Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Nationals, Astros Dominate Top-5

Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Nationals, Astros Dominate Top-5

This article is part of our Weekly Pitcher Rankings series.

Twenty four down, two to go. There's a certain symmetry to the baseball season being 26 weeks long while a marathon is 26 miles. It makes the analogy that much more meaningful.

Unfortunately, the number of quality two-start pitchers will continue to dwindle, with only 34 earmarked for a two-step. Keep in mind, as playoff teams clinch, their rotations could shuffle, as early as this week.

Please direct all questions germane to the schedule to the Projected Starters grid. Inquiries regarding the rankings can be posted in the comments.

Please return Sunday night for the final rankings after next week's rotation are clarified.

For the week Sep. 16-22.

UPDATED: Sunday, September 15 11:00 PM ET

MLB

RankPITCHERTMOPPCOMMENT
1Justin VerlanderHOUvs. TEX, vs. LAA   
2Stephen StrasburgWASat STL, at MIANext start will be a new career high, already thrown second most IP for his career
3Jose BerriosMINvs. CWS, vs. KC   
4Patrick CorbinWASat STL, at MIA   
5Yu DarvishCHCvs. CIN, vs. STL4 BB last 19 IP, clearly needs to improve his control
6Dallas KeuchelATLvs. PHI, vs. SFGiving the Braves just what they wanted
7Gerrit ColeHOUvs. TEX   
8Sonny GrayCINat CHC, vs. NYM   
9Clayton KershawLADvs. COL   
10Jacob deGromNYMat CIN   
11Mike ClevingerCLEvs. PHIHasn't

Twenty four down, two to go. There's a certain symmetry to the baseball season being 26 weeks long while a marathon is 26 miles. It makes the analogy that much more meaningful.

Unfortunately, the number of quality two-start pitchers will continue to dwindle, with only 34 earmarked for a two-step. Keep in mind, as playoff teams clinch, their rotations could shuffle, as early as this week.

Please direct all questions germane to the schedule to the Projected Starters grid. Inquiries regarding the rankings can be posted in the comments.

Please return Sunday night for the final rankings after next week's rotation are clarified.

For the week Sep. 16-22.

