Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Kluber's Post-Break Surge

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Updated on July 21, 2018 1:34PM EST

With fewer off days coming out of the break, it's a busy week for two-start options. However, the quality is weakened by many teams realigning their rotations so their better hurlers worked over the weekend. That said, you're going to use the iron regardless of how many starts; this week affords the opportunity to take a chance on some lesser double-dipping candidates.

Please remember the schedule is pulled from the probable pitching grid, so any questions concerning why a pitchers isn't ranked is best directed there.

For the week, July 23-29

UPDATED: July 22, 10:30 PM PT

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Luis Severino	NYY	at TB, vs. KC	Went into break with a pair of 5 IP efforts with only 6 K in those 10 IP
2	Corey Kluber	CLE	vs. PIT, at DET	Perfect pair to start his patented post break surge
3	Blake Snell	TB	vs. NYY, at BAL	Scary thing is he could get even better with fewer walks
4	Justin Verlander	HOU	vs. TEX
5	Chris Sale	BOS	vs. MIN
6	Rick Porcello	BOS	at BAL, vs. MIN	Has had a long time to stew over last outing before break: 2 IP, 8 ER, 7 H, 4 BB
7	Jose Berrios	MIN	at TOR, at BOS	Big test versus Red Sox, should be up to the challenge
8	James Paxton	SEA	vs. SF
9	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at TB, vs. KC	Facing offense less likely to take advantage of HR generosity

Please remember the schedule is pulled from the probable pitching grid, so any questions concerning why a pitchers isn't ranked is best directed there.

For the week, July 23-29

UPDATED: July 22, 10:30 PM PT

AMERICAN LEAGUE

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Luis Severino	NYY	at TB, vs. KC	Went into break with a pair of 5 IP efforts with only 6 K in those 10 IP
2	Corey Kluber	CLE	vs. PIT, at DET	Perfect pair to start his patented post break surge
3	Blake Snell	TB	vs. NYY, at BAL	Scary thing is he could get even better with fewer walks
4	Justin Verlander	HOU	vs. TEX
5	Chris Sale	BOS	vs. MIN
6	Rick Porcello	BOS	at BAL, vs. MIN	Has had a long time to stew over last outing before break: 2 IP, 8 ER, 7 H, 4 BB
7	Jose Berrios	MIN	at TOR, at BOS	Big test versus Red Sox, should be up to the challenge
8	James Paxton	SEA	vs. SF
9	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at TB, vs. KC	Facing offense less likely to take advantage of HR generosity
10	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	at DET	Great spot to further ongoing ERA correction
11	Trevor Bauer	CLE	vs. PIT
12	David Price	BOS	at BAL	Really needed the solid effort turned in last time, great spot to make it two in a row
13	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	vs. TEX
14	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at DET
