Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Brighter Days Ahead for Morton

Todd Zola ranks the week's starting pitching as Charlie Morton has a good shot to break out of his rut against a couple of light-hitting opponents.

Updated on June 23, 2018 2:07PM EST

Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Brighter Days Ahead for Morton

By:

Todd Zola

Updated on June 23, 2018 2:07PM EST

Weekly Pitcher Rankings

SPECIAL OFFER

Get 10% OFF

Get 10% off any subscription when you subscribe today. Take advantage of our tools and personalized news for the best sports experience. Use promo code .

PROMO CODE RW10

We're looking at one of the busier weeks of the season, meaning this is a good chance to scour for some two-start options while others are more lax managing their squads. Fortunately, there's a nice inventory from which to choose, some possibly available in moderately sized mixed leagues.

For the week, June 25 - July 1

UPDATED: Sunday June 24, 11:35 PM ET

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Justin Verlander	HOU	vs. TOR, at TB
2	Charlie Morton	HOU	vs. TOR, at TB	In a rut but facing good teams to get back on track
3	James Paxton	SEA	at BAL, vs. KC	Welcome relief from recent tilts with Yankees and Red Sox
4	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at STL, at OAK	Increased efficiency paved the way for six starts of at least 7 IP
5	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	at KC, at BAL	Depedent on weekend bullpen session going well
6	David Price	BOS	vs. LAA, at NYY	Walks back down but tough draw
7	Cole Hamels	TEX	vs. SD, vs. CWS	Homers high but facing middle-pack offenses
8	Gerrit Cole	HOU	at TB
9	Chris Sale	BOS	at NYY
10	Corey Kluber	CLE	at STL
11	Blake Snell	TB	vs. WAS, vs. HOU	Great test versus deep lineups
12	Luis Severino	NYY	at PHI
13	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at OAK
14	J.A. Happ	TOR	at HOU, vs. DET	Getting to the point we need to be on #hugwatch
15	Lance Lynn	MIN	at CWS, at CHC	High

