Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Lonely at the Top

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Updated on August 21, 2023 1:38AM EST

Usually, there are at least five double-dippers in the Top-10 overall, but this week there is just one with Zac Gallen on top, then the next highest guy with two starts, Blake Snell, checks in as No. 13. The fifth-highest ranked two-start hurler is Bailey Ober, way down at No. 41.

This is no doubt due a combination of the schedule, quality of two-start options as well as the quantity. More teams are using a six-man rotation, and/or deploying the opener and bulk reliever combo.

It irks me how some are blindly attributing cause and effect to the new rules, so I'll stop short of saying injuries and the other factors affecting rotations are offshoots of the changes to the game. But it certainly has to be considered, and not necessarily in a good way.

The rescheduling of three games in Southern California introduces even more questions to some rotations. We'll do the best to sort it out over the weekend. As usual, please direct scheduling question to the Probable Pitchers page. I'm here to answer all rankings questions posted below.

UPDATED: Monday August 21, 1:40 AM ET

Week of August 21 - 27

Mixed

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comments
1	Zac Gallen	ARI	TEX, CIN	In the mix for NL Cy Young
2	Luis Castillo	SEA	@CWS, KC
3	Spencer Strider	ATL	@SF	2.47 xFIP, should be running away with NL Young
4	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	CIN

This is no doubt due a combination of the schedule, quality of two-start options as well as the quantity. More teams are using a six-man rotation, and/or deploying the opener and bulk reliever combo.

