Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Sale of the Week

Todd Zola ranks this week's starting pitchers and it's not surprise that Chris Sale is on top with two starts for the Red Sox.

Updated on May 27, 2017 11:36AM EST

Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Sale of the Week

By:

Todd Zola

Updated on May 27, 2017 11:36AM EST

Weekly Pitcher Rankings

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A full Memorial Day slate adds a few more two-start pitchers to the schedule. The problem is it's quantity over quality as there are just a handful of true aces with a pair lined up.

The rankings are designed for scenarios just like this, helping you decide between a middle-of-the-road option with a double dip and a better hurler with just one start.

Please check the comments Sunday night for any significant movement in the rankings due to changes in the schedule.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Chris Sale	BOS	at CWS, at BAL	And it's not even close
2	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	vs. OAK, at KC	Last time out, threw 104 pitches first start after coming off DL
3	Corey Kluber	CLE	vs. OAK
4	Luis Severino	NYY	at BAL, at TOR	Big test against powerful offenses with whiff potential
5	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. NYY, vs. BOS	Which Bundy will show up?
6	Jake Odorizzi	TB	at SEA
7	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. HOU, at LAA	Astros a tough draw, but Berrios appears here to stay
8	Ervin Santana	MIN	at LAA
9	Michael Fulmer	DET	vs. CWS
10	Marco Estrada	TOR	vs. NYY
11	David Price	BOS	at CWS, at BAL	Wasn't sharp in last rehab start, but did throw 94 pitches, which is more important
12	Yu Darvish	TEX	vs. HOU
13	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	at TEX
14	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. CIN, vs. NYY
15	Danny Salazar	CLE	vs. OAK
16	Michael

A full Memorial Day slate adds a few more two-start pitchers to the schedule. The problem is it's quantity over quality as there are just a handful of true aces with a pair lined up.

The rankings are designed for scenarios just like this, helping you decide between a middle-of-the-road option with a double dip and a better hurler with just one start.