For the week, June 25 - July 1

UPDATED: Sunday June 24, 11:35 PM ET

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Justin Verlander	HOU	vs. TOR, at TB
2	Charlie Morton	HOU	vs. TOR, at TB	In a rut but facing good teams to get back on track
3	James Paxton	SEA	at BAL, vs. KC	Welcome relief from recent tilts with Yankees and Red Sox
4	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at STL, at OAK	Increased efficiency paved the way for six starts of at least 7 IP
5	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	at KC, at BAL	Depedent on weekend bullpen session going well
6	David Price	BOS	vs. LAA, at NYY	Walks back down but tough draw
7	Cole Hamels	TEX	vs. SD, vs. CWS	Homers high but facing middle-pack offenses
8	Gerrit Cole	HOU	at TB
9	Chris Sale	BOS	at NYY
10	Corey Kluber	CLE	at STL
11	Blake Snell	TB	vs. WAS, vs. HOU	Great test versus deep lineups
12	Luis Severino	NYY	at PHI
13	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at OAK
14	J.A. Happ	TOR	at HOU, vs. DET	Getting to the point we need to be on #hugwatch
15	Lance Lynn	MIN	at CWS, at CHC	High walk rate saved by keeping the ball in the yard
16	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	vs. TOR
17	Felix Hernandez	SEA	at BAL, vs. KC	Great duo to continue recent stretch of pitching well
18	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	at TB
19	Jose Berrios	MIN	at CHC
20	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	at CWS
21	Kyle Gibson	MIN	at CWS
22	Wade LeBlanc	SEA	at BAL
23	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. SEA
24	Blaine Hardy	DET	vs. OAK
25	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. LAA
26	Marco Gonzales	SEA	vs. KC
27	Shane Bieber	CLE	at STL	Taming Tigers at home is nice, Cards on road good test for youngster
28	Mike Leake	SEA	at BAL
29	CC Sabathia	NYY	vs. BOS
30	Michael Fulmer	DET	vs. OAK
31	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	at NYY	Beginning to go deeper into games again, very good sign
32	Kevin Gausman	BAL	vs. SEA, vs. LAA
33	Frankie Montas	OAK	at DET, vs. CLE	Needs more whiffs to maintain early success
34	Nathan Eovaldi	TB	vs. WAS, vs. HOU	Low punchouts not a good thing against pair of productive lineups
35	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. DET
36	Mike Minor	TEX	vs. SD
37	Matthew Boyd	DET	at TOR
38	Bartolo Colon	TEX	vs. CWS
39	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	vs. MIN, at TEX
40	Daniel Mengden	OAK	at DET
41	Felix Pena	LAA	at BAL
42	Danny Duffy	KC	at MIL
43	Jonathan Loaisiga	NYY	at PHI
44	Ian Kennedy	KC	at SEA
45	Edwin Jackson	OAK	at DET, vs. CLE
46	Jakob Junis	KC	at MIL	0
47	Adam Plutko	CLE	at OAK
48	Luis Cessa	NYY	at PHI
49	Sonny Gray	NYY	vs. BOS
50	Domingo German	NYY	vs. BOS
51	John Lamb	LAA	at BOS, at BAL
52	Andrew Heaney	LAA	at BOS
53	Jason Hammel	KC	at SEA
54	Paul Blackburn	OAK	vs. CLE
55	Ryan Borucki	TOR	at HOU
56	Sean Manaea	OAK	at DET
57	Lucas Giolito	CWS	vs. MIN
58	Marco Estrada	TOR	at HOU
59	Steven Wright	BOS	vs. LAA
60	Dylan Covey	CWS	at TEX
61	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	vs. OAK, at TOR
62	Brad Keller	KC	vs. LAA, at SEA
63	Alex Cobb	BAL	vs. SEA
64	Francisco Liriano	DET	at TOR
65	Sam Gaviglio	TOR	vs. DET
66	Carlos Rodon	CWS	at TEX
67	Mike Fiers	DET	vs. OAK
68	James Shields	CWS	vs. MIN
69	Andrew Cashner	BAL	vs. SEA, vs. LAA
70	Adalberto Mejia	MIN	at CHC
71	Wilmer Font	TB	vs. HOU
72	Yovani Gallardo	TEX	vs. CWS
73	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	vs. HOU
74	Austin Bibens-Dirkx	TEX	vs. SD
75	Jaime Barria	LAA	at BOS
76	David Hess	BAL	vs. LAA