UPDATED: Monday August 21, 1:40 AM ET

Week of August 21 - 27

Mixed

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comments	MIX12	MIX15
1	Zac Gallen	ARI	TEX, CIN	In the mix for NL Cy Young
2	Luis Castillo	SEA	@CWS, KC
3	Spencer Strider	ATL	@SF	2.47 xFIP, should be running away with NL Young
4	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	CIN
5	Blake Snell	SD	MIA, @MIL
6	Gerrit Cole	NYY	WAS
7	Tyler Glasnow	TB	COL
8	Corbin Burnes	MIL	MIN
9	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	@CLE
10	Max Fried	ATL	@SF
11	Framber Valdez	HOU	@DET
12	Bryce Miller	SEA	KC
13	Aaron Nola	PHI	SF, STL	Enduring bad luck all season, but last 3 GS, .368 BABIP, 69.1% LOB has inflated ERA to 5.87 over last 15.1 IP, compared to 3.50 xFIP in that span
14	Logan Gilbert	SEA	KC
15	Max Scherzer	TEX	@MIN	3-0 with 1.80 ERA, .80 WHIP and 26 K in 20 IP since the trade
16	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	@SD	Pacing for >200 IP for third straight season
17	Zack Wheeler	PHI	STL
18	Mike Clevinger	CWS	SEA, OAK	4.62 xFIP and 3.26 ERA indicates good fortune, but these matchups are too juicy	39%
19	Jordan Montgomery	TEX	@ARI, @MIN
20	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	SD	5 HR allowed over last 16.2 IP inflating ERA
21	Zach Eflin	TB	NYY
22	Kyle Bradish	BAL	COL
23	Pablo Lopez	MIN	TEX
24	Cristian Javier	HOU	BOS, @DET
25	George Kirby	SEA	@CWS
26	Lance Lynn	LAD	@CLE
27	Yusei Kikuchi	TOR	@BAL, CLE	Quietly having a solid campaign
28	Kevin Gausman	TOR	@BAL
29	Freddy Peralta	MIL	SD
30	Cole Ragans	KC	@OAK
31	Justin Steele	CHC	@PIT	In a run, but should rebound here
32	Merrill Kelly	ARI	CIN
33	Tarik Skubal	DET	CHC
34	Michael Lorenzen	PHI	SF	Johnny Van de Meer's family can rest easy, record still intact
35	Kodai Senga	NYM	LAA
36	Bailey Ober	MIN	@MIL, TEX
37	Dylan Cease	CWS	OAK
38	Brady Singer	KC	@SEA
39	Kenta Maeda	MIN	@MIL
40	Sonny Gray	MIN	TEX
41	Braxton Garrett	MIA	WAS	0%
42	Tanner Bibee	CLE	@TOR
43	Andrew Abbott	CIN	@LAA
44	Zack Littell	TB	COL, NYY
45	Aaron Civale	TB	COL
46	Julio Urias	LAD	@BOS
47	Jon Gray	TEX	@ARI
48	Bobby Miller	LAD	@CLE, @BOS
49	Graham Ashcraft	CIN	@LAA, @ARI
50	Chris Bassitt	TOR	CLE
51	Dane Dunning	TEX	@MIN	29 K in last 20.2 IP, where did that come from?
52	Lucas Giolito	LAA	CIN
53	Justin Verlander	HOU	BOS
54	Javier Assad	CHC	@DET, @PIT		5%
55	Logan Webb	SF	ATL
56	Chris Sale	BOS	@HOU
57	Johnny Cueto	MIA	@SD, WAS		5%
58	James Paxton	BOS	@HOU, LAD
59	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	@PIT
60	Eury Perez	MIA	WAS
61	Hyun Jin Ryu	TOR	CLE		42%
62	Eduardo Rodriguez	DET	HOU
63	Yu Darvish	SD	@MIL
64	Hunter Brown	HOU	@DET
65	Chase Silseth	LAA	@NYM
66	Cristopher Sanchez	PHI	STL
67	Angel Zerpa	KC	@OAK		0%	0%
68	Cole Irvin	BAL	COL		2%	43%
69	Patrick Sandoval	LAA	@NYM
70	Wade Miley	MIL	MIN
71	Bryce Elder	ATL	NYM
72	Michael Wacha	SD	@MIL
73	Joe Ryan	MIN	TEX
74	Jose Berrios	TOR	@BAL
75	Johan Oviedo	PIT	STL, CHC
76	Allan Winans	ATL	NYM, @SF		9%	49%
77	Jameson Taillon	CHC	@DET
78	Alec Marsh	KC	@OAK, @SEA		1%	15%
79	Carlos Rodon	NYY	WAS, @TB
80	Mitch Keller	PIT	CHC
81	Mix 12 Reliever
82	Brandon Williamson	CIN	@ARI		37%
83	Gavin Williams	CLE	LAD
84	Jordan Lyles	KC	@SEA		0%	8%
85	J.P. France	HOU	BOS
86	Tanner Houck	BOS	@HOU, LAD		12%
87	Brayan Bello	BOS	@HOU
88	Andrew Heaney	TEX	@MIN
89	Grayson Rodriguez	BAL	TOR
90	Brandon Pfaadt	ARI	CIN
91	Mix 15 Reliever
92	Sean Manaea	SF	@PHI		4%	30%
93	Seth Lugo	SD	MIA
94	Charlie Morton	ATL	NYM
95	Jesus Luzardo	MIA	@SD
96	Reese Olson	DET	CHC		32%
97	Paul Blackburn	OAK	KC, @CWS		11%
98	Kyle Gibson	BAL	COL
99	Taijuan Walker	PHI	SF
100	Dean Kremer	BAL	TOR
101	Tyler Anderson	LAA	@NYM		7%
102	MacKenzie Gore	WAS	@NYY
103	Reid Detmers	LAA	CIN
104	Austin Gomber	COL	@TB		4%	30%
105	Kutter Crawford	BOS	LAD
106	Alex Faedo	DET	CHC, HOU		8%
107	Nick Lodolo	CIN	@ARI
108	Hunter Greene	CIN	@ARI	Good to see him back
109	Logan Allen	CLE	@TOR
110	Erasmo Ramirez	TB	NYY		0%	0%
111	Michael Kopech	CWS	SEA
112	Peter Lambert	COL	@TB		0%	0%
113	Jesse Scholtens	CWS	OAK		5%
114	Touki Toussaint	CWS	SEA, OAK		2%
115	JP Sears	OAK	@CWS
116	Ty Blach	COL	@TB, @BAL		0%	0%
117	Jose Urquidy	HOU	BOS
118	Drew Smyly	CHC	@DET, @PIT		33%
119	Jose Quintana	NYM	@ATL		37%
120	Kyle Freeland	COL	@BAL		5%	26%
121	Adrian Houser	MIL	SD		3%
122	Jake Irvin	WAS	@MIA		2%	49%
123	Jhony Brito	NYY	@TB		2%	8%
124	Emmet Sheehan	LAD	@BOS		21%	28%
125	Bryan Woo	SEA	@CWS
126	Luis Medina	OAK	KC		15%
127	Clarke Schmidt	NYY	@TB
128	Miles Mikolas	STL	@PHI
129	Matt Manning	DET	HOU		27%
130	Kyle Harrison	SF	@PHI, ATL		0%	0%
131	Drew Rom	STL	@PIT		0%	0%
132	Josiah Gray	WAS	@NYY
133	Dakota Hudson	STL	@PHI		18%
134	Jack Flaherty	BAL	TOR
135	Cal Quantrill	CLE	@TOR		8%	13%
136	Xzavion Curry	CLE	LAD		2%	28%
137	Luis Severino	NYY	WAS
138	Bailey Falter	PIT	STL, CHC		0%	13%
139	Rich Hill	SD	MIA		6%
140	Zach Davies	ARI	CIN		0%	4%
141	Kyle Muller	OAK	KC, @CWS		0%	0%
142	Matthew Liberatore	STL	@PIT		27%
143	Alex Cobb	SF	@PHI
144	Osvaldo Bido	PIT	CHC		1%	2%
145	Ken Waldichuk	OAK	@CWS		1%	9%
146	David Peterson	NYM	@ATL, LAA		16%
147	Joan Adon	WAS	@MIA		0%	4%
148	Patrick Corbin	WAS	@NYY		0%	11%
149	Carlos Carrasco	NYM	LAA		23%
150	Brett Kennedy	CIN	@LAA		0%	0%
151	Trevor Williams	WAS	@MIA		0%	8%
152	Jakob Junis	SF	ATL		0%	0%
153	Noah Syndergaard	CLE	LAD		6%	30%
154	Zack Thompson	STL	@PHI		0%	6%
155	Chris Flexen	COL	@BAL		0%	0%
156	Slade Cecconi	ARI	TEX		0%	0%
157	Andre Jackson	PIT	STL		0%	0%
158	Adam Wainwright	STL	@PIT		5%	0%
159	Tylor Megill	NYM	@ATL		14%	26%

