Weekly Pitcher Rankings: The Rich Get Richer

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Updated on August 3, 2020 12:14AM EST

The chaos continues. Unfortunately, not only are these preliminary rankings subject to change, the entire season is in jeopardy, depending on how things play out the rest of the weekend.

Hopefully, the games will go on as it lines up to be a great week for two-start pitchers. In fact, 20 of the top 21 pitchers hurlers are slated for a pair, with only Max Scherzer on tap for one.

We should know more by Sunday night's update, but the Cardinals probables are completely up in the air. Along those lines, I'm happy to address specific rankings in the discussion below. However, please direct rotation inquiries to the Projected Starters Grid.

For the Week of August 3 - August 9

UPDATED: Monday August 3, 12:05 AM ET

Mixed

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP
1	Gerrit Cole	NYY	PHI, @TB
2	Jacob deGrom	NYM	@ATL, MIA
3	Shane Bieber	CLE	@CIN, @CWS	Oddly, continues to give up excess hard contact, but 27 K in 14 IP
4	Lance Lynn	TEX	@OAK, LAA	Dominant early, 17 K in 12 IP
5	Sonny Gray	CIN	CLE, @MIL	Great start with 20 K in 12.2 IP, tougher competition this week
6	Jack Flaherty	STL	@DET, CHC
7	Walker Buehler	LAD	@SD, SF
8	Lucas Giolito	CWS	@MIL, CLE	The tough early schedule continues
9	Mike Soroka	ATL	NYM, @PHI
10	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	KC, @STL
11	Chris Paddack	SD	LAD, ARI
12	Frankie Montas	OAK	@SEA, HOU

The chaos continues. Unfortunately, not only are these preliminary rankings subject to change, the entire season is in jeopardy, depending on how things play out the rest of the weekend.

Hopefully, the games will go on as it lines up to be a great week for two-start pitchers. In fact, 20 of the top 21 pitchers hurlers are slated for a pair, with only Max Scherzer on tap for one.

