There are some really interesting debuts happening lately. Christian Scott with the Mets is one, and Mason Black with the Giants is another. The question is if they can continue their success right away. As an avid dynasty player, this has been a pretty interesting week.
Don’t forget these terms that may be helpful when reading through this article.
(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.
Finally before jumping in, here are Nick’s latest rankings of the offenses around the league.
Nick’s Loose Team Offense Rankings (Updated 4/29)
| Top | Solid | Average | Weak | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL | ARI | @COL | vs. BOS | CHW |
| BAL | CHC | MIL | vs. CIN | vs. COL |
| @BOS | @CIN | MIN | LAA | DET |
| HOU | CLE | NYM | PIT | MIA |
| LAD | KCR | TOR | SEA | OAK |
| NYY | PHI | STL | SFG | |
| TEX | SDP | WSN | TBR |
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AL East
Orioles’ Expected Starters
| BAL | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corbin Burnes | @ WSN (OFF) | TOR | SEA | @ CWS |
| Kyle Bradish | @ WSN | TOR | @ STL | @ CWS |
| Cole Irvin | ARI (OFF) | TOR | @ STL | @ CWS |
| John Means | ARI | SEA (OFF) | @ STL | BOS |
| Dean Kremer | ARI | SEA | @ CWS | BOS |
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- John Means strolled into Cincinnati for his season debut and walked away unscathed. Arizona will be a tougher test, but Means is back.
- Grayson Rodriguez heads to the IL with right shoulder inflammation.
Red Sox Expected Starters
| BOS | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kutter Crawford | @ ATL (OFF) | TBR | @ STL | MIL (OFF) |
| Nick Pivetta | @ ATL | TBR | @ STL | MIL |
| Tanner Houck | WSN (OFF) | TBR | @ TBR | MIL |
| Cooper Criswell | WSN | TBR | @ TBR | @ BAL |
| Brayan Bello | WSN | @ STL | @ TBR | @ BAL |
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- Brayan Bello returns to the rotation. His last outing was his best of the year, posting 8 strikeouts over 6 shutout innings. Hopefully, that’s where he picks things up.
Yankees’ Expected Starters
| NYY | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luis Gil | HOU (OFF) | @ TBR | CWS | SEA |
| Carlos Rodón | HOU | @ MIN (OFF) | CWS | @ SDP |
| Marcus Stroman | HOU | @ MIN | SEA | @ SDP |
| Clarke Schmidt | @ TBR | @ MIN | SEA | @ SDP |
| Nestor Cortes | @ TBR | CWS | SEA | @ LAA (OFF) |
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- Early on it looks like the Yankees and Orioles are going to be a very fun battle to see who takes the AL East crown.
Rays’ Expected Starters
| TBR | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Alexander | CWS | NYY | @ TOR | BOS |
| Zach Eflin | CWS | @ BOS | @ TOR | KCR (OFF) |
| Aaron Civale | CWS | @ BOS | @ TOR | KCR |
| Zack Littell | NYY (OFF) | @ BOS | BOS | KCR |
| Ryan Pepiot | NYY | @ BOS | BOS | OAK (OFF) |
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- Entering the week there are three qualified starters tied for lowest walks allowed at 4. Zach Eflin is among that group, and he has the most innings pitched in that trio with 41.
Blue Jays’ Expected Starters
| TOR | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| José Berríos | @ PHI (OFF) | @ BAL | TBR | @ DET |
| Chris Bassitt | @ PHI | @ BAL | CWS | @ DET |
| Yusei Kikuchi | MIN (OFF) | @ BAL | CWS | @ DET |
| Kevin Gausman | MIN | TBR (OFF) | CWS | @ CWS |
| Alek Manoah | MIN | TBR | @ DET | @ CWS |
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- The dedicated readers know I’ve been very interested in Yariel Rodriguez, but he’s hit the IL with Thoracic Spine Inflammation, per the team.
AL Central
White Sox Expected Starters
| CWS | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Soroka | @ TBR | CLE | @ NYY (OFF) | @ TOR |
| Mike Clevinger | @ TBR | CLE | @ NYY | BAL |
| Chris Flexen | @ TBR | WSH | @ NYY | BAL |
| Erick Fedde | CLE (OFF) | WSH | @ TOR | BAL |
| Garrett Crochet | CLE | WSH | @ TOR | BAL |
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- With the win-loss record looking significantly less than ideal, the White Sox should reach a point where young guys like Nick Nastrini, Jonathan Cannon, and others get more permanent roles in the rotation.
