There were a lot of really good pitching performances over the last week of baseball. Bailey Ober threw 9 innings and struck out 10, and Taj Bradley continues to string together really good performances. Slade Cecconi and Freddy Peralta are a couple of examples of several who had really good bounce-back performances, too.
I want to thank Ryan Clark for filling in for me last week and doing an awesome job.
Don’t forget these helpful terms. There is a new term added this week with the All-Star Break coming up.
(OFF) means the team has an off-day before they play that team.
(DH) indicates a doubleheader that day.
SPOT is used when that game might be projected to be someone different than the mainstay in the rotation. Notes will explain.
??? represents an unclear rotational spot, and the notes will explain options.
(ASB) is the game following the All-Star Break.
Let’s take a look at Nick’s most recent update to the offense rankings.
Nick’s Loose Team Offense Rankings (Updated 6/17)
| Top | Solid | Average | Weak | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAL | ATL | ARI | CHC | CHW |
| LAD | CLE | BOS | vs. CIN | vs. COL |
| NYY | @COL | @CIN | PIT | DET |
| PHI | HOU | NYM | SFG | LAA |
| KCR | TEX | TBR | MIA | |
| MIL | TOR | WSN | OAK | |
| MIN | SEA | |||
| SDP | STL |
AL East
Orioles’ Expected Starters
| BAL | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cade Povich | CLE | TEX | @ OAK | NYY |
| Cole Irvin | CLE | @ SEA (OFF) | CHC (OFF) | @ TEX (ASB) |
| Grayson Rodriguez | CLE | @ SEA | CHC | @ TEX |
| Corbin Burnes | TEX | @ SEA | CHC | @ TEX |
| Dean Kremer | TEX | @ OAK | NYY | @ MIA (OFF) |
| Albert Suarez | TEX | @ OAK | NYY | @ MIA |
- The Orioles made a big splash in the offseason to get Corbin Burnes. With less than a month until the All-Star Break entering the week he’s thrown 99.2 innings with a 2.35 ERA and 23.9 percent strikeout rate.
Red Sox Expected Starters
| BOS | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanner Houck | TOR | SDP | @ MIA | OAK (OFF) |
| Brayan Bello | TOR | SDP | @ NYY | OAK |
| Kutter Crawford | TOR | @ MIA (OFF) | @ NYY | OAK |
| Nick Pivetta | SDP (OFF) | @ MIA | @ NYY | KCR |
- Pay attention to things with this rotation if they’re on your fantasy roster. As of now our projections have them going through the rotation twice as a four-man rotation before Josh Winckowski joins the fold sometime during the upcoming Yankees series.
Yankees’ Expected Starters
| NYY | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerrit Cole | @ NYM (OFF) | @ TOR | BOS | @ BAL |
| Luis Gil | @ NYM | CIN (OFF) | BOS | @ BAL |
| Carlos Rodón | @ TOR | CIN | @ TBR (OFF) | @ BAL |
| Marcus Stroman | @ TOR | CIN (OFF) | @ TBR | TBR (ASB) |
| Nestor Cortes | @ TOR | BOS | @ TBR | TBR |
- Imagine losing breakout Clarke Schmidt for the year to injury then replacing him mere weeks later with Gerrit Cole.
Rays’ Expected Starters
| TBR | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taj Bradley | SEA | WSN | @ TEX | CLE |
| Zack Littell | SEA | @ KCR (OFF) | @ TEX | CLE |
| Ryan Pepiot | SEA | @ KCR | NYY (OFF) | CLE |
| Zach Eflin | WSN (OFF) | @ KCR | NYY | @ NYY (ASB) |
| Aaron Civale | WSN | @ TEX | NYY | @ NYY |
- Don’t look now, but over Taj Bradley’s last three starts, he’s given up 3 ER with 21 strikeouts across 18 innings of work.
