Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Scherzer Works on K Street

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Updated on September 3, 2016 7:40PM 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 Sept. 5-11

AMERICAN LEAGUE

START

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Chris Sale	DET, KC	His ERA is better on the road (2.55 to 3.89), but his skills are better at home (9.8/8.4 K9; 5.2/3.9 K:BB)
2	Justin Verlander	at CWS, BAL	Now hasn't allowed more than 3 ER in any of his last 12 (2.05 ERA, 91 Ks in 83.3 IP)
3	Corey Kluber	HOU, at MIN
4	Cole Hamels	at SEA, at LAA
5	Masahiro Tanaka	TOR, TB	Has a 2.53 ERA and 4.5 K:BB in five starts against TOR (2 starts) & TB (3 starts)
6	Yu Darvish	at LAA
7	Carlos Carrasco	HOU
8	Danny Duffy	at MIN	Running out of steam a little bit? Has allowed 8, 9, and 9 H in his last 3 (6.23 ERA, 1.79 WHIP)
9	David Price	at SD	Ready to finish big? Last 5: 2.06 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 34 Ks in 35 IP
10	Chris Archer	at NYY
11	Matt Shoemaker	TEX
12	Jose Quintana	DET
13	James Paxton	TEX, at OAK
14	Felix Hernandez	TEX, at OAK	Has 4 BB in three of his last five, though still has a 3.27 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in

For the week Sept. 5-11

AMERICAN LEAGUE

START

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Chris Sale	DET, KC	His ERA is better on the road (2.55 to 3.89), but his skills are better at home (9.8/8.4 K9; 5.2/3.9 K:BB)
2	Justin Verlander	at CWS, BAL	Now hasn't allowed more than 3 ER in any of his last 12 (2.05 ERA, 91 Ks in 83.3 IP)
3	Corey Kluber	HOU, at MIN
4	Cole Hamels	at SEA, at LAA
5	Masahiro Tanaka	TOR, TB	Has a 2.53 ERA and 4.5 K:BB in five starts against TOR (2 starts) & TB (3 starts)
6	Yu Darvish	at LAA
7	Carlos Carrasco	HOU
8	Danny Duffy	at MIN	Running out of steam a little bit? Has allowed 8, 9, and 9 H in his last 3 (6.23 ERA, 1.79 WHIP)
9	David Price	at SD	Ready to finish big? Last 5: 2.06 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 34 Ks in 35 IP
10	Chris Archer	at NYY
11	Matt Shoemaker	TEX
12	Jose Quintana	DET
13	James Paxton	TEX, at OAK
14	Felix Hernandez	TEX, at OAK	Has 4 BB in three of his last five, though still has a 3.27 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 33 IP
15	Marcus Stroman	at NYY
16	Aaron Sanchez	at NYY	Looked sharp after some extra time off, but he's a max-six inning guy right now, espec. if they get a lead
17	Rick Porcello	at TOR	Porcello, Odorizzi, Happ, and Fulmer all draw really tough matchups this week
18	Jake Odorizzi	BAL
19	J.A. Happ	BOS	He's only faced BOS once, but handled them: 7 IP/1 ER w/4 H, 4 K, and 0 BB
20	Danny Salazar	at MIN	Had a big start then welcomed his child into the world; if healthy, I can see a huge Sept.
21	Drew Pomeranz	at SD, at TOR
22	Dallas Keuchel	at CLE, CHC	One rough start in August (5 IP/6 ER v. STL), but still managed a 3.10 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 29 IP
23	Michael Fulmer	BAL
24	Ian Kennedy	at MIN, at CWS
25	Hisashi Iwakuma	at OAK
26	Marco Estrada	BOS
27	Chris Tillman	at DET	Slated to return on Sunday the 11th, stay tuned for news
28	Carlos Rodon	KC
29	Steven Wright	at SD
30	Kevin Gausman	at DET
31	Ervin Santana	KC
32	Sean Manaea	LAA
33	Trevor Bauer	HOU
34	Dylan Bundy	at TB	He's been up-and-down lately, but I'm still keeping him in the lineup; last 5 Game Scores; 60, 25, 58, 31, 66
35	CC Sabathia	TB
36	Yordano Ventura	at CWS
37	Matt Boyd	at CWS	Finished August with a 2.79 ERA in 29 IP
38	Anibal Sanchez	at CWS
39	Mike Fiers	at CLE, CHC
40	Michael Pineda	TB
41	Blake Snell	at NYY
42	Andrew Triggs	LAA
43	Drew Smyly	BAL	His bad outings are almost always HR-fueled so how much can we trust a BAL start?
44	Taijuan Walker	TEX
45	Daniel Norris	BAL
46	Doug Fister	at CLE
47	Eduardo Rodriguez	at TOR
48	Joe Musgrove	at CLE
49	R.A. Dickey	at NYY, BOS
50	Derek Holland	at SEA
51	A.J. Griffin	at SEA
52	Matt Andriese	BAL, at NYY
53	Josh Tomlin	HOU, at MIN
54	Luis Cessa	TOR, TB
55	Edinson Volquez	at CWS
56	Alex Cobb	at NYY
57	Kyle Gibson	KC
58	Tyler Skaggs	TEX
59	Collin McHugh	CHC
60	Chad Green	TOR
61	Daniel Mengden	SEA
62	Ross Detwiler	LAA, SEA
63	Martin Perez	at SEA, at LAA	Colby Lewis could actually snag this second start, it just depends on how his next rehab goes
64	Kendall Graveman	SEA
65	Dillon Gee	at MIN
66	Ricky Nolasco	at OAK
67	Hector Santiago	CLE
68	James Shields	KC
69	Miguel Gonzalez	DET
70	Yovani Gallardo	at TB
71	Ubaldo Jimenez	at TB
72	Andrew Albers	CLE
73	Wade Miley	at DET
73	Jered Weaver	at OAK, TEX
74	Pat Dean	KC, CLE
75	Brett Oberholtzer	at OAK
	Ariel Miranda	TEX

