Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Let's Play Two

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Updated on August 31, 2020 1:00AM EST

In what's going to be the norm the rest of the season, there are seven doubleheaders on the docket, five on Friday with the other pair on Saturday. It's conjecture, but it can be argued pitchers scheduled to work in a twin bill have a better chance for a win since they'll only need one or two relievers to seal the deal, avoiding the usual soft underbelly of many bullpens.

Complicating matters this period is the impending trade deadline. We're already seen one deal as the Blue Jays fortified their rotation with Taijuan Walker, there will likely be more deals, shuffling things up mid-week.

Despite a record number of pitchers being ranked, the two-start selection isn't great, though there are a handful possibly available, obviously dependent on the depth of your league.

As always, these are preliminary rankings. The final set will be updated Sunday night, after we have a better feel for how rotations will flesh out. That said, with so many late-week doubleheaders, the plans for the involved teams are in flux, especially over the weekend.

For the week Aug. 31 - Sept. 6

UPDATED: Monday August 31, 1 AM ET

Mixed

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP
1	Gerrit Cole	NYY	TB, @BAL
2	Shane Bieber	CLE	@KC, MIL	Yes, hard hit rate is high, but only 4 HR allowed in 46.2 IP
3	Jacob deGrom	NYM	MIA, PHI	Could double his win total in one week
4	Sonny Gray	CIN	STL, @PIT	Great matchups
5

Despite a record number of pitchers being ranked, the two-start selection isn't great, though there are a handful possibly available, obviously dependent on the depth of your league.

