The List 9/25 – Ranking Every Starting Pitcher’s ROS Daily Matchups

Every day of the 2023 baseball season, I’ve been looking at today and tomorrow’s slate of scheduled starting pitchers and ranking their matchups for your fantasy baseball streams.

It’s the final week of the season and I’ve made a full sit/start for the rest of the week to help you make your decisions far in advance of the usual daily article.

There’s a lot that goes into this and you can hang out with me on Playback.tv/pitcherlist to talk about the specific ranks as I make them every weekday morning from 10am – 12pm ET. If you have questions about these ranks, please ask during the morning Playback AMA. Those are my office hours as I generally don’t answer comments on the site.

 

HUGE thanks to Scott Youngson for helping put together this week’s tables.

 

My Ranking Process Outlined

 

There are four tiers to these rankings with 12-teamers in mind:

Auto-Start – Just do it. Don’t overthink this, start the man. This includes “if I have them rostered, I’m starting them” pitchers.

Probably Start – I’m likely starting these arms, though I recognize there is more risk than we’d like there to be. Either it’s a tough matchup for a good-not-elite pitcher or a weak lineup for a volatile arm. These pitchers have a 50% or greater chance of performing well in my view.

Questionable Start – Think of this tier as “I don’t want to start these pitchers in a vacuum, but you could do worse.” Streamers found in this tier are not pitchers I’m targeting or are sneaky options for deeper leagues. To play it safe with streaming, just start the Probably Start streamers.

Do Not Start – The reward is not worth the risk. Don’t do it. Seriously, these pitchers have a very slim chance of success or sometimes none at all.

Obviously, there will be circumstances where pitchers should move between teams for your situation specifically and these new tiers should act as a little more help than the straight table from last year.

 

These schedules are going to change. 

 

It’s the biggest concern I have investing the time into a massive article like this as we all know rotations change, injuries happen, starters are pushed back, and rainouts are a thing. It means to take these with a grain of salt, but I believe it’s best to have a plan and adapt rather than starting with no plan at all.

As I do my rankings, I thought it would be helpful to showcase a table of how we’re ranking offenses:

 

The rest of this article is 6 tables for each remaining day of the year (Monday 9/24 not included as games have already started). I’ve written all the notes for each matchup underneath each table in the same vein as the daily articles.

I’ve also elected to highlight potential streamers in Green and Yellow colors to outline who my favorite targets are down the stretch. Green = Absolutely, Yellow = if you’re in need of something. There are even a pair of Red highlights that are super sneaky.

GOOD LUCK! Take into account that the last weekend of the season changes MASSIVELY, often with few aces actually pitching or getting more limited than usual. Don’t target pitchers in the final weekend, target the starts beforehand.

 

9/26 Tuesday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings

 

Auto-Starts

 

Kevin Gausman vs. NYY – Aces gonna ace.

Kyle Bradish vs. WSN – He’s been throwing like an ace for 18 starts now. It’s incredible.

Zach Eflin @ BOS – Eflin recovered his cutter and even in Fenway, you’re doing this.

Hunter Greene @ CLE – It’s the Hunter you want.

Seth Lugo @ SFG – This is as safe of a start as you’ll find outside of ace-like arms.

Bailey Ober vs. OAK – You’re awfully safe with Ober going 5-6 frames of production against Oakland.

Michael King @ TOR – After fanning thirteen, can you really sit King against the Jays?

 

Probably Starts

 

George Kirby vs. HOU – I want to put Kirby in the top tier, but we all know he isn’t a strikeout machine and the Astros could wallop him.

Bobby Miller @ COL – It’s Coors, but Miller has been solid enough for a winning squad.

 

Questionable Starts

 

Aaron Nola vs. PIT – It feels so wrong to have Nola here, but he’s a Cherry Bomb now and that’s just the way it is.

Lucas Giolito vs. CIN – I love Giolito’s changeup right now and I can’t shake the feeling that Giolito has had horrible luck instead of simply pitching terribly. Cherry Bomb central.

