Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Carrasco's Hitting his Stride

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Updated on July 2, 2016 9:06PM EST

As always, remember that rotations are subject to change, so if you see something that looks incorrect, assume that it was a change that occurred since this was written and feel free to politely bring it up in the comments. I'll let you know where the new arm slots.

For the week July 4-10

AMERICAN LEAGUE

START

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Carlos Carrasco	DET, NYY	We have liftoff: 1.52 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 35 Ks and 4.4 K:BB in last 29.7 IP
2	Danny Salazar	DET, NYY
3	Chris Sale	ATL	The HR bug infected Sale in June (1.8 HR/9), but he still managed a passable 3.93 ERA
4	Cole Hamels	MIN
5	Corey Kluber	NYY
6	Michael Fulmer	at CLE	The Fulmer Innings Protection Plan (FIPP) had a successful beginning as he went 7 scoreless, 2-hit IP after 8 days off
7	David Price	TEX, TB	Ugh, he was so close to going under 4.00 and then 10 ER in 8.7 IP; so frustrating
8	Justin Verlander	at TOR
9	Matt Shoemaker	at BAL	Just finished a helluva June: 2.14 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 45 Ks and 5 BBs in 42 IP
10	Jose Quintana	ATL
11	Danny Duffy	SEA
12	Steven Wright	TEX
13	Aaron Sanchez	KC, DET	More than held his own in Coors (we hinted at as much in last week's PVM) to cap a strong June: 2.72 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 38 Ks in 39.7 IP
14	Lance McCullers	SEA, OAK	Still walking the world (4.6

For the week July 4-10

AMERICAN LEAGUE

START

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Carlos Carrasco	DET, NYY	We have liftoff: 1.52 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 35 Ks and 4.4 K:BB in last 29.7 IP
2	Danny Salazar	DET, NYY
3	Chris Sale	ATL	The HR bug infected Sale in June (1.8 HR/9), but he still managed a passable 3.93 ERA
4	Cole Hamels	MIN
5	Corey Kluber	NYY
6	Michael Fulmer	at CLE	The Fulmer Innings Protection Plan (FIPP) had a successful beginning as he went 7 scoreless, 2-hit IP after 8 days off
7	David Price	TEX, TB	Ugh, he was so close to going under 4.00 and then 10 ER in 8.7 IP; so frustrating
8	Justin Verlander	at TOR
9	Matt Shoemaker	at BAL	Just finished a helluva June: 2.14 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 45 Ks and 5 BBs in 42 IP
10	Jose Quintana	ATL
11	Danny Duffy	SEA
12	Steven Wright	TEX
13	Aaron Sanchez	KC, DET	More than held his own in Coors (we hinted at as much in last week's PVM) to cap a strong June: 2.72 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 38 Ks in 39.7 IP
14	Lance McCullers	SEA, OAK	Still walking the world (4.6 BB/9 in June), still surviving in spite of it (3.20 ERA, 28 Ks in 25.3 June IP)
15	Jake Odorizzi	LAA, at BOS
16	CC Sabathia	at CWS, at CLE	No reason to let him out for the 8th vs. TEX (0 outs, 3 H, 4 R) even at 90 pitches
17	Masahiro Tanaka	at CWS
18	Sonny Gray	at MIN
19	Marco Estrada	DET
20	Michael Pineda	at CWS	I can't dive in completely, but I also can't ignore a 2.75 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in June (36 IP) w/49 Ks and 4 HR; 6.92 ERA, 1.9 HR/9 in first 10 starts
21	James Paxton	at KC
22	Trevor Bauer	NYY
23	Chris Tillman	at LAD, LAA	A blip or falling apart? Has an 8.59 ERA and 1.79 WHIP in his last 3 (14.7 IP) w/9 Ks, 5 BBs and 4 HRs
24	Rich Hill	at HOU	He's coming back in time to pump his trade value for OAK
25	Taijuan Walker	at HOU, at KC
26	R.A. Dickey	KC, DET
27	Dallas Keuchel	SEA, OAK
28	Rick Porcello	TEX, TB
29	Jordan Zimmermann	at CLE, at TOR
30	Chris Archer	at BOS
31	Josh Tomlin	DET	Had 2.6 HR/9 in trips to DET and TOR yet allowed just 4 ER in 14 IP
32	Drew Smyly	LAA
33	Daniel Mengden	at HOU
34	Carlos Rodon	NYY
35	J.A. Happ	DET
36	A.J. Griffin	at BOS, MIN	Has picked up where he left off w/a 2.89 ERA and 14 Ks in 2 starts (9.3 IP) since returning; building back toward 100 pitches
37	Sean Manaea	at MIN, at HOU
38	Matt Moore	LAA, at BOS
39	Daniel Norris	at CLE, at TOR
40	Marcus Stroman	KC
41	Collin McHugh	OAK
42	Doug Fister	OAK
43	Hisashi Iwakuma	at KC
44	Mike Fiers	SEA
45	Kevin Gausman	at LAD
46	Martin Perez	at BOS
47	Blake Snell	LAA
48	Yordano Ventura	SEA	The volatility makes him tough to trust: 6, 1, 6, 1, 0 and 7 ER over his last 6
49	Nathan Eovaldi	at CLE	Booooo ... that's right, I'm booing Eovaldi
50	Clay Buchholz	TB
51	Ervin Santana	OAK	Might be finding his footing: 2.41 ERA, 1.07 WHIP in last 3 w/just 1 HR allowed (5.10 ERA, 1.4 HR/9 in first 12 starts)
52	Tyler Duffey	at TEX
53	Jhoulys Chacin	at TB
54	Edinson Volquez	at TOR, SEA
55	Yovani Gallardo	at LAD, LAA