15	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	vs. TEX	ZERO homers over last 8 GS, spanning 49.1 IP
16	Marco Gonzales	SEA	at LAA
17	CC Sabathia	NYY	vs. KC	The cagey vet should plow through pair of weak lineups
18	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	vs. CWS
19	J.A. Happ	TOR	at CWS	Could be traded previous to the start
20	Sonny Gray	NYY	vs. KC	Dominated Orioles before the break, facing another weak unit
21	Carlos Rodon	CWS	at LAA, vs. TOR	Ratios risky but strikeout potential still there
22	Felix Pena	LAA	vs. CWS, vs. SEA	Averaging only 4.2 IP in his 5 GS, but 30 K in those 23.2 IP
23	Wade LeBlanc	SEA	at LAA	Continues to baffle opponents… and fantasy analysis
24	Chris Archer	TB	at BAL	Great spot to audition for a contender
25	Jaime Barria	LAA	vs. CWS, vs. SEA
26	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. SF
27	Matthew Boyd	DET	at KC
28	Marcus Stroman	TOR	at CWS
29	Ervin Santana	MIN	at TOR
30	Cole Hamels	TEX	vs. OAK, at HOU	Could be pitching for a chance to move to a contender
31	Andrew Heaney	LAA	vs. SEA
32	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	at BAL, vs. MIN	6 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 5K, 2BB final rehab start but still very risky
33	Mike Minor	TEX	vs. OAK, at HOU
34	Nathan Eovaldi	TB	vs. NYY
35	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at LAA, vs. TOR	Lack of growth disappointing
36	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	vs. TOR
37	Shane Bieber	CLE	vs. PIT
38	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	at BAL
39	Kevin Gausman	BAL	vs. BOS, vs. TB
40	Burch Smith	KC	vs. DET, at NYY
41	Marco Estrada	TOR	at CWS
42	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	at KC	Could pick up second start, rank would be in the 60s
43	Hunter Wood	TB	vs. NYY, at BAL
44	Nick Tropeano	LAA	vs. CWS
45	Danny Duffy	KC	vs. DET
46	Jakob Junis	KC	at NYY
47	Dylan Covey	CWS	at LAA
48	Brian Johnson	BOS	vs. MIN
49	Gerrit Cole	HOU	at COL
50	Felix Hernandez	SEA	at LAA
51	Yefry Ramirez	BAL	vs. BOS, vs. TB	Producing strikeouts but ratios risky
52	Ryan Borucki	TOR	vs. MIN
53	Blaine Hardy	DET	vs. CLE
54	Bartolo Colon	TEX	vs. OAK
55	Andrew Cashner	BAL	vs. TB
56	Frankie Montas	OAK	at TEX, at COL
57	Luis Cessa	NYY	at TB
58	James Shields	CWS	at LAA
59	Alex Cobb	BAL	vs. TB
60	Charlie Morton	HOU	at COL
61	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. BOS
62	Francisco Liriano	DET	at KC, vs. CLE
63	Mike Fiers	DET	vs. CLE
64	Trevor Cahill	OAK	at TEX
65	Adalberto Mejia	MIN	at TOR
66	Luis Santos	TOR	vs. MIN
67	Martin Perez	TEX	vs. OAK
68	Edwin Jackson	OAK	at TEX
69	Kyle Gibson	MIN	at BOS	.276 BABIP not supported by 38% hard-hit rate
70	Sean Manaea	OAK	at COL
71	Sam Gaviglio	TOR	vs. MIN
72	Heath Fillmyer	KC	vs. DET, at NYY
73	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	at BOS
74	Lance Lynn	MIN	at BOS
75	Brett Anderson	OAK	at TEX, at COL
76	Yovani Gallardo	TEX	at HOU
77	Brad Keller	KC	at NYY