Guardians’ Expected Starters
| CLE | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triston McKenzie | DET | @ CWS | MIN (OFF) | NYM |
| Logan Allen | DET | @ CWS | MIN | @ LAA (OFF) |
| Tanner Bibee | DET | @ TEX | MIN | @ LAA |
| Ben Lively | @ CWS | @ TEX | NYM | @ LAA |
| Carlos Carrasco | @ CWS | @ TEX | NYM | @ COL |
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- Over this next week, there are some good matchups for pitchers from an organization known for good pitching.
Tigers’ Expected Starters
| DET | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenta Maeda | @ CLE | HOU | @ ARI | TOR |
| Jack Flaherty | @ CLE | MIA | @ ARI | TOR |
| Reese Olson | @ CLE | MIA | @ KCR | TOR |
| Casey Mize | HOU (OFF) | MIA | @ KCR | TOR |
| Tarik Skubal | HOU | @ ARI (OFF) | @ KCR | PIT (OFF) |
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- Jack Flaherty has double-digit strikeouts in two of his last three starts. Given how the Tigers have revitalized pitchers in the Chris Fetter era, that’s really exciting.
Royals’ Expected Starters
| KCR | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Ragans | MIL | @ LAA | OAK (OFF) | DET |
| Seth Lugo | MIL | @ LAA | OAK | @ TBR (OFF) |
| Brady Singer | MIL | @ SEA | OAK | @ TBR |
| Michael Wacha | @ LAA | @ SEA | DET | @ TBR |
| Alec Marsh | @ LAA | @ SEA | DET | @ MIN |
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- There is certainly a lot of green in the near future for his group. For the next few starts Royals pitchers have a pretty favorable schedule at face value.
Twins’ Expected Starters
| MIN | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simeon Woods-Richardson | SEA | @ TOR | @ CLE | @ WSN |
| Bailey Ober | SEA | @ TOR | @ CLE | TEX (OFF) |
| Chris Paddack | SEA | NYY (OFF) | @ CLE | TEX |
| Pablo López | SEA | NYY | @ WSN | TEX |
| Joe Ryan | @ TOR | NYY | @ WSN | KCR |
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- Simeon Woods-Richardson has done enough to earn his spot in the rotation for the time being. Though his three outings thus far have included the Tigers and the White Sox twice.
Astros’ Expected Starters
| HOU | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Verlander | @ NYY (OFF) | @ DET | MIL | LAA |
| Ronel Blanco | @ NYY | OAK | MIL | @ OAK (OFF) |
| Framber Valdez | @ NYY | OAK | MIL | @ OAK |
| Cristian Javier | @ DET | OAK | LAA | @ OAK |
| Hunter Brown | @ DET | OAK | LAA | @ SEA |
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- Ronel Blanco being as good as he has is awesome. It’s only 6 starts entering this week, but it’s well beyond what he’s shown in his 24 appearances (7 starts) prior to this season.
Angels’ Expected Starters
| LAA | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Anderson | @ PIT | KCR | @ TEX (OFF) | @ HOU |
| Patrick Sandoval | @ PIT | KCR | @ TEX | CLE (OFF) |
| José Soriano | @ PIT | STL | @ TEX | CLE |
| Reid Detmers | KCR | STL | @ HOU | CLE |
| Griffin Canning | KCR | STL | @ HOU | NYY (OFF) |
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- As things are going right now, this is going to be a tough few weeks of matchups for this rotation.
Athletics’ Expected Starters
| OAK | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Wood | TEX | @ SEA | @ KCR | COL |
| Ross Stripling | TEX | @ HOU | @ KCR | HOU |
| Osvaldo Bido | TEX (DH) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| JP Sears | TEX (DH) | @ HOU | @ KCR | HOU |
| Paul Blackburn | @ SEA (OFF) | @ HOU | COL (OFF) | HOU |
| Joe Boyle | @ SEA | @ HOU | COL | @ TBR (OFF) |
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- Per our projections, Osvaldo Bido is slated to start one end of the upcoming double-header.
- Don’t look now, but the Athletics enter the week doing some pretty significant winning.
Mariners’ Expected Starters
| SEA | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luis Castillo | @ MIN | OAK | @ BAL | @ NYY |
| Emerson Hancock | @ MIN | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Bryan Woo | @ MIN | KCR | @ BAL | @ WSN |
| George Kirby | @ MIN | KCR | @ NYY | @ WSN |
| Logan Gilbert | OAK | KCR | @ NYY | @ WSN |
| Bryce Miller | OAK | @ BAL (OFF) | @ NYY | HOU |
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- Last week I said Emerson Hancock was projected one more start. One week later, our projections still have Hancock getting one more start, but with Bryan Woo returning shortly after which presumably spells the end of Hancock in the short term.