For the week Aug. 31 - Sept. 6

UPDATED: Monday August 31, 1 AM ET

Mixed

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP
1	Gerrit Cole	NYY	TB, @BAL
2	Shane Bieber	CLE	@KC, MIL	Yes, hard hit rate is high, but only 4 HR allowed in 46.2 IP
3	Jacob deGrom	NYM	MIA, PHI	Could double his win total in one week
4	Sonny Gray	CIN	STL, @PIT	Great matchups
5	Lucas Giolito	CWS	@MIN, @KC
6	Aaron Nola	PHI	WAS, @NYM
7	Max Fried	ATL	@BOS, WAS	3-0 with .81 ERA and 1.07 WHIP last three starts
8	Framber Valdez	HOU	TEX, @LAA
9	Max Scherzer	WAS	@PHI
10	Jesus Luzardo	OAK	@SEA, SD
11	Yu Darvish	CHC	@PIT
12	Trevor Bauer	CIN	@PIT
13	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	ARI
14	Hyun-Jin Ryu	TOR	@MIA
15	Blake Snell	TB	MIA
16	Marco Gonzales	SEA	@LAA, TEX	Benefits from lesser lineups and good parks
17	Patrick Corbin	WAS	@PHI, @ATL	Control and command a bit off so far
18	Lance Lynn	TEX	@SEA
19	Kenta Maeda	MIN	@DET
20	German Marquez	COL	SD, @LAD
21	Luis Castillo	CIN	PIT	.400 BABIP - that seems… high
22	Michael Pineda	MIN	CWS, DET	Returning from suspension
23	Zack Greinke	HOU	@LAA
24	Mike Clevinger	CLE	@KC
25	Walker Buehler	LAD	ARI
26	Aaron Civale	CLE	MIL
27	Kwang-Hyun Kim	STL	@CIN, @CHC
28	Cristian Javier	HOU	TEX
29	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	@PIT
30	Julio Urias	LAD	ARI, COL	Make good week, couldn't have a better setup
31	Sean Manaea	OAK	@SEA	Already looking forward to drafting Manaea in 2021 with a big discount
32	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	TB, @BAL
33	Rich Hill	MIN	CWS, DET
34	Dylan Bundy	LAA	SD
35	Frankie Montas	OAK	SD
36	Jose Berrios	MIN	CWS	Admittedly, a leap of faith but control historically too good to continue walking so many
37	Ian Anderson	ATL	@BOS, WAS	Even with tempered expectations, outlook is rosey
38	Brad Keller	KC	CLE, CWS	Needs better control
39	Randy Dobnak	MIN	DET
40	Chase Anderson	TOR	BAL, @BOS	Sneaky good matchups
41	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	MIL
42	Adrian Houser	MIL	DET
43	Danny Duffy	KC	CLE
44	Seth Lugo	NYM	PHI
45	Jack Flaherty	STL	@CHC
46	Chris Paddack	SD	@OAK
47	John Means	BAL	NYM
48	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	STL, @PIT	Velo still there, expecting an improvement
49	Spencer Turnbull	DET	@MIL
50	Dallas Keuchel	CWS	@MIN, @KC	Low strikeouts hindering rank a bit
51	Triston McKenzie	CLE	@KC
52	Tyler Glasnow	TB	@NYY, MIA	Rays rolling even with Glasnow struggling
53	Casey Mize	DET	@MIN
54	Chris Bassitt	OAK	SD
55	Justin Dunn	SEA	TEX
56	Taylor Rogers	MIA	@NYM
57	Josh Fleming	TB	MIA
58	Charlie Morton	TB	@NYY
59	Zack Wheeler	PHI	WAS
60	Mike Minor	TEX	@HOU	Starting to get it in gear, unfortunately, not enough time left to repair damage
61	Dustin May	LAD	COL
62	Andrew Heaney	LAA	SD
63	Jon Gray	COL	SF	Strikeouts have vanished
64	Anthony Kay	TOR	@MIA, @BOS	Could lose rotation spot with a deadline deal (or two)
65	Spencer Howard	PHI	WAS, @NYM
66	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	@CLE
67	Matthew Boyd	DET	@MIN
68	Zac Gallen	ARI	@LAD	Great test, Dodgers crushing RHP
69	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	TOR
70	Cody Ponce	PIT	CIN
71	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	OAK
72	Dakota Hudson	STL	@CIN, CHC
73	Ross Stripling	LAD	COL
74	Justus Sheffield	SEA	TEX
75	Alex Cobb	BAL	NYY
76	Ljay Newsome	SEA	OAK
77	Lance McCullers	HOU	TEX
78	Jordan Lyles	TEX	@HOU, @SEA
79	Nick Margevicius	SEA	OAK
80	Jose Urquidy	HOU	@LAA
81	Kyle Gibson	TEX	@SEA
82	Mike Fiers	OAK	@SEA
83	Sixto Sanchez	MIA	@TB
84	Griffin Canning	LAA	HOU
85	Luke Weaver	ARI	@SF
86	JT Brubaker	PIT	CHC
87	Dane Dunning	CWS	@KC
88	Corbin Burnes	MIL	@CLE
89	Taijuan Walker	TOR	@BOS
90	Shun Yamaguchi	TOR	BOS
91	Dinelson Lamet	SD	@LAA
92	Pablo Lopez	MIA	@TB
93	Tyler Anderson	SF	ARI
94	Alec Mills	CHC	STL
95	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	TB
96	Brady Singer	KC	CWS
97	Trevor Williams	PIT	@MIL, CIN
98	Elieser Hernandez	MIA	TOR	Nice pair to continue roll
99	Jon Lester	CHC	@PIT, STL
100	Zach Eflin	PHI	WAS
101	J.A. Happ	NYY	@NYM
102	Josh Lindblom	MIL	DET
103	Asher Wojciechowski	BAL	NYM, NYY
104	Madison Bumgarner	ARI	@SF
105	Tyler Mahle	CIN	STL
106	Jakob Junis	KC	CLE, CWS
107	Julio Teheran	LAA	HOU
108	Kyle Hart	BOS	ATL
109	Chris Mazza	BOS	@TOR
110	Dylan Cease	CWS	@KC
111	Tarik Skubal	DET	MIN
112	Adrian Morejon	SD	@OAK
113	Matt Andriese	LAA	HOU
114	Kolby Allard	TEX	@HOU
115	Anibal Sanchez	WAS	@PHI
116	Robbie Erlin	ATL	@BOS
117	Robbie Ray	ARI	@LAD
118	Kyle Freeland	COL	SF
119	Daniel Norris	DET	@MIL, @MIN
120	Jose Quintana	CHC	STL
121	Caleb Smith	MIA	TOR
122	Zack Godley	BOS	TOR
123	Johnny Cueto	SF	ARI
124	Chad Kuhl	PIT	CHC, CIN
125	Antonio Senzatela	COL	@LAD
126	Adam Wainwright	STL	@CHC
127	Jonathan Loaisiga	NYY	@BAL
128	Garrett Richards	SD	@COL, @OAK
129	Trevor Richards	TB	@NYY
130	Austin Voth	WAS	@ATL
131	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	@MIN
132	Josh Tomlin	ATL	WAS
133	David Peterson	NYM	NYY
134	Erick Fedde	WAS	@PHI, @ATL
135	Colten Brewer	BOS	ATL, TOR
136	Rick Porcello	NYM	PHI
137	Ryan Weber	BOS	ATL
138	Deivi Garcia	NYY	@BAL
139	Jorge Lopez	BAL	NYY
140	Alex Young	ARI	@LAD, @SF
141	Keegan Akin	BAL	@TOR, NYY
142	Jaime Barria	LAA	SEA, @HOU
143	Martin Perez	BOS	TOR
144	Jake Arrieta	PHI	@NYM
145	Tommy Milone	ATL	WAS
146	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	@TB
147	Wil Crowe	WAS	@ATL
148	Kris Bubic	KC	CWS
149	Tanner Roark	TOR	@BOS
150	Brett Anderson	MIL	@CLE
151	Derek Holland	PIT	CHC
152	Zach Davies	SD	@LAA
153	Eric Lauer	MIL	PIT
154	Drew Smyly	SF	ARI
155	Kevin Gausman	SF	@COL
156	Brandon Bielak	HOU	LAA
157	Ryan Castellani	COL	@LAD
158	Steven Brault	PIT	@CIN
159	Logan Webb	SF	@COL
160	Johan Oviedo	STL	@CIN
161	Adbert Alzolay	CHC	@STL
162	Franklyn Kilome	NYM	@BAL
163	Michael Wacha	NYM	@BAL