NATIONAL LEAGUE

START

Rank	Pitcher	Opponent(s)	Comments
1	Max Scherzer	ATL, PHI	Fanned 10-plus in four of his August starts totaling 51 in 41.3 IP
2	Jose Fernandez	LAD	Hasn't fanned fewer than 6 since April 23; should easily top 250 for the season
3	Jon Lester	at MIL
4	Clayton Kershaw	at MIA	He might be back next weekend!!!
5	Madison Bumgarner	at ARI
6	Johnny Cueto	at ARI
7	Kyle Hendricks	at MIL, at HOU	Doesn't it really matter how many you K when you have a 1.27 ERA in your last 85.3 IP? (btw, he has an 8.2 K9 in that run)
8	Noah Syndergaard	at CIN
9	Tanner Roark	PHI
10	Zack Greinke	at LAD, SF
11	Jake Arrieta	at HOU	Isn't getting crushed, but consistently looks a bit off lately
12	Carlos Martinez	MIL	We've traded Ks for a better WHIP it seems: -1.4 K9 for a 0.11 drop in WHIP
13	Vince Velasquez	at WAS	I don't even know if this start is guaranteed, but I think it's his last if he does make it
14	Jason Hammel	at MIL
15	Julio Teheran	NYM
16	Jacob deGrom	at ATL
17	Gio Gonzalez	ATL, PHI
18	Kenta Maeda	ARI
19	Gerrit Cole	CIN	He's inexplicably terrible against CIN: 5.44 ERA, 1.54 WHIP in 43 IP over his career
20	Jerad Eickhoff	at MIA, at WAS
21	Adam Wainwright	at PIT, MIL	He's lost the reliability that made him so good in his heyday, now you're never surprised when he allows 5+ ER
22	Jeremy Hellickson	at MIA
23	Anthony DeSclafani	at PIT	Outside of a 5 ER gm at SF, he's been excellent since the break: 3.32 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 58 Ks in 65 IP
24	John Lackey	at HOU
25	Jameson Taillon	STL
26	Rich Hill	at MIA
27	Dan Straily	at PIT
28	Zach Davies	CHC, at STL	This is about as tough a two-step as you can get withoutt hitting Coors
29	Jon Gray	at SD
30	Bartolo Colon	at CIN, at ATL
31	Jaime Garcia	MIL
32	Junior Guerra	at STL	He wasn't bad in the DL return; they also protected him a bit w/just 70 pitches
33	Robbie Ray	at LAD
34	Brandon Finnegan	NYM
35	Seth Lugo	at ATL
36	Matt Moore	at COL, at ARI
37	Ivan Nova	CIN
38	Tyler Anderson	SF
39	Tyler Chatwood	at SD	He's really only usable on the road so get him in here: 1.82 ERA, 1.13 WHIP in 59.3 IP
40	Luke Weaver	at PIT, MIL
41	Jimmy Nelson	at STL
42	Andrew Cashner	PHI
43	Mike Foltynewicz	at WAS
44	Matt Wisler	NYM
45	Ryan Vogelsong	STL, CIN
46	Ross Stripling	ARI	He's been solid since his return: 3.68 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 3.3 K:BB ratio in 36.7 IP
47	Tom Koehler	LAD
48	Julio Urias	ARI
49	Jose De Leon	at MIA	He's making his MLB debut on Sunday
50	Alex Reyes	at PIT
51	Homer Bailey	NYM
52	Jake Thompson	at WAS
53	Jeff Samardzija	at COL
54	A.J. Cole	PHI
55	Braden Shipley	SF
56	Shelby Miller	at LAD
57	Jeff Hoffman	SF
58	Rafael Montero	at CIN
59	Chase Anderson	at STL
60	Robert Stephenson	NYM, at PIT
61	Luis Perdomo	COL
62	Archie Bradley	SF
63	Chad Kuhl	STL, CIN
64	Jarred Cosart	BOS
65	Christian Friedrich	COL
66	John Gant	NYM
67	Adam Morgan	at MIA, at WAS
68	Edwin Jackson	BOS
69	Wily Peralta	CHC
70	Jose Urena	PHI
71	Matt Garza	CHC
72	Tyrell Jenkins	at WAS
73	Tim Adleman	at PIT
74	Jorge De La Rosa	at SD
75	Joel De La Cruz	at WAS
76	Chad Bettis	SF, at SD
77	Clayton Richard	COL
78	Jake Esch	PHI, LAD
79	Paul Clemens	BOS, COL
80	Matt Cain	at COL

