Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Dancing with Myself

Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Dancing with Myself

This article is part of our Weekly Pitcher Rankings series.

Only 90 games are on the docket, limiting the supply of two-start options. Generally, this pushes those with a pair of games up the rankings, but many of the top hurlers draw a weak opponent, so the double dippers don't climb as much as usual. 

July and August are typically the months carrying the highest ERA. This season is no exception, though April was unusually high. The August ERA almost two weeks into the month is 4.45, by far the highest of the season. Historically, ERA drops in September, so it's best to be conservative forcing starting pitching over the next couple of weeks. This is the time to deploy the dominant reliever, especially if you can make up ground in saves. It's best to chase the category now, and not next month when streaming starters is safer.

By means of reminder, the schedule is pulled from the world-famous Probable Pitchers page, so please direct rotation questions in that direction. I'll be happy to address specific ranking queries below.

UPDATED: Monday August 14, 1:35 AM ET

Week of August 14-20

Mixed

RankPitcherTMOPPCommentsMIX12MIX15
1Tyler GlasnowTB@SF, @LAA   
2Max FriedATLNYY, SF   
3Spencer StriderATLSF   
4Pablo LopezMINPIT   
5Kyle BradishBAL@OAK   
6Max ScherzerTEXLAA, MIL   
7Logan GilbertSEA@KC, @HOUFanning a bit more and

Only 90 games are on the docket, limiting the supply of two-start options. Generally, this pushes those with a pair of games up the rankings, but many of the top hurlers draw a weak opponent, so the double dippers don't climb as much as usual. 

July and August are typically the months carrying the highest ERA. This season is no exception, though April was unusually high. The August ERA almost two weeks into the month is 4.45, by far the highest of the season. Historically, ERA drops in September, so it's best to be conservative forcing starting pitching over the next couple of weeks. This is the time to deploy the dominant reliever, especially if you can make up ground in saves. It's best to chase the category now, and not next month when streaming starters is safer.

By means of reminder, the schedule is pulled from the world-famous Probable Pitchers page, so please direct rotation questions in that direction. I'll be happy to address specific ranking queries below.