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Rank	Pitcher	TEAM	OPP	Comments
1	Jacob deGrom	NYM	vs. SD, at PIT
2	Ross Stripling	LAD	at PHI, at ATL	Largely responsible for keeping Dodgers close enough to do Machado trade
3	Max Scherzer	WAS	at MIA
4	Patrick Corbin	ARI	at CHC, at SD
5	Zack Greinke	ARI	at SD
6	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	at MIL, at MIA
7	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	at MIA
8	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	at ATL
9	Luis Castillo	CIN	vs. STL, vs. PHI	HR under control, now time to ramp whiffs back up
10	Madison Bumgarner	SF	vs. MIL
11	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	vs. WAS, at SF	Knows his role, does his job then tags in great bullpen
12	Sean Newcomb	ATL	at MIA, vs. LAD
13	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. LAD	So rare to combine high floor with high ceiling
14	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	vs. ARI, at STL
15	Joe Musgrove	PIT	at CLE, vs. NYM	Strikeout potential driving rank
16	Johnny Cueto	SF	vs. MIL
17	Freddy Peralta	MIL	vs. WAS
18	Jose Quintana	CHC	at STL
19	Zack Wheeler	NYM	vs. SD, at PIT	Likely the best setup he'll see all season
20	Clayton Richard	SD	at NYM
21	Clay Buchholz	ARI	at CHC, at SD
22	Jon Lester	CHC	vs. ARI	The expected ERA correction is ongoing big time
23	Walker Buehler	LAD	at PHI
24	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	vs. PHI
25	Julio Teheran	ATL	at MIA	Best approach is put him in, close your eyes and pinch your nose
26	Chase Anderson	MIL	at SF
27	Mike Montgomery	CHC	vs. ARI
28	Tyson Ross	SD	vs. ARI
29	Zach Eflin	PHI	vs. LAD, at CIN	Expected to return from blister issues
30	Kenta Maeda	LAD	at PHI	Punch outs remain near-shockingly high
31	Jeremy Hellickson	WAS	at MIL, at MIA
32	Andrew Suarez	SF	at SEA, vs. MIL
33	Ivan Nova	PIT	vs. NYM
34	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	vs. LAD
35	Jake Arrieta	PHI	vs. LAD	Looking to rebound from poor effort vs. Padres
36	Jose Urena	MIA	vs. ATL, vs. WAS
37	Tyler Mahle	CIN	vs. PHI
38	Robbie Ray	ARI	at CHC
39	Corey Oswalt	NYM	vs. SD
40	Brent Suter	MIL	at SF
41	Miles Mikolas	STL	vs. CHC
42	Dan Straily	MIA	vs. WAS
43	Joey Lucchesi	SD	at NYM	Facing non-daunting lineups in good pitching venues
44	Trevor Richards	MIA	vs. WAS
45	Dereck Rodriguez	SF	vs. MIL
46	Alex Wood	LAD	at ATL
47	Tanner Roark	WAS	at MIL
48	Jack Flaherty	STL	at CIN
49	Rich Hill	LAD	at ATL
50	Matt Harvey	CIN	vs. PHI
51	Luis Perdomo	SD	vs. ARI
52	Eric Lauer	SD	at NYM, vs. ARI
53	Nick Kingham	PIT	vs. NYM
54	Steven Matz	NYM	at PIT
55	Trevor Williams	PIT	at CLE, vs. NYM
56	Tyler Chatwood	CHC	at STL
57	Wade Miley	MIL	at SF
58	Junior Guerra	MIL	vs. WAS
59	Jameson Taillon	PIT	at CLE
60	Max Fried	ATL	vs. LAD
61	Anibal Sanchez	ATL	vs. LAD
62	Nick Pivetta	PHI	at CIN
63	Sal Romano	CIN	vs. STL
64	Kyle Freeland	COL	vs. OAK
65	Wei-Yin Chen	MIA	vs. ATL
66	Vince Velasquez	PHI	at CIN
67	Antonio Senzatela	COL	vs. OAK
68	Zack Godley	ARI	at CHC
69	Derek Holland	SF	at SEA
70	Pablo Lopez	MIA	vs. WAS
71	German Marquez	COL	vs. OAK
72	Jason Vargas	NYM	at PIT
73	Jon Gray	COL	vs. HOU
74	Tyler Anderson	COL	vs. HOU
75	Homer Bailey	CIN	vs. STL
76	John Gant	STL	vs. CHC
77	Luke Farrell	CHC	vs. ARI
78	Daniel Poncedeleon	STL	at CIN, vs. CHC
79	Enyel De Los Santos	PHI	at CIN
80	Austin Gomber	STL	at CIN