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Rank	Pitcher	TEAM	OPP	Comments
1	Ross Stripling	LAD	vs. CHC, vs. COL	Even with Kersahw back, could still be best Dodgers starter
2	Jameson Taillon	PIT	at NYM, at SD	Soft foes elevate rank
3	Max Scherzer	WAS	at TB
4	Jon Lester	CHC	at LAD, vs. MIN	Skills same as last season, regression coming
5	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	at TB, at PHI
6	Jacob deGrom	NYM	at MIA
7	Zack Greinke	ARI	at MIA
8	Jake Arrieta	PHI	vs. NYY, vs. WAS	Skills suspect, beginning to get concerned but deserves benefit of the doubt
9	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. WAS
10	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	vs. CHC
11	Patrick Corbin	ARI	at MIA
12	Robbie Ray	ARI	vs. SF	Not definite, but likely barring a setback in rehab
13	Zack Godley	ARI	at MIA	Looking better every start
14	Joe Musgrove	PIT	at SD
15	Seth Lugo	NYM	vs. PIT, at MIA	Rough go in Coors, look for rebound facing lesser lineups in good venues
16	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	vs. CIN, at STL	0
17	Alex Wood	LAD	vs. CHC
18	Madison Bumgarner	SF	vs. COL	As opposed to previous seasons, Rockies raking versus southpaws
19	Ivan Nova	PIT	at NYM
20	Kenta Maeda	LAD	vs. CHC, vs. COL	Only 3 K with 8 BB in 8.2 IP in two GS since coming off the DL
21	Jack Flaherty	STL	vs. CLE
22	Jon Gray	COL	at SF	Good spot to follow up last weekend outstanding effort in Coors
23	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	at LAD
24	Vince Velasquez	PHI	vs. NYY, vs. WAS	Rank driven by strikeout potential; ratio risk
25	Mike Montgomery	CHC	vs. MIN
26	Tyler Mahle	CIN	at ATL, vs. MIL	Homers under control but walks still excessive
27	Trevor Williams	PIT	at SD
28	Freddy Peralta	MIL	vs. KC, at CIN
29	Dan Straily	MIA	vs. ARI, vs. NYM	Tagged by NL West in last five outings; 7.20 ERA, 1.65 WHIP with 6 HR in 20 IP
30	Jose Quintana	CHC	at LAD
31	Nick Pivetta	PHI	vs. WAS
32	Tyler Anderson	COL	at LAD
33	Miles Mikolas	STL	vs. ATL	Lack of whiffs temper rank
34	Brent Suter	MIL	vs. KC	Admittedly surpised he's held his own in the rotation
35	Tanner Roark	WAS	at PHI
36	Joey Lucchesi	SD	at TEX, vs. PIT
37	Luis Castillo	CIN	at ATL	Pitching just well enough to continue to hope for 2017 form
38	Clay Buchholz	ARI	vs. SF
39	Carlos Martinez	STL	vs. CLE	Velocity is fine, spin rate is down, could be a sign of trouble
40	Julio Teheran	ATL	at STL
41	Chad Kuhl	PIT	at NYM
42	Shelby Miller	ARI	at MIA, vs. SF	Risky coming back from TJS but could ask for better setups upon return
43	Rich Hill	LAD	vs. COL
44	Jeremy Hellickson	WAS	at PHI
45	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	vs. MIL
46	Luke Weaver	STL	vs. ATL
47	Elieser Hernandez	MIA	vs. ARI, vs. NYM
48	Chad Bettis	COL	at SF, at LAD
49	Sean Newcomb	ATL	vs. CIN
50	Chris Stratton	SF	vs. COL
51	Brandon McCarthy	ATL	at STL
52	German Marquez	COL	at LAD
53	Steven Matz	NYM	vs. PIT
54	Chris Flexen	NYM	at MIA
55	Trevor Richards	MIA	vs. ARI
56	Kyle Freeland	COL	at SF
57	Tyson Ross	SD	at TEX
58	Chase Anderson	MIL	at CIN
59	Matt Harvey	CIN	at ATL, vs. MIL
60	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	vs. NYM
61	Zach Eflin	PHI	vs. NYY
62	Wei-Yin Chen	MIA	vs. ARI
63	Derek Holland	SF	vs. COL, at ARI
64	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	at CIN
65	Junior Guerra	MIL	at CIN
66	Tyler Chatwood	CHC	vs. MIN	Not touching until walks drop to reasonable level; your team, your call
67	John Gant	STL	vs. CLE, vs. ATL
68	Zack Wheeler	NYM	vs. PIT
69	Anibal Sanchez	ATL	vs. CIN
70	Eric Lauer	SD	vs. PIT
71	Erick Fedde	WAS	at PHI
72	Duane Underwood	CHC	at LAD
73	Sal Romano	CIN	vs. MIL
74	Clayton Richard	SD	at TEX
75	Robbie Erlin	SD	vs. PIT
76	Andrew Suarez	SF	at ARI
77	Dereck Rodriguez	SF	at ARI