Reese Olson vs. KCR – Does he belong in the second tier? I’m leaning no, despite making him our streaming pick of the day. Kansas City has been hot and Olson’s changeup & four-seamer make me worried each start. It is a good slider + sinker to right-handers, though.

Cristian Javier @ SEA – He was the best we’ve seen him in his last start and it’s unlikely he’ll have the same ability for the second straight start…or maybe he’s made an actual change.

Braxton Garrett @ NYM – I dig where Braxton is at with his repertoire and it’s enough to go after against the Mets in situations where you need a Toby. Not the highest ceiling, though.

Ryan Pepiot @ COL – We dig Pepiot and the Rockies in Coors are not as scary as they used to be.

Adrian Houser vs. STL – Now is where the third tier truly falls off. All of these have a shot of being worthwhile, but it’s all a dart throw at this point, and obviously it starts with the king of the darts, Mr. Houser. Good luck.

Bryce Elder vs. CHC – It’s a winning squad and we’ve seen Elder come through with sinkers and sliders. It is the Cubs though…

Mitch Keller @ PHI – Keller has been solid when not facing Atlanta, but how much worse are the Phillies?

Paul Blackburn @ MIN – Blackburn has tricks up his sleeve and the Twins are a volatile offense that could roll over here.

Justin Steele @ ATL – I’m terrified of this and was tempted to put him in in the bottom tier. He looks fatigued to me + it’s Atlanta. Yikes.

Joey Lucchesi vs. MIA – We’ve seen Lucchesi come through with his sinker recently and maybe he churns more outs as he lives along the edges.

Tanner Houck vs. TBR – His slider is great, the other stuff isn’t. If he’s able to toss enough strikes with his splitter and sinker without damage, he can survive. Not a fun bet to make against the strong Rays crew.

Zack Thompson @ MIL – His repertoire is a discount Kershaw and the Brewers have been strong at home. I’m still waiting for a start that gets him locked into a groove.

Reid Detmers vs. TEX – There’s a new changeup in Detmers’ arsenal and I wonder if that can pull him across 5-6 frames without destruction. His declining velocity is awfully scary, though.

Zach Davies @ CHW – He’s moved away from his changeup lately (weird) and I don’t like the rest of his arsenal. Then again, it’s the White Sox and the Sneks will push Davies as much as they can.

Kyle Harrison vs. SDP – Harrison has strikeout upside when he throws enough strikes with fastballs and curveballs, but the Padres are excellent against LHP and Harrison’s control has been very inconsistent.

 

Do Not Starts

 

Josiah Gray @ BAL – Sorry Josiah, I really don’t like that you’ve moved away from breakers. The ceiling just isn’t there to chase here against the Orioles.

José Ureña vs. ARI – Remember kids, If you start José, Ureña boatload of trouble.

Zack Greinke @ DET – Greinke does what Greinke does.

UPDATE: Cody Bradford @ LAA – We’ve seen the Rangers actually give Bradford a proper start and with the Jon Gray situation, I wouldn’t be shocked if he had a long leash here. That doesn’t mean it’ll be productive, it just means there’s an opportunity.

Ryan Feltner vs. LAD – It’s the Dodgers in Coors.

Chase Anderson vs. LAD – It’s the Dodgers in Coors.

Martín Pérez @ LAA – This is likely a bullpen game, not a proper start.

 

 

9/27 Wednesday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings

 

Auto-Starts

 

Gerrit Cole @ TOR – Aces gonna ace.

Pablo López vs. OAK – Aces gonna ace.

Grayson Rodriguez vs. WSN – Aces gonna ace.

Tarik Skubal vs. KCR – Aces gonna ace.

Tyler Glasnow @ BOS – Aces gonna ace, yes even after his recent struggles + Fenway.

Kodai Senga vs. MIA – He’s been too good to sit.

José Berríos vs. NYY – One more start to bring it home.

 

Probably Starts

 

Ranger Suárez vs. PIT – He’s locked in and it’s the Pirates.

Framber Valdez @ SEA – This is a tough call. I love how Valdez began leaning more on curves and cutters after over-utilizing his sinker early against the Royals. I have no issue with anyone benching Framber, I’m personally going for it.