Rangers’ Expected Starters
| TEX | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Heaney | @ OAK | @ COL | LAA | @ MIN |
| Jack Leiter | @ OAK | CLE | LAA | @ MIN |
| Michael Lorenzen | @ OAK (DH) | CLE | @ PHI (OFF) | @ MIN |
| José Ureña | @ OAK (DH) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Dane Dunning | @ COL (OFF) | CLE | @ PHI | ARI (OFF) |
| Jon Gray | @ COL | LAA (OFF) | @ PHI | ARI |
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- The projections for the Rangers in the near future are going to change a bit. With José Ureña slated to start the doubleheader and Max Scherzer likely to be back sooner than later, there will be some movement happening soon.
NL East
Atlanta Expected Starters
| ATL | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reynaldo Lopez | BOS (OFF) | CHC | SDP | @ PIT |
| Chris Sale | BOS | CHC | SDP | @ PIT |
| Charlie Morton | @ NYM (OFF) | CHC | @ CHC | @ PIT |
| Bryce Elder | @ NYM | SDP (OFF) | @ CHC | WSN |
| Max Fried | @ NYM | SDP | @ CHC | WSN |
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- Chris Sale is in the top 20 in strikeouts among qualified starters, which makes him a bright spot in a group that is bottom-5 in strikeouts at the time of writing this.
Marlins’ Expected Starters
| MIA | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braxton Garrett | @ LAD | PHI | NYM | @ ARI |
| Edward Cabrera | @ LAD | @ DET | NYM | @ ARI |
| Ryan Weathers | @ LAD | @ DET | MIL | @ ARI |
| Trevor Rogers | PHI (OFF) | @ DET | MIL | @ SDP |
| Jesús Luzardo | PHI | NYM (OFF) | MIL | @ SDP |
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- Trevor Rogers starts the week on the heels of giving up 8 runs in his last start. Things won’t get easier for him with Philadelphia on the horizon.
Mets’ Expected Starters
| NYM | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Manaea | @ STL | ATL | @ MIA | @ CLE |
| José Buttó | @ STL | PHI | @ MIA | SFG (OFF) |
| José Quintana | @ STL | PHI | @ MIA | SFG |
| Cristian Scott | ATL (OFF) | @ PHI | @ CLE | SFG |
| Luis Severino | ATL | @ PHI | @ CLE | LAD |
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- A favorite of the Pitcher List Discord channel, Cristian Scott, threw 6.2 innings of one-run ball in his debut. Atlanta will be a big test for the rookie.
Phillies’ Expected Starters
| PHI | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zack Wheeler | SFG | @ MIA | WSN | TEX |
| Cristopher Sánchez | TOR | @ NYM | WSN | @ COL |
| Aaron Nola | TOR | @ NYM | WSN | @ COL |
| Ranger Suárez | @ MIA (OFF) | NYM | TEX (OFF) | @ COL |
| Taijuan Walker | @ MIA | NYM | TEX | @ SFG |
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- Zack Wheeler enters the week second in the league in strikeouts. He’s accompanied in the top 10 by Ranger Suárez.
Nationals’ Expected Starters
| WSN | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trevor Williams | BAL (OFF) | @ CWS | @ PHI | SEA |
| Mitchell Parker | BAL | @ CWS | MIN | SEA |
| Patrick Corbin | @ BOS (OFF) | @ CWS | MIN | @ ATL |
| Jake Irvin | @ BOS | @ PHI (OFF) | MIN | @ ATL |
| MacKenzie Gore | @ BOS | @ PHI | SEA (OFF) | @ ATL |
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- At the time of writing, this rotation ranked fourth in the league in fWAR.
NL Central Cubs’ Expected Starters
| CHC | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Steele | SDP | @ PIT | PIT | @ STL |
| Shota Imanga | SDP | @ ATL | PIT | @ STL |
| Ben Brown | SDP | @ ATL | ATL | @ STL |
| Jameson Taillon | @ PIT (OFF) | @ ATL | ATL | @ MIL |
| Javier Assad | @ PIT | PIT | ATL | @ MIL |
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- Justin Steele comes back on Monday of this week. Next week Kyle Hendricks could be back, too.
Reds’ Expected Starters
| CIN | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankie Montas | ARI (OFF) | @ SFG | @ LAD | SDP |
| Graham Ashcraft | ARI | @ ARI | @ LAD | LAD |
| Hunter Greene | ARI | @ ARI | @ LAD | LAD |
| Andrew Abbott | @ SFG | @ ARI | SDP (OFF) | LAD |
| Nick Lodolo | @ SFG | @ LAD | SDP | STL |
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- The Reds and the Diamondbacks are going to get to know each other pretty well seeing each other in two of the next three series.
