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Sit/Start Week 1: Reviewing All Starting Pitcher Matchups From 7/23-7/26

Max Freeze covers and rates every pitching matchup for the week ahead.

Welcome back to Sit/Start where every Saturday here at Pitcher List, or in this case, Wednesday, I review all expected starting pitcher matchups for the week ahead. There are three labels: Start, Maybe, and Sit. Outings marked with a Maybe are circumstantial and dependent on your needs in a standard 5×5 Wins 12-teamer, while the other two are self-explanatory. Last year, I modified the ranking system to make designations a little clearer. Here’s an overview. I implemented a scoring system (1-10) next to each designation. A score of 10 is a top-tier start option and a score of 1 is a bottom-of-the-barrel option. Here are the labels: Start 7-10, Maybe 4-6, and Sit 1-3. For example, Max Scherzer at home against the Marlins would look like this: Start-10. Meanwhile, Kendall Graveman against the Rockies in Colorado would have this designation: Sit-1.

Given the Thursday start, this article will only cover the games through Sunday, 7/26. This Saturday, another Sit/Start article will come out covering the week ahead. It’s important to note that several teams have not officially announced how their rotations will unfold but given the information we have, the starters listed below are the expected starters for week 1. Spots in the rotation where a potential opener may be used will be listed as Opener/potential long man. Feel free to question my designations in the comments and we’ll dive into it together.

Here’s the massive table containing every Week 1 start from 7/23 – 7/26:

Note: These matchups are subject to change.

Date Game Away Pitcher Sit / Start Home Pitcher Sit / Start
07/23 NYY vs WSH Cole Start-9 Scherzer Start-8
07/23 SFG vs LAD Cueto Maybe-5 Kershaw Start-10
FRIDAY – 7/24
07/24 BAL vs BOS Milone Sit-2 Eovaldi Maybe-6
07/24 MIL vs CHC Woodruff Start-7 Hendricks Start-7
07/24 MIN vs CHW Berrios Start-7 Giolito Start-8
07/24 DET vs CIN Boyd Maybe-6 Gray Start-8
07/24 KCR vs CLE Duffy Sit-3 Bieber Start-9
07/24 SEA vs HOU Gonzales Sit-1 Verlander Start-9
07/24 SFG vs LAD Samardzija Sit-1 Stripling Start-8
07/24 ATL vs NYM Soroka Start-7 deGrom Start-9
07/24 LAA vs OAK Heaney Start-7 Montas Start-8
07/24 MIA vs PHI Alcantara Sit-3 Nola Start-9
07/24 ARI vs SDP Bumgarner Start-7 Paddack Start-8
07/24 PIT vs STL Musgrove Start-7 Flaherty Start-9
07/24 TOR vs TBR Ryu Maybe-6 Morton Start-8
07/24 COL vs TEX Marquez Start-7 Lynn Start-8
Saturday – 7/25
07/25 BAL vs BOS Cobb Sit-1 Perez Maybe-5
07/25 MIL vs CHC Burnes Maybe-6 Darvish Start-7
07/25 MIN vs CHW Odorizzi Maybe-5 Keuchel Maybe-6
07/25 DET vs CIN Nova Sit-3 Castillo Start-9
07/25 KCR vs CLE Montgomery Sit-3 Clevinger Start-9
07/25 SEA vs HOU Walker Sit-2 McCullers Jr. Start-8
07/25 SFG vs LAD Gausman Sit-3 Urias Start-8
07/25 ATL vs NYM Fried Start-7 Stroman Maybe-6
07/25 LAA vs OAK Bundy Start-7 Manaea Maybe-5
07/25 MIA vs PHI Smith Maybe-6 Wheeler Start-8
07/25 ARI vs SDP Ray Start-7 Lamet Start-7
07/25 PIT vs STL Williams Maybe-5 Wainwright Maybe-6
07/25 TOR vs TBR Shoemaker Maybe-4 Yarbrough Maybe-6
07/25 COL vs TEX Gray Maybe-6 Minor Start-8
07/25 NYY vs WSH Paxton Start-7 Strasburg Start-8
Sunday – 7/26
07/26 BAL vs BOS LeBlanc Sit-2 Weber Sit-3
07/26 MIL vs CHC Peralta Maybe-4 Chatwood Sit-3
07/26 MIN vs CHW Maeda Start-7 R. Lopez Sit-3
07/26 DET vs CIN Turnbull Maybe-5 Bauer Start-8
07/26 KCR vs CLE J. Lopez Sit-3 Carrasco Start-7
07/26 SEA vs HOU Kikuchi Sit-2 Greinke Start-8
07/26 SFG vs LAD Smyly Sit-3 Wood Start-7
07/26 ATL vs NYM Newcomb Sit-3 Porcello Sit-2
07/26 LAA vs OAK Ohtani Start-7 Fiers Maybe-4
07/26 MIA vs PHI Urena Sit-3 Velasquez Maybe-6
07/26 ARI vs SDP Gallen Start-7 Richards Maybe-6
07/26 PIT vs STL Keller Maybe-6 Hudson Maybe-5
07/26 TOR vs TBR Roark Maybe-4 Snell Start-7
07/26 COL vs TEX Freeland Sit-3 Kluber Start-7
07/26 NYY vs WSH King/Loaisiga Sit-3 Corbin Start-7

(Photo by /Icon Sportswire)

Max Freeze

Max is the founder of the FreezeStats Blog and currently writes for PitcherList and FantasyPros. Max is a lifelong Cubs fan who used to pretend he was Andre Dawson while hitting rocks in his backyard as a kid.

13 responses to “Sit/Start Week 1: Reviewing All Starting Pitcher Matchups From 7/23-7/26”

  1. Yants says:

    Well, this is very helpful. Good work, Max Freeze.

  2. Matt says:

    This is great. Any advice on converting for use in a 15 teamer? Just go by gut feel, or would you add a certain number of points to each score?

    • Max Freeze says:

      Thanks for checking it out Matt!

      That’s a good question. Based on the scoring system, 7-10 Starts are typically for 10-12 team leagues. For a 15-team format, you’re going to need more pitching options. I think a maybe-6 rating and possibly a maybe-5 are options I’d consider in 15-team and deeper formats. Beyond that it gets very dicey.

  3. David says:

    Awesome article!

    Would you put Corbin vs NYY or Lynn vs COL?

    My heart tells me Corbin because he’s a beast but I can see Lynn rolling through that lineup!

    • Max Freeze says:

      Thank you David!

      I’d go with Lynn at home against the Rockies who are a completely different team on the road (.367 wOBA at home 1st and .288 wOBA on the road 29th). I like Paxton as long as he can regain his velo but a road start against the Nationals is relatively tough.

  4. Zach says:

    ESPN is showing Gallen going on Sunday. If this is true, what would you start/sit Gallen?

    • Max Freeze says:

      Hi Zach, thanks for checking us out. That’s where I have him. I’d start him. I have him at a 7, the matchup is moderate and on the road otherwise, he’d be higher. I really like Gallen this year and going forward.

  5. Tommy says:

    Would you start Gray at Texas or sit and Start Kimbrel for saves in Roto this weekend?

    • Max Freeze says:

      I’d lean Kimbrel. His velo looked good in his last tune up. He was awful last year but I’m willing to give him a pass. If you prefer strikeouts, go with Gray. The Rangers struck out almost as much as anyone in 2019.

  6. Stephen says:

    Wheeler vs Marlins or Bauer vs DET

    • Max Freeze says:

      Great options! Can you just start both? I’d say Wheeler has the safer floor but Bauer has the higher ceiling and strikeout potential. Both should have a great shot at a W, so no edge there.

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