American League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Luis Castillo	SEA	@CWS, KC
2	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	CIN
3	Gerrit Cole	NYY	WAS
4	Tyler Glasnow	TB	COL
5	Framber Valdez	HOU	@DET
6	Bryce Miller	SEA	KC
7	Logan Gilbert	SEA	KC
8	Max Scherzer	TEX	@MIN	3-0 with 1.80 ERA, .80 WHIP and 26 K in 20 IP since the trade
9	Mike Clevinger	CWS	SEA, OAK	4.62 xFIP and 3.26 ERA indicates good fortune, but these matchups are too juicy
10	Jordan Montgomery	TEX	@ARI, @MIN
11	Zach Eflin	TB	NYY
12	Kyle Bradish	BAL	COL
13	Pablo Lopez	MIN	TEX
14	Cristian Javier	HOU	BOS, @DET
15	George Kirby	SEA	@CWS
16	Yusei Kikuchi	TOR	@BAL, CLE	Quietly having a solid campaign
17	Kevin Gausman	TOR	@BAL
18	Cole Ragans	KC	@OAK
19	Tarik Skubal	DET	CHC
20	Bailey Ober	MIN	@MIL, TEX
21	Dylan Cease	CWS	OAK
22	Brady Singer	KC	@SEA
23	Kenta Maeda	MIN	@MIL
24	Sonny Gray	MIN	TEX
25	Tanner Bibee	CLE	@TOR
26	Zack Littell	TB	COL, NYY
27	Aaron Civale	TB	COL
28	Jon Gray	TEX	@ARI
29	Chris Bassitt	TOR	CLE
30	Dane Dunning	TEX	@MIN	29 K in last 20.2 IP, where did that come from?
31	Lucas Giolito	LAA	CIN
32	Justin Verlander	HOU	BOS
33	Chris Sale	BOS	@HOU
34	James Paxton	BOS	@HOU, LAD
35	Hyun Jin Ryu	TOR	CLE
36	Eduardo Rodriguez	DET	HOU
37	Hunter Brown	HOU	@DET
38	Chase Silseth	LAA	@NYM
39	Angel Zerpa	KC	@OAK
40	Cole Irvin	BAL	COL
41	Patrick Sandoval	LAA	@NYM
42	Joe Ryan	MIN	TEX
43	Jose Berrios	TOR	@BAL
44	Alec Marsh	KC	@OAK, @SEA
45	Carlos Rodon	NYY	WAS, @TB
46	Gavin Williams	CLE	LAD
47	Jordan Lyles	KC	@SEA
48	J.P. France	HOU	BOS
49	Tanner Houck	BOS	@HOU, LAD
50	Brayan Bello	BOS	@HOU
51	Andrew Heaney	TEX	@MIN
52	Grayson Rodriguez	BAL	TOR
53	Reese Olson	DET	CHC
54	Paul Blackburn	OAK	KC, @CWS
55	Kyle Gibson	BAL	COL
56	Dean Kremer	BAL	TOR
57	Tyler Anderson	LAA	@NYM
58	Reid Detmers	LAA	CIN
59	Kutter Crawford	BOS	LAD
60	Alex Faedo	DET	CHC, HOU
61	AL Reliever
62	Logan Allen	CLE	@TOR
63	Erasmo Ramirez	TB	NYY
64	Michael Kopech	CWS	SEA
65	Jesse Scholtens	CWS	OAK
66	Touki Toussaint	CWS	SEA, OAK
67	JP Sears	OAK	@CWS
68	Jose Urquidy	HOU	BOS
69	Jhony Brito	NYY	@TB
70	Bryan Woo	SEA	@CWS
71	Luis Medina	OAK	KC
72	Clarke Schmidt	NYY	@TB
73	Matt Manning	DET	HOU
74	Jack Flaherty	BAL	TOR
75	Cal Quantrill	CLE	@TOR
76	Xzavion Curry	CLE	LAD
77	Luis Severino	NYY	WAS
78	Kyle Muller	OAK	KC, @CWS
79	Ken Waldichuk	OAK	@CWS
80	Noah Syndergaard	CLE	LAD