American League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Gerrit Cole	NYY	TB, @BAL
2	Shane Bieber	CLE	@KC, MIL	Yes, hard hit rate is high, but only 4 HR allowed in 46.2 IP
3	Lucas Giolito	CWS	@MIN, @KC
4	Framber Valdez	HOU	TEX, @LAA
5	Jesus Luzardo	OAK	@SEA, SD
6	Hyun-Jin Ryu	TOR	@MIA
7	Blake Snell	TB	MIA
8	Marco Gonzales	SEA	@LAA, TEX	Benefits from lesser lineups and good parks
9	Lance Lynn	TEX	@SEA
10	Kenta Maeda	MIN	@DET
11	Michael Pineda	MIN	CWS, DET	Returning from suspension
12	Zack Greinke	HOU	@LAA
13	Mike Clevinger	CLE	@KC
14	Aaron Civale	CLE	MIL
15	Cristian Javier	HOU	TEX
16	Sean Manaea	OAK	@SEA	Already looking forward to drafting Manaea in 2021 with a big discount
17	Masahiro Tanaka	NYY	TB, @BAL
18	Rich Hill	MIN	CWS, DET
19	Dylan Bundy	LAA	SD
20	Frankie Montas	OAK	SD
21	Jose Berrios	MIN	CWS	Admittedly, a leap of faith but control historically too good to continue walking so many
22	Brad Keller	KC	CLE, CWS	Needs better control
23	Randy Dobnak	MIN	DET
24	Chase Anderson	TOR	BAL, @BOS	Sneaky good matchups
25	Carlos Carrasco	CLE	MIL
26	Danny Duffy	KC	CLE
27	John Means	BAL	NYM
28	Spencer Turnbull	DET	@MIL
29	Dallas Keuchel	CWS	@MIN, @KC	Low strikeouts hindering rank a bit
30	Triston McKenzie	CLE	@KC
31	Tyler Glasnow	TB	@NYY, MIA	Rays rolling even with Glasnow struggling
32	Casey Mize	DET	@MIN
33	Chris Bassitt	OAK	SD
34	Justin Dunn	SEA	TEX
35	Josh Fleming	TB	MIA
36	Charlie Morton	TB	@NYY
37	Mike Minor	TEX	@HOU	Starting to get it in gear, unfortunately, not enough time left to repair damage
38	Andrew Heaney	LAA	SD
39	Anthony Kay	TOR	@MIA, @BOS	Could lose rotation spot with a deadline deal (or two)
40	Matthew Boyd	DET	@MIN
41	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	TOR
42	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	OAK
43	Justus Sheffield	SEA	TEX
44	Alex Cobb	BAL	NYY
45	Ljay Newsome	SEA	OAK
46	Lance McCullers	HOU	TEX
47	Jordan Lyles	TEX	@HOU, @SEA
48	Nick Margevicius	SEA	OAK
49	Jose Urquidy	HOU	@LAA
50	Kyle Gibson	TEX	@SEA
51	Mike Fiers	OAK	@SEA
52	Griffin Canning	LAA	HOU
53	Dane Dunning	CWS	@KC
54	Taijuan Walker	TOR	@BOS
55	Shun Yamaguchi	TOR	BOS
56	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	TB
57	Brady Singer	KC	CWS
58	J.A. Happ	NYY	@NYM
59	Asher Wojciechowski	BAL	NYM, NYY
60	Jakob Junis	KC	CLE, CWS
61	Julio Teheran	LAA	HOU
62	Kyle Hart	BOS	ATL
63	Chris Mazza	BOS	@TOR
64	Dylan Cease	CWS	@KC
65	Tarik Skubal	DET	MIN
66	Matt Andriese	LAA	HOU
67	Kolby Allard	TEX	@HOU
68	Daniel Norris	DET	@MIL, @MIN
69	Zack Godley	BOS	TOR
70	Jonathan Loaisiga	NYY	@BAL
71	Trevor Richards	TB	@NYY
72	Reynaldo Lopez	CWS	@MIN
73	Colten Brewer	BOS	ATL, TOR
74	Ryan Weber	BOS	ATL
75	Deivi Garcia	NYY	@BAL
76	Jorge Lopez	BAL	NYY
77	Keegan Akin	BAL	@TOR, NYY
78	Jaime Barria	LAA	SEA, @HOU
79	Martin Perez	BOS	TOR
80	Kris Bubic	KC	CWS
81	Tanner Roark	TOR	@BOS
82	Brandon Bielak	HOU	LAA