UPDATED: Sunday, September 15 11:00 PM ET

MLB

RankPITCHERTMOPPCOMMENT
1Justin VerlanderHOUvs. TEX, vs. LAA   
2Stephen StrasburgWASat STL, at MIANext start will be a new career high, already thrown second most IP for his career
3Jose BerriosMINvs. CWS, vs. KC   
4Patrick CorbinWASat STL, at MIA   
5Yu DarvishCHCvs. CIN, vs. STL4 BB last 19 IP, clearly needs to improve his control
6Dallas KeuchelATLvs. PHI, vs. SFGiving the Braves just what they wanted
7Gerrit ColeHOUvs. TEX   
8Sonny GrayCINat CHC, vs. NYM   
9Clayton KershawLADvs. COL   
10Jacob deGromNYMat CIN   
11Mike ClevingerCLEvs. PHIHasn't lost since June 28
12Lance LynnTEXat HOU, at OAK   
13Shane BieberCLEvs. PHI   
14Max ScherzerWASat STL   
15Walker BuehlerLADvs. COL   
16Charlie MortonTBvs. BOS   
17Zack GreinkeHOUvs. LAA   
18Mike SorokaATLvs. PHI17 K last 17 IP, improvement over season-long 7.1 K/9
19Pablo LopezMIAat ARI, vs. WAS4.24 xFIP, 4.35 SIERA suggest 4.97 ERA artificially high
20Kyle HendricksCHCvs. STL   
21James PaxtonNYYvs. TOR   
22John MeansBALat DET, vs. SEAOutpitching peripherals but matchups boost rankings
23Jack FlahertySTLat CHC   
24Eduardo RodriguezBOSvs. SF   
25Chris BassittOAKvs. TEXComing off rare poor outing
26Robbie RayARIvs. MIA, at SDRisk to ratios but lesser lineups and plenty of punch outs
27Matthew BoydDETat CLE, vs. CWSGetting crushed by RH power but CLE and CWS below average in RHB HR%
28Jake OdorizziMINvs. CWS   
29Ryan YarbroughTBvs. BOS   
30Chris PaddackSDat MIL   
31Cole HamelsCHCvs. CIN, vs. STL   
32Trevor BauerCINvs. NYM   
33Masahiro TanakaNYYvs. TOR   
34Luis CastilloCINat CHC   
35Tanner RoarkOAKvs. KC   
36Anibal SanchezWASat MIA   
37Max FriedATLvs. SF   
38Nathan EovaldiBOSvs. SF, at TBStretched out enough to qualify for the win
39Zac GallenARIat SDGreat spot to continue second half surge
40Tony GonsolinLADvs. TB14 BB last 12 IP
41Sean ManaeaOAKvs. TEX   
42Mike FoltynewiczATLvs. SF   
43Aaron NolaPHIat ATLWalks up lately
44Lucas GiolitoCWSat MIN   
45Zach PlesacCLEvs. DET, vs. PHI   
46Mike FiersOAKvs. TEX   
47Gio GonzalezMILvs. SD, vs. PITRatios risky, but good chance for at least one win
48Mike MinorTEXat OAK   
49Hyun-Jin RyuLADvs. COL   
50Joey LucchesiSDat MIL   
51Zach DaviesMILvs. SD, vs. PIT   
52Clay BuchholzTORat BAL   
53Kenta MaedaLADvs. TBExpected to be the primary pitcher
54David PriceBOSat TB   
55Miles MikolasSTLvs. WAS, at CHC3.27 ERA, .95 WHIP with 27 K in last 4 GS, spanning 22 IP
56Aaron CivaleCLEvs. DET   
57Jose QuintanaCHCvs. STL   
58Brett AndersonOAKvs. KC   
59Madison BumgarnerSFat BOS   
60Dylan BundyBALvs. TOR, vs. SEA   
61Jordan LylesMILvs. SD   
62Alex YoungARIvs. MIA   
63Tyler GlasnowTBvs. BOS   
64Adam PlutkoCLEvs. DET   
65Zack WheelerNYMat CIN   
66Anthony DeSclafaniCINvs. NYM   
67Reynaldo LopezCWSat MIN, at DETTwo complete stinkers sandwiching a gem
68Mike LeakeARIvs. MIA   
69J.A. HappNYYvs. LAA   
70Martin PerezMINvs. CWS, vs. KCBelow average lineups vs. LHP
71Julio TeheranATLvs. PHI   
72Wade MileyHOUvs. LAA   
73Noah SyndergaardNYMat COL   
74Dylan CeaseCWSat DETShowing signs of making strides over the second half
75Merrill KellyARIat SD   
76Kyle GibsonMINvs. KC   
77Garrett Richards#N/Aat MIL, vs. ARI 
78Jon LesterCHCvs. CIN   
79Jordan Montgomery#N/Avs. TOR 
80Joe MusgrovePITvs. SEA   
81Adrian HouserMILvs. SD   
82Rick PorcelloBOSat TB   
83Homer BaileyOAKvs. KC   
84Mitch KellerPITvs. SEA, at MILRough rookie campaign, don't give up in keeper/dynasty
85Chase AndersonMILvs. PIT   
86Trent ThorntonTORat BAL, at NYY3.32 ERA, 1.21 WHIP with 30 K last 30.2 IP, but tough pair
87Ivan NovaCWSat DET   
88Danny DuffyKCat OAK   
89Dakota HudsonSTLvs. WAS, at CHC   
90Andrew HeaneyLAAat NYY   
91CC SabathiaNYYvs. LAA   
92Sandy AlcantaraMIAat ARI   
93Cal QuantrillSDvs. ARI   
94Austin PruittTBat LAD 
95Trevor WilliamsPITat MIL   
96Dinelson LametSDat MIL   
97Steven BraultPITat MIL   
98Devin SmeltzerMINvs. KC   
99Marco GonzalesSEAat PIT, at BAL   
100Zach EflinPHIat ATL   
101Luis SeverinoNYYvs. LAAPitch count unclear but did toss 64 in last rehab start
102Brendan McKayTBat LAD 
103Robert DuggerMIAvs. WAS   
104Caleb SmithMIAat ARI   
105Steven MatzNYMat COL, at CIN   
106Tyler MahleCINat CHC   
107Jeff SamardzijaSFat BOS   
108Asher WojciechowskiBALvs. SEA   
109Anthony KayTORat BAL   
110Drew VerHagenDETvs. CWS   
111Adam WainwrightSTLvs. WAS   
112Tommy MiloneSEAat PIT   
113Yusei KikuchiSEAat PIT   
114Mike ShawarynBOSvs. SF 
115Justus SheffieldSEAat BAL   
116Dario AgrazalPITvs. SEA 
117Vince VelasquezPHIat ATL, at CLE   
118Elieser HernandezMIAvs. WAS   
119Jakob JunisKCat MIN   
120Felix HernandezSEAat BAL   
121Johnny CuetoSFat ATL   
122Aaron BrooksBALvs. TOR   
123Jaime BarriaLAAat HOU   
124Tyler AlexanderDETvs. BAL   
125Eric LauerSDvs. ARI   
126Jorge LopezKCat OAK, at MIN   
127Kolby AllardTEXat HOU   
128Logan WebbSFat BOS, at ATL   
129Jose SuarezLAAat NYY, at HOU   
130Gabriel YnoaBALvs. TOR   
131Spencer TurnbullDETat CLE   
132Antonio SenzatelaCOLvs. NYM, at LAD   
133Edwin JacksonDETvs. CWS   
134Patrick SandovalLAAat HOU   
135Glenn SparkmanKCat OAK, at MIN   
136Michael WachaSTLat CHC   
137Mike MontgomeryKCat MIN   
138Jason VargasPHIat CLE   
139Ariel JuradoTEXat OAK   
140Peter LambertCOLat LAD   
141T.J. ZeuchTORat NYY   
142Dillon PetersLAAat NYY   
143Drew SmylyPHIat CLE   
144Marcus StromanNYMat COL   
145Tyler BeedeSFat ATL   
146Chi Chi GonzalezCOLat LAD   
147Jordan ZimmermannDETat CLE   
148Jacob WaguespackTORat NYY   
149Tim MelvilleCOLvs. NYM 
150Jeff HoffmanCOLvs. NYM 
151Dylan CoveyCWSat MIN 