National League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Zac Gallen	ARI	TEX, CIN	In the mix for NL Cy Young
2	Spencer Strider	ATL	@SF	2.47 xFIP, should be running away with NL Young
3	Blake Snell	SD	MIA, @MIL
4	Corbin Burnes	MIL	MIN
5	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	@CLE
6	Max Fried	ATL	@SF
7	Aaron Nola	PHI	SF, STL	Enduring bad luck all season, but last 3 GS, .368 BABIP, 69.1% LOB has inflated ERA to 5.87 over last 15.1 IP, compared to 3.50 xFIP in that span
8	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	@SD	Pacing for >200 IP for third straight season
9	Zack Wheeler	PHI	STL
10	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	SD	5 HR allowed over last 16.2 IP inflating ERA
11	Lance Lynn	LAD	@CLE
12	Freddy Peralta	MIL	SD
13	Justin Steele	CHC	@PIT	In a run, but should rebound here
14	Merrill Kelly	ARI	CIN
15	Michael Lorenzen	PHI	SF	Johnny Van de Meer's family can rest easy, record still intact
16	Kodai Senga	NYM	LAA
17	Braxton Garrett	MIA	WAS	0
18	Andrew Abbott	CIN	@LAA
19	Julio Urias	LAD	@BOS
20	Bobby Miller	LAD	@CLE, @BOS
21	Graham Ashcraft	CIN	@LAA, @ARI
22	Javier Assad	CHC	@DET, @PIT
23	Logan Webb	SF	ATL
24	Johnny Cueto	MIA	@SD, WAS
25	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	@PIT
26	Eury Perez	MIA	WAS
27	Yu Darvish	SD	@MIL
28	Cristopher Sanchez	PHI	STL
29	Wade Miley	MIL	MIN
30	Bryce Elder	ATL	NYM
31	Michael Wacha	SD	@MIL
32	Johan Oviedo	PIT	STL, CHC
33	Allan Winans	ATL	NYM, @SF
34	Jameson Taillon	CHC	@DET
35	Mitch Keller	PIT	CHC
36	Brandon Williamson	CIN	@ARI
37	Brandon Pfaadt	ARI	CIN
38	Sean Manaea	SF	@PHI
39	Seth Lugo	SD	MIA
40	Charlie Morton	ATL	NYM
41	Jesus Luzardo	MIA	@SD
42	Taijuan Walker	PHI	SF
43	MacKenzie Gore	WAS	@NYY
44	Austin Gomber	COL	@TB
45	NL Reliever
46	Nick Lodolo	CIN	@ARI
47	Hunter Greene	CIN	@ARI	Good to see him back
48	Peter Lambert	COL	@TB
49	Ty Blach	COL	@TB, @BAL
50	Drew Smyly	CHC	@DET, @PIT
51	Jose Quintana	NYM	@ATL
52	Kyle Freeland	COL	@BAL
53	Adrian Houser	MIL	SD
54	Jake Irvin	WAS	@MIA
55	Emmet Sheehan	LAD	@BOS
56	Miles Mikolas	STL	@PHI
57	Kyle Harrison	SF	@PHI, ATL
58	Drew Rom	STL	@PIT
59	Josiah Gray	WAS	@NYY
60	Dakota Hudson	STL	@PHI
61	Bailey Falter	PIT	STL, CHC
62	Rich Hill	SD	MIA
63	Zach Davies	ARI	CIN
64	Matthew Liberatore	STL	@PIT
65	Alex Cobb	SF	@PHI
66	Osvaldo Bido	PIT	CHC
67	David Peterson	NYM	@ATL, LAA
68	Joan Adon	WAS	@MIA
69	Patrick Corbin	WAS	@NYY
70	Carlos Carrasco	NYM	LAA
71	Brett Kennedy	CIN	@LAA
72	Trevor Williams	WAS	@MIA
73	Jakob Junis	SF	ATL
74	Zack Thompson	STL	@PHI
75	Chris Flexen	COL	@BAL
76	Slade Cecconi	ARI	TEX
77	Andre Jackson	PIT	STL
78	Adam Wainwright	STL	@PIT
79	Tylor Megill	NYM	@ATL