SIT

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
56	Ian Kennedy	at TOR	The insane HR surge across the league keeps Kennedy up at night (1.9 HR/9), especially w/a trip to TOR on tap
57	James Shields	NYY, ATL	Back-to-back solidish starts (4 ER in 11.7 IP) isn't enough to put him back in lineups
58	Kyle Gibson	at TEX
59	Tyler Wilson	LAA
60	Ivan Nova	at CLE
61	Wade Miley	at HOU, at KC
62	Chris Young	at TOR, SEA
63	Hector Santiago	at TB
64	Kendall Graveman	at MIN, at HOU
65	Ricky Nolasco	OAK, at TEX
66	Miguel Gonzalez	NYY
67	Tommy Milone	OAK, at TEX
68	Mike Pelfrey	at TOR
69	Tim Lincecum	at TB, at BAL
70	Jered Weaver	at TB, at BAL
71	Wade LeBlanc	at HOU
72	Chi Chi Gonzalez	MIN
73	Nick Martinez	at BOS, MIN

NATIONAL LEAGUE

START

Rank	Pitcher	Opponent(s)	Comments
1	The Clayton Kershaw Memorial Spot	none :(	Because he's on the DL :(
1	Max Scherzer	MIL, at NYM	Fanned 10-plus in five of his six June starts (1.96 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 58 Ks in 41.3 IP)
2	Jose Fernandez	CIN	A couple wobbly starts (for his standards, at least) early on had some worrying; since May 9: 1.18 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 91 Ks in 61 IP
3	Jake Arrieta	at PIT
4	Madison Bumgarner	COL	He could be having his best season yet with a career-high 2.20 ERA and 9.9 K/9
5	Jon Lester	at PIT
6	Johnny Cueto	COL
7	Matt Harvey	MIA, WAS	Prior to the rain-shortened outing, he'd gone 6-plus IP in five straight after doing so just 3x in his first 10 starts
8	Jacob deGrom	MIA
9	Kyle Hendricks	CIN, at PIT	He hasn't allowed 4 ER in any of his L8 starts (2.15 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 46 Ks in 50.3 IP)
10	Julio Teheran	at PHI
11	Drew Pomeranz	at LAD
12	John Lackey	CIN
13	Noah Syndergaard	WAS	Not entirely sure how to rank Thor at this point so I played it toward the cautious side
14	Jeff Samardzija	ARI
15	Kenta Maeda	BAL, SD
16	Zack Greinke	at SF	Likely missing his Tuesday start w/an oblique, but could return on the weekend; stay tuned for news
17	Tanner Roark	MIL
18	Joe Ross	at NYM
19	Carlos Martinez	PIT
20	Jason Hammel	ATL
21	Steven Matz	MIA, WAS	I'm even less certain about Matz after a bumpy June (5.74 ERA, 2.02 WHIP, 26 Ks in 26.7 IP)
22	Junior Guerra	at WAS, STL
23	Jameson Taillon	at STL, CHC	The 24-year old looks like he has staying power after 5 starts; the 1.3 HR/9 is built off that Cubs start where allowed 3 of his 4 HRs
24	Adam Wainwright	PIT
25	Michael Wacha	at MIL
26	Gio Gonzalez	MIL, at NYM
27	Julio Urias	SD
28	Lucas Giolito	at NYM	Was looking solid in MLB debut before rain ended his night early; he gets another run at the Mets in his 2nd start
29	Zach Davies	at WAS	Even w/6 ER vs. LAD, he still finished June w/a 2.89 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 39 Ks in 37.3 IP
30	Matt Wisler	at CWS