Blue Jays’ Expected Starters
| TOR | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Bassitt | @ BOS | NYY | HOU | @ SFG |
| Kevin Gausman | @ BOS | NYY | @ SEA | @ SFG |
| Yariel Rodriguez | @ BOS | HOU | @ SEA | @ ARI |
| José Berríos | NYY | HOU | @ SEA | @ ARI |
| Yusei Kikuchi | NYY | HOU | @ SFG | @ ARI |
- Yariel Rodriguez’s return was less than ideal. He went 1.1 innings and gave up 4 ER while walking 3 and striking out 1 batter. Maybe start number 2 against Boston will go better.
AL Central
White Sox Expected Starters
| CWS | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garrett Crochet | LAD | COL | @ MIA | MIN |
| Chris Flexen | LAD | COL | @ MIA | PIT (OFF) |
| Erick Fedde | LAD | @ CLE (OFF) | @ MIA | PIT |
| Drew Thorpe | ATL | @ CLE | MIN | PIT |
| Mike Clevinger | COL | @ CLE | MIN | @ KCR (ASB) |
- The White Sox are peppering in a makeup game against Atlanta right after a series with the Dodgers. Try to catch these starters that aren’t named Garrett Crochet once that Colorado series rolls around.
Guardians’ Expected Starters
| CLE | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tanner Bibee | @ BAL | @ KCR | SFG | @ DET |
| Logan Allen | @ BAL | @ KCR | SFG | @ DET |
| Gavin Williams | @ BAL (SPOT) | CWS (OFF) | SFG | @ TBR |
| Ben Lively | @ KCR | CWS | @ DET | @ TBR |
| Triston McKenzie | @ KCR | CWS | @ DET | @ TBR |
- Carlos Carrasco is supposed to get one more start before Gavin Williams returns. We’ll see. Williams is 5 starts into this rehab assignment and touching 98 MPH. News has to be coming soon one way or the other.
Tigers’ Expected Starters
| DET | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casey Mize | PHI | @ LAA | @ CIN | CLE |
| Tarik Skubal | PHI | @ LAA | @ CIN | CLE |
| Jack Flaherty | PHI | @ MIN (OFF) | @ CIN | LAD |
| Kenta Maeda | @ LAA | @ MIN | CLE | LAD |
| Reese Olson | @ LAA | @ MIN | CLE | LAD |
- I am BEGGING the Tigers to score runs when Reese Olson pitches. The stats out there about how little run support he’s getting are insane.
Royals’ Expected Starters
| KCR | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Ragans | MIA | CLE | @ COL | @ BOS (OFF) |
| Seth Lugo | MIA | CLE | @ COL | @ BOS |
| Brady Singer | MIA | TBR (OFF) | @ COL | @ BOS |
| Michael Wacha | CLE | TBR | @ STL (OFF) | CWS (ASB) |
| Alec Marsh | CLE | TBR | @ STL | CWS |
- Shameless plug warning: I also host a podcast here at Pitcher List with Nate Kosher called Coffee Talk. We’ve spoken many times about how surprising and fun this Royals team has been this year. The starting rotation enters the week with a 7.5 fWAR, which is tied for 4th in the league.
Twins’ Expected Starters
| MIN | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Ryan | @ ARI (OFF) | @ SEA | HOU | @ SFG (OFF) |
| Simeon Woods Richardson | @ ARI | DET | HOU | @ SFG |
| Chris Paddack | @ ARI | DET | @ CWS | @ SFG |
| Bailey Ober | @ SEA | DET | @ CWS | MIL (ASB) |
| Pablo López | @ SEA | HOU | @ CWS | MIL |
- Bailey Ober is coming off a complete game, 10-strikeout performance against the Athletics.
AL West
Astros’ Expected Starters
| HOU | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Brown | COL (OFF) | @ NYM | @ MIN | TEX |
| Spencer Arrighetti | COL | @ TOR | @ MIN | TEX |
| Justin Verlander | N/A | @ TOR | MIA (OFF) | TEX |
| Ronel Blanco | @ NYM (OFF) | @ TOR | MIA | @ SEA (ASB) |
| Framber Valdez | @ NYM | @ MIN | MIA | @ SEA |
- Our projections have the Astros going with a 4-man rotation the first time through this week before Justin Verlander comes back the second time through.
