizziHOUOAK 26% 
77Nathan EovaldiBOS@NYY   
78Sam LongSFARI 0%0%
79Mix 12 Reliever     
80Taijuan WalkerNYM@CHC   
81Noah SyndergaardLAAHOU   
82Brad KellerKCDET, @TOR 21%40%
83Marcus StromanCHCNYM 38% 
84Aaron CivaleCLECWSShowing signs of returning to form22% 
85Zach ThompsonPIT@MIA 1%0%
86Mitch WhiteLAD@STL   
87Mix 15 Reliever     
88Sean ManaeaSD@COL, ARI   
89Joe MusgroveSD@COL   
90Chris BassittNYM@ATL   
91Hunter GreeneCIN@STL   
92Jose BerriosTORPHI   
93Tyler GilbertARI@SD 0%0%
94Patrick SandovalLAALAD   
95Bailey FalterPHI@TOR 0%6%
96Konnor PilkingtonCLECWS 1%0%
97JT BrubakerPIT@MIA 17% 
98Dane DunningTEXSEA   
99Nick LodoloCIN@STL   
100Josh WinckowskiBOS@TB 7% 
101Daniel CastanoMIAPIT, PHI 0%13%
102Chris FlexenSEA@WAS, @TEX 25% 
103Andre PallanteSTLCIN 13% 
104Jordan LylesBAL@CHC, @TB 1%17%
105Madison BumgarnerARI@SD   
106David PetersonNYM@ATL, @CHC   
107Glenn OttoTEXOAK, SEA 3% 
108Paul BlackburnOAK@TEX   
109Dylan BundyMINCWS 16% 
110Michael KopechCWS@MIN   
111Justin SteeleCHCNYM 15% 
112Cole IrvinOAK@HOU 19% 
113Roansy ContrerasPIT@MIA, @COL   
114Carlos CarrascoNYM@CHC   
115Johnny CuetoCWS@MIN   
116Steven MatzSTLCIN 19% 
117Reid DetmersLAAHOU 20%15%
118Josh FlemingTBBOS, BAL 0%0%
119Max CastilloTORKC 1%4%
120Mark Leiter Jr.CHCNYM 0%0%
121Paolo EspinoWASATL 0%2%
122Nick PivettaBOS@NYY   
123Zack GreinkeKC@TOR 26% 
124Drew SmylyCHCNYM 2%4%
125James KaprielianOAK@TEX 3%32%
126Adrian SampsonCHCBAL 1%9%
127Brayan BelloBOS@TB 0%0%
128Matthew LiberatoreSTLLAD 4%45%
129Aaron AshbyMIL@MIN   
130Dakota HudsonSTLLAD 47% 
131Adrian MartinezOAK@TEX, @HOU 0%0%
132Graham AshcraftCIN@NYY, @STL 47% 
133Daniel LynchKC@TOR, DET 4%26%
134Marco GonzalesSEA@TEX   
135German MarquezCOLPIT 33% 
136Drew HutchisonDET@CLE 0%0%
137Mike ClevingerSD@COL   
138Spencer HowardTEXOAK, SEA 2%38%
139Jose SuarezLAALAD 1%15%
140Alex FaedoDET@KC 8%43%
141Mike MinorCIN@NYY 0%11%
142Kris BubicKCDET 0%2%
143Ian AndersonATL@WAS   
144Blake SnellSD@COL   
145Mitch KellerPIT@MIA, @COL 16% 
146Erick FeddeWASSEA 3%19%
147Dallas KeuchelARI@SF 0%0%
148Jason AlexanderMIL@MIN, @SF 1%26%
149Anibal SanchezWASATL 0%0%
150Patrick CorbinWASATL 22% 
151Jose QuintanaPIT@COL 24% 
152Elvin RodriguezDET@CLE 0%0%
153Tommy MiloneSEA@WAS 0%0%
154Spenser WatkinsBAL@CHC 0%6%
155Kyle FreelandCOLSD 7%36%
156Austin GomberCOLSD 3%4%
157Carlos HernandezKC@TOR 1%2%
158Antonio SenzatelaCOLPIT 0%0%
159Chad KuhlCOLSD 20% 
160Jose UrenaCOLSD, PIT 0%0%
161Davis MartinCWS@CLE 0%0%