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANKPITCHERTMOPPCOMMENT
1Patrick CorbinWASat STL, at MIA   
2Yu DarvishCHCvs. CIN, vs. STL4 BB last 19 IP, clearly needs to improve his control
3Sonny GrayCINat CHC, vs. NYM   
4Jacob deGromNYMat CIN   
5Mike ClevingerCLEvs. PHIHasn't lost since June 28
6Max ScherzerWASat STL   
7Walker BuehlerLADvs. COL   
8Charlie MortonTBvs. BOS   
9Zack GreinkeHOUvs. LAA   
10Mike SorokaATLvs. PHI17 K last 17 IP, improvement over season-long 7.1 K/9
11Pablo LopezMIAat ARI, vs. WAS4.24 xFIP, 4.35 SIERA suggest 4.97 ERA artificially high
12Eduardo RodriguezBOSvs. SF   
13Chris BassittOAKvs. TEXComing off rare poor outing
14Chris PaddackSDat MIL   
15Trevor BauerCINvs. NYM   
16Luis CastilloCINat CHC   
17Max FriedATLvs. SF   
18Nathan EovaldiBOSvs. SF, at TBStretched out enough to qualify for the win
19Sean ManaeaOAKvs. TEX   
20Mike FoltynewiczATLvs. SF   
21Zach PlesacCLEvs. DET, vs. PHI   
22Gio GonzalezMILvs. SD, vs. PITRatios risky, but good chance for at least one win
23Mike MinorTEXat OAK   
24Hyun-Jin RyuLADvs. COL   
25Joey LucchesiSDat MIL   
26Kenta MaedaLADvs. TBExpected to be the primary pitcher
27Miles MikolasSTLvs. WAS, at CHC3.27 ERA, .95 WHIP with 27 K in last 4 GS, spanning 22 IP
28Dylan BundyBALvs. TOR, vs. SEA   
29Tyler GlasnowTBvs. BOS   
30Adam PlutkoCLEvs. DET   
31Zack WheelerNYMat CIN   
32Mike LeakeARIvs. MIA   
33Martin PerezMINvs. CWS, vs. KCBelow average lineups vs. LHP
34Julio TeheranATLvs. PHI   
35Noah SyndergaardNYMat COL   
36Garrett Richards#N/Aat MIL, vs. ARI 
37Jon LesterCHCvs. CIN   
38Rick PorcelloBOSat TB   
39Mitch KellerPITvs. SEA, at MILRough rookie campaign, don't give up in keeper/dynasty
40Trent ThorntonTORat BAL, at NYY3.32 ERA, 1.21 WHIP with 30 K last 30.2 IP, but tough pair
41Danny DuffyKCat OAK   
42Cal QuantrillSDvs. ARI   
43Austin PruittTBat LAD 
44Dinelson LametSDat MIL   
45Steven BraultPITat MIL   
46Devin SmeltzerMINvs. KC   
47Marco GonzalesSEAat PIT, at BAL   
48Brendan McKayTBat LAD 
49Tyler MahleCINat CHC   
50Asher WojciechowskiBALvs. SEA   
51Anthony KayTORat BAL   
52Mike ShawarynBOSvs. SF 
53Justus SheffieldSEAat BAL   
54Dario AgrazalPITvs. SEA 
55Elieser HernandezMIAvs. WAS   
56Jakob JunisKCat MIN   
57Felix HernandezSEAat BAL   
58Johnny CuetoSFat ATL   
59Tyler AlexanderDETvs. BAL   
60Eric LauerSDvs. ARI   
61Kolby AllardTEXat HOU   
62Logan WebbSFat BOS, at ATL   
63Jose SuarezLAAat NYY, at HOU   
64Spencer TurnbullDETat CLE   
65Antonio SenzatelaCOLvs. NYM, at LAD   
66Edwin JacksonDETvs. CWS   
67Patrick SandovalLAAat HOU   
68Glenn SparkmanKCat OAK, at MIN   
69Mike MontgomeryKCat MIN   
70Ariel JuradoTEXat OAK   
71T.J. ZeuchTORat NYY   
72Dillon PetersLAAat NYY   
73Jordan ZimmermannDETat CLE   
74Jacob WaguespackTORat NYY   
75Dylan CoveyCWSat MIN 