Brandon Pfaadt @ CHW – I like Pfaadt’s sweeper enough to take down one of the worst offenses around.

 

Questionable Starts

 

Wade Miley vs. STL – He’s a Toby and this is a simple outing against a middling squad. A solid 5/6 inning game should be on the horizon.

Brayan Bello vs. TBR – Y’all know the drill with Bello. It’s in there, the floor ain’t too pretty though.

Shane Bieber vs. CIN – I didn’t see the best version of Bieber in his first start back from the IL, but there’s hope he has better breakers in a lovely matchup. At least he can go more than 80 pitches this time around.

Andrew Abbott @ CLE – He’s let us down in September, turning him into a Cherry Bomb instead of a Toby. If he can locate his four-seamer effectively, this could be an easy day at the park. I worry it’ll be another 4/5 inning game of mediocrity.

Bryce Miller vs. HOU – His four-seamer hasn’t been overwhelming and I’m not sure we can bank on his cutter/slider saving him if he doesn’t have the heat. It’s the Astros, after all.

Dane Dunning @ LAA – Dunning had his slider last time and the Angels aren’t too scary. This could go south quickly, though.

Griffin Canning vs. TEX – I like Canning’s breakers > four-seamer approach, but he didn’t have his slider last time out + the Rangers aren’t a fun team to pitch against.

Emmet Sheehan @ COL – We saw Sheehan’s slider get some life last time out, but this is Coors and I’m not buying that he has the breaker ready to go. How long will he actually throw?

Matt Waldron @ SFG – Waldron shocked us last time out, having success not just with the knuckleball. Pitching for the Padres is a great thing to do and this may be a super sneaky stream.

 

Do Not Starts

 

Sean Manaea vs. SDP – He’s been pitching much better now that the Giants have actually allowed Manaea to start, but against the Padres as a LHP…I’m still too worried about the floor while the ceiling isn’t that high.

Darius Vines vs. CHC – We’ve seen Vines have success in the past with his changeup, the question is more if Atlanta is letting him comfortably toss at least five frames.

Johan Oviedo @ PHI – He’s a Cherry Bomb against an elite offense.

Johnny Cueto @ NYM – Maybe there’s some Cueto magic still in the tank. I don’t want to be the one who finds out.

Luis Medina @ MIN – The slider showed promise in his last start, though there’s not a whole lot else to offer. The Athletics have been strange about the innings they’ve given their young arms and I question if Medina has the chance to go a full five, even if the slider is there. UPDATE: There’s a chance it’s Joey Estes, which could mean a piggyback start, it could also mean Medina gets pushed back to Thursday. There are a lot of implications for how streamers set up the rest of the way (Boyle, Blackburn, Sears, etc.) if so. Keep an eye on it.

Jameson Taillon @ ATL – I dig what Taillon has been doing lately and it feels cruel to have him finish his regular season against Atlanta. We can’t do this.

UPDATE: Patrick Corbin @ BAL – At least I can actually fathom him getting six frames and maybe he actually goes BSB and has his peak slider?

Miles Mikolas @ MIL – When was the last time this worked? Mikolas hasn’t allowed fewer than 3 ER since the start of August. But hey, he’s going to be on of the very few to toss 34 starts. Wild.

Anthony Veneziano @ DET – He may get a shot for the Royals in his MLB debut. You don’t want to chase this low-90s sinker + changeup arm.

Luis Patiño vs. ARI – Hey, it’s Patiño! I hope he gets a proper leash in what may be an early audition for the 2024 rotation. I really hope he shows us a bit of what got us excited when he was in Tampa.

Noah Davis vs. LAD – It’s Davies. It’s Coors. It’s the Dodgers. Come on y’all.

 

 

9/28 Thursday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings

 

Auto-Starts

 

Zack Wheeler vs. PIT – Aces gonna ace.

Cole Ragans @ DET – He just took down the Astros and now it’s the Tigers. GET PUMPED – We’re watching this start (against SGL) live on playback.tv/pitcherlist at 1:10 pm ET. You better be there (it’s 100% free!).

Corbin Burnes vs. STL – He feels like an ace, but y’all know he hasn’t pitched like an ace.

