Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Verlander's Opponent Proof

Todd Zola ranks this week's starting pitching in what is a big two-start week, as Houston's Justin Verlander is more and more proving to be opponent proof.

Updated on May 26, 2018 2:44PM EST

Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Verlander's Opponent Proof

By:

Todd Zola

Updated on May 26, 2018 2:44PM EST

Weekly Pitcher Rankings

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With a full slate on Memorial Day, including a doubleheader, and a busier than normal Thursday, this could be the plushest week for two-start options. Adding to the fun is several pitchers returning from injury, including a trio slated to make season debuts in Carlos Rodon, Anthony DeSclafani and Nathan Eovaldi.

For the week, May 28 - June 3

UPDATED: Sunday, May 27 11:15 PM ET

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Justin Verlander	HOU	at NYY, vs. BOS	Opponent proof
2	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. TOR, at HOU	The real Porcello is between the April and May version
3	James Paxton	SEA	vs. TEX	Allowed two of fewer runs last seven efforts
4	Corey Kluber	CLE	vs. CWS
5	Chris Archer	TB	at OAK, at SEA	Benefiting from low hit rate lately
6	Michael Fulmer	DET	vs. LAA, vs. TOR	Strikeouts up lately, but so are walks
7	Chris Sale	BOS	at HOU	Kid gloves off, no more six innings and done
8	Charlie Morton	HOU	at NYY, vs. BOS	Great test against two of the top teams in the AL
9	Gerrit Cole	HOU	vs. BOS
10	David Price	BOS	vs. TOR, at HOU	Returning to form, just needs to shave off a few walks
11	Blake Snell	TB	at OAK, at SEA	Pitching with confidence and it shows
12	Mike Clevinger	CLE	vs. CWS, at MIN	Good chance to rack up some punch outs
13	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	at BOS, at DET
14

For the week, May 28 - June 3

UPDATED: Sunday, May 27 11:15 PM ET

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Justin Verlander	HOU	at NYY, vs. BOS	Opponent proof
2	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. TOR, at HOU	The real Porcello is between the April and May version
3	James Paxton	SEA	vs. TEX	Allowed two of fewer runs last seven efforts
4	Corey Kluber	CLE	vs. CWS
5	Chris Archer	TB	at OAK, at SEA	Benefiting from low hit rate lately
6	Michael Fulmer	DET	vs. LAA, vs. TOR	Strikeouts up lately, but so are walks
7	Chris Sale	BOS	at HOU	Kid gloves off, no more six innings and done
8	Charlie Morton	HOU	at NYY, vs. BOS	Great test against two of the top teams in the AL
9	Gerrit Cole	HOU	vs. BOS
10	David Price	BOS	vs. TOR, at HOU	Returning to form, just needs to shave off a few walks
11	Blake Snell	TB	at OAK, at SEA	Pitching with confidence and it shows
12	Mike Clevinger	CLE	vs. CWS, at MIN	Good chance to rack up some punch outs
13	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	at BOS, at DET
14	Jakob Junis	KC	vs. MIN, vs. OAK	Quietly effective in May with 30 K and 6 BB in 29 IP this month
15	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	at DET, vs. TEX	Rare two-start week for an Angels hurler