National League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Jacob deGrom	NYM	MIA, PHI	Could double his win total in one week
2	Sonny Gray	CIN	STL, @PIT	Great matchups
3	Aaron Nola	PHI	WAS, @NYM
4	Max Fried	ATL	@BOS, WAS	3-0 with .81 ERA and 1.07 WHIP last three starts
5	Max Scherzer	WAS	@PHI
6	Yu Darvish	CHC	@PIT
7	Trevor Bauer	CIN	@PIT
8	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	ARI
9	Patrick Corbin	WAS	@PHI, @ATL	Control and command a bit off so far
10	German Marquez	COL	SD, @LAD
11	Luis Castillo	CIN	PIT	.400 BABIP - that seems… high
12	Walker Buehler	LAD	ARI
13	Kwang-Hyun Kim	STL	@CIN, @CHC
14	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	@PIT
15	Julio Urias	LAD	ARI, COL	Make good week, couldn't have a better setup
16	Ian Anderson	ATL	@BOS, WAS	Even with tempered expectations, outlook is rosey
17	Adrian Houser	MIL	DET
18	Seth Lugo	NYM	PHI
19	Jack Flaherty	STL	@CHC
20	Chris Paddack	SD	@OAK
21	Anthony DeSclafani	CIN	STL, @PIT	Velo still there, expecting an improvement
22	Taylor Rogers	MIA	@NYM
23	Zack Wheeler	PHI	WAS
24	Dustin May	LAD	COL
25	Jon Gray	COL	SF	Strikeouts have vanished
26	Spencer Howard	PHI	WAS, @NYM
27	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	@CLE
28	Zac Gallen	ARI	@LAD	Great test, Dodgers crushing RHP
29	Cody Ponce	PIT	CIN
30	Dakota Hudson	STL	@CIN, CHC
31	Ross Stripling	LAD	COL
32	Sixto Sanchez	MIA	@TB
33	Luke Weaver	ARI	@SF
34	JT Brubaker	PIT	CHC
35	Corbin Burnes	MIL	@CLE
36	Dinelson Lamet	SD	@LAA
37	Pablo Lopez	MIA	@TB
38	Tyler Anderson	SF	ARI
39	Alec Mills	CHC	STL
40	Trevor Williams	PIT	@MIL, CIN
41	Elieser Hernandez	MIA	TOR	Nice pair to continue roll
42	Jon Lester	CHC	@PIT, STL
43	Zach Eflin	PHI	WAS
44	Josh Lindblom	MIL	DET
45	Madison Bumgarner	ARI	@SF
46	Tyler Mahle	CIN	STL
47	Adrian Morejon	SD	@OAK
48	Anibal Sanchez	WAS	@PHI
49	Robbie Erlin	ATL	@BOS
50	Robbie Ray	ARI	@LAD
51	Kyle Freeland	COL	SF
52	Jose Quintana	CHC	STL
53	Caleb Smith	MIA	TOR
54	Johnny Cueto	SF	ARI
55	Chad Kuhl	PIT	CHC, CIN
56	Antonio Senzatela	COL	@LAD
57	Adam Wainwright	STL	@CHC
58	Garrett Richards	SD	@COL, @OAK
59	Austin Voth	WAS	@ATL
60	Josh Tomlin	ATL	WAS
61	David Peterson	NYM	NYY
62	Erick Fedde	WAS	@PHI, @ATL
63	Rick Porcello	NYM	PHI
64	Alex Young	ARI	@LAD, @SF
65	Jake Arrieta	PHI	@NYM
66	Tommy Milone	ATL	WAS
67	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	@TB
68	Wil Crowe	WAS	@ATL
69	Brett Anderson	MIL	@CLE
70	Derek Holland	PIT	CHC
71	Zach Davies	SD	@LAA
72	Eric Lauer	MIL	PIT
73	Drew Smyly	SF	ARI
74	Kevin Gausman	SF	@COL
75	Ryan Castellani	COL	@LAD
76	Steven Brault	PIT	@CIN
77	Logan Webb	SF	@COL
78	Johan Oviedo	STL	@CIN
79	Adbert Alzolay	CHC	@STL
80	Franklyn Kilome	NYM	@BAL
81	Michael Wacha	NYM	@BAL