Angels’ Expected Starters
| LAA | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Griffin Canning | OAK (OFF) | DET | @ CHC | TEX |
| Tyler Anderson | OAK | DET | @ CHC | SEA |
| Kenny Rosenberg | OAK | @ OAK | @ CHC | SEA |
| Chase Silseth | DET | @ OAK | TEX | SEA |
| José Soriano | DET (SPOT) | @ OAK | TEX | SEA |
- Zach Plesac is slated to start against Detroit before José Soriano comes back against Oakland.
- There is a lot of green on this chart. With Oakland twice and Detroit on the horizon, this is a very streamable rotation right now.
Athletics’ Expected Starters
| OAK | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luis Medina | @ LAA | @ ARI | BAL | @ PHI |
| Mitch Spence | @ LAA | LAA (OFF) | BAL | @ PHI |
| Joey Estes | @ LAA | LAA | @ BOS (OFF) | @ PHI |
| JP Sears | @ ARI (OFF) | LAA | @ BOS | LAA (ASB) |
| Hogan Harris | @ ARI | BAL | @ BOS | LAA |
- Mitch Spence against the Angels twice in a row is a very interesting option. His last outing was against the Royals, where he struck out 7 batters and gave up 2 ER over 6 innings.
Mariners’ Expected Starters
| SEA | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Woo | @ TBR | MIN | TOR | @ LAA |
| Luis Castillo | @ TBR | BAL (OFF) | TOR | @ LAA |
| George Kirby | @ TBR | BAL | @ SDP (OFF) | @ LAA |
| Logan Gilbert | MIN (OFF) | BAL | @ SDP | HOU (ASB) |
| Bryce Miller | MIN | TOR | @ LAA | HOU |
- Bryan Woo made his Cleveland start despite the injury scare. That being said in three of his last four starts he’s recorded 2 or fewer strikeouts.
Rangers’ Expected Starters
| TEX | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Scherzer | @ MIL (SPOT) | @ BAL | TBR | @ LAA |
| Michael Lorenzen | @ MIL | @ BAL | TBR | @ HOU (OFF) |
| Andrew Heaney | @ MIL | SDP (OFF) | TBR | @ HOU |
| Nathan Eovaldi | @ BAL | SDP | @ LAA | @ HOU |
| Jon Gray | @ BAL | SDP | @ LAA | BAL (ASB) |
- Per our projections, Jose Ureña is supposed to start against Milwaukee with Max Scherzer projected to take over the rotation spot after that. Scherzer made his comeback start on Sunday.
NL East
Atlanta Expected Starters
| ATL | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Schwellenbach | @ STL | PIT | PHI | @ ARI |
| Reynaldo López | @ STL | PIT | PHI | @ ARI |
| Chris Sale | @ STL | SFG (OFF) | PHI | @ SDP |
| Charlie Morton | @ CWS | SFG | @ ARI | @ SDP |
| Max Fried | PIT | SFG | @ ARI | @ SDP |
- The makeup game against the White Sox gives Atlanta’s rotation a big stretch of green this week.
Marlins’ Expected Starters
| MIA | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roddery Muñoz | @ KCR | @ PHI | CWS | @ HOU |
| Edward Cabrera | @ KCR (SPOT) | @ PHI | CWS | @ CIN |
| Trevor Rogers | @ KCR | BOS (OFF) | CWS | @ CIN |
| Jesús Luzardo | @ PHI | BOS | @ HOU (OFF) | @ CIN |
| Braxton Garrett | @ PHI | BOS | @ HOU | NYM (ASB) |
- Edward Cabrera is projected to be back soon, but not before Yonny Chirinos is slated to throw against Kansas City.