UPDATED: Monday August 14, 1:35 AM ET

Week of August 14-20

Mixed

RankPitcherTMOPPCommentsMIX12MIX15
1Tyler GlasnowTB@SF, @LAA   
2Max FriedATLNYY, SF   
3Spencer StriderATLSF   
4Pablo LopezMINPIT   
5Kyle BradishBAL@OAK   
6Max ScherzerTEXLAA, MIL   
7Logan GilbertSEA@KC, @HOUFanning a bit more and walking a tad fewer than last season 
8Zac GallenARI@SD   
9Clayton KershawLADMIL   
10Kevin GausmanTORPHI   
11Framber ValdezHOU@MIA   
12Justin VerlanderHOU@MIA   
13Kenta MaedaMINDET   
14Zack WheelerPHI@TOR2.76 ERA and .86 WHIP with 36 K in 32.2 IP since the break 
15Luis CastilloSEA@KCShould add to his Cy Young resume  
16Sonny GrayMINPIT   
17Gerrit ColeNYYBOS   
18Brandon WoodruffMIL@TEX   
19Michael LorenzenPHI@WASWorking on eight days rest  
20Gavin WilliamsCLEDET   
21Justin SteeleCHCKC   
22Yu DarvishSDBAL, ARI   
23James PaxtonBOS@WAS   
24Bailey OberMINDET   
25Nick PivettaBOS@WAS, @NYY   
26Chris SaleBOS@WASShould be able to throw at least 5 innings  
27Marcus StromanCHCKC   
28George KirbySEA@KC   
29Tanner BibeeCLEDET   
30Julio UriasLADMIA   
31Kyle GibsonBAL@OAK   
32Corbin BurnesMIL@LAD   
33Cristian JavierHOU@MIA   
34Miles MikolasSTLOAK, NYM   
35Eduardo RodriguezDET@CLE   
36Tony GonsolinLADMIA   
37Cristopher SanchezPHI@WAS   
38Aaron NolaPHI@TOR   
39Cole IrvinBAL@OAK 1%9%
40Tarik SkubalDET@CLE   
41Jon GrayTEXLAA   
42Blake SnellSDBAL   
43Hunter BrownHOUSEA   
44Andrew AbbottCINCLE   
45Brayan BelloBOS@NYY   
46Aaron CivaleTB@SF   
47Lance LynnLADMILMuch better since the deal, but can't just ignore pre-trade numbers
48J.P. FranceHOUSEA   
49Kutter CrawfordBOS@NYY   
50Dane DunningTEXMIL   
51Freddy PeraltaMIL@TEX   
52Zach EflinTB@LAA   
53Mitch KellerPIT@MIN   
54Logan WebbSF@ATL   
55Brady SingerKCSEA, @CHC   
56Jordan MontgomeryTEXLAA   
57Bobby MillerLADMIL, MIA   
58Reese OlsonDET@MIN 22% 
59Mix 12 Reliever     
60Sean ManaeaSFTB 4%23%
61Bryce ElderATLNYY   
62Chris BassittTOR@CIN   
63Michael WachaSDBAL, ARI   
64Logan AllenCLE@CIN, DET   
65Andrew HeaneyTEXMIL   
66Jose BerriosTOR@CIN   
67Mix 15 Reliever     
68Johan OviedoPIT@NYM   
69Steven MatzSTLNYM   
70Jose UrquidyHOUSEA 36% 
71Kodai SengaNYM@STL   
72Sandy AlcantaraMIA@LAD   
73Matthew LiberatoreSTLOAK 5%11%
74Braxton GarrettMIAHOU, @LADDouble dip will be a great test  
75Ranger SuarezPHI@WAS   
76Chase SilsethLAATB 47% 
77Hyun Jin RyuTOR@CIN 33% 
78Yusei KikuchiTORPHI   
79Dakota HudsonSTLOAK, NYM 2%25%
80JP SearsOAK@STL, BAL   
81Jameson TaillonCHCKC   
82Merrill KellyARI@COL, @SD   
83Jose QuintanaNYM@STL 36% 
84Alex FaedoDET@MIN, @CLE 1%15%
85Griffin CanningLAA@TEX   
86Ross StriplingSFTB 22% 
87Bryce MillerSEA@HOU   
88Charlie MortonATLNYY   
89Kyle HendricksCHCCWS   
90Lucas GiolitoLAA@TEX   
91Seth LugoSDARI   
92Xzavion CurryCLEDET 1%19%
93Patrick SandovalLAA@TEX   
94Jack FlahertyBAL@SD   
95Grayson RodriguezBAL@SD   
96Graham AshcraftCINCLELow strikeouts tempering rank  
97Javier AssadCHCCWS 0%2%
98Mike ClevingerCWS@CHC 31% 
99Bailey FalterPIT@NYM 0%11%
100Wade MileyMIL@LAD, @TEX   
101Dean KremerBAL@SD   
102Jhony BritoNYYBOS 2%2%
103Johnny CuetoMIAHOU 5% 
104Angel ZerpaKCSEA 0%0%
105Jesus LuzardoMIAHOU   
106Tristan BeckSFTB 0%4%
107Eury PerezMIA@LAD   
108Matt ManningDET@CLE 32% 
109Brandon PfaadtARI@SD   
110Cole RagansKC@CHC 26% 
111Jordan LylesKCSEA, @CHC 0%6%
112MacKenzie GoreWASBOS   
113Dylan CeaseCWS@COL   
114Yonny ChirinosATLSF 18% 
115Alec MarshKCSEA 1%17%
116Reid DetmersLAATB   
117David PetersonNYMPIT, @STL 5% 
118Randy VasquezNYY@ATL 0%11%
119Zack LittellTB@SF, @LAA 21% 
120Clarke SchmidtNYY@ATL, BOS   
121Noah SyndergaardCLE@CIN 6%21%
122Brandon WilliamsonCINTOR 32% 
123Tyler AndersonLAATB 9% 
124Quinn PriesterPIT@NYM, @MIN 1%0%
125Ben LivelyCINTOR 15%49%
126Freddy TarnokOAK@STL 0%0%
127Emerson HancockSEA@KC, @HOU 0%0%
128Carlos CarrascoNYMPIT, @STL 18% 
129Michael KopechCWS@COL   
130Tylor MegillNYMPIT 14%17%
131Kyle FreelandCOLCWS 5%28%
132Rich HillSDARI 7% 
133Joan AdonWASPHI 0%6%
134Andre JacksonPIT@MIN 0%0%
135Josiah GrayWASBOS   
136Jake IrvinWASPHI 1% 
137Alex WoodSF@ATL 14% 
138Dallas KeuchelMINPIT 0%0%
139Zach DaviesARI@COL, @SD 0%4%
140Alex CobbSF@ATL   
141Touki ToussaintCWS@CHC 3%38%
142Luis MedinaOAKBAL 22% 
143Adrian HouserMIL@LAD 10% 
144Chris FlexenCOLARI, CWS 0%0%
145Austin GomberCOLARI 4%28%
146Ken WaldichukOAKBAL 2%6%
147Paul BlackburnOAK@STL 14% 
148Peter LambertCOLCWS 0%0%
149Ty BlachCOLARI 0%0%
150Patrick CorbinWASBOS 0%9%
151Slade CecconiARI@COL 0%0%
152Luke WeaverCINTOR 0%15%
153Trevor WilliamsWASPHI 0%15%
154Jesse ScholtensCWS@COL 0%25%
155Adam WainwrightSTLNYM 5%2%
156Luis SeverinoNYY@ATL   