Sonny Gray vs. OAK – Sonny has been stellar all year and his last stage features the Athletics. You can’t say no to that.

Chris Bassitt vs. NYY – He’s opponent agnostic, why stop now?

Jesús Luzardo @ NYM – Luzardo struggled in back-to-back starts against the Brewers, but the Mets shouldn’t be an issue…right?

 

Probably Starts

 

Sawyer Gipson-Long vs. KCR – We saw a bit more of the floor last time out from SGL (fewer strikes on changeups). It’s not enough to scare us away, just be aware that this isn’t a locked in 100% dope awesome-o start.

Jordan Montgomery @ SEA – Monty has been cruising, though the Mariners are a dangerous crew to face with October around the corner.

 

Questionable Starts

 

Dean Kremer vs. BOS – I worry that Kremer is running out of gas and may not have his best cutter and four-seamer here.

Chris Sale @ BAL – The Orioles have gone 3-for-3 destroying Sale this season. I generally avoid small samples like this, but it’s something to consider here. They may have his number.

Logan Gilbert vs. TEX – Gilbert’s four-seamer just isn’t what it used to be. He’s adapted to use more sliders in its place, but hot dang, he needs that pitch.

David Peterson vs. MIA – We’ve seen Peterson find strikeouts in different ways and now he gets the Marlins. There’s a chance for a solid 5+ frames here.

Ryne Nelson @ CHW – The White Sox are rough as an offense and if Nelson has a decent enough set of secondaries, he’ll be fine.

 

Do Not Starts

 

Ken Waldichuk @ MIN – I was tempted to thrust Waldi in the third tier, but I simply don’t trust that he’ll earn enough strikes with his sweeper and changeup. If he still has both, he could be a sneaky stream against the Twins.

Dakota Hudson @ MIL – This is your desperate Quality Start play if you must. Don’t expect strikeouts or a good WHIP along the way.

Ryan Yarbrough @ COL – Pay attention to this one. Remember, the Dodgers like to use both the Fratty Pirate and Gavin Stone together, opening the door for a potential vultured Win if you pick the right one. That said, they both floundered against the Giants over the weekend.

Touki Toussaint vs. ARI – Touki is a desperate strikeout play, even if that wasn’t the case recently. It’s all about 30-40% curveballs and a whole lot of splitters.

Marcus Stroman @ ATL – He’s likely under 80 pitches and it’s Atlanta. Nooooope.

Luke Weaver @ TOR – Weaver was able to go five frames against the Sneks, but even that wasn’t worthwhile and felt like a peak.

Chris Flexen vs. LAD – No thanks, I’m good.

Luis L. Ortiz @ PHI – He doesn’t go long and it’s the Phils.

Jared Shuster?? vs. CHC – I’m not sure who Atlanta throws here. It could be Shuster, it could be Dodd, it could be a bullpen game. Monitor it and you may get a stream out of nowhere. I really don’t want to start Dodd or Shuster, though.

 

 

9/29 Friday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings

 

Auto-Starts

 

Spencer Strider vs. WSN – Aces gonna ace.

Brandon Woodruff vs. CHC – Aces gonna ace.

Zac Gallen vs. HOU – Aces gonna ace, even against Houston.

 

Probably Starts

 

Lance Lynn @ SFG – He hasn’t been pretty and yet we’re doing this. It’s the Giants.

Kyle Hendricks @ MIL – It looks like the Cubs are pushing back Hendricks after all. Sweet, now we start him against the Brewers instead of pushing him to the wire.

Edward Cabrera @ PIT – As long as he gets strikes with his changeup and curve, ECab should be fine here. Just don’t walk the whole lineup, please.

Gavin Williams @ DET – He’s been a Cherry Bomb and it’s the Tigers. At least he threw strikes with curves + sliders last time.

Nick Pivetta @ BAL – He’s in a good place and pitching in Camden is somewhat neutral.

 

Questionable Starts

 

Joe Boyle @ LAA – I nearly put him in the second tier as I see a starter who can have success inside the zone against the Angels. However, I’m not sure if he can sit 70% strikes with his slider consistently. I sure hope he can.