31	Jerad Eickhoff	ATL, at COL	Huge June (2.23 ERA in 36.3 IP) included trips to TOR and ARI while also hosting CHC; having ATL 1st helps ease potential pain of Coors
32	Jaime Garcia	PIT
33	Adam Conley	CIN
34	Vincent Velasquez	at COL	Smashed the D'backs in his return w/5 shutout IP and 7 Ks; I have a weird feeling that he'll come out of Coors fine (5-6 IP, 2-3 ER)
35	Jon Gray	PHI
36	Scott Kazmir	SD
37	Bartolo Colon	WAS	Hasn't allowed more than 2 ER in any of his last 7 starts (1.80 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, though just 18 Ks in 40 IP)
38	Jimmy Nelson	STL
39	Jeremy Hellickson	ATL
40	Archie Bradley	SD
41	Aaron Nola	at COL
42	Mike Leake	PIT, at MIL
43	Brandon Finnegan	at CHC	Lefties have been the issue for this 23-year-old southpaw w/a 0.8 K:BB ratio against them in 101 PA
44	Tom Koehler	at NYM, CIN
45	Bud Norris	BAL	New team, but another gem (6 IP/0 ER/8 K), now has a 1.78 ERA and 37 Ks in his last 35.3 IP; still nervous vs. BAL
46	Dan Straily	at MIA
47	Tyler Anderson	at SF, PHI
48	Shelby Miller	SD	Excitement from the sharp return at PHI was quickly curbed w/a trip to Coors and hosting SF (12 ER in 12 IP); back to square 1
49	Anthony DeSclafani	at CHC
50	Chase Anderson	STL
51	Robbie Ray	at SF
52	Chad Kuhl	at STL	The 23-year-old rookie was having his worst HR/9 season (1.1) before recall, which is a bit worrisome as he enters this heavy HR enviroment

SIT

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
53	Tyler Chatwood	at SF, PHI	I'd love to trust the 3.15 ERA/1.23 WHIP combo, but I can't get beyond the 5.6 K/9 and 1.8 K:BB for a Coors pitcher
54	Cody Reed	at CHC, at MIA	Just hasn't found anything vs. righties (1.114 OPS in 65 of his 74 PA)
55	Jon Niese	at STL, CHC
56	Jake Peavy	COL, ARI
57	Brock Stewart	BAL, SD	Had big MiLB numbers prior to call-up, but most were accumulated in AA as a 24-year old
58	Colin Rea	at ARI
59	Chad Bettis	PHI
60	John Lamb	at MIA
61	Adam Warren	CIN	Joining the rotation for a spell (or maybe even just this one outing) to give guys an extra day
62	Albert Suarez	ARI
63	Andrew Cashner	at LAD
64	Christian Friedrich	at ARI, at LAD
65	Wei-Yin Chen	at NYM	The giant surge in HRs leaguewide is the worst news possible for this noted HR giver-upper; he has a career-worst 1.6 HR/9
66	Mike Foltynewicz	at PHI, at CWS	He's been impossible to hit in 5 AAA starts (4.3 H/9), but still walking the world (4.7 BB/9); still intriguing at 24 years old, but only worth monitoring right now
67	Francisco Liriano	CHC
68	Matt Garza	at WAS
69	Patrick Corbin	at SF
70	Zach Eflin	ATL, at COL
71	Luis Perdomo	at ARI, at LAD
72	Jorge De La Rosa	at SF
73	Joel de la Cruz	at PHI, at CWS
74	Jeff Locke	at STL
75	Justin Nicolino	at NYM
76	Lucas Harrell	at CHC	His last 166 MLB IP (2013-14): 6.13 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, 98 Ks and 97 BB

