Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Kluber Climbing Back

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Updated on June 17, 2017 12:59PM EST

It's an interesting week for double-dips as there are several middle-of-the-road starters in tough spots, dropping their rank. The baseline for some homer-prone hurlers was adjusted, as discussed in this week's Z Files.

As usual, there are several spots in flux, with some quality arms potentially returning. To that end, I'm happy to announce from here on out, we'll be updating the rankings Sunday evenings, after each team has firmed up their plans for the upcoming week.

UPDATED: Monday June 19 12:05 AM ET

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Corey Kluber	CLE	at BAL, vs. MIN	ERA will drop, fanned 28 with just 4 walks in last 19 innings
2	Michael Pineda	NYY	vs. LAA, vs. TEX	Homers remain a concern
3	Chris Sale	BOS	at KC	Could pick up Sunday start, bumping him to second spot
4	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. CLE, at TB
5	Jake Odorizzi	TB	vs. CIN, vs. BAL	Helped by a pair in The Trop
6	Chris Archer	TB	vs. BAL
7	Ervin Santana	MIN	vs. CWS, at CLE	Regression slowly kicking in, still a very good pitcher
8	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	at BAL
9	Marco Estrada	TOR	at TEX, at KC
10	Michael Fulmer	DET	at SD	Dealing with shoulder inflammation
11	Lance McCullers	HOU	at SEA
12	Justin Verlander	DET	at SEA
13	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	at SD
14	James Paxton	SEA	vs. DET	Roughed up last time, tough draw for a rebound

UPDATED: Monday June 19 12:05 AM ET

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Corey Kluber	CLE	at BAL, vs. MIN	ERA will drop, fanned 28 with just 4 walks in last 19 innings
2	Michael Pineda	NYY	vs. LAA, vs. TEX	Homers remain a concern
3	Chris Sale	BOS	at KC	Could pick up Sunday start, bumping him to second spot
4	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. CLE, at TB
5	Jake Odorizzi	TB	vs. CIN, vs. BAL	Helped by a pair in The Trop
6	Chris Archer	TB	vs. BAL
7	Ervin Santana	MIN	vs. CWS, at CLE	Regression slowly kicking in, still a very good pitcher
8	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	at BAL
9	Marco Estrada	TOR	at TEX, at KC
10	Michael Fulmer	DET	at SD	Dealing with shoulder inflammation
11	Lance McCullers	HOU	at SEA
12	Justin Verlander	DET	at SEA
13	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	at SD