MLB

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Justin Verlander	HOU	vs. TOR, at TB
2	Charlie Morton	HOU	vs. TOR, at TB	In a rut but facing good teams to get back on track
3	James Paxton	SEA	at BAL, vs. KC	Welcome relief from recent tilts with Yankees and Red Sox
4	Ross Stripling	LAD	vs. CHC, vs. COL	Even with Kersahw back, could still be best Dodgers starter
5	Jameson Taillon	PIT	at NYM, at SD	Soft foes elevate rank
6	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at STL, at OAK	Increased efficiency paved the way for six starts of at least 7 IP
7	Max Scherzer	WAS	at TB
8	Jon Lester	CHC	at LAD, vs. MIN	Skills same as last season, regression coming
9	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	at KC, at BAL	Depedent on weekend bullpen session going well
10	David Price	BOS	vs. LAA, at NYY	Walks back down but tough draw
11	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	at TB, at PHI
12	Cole Hamels	TEX	vs. SD, vs. CWS	Homers high but facing middle-pack offenses
13	Gerrit Cole	HOU	at TB
14	Jacob deGrom	NYM	at MIA
15	Chris Sale	BOS	at NYY
16	Zack Greinke	ARI	at MIA
17	Corey Kluber	CLE	at STL
18	Blake Snell	TB	vs. WAS, vs. HOU	Great test versus deep lineups
19	Luis Severino	NYY	at PHI
20	Jake Arrieta	PHI	vs. NYY, vs. WAS	Skills suspect, beginning to get concerned but deserves benefit of the doubt
21	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. WAS
22	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at OAK
23	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	vs. CHC
24	Patrick Corbin	ARI	at MIA
25	Robbie Ray	ARI	vs. SF	Not definite, but likely barring a setback in rehab
26	Zack Godley	ARI	at MIA	Looking better every start
27	Joe Musgrove	PIT	at SD
28	Seth Lugo	NYM	vs. PIT, at MIA	Rough go in Coors, look for rebound facing lesser lineups in good venues
29	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	vs. CIN, at STL	0
30	J.A. Happ	TOR	at HOU, vs. DET	Getting to the point we need to be on #hugwatch
31	Lance Lynn	MIN	at CWS, at CHC	High walk rate saved by keeping the ball in the yard
32	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	vs. TOR
33	Felix Hernandez	SEA	at BAL, vs. KC	Great duo to continue recent stretch of pitching well
34	Alex Wood	LAD	vs. CHC
35	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	at TB
36	Jose Berrios	MIN	at CHC
37	Madison Bumgarner	SF	vs. COL	As opposed to previous seasons, Rockies raking versus southpaws
38	Ivan Nova	PIT	at NYM
39	Kenta Maeda	LAD	vs. CHC, vs. COL	Only 3 K with 8 BB in 8.2 IP in two GS since coming off the DL
40	Jack Flaherty	STL	vs. CLE
41	Jon Gray	COL	at SF	Good spot to follow up last weekend outstanding effort in Coors
42	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	at LAD
43	Vince Velasquez	PHI	vs. NYY, vs. WAS	Rank driven by strikeout potential; ratio risk
44	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	at CWS
45	Kyle Gibson	MIN	at CWS
46	Mike Montgomery	CHC	vs. MIN
47	Wade LeBlanc	SEA	at BAL
48	Tyler Mahle	CIN	at ATL, vs. MIL	Homers under control but walks still excessive
49	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. SEA
50	Blaine Hardy	DET	vs. OAK
51	Trevor Williams	PIT	at SD
52	Freddy Peralta	MIL	vs. KC, at CIN
53	Dan Straily	MIA	vs. ARI, vs. NYM	Tagged by NL West in last five outings; 7.20 ERA, 1.65 WHIP with 6 HR in 20 IP
54	Jose Quintana	CHC	at LAD
55	Nick Pivetta	PHI	vs. WAS
56	Tyler Anderson	COL	at LAD
57	Miles Mikolas	STL	vs. ATL	Lack of whiffs temper rank
58	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. LAA
59	Brent Suter	MIL	vs. KC	Admittedly surpised he's held his own in the rotation