16	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	at MIN
17	Luis Severino	NYY	vs. HOU
18	Garrett Richards	LAA	vs. TEX
19	Matthew Boyd	DET	vs. LAA, vs. TOR
20	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. WAS, vs. NYY	Tough draws but 2.86 ERA, .73 WHIP with 29 K in 22 IP since implosion vs. KC
21	Felix Hernandez	SEA	vs. TEX, vs. TB	Earned benefit of doubt but making it hard to oblige
22	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	at DET	Not a bad pitcher for such a good hitter
23	Cole Hamels	TEX	at LAA
24	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at MIN
25	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. CLE
26	Marco Gonzales	SEA	vs. TEX, vs. TB	Low whiffs but pair at home helps
27	Bartolo Colon	TEX	at LAA
28	Trevor Cahill	OAK	vs. TB, at KC
29	Daniel Mengden	OAK	vs. TB
30	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	vs. TOR
31	Lance Lynn	MIN	at KC, vs. CLE	Regaining form, should be a useful mid-rotation option
32	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	at NYY
33	Wade LeBlanc	SEA	vs. TEX
34	CC Sabathia	NYY	vs. HOU, at BAL	Homers an issue - facing two lineups with power bats
35	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at BAL	O's below average scoring runs but can go deep
36	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	vs. BOS
37	Nick Tropeano	LAA	at DET, vs. TEX
38	Sean Manaea	OAK	vs. TB	In a rut, good spot to extricate himself
39	Adam Plutko	CLE	vs. CWS, at MIN
40	Carlos Rodon	CWS	vs. MIL	Tentative, but on target for 2018 debut
41	Domingo German	NYY	vs. HOU, at BAL
42	Kyle Gibson	MIN	at KC, vs. CLE
43	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. TB
44	Sonny Gray	NYY	at BAL
45	Mike Minor	TEX	at SEA
46	J.A. Happ	TOR	at DET	Tigers can be tough on lefties, very frugal with the strikeouts
47	Danny Duffy	KC	vs. MIN	Good effort last time, not yet out of the woods
48	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	vs. CLE
49	Blaine Hardy	DET	vs. TOR
50	Hector Santiago	CWS	vs. MIL
51	Daniel Gossett	OAK	vs. TB, at KC
52	Ian Kennedy	KC	vs. OAK
53	Jason Hammel	KC	vs. OAK
54	Francisco Liriano	DET	vs. LAA
55	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	at HOU
56	Doug Fister	TEX	at SEA, at LAA
57	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	at OAK
58	Nathan Eovaldi	TB	at OAK	On pace for 2018 debut, good offenses in favorable pitching venues
59	Fernando Romero	MIN	at KC
60	Austin Pruitt	TB	at SEA
61	Andrew Heaney	LAA	at DET	Encouraged by season to date - sneaky tough matchup
62	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	at CLE	ERA correction on the way but has chance to soften by improving skills
63	Alex Cobb	BAL	vs. WAS, vs. NYY
64	James Shields	CWS	vs. MIL
65	Kevin Gausman	BAL	vs. NYY
66	Jaime Garcia	TOR	at DET
67	Brad Keller	KC	vs. MIN
68	Frankie Montas	OAK	at KC
69	Marco Estrada	TOR	at BOS
70	Mike Fiers	DET	vs. LAA
71	Matt Moore	TEX	at SEA
72	Austin Bibens-Dirkx	TEX	at SEA
73	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at CLE
74	Andrew Cashner	BAL	vs. NYY
75	Sam Gaviglio	TOR	at BOS
76	David Hess	BAL	vs. WAS
77	Dylan Covey	CWS	at CLE