NATIONAL LEAGUE

RANKPITCHERTMOPPCOMMENT
1Justin VerlanderHOUvs. TEX, vs. LAA   
2Stephen StrasburgWASat STL, at MIANext start will be a new career high, already thrown second most IP for his career
3Jose BerriosMINvs. CWS, vs. KC   
4Dallas KeuchelATLvs. PHI, vs. SFGiving the Braves just what they wanted
5Gerrit ColeHOUvs. TEX   
6Clayton KershawLADvs. COL   
7Shane BieberCLEvs. PHI   
8Kyle HendricksCHCvs. STL   
9James PaxtonNYYvs. TOR   
10John MeansBALat DET, vs. SEAOutpitching peripherals but matchups boost rankings
11Jack FlahertySTLat CHC   
12Robbie RayARIvs. MIA, at SDRisk to ratios but lesser lineups and plenty of punch outs
13Matthew BoydDETat CLE, vs. CWSGetting crushed by RH power but CLE and CWS below average in RHB HR%
14Jake OdorizziMINvs. CWS   
15Ryan YarbroughTBvs. BOS   
16Cole HamelsCHCvs. CIN, vs. STL   
17Masahiro TanakaNYYvs. TOR   
18Tanner RoarkOAKvs. KC   
19Anibal SanchezWASat MIA   
20Zac GallenARIat SDGreat spot to continue second half surge
21Tony GonsolinLADvs. TB14 BB last 12 IP
22Aaron NolaPHIat ATLWalks up lately
23Lucas GiolitoCWSat MIN   
24Mike FiersOAKvs. TEX   
25Zach DaviesMILvs. SD, vs. PIT   
26Clay BuchholzTORat BAL   
27David PriceBOSat TB   
28Aaron CivaleCLEvs. DET   
29Jose QuintanaCHCvs. STL   
30Brett AndersonOAKvs. KC   
31Madison BumgarnerSFat BOS   
32Jordan LylesMILvs. SD   
33Alex YoungARIvs. MIA   
34Anthony DeSclafaniCINvs. NYM   
35Reynaldo LopezCWSat MIN, at DETTwo complete stinkers sandwiching a gem
36J.A. HappNYYvs. LAA   
37Wade MileyHOUvs. LAA   
38Dylan CeaseCWSat DETShowing signs of making strides over the second half
39Merrill KellyARIat SD   
40Kyle GibsonMINvs. KC   
41Jordan Montgomery#N/Avs. TOR 
42Joe MusgrovePITvs. SEA   
43Adrian HouserMILvs. SD   
44Homer BaileyOAKvs. KC   
45Chase AndersonMILvs. PIT   
46Ivan NovaCWSat DET   
47Dakota HudsonSTLvs. WAS, at CHC   
48CC SabathiaNYYvs. LAA   
49Sandy AlcantaraMIAat ARI   
50Trevor WilliamsPITat MIL   
51Zach EflinPHIat ATL   
52Luis SeverinoNYYvs. LAAPitch count unclear but did toss 64 in last rehab start
53Robert DuggerMIAvs. WAS   
54Caleb SmithMIAat ARI   
55Steven MatzNYMat COL, at CIN   
56Jeff SamardzijaSFat BOS   
57Drew VerHagenDETvs. CWS   
58Adam WainwrightSTLvs. WAS   
59Tommy MiloneSEAat PIT   
60Yusei KikuchiSEAat PIT   
61Vince VelasquezPHIat ATL, at CLE   
62Aaron BrooksBALvs. TOR   
63Jaime BarriaLAAat HOU   
64Jorge LopezKCat OAK, at MIN   
65Gabriel YnoaBALvs. TOR   
66Michael WachaSTLat CHC   
67Jason VargasPHIat CLE   
68Peter LambertCOLat LAD   
69Drew SmylyPHIat CLE   
70Marcus StromanNYMat COL   
71Tyler BeedeSFat ATL   
72Chi Chi GonzalezCOLat LAD   
73Tim MelvilleCOLvs. NYM 
74Jeff HoffmanCOLvs. NYM 

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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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