Brewers’ Expected Starters
| MIL | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bryse Wilson | @ KCR | STL | @ HOU (OFF) | @ MIA |
| Colin Rea | @ KCR | STL | @ HOU | @ BOS (OFF) |
| Joe Ross | @ KCR | PIT | @ HOU | @ BOS |
| Tobias Myers | STL | PIT | @ MIA | @ BOS |
| Freddy Peralta | STL | PIT | @ MIA | CHC |
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- Freddy Peralta enters the week top 15 in strikeouts, leading the way for a group that, as a whole, is only above Colorado in that category.
Pirates’ Expected Starters
| PIT | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitch Keller | LAA | CHC | @ CHC | SFG |
| Quinn Priester | LAA | @ MIL | @ CHC | ATL |
| Martin Pérez | LAA | @ MIL | @ CHC | ATL |
| Jared Jones | CHC (OFF) | @ MIL | SFG (OFF) | ATL |
| Bailey Falter | CHC | @ CHC | SFG | @ DET (OFF) |
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- Jared Jones is really, really good. That’s it. That’s the whole note.
Cardinals’ Expected Starters
| STL | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Gibson | NYM | @ MIL | BOS (OFF) | BAL |
| Miles Mikolas | NYM | @ MIL | BOS | CHC (OFF) |
| Sonny Gray | NYM | @ LAA | BOS | CHC |
| Lance Lynn | @ MIL | @ LAA | BAL | CHC |
| Matthew Liberatore | @ MIL | @ LAA | BAL | @ CIN |
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- With Steven Matz heading to the IL, Matthew Liberatore will bring down the average age of the starting rotation in St. Louis.
NL West
DBacks’ Expected Starters
| ARI | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy Henry | @ CIN (OFF) | @ BAL | DET | MIA (OFF) |
| Jordan Montgomery | @ CIN | CIN | DET | MIA |
| Zac Gallen | @ CIN | CIN | @ LAD | MIA |
| Slade Cecconi | @ BAL | CIN | @ LAD | @ TEX (OFF) |
| Brandon Pfaadt | @ BAL | DET (OFF) | @ LAD | @ TEX |
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- It looked like Slade Cecconi was making moves toward living up to his 33rd overall pick status. He hit a roadblock against the Padres and will try to bounce back in a tough matchup against the Orioles.
Rockies’ Expected Starters
| COL | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota Hudson | SFG (OFF) | TEX | @ SFG | PHI |
| Peter Lambert | SFG | @ SDP | @ SFG | PHI |
| Cal Quantrill | SFG | @ SDP | @ OAK (OFF) | PHI |
| Austin Gomber | TEX | @ SDP | @ OAK | CLE |
| Ryan Feltner | TEX | @ SFG (OFF) | @ OAK | CLE |
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- 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.
- At the time of writing this, the Rockies rotation has 122 strikeouts. The next closest team is 20 strikeouts ahead of them.
Dodgers’ Expected Starters
| LAD | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walker Buehler | MIA | @ SDP | CIN | ARI |
| Yoshinobu Yamamoto | MIA | @ SFG | CIN | ARI |
| Gavin Stone | MIA | @ SFG | CIN | @ CIN (OFF) |
| Tyler Glasnow | @ SDP (OFF) | @ SFG | CIN | @ CIN |
| James Paxton | @ SDP | @ SFG | ARI | @ CIN |
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- It’s been a long, long time, but Walker Buehler is back!
Padres’ Expected Starters
| SDP | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yu Darvish | @ CHC | LAD | @ ATL | @ CIN |
| Joe Musgrove | @ CHC | COL | @ ATL | NYY |
| Dylan Cease | @ CHC | COL | @ ATL | NYY |
| Michael King | LAD (OFF) | COL | @ CIN | NYY |
| Matt Waldron | LAD | @ ATL (OFF) | @ CIN | MIA |
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- Yu Darvish is getting a start back in Wrigley for just the second time since departing Chicago for San Diego.
Giants’ Expected Starters
| SFG | First Start | Second Start | Third Start | Fourth Start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason Black | @ PHI | CIN | COL (OFF) | @ PIT |
| Kyle Harrison | @ COL | CIN | COL | @ NYM |
| Jordan Hicks | @ COL | LAD | COL | @ NYM |
| Keaton Winn | @ COL | LAD | @ PIT (OFF) | @ NYM |
| Logan Webb | CIN | LAD | @ PIT | PHI |
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- Mason Black is going to make his MLB debut. He’s been fantastic at the AAA level. Enjoy his slider, it’s disgusting.