American League

RankPitcherTMOPPComment
1Tyler GlasnowTB@SF, @LAA 
2Pablo LopezMINPIT 
3Kyle BradishBAL@OAK 
4Max ScherzerTEXLAA, MIL 
5Logan GilbertSEA@KC, @HOUFanning a bit more and walking a tad fewer than last season
6Kevin GausmanTORPHI 
7Framber ValdezHOU@MIA 
8Justin VerlanderHOU@MIA 
9Kenta MaedaMINDET 
10Luis CastilloSEA@KCShould add to his Cy Young resume
11Sonny GrayMINPIT 
12Gerrit ColeNYYBOS 
13Gavin WilliamsCLEDET 
14James PaxtonBOS@WAS 
15Bailey OberMINDET 
16Nick PivettaBOS@WAS, @NYY
17Chris SaleBOS@WASShould be able to throw at least 5 innings
18George KirbySEA@KC 
19Tanner BibeeCLEDET 
20Kyle GibsonBAL@OAK 
21Cristian JavierHOU@MIA 
22Eduardo RodriguezDET@CLE 
23Cole IrvinBAL@OAK 
24Tarik SkubalDET@CLE 
25Jon GrayTEXLAA 
26Hunter BrownHOUSEA 
27Brayan BelloBOS@NYY 
28Aaron CivaleTB@SF 
29J.P. FranceHOUSEA 
30Kutter CrawfordBOS@NYY 
31Dane DunningTEXMIL 
32Zach EflinTB@LAA 
33Brady SingerKCSEA, @CHC 
34Jordan MontgomeryTEXLAA 
35Reese OlsonDET@MIN 
36Chris BassittTOR@CIN 
37Logan AllenCLE@CIN, DET 
38Andrew HeaneyTEXMIL 
39Jose BerriosTOR@CIN 
40Jose UrquidyHOUSEA 
41AL Reliever   
42Chase SilsethLAATB 
43Hyun Jin RyuTOR@CIN 
44Yusei KikuchiTORPHI 
45JP SearsOAK@STL, BAL 
46Alex FaedoDET@MIN, @CLE 
47Griffin CanningLAA@TEX 
48Bryce MillerSEA@HOU 
49Lucas GiolitoLAA@TEX 
50Xzavion CurryCLEDET 
51Patrick SandovalLAA@TEX 
52Jack FlahertyBAL@SD 
53Grayson RodriguezBAL@SD 
54Mike ClevingerCWS@CHC 
55Dean KremerBAL@SD 
56Jhony BritoNYYBOS 
57Angel ZerpaKCSEA 
58Matt ManningDET@CLE 
59Cole RagansKC@CHC 
60Jordan LylesKCSEA, @CHC 
61Dylan CeaseCWS@COL 
62Alec MarshKCSEA 
63Reid DetmersLAATB 
64Randy VasquezNYY@ATL 
65Zack LittellTB@SF, @LAA 
66Clarke SchmidtNYY@ATL, BOS 
67Noah SyndergaardCLE@CIN 
68Tyler AndersonLAATB 
69Freddy TarnokOAK@STL 
70Emerson HancockSEA@KC, @HOU 
71Michael KopechCWS@COL 
72Dallas KeuchelMINPIT 
73Touki ToussaintCWS@CHC 
74Luis MedinaOAKBAL 
75Ken WaldichukOAKBAL 
76Paul BlackburnOAK@STL 
77Jesse ScholtensCWS@COL 
78Luis SeverinoNYY@ATL 