American League

RankPitcherTMOPPComment
1Gerrit ColeNYYCIN, BOS 
2Kevin GausmanTORPHI, KC 
3Shane BieberCLECWS, DETGood pair to get back on track
4Shane McClanahanTBBOS 
5Alek ManoahTORKC 
6Framber ValdezHOU@LAA 
7Justin VerlanderHOUOAK 
8Shohei OhtaniLAAHOULast earned run against June 9, 30.2 IP scoreless since
9Dylan CeaseCWS@CLE, @MINStrikeouts galore, but ratios at risk
10Luis SeverinoNYYCIN 
11Triston McKenzieCLEDET 
12Cristian JavierHOU@LAA 
13Cal QuantrillCLECWS, DET 
14Corey KluberTBBOS, BAL 
15Jordan MontgomeryNYYBOS 
16Zach PlesacCLEDET 
17Luis GarciaHOU@LAA 
18Jon GrayTEXOAK 
19Brady SingerKCDET 
20Chris SaleBOS@TB, @NYYWelcome back!
21Nestor CortesNYYCIN 
22Tyler WellsBAL@TB 
23Shane BazTBBAL 
24Jose UrquidyHOUOAK 
25Martin PerezTEXSEA 
26Frankie MontasOAK@HOU 
27Beau BrieskeDET@KC, @CLEOn the road, but soft pair
28Robbie RaySEA@TEX 
29Logan GilbertSEA@TEX 
30Drew RasmussenTBBOS 
31Ross StriplingTORKC 
32Michael PinedaDET@KC, @CLE 
33Lance LynnCWS@CLE, @MIN 
34Devin SmeltzerMINCWS 
35Sonny GrayMINCWS 
36Jameson TaillonNYYBOS 
37Josh WinderMINMIL, CWS 
38Joe RyanMINMIL 
39Tarik SkubalDET@KC 
40Dean KremerBAL@TB 
41Kutter CrawfordBOS@TB 
42Lucas GiolitoCWS@CLE 
43Jake OdorizziHOUOAK 
44Nathan EovaldiBOS@NYY 
45Noah SyndergaardLAAHOU 
46Brad KellerKCDET, @TOR 
47Aaron CivaleCLECWSShowing signs of returning to form
48Jose BerriosTORPHI 
49Patrick SandovalLAALAD 
50Konnor PilkingtonCLECWS 
51Dane DunningTEXSEA 
52Josh WinckowskiBOS@TB 
53Chris FlexenSEA@WAS, @TEX 
54Jordan LylesBAL@CHC, @TB 
55Glenn OttoTEXOAK, SEA 
56Paul BlackburnOAK@TEX 
57AL Reliever   
58Dylan BundyMINCWS 
59Michael KopechCWS@MIN 
60Cole IrvinOAK@HOU 
61Johnny CuetoCWS@MIN 
62Reid DetmersLAAHOU 
63Josh FlemingTBBOS, BAL 
64Max CastilloTORKC 
65Nick PivettaBOS@NYY 
66Zack GreinkeKC@TOR 
67James KaprielianOAK@TEX 
68Brayan BelloBOS@TB 
69Adrian MartinezOAK@TEX, @HOU 
70Daniel LynchKC@TOR, DET 
71Marco GonzalesSEA@TEX 
72Drew HutchisonDET@CLE 
73Spencer HowardTEXOAK, SEA 
74Jose SuarezLAALAD 
75Alex FaedoDET@KC 
76Kris BubicKCDET 
77Elvin RodriguezDET@CLE 
78Tommy MiloneSEA@WAS 
79Spenser WatkinsBAL@CHC 
80Carlos HernandezKC@TOR 
81Davis MartinCWS@CLE 