MLB

RANK	PITCHER	TEAM	OPP	COMMENT
1	Jacob deGrom	NYM	vs. SD, at PIT
2	Luis Severino	NYY	at TB, vs. KC	Went into break with a pair of 5 IP efforts with only 6 K in those 10 IP
3	Corey Kluber	CLE	vs. PIT, at DET	Perfect pair to start his patented post break surge
4	Blake Snell	TB	vs. NYY, at BAL	Scary thing is he could get even better with fewer walks
5	Ross Stripling	LAD	at PHI, at ATL	Largely responsible for keeping Dodgers close enough to do Machado trade
6	Max Scherzer	WAS	at MIA
7	Justin Verlander	HOU	vs. TEX
8	Chris Sale	BOS	vs. MIN
9	Patrick Corbin	ARI	at CHC, at SD
10	Rick Porcello	BOS	at BAL, vs. MIN	Has had a long time to stew over last outing before break: 2 IP, 8 ER, 7 H, 4 BB
11	Zack Greinke	ARI	at SD
12	Jose Berrios	MIN	at TOR, at BOS	Big test versus Red Sox, should be up to the challenge
13	Gio Gonzalez	WAS	at MIL, at MIA
14	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	at MIA
15	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	at ATL
16	Luis Castillo	CIN	vs. STL, vs. PHI	HR under control, now time to ramp whiffs back up
17	James Paxton	SEA	vs. SF
18	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	at TB, vs. KC	Facing offense less likely to take advantage of HR generosity
19	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	at DET	Great spot to further ongoing ERA correction
20	Trevor Bauer	CLE	vs. PIT
21	David Price	BOS	at BAL	Really needed the solid effort turned in last time, great spot to make it two in a row
22	Madison Bumgarner	SF	vs. MIL
23	Jhoulys Chacin	MIL	vs. WAS, at SF	Knows his role, does his job then tags in great bullpen
24	Sean Newcomb	ATL	at MIA, vs. LAD
25	Lance McCullers Jr.	HOU	vs. TEX
26	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. LAD	So rare to combine high floor with high ceiling
27	Mike Clevinger	CLE	at DET
28	Dallas Keuchel	HOU	vs. TEX	ZERO homers over last 8 GS, spanning 49.1 IP
29	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	vs. ARI, at STL
30	Marco Gonzales	SEA	at LAA
31	CC Sabathia	NYY	vs. KC	The cagey vet should plow through pair of weak lineups
32	Joe Musgrove	PIT	at CLE, vs. NYM	Strikeout potential driving rank
33	Tyler Skaggs	LAA	vs. CWS
34	J.A. Happ	TOR	at CWS	Could be traded previous to the start
35	Sonny Gray	NYY	vs. KC	Dominated Orioles before the break, facing another weak unit
36	Johnny Cueto	SF	vs. MIL
37	Carlos Rodon	CWS	at LAA, vs. TOR	Ratios risky but strikeout potential still there
38	Freddy Peralta	MIL	vs. WAS
39	Felix Pena	LAA	vs. CWS, vs. SEA	Averaging only 4.2 IP in his 5 GS, but 30 K in those 23.2 IP
40	Wade LeBlanc	SEA	at LAA	Continues to baffle opponents… and fantasy analysis
41	Jose Quintana	CHC	at STL
42	Chris Archer	TB	at BAL	Great spot to audition for a contender
43	Zack Wheeler	NYM	vs. SD, at PIT	Likely the best setup he'll see all season
44	Clayton Richard	SD	at NYM
45	Clay Buchholz	ARI	at CHC, at SD
46	Jon Lester	CHC	vs. ARI	The expected ERA correction is ongoing big time
47	Jaime Barria	LAA	vs. CWS, vs. SEA
48	Walker Buehler	LAD	at PHI
49	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	vs. PHI
50	Mike Leake	SEA	vs. SF
51	Julio Teheran	ATL	at MIA	Best approach is put him in, close your eyes and pinch your nose
52	Matthew Boyd	DET	at KC
53	Marcus Stroman	TOR	at CWS
54	Chase Anderson	MIL	at SF
55	Ervin Santana	MIN	at TOR
56	Mike Montgomery	CHC	vs. ARI
57	Tyson Ross	SD	vs. ARI
58	Zach Eflin	PHI	vs. LAD, at CIN	Expected to return from blister issues
59	Cole Hamels	TEX	vs. OAK, at HOU	Could be pitching for a chance to move to a contender