National League

RankPitcherTMOPPComment
1Max FriedATLNYY, SF 
2Spencer StriderATLSF 
3Zac GallenARI@SD 
4Clayton KershawLADMIL 
5Zack WheelerPHI@TOR2.76 ERA and .86 WHIP with 36 K in 32.2 IP since the break
6Brandon WoodruffMIL@TEX 
7Michael LorenzenPHI@WASWorking on eight days rest
8Justin SteeleCHCKC 
9Yu DarvishSDBAL, ARI 
10Marcus StromanCHCKC 
11Julio UriasLADMIA 
12Corbin BurnesMIL@LAD 
13Miles MikolasSTLOAK, NYM 
14Tony GonsolinLADMIA 
15Cristopher SanchezPHI@WAS 
16Aaron NolaPHI@TOR 
17Blake SnellSDBAL 
18Andrew AbbottCINCLE 
19Lance LynnLADMILMuch better since the deal, but can't just ignore pre-trade numbers
20Freddy PeraltaMIL@TEX 
21Mitch KellerPIT@MIN 
22Logan WebbSF@ATL 
23Bobby MillerLADMIL, MIA 
24Sean ManaeaSFTB 
25Bryce ElderATLNYY 
26Michael WachaSDBAL, ARI 
27Johan OviedoPIT@NYM 
28Steven MatzSTLNYM 
29Kodai SengaNYM@STL 
30Sandy AlcantaraMIA@LAD 
31Matthew LiberatoreSTLOAK 
32Braxton GarrettMIAHOU, @LADDouble dip will be a great test
33Ranger SuarezPHI@WAS 
34NL Reliever   
35Dakota HudsonSTLOAK, NYM 
36Jameson TaillonCHCKC 
37Merrill KellyARI@COL, @SD 
38Jose QuintanaNYM@STL 
39Ross StriplingSFTB 
40Charlie MortonATLNYY 
41Kyle HendricksCHCCWS 
42Seth LugoSDARI 
43Graham AshcraftCINCLELow strikeouts tempering rank
44Javier AssadCHCCWS 
45Bailey FalterPIT@NYM 
46Wade MileyMIL@LAD, @TEX 
47Johnny CuetoMIAHOU 
48Jesus LuzardoMIAHOU 
49Tristan BeckSFTB 
50Eury PerezMIA@LAD 
51Brandon PfaadtARI@SD 
52MacKenzie GoreWASBOS 
53Yonny ChirinosATLSF 
54David PetersonNYMPIT, @STL 
55Brandon WilliamsonCINTOR 
56Quinn PriesterPIT@NYM, @MIN 
57Ben LivelyCINTOR 
58Carlos CarrascoNYMPIT, @STL 
59Tylor MegillNYMPIT 
60Kyle FreelandCOLCWS 
61Rich HillSDARI 
62Joan AdonWASPHI 
63Andre JacksonPIT@MIN 
64Josiah GrayWASBOS 
65Jake IrvinWASPHI 
66Alex WoodSF@ATL 
67Zach DaviesARI@COL, @SD 
68Alex CobbSF@ATL 
69Adrian HouserMIL@LAD 
70Chris FlexenCOLARI, CWS 
71Austin GomberCOLARI 
72Peter LambertCOLCWS 
73Ty BlachCOLARI 
74Patrick CorbinWASBOS 
75Slade CecconiARI@COL 
76Luke WeaverCINTOR 
77Trevor WilliamsWASPHI 
78Adam WainwrightSTLNYM 

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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.
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