Mets’ Expected Starters
| NYM | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luis Severino | NYY (OFF) | @ WSN | @ PIT | WSN |
| Sean Manaea | NYY | @ WSN | @ PIT | COL |
| Jose Quintana | HOU (OFF) | @ WSN | @ PIT | COL |
| Tylor Megill | HOU | @ WSN | WSN | COL |
| David Peterson | HOU | @ PIT | WSN | @ MIA (ASB) |
- Last week Ryan mentioned Kodai Senga may not be back until after the All-Star Break. That still may be true, but he’s throwing a bullpen session, and more information on his timetable will hopefully be available early this week.
Phillies’ Expected Starters
| PHI | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Nola | @ DET | MIA | @ ATL | LAD |
| Ranger Suárez | @ DET | MIA | @ ATL | OAK |
| Spencer Turnbull | @ DET | @ CHC (OFF) | @ ATL | OAK |
| Zack Wheeler | MIA | @ CHC | LAD (OFF) | OAK |
| Cristopher Sánchez | MIA | @ CHC | LAD | @ PIT (ASB) |
- Spencer Turnbull will reportedly be replacing Taijuan Walker in the rotation for the time being.
Nationals’ Expected Starters
| WSN | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josiah Gray | @ SDP (SPOT) | TBR | STL | @ NYM |
| MacKenzie Gore | @ SDP | NYM | STL | @ NYM |
| DJ Herz | @ SDP | NYM | STL | @ MIL |
| Mitchell Parker | @ TBR (OFF) | NYM | STL | @ MIL |
| Jake Irvin | TBR | NYM | @ NYM | @ MIL |
- Patrick Corbin is projected to start against the Padres before Josiah Gray comes back into the rotation against the Rays.
NL Central
Cubs’ Expected Starters
| CHC | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Steele | @ SFG | @ MIL | LAA | @ BAL |
| Kyle Hendricks | @ SFG | @ MIL | LAA | @ STL |
| Shota Imanaga | @ SFG | PHI | LAA | @ STL |
| Jameson Taillon | @ SFG | PHI | @ BAL | @ STL (DH) |
| Javier Assad | @ MIL | PHI | @ BAL | @ STL |
- This is the rotation projected for the next two turns through the order. Ben Brown is projected to return during the Angels series.
Reds’ Expected Starters
| CIN | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carson Spiers | PIT | @ STL | DET | COL |
| Hunter Greene | PIT | @ STL | DET | COL |
| Andrew Abbott | PIT | @ NYY (OFF) | DET | MIA |
| Frankie Montas | @ STL | @ NYY | COL | MIA |
| Nick Lodolo | @ STL | @ NYY | COL | MIA |
- Outside of a 3-game set in New York, every team over the next four turns through the rotation is some shade of green right now, per Nick’s hitting rankings.
Brewers’ Expected Starters
| MIL | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freddy Peralta | TEX | @ CHC | @ LAD | PIT |
| Bryse Wilson | TEX | @ COL | @ LAD | WSN |
| Colin Rea | TEX | @ COL | @ LAD | WSN |
| Jakob Junis | @ CHC (OFF) | @ COL | PIT (OFF) | WSN |
| Tobias Myers | @ CHC | @ COL | PIT | @ MIN (ASB) |
- Freddy Peralta had maybe the worst start of his season against the Reds, then bounced back for maybe his best start as he went 6 shutout innings against the Angels.
Pirates’ Expected Starters
| PIT | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bailey Falter | @ CIN | STL (OFF) | NYM | @ CWS |
| Mitch Keller | @ CIN | STL | @ MIL | PHI (ASB) |
| Luis Ortiz | @ CIN | STL | @ MIL | PHI |
| Jared Jones | @ ATL (OFF) | NYM | @ MIL | PHI |
| Martin Pérez | @ ATL | NYM | @ CWS | STL |
| Paul Skenes | @ ATL | NYM | @ CWS | STL |
- Not to shock anyone, but Paul Skenes is pretty darn good at this whole pitching thing.