60	Kenta Maeda	LAD	at PHI	Punch outs remain near-shockingly high
61	Jeremy Hellickson	WAS	at MIL, at MIA
62	Andrew Suarez	SF	at SEA, vs. MIL
63	Andrew Heaney	LAA	vs. SEA
64	Ivan Nova	PIT	vs. NYM
65	Mike Foltynewicz	ATL	vs. LAD
66	Jake Arrieta	PHI	vs. LAD	Looking to rebound from poor effort vs. Padres
67	Drew Pomeranz	BOS	at BAL, vs. MIN	6 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 5K, 2BB final rehab start but still very risky
68	Jose Urena	MIA	vs. ATL, vs. WAS
69	Tyler Mahle	CIN	vs. PHI
70	Robbie Ray	ARI	at CHC
71	Mike Minor	TEX	vs. OAK, at HOU
72	Nathan Eovaldi	TB	vs. NYY
73	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at LAA, vs. TOR	Lack of growth disappointing
74	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	vs. TOR
75	Shane Bieber	CLE	vs. PIT
76	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	at BAL
77	Kevin Gausman	BAL	vs. BOS, vs. TB
78	Corey Oswalt	NYM	vs. SD
79	Brent Suter	MIL	at SF
80	Burch Smith	KC	vs. DET, at NYY
81	Miles Mikolas	STL	vs. CHC
82	Dan Straily	MIA	vs. WAS
83	Marco Estrada	TOR	at CWS
84	Jordan Zimmermann	DET	at KC	Could pick up second start, rank would be in the 60s
85	Hunter Wood	TB	vs. NYY, at BAL
86	Joey Lucchesi	SD	at NYM	Facing non-daunting lineups in good pitching venues
87	Trevor Richards	MIA	vs. WAS
88	Dereck Rodriguez	SF	vs. MIL
89	Nick Tropeano	LAA	vs. CWS
90	Danny Duffy	KC	vs. DET
91	Alex Wood	LAD	at ATL
92	Jakob Junis	KC	at NYY
93	Tanner Roark	WAS	at MIL
94	Jack Flaherty	STL	at CIN
95	Rich Hill	LAD	at ATL
96	Dylan Covey	CWS	at LAA
97	Brian Johnson	BOS	vs. MIN
98	Gerrit Cole	HOU	at COL
99	Matt Harvey	CIN	vs. PHI
100	Luis Perdomo	SD	vs. ARI
101	Eric Lauer	SD	at NYM, vs. ARI
102	Felix Hernandez	SEA	at LAA
103	Yefry Ramirez	BAL	vs. BOS, vs. TB	Producing strikeouts but ratios risky
104	Ryan Borucki	TOR	vs. MIN
105	Nick Kingham	PIT	vs. NYM
106	Steven Matz	NYM	at PIT
107	Trevor Williams	PIT	at CLE, vs. NYM
108	Tyler Chatwood	CHC	at STL
109	Wade Miley	MIL	at SF
110	Blaine Hardy	DET	vs. CLE
111	Junior Guerra	MIL	vs. WAS
112	Bartolo Colon	TEX	vs. OAK
113	Andrew Cashner	BAL	vs. TB
114	Jameson Taillon	PIT	at CLE
115	Max Fried	ATL	vs. LAD
116	Anibal Sanchez	ATL	vs. LAD
117	Frankie Montas	OAK	at TEX, at COL
118	Nick Pivetta	PHI	at CIN
119	Sal Romano	CIN	vs. STL
120	Luis Cessa	NYY	at TB
121	James Shields	CWS	at LAA
122	Alex Cobb	BAL	vs. TB
123	Kyle Freeland	COL	vs. OAK
124	Charlie Morton	HOU	at COL
125	Dylan Bundy	BAL	vs. BOS
126	Francisco Liriano	DET	at KC, vs. CLE
127	Wei-Yin Chen	MIA	vs. ATL
128	Vince Velasquez	PHI	at CIN
129	Antonio Senzatela	COL	vs. OAK
130	Zack Godley	ARI	at CHC
131	Derek Holland	SF	at SEA
132	Pablo Lopez	MIA	vs. WAS
133	Mike Fiers	DET	vs. CLE
134	German Marquez	COL	vs. OAK
135	Jason Vargas	NYM	at PIT
136	Trevor Cahill	OAK	at TEX
137	Adalberto Mejia	MIN	at TOR
138	Jon Gray	COL	vs. HOU
139	Luis Santos	TOR	vs. MIN
140	Tyler Anderson	COL	vs. HOU
141	Martin Perez	TEX	vs. OAK
142	Edwin Jackson	OAK	at TEX
143	Kyle Gibson	MIN	at BOS	.276 BABIP not supported by 38% hard-hit rate
144	Homer Bailey	CIN	vs. STL
145	Sean Manaea	OAK	at COL
146	Sam Gaviglio	TOR	vs. MIN
147	Heath Fillmyer	KC	vs. DET, at NYY
148	John Gant	STL	vs. CHC
149	Luke Farrell	CHC	vs. ARI
150	Jake Odorizzi	MIN	at BOS
151	Daniel Poncedeleon	STL	at CIN, vs. CHC
152	Lance Lynn	MIN	at BOS
153	Brett Anderson	OAK	at TEX, at COL
154	Enyel De Los Santos	PHI	at CIN
155	Yovani Gallardo	TEX	at HOU
156	Brad Keller	KC	at NYY
157	Austin Gomber	STL	at CIN