Please check the comments Sunday night for any significant movement in the rankings due to changes in the schedule.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Chris Sale	BOS	at CWS, at BAL	And it's not even close
2	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	vs. OAK, at KC	Last time out, threw 104 pitches first start after coming off DL
3	Corey Kluber	CLE	vs. OAK
4	Luis Severino	NYY	at BAL, at TOR	Big test against powerful offenses with whiff potential
5	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. NYY, vs. BOS	Which Bundy will show up?
6	Jake Odorizzi	TB	at SEA
7	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. HOU, at LAA	Astros a tough draw, but Berrios appears here to stay
8	Ervin Santana	MIN	at LAA
9	Michael Fulmer	DET	vs. CWS
10	Marco Estrada	TOR	vs. NYY
11	David Price	BOS	at CWS, at BAL	Wasn't sharp in last rehab start, but did throw 94 pitches, which is more important
12	Yu Darvish	TEX	vs. HOU
13	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	at TEX
14	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. CIN, vs. NYY
15	Danny Salazar	CLE	vs. OAK
16	Michael Pineda	NYY	at TOR
17	Alex Cobb	TB	at SEA
18	Justin Verlander	DET	at KC
19	JC Ramirez	LAA	vs. MIN
20	Chris Archer	TB	at TEX
21	Danny Duffy	KC	vs. CLE
22	Sonny Gray	OAK	at CLE, vs. WAS	Maybe a little aggressive, but Gray has looked strong last two efforts
23	James Paxton	SEA	vs. COL	Rockies often struggle versus lefties on the road
24	Erasmo Ramirez	TB	at TEX, at SEA	Watch the schedule, chance he doesn't make second start
25	Ricky Nolasco	LAA	vs. ATL, vs. MIN	Two in run-suppressing Angels Stadium
26	Andrew Triggs	OAK	vs. WAS	Deceptive delivery getting it done
27	Matt Shoemaker	LAA	vs. MIN	Looks to be over early season scuffles
28	Lance McCullers	HOU	at TEX
29	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	at CWS	Curve ball is looking sharp, but still hangs too many
30	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at BAL
31	Trevor Bauer	CLE	vs. OAK, at KC	Inconsistent, but facing lesser lineups, despite A's power
32	Rick Porcello	BOS	at BAL
33	Jason Vargas	KC	vs. CLE
34	Jose Quintana	CWS	vs. BOS
35	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	at BAL
36	Martin Perez	TEX	vs. TB, vs. HOU	Allowing too many baserunners
37	Joe Biagini	TOR	vs. NYY
38	Jesse Chavez	LAA	vs. ATL
39	Ian Kennedy	KC	vs. DET
40	Charlie Morton	HOU	at MIN, at TEX	Strikeouts great, but ratios in danger for road pair in hitter's parks
41	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	at BAL, at TOR	Facing lots of righty power in homer friendly venues
42	Jason Hammel	KC	vs. DET, vs. CLE
43	Adalberto Mejia	MIN	at LAA
44	Christian Bergman	SEA	vs. TB
45	Josh Tomlin	CLE	at KC
46	A.J. Griffin	TEX	vs. TB
47	Alex Meyer	LAA	vs. ATL, vs. MIN
48	Matt Andriese	TB	at TEX
49	Nick Martinez	TEX	vs. TB
50	Sean Manaea	OAK	at CLE
51	Chris Tillman	BAL	vs. NYY, vs. BOS
52	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	vs. CWS
53	Jharel Cotton	OAK	at CLE
54	Francisco Liriano	TOR	vs. NYY
55	Daniel Norris	DET	at KC, vs. CWS
56	Ariel Miranda	SEA	at COL, vs. TB
57	Hector Santiago	MIN	vs. HOU
58	Alec Asher	BAL	vs. BOS
59	CC Sabathia	NYY	at TOR
60	Zach Neal	OAK	at CLE, vs. WAS
61	Kevin Gausman	BAL	vs. NYY
62	Yovani Gallardo	SEA	vs. COL
63	Kyle Gibson	MIN	vs. HOU, at LAA
64	Lucas Giolito	CWS	vs. BOS
65	Mike Fiers	HOU	at MIN
66	Joe Musgrove	HOU	at MIN
67	Miguel Gonzalez	CWS	at DET
68	Sam Gaviglio	SEA	at COL, vs. TB
69	Matt Boyd	DET	at KC
70	T.J. House	TOR	vs. CIN
71	Derek Holland	CWS	at DET
72	Miguel Almonte	KC	vs. DET
73	Mike Bolsinger	TOR	vs. CIN
74	Wade Miley	BAL	vs. BOS
75	Andrew Cashner	TEX	vs. HOU
76	Dylan Covey	CWS	at DET
77	Mike Pelfrey	CWS	vs. BOS