Cardinals’ Expected Starters
| STL | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lance Lynn | ATL | CIN | @ WSN | KC |
| Kyle Gibson | ATL | CIN | @ WSN | CHC |
| Andre Pallante | ATL | @ PIT (OFF) | @ WSN | CHC |
| Miles Mikolas | CIN | @ PIT | @ WSN | CHC |
| Sonny Gray | CIN | @ PIT | KC | CHC |
- It seemed like Steven Matz would be back as early as this week, but a setback during his rehab means he could be out for another 4-6 weeks.
NL West
DBacks’ Expected Starters
| ARI | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Pfaadt | MIN (OFF) | OAK | @ SDP | ATL |
| Ryne Nelson | MIN | @ LAD (OFF) | @ SDP | TOR |
| Jordan Montgomery | MIN | @ LAD | ATL | TOR |
| Slade Cecconi | OAK | @ LAD | ATL | TOR |
| Zac Gallen | OAK | @ SDP | ATL | @ CHC (ASB) |
- Slade Cecconi had one of his worst starts of the year when he surrendered 7 ER to the Angels. He responded with his best start of the year, going 6 shutout innings against the Nationals.
Rockies’ Expected Starters
| COL | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Gomber | @ HOU (OFF) | MIL | KCR | @ CIN |
| Ryan Feltner | @ HOU | MIL | KCR | @ NYM |
| Dakota Hudson | @ CWS (OFF) | MIL | @ CIN | @ NYM |
| Cal Quantrill | @ CWS | MIL | @ CIN | @ NYM |
| Kyle Freeland | @ CWS | KCR | @ CIN | SFG (ASB) |
- Note: Coors Field is where balls go to fly a long way. If the Rockies are at home, then their pitchers will bear the brunt of that from a value standpoint.
- Going to Chicago to face the White Sox is one of the few scenarios where I’d feel comfortable looking into streaming a Rockies starter. Even then, still tread carefully. This group is tied for the lowest fWAR among starters entering the week.
Dodgers’ Expected Starters
| LAD | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Paxton | @ CWS (OFF) | @ SFG | MIL | @ PHI |
| Bobby Miller | @ CWS | @ SFG | MIL | @ DET |
| Gavin Stone | @ CWS | ARI (OFF) | MIL | @ DET |
| Tyler Glasnow | @ SFG (OFF) | ARI | @ PHI (OFF) | @ DET |
| Walker Buehler | N/A | ARI | @ PHI | BOS (ASB) |
- Our projections have the Dodgers skipping the fifth rotation spot the first time through then Walker Buehler getting the nod in that spot during the upcoming Arizona series.
Padres’ Expected Starters
| SDP | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Waldron | WSN | @ BOS | ARI | ATL |
| Yu Darvish | WSN | @ TEX (OFF) | ARI | ATL |
| Dylan Cease | WSN | @ TEX | SEA (OFF) | @ CLE (ASB) |
| Randy Vasquez | @ BOS (OFF) | @ TEX | SEA | @ CLE |
| Michael King | @ BOS | ARI | ATL (OFF) | @ CLE |
- Randy Vasquez threw 5 shutout innings against a pretty good Brewers lineup in his last start. He also struck out 3 batters and walked 3 batters.
Giants’ Expected Starters
| SFG | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Howard | CHC | LAD | @ CLE | TOR |
| Carson Whisenhunt | CHC | LAD | @ CLE | MIN |
| Mason Black | CHC | @ ATL (OFF) | @ CLE | MIN |
| Jordan Hicks | CHC | @ ATL | TOR (OFF) | MIN |
| Logan Webb | LAD | @ ATL | TOR | @ COL (ASB) |
- Our projections have Blake Snell and Kyle Harrison projected to come back over the next couple of weeks, and they’re projected to slot in weird spots that make it hard to show in this grid because there’s not really any continuity to the projections.
- Carson Whisenhunt and Mason Black may only get one start and the order is projected to switch around quite a bit. Keep an eye on the news this week.