14	James Paxton	SEA	vs. DET	Roughed up last time, tough draw for a rebound
15	Luis Severino	NYY	vs. LAA
16	Jason Vargas	KC	vs. TOR
17	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. CWS
18	Yu Darvish	TEX	at NYY
19	Sonny Gray	OAK	vs. HOU, at CWS	Back to being useful, not the best scenarios
20	Mike Fiers	HOU	at OAK
21	Tyson Ross	TEX	vs. TOR
22	Sean Manaea	OAK	vs. HOU
23	David Paulino	HOU	at OAK
24	Jacob Faria	TB	vs. BAL	Home field advantage and no Chris Davis
25	Francis Martes	HOU	at OAK
26	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	at KC	Royals have been pummeling LHP the past month
27	Marcus Stroman	TOR	at TEX
28	Josh Tomlin	CLE	at BAL, vs. MIN
29	Jason Hammel	KC	vs. BOS, vs. TOR	Neither offense clicking, but still risky
30	Jose Quintana	CWS	at MIN
31	David Price	BOS	vs. LAA
32	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	vs. TEX
33	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	vs. LAA
34	Alex Cobb	TB	vs. CIN
35	Brad Peacock	HOU	at OAK, at SEA
36	Felix Hernandez	SEA	vs. HOU
37	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. LAA	Tapping out, finally adjusted for high homers
38	Ian Kennedy	KC	vs. BOS
39	Erasmo Ramirez	TB	vs. CIN
40	Luis Cessa	NYY	vs. TEX
41	Ariel Miranda	SEA	vs. DET
42	Hector Velazquez	BOS	at KC, vs. LAA	May get skipped for second start
43	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	at SEA
44	Jharel Cotton	OAK	at CWS
45	Trevor Bauer	CLE	vs. MIN
46	Joe Musgrove	HOU	at SEA
47	James Shields	CWS	vs. OAK
48	Buck Farmer	DET	at SD
49	Joe Biagini	TOR	at TEX
50	Francisco Liriano	TOR	at TEX, at KC
51	Daniel Norris	DET	at SEA
52	Matt Strahm	KC	vs. BOS
53	Jake Junis	KC	vs. TOR
54	Alex Meyer	LAA	at BOS
55	J.A. Happ	TOR	at KC
56	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at BAL
57	Derek Holland	CWS	at MIN, vs. OAK
58	Yovani Gallardo	SEA	vs. DET
59	Hisashi Iwakuma	SEA	vs. HOU
60	Daniel Gossett	OAK	vs. HOU, at CWS
61	Sam Gaviglio	SEA	vs. DET
62	Chris Tillman	BAL	vs. CLE, at TB
63	Mike Pelfrey	CWS	vs. OAK
64	Anibal Sanchez	DET	at SEA
65	Nick Martinez	TEX	vs. TOR, at NYY
66	Martin Perez	TEX	vs. TOR
67	Ubaldo Jimenez	BAL	at TB
68	JC Ramirez	LAA	at BOS
69	Austin Bibens-Dirkx	TEX	vs. TOR, at NYY
70	Jesse Hahn	OAK	vs. HOU
71	Adalberto Mejia	MIN	at CLE
72	Parker Bridwell	LAA	at NYY, at BOS
73	Wade Miley	BAL	vs. CLE
74	Jesse Chavez	LAA	at NYY
75	Ricky Nolasco	LAA	at NYY
76	Nik Turley	MIN	vs. CWS
77	Christian Bergman	SEA	vs. HOU
78	Kevin Gausman	BAL	vs. CLE
79	David Holmberg	CWS	at MIN
80	Kyle Gibson	MIN	at CLE