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Rank	Pitcher	TEAM	OPP	Comments
1	Jacob deGrom	NYM	at ATL, vs. CHC	Allowed one run last 33.1 innings with 47 K in that span
2	Tyson Ross	SD	vs. MIA, vs. CIN	Giving hope to those returning from TOS
3	Jake Arrieta	PHI	at LAD, at SF	Whiffs low but did fan seven Braves on 6.2 innings last time
4	Max Scherzer	WAS	at BAL	Coming off rare clunker, versus Marlins, no less
5	Jon Lester	CHC	at PIT, at NYM	The pitching version of a "professional pitcher"
6	Luke Weaver	STL	at MIL, vs. PIT	Improved control resulting in better outcomes
7	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	at BAL, at ATL	Missing more bats, but also missing the strike zone in recent outings
8	Vince Velasquez	PHI	at LAD, at SF	Inconsistent, but great matchups in great pitching venues
9	Zack Greinke	ARI	vs. MIA
10	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	vs. PHI	If bullpen goes well, will eschew rehab and jump right back into rotation
11	Aaron Nola	PHI	at LAD
12	Nick Pivetta	PHI	at SF
13	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	at ATL
14	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	at ATL
15	Dan Straily	MIA	at SD, at ARI	Walking way too many, but these lineups not hitting well enough to take advantage
16	Yu Darvish	CHC	at NYM
17	Kenta Maeda	LAD	vs. PHI, at COL	Hurt by second game in Coors, but still in play due to high whiffs
18	Caleb Smith	MIA	at SD, at ARI	Great matchups to further cement fantasy asset status
19	Michael Wacha	STL	at MIL, vs. PIT
20	Luis Castillo	CIN	at ARI	Oh, so close. Homers still high.
21	Jose Quintana	CHC	at NYM	If he can't pitch well here, he can't pitch well anywhere
22	Madison Bumgarner	SF	vs. PHI	Welcome back
23	Patrick Corbin	ARI	vs. CIN
24	Ross Stripling	LAD	vs. PHI	Shot in the arm the Dodgers desperately needed
25	Jack Flaherty	STL	vs. PIT
26	Jon Gray	COL	vs. SF	So good, but next pitcher to consistently defeat Coors will be the first
27	Julio Teheran	ATL	vs. NYM	Surrendered five homers last three outings
28	Tyler Mahle	CIN	at SD	Needs a strong outing, this could be the panacea
29	Miles Mikolas	STL	vs. PIT
30	Jeremy Hellickson	WAS	at BAL, at ATL
31	Brandon McCarthy	ATL	vs. WAS, vs. NYM	Rebounded nicely from disasters against Giants and Marlins
32	Luiz Gohara	ATL	vs. WAS
33	Clayton Richard	SD	vs. MIA	Just five walks in 34 innings
34	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	at PIT	Pedestrian K-rate hurts ranking
35	Jameson Taillon	PIT	at STL
36	Matt Harvey	CIN	at SD	0
37	Elieser Hernandez	MIA	at ARI
38	Chase Anderson	MIL	at CWS	Mediocre pitcher + bad offense = streaming option
39	Jose Urena	MIA	at SD
40	Matt Koch	ARI	vs. CIN, vs. MIA
41	Brent Suter	MIL	vs. STL, at CWS	Stuff doesn't play as well as a starter
42	Brock Stewart	LAD	vs. PHI
43	Homer Bailey	CIN	at ARI, at SD
44	Ivan Nova	PIT	vs. CHC, at STL
45	Joey Lucchesi	SD	vs. CIN	Could be back next weekend bit be careful, 8 HR in 47.1 IP, ERA will correct
46	Tyler Chatwood	CHC	at NYM	45 BB and 44 K in 48.1 IP
47	Zack Godley	ARI	vs. CIN	Major disappointment as control has been ungodly
48	Sean Newcomb	ATL	vs. WAS	Good test for the youngster
49	Chad Kuhl	PIT	vs. CHC, at STL
50	Zach Davies	MIL	vs. STL
51	Eric Lauer	SD	vs. MIA, vs. CIN
52	Chad Bettis	COL	vs. SF, vs. LAD
53	Clay Buchholz	ARI	vs. MIA
54	Joe Musgrove	PIT	vs. CHC	That was good Joe, let's see it again
55	Trevor Williams	PIT	at STL
56	Chris Stratton	SF	vs. PHI
57	Jordan Lyles	SD	vs. MIA
58	Wei-Yin Chen	MIA	at SD
59	Tanner Roark	WAS	at ATL
60	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	vs. WAS
61	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	at CWS
62	Tyler Anderson	COL	vs. LAD
63	Junior Guerra	MIL	vs. STL
64	Zach Eflin	PHI	at LAD
65	Alex Reyes	STL	at MIL	Reyes headed right into the rotations, but not likely to go deep into the games yet
66	Sal Romano	CIN	at ARI
67	Steven Matz	NYM	at ATL, vs. CHC
68	Alex Wood	LAD	at COL
69	Max Fried	ATL	vs. NYM
70	Walker Buehler	LAD	at COL
71	Jason Vargas	NYM	vs. CHC
72	Jeff Samardzija	SF	at COL
73	German Marquez	COL	vs. LAD
74	Mike Montgomery	CHC	at PIT
75	Ty Blach	SF	vs. PHI
76	Kyle Freeland	COL	vs. SF
77	Zack Wheeler	NYM	vs. CHC
78	Seth Lugo	NYM	at ATL
79	Andrew Suarez	SF	at COL
80	Derek Holland	SF	at COL