Connor Phillips @ STL – He’s a Cherry Bomb against a struggling offense. I’m tempted to make him the streamer over Boyle, especially after earning nine strikeouts last time out. Take your pick.

J.P. France @ ARI – He’s fine? France is a kitchen sink guy pitching for an Astros team clawing to keep hold of a Wild Card spot. I don’t particularly love what he does (why does he feature his cutter just 18% of the time?!), especially with his curveball failing to earn 50% strikes for three straight outings. It feels more precarious than I’d like.

John Means vs. BOS – I don’t love Means’ heater at the moment + his changeup isn’t getting down + the breakers are meh. It’s a Toby play as he could go six here and snag a Win.

Dylan Cease vs. SDP – We know Cease’s ceiling, especially after putting it all together in his last start. We also know he rarely stays in rhythm start-to-start. You don’t know what you’re gonna get.

Carlos Rodón @ KCR – After dropping from 96.5 mph to just 94 mph in his last start, I’m awfully cautious about this outing against the Royals.

Bryan Woo vs. TEX – Is his four-seamer going to be there? He threw over 40% cutters last time out (they were well spotted!) and his best pitch wasn’t there to support him. Let’s hope he steps up in his final regular season start – his team needs him.

Nick Martinez @ CHW – I was thrilled to see Martinez toss about 65 pitches in four frames in his last outing. I sincerely hope it means we’ll get five full frames against the White Sox. Fun fact: His last four starts have been 17 IP with 0 ER and a 0.65 WHIP combined. LET THE MAN START.

Aaron Civale @ TOR – I hope he has the pitch separation we love. This is a bit too risky for those close in ratios.

Hyun Jin Ryu vs. TBR – He’s a Toby against a team that could mess him up. The ceiling is low, though if he has his changeup and curve spotted, he’ll put through.

Taijuan Walker @ NYM – Taijuan’s whole shtick is weird and I often wonder how he makes it all work. One more time, why not.

 

Do Not Starts

 

Joey Wentz vs. CLE – If you’re searching the barren wire for strikeouts, Wentz has a shot to go 5+ frames with more than a strikeout per inning.

Tylor Megill vs. PHI – I don’t want to start Megill against the Phils with his middling secondaries.

Jordan Lyles vs. NYY – He has the least, I’ll give him that.

Nathan Eovaldi @ SEA – Eovaldi’s velocity dropped to sub 93.9 mph. He should not be starting.

Ty Blach vs. MIN – Blach.

Chase Silseth?? vs. OAK – I sincerely hope he’s healthy enough to make one more start before the end of the year.

Ross Stripling vs. LAD – Who knows with San Francisco. Whoever it is in truth, you don’t want to start them against the Dodgers.

Osvaldo Bido vs. MIA – Naaaaaah. He’s not going to go a full five here, right?

UPDATE: Trevor Williams @ ATL – Team #NeverTrevor.

Adam Wainwright?? vs. CIN – I’d imagine Waino likely wants to hang up the cleats after ending on the wonderful note of Win #200.

TBD Twins SP @ COL – With Kenta Maeda heading to the pen in preparation for the playoffs, it’s unclear who will step in here for Minnesota.

 

 

9/30 Saturday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings

 

Auto-Starts

 

Luis Castillo vs. TEX – Aces gonna ace.

Freddy Peralta vs. CHC – Aces gonna ace.

Merrill Kelly vs. HOU – He’s pitching too well to hold back from a start in your lineups, even with the Astros on the docket.

Michael Wacha @ CHW – Wacha has been absolute money this season and it’s the White Sox.

 

Probably Starts

 

Yusei Kikuchi vs. TBR – We just saw Kikuchi with a little worse command than usual last time out against the Rays. He should adjust.

Eduardo Rodriguez vs. CLE – Don’t expect the world from Erod and you’ll be happy here.

Joe Ryan @ COL – His four-seamer is as good as ever, I wonder what secondaries we’ll see.