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Rank	Pitcher	TEAM	Opponent(s)	Comments
1	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	vs. NYM, vs. COL
2	Jon Lester	CHC	vs. SD, at MIA	More inconsistent than usual, but favorable matchups
3	Johnny Cueto	SF	at ATL, vs. NYM	One of many pitchers with bloated a home run rate
4	Julio Teheran	ATL	vs. SF, vs. MIL	Not many LHB to worry about in either opponent
5	Max Scherzer	WAS	at MIA
6	Mike Leake	STL	at PHI, vs. PIT	Draws a pair of bottom-ten offenses versus RHP
7	Zack Greinke	ARI	at COL, vs. PHI	Hope for minimal damage in Coors
8	Carlos Martinez	STL	at PHI
9	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. CIN
10	Robbie Ray	ARI	vs. PHI
11	Gerrit Cole	PIT	at MIL, at STL	HR/9 tripled from last two seasons
12	Tanner Roark	WAS	at MIA, vs. CIN	Reasonable matchup in good pitching venues
13	Steven Matz	NYM	at LAD
14	Alex Wood	LAD	vs. NYM
15	Michael Wacha	STL	at PHI
16	Ivan Nova	PIT	at MIL
17	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. STL
18	Jake Arrieta	CHC	at MIA
19	Mike Montgomery	CHC	vs. SD, at MIA	Nice matchups, but not completely stretched out
20	Jameson Taillon	PIT	at STL
21	Lance Lynn	STL	vs. PIT
22	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	vs. MIL
23	Brandon McCarthy	LAD	vs. NYM, vs. COL	Throwing well between DL stints
24	John Lackey	CHC	at MIA	Whiffs and walks fine, homers through the roof
25	Junior Guerra	MIL	vs. PIT
26	Jeff Samardzija	SF	at ATL	Glad to be out or Coors Field
27	Edinson Volquez	MIA	vs. WAS, vs. CHC	Home park helps, but a couple of dangerous lineups
28	Rich Hill	LAD	vs. NYM	So much for getting a part-time ace at a discount
29	Chad Kuhl	PIT	at MIL, at STL
30	Jaime Garcia	ATL	vs. SF
31	Chase Anderson	MIL	vs. PIT
32	Jacob deGrom	NYM	at SF	CG last time, but only 6 K and 4 BB
33	Kyle Freeland	COL	at LAD
34	Joe Ross	WAS	vs. CIN
35	R.A. Dickey	ATL	vs. SF, vs. MIL	On paper, beatable lineups, but never know with knuckler
36	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	at MIA
37	Vance Worley	MIA	vs. WAS, vs. CHC	Home field boost
38	Jose Urena	MIA	vs. CHC
39	Jeff Hoffman	COL	vs. ARI	Could be wrong, but need to see more success at Coors
40	Dan Straily	MIA	vs. WAS
41	Trevor Williams	PIT	at MIL
42	Seth Lugo	NYM	at SF
43	Amir Garrett	CIN	at TB	Park upgrade and Rays struggle vs. southpaws
44	Zach Davies	MIL	vs. PIT, at ATL	First half disappointment, stop back in skills across the board
45	Adam Wainwright	STL	vs. PIT
46	Nick Pivetta	PHI	vs. STL	Impressive vs. Red Sox last week, keep an eye on him
47	Dinelson Lamet	SD	vs. DET
48	Tyler Chatwood	COL	at LAD
49	Jeremy Hellickson	PHI	vs. STL, at ARI
50	Eddie Butler	CHC	vs. SD
51	Miguel Diaz	SD	at CHC	Cubs below average vs. RHP
52	Jimmy Nelson	MIL	at ATL
53	Tim Adleman	CIN	at TB
54	German Marquez	COL	vs. ARI, at LAD
55	Patrick Corbin	ARI	vs. PHI
56	Ty Blach	SF	vs. NYM
57	Scott Feldman	CIN	at TB, at WAS
58	Bartolo Colon	ATL	vs. SF
59	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	vs. COL
60	Zack Wheeler	NYM	at LAD, at SF
61	Jhoulys Chacin	SD	at CHC
62	Matt Moore	SF	at ATL, vs. NYM
63	Luis Perdomo	SD	vs. DET
64	Zack Godley	ARI	at COL
65	Matt Garza	MIL	vs. PIT, at ATL
66	Robert Gsellman	NYM	at LAD
67	Clayton Richard	SD	at CHC, vs. DET
68	Cody Reed	CIN	at WAS
69	Jeff Locke	MIA	vs. CHC
70	Jerad Eickhoff	PHI	at ARI
71	Antonio Senzatela	COL	vs. ARI
72	Ben Lively	PHI	at ARI
73	Matt Cain	SF	at ATL
74	Taijuan Walker	ARI	at COL
75	Bronson Arroyo	CIN	at WAS
76	Tyler Pill	NYM	at LAD