For the Week of August 3 - August 9

UPDATED: Monday August 3, 12:05 AM ET

Mixed

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP
1	Gerrit Cole	NYY	PHI, @TB
2	Jacob deGrom	NYM	@ATL, MIA
3	Shane Bieber	CLE	@CIN, @CWS	Oddly, continues to give up excess hard contact, but 27 K in 14 IP
4	Lance Lynn	TEX	@OAK, LAA	Dominant early, 17 K in 12 IP
5	Sonny Gray	CIN	CLE, @MIL	Great start with 20 K in 12.2 IP, tougher competition this week
6	Jack Flaherty	STL	@DET, CHC
7	Walker Buehler	LAD	@SD, SF
8	Lucas Giolito	CWS	@MIL, CLE	The tough early schedule continues
9	Mike Soroka	ATL	NYM, @PHI
10	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	KC, @STL
11	Chris Paddack	SD	LAD, ARI
12	Frankie Montas	OAK	@SEA, HOU
13	Max Fried	ATL	TOR, @PHI	Showing hype is deserved
14	Max Scherzer	WAS	NYM
15	German Marquez	COL	SF, @SEA	Great start on the road and now first home affair with Giants
16	Rich Hill	MIN	PIT, @KC
17	Matthew Boyd	DET	STL, @PIT	Homers under control, crushed by .412 BABIP
18	Charlie Morton	TB	BOS, NYY	Velo usually down early, will need it versus this pair
19	Aaron Nola	PHI	@NYY, ATL
20	Jesus Luzardo	OAK	TEX, HOU	Entering rotation after short bullpen stint
21	Cristian Javier	HOU	@ARI, @OAK	Impressive debut, aided by good pitching parks
22	Mike Clevinger	CLE	CIN
23	Patrick Corbin	WAS	NYM
24	Kenta Maeda	MIN	@KC
25	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	SF
26	Zack Greinke	HOU	@ARI
27	Mike Minor	TEX	@OAK
28	Jose Berrios	MIN	@PIT	Nice pair to right ship
29	James Paxton	NYY	@TB
30	Tyler Glasnow	TB	NYY
31	Zach Plesac	CLE	@CIN, @CWS	Outstanding 2020 debut with 11 K in 8 IP
32	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	CIN
33	Madison Bumgarner	ARI	HOU, @SD
34	Sean Manaea	OAK	TEX
35	Luis Castillo	CIN	@CLE
36	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	@TEX
37	Joe Musgrove	PIT	@MIN, DET	Allowed four HR in just 11.1 innings
38	Alec Mills	CHC	KC, @STL	One of the better FAAB targets
39	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	@CWS
40	Carlos Martinez	STL	DET
41	Hyun-Jin Ryu	TOR	@ATL
42	Aaron Civale	CLE	@CWS
43	Yu Darvish	CHC	@KC
44	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	BOS
45	Randy Dobnak	MIN	@PIT
46	Josh James	HOU	@OAK
47	Sean Newcomb	ATL	TOR
48	Yonny Chirinos	TB	NYY
49	Luke Weaver	ARI	@SD
50	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	@TB
51	J.A. Happ	NYY	PHI, @TB
52	Zack Wheeler	PHI	NYY
53	Jon Gray	COL	SF
54	Nate Pearson	TOR	@ATL
55	Trevor Bauer	CIN	@MIL
56	Zac Gallen	ARI	HOU
57	Matt Shoemaker	TOR	@ATL, @BOS
58	Adrian Houser	MIL	@CWS
59	Andrew Heaney	LAA	@SEA
60	Justin Dunn	SEA	LAA
61	Chad Green	NYY	@TB
62	Ross Stripling	LAD	@SD
63	Dylan Bundy	LAA	@SEA
64	Justus Sheffield	SEA	OAK, COL	In play in deeper leagues, COL struggles on road vs. LHP
65	Taijuan Walker	SEA	LAA
66	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	@PHI
67	Julio Urias	LAD	SF
68	Lance McCullers	HOU	@ARI
69	Chris Bassitt	OAK	HOU
70	Marco Gonzales	SEA	LAA
71	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	@MIL
72	Dustin May	LAD	@SD
73	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	@KC	Hoping to debut after sidelined with a sore back
74	Brady Singer	KC	@CHC, MIN
75	Mike Fiers	OAK	TEX
76	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	@PHI
77	Dallas Keuchel	CWS	MIL
78	Zack Godley	BOS	TOR
79	Jordan Lyles	TEX	LAA
80	Anibal Sanchez	WAS	BAL
81	Corbin Burnes	MIL	CWS, CIN
82	Kyle Gibson	TEX	@OAK
83	Julio Teheran	LAA	@TEX
84	Tyler Chatwood	CHC	@KC
85	Griffin Canning	LAA	@TEX
86	Spencer Turnbull	DET	@STL
87	Danny Duffy	KC	@CHC, MIN
88	Kyle Freeland	COL	SF
89	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	COL
90	Robbie Ray	ARI	HOU
91	Dinelson Lamet	SD	LAD
92	Kolby Allard	TEX	LAA
93	Lewis Thorpe	MIN	PIT
94	Brad Keller	KC	CHC
95	Daniel Ponce de Leon	STL	CHC
96	JT Brubaker	PIT	MIN
97	Antonio Senzatela	COL	@SEA
98	Austin Voth	WAS	BAL
99	Vince Velasquez	PHI	ATL
100	Daniel Norris	DET	@PIT
101	Matt Andriese	LAA	@SEA
102	Joey Lucchesi	SD	ARI
103	Gio Gonzalez	CWS	MIL
104	Ryan Weber	BOS	TOR
105	Caleb Smith	MIA	@NYM
106	Kris Bubic	KC	CHC
107	Merrill Kelly	ARI	@SD
108	Touki Toussaint	ATL	TOR
109	Jalen Beeks	TB	NYY
110	Ivan Nova	DET	STL
111	Dylan Cease	CWS	CLE
112	Zach Eflin	PHI	NYY
113	Josh Lindblom	MIL	CIN
114	Dakota Hudson	STL	DET
115	Trent Thornton	TOR	@BOS
116	Chi Chi Gonzalez	COL	SF, @SEA
117	Jakob Junis	KC	MIN
118	Trevor Williams	PIT	MIN
119	Tyler Mahle	CIN	CLE
120	Carlos Rodon	CWS	@MIL, CLE
121	Garrett Richards	SD	LAD
122	Zach Davies	SD	ARI
123	Jake Arrieta	PHI	@NYY, ATL
124	Rony Garcia	DET	@PIT
125	Brett Anderson	MIL	CWS, CIN
126	Asher Wojciechowski	BAL	@WAS
127	Johnny Cueto	SF	@COL, @LAD
128	Gregory Soto	DET	@STL
129	Jordan Yamamoto	MIA	@NYM
130	Kevin Gausman	SF	@COL, @LAD
131	Jon Lester	CHC	@STL
132	Derek Holland	PIT	@MIN, DET
133	Kyle Wright	ATL	@PHI
134	Tejay Antone	CIN	@CLE
135	Martin Perez	BOS	@TB
136	Jeff Samardzija	SF	@LAD
137	Matt Hall	BOS	TOR
138	David Peterson	NYM	MIA
139	Tommy Milone	BAL	@WAS
140	Framber Valdez	HOU	@OAK
141	Adam Wainwright	STL	@DET
142	Erick Fedde	WAS	BAL
143	Tanner Roark	TOR	@BOS
144	Michael Wacha	NYM	MIA
145	Robert Dugger	MIA	@NYM
146	Rick Porcello	NYM	@WAS
147	Jake Woodford	STL	CHC
148	Chad Kuhl	PIT	DET
149	Steven Matz	NYM	@WAS
150	Wade LeBlanc	BAL	@WAS
151	Kendall Graveman	SEA	COL
152	Trevor Cahill	SF	@COL
153	Logan Webb	SF	@COL