MLB TOP 100

RANK	PITCHER	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Max Scherzer	ATL, PHI	Fanned 10-plus in four of his August starts totaling 51 in 41.3 IP
2	Chris Sale	DET, KC	His ERA is better on the road (2.55 to 3.89), but his skills are better at home (9.8/8.4 K9; 5.2/3.9 K:BB)
3	Justin Verlander	at CWS, BAL	Now hasn't allowed more than 3 ER in any of his last 12 (2.05 ERA, 91 Ks in 83.3 IP)
4	Corey Kluber	HOU, at MIN
5	Cole Hamels	at SEA, at LAA
6	Masahiro Tanaka	TOR, TB	Has a 2.53 ERA and 4.5 K:BB in five starts against TOR (2 starts) & TB (3 starts)
7	Jose Fernandez	LAD	Hasn't fanned fewer than 6 since April 23; should easily top 250 for the season
8	Jon Lester	at MIL
9	Clayton Kershaw	at MIA	He might be back next weekend!!!
10	Yu Darvish	at LAA
11	Carlos Carrasco	HOU
12	Danny Duffy	at MIN	Running out of steam a little bit? Has allowed 8, 9, and 9 H in his last 3 (6.23 ERA, 1.79 WHIP)
13	David Price	at SD	Ready to finish big? Last 5: 2.06 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 34 Ks in 35 IP
14	Madison Bumgarner	at ARI
15	Johnny Cueto	at ARI
16	Kyle Hendricks	at MIL, at HOU	Doesn't it really matter how many you K when you have a 1.27 ERA in your last 85.3 IP? (btw, he has an 8.2 K9 in that run)
17	Noah Syndergaard	at CIN
18	Chris Archer	at NYY
19	Tanner Roark	PHI
20	Zack Greinke	at LAD, SF
21	Jake Arrieta	at HOU	Isn't getting crushed, but consistently looks a bit off lately
22	Matt Shoemaker	TEX
23	Carlos Martinez	MIL	We've traded Ks for a better WHIP it seems: -1.4 K9 for a 0.11 drop in WHIP
24	Vince Velasquez	at WAS	I don't even know if this start is guaranteed, but I think it's his last if he does make it
25	Jason Hammel	at MIL
26	Jose Quintana	DET
27	James Paxton	TEX, at OAK
28	Felix Hernandez	TEX, at OAK	Has 4 BB in three of his last five, though still has a 3.27 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 33 IP
29	Marcus Stroman	at NYY
30	Aaron Sanchez	at NYY	Looked sharp after some extra time off, but he's a max-six inning guy right now, espec. if they get a lead
31	Julio Teheran	NYM
32	Jacob deGrom	at ATL
33	Gio Gonzalez	ATL, PHI
34	Kenta Maeda	ARI
35	Rick Porcello	at TOR	Porcello, Odorizzi, Happ, and Fulmer all draw really tough matchups this week
36	Jake Odorizzi	BAL
37	J.A. Happ	BOS	He's only faced BOS once, but handled them: 7 IP/1 ER w/4 H, 4 K, and 0 BB
38	Danny Salazar	at MIN	Had a big start then welcomed his child into the world; if healthy, I can see a huge Sept.
39	Drew Pomeranz	at SD, at TOR