National League

RankPitcherTMOPPComment
1Aaron NolaPHI@STL, @MIA 
2Logan WebbSFARI, MIL 
3Sandy AlcantaraMIAPHIA true throwback
4Max ScherzerNYM@ATL, @CHC11K in 6 IP his first game back
5Corbin BurnesMIL@SF 
6Max FriedATLNYM, @WAS 
7Clayton KershawLAD@LAA 
8Pablo LopezMIAPIT 
9Miles MikolasSTLPHI, CIN 
10Brandon WoodruffMIL@SF 
11Julio UriasLAD@LAA 
12Yu DarvishSDARI 
13Carlos RodonSFMIL 
14Zack WheelerPHI@TOR 
15Spencer StriderATLNYM, @WAS30 K, 3 BB last 18 IP
16Tony GonsolinLAD@STL 
17Alex CobbSFARI, MIL2.35 ERA, 1.11 WHIP over last 15 IP
18Zac GallenARI@SF 
19Eric LauerMIL@SF 
20Charlie MortonATLNYM 
21Tyler AndersonLAD@STL 
22Merrill KellyARI@SF, @SD 
23Alex WoodSFMIL 
24Ranger SuarezPHI@MIA 
25Luis CastilloCIN@NYY 
26Adam WainwrightSTLLAD 
27Kyle WrightATL@WAS 
28Trevor RogersMIAPIT, PHI 
29Josiah GrayWASSEA, ATL 
30Kyle GibsonPHI@MIA 
31Braxton GarrettMIAPIT 
32Keegan ThompsonCHCBAL 
33MacKenzie GoreSDARI 
34Sam LongSFARI 
35Taijuan WalkerNYM@CHC 
36Marcus StromanCHCNYM 
37Zach ThompsonPIT@MIA 
38Mitch WhiteLAD@STL 
39Sean ManaeaSD@COL, ARI 
40Joe MusgroveSD@COL 
41Chris BassittNYM@ATL 
42Hunter GreeneCIN@STL 
43Tyler GilbertARI@SD 
44Bailey FalterPHI@TOR 
45JT BrubakerPIT@MIA 
46Nick LodoloCIN@STL 
47Daniel CastanoMIAPIT, PHI 
48Andre PallanteSTLCIN 
49Madison BumgarnerARI@SD 
50David PetersonNYM@ATL, @CHC 
51NL Reliever   
52Justin SteeleCHCNYM 
53Roansy ContrerasPIT@MIA, @COL 
54Carlos CarrascoNYM@CHC 
55Steven MatzSTLCIN 
56Mark Leiter Jr.CHCNYM 
57Paolo EspinoWASATL 
58Drew SmylyCHCNYM 
59Adrian SampsonCHCBAL 
60Matthew LiberatoreSTLLAD 
61Aaron AshbyMIL@MIN 
62Dakota HudsonSTLLAD 
63Graham AshcraftCIN@NYY, @STL 
64German MarquezCOLPIT 
65Mike ClevingerSD@COL 
66Mike MinorCIN@NYY 
67Ian AndersonATL@WAS 
68Blake SnellSD@COL 
69Mitch KellerPIT@MIA, @COL 
70Erick FeddeWASSEA 
71Dallas KeuchelARI@SF 
72Jason AlexanderMIL@MIN, @SF 
73Anibal SanchezWASATL 
74Patrick CorbinWASATL 
75Jose QuintanaPIT@COL 
76Kyle FreelandCOLSD 
77Austin GomberCOLSD 
78Antonio SenzatelaCOLPIT 
79Chad KuhlCOLSD 
80Jose UrenaCOLSD, PIT 

Want to Read More?
Subscribe to RotoWire to see the full article.

We reserve some of our best content for our paid subscribers. Plus, if you choose to subscribe you can discuss this article with the author and the rest of the RotoWire community.

Get Instant Access To This Article Get Access To This Article
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only MLB Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire MLB fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Todd Zola
Todd has been writing about fantasy baseball since 1997. He won NL Tout Wars and Mixed LABR in 2016 as well as a multi-time league winner in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship. Todd is now setting his sights even higher: The Rotowire Staff League. Lord Zola, as he's known in the industry, won the 2013 FSWA Fantasy Baseball Article of the Year award and was named the 2017 FSWA Fantasy Baseball Writer of the Year. Todd is a five-time FSWA awards finalist.
Offseason Deep Dives: Garrett Crochet
Offseason Deep Dives: Garrett Crochet
Farm Futures: Rookie Infielder Targets
Farm Futures: Rookie Infielder Targets
Collette Calls: Does Controlling the Running Game Really Matter?
Collette Calls: Does Controlling the Running Game Really Matter?
Farm Futures: Rookie Pitcher Targets
Farm Futures: Rookie Pitcher Targets