MLB

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPPONENT	COMMENT
1	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	vs. NYM, vs. COL
2	Corey Kluber	CLE	at BAL, vs. MIN	ERA will drop, fanned 28 with just 4 walks in last 19 innings
3	Jon Lester	CHC	vs. SD, at MIA	More inconsistent than usual, but favorable matchups
4	Michael Pineda	NYY	vs. LAA, vs. TEX	Homers remain a concern
5	Chris Sale	BOS	at KC	Could pick up Sunday start, bumping him to second spot
6	Johnny Cueto	SF	at ATL, vs. NYM	One of many pitchers with bloated a home run rate
7	Julio Teheran	ATL	vs. SF, vs. MIL	Not many LHB to worry about in either opponent
8	Max Scherzer	WAS	at MIA
9	Mike Leake	STL	at PHI, vs. PIT	Draws a pair of bottom-ten offenses versus RHP
10	Zack Greinke	ARI	at COL, vs. PHI	Hope for minimal damage in Coors
11	Carlos Martinez	STL	at PHI
12	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. CLE, at TB
13	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. CIN
14	Jake Odorizzi	TB	vs. CIN, vs. BAL	Helped by a pair in The Trop
15	Chris Archer	TB	vs. BAL
16	Robbie Ray	ARI	vs. PHI
17	Ervin Santana	MIN	vs. CWS, at CLE	Regression slowly kicking in, still a very good pitcher
18	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	at BAL
19	Gerrit Cole	PIT	at MIL, at STL	HR/9 tripled from last two seasons
20	Marco Estrada	TOR	at TEX, at KC
21	Tanner Roark	WAS	at MIA, vs. CIN	Reasonable matchup in good pitching venues
22	Steven Matz	NYM	at LAD
23	Alex Wood	LAD	vs. NYM
24	Michael Wacha	STL	at PHI
25	Michael Fulmer	DET	at SD	Dealing with shoulder inflammation
26	Ivan Nova	PIT	at MIL
27	Lance McCullers	HOU	at SEA
28	Justin Verlander	DET	at SEA
29	Aaron Sanchez	TOR	at SD
30	James Paxton	SEA	vs. DET	Roughed up last time, tough draw for a rebound
31	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. STL
32	Jake Arrieta	CHC	at MIA
33	Luis Severino	NYY	vs. LAA
34	Jason Vargas	KC	vs. TOR
35	Mike Montgomery	CHC	vs. SD, at MIA	Nice matchups, but not completely stretched out
36	Jameson Taillon	PIT	at STL
37	Lance Lynn	STL	vs. PIT
38	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	vs. MIL
39	Brandon McCarthy	LAD	vs. NYM, vs. COL	Throwing well between DL stints
40	John Lackey	CHC	at MIA	Whiffs and walks fine, homers through the roof
41	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. CWS
42	Yu Darvish	TEX	at NYY
43	Junior Guerra	MIL	vs. PIT
44	Jeff Samardzija	SF	at ATL	Glad to be out or Coors Field
45	Edinson Volquez	MIA	vs. WAS, vs. CHC	Home park helps, but a couple of dangerous lineups
46	Sonny Gray	OAK	vs. HOU, at CWS	Back to being useful, not the best scenarios
47	Mike Fiers	HOU	at OAK
48	Rich Hill	LAD	vs. NYM	So much for getting a part-time ace at a discount
49	Chad Kuhl	PIT	at MIL, at STL
50	Jaime Garcia	ATL	vs. SF
51	Tyson Ross	TEX	vs. TOR
52	Chase Anderson	MIL	vs. PIT
53	Sean Manaea	OAK	vs. HOU
54	David Paulino	HOU	at OAK
55	Jacob Faria	TB	vs. BAL	Home field advantage and no Chris Davis
56	Francis Martes	HOU	at OAK
57	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	at KC	Royals have been pummeling LHP the past month
58	Jacob deGrom	NYM	at SF	CG last time, but only 6 K and 4 BB
59	Kyle Freeland	COL	at LAD
60	Joe Ross	WAS	vs. CIN
61	Marcus Stroman	TOR	at TEX
62	Josh Tomlin	CLE	at BAL, vs. MIN
63	Jason Hammel	KC	vs. BOS, vs. TOR	Neither offense clicking, but still risky
64	Jose Quintana	CWS	at MIN