Cristopher Sánchez @ NYM – He’s had two ten-strikeout games in September and just fanned ten Mets on Sunday. As long as his lack of slider doesn’t ruin him, this should be a lovely Swan Song to a magical 2023 campaign.

Cal Quantrill @ DET – He’s the UnQuantrillfiable and it’s the Tigers. I still can’t believe he throws 40% splitters now.

JP Sears @ LAA – I really don’t see why you wouldn’t be starting Sears against the poor Angels offense. He can go a strikeout per inning easily here.

Clarke Schmidt @ KCR – As long as the Yankees aren’t severely limiting his pitch counts (ahem, what happened Monday?!), Schmidt should be safe for at least five frames.

Allan Winans vs. WSN – Atlanta needs to rely on Winans down the stretch to get some innings to save their bullpen and the Nationals aren’t a tough ask. There’s a solid Win chance here from this Toby.

Jordan Wicks @ MIL – Wicks isn’t an arm to rely on for strikeouts, though his changeup and cutter are strong enough to keep him around for six frames against the Brewers. Some caution here: the Brewers have been oddly hot at home.

 

Questionable Starts

 

Clayton Kershaw @ SFG – This may be the last regular season game we see of TATIAGA…Let that sink in. I wonder how much the Dodgers will push him with the playoffs ahead and a fastball comfortably under 90 mph.

Kutter Crawford @ BAL – I don’t dislike where Crawford is with his stuff, but we don’t know what we’re going to get against a solid offense.

Kenny Rosenberg vs. OAK – Think discount Tyler Anderson against a terrible offense.

Alec Marsh (Opener) vs. NYY – Maybe the strikeouts are there? The Yankees are susceptible to a good right-handed breaker and Marsh has a lovely sweeper.

Kyle Gibson vs. BOS – He’s your Cherry Bomb poster boy.

Zack Littell @ TOR – He looked as good as ever in his last start…and still didn’t get a Win. Unfair.

Hunter Brown @ ARI – Hunter could very well be fatigued and his Cherry Bomb label is more like Splenda.

José Quintana vs. PHI – We just saw Quintana return ten strikeouts against the Phils and poor ratios. It’s a lot more likely that the strikeouts disappear and not the poor ERA and WHIP.

Mike Clevinger vs. SDP – He had a lovely stretch against poor offenses, then survived six frames in Fenway with zero strikeouts. I don’t think we need more hints that he’ll struggle against the Pads.

 

Do Not Starts

 

Drew Rom vs. CIN – He’s performed well with his 91 mph heater and it could put his arsenal on his back as he hosts the Reds. The floor is horrific, though.

Jon Gray @ SEA – Gray has been ice cold for three starts and without an elite heater + good four-seamer locations, he’ll fail to see the fifth once again.

Quinn Priester vs. MIA – Maybe he has another one in his magic hat?

Bryan Hoeing @ PIT – Hoeing just got trounced and it’s hard to put yourself in the way of that again with his limited ceiling.

Brandon Williamson @ STL – Williamson’s velocity has declined across three straight starts, now three ticks below his best self. YIkes.

Karl Kauffmann vs. MIN – I know, it’s a shame he pitches for Colorado, not Kansas City.

Joan Adon @ ATL – Absoutely not.

Alex Wood vs. LAD – How much does he actually pitch? Do we want him to?

 

 

10/1 Sunday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings

Note: The Starting Pitchers who are underlined and not italicized are those who could have a high chance of being skipped on the final day of the year due to innings limits, playoff implications, or other reasons.

In addition, many starters will go fewer pitches than their usual workload to prevent a last minute injury and give some young guys one last chance. It’s a weird day.

 

Auto-Starts

 

Blake Snell @ CHW – Aces gonna ace. Go get that Cy Young and I expect the Padres to allow Snell this start in order to put a stamp on his 2023 season, especially now that he’s a Free Agent.

Kevin Gausman vs. TBR – Aces gonna ace. If the Jays have their wild card spot locked, expect Gausman to get skipped in favor of a callup or something else. He’s their Game 1 starter.

Kyle Bradish vs. BOS – I imagine the Orioles will have Bradish as their Game #2 starter, and would elect to sit Bradish if there aren’t any playoff implications here (home field advantage, for example).