60	Marco Gonzales	SEA	vs. KC
61	Shane Bieber	CLE	at STL	Taming Tigers at home is nice, Cards on road good test for youngster
62	Tanner Roark	WAS	at PHI
63	Joey Lucchesi	SD	at TEX, vs. PIT
64	Luis Castillo	CIN	at ATL	Pitching just well enough to continue to hope for 2017 form
65	Mike Leake	SEA	at BAL
66	CC Sabathia	NYY	vs. BOS
67	Michael Fulmer	DET	vs. OAK
68	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	at NYY	Beginning to go deeper into games again, very good sign
69	Clay Buchholz	ARI	vs. SF
70	Kevin Gausman	BAL	vs. SEA, vs. LAA
71	Carlos Martinez	STL	vs. CLE	Velocity is fine, spin rate is down, could be a sign of trouble
72	Frankie Montas	OAK	at DET, vs. CLE	Needs more whiffs to maintain early success
73	Nathan Eovaldi	TB	vs. WAS, vs. HOU	Low punchouts not a good thing against pair of productive lineups
74	Julio Teheran	ATL	at STL
75	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. DET
76	Chad Kuhl	PIT	at NYM
77	Shelby Miller	ARI	at MIA, vs. SF	Risky coming back from TJS but could ask for better setups upon return
78	Rich Hill	LAD	vs. COL
79	Jeremy Hellickson	WAS	at PHI
80	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	vs. MIL
81	Luke Weaver	STL	vs. ATL
82	Mike Minor	TEX	vs. SD
83	Matthew Boyd	DET	at TOR
84	Elieser Hernandez	MIA	vs. ARI, vs. NYM
85	Bartolo Colon	TEX	vs. CWS
86	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	vs. MIN, at TEX
87	Chad Bettis	COL	at SF, at LAD
88	Sean Newcomb	ATL	vs. CIN
89	Chris Stratton	SF	vs. COL
90	Daniel Mengden	OAK	at DET
91	Brandon McCarthy	ATL	at STL
92	Felix Pena	LAA	at BAL
93	German Marquez	COL	at LAD
94	Steven Matz	NYM	vs. PIT
95	Danny Duffy	KC	at MIL
96	Chris Flexen	NYM	at MIA
97	Jonathan Loaisiga	NYY	at PHI
98	Trevor Richards	MIA	vs. ARI
99	Ian Kennedy	KC	at SEA
100	Kyle Freeland	COL	at SF
101	Edwin Jackson	OAK	at DET, vs. CLE
102	Jakob Junis	KC	at MIL	0
103	Tyson Ross	SD	at TEX
104	Chase Anderson	MIL	at CIN
105	Matt Harvey	CIN	at ATL, vs. MIL
106	Adam Plutko	CLE	at OAK
107	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	vs. NYM
108	Luis Cessa	NYY	at PHI
109	Sonny Gray	NYY	vs. BOS
110	Domingo German	NYY	vs. BOS
111	John Lamb	LAA	at BOS, at BAL
112	Andrew Heaney	LAA	at BOS
113	Zach Eflin	PHI	vs. NYY
114	Wei-Yin Chen	MIA	vs. ARI
115	Jason Hammel	KC	at SEA
116	Derek Holland	SF	vs. COL, at ARI
117	Paul Blackburn	OAK	vs. CLE
118	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	at CIN
119	Junior Guerra	MIL	at CIN
120	Ryan Borucki	TOR	at HOU
121	Tyler Chatwood	CHC	vs. MIN	Not touching until walks drop to reasonable level; your team, your call
122	Sean Manaea	OAK	at DET
123	Lucas Giolito	CWS	vs. MIN
124	Marco Estrada	TOR	at HOU
125	John Gant	STL	vs. CLE, vs. ATL
126	Steven Wright	BOS	vs. LAA
127	Dylan Covey	CWS	at TEX
128	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	vs. OAK, at TOR
129	Zack Wheeler	NYM	vs. PIT
130	Brad Keller	KC	vs. LAA, at SEA
131	Anibal Sanchez	ATL	vs. CIN
132	Eric Lauer	SD	vs. PIT
133	Alex Cobb	BAL	vs. SEA
134	Francisco Liriano	DET	at TOR
135	Erick Fedde	WAS	at PHI
136	Sam Gaviglio	TOR	vs. DET
137	Carlos Rodon	CWS	at TEX
138	Duane Underwood	CHC	at LAD
139	Mike Fiers	DET	vs. OAK
140	Sal Romano	CIN	vs. MIL
141	James Shields	CWS	vs. MIN
142	Andrew Cashner	BAL	vs. SEA, vs. LAA
143	Clayton Richard	SD	at TEX
144	Robbie Erlin	SD	vs. PIT
145	Adalberto Mejia	MIN	at CHC
146	Wilmer Font	TB	vs. HOU
147	Yovani Gallardo	TEX	vs. CWS
148	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	vs. HOU
149	Austin Bibens-Dirkx	TEX	vs. SD
150	Andrew Suarez	SF	at ARI
151	Dereck Rodriguez	SF	at ARI
152	Jaime Barria	LAA	at BOS
153	David Hess	BAL	vs. LAA