40	Dallas Keuchel	at CLE, CHC	One rough start in August (5 IP/6 ER v. STL), but still managed a 3.10 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 29 IP
41	Gerrit Cole	CIN	He's inexplicably terrible against CIN: 5.44 ERA, 1.54 WHIP in 43 IP over his career
42	Jerad Eickhoff	at MIA, at WAS
43	Michael Fulmer	BAL
44	Ian Kennedy	at MIN, at CWS
45	Adam Wainwright	at PIT, MIL	He's lost the reliability that made him so good in his heyday, now you're never surprised when he allows 5+ ER
46	Jeremy Hellickson	at MIA
47	Anthony DeSclafani	at PIT	Outside of a 5 ER gm at SF, he's been excellent since the break: 3.32 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 58 Ks in 65 IP
48	Hisashi Iwakuma	at OAK
49	John Lackey	at HOU
50	Marco Estrada	BOS
51	Jameson Taillon	STL
52	Rich Hill	at MIA
53	Chris Tillman	at DET	Slated to return on Sunday the 11th, stay tuned for news
54	Carlos Rodon	KC
55	Steven Wright	at SD
56	Kevin Gausman	at DET
57	Dan Straily	at PIT
58	Zach Davies	CHC, at STL	This is about as tough a two-step as you can get withoutt hitting Coors
59	Jon Gray	at SD
60	Ervin Santana	KC
61	Bartolo Colon	at CIN, at ATL
62	Sean Manaea	LAA
63	Trevor Bauer	HOU
64	Dylan Bundy	at TB	He's been up-and-down lately, but I'm still keeping him in the lineup; last 5 Game Scores; 60, 25, 58, 31, 66
65	Jaime Garcia	MIL
66	Junior Guerra	at STL	He wasn't bad in the DL return; they also protected him a bit w/just 70 pitches
67	Robbie Ray	at LAD
68	CC Sabathia	TB
69	Brandon Finnegan	NYM
70	Yordano Ventura	at CWS
71	Matt Boyd	at CWS	Finished August with a 2.79 ERA in 29 IP
72	Anibal Sanchez	at CWS
73	Mike Fiers	at CLE, CHC
74	Seth Lugo	at ATL
75	Matt Moore	at COL, at ARI
76	Ivan Nova	CIN
77	Michael Pineda	TB
78	Blake Snell	at NYY
79	Tyler Anderson	SF
80	Andrew Triggs	LAA
81	Tyler Chatwood	at SD	He's really only usable on the road so get him in here: 1.82 ERA, 1.13 WHIP in 59.3 IP
82	Luke Weaver	at PIT, MIL
83	Drew Smyly	BAL	His bad outings are almost always HR-fueled so how much can we trust a BAL start?
84	Jimmy Nelson	at STL
85	Taijuan Walker	TEX
85	Andrew Cashner	PHI
86	Daniel Norris	BAL
87	Mike Foltynewicz	at WAS
88	Matt Wisler	NYM
89	Doug Fister	at CLE
90	Eduardo Rodriguez	at TOR
91	Ryan Vogelsong	STL, CIN
92	Ross Stripling	ARI	He's been solid since his return: 3.68 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 3.3 K:BB ratio in 36.7 IP
93	Tom Koehler	LAD
94	Julio Urias	ARI
96	Jose De Leon	at MIA	He's making his MLB debut on Sunday
97	Alex Reyes	at PIT
98	Joe Musgrove	at CLE
99	R.A. Dickey	at NYY, BOS
100	Derek Holland	at SEA