MLB TOP 100

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Max Scherzer	MIL, at NYM	Fanned 10-plus in five of his six June starts (1.96 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 58 Ks in 41.3 IP)
2	Carlos Carrasco	DET, NYY	We have liftoff: 1.52 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 35 Ks and 4.4 K:BB in last 29.7 IP
3	Jose Fernandez	CIN	A couple wobbly starts (for his standards, at least) early on had some worrying; since May 9: 1.18 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 91 Ks in 61 IP
4	Danny Salazar	DET, NYY
5	Jake Arrieta	at PIT
6	Madison Bumgarner	COL	He could be having his best season yet with a career-high 2.20 ERA and 9.9 K/9
7	Chris Sale	ATL	The HR bug infected Sale in June (1.8 HR/9), but he still managed a passable 3.93 ERA
8	Jon Lester	at PIT
9	Johnny Cueto	COL
10	Cole Hamels	MIN
11	Corey Kluber	NYY
12	Matt Harvey	MIA, WAS	Prior to the rain-shortened outing, he'd gone 6-plus IP in five straight after doing so just 3x in his first 10 starts
13	Jacob deGrom	MIA
14	Kyle Hendricks	CIN, at PIT	He hasn't allowed 4 ER in any of his L8 starts (2.15 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 46 Ks in 50.3 IP)
15	Michael Fulmer	at CLE	The Fulmer Innings Protection Plan (FIPP) had a successful beginning as he went 7 scoreless, 2-hit IP after 8 days off
16	Julio Teheran	at PHI
17	David Price	TEX, TB	Ugh, he was so close to going under 4.00 and then 10 ER in 8.7 IP; so frustrating
18	Drew Pomeranz	at LAD
19	John Lackey	CIN
20	Justin Verlander	at TOR
21	Noah Syndergaard	WAS	Not entirely sure how to rank Thor at this point so I played it toward the cautious side
22	Jeff Samardzija	ARI
23	Kenta Maeda	BAL, SD
24	Matt Shoemaker	at BAL	Just finished a helluva June: 2.14 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 45 Ks and 5 BBs in 42 IP
25	Zack Greinke	at SF	Likely missing his Tuesday start w/an oblique, but could return on the weekend; stay tuned for news
26	Tanner Roark	MIL
27	Joe Ross	at NYM
28	Jose Quintana	ATL
29	Carlos Martinez	PIT
30	Danny Duffy	SEA
31	Steven Wright	TEX
32	Aaron Sanchez	KC, DET	More than held his own in Coors (we hinted at as much in last week's PVM) to cap a strong June: 2.72 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 38 Ks in 39.7 IP
33	Lance McCullers	SEA, OAK	Still walking the world (4.6 BB/9 in June), still surviving in spite of it (3.20 ERA, 28 Ks in 25.3 June IP)
34	Jake Odorizzi	LAA, at BOS
35	Jason Hammel	ATL
36	CC Sabathia	at CWS, at CLE	No reason to let him out for the 8th vs. TEX (0 outs, 3 H, 4 R) even at 90 pitches
37	Steven Matz	MIA, WAS	I'm even less certain about Matz after a bumpy June (5.74 ERA, 2.02 WHIP, 26 Ks in 26.7 IP)
38	Junior Guerra	at WAS, STL
39	Masahiro Tanaka	at CWS
40	Jameson Taillon	at STL, CHC	The 24-year old looks like he has staying power after 5 starts; the 1.3 HR/9 is built off that Cubs start where allowed 3 of his 4 HRs
41	Adam Wainwright	PIT
42	Sonny Gray	at MIN
43	Marco Estrada	DET