MLB

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Justin Verlander	HOU	at NYY, vs. BOS	Opponent proof
2	Jacob deGrom	NYM	at ATL, vs. CHC	Allowed one run last 33.1 innings with 47 K in that span
3	Tyson Ross	SD	vs. MIA, vs. CIN	Giving hope to those returning from TOS
4	Jake Arrieta	PHI	at LAD, at SF	Whiffs low but did fan seven Braves on 6.2 innings last time
5	Max Scherzer	WAS	at BAL	Coming off rare clunker, versus Marlins, no less
6	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. TOR, at HOU	The real Porcello is between the April and May version
7	James Paxton	SEA	vs. TEX	Allowed two of fewer runs last seven efforts
8	Jon Lester	CHC	at PIT, at NYM	The pitching version of a "professional pitcher"
9	Corey Kluber	CLE	vs. CWS
10	Chris Archer	TB	at OAK, at SEA	Benefiting from low hit rate lately
11	Michael Fulmer	DET	vs. LAA, vs. TOR	Strikeouts up lately, but so are walks
12	Chris Sale	BOS	at HOU	Kid gloves off, no more six innings and done
13	Charlie Morton	HOU	at NYY, vs. BOS	Great test against two of the top teams in the AL
14	Luke Weaver	STL	at MIL, vs. PIT	Improved control resulting in better outcomes
15	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	at BAL, at ATL	Missing more bats, but also missing the strike zone in recent outings
16	Vince Velasquez	PHI	at LAD, at SF	Inconsistent, but great matchups in great pitching venues
17	Zack Greinke	ARI	vs. MIA
18	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	vs. PHI	If bullpen goes well, will eschew rehab and jump right back into rotation
19	Gerrit Cole	HOU	vs. BOS
20	David Price	BOS	vs. TOR, at HOU	Returning to form, just needs to shave off a few walks
21	Aaron Nola	PHI	at LAD
22	Nick Pivetta	PHI	at SF
23	Blake Snell	TB	at OAK, at SEA	Pitching with confidence and it shows
24	Mike Clevinger	CLE	vs. CWS, at MIN	Good chance to rack up some punch outs
25	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	at BOS, at DET
26	Noah Syndergaard	NYM	at ATL
27	Jakob Junis	KC	vs. MIN, vs. OAK	Quietly effective in May with 30 K and 6 BB in 29 IP this month
28	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	at DET, vs. TEX	Rare two-start week for an Angels hurler
29	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	at ATL
30	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	at MIN
31	Luis Severino	NYY	vs. HOU
32	Dan Straily	MIA	at SD, at ARI	Walking way too many, but these lineups not hitting well enough to take advantage
33	Yu Darvish	CHC	at NYM
34	Kenta Maeda	LAD	vs. PHI, at COL	Hurt by second game in Coors, but still in play due to high whiffs
35	Caleb Smith	MIA	at SD, at ARI	Great matchups to further cement fantasy asset status
36	Garrett Richards	LAA	vs. TEX
37	Michael Wacha	STL	at MIL, vs. PIT
38	Matthew Boyd	DET	vs. LAA, vs. TOR
39	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. WAS, vs. NYY	Tough draws but 2.86 ERA, .73 WHIP with 29 K in 22 IP since implosion vs. KC
40	Luis Castillo	CIN	at ARI	Oh, so close. Homers still high.
41	Jose Quintana	CHC	at NYM	If he can't pitch well here, he can't pitch well anywhere
42	Madison Bumgarner	SF	vs. PHI	Welcome back
43	Patrick Corbin	ARI	vs. CIN
44	Ross Stripling	LAD	vs. PHI	Shot in the arm the Dodgers desperately needed
45	Jack Flaherty	STL	vs. PIT
46	Jon Gray	COL	vs. SF	So good, but next pitcher to consistently defeat Coors will be the first
47	Felix Hernandez	SEA	vs. TEX, vs. TB	Earned benefit of doubt but making it hard to oblige
48	Julio Teheran	ATL	vs. NYM	Surrendered five homers last three outings
49	Tyler Mahle	CIN	at SD	Needs a strong outing, this could be the panacea
50	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	at DET
51	Cole Hamels	TEX	at LAA
52	Miles Mikolas	STL	vs. PIT
53	Trevor Bauer	CLE	at MIN
54	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. CLE
55	Jeremy Hellickson	WAS	at BAL, at ATL
56	Marco Gonzales	SEA	vs. TEX, vs. TB	Low whiffs but pair at home helps
57	Bartolo Colon	TEX	at LAA
58	Trevor Cahill	OAK	vs. TB, at KC
59	Daniel Mengden	OAK	vs. TB
60	Brandon McCarthy	ATL	vs. WAS, vs. NYM	Rebounded nicely from disasters against Giants and Marlins
61	Luiz Gohara	ATL	vs. WAS
62	Clayton Richard	SD	vs. MIA	Just five walks in 34 innings