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Rank	Pitcher	TEAM	Opponent(s)	Comments
1	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	at SD, vs. STL	Two runs or fewer last six outings
2	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	at MIL
3	Tanner Roark	WAS	at SF, at OAK	Looked better last time, boosted by weak offenses in pitcher's parks
4	Max Scherzer	WAS	at SF
5	Rich Hill	LAD	at STL, at MIL	Giving a pass after he allowed seven free passes to Cards
6	Julio Teheran	ATL	at LAA, at CIN	On the road for a pair, more importantly, facing limited number of tough LHB
7	Robbie Ray	ARI	at PIT, at MIA	Huge park upgrades with serious strikeout potential
8	Michael Wacha	STL	vs. LAD, at CHC	Wacha continues to be a pleasant surprise
9	Jon Lester	CHC	vs. STL
10	Johnny Cueto	SF	at PHI
11	Zack Greinke	ARI	at MIA
12	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	at OAK
13	Tyler Anderson	COL	vs. SEA, at SD	Holds platoon edge over most of the better Mariners
14	Jacob deGrom	NYM	vs. MIL
15	Jake Arrieta	CHC	at SD
16	Gerrit Cole	PIT	at NYM
17	Joe Ross	WAS	at OAK
18	Mike Leake	STL	vs. LAD, at CHC	Start in Wrigley risky, but Leake's been solid
19	Steven Matz	NYM	vs. PIT	Leap of faith, who really knows how he'll look
20	Jerad Eickhoff	PHI	vs. SF
21	German Marquez	COL	at SD
22	Dan Straily	MIA	vs. PHI
23	John Lackey	CHC	vs. STL
24	Kenta Maeda	LAD	at STL, at MIL	Increase in punch outs supported by underlying metrics
25	Carlos Martinez	STL	vs. LAD
26	Jeremy Hellickson	PHI	at MIA, vs. SF	Hellickson's disappearing strikeouts curious, but buoyed by weak offenses
27	Matt Moore	SF	vs. WAS, at PHI
28	Tyler Chatwood	COL	vs. SEA, at SD	Goodness of Petco affair balances risk of Coors encounter
29	Aaron Nola	PHI	at MIA
30	Alex Wood	LAD	at STL
31	Antonio Senzatela	COL	at SEA
32	Jeff Samardzija	SF	vs. WAS	Stellar skills, tough draw
33	Zach Davies	MIL	at NYM, vs. LAD	Not as sharp as post All-Star break last year
34	Robert Gsellman	NYM	vs. MIL, vs. PIT	Make good week for early-seaso disappointments
35	Edinson Volquez	MIA	vs. PHI, vs. ARI	Pair at home in pitcher-friendly Marlins Park
36	Taijuan Walker	ARI	at MIA
37	Junior Guerra	MIL	at NYM
38	Ty Blach	SF	at PHI	Solidifying hold on rotation spot
39	Ivan Nova	PIT	vs. ARI	Low strikeouts drop rank
40	Zack Godley	ARI	at PIT	Cementing hold on rotation spot
41	Vince Velasquez	PHI	at MIA
42	Randall Delgado	ARI	at PIT
43	Vance Worley	MIA	vs. ARI
44	Kyle Freeland	COL	at SEA
45	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	at SF
46	Zach Eflin	PHI	vs. SF
47	Adam Wainwright	STL	vs. LAD
48	Matt Harvey	NYM	vs. PIT
49	Matt Garza	MIL	at NYM, vs. LAD
50	Lance Lynn	STL	at CHC
51	Trevor Williams	PIT	vs. ARI, at NYM
52	Justin Nicolino	MIA	vs. PHI, vs. ARI
53	Dinelson Lamet	SD	vs. CHC
54	Chase Anderson	MIL	at NYM
55	Jimmy Nelson	MIL	vs. LAD
56	Jaime Garcia	ATL	at LAA
57	Patrick Corbin	ARI	at MIA
58	Bartolo Colon	ATL	at LAA
59	Eddie Butler	CHC	at SD
60	Chad Kuhl	PIT	vs. ARI
61	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	at CIN
62	Zack Wheeler	NYM	vs. MIL
63	Scott Feldman	CIN	vs. ATL
64	Jose Urena	MIA	vs. ARI
65	Brandon McCarthy	LAD	at STL
66	Tim Adleman	CIN	at TOR
67	Luis Perdomo	SD	vs. CHC
68	Tyler Glasnow	PIT	at NYM
69	Amir Garrett	CIN	vs. ATL
70	R.A. Dickey	ATL	at CIN
71	Bronson Arroyo	CIN	vs. ATL
72	Tyler Pill	NYM	vs. MIL
73	Matt Cain	SF	vs. WAS
74	Lisalverto Bonilla	CIN	at TOR
75	Jarred Cosart	SD	vs. CHC, vs. COL
76	Clayton Richard	SD	vs. COL
77	Jhoulys Chacin	SD	vs. COL
78	Asher Wojciechowski	CIN	at TOR