44	Michael Pineda	at CWS	I can't dive in completely, but I also can't ignore a 2.75 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in June (36 IP) w/49 Ks and 4 HR; 6.92 ERA, 1.9 HR/9 in first 10 starts
45	James Paxton	at KC
46	Trevor Bauer	NYY
47	Michael Wacha	at MIL
48	Gio Gonzalez	MIL, at NYM
49	Chris Tillman	at LAD, LAA	A blip or falling apart? Has an 8.59 ERA and 1.79 WHIP in his last 3 (14.7 IP) w/9 Ks, 5 BBs and 4 HRs
50	Rich Hill	at HOU	He's coming back in time to pump his trade value for OAK
51	Taijuan Walker	at HOU, at KC
52	R.A. Dickey	KC, DET
53	Dallas Keuchel	SEA, OAK
54	Rick Porcello	TEX, TB
55	Jordan Zimmermann	at CLE, at TOR
56	Julio Urias	SD
57	Chris Archer	at BOS
58	Josh Tomlin	DET	Had 2.6 HR/9 in trips to DET and TOR yet allowed just 4 ER in 14 IP
59	Lucas Giolito	at NYM	Was looking solid in MLB debut before rain ended his night early; he gets another run at the Mets in his 2nd start
60	Zach Davies	at WAS	Even w/6 ER vs. LAD, he still finished June w/a 2.89 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 39 Ks in 37.3 IP
61	Matt Wisler	at CWS
62	Jerad Eickhoff	ATL, at COL	Huge June (2.23 ERA in 36.3 IP) included trips to TOR and ARI while also hosting CHC; having ATL 1st helps ease potential pain of Coors
63	Jaime Garcia	PIT
64	Adam Conley	CIN
65	Drew Smyly	LAA
66	Daniel Mengden	at HOU
67	Carlos Rodon	NYY
68	Vincent Velasquez	at COL	Smashed the D'backs in his return w/5 shutout IP and 7 Ks; I have a weird feeling that he'll come out of Coors fine (5-6 IP, 2-3 ER)
69	Jon Gray	PHI
70	J.A. Happ	DET
71	A.J. Griffin	at BOS, MIN	Has picked up where he left off w/a 2.89 ERA and 14 Ks in 2 starts (9.3 IP) since returning; building back toward 100 pitches
72	Sean Manaea	at MIN, at HOU
73	Matt Moore	LAA, at BOS
74	Daniel Norris	at CLE, at TOR
75	Scott Kazmir	SD
76	Bartolo Colon	WAS	Hasn't allowed more than 2 ER in any of his last 7 starts (1.80 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, though just 18 Ks in 40 IP)
77	Marcus Stroman	KC
78	Collin McHugh	OAK
79	Doug Fister	OAK
80	Hisashi Iwakuma	at KC
81	Mike Fiers	SEA
82	Jimmy Nelson	STL
83	Jeremy Hellickson	ATL
84	Archie Bradley	SD
85	Kevin Gausman	at LAD
85	Martin Perez	at BOS
86	Blake Snell	LAA
87	Yordano Ventura	SEA	The volatility makes him tough to trust: 6, 1, 6, 1, 0 and 7 ER over his last 6
88	Aaron Nola	at COL
89	Mike Leake	PIT, at MIL
90	Brandon Finnegan	at CHC	Lefties have been the issue for this 23-year old southpaw w/a 0.8 K:BB ratio against them in 101 PA
91	Tom Koehler	at NYM, CIN
92	Bud Norris	BAL	New team, but another gem (6 IP/0 ER/8 K), now has a 1.78 ERA and 37 Ks in his last 35.3 IP; still nervous vs. BAL
93	Dan Straily	at MIA
94	Tyler Anderson	at SF, PHI
96	Shelby Miller	SD	Excitement from the sharp return at PHI was quickly curbed w/a trip to Coors and hosting SF (12 ER in 12 IP); back to square 1
97	Anthony DeSclafani	at CHC
98	Chase Anderson	STL
99	Robbie Ray	at SF
100	Chad Kuhl	at STL	The 23-year old rookie was having his worst HR/9 season (1.1) before recall, which is a bit worrisome as he enters this heavy HR enviroment