American League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Gerrit Cole	NYY	PHI, @TB
2	Shane Bieber	CLE	@CIN, @CWS	Oddly, continues to give up excess hard contact, but 27 K in 14 IP
3	Lance Lynn	TEX	@OAK, LAA	Dominant early, 17 K in 12 IP
4	Lucas Giolito	CWS	@MIL, CLE	The tough early schedule continues
5	Frankie Montas	OAK	@SEA, HOU
6	Rich Hill	MIN	PIT, @KC
7	Matthew Boyd	DET	STL, @PIT	Homers under control, crushed by .412 BABIP
8	Charlie Morton	TB	BOS, NYY	Velo usually down early, will need it versus this pair
9	Jesus Luzardo	OAK	TEX, HOU	Entering rotation after short bullpen stint
10	Cristian Javier	HOU	@ARI, @OAK	Impressive debut, aided by good pitching parks
11	Mike Clevinger	CLE	CIN
12	Kenta Maeda	MIN	@KC
13	Zack Greinke	HOU	@ARI
14	Mike Minor	TEX	@OAK
15	Jose Berrios	MIN	@PIT	Nice pair to right ship
16	James Paxton	NYY	@TB
17	Tyler Glasnow	TB	NYY
18	Zach Plesac	CLE	@CIN, @CWS	Outstanding 2020 debut with 11 K in 8 IP
19	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	CIN
20	Sean Manaea	OAK	TEX
21	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	@TEX
22	Hyun-Jin Ryu	TOR	@ATL
23	Aaron Civale	CLE	@CWS
24	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	BOS
25	Randy Dobnak	MIN	@PIT
26	Josh James	HOU	@OAK
27	Yonny Chirinos	TB	NYY
28	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	@TB
29	J.A. Happ	NYY	PHI, @TB
30	Nate Pearson	TOR	@ATL
31	Matt Shoemaker	TOR	@ATL, @BOS
32	Andrew Heaney	LAA	@SEA
33	Justin Dunn	SEA	LAA
34	Chad Green	NYY	@TB
35	Dylan Bundy	LAA	@SEA
36	Justus Sheffield	SEA	OAK, COL	In play in deeper leagues, COL struggles on road vs. LHP
37	Taijuan Walker	SEA	LAA
38	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	@PHI
39	Lance McCullers	HOU	@ARI
40	Chris Bassitt	OAK	HOU
41	Marco Gonzales	SEA	LAA
42	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	@KC	Hoping to debut after sidelined with a sore back
43	Brady Singer	KC	@CHC, MIN
44	Mike Fiers	OAK	TEX
45	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	@PHI
46	Dallas Keuchel	CWS	MIL
47	Zack Godley	BOS	TOR
48	Jordan Lyles	TEX	LAA
49	Kyle Gibson	TEX	@OAK
50	Julio Teheran	LAA	@TEX
51	Griffin Canning	LAA	@TEX
52	Spencer Turnbull	DET	@STL
53	Danny Duffy	KC	@CHC, MIN
54	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	COL
55	Kolby Allard	TEX	LAA
56	Lewis Thorpe	MIN	PIT
57	Brad Keller	KC	CHC
58	Daniel Norris	DET	@PIT
59	Matt Andriese	LAA	@SEA
60	Gio Gonzalez	CWS	MIL
61	Ryan Weber	BOS	TOR
62	Kris Bubic	KC	CHC
63	Jalen Beeks	TB	NYY
64	Ivan Nova	DET	STL
65	Dylan Cease	CWS	CLE
66	Trent Thornton	TOR	@BOS
67	Jakob Junis	KC	MIN
68	Carlos Rodon	CWS	@MIL, CLE
69	Rony Garcia	DET	@PIT
70	Asher Wojciechowski	BAL	@WAS
71	Gregory Soto	DET	@STL
72	Martin Perez	BOS	@TB
73	Matt Hall	BOS	TOR
74	Tommy Milone	BAL	@WAS
75	Framber Valdez	HOU	@OAK
76	Tanner Roark	TOR	@BOS
77	Wade LeBlanc	BAL	@WAS
78	Kendall Graveman	SEA	COL