63	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	vs. TOR
64	Lance Lynn	MIN	at KC, vs. CLE	Regaining form, should be a useful mid-rotation option
65	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	at NYY
66	Wade LeBlanc	SEA	vs. TEX
67	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	at PIT	Pedestrian K-rate hurts ranking
68	CC Sabathia	NYY	vs. HOU, at BAL	Homers an issue - facing two lineups with power bats
69	Jameson Taillon	PIT	at STL
70	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at BAL	O's below average scoring runs but can go deep
71	Matt Harvey	CIN	at SD	0
72	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	vs. BOS
73	Elieser Hernandez	MIA	at ARI
74	Chase Anderson	MIL	at CWS	Mediocre pitcher + bad offense = streaming option
75	Jose Urena	MIA	at SD
76	Matt Koch	ARI	vs. CIN, vs. MIA
77	Brent Suter	MIL	vs. STL, at CWS	Stuff doesn't play as well as a starter
78	Nick Tropeano	LAA	at DET, vs. TEX
79	Sean Manaea	OAK	vs. TB	In a rut, good spot to extricate himself
80	Adam Plutko	CLE	vs. CWS, at MIN
81	Brock Stewart	LAD	vs. PHI
82	Homer Bailey	CIN	at ARI, at SD
83	Ivan Nova	PIT	vs. CHC, at STL
84	Joey Lucchesi	SD	vs. CIN	Could be back next weekend bit be careful, 8 HR in 47.1 IP, ERA will correct
85	Tyler Chatwood	CHC	at NYM	45 BB and 44 K in 48.1 IP
86	Carlos Rodon	CWS	vs. MIL	Tentative, but on target for 2018 debut
87	Domingo German	NYY	vs. HOU, at BAL
88	Zack Godley	ARI	vs. CIN	Major disappointment as control has been ungodly
89	Kyle Gibson	MIN	at KC, vs. CLE
90	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. TB
91	Sean Newcomb	ATL	vs. WAS	Good test for the youngster
92	Chad Kuhl	PIT	vs. CHC, at STL
93	Zach Davies	MIL	vs. STL
94	Eric Lauer	SD	vs. MIA, vs. CIN
95	Sonny Gray	NYY	at BAL
96	Chad Bettis	COL	vs. SF, vs. LAD
97	Clay Buchholz	ARI	vs. MIA
98	Joe Musgrove	PIT	vs. CHC	That was good Joe, let's see it again
99	Trevor Williams	PIT	at STL
100	Mike Minor	TEX	at SEA
101	Chris Stratton	SF	vs. PHI
102	Jordan Lyles	SD	vs. MIA
103	J.A. Happ	TOR	at DET	Tigers can be tough on lefties, very frugal with the strikeouts
104	Wei-Yin Chen	MIA	at SD
105	Tanner Roark	WAS	at ATL
106	Danny Duffy	KC	vs. MIN	Good effort last time, not yet out of the woods
107	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	vs. CLE
108	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	vs. WAS
109	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	at CWS
110	Blaine Hardy	DET	vs. TOR
111	Tyler Anderson	COL	vs. LAD
112	Hector Santiago	CWS	vs. MIL
113	Daniel Gossett	OAK	vs. TB, at KC
114	Junior Guerra	MIL	vs. STL
115	Zach Eflin	PHI	at LAD
116	Ian Kennedy	KC	vs. OAK
117	Alex Reyes	STL	at MIL	Reyes headed right into the rotations, but not likely to go deep into the games yet
118	Jason Hammel	KC	vs. OAK
119	Sal Romano	CIN	at ARI
120	Francisco Liriano	DET	vs. LAA
121	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	at HOU
122	Doug Fister	TEX	at SEA, at LAA
123	Steven Matz	NYM	at ATL, vs. CHC
124	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	at OAK
125	Nathan Eovaldi	TB	at OAK	On pace for 2018 debut, good offenses in favorable pitching venues
126	Fernando Romero	MIN	at KC
127	Austin Pruitt	TB	at SEA
128	Andrew Heaney	LAA	at DET	Encouraged by season to date - sneaky tough matchup
129	Alex Wood	LAD	at COL
130	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	at CLE	ERA correction on the way but has chance to soften by improving skills
131	Max Fried	ATL	vs. NYM
132	Walker Buehler	LAD	at COL
133	Alex Cobb	BAL	vs. WAS, vs. NYY
134	Jason Vargas	NYM	vs. CHC
135	Jeff Samardzija	SF	at COL
136	German Marquez	COL	vs. LAD
137	James Shields	CWS	vs. MIL
138	Kevin Gausman	BAL	vs. NYY
139	Jaime Garcia	TOR	at DET
140	Brad Keller	KC	vs. MIN
141	Frankie Montas	OAK	at KC
142	Marco Estrada	TOR	at BOS
143	Mike Montgomery	CHC	at PIT
144	Ty Blach	SF	vs. PHI
145	Kyle Freeland	COL	vs. SF
146	Mike Fiers	DET	vs. LAA
147	Zack Wheeler	NYM	vs. CHC
148	Matt Moore	TEX	at SEA
149	Austin Bibens-Dirkx	TEX	at SEA
150	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at CLE
151	Andrew Cashner	BAL	vs. NYY
152	Seth Lugo	NYM	at ATL
153	Sam Gaviglio	TOR	at BOS
154	David Hess	BAL	vs. WAS
155	Andrew Suarez	SF	at COL
156	Derek Holland	SF	at COL
157	Dylan Covey	CWS	at CLE