MLB

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Chris Sale	BOS	at CWS, at BAL	And it's not even close
2	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	vs. OAK, at KC	Last time out, threw 104 pitches first start after coming off DL
3	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	at SD, vs. STL	Two runs or fewer last six outings
4	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	at MIL
5	Tanner Roark	WAS	at SF, at OAK	Looked better last time, boosted by weak offenses in pitcher's parks
6	Max Scherzer	WAS	at SF
7	Rich Hill	LAD	at STL, at MIL	Giving a pass after he allowed seven free passes to Cards
8	Julio Teheran	ATL	at LAA, at CIN	On the road for a pair, more importantly, facing limited number of tough LHB
9	Robbie Ray	ARI	at PIT, at MIA	Huge park upgrades with serious strikeout potential
10	Michael Wacha	STL	vs. LAD, at CHC	Wacha continues to be a pleasant surprise
11	Jon Lester	CHC	vs. STL
12	Johnny Cueto	SF	at PHI
13	Zack Greinke	ARI	at MIA
14	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	at OAK
15	Tyler Anderson	COL	vs. SEA, at SD	Holds platoon edge over most of the better Mariners
16	Corey Kluber	CLE	vs. OAK
17	Jacob deGrom	NYM	vs. MIL
18	Jake Arrieta	CHC	at SD
19	Gerrit Cole	PIT	at NYM
20	Joe Ross	WAS	at OAK
21	Mike Leake	STL	vs. LAD, at CHC	Start in Wrigley risky, but Leake's been solid
22	Luis Severino	NYY	at BAL, at TOR	Big test against powerful offenses with whiff potential
23	Steven Matz	NYM	vs. PIT	Leap of faith, who really knows how he'll look
24	Jerad Eickhoff	PHI	vs. SF
25	German Marquez	COL	at SD
26	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. NYY, vs. BOS	Which Bundy will show up?
27	Jake Odorizzi	TB	at SEA
28	Dan Straily	MIA	vs. PHI
29	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. HOU, at LAA	Astros a tough draw, but Berrios appears here to stay
30	John Lackey	CHC	vs. STL
31	Kenta Maeda	LAD	at STL, at MIL	Increase in punch outs supported by underlying metrics
32	Carlos Martinez	STL	vs. LAD
33	Jeremy Hellickson	PHI	at MIA, vs. SF	Hellickson's disappearing strikeouts curious, but buoyed by weak offenses
34	Ervin Santana	MIN	at LAA
35	Michael Fulmer	DET	vs. CWS
36	Marco Estrada	TOR	vs. NYY
37	David Price	BOS	at CWS, at BAL	Wasn't sharp in last rehab start, but did throw 94 pitches, which is more important
38	Yu Darvish	TEX	vs. HOU
39	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	at TEX
40	Matt Moore	SF	vs. WAS, at PHI
41	Marcus Stroman	TOR	vs. CIN, vs. NYY
42	Tyler Chatwood	COL	vs. SEA, at SD	Goodness of Petco affair balances risk of Coors encounter
43	Danny Salazar	CLE	vs. OAK
44	Michael Pineda	NYY	at TOR
45	Alex Cobb	TB	at SEA
46	Justin Verlander	DET	at KC
47	Aaron Nola	PHI	at MIA
48	JC Ramirez	LAA	vs. MIN
49	Alex Wood	LAD	at STL
50	Chris Archer	TB	at TEX
51	Danny Duffy	KC	vs. CLE
52	Antonio Senzatela	COL	at SEA
53	Sonny Gray	OAK	at CLE, vs. WAS	Maybe a little aggressive, but Gray has looked strong last two efforts
54	James Paxton	SEA	vs. COL	Rockies often struggle versus lefties on the road
55	Jeff Samardzija	SF	vs. WAS	Stellar skills, tough draw
56	Zach Davies	MIL	at NYM, vs. LAD	Not as sharp as post All-Star break last year
57	Robert Gsellman	NYM	vs. MIL, vs. PIT	Make good week for early-seaso disappointments
58	Edinson Volquez	MIA	vs. PHI, vs. ARI	Pair at home in pitcher-friendly Marlins Park
59	Erasmo Ramirez	TB	at TEX, at SEA	Watch the schedule, chance he doesn't make second start
60	Ricky Nolasco	LAA	vs. ATL, vs. MIN	Two in run-suppressing Angels Stadium