Justin Verlander @ ARI – We’re throwing Verlander out there if we have him. The Astros could be fighting for their life in Game 162. If not, I imagine Verlander gets some rest.

Hunter Greene @ STL – I don’t expect the Reds to sit Greene as he missed plenty of time this year on the IL. They’d want him to get the innings.

Michael King @ KCR – Some have suggested the Yankees will give Cole one more start, I don’t see why they’d waste bullets on their 2024 ace. As for King, he just fanned 13 Jays, there’s no way you’re benching him here.

 

Probably Starts

 

Logan Webb vs. LAD – Webb is nearing his peak in innings and I would think the Giants could take this easy on Webb on Sunday, if he starts at all.

Ryan Pepiot @ SFG – I think this is Pepiot instead of Bobby Miller simply to give Miller rest entering the playoffs – even if the Dodgers have a bye.

George Kirby vs. TEX – This could be an electric Game 162 and I’d hope Kirby steps up to the occasion. He’s their SP #2, though, so if they have it locked up, expect him to get some rest. If they are already out of it, also expect rest. No reason to push Kirby more.

Justin Steele @ MIL – I worry that Steele is gassed and if the Cubs can give him any rest – either out of the playoffs or locked in – they will.

Braxton Garrett @ PIT – He’s looking better and the Pirates aren’t scary.

Mitch Keller vs. MIA – The Pirates may elect to protect Mitch with two more years left in Pittsburgh and nearing 200 innings on the season.

Bryce Elder vs. WSN – Given the minefield of the Atlanta rotation, you may see Elder get some rest here.

Patrick Sandoval vs. OAK – It’s a lovely matchup and I think Sandoval will do everything he can to end the season on a strong note.

 

Questionable Starts

 

Aaron Nola @ NYM – I don’t see why the Phillies would start Nola here with the Wild Card spot secured.

Reese Olson vs. CLE – It’s a solid matchup, though the Guardians aren’t prone to swinging out of the zone. It may make for a bit of a struggle without the changeup getting whiffs.

Bailey Ober @ COL – It’s Coors. Ober only needs his changeup to work in tandem with his high four-seamer, but the floor is a 5 IP performance of mediocrity.

Taj Bradley @ TOR – Who knows what we get here. Maybe the Jays take a break with a wild card spot locked up?

Paul Blackburn @ LAA – There’s some hope here for some last minute heroics from Blackburn – he could have a longer leash than most on this Sunday.

Tanner Houck @ BAL – The slider is strong, the rest isn’t. Speaking of rest, Baltimore may give their starters a day off to prep for the playoffs.

Adrian Houser vs. CHC – Houser will get a solid leash here to help rest the pen in preparation for the playoffs ahead with Woody/Burnes/Peralta clearly the main arms of the rotation.

Zack Thompson vs. CIN – Thompson will get a solid opportunity here to make an early case for the 2024 rotation.

José Butto vs. PHI – Keep an eye on the Philadelphia lineup before this game – if they rest their starters, Butto could be a sneaky final-day stream.

Triston McKenzie @ DET – He looked horrible in his first start back from the IL and I’m sure he’ll be desperate to rebound in one final chance before the end of year.

 

Do Not Starts

 

Zack Greinke vs. NYY – Now this is interesting. I could see this being the final game of Greinke’s Hall of Fame career, which means we’ll see him go all out in this start. Makes you wonder.

Zach Davies vs. HOU – There just isn’t enough here to trust Davies.

Chase Anderson vs. MIN – Watch Anderson win people leagues on Sunday. WOULDN’T THAT BE SOMETHING.

José Ureña vs. SDP – Remember kids, If you trust José, Ureña boatload of trouble. I know, he just had eight strikeouts and it was weird. Sure, there’s like a 5% chance it works, BUT COME ON.

Jackson Rutledge @ ATL – Naaaaaah.

TBD Rangers SP @ SEA – This likely is some bullpen game including Andrew Heaney with the entire season on the line…or the AL West locked up and they can bullpen their way through it. We’ll see.

 

 

Good luck. You can do this.

Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)