National League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Jacob deGrom	NYM	@ATL, MIA
2	Sonny Gray	CIN	CLE, @MIL	Great start with 20 K in 12.2 IP, tougher competition this week
3	Jack Flaherty	STL	@DET, CHC
4	Walker Buehler	LAD	@SD, SF
5	Mike Soroka	ATL	NYM, @PHI
6	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	KC, @STL
7	Chris Paddack	SD	LAD, ARI
8	Max Fried	ATL	TOR, @PHI	Showing hype is deserved
9	Max Scherzer	WAS	NYM
10	German Marquez	COL	SF, @SEA	Great start on the road and now first home affair with Giants
11	Aaron Nola	PHI	@NYY, ATL
12	Patrick Corbin	WAS	NYM
13	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	SF
14	Madison Bumgarner	ARI	HOU, @SD
15	Luis Castillo	CIN	@CLE
16	Joe Musgrove	PIT	@MIN, DET	Allowed four HR in just 11.1 innings
17	Alec Mills	CHC	KC, @STL	One of the better FAAB targets
18	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	@CWS
19	Carlos Martinez	STL	DET
20	Yu Darvish	CHC	@KC
21	Sean Newcomb	ATL	TOR
22	Luke Weaver	ARI	@SD
23	Zack Wheeler	PHI	NYY
24	Jon Gray	COL	SF
25	Trevor Bauer	CIN	@MIL
26	Zac Gallen	ARI	HOU
27	Adrian Houser	MIL	@CWS
28	Ross Stripling	LAD	@SD
29	Julio Urias	LAD	SF
30	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	@MIL
31	Dustin May	LAD	@SD
32	Anibal Sanchez	WAS	BAL
33	Corbin Burnes	MIL	CWS, CIN
34	Tyler Chatwood	CHC	@KC
35	Kyle Freeland	COL	SF
36	Robbie Ray	ARI	HOU
37	Dinelson Lamet	SD	LAD
38	Daniel Ponce de Leon	STL	CHC
39	JT Brubaker	PIT	MIN
40	Antonio Senzatela	COL	@SEA
41	Austin Voth	WAS	BAL
42	Vince Velasquez	PHI	ATL
43	Joey Lucchesi	SD	ARI
44	Caleb Smith	MIA	@NYM
45	Merrill Kelly	ARI	@SD
46	Touki Toussaint	ATL	TOR
47	Zach Eflin	PHI	NYY
48	Josh Lindblom	MIL	CIN
49	Dakota Hudson	STL	DET
50	Chi Chi Gonzalez	COL	SF, @SEA
51	Trevor Williams	PIT	MIN
52	Tyler Mahle	CIN	CLE
53	Garrett Richards	SD	LAD
54	Zach Davies	SD	ARI
55	Jake Arrieta	PHI	@NYY, ATL
56	Brett Anderson	MIL	CWS, CIN
57	Johnny Cueto	SF	@COL, @LAD
58	Jordan Yamamoto	MIA	@NYM
59	Kevin Gausman	SF	@COL, @LAD
60	Jon Lester	CHC	@STL
61	Derek Holland	PIT	@MIN, DET
62	Kyle Wright	ATL	@PHI
63	Tejay Antone	CIN	@CLE
64	Jeff Samardzija	SF	@LAD
65	David Peterson	NYM	MIA
66	Adam Wainwright	STL	@DET
67	Erick Fedde	WAS	BAL
68	Michael Wacha	NYM	MIA
69	Robert Dugger	MIA	@NYM
70	Rick Porcello	NYM	@WAS
71	Jake Woodford	STL	CHC
72	Chad Kuhl	PIT	DET
73	Steven Matz	NYM	@WAS
74	Trevor Cahill	SF	@COL
75	Logan Webb	SF	@COL