61	Andrew Triggs	OAK	vs. WAS	Deceptive delivery getting it done
62	Taijuan Walker	ARI	at MIA
63	Junior Guerra	MIL	at NYM
64	Ty Blach	SF	at PHI	Solidifying hold on rotation spot
65	Matt Shoemaker	LAA	vs. MIN	Looks to be over early season scuffles
66	Lance McCullers	HOU	at TEX
67	Ivan Nova	PIT	vs. ARI	Low strikeouts drop rank
68	Zack Godley	ARI	at PIT	Cementing hold on rotation spot
69	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	at CWS	Curve ball is looking sharp, but still hangs too many
70	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at BAL
71	Trevor Bauer	CLE	vs. OAK, at KC	Inconsistent, but facing lesser lineups, despite A's power
72	Rick Porcello	BOS	at BAL
73	Vince Velasquez	PHI	at MIA
74	Randall Delgado	ARI	at PIT
75	Jason Vargas	KC	vs. CLE
76	Vance Worley	MIA	vs. ARI
77	Jose Quintana	CWS	vs. BOS
78	Kyle Freeland	COL	at SEA
79	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	at BAL
80	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	at SF
81	Martin Perez	TEX	vs. TB, vs. HOU	Allowing too many baserunners
82	Joe Biagini	TOR	vs. NYY
83	Zach Eflin	PHI	vs. SF
84	Jesse Chavez	LAA	vs. ATL
85	Ian Kennedy	KC	vs. DET
86	Charlie Morton	HOU	at MIN, at TEX	Strikeouts great, but ratios in danger for road pair in hitter's parks
87	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	at BAL, at TOR	Facing lots of righty power in homer friendly venues
88	Adam Wainwright	STL	vs. LAD
89	Matt Harvey	NYM	vs. PIT
90	Jason Hammel	KC	vs. DET, vs. CLE
91	Adalberto Mejia	MIN	at LAA
92	Christian Bergman	SEA	vs. TB
93	Matt Garza	MIL	at NYM, vs. LAD
94	Lance Lynn	STL	at CHC
95	Josh Tomlin	CLE	at KC
96	Trevor Williams	PIT	vs. ARI, at NYM
97	Justin Nicolino	MIA	vs. PHI, vs. ARI
98	Dinelson Lamet	SD	vs. CHC
99	A.J. Griffin	TEX	vs. TB
100	Chase Anderson	MIL	at NYM
101	Jimmy Nelson	MIL	vs. LAD
102	Alex Meyer	LAA	vs. ATL, vs. MIN
103	Jaime Garcia	ATL	at LAA
104	Matt Andriese	TB	at TEX
105	Nick Martinez	TEX	vs. TB
106	Patrick Corbin	ARI	at MIA
107	Sean Manaea	OAK	at CLE
108	Bartolo Colon	ATL	at LAA
109	Eddie Butler	CHC	at SD
110	Chad Kuhl	PIT	vs. ARI
111	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	at CIN
112	Chris Tillman	BAL	vs. NYY, vs. BOS
113	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	vs. CWS
114	Zack Wheeler	NYM	vs. MIL
115	Scott Feldman	CIN	vs. ATL
116	Jose Urena	MIA	vs. ARI
117	Brandon McCarthy	LAD	at STL
118	Jharel Cotton	OAK	at CLE
119	Francisco Liriano	TOR	vs. NYY
120	Daniel Norris	DET	at KC, vs. CWS
121	Tim Adleman	CIN	at TOR
122	Ariel Miranda	SEA	at COL, vs. TB
123	Luis Perdomo	SD	vs. CHC
124	Tyler Glasnow	PIT	at NYM
125	Hector Santiago	MIN	vs. HOU
126	Alec Asher	BAL	vs. BOS
127	CC Sabathia	NYY	at TOR
128	Zach Neal	OAK	at CLE, vs. WAS
129	Amir Garrett	CIN	vs. ATL
130	Kevin Gausman	BAL	vs. NYY
131	Yovani Gallardo	SEA	vs. COL
132	R.A. Dickey	ATL	at CIN
133	Kyle Gibson	MIN	vs. HOU, at LAA
134	Bronson Arroyo	CIN	vs. ATL
135	Lucas Giolito	CWS	vs. BOS
136	Mike Fiers	HOU	at MIN
137	Joe Musgrove	HOU	at MIN
138	Miguel Gonzalez	CWS	at DET
139	Sam Gaviglio	SEA	at COL, vs. TB
140	Matt Boyd	DET	at KC
141	Tyler Pill	NYM	vs. MIL
142	Matt Cain	SF	vs. WAS
143	T.J. House	TOR	vs. CIN
144	Lisalverto Bonilla	CIN	at TOR
145	Derek Holland	CWS	at DET
146	Jarred Cosart	SD	vs. CHC, vs. COL
147	Miguel Almonte	KC	vs. DET
148	Mike Bolsinger	TOR	vs. CIN
149	Clayton Richard	SD	vs. COL
150	Jhoulys Chacin	SD	vs. COL
151	Wade Miley	BAL	vs. BOS
152	Andrew Cashner	TEX	vs. HOU
153	Dylan Covey	CWS	at DET
154	Asher Wojciechowski	CIN	at TOR
155	Mike Pelfrey	CWS	vs. BOS