65	David Price	BOS	vs. LAA
66	R.A. Dickey	ATL	vs. SF, vs. MIL	On paper, beatable lineups, but never know with knuckler
67	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	at MIA
68	Vance Worley	MIA	vs. WAS, vs. CHC	Home field boost
69	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	vs. TEX
70	Jose Urena	MIA	vs. CHC
71	Jeff Hoffman	COL	vs. ARI	Could be wrong, but need to see more success at Coors
72	Dan Straily	MIA	vs. WAS
73	Trevor Williams	PIT	at MIL
74	Seth Lugo	NYM	at SF
75	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	vs. LAA
76	Amir Garrett	CIN	at TB	Park upgrade and Rays struggle vs. southpaws
77	Alex Cobb	TB	vs. CIN
78	Zach Davies	MIL	vs. PIT, at ATL	First half disappointment, stop back in skills across the board
79	Brad Peacock	HOU	at OAK, at SEA
80	Felix Hernandez	SEA	vs. HOU
81	Rick Porcello	BOS	vs. LAA	Tapping out, finally adjusted for high homers
82	Ian Kennedy	KC	vs. BOS
83	Erasmo Ramirez	TB	vs. CIN
84	Luis Cessa	NYY	vs. TEX
85	Ariel Miranda	SEA	vs. DET
86	Adam Wainwright	STL	vs. PIT
87	Hector Velazquez	BOS	at KC, vs. LAA	May get skipped for second start
88	Nick Pivetta	PHI	vs. STL	Impressive vs. Red Sox last week, keep an eye on him
89	Dinelson Lamet	SD	vs. DET
90	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	at SEA
91	Tyler Chatwood	COL	at LAD
92	Jeremy Hellickson	PHI	vs. STL, at ARI
93	Eddie Butler	CHC	vs. SD
94	Jharel Cotton	OAK	at CWS
95	Miguel Diaz	SD	at CHC	Cubs below average vs. RHP
96	Jimmy Nelson	MIL	at ATL
97	Tim Adleman	CIN	at TB
98	Trevor Bauer	CLE	vs. MIN
99	German Marquez	COL	vs. ARI, at LAD
100	Joe Musgrove	HOU	at SEA
101	James Shields	CWS	vs. OAK
102	Buck Farmer	DET	at SD
103	Joe Biagini	TOR	at TEX
104	Francisco Liriano	TOR	at TEX, at KC
105	Daniel Norris	DET	at SEA
106	Matt Strahm	KC	vs. BOS
107	Patrick Corbin	ARI	vs. PHI
108	Jake Junis	KC	vs. TOR
109	Ty Blach	SF	vs. NYM
110	Alex Meyer	LAA	at BOS
111	Scott Feldman	CIN	at TB, at WAS
112	J.A. Happ	TOR	at KC
113	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at BAL
114	Bartolo Colon	ATL	vs. SF
115	Hyun-Jin Ryu	LAD	vs. COL
116	Derek Holland	CWS	at MIN, vs. OAK
117	Yovani Gallardo	SEA	vs. DET
118	Zack Wheeler	NYM	at LAD, at SF
119	Hisashi Iwakuma	SEA	vs. HOU
120	Daniel Gossett	OAK	vs. HOU, at CWS
121	Jhoulys Chacin	SD	at CHC
122	Matt Moore	SF	at ATL, vs. NYM
123	Sam Gaviglio	SEA	vs. DET
124	Luis Perdomo	SD	vs. DET
125	Chris Tillman	BAL	vs. CLE, at TB
126	Zack Godley	ARI	at COL
127	Matt Garza	MIL	vs. PIT, at ATL
128	Mike Pelfrey	CWS	vs. OAK
129	Anibal Sanchez	DET	at SEA
130	Robert Gsellman	NYM	at LAD
131	Clayton Richard	SD	at CHC, vs. DET
132	Nick Martinez	TEX	vs. TOR, at NYY
133	Cody Reed	CIN	at WAS
134	Martin Perez	TEX	vs. TOR
135	Ubaldo Jimenez	BAL	at TB
136	Jeff Locke	MIA	vs. CHC
137	Jerad Eickhoff	PHI	at ARI
138	JC Ramirez	LAA	at BOS
139	Antonio Senzatela	COL	vs. ARI
140	Austin Bibens-Dirkx	TEX	vs. TOR, at NYY
141	Jesse Hahn	OAK	vs. HOU
142	Adalberto Mejia	MIN	at CLE
143	Parker Bridwell	LAA	at NYY, at BOS
144	Ben Lively	PHI	at ARI
145	Wade Miley	BAL	vs. CLE
146	Jesse Chavez	LAA	at NYY
147	Ricky Nolasco	LAA	at NYY
148	Nik Turley	MIN	vs. CWS
149	Matt Cain	SF	at ATL
150	Taijuan Walker	ARI	at COL
151	Christian Bergman	SEA	vs. HOU
152	Bronson Arroyo	CIN	at WAS
153	Kevin Gausman	BAL	vs. CLE
154	David Holmberg	CWS	at MIN
155	Tyler Pill	NYM	at LAD
156	Kyle Gibson	MIN	at CLE