Weekly Pitcher Rankings: Double Trouble

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Updated on April 5, 2021 12:07AM EST

Welcome to the worst week of two-start candidates in recent memory. It makes sense since the majority of clubs' fourth and fifth starters make their 2021 debut, thus line up for a second effort over the weekend.

For those new to these rankings, the latest Z Files describes the process used to generate the lists.

New this season is the inclusion of a typical reliever to gauge where it's better to forego deploying a starter. The proxy reliever is not a closer, just someone to use to protect ratios while adding a few punch outs.

As always, the rankings will be refreshed Sunday night based on the latest rotation information.

For the week of April 5-11

UPDATED MONDAY APRIL 5, 12:05 AM ET

Mixed League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP
1	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. ATL, at LAD	Challenging start to the season
2	Jacob deGrom	NYM	at PHI, vs. MIA	Double-dip worth the wait
3	Gerrit Cole	NYY	vs. BAL
4	German Marquez	COL	vs. ARI, at SF	Dbacks offense not intimidating
5	Trevor Bauer	LAD	at OAK	Survived Coors
6	Shane Bieber	CLE	vs. KC
7	Yu Darvish	SD	vs. SF
8	Dustin May	LAD	at OAK, vs. WAS
9	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. ATL
10	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at SEA
11	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	at OAK
12	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. NYM
13	Walker Buehler	LAD	vs. WAS
14	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	vs. BAL, at TB	Late spring

For those new to these rankings, the latest Z Files describes the process used to generate the lists.

As always, the rankings will be refreshed Sunday night based on the latest rotation information.

For the week of April 5-11

UPDATED MONDAY APRIL 5, 12:05 AM ET

Mixed League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP
1	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. ATL, at LAD	Challenging start to the season
2	Jacob deGrom	NYM	at PHI, vs. MIA	Double-dip worth the wait
3	Gerrit Cole	NYY	vs. BAL
4	German Marquez	COL	vs. ARI, at SF	Dbacks offense not intimidating
5	Trevor Bauer	LAD	at OAK	Survived Coors
6	Shane Bieber	CLE	vs. KC
7	Yu Darvish	SD	vs. SF
8	Dustin May	LAD	at OAK, vs. WAS
9	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. ATL
10	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at SEA
11	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	at OAK
12	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. NYM
13	Walker Buehler	LAD	vs. WAS
14	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	vs. BAL, at TB	Late spring helium, nice pair to kick off the season
15	Jack Flaherty	STL	at MIA
16	Luis Castillo	CIN	vs. PIT	Not sharp in opener, but also let down by defense
17	Hyun Jin Ryu	TOR	at TEX
18	Kenta Maeda	MIN	at DET
19	Julio Urias	LAD	vs. WAS
20	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	at CHC
21	Mike Foltynewicz	TEX	vs. TOR, vs. SD
22	Corbin Burnes	MIL	at STL
23	Charlie Morton	ATL	vs. PHI
24	Lance Lynn	CWS	vs. KC
25	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	vs. MIL
26	Blake Snell	SD	vs. SF
27	Ian Anderson	ATL	vs. PHI
28	Lance McCullers	HOU	vs. OAK
29	Zack Greinke	HOU	at LAA
30	Patrick Corbin	WAS	at LAD
31	Chris Paddack	SD	at TEX
32	Corey Kluber	NYY	at TB
33	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	vs. STL, at NYM
34	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. SEA
35	Zach Plesac	CLE	vs. DET
36	James Paxton	SEA	vs. CWS
37	Jesus Luzardo	OAK	vs. LAD
38	Zack Wheeler	PHI	at ATL
39	Joe Musgrove	SD	at TEX
40	Dallas Keuchel	CWS	at SEA
41	Caleb Smith	ARI	vs. CIN
42	Matt Shoemaker	MIN	at DET, vs. SEA	Take advantage while he's healthy
43	Anthony DeSclafani	SF	at SD, vs. COL
44	Daniel Ponce de Leon	STL	at MIA, vs. MIL	Worth picking up in Mixed Leagues
45	Aaron Civale	CLE	vs. DET
46	John Gant	STL	at MIA
47	Griffin Canning	LAA	vs. HOU
48	Jameson Taillon	NYY	vs. BAL
49	Sean Manaea	OAK	at HOU
50	Freddy Peralta	MIL	at CHC
51	Tyler Glasnow	TB	at BOS
52	Austin Gomber	COL	at SF
53	Jon Gray	COL	vs. ARI
54	Frankie Montas	OAK	vs. LAD, at HOU
55	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	vs. TB
56	Max Fried	ATL	at WAS
57	Mike Minor	KC	at CWS
58	Elieser Hernandez	MIA	at NYM	Questionable with sore biceps
59	Jose Urquidy	HOU	vs. OAK
60	Zach Eflin	PHI	at ATL
61	Dylan Bundy	LAA	at TOR
62	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	at TOR
63	Trevor Rogers	MIA	vs. STL, at NYM
64	Taijuan Walker	NYM	vs. MIA
65	JT Brubaker	PIT	at CIN, vs. CHC
66	Tyler Mahle	CIN	at ARI
67	Kohei Arihara	TEX	vs. SD
68	Pablo Lopez	MIA	vs. STL
69	Carlos Rodon	CWS	at SEA, vs. KC	Looks confident and healthy… for now
70	Rich Hill	TB	vs. NYY
71	Jose Quintana	LAA	vs. HOU
72	Mix 12 Reliever
73	Cristian Javier	HOU	vs. OAK
74	Ross Stripling	TOR	vs. LAA
75	Marcus Stroman	NYM	at PHI, vs. MIA
76	Andrew Heaney	LAA	at TOR
77	Nick Pivetta	BOS	vs. TB, at BAL
78	Domingo German	NYY	at TB
79	Taylor Hearn	TEX	vs. TOR
80	Adrian Morejon	SD	vs. SF, at TEX	Good matchup, but isn't likely to pitch five frames
81	Mix 15 Reliever
82	Tarik Skubal	DET	at CLE
83	Michael Pineda	MIN	vs. SEA
84	Tyler Anderson	PIT	vs. CHC
85	Chris Bassitt	OAK	vs. LAD
86	Brady Singer	KC	at CWS
87	Drew Smyly	ATL	at WAS, vs. PHI
88	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	at BAL
89	Chase Anderson	PHI	vs. NYM
90	Adrian Houser	MIL	at STL
91	Adam Wainwright	STL	vs. MIL
92	Jose Urena	DET	vs. MIN, at CLE
93	Danny Duffy	KC	at CLE, at CWS
94	Matthew Boyd	DET	vs. MIN
95	Garrett Richards	BOS	at BAL
96	Justus Sheffield	SEA	vs. CWS
97	Luke Weaver	ARI	at COL, vs. CIN
98	Carlos Martinez	STL	vs. MIL
99	Kevin Gausman	SF	at SD
100	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	at MIN
101	Brad Keller	KC	at CLE
102	Steven Matz	TOR	at TEX, vs. LAA
103	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	at BOS
104	Chris Archer	TB	vs. NYY
105	Robbie Ray	TOR	vs. LAA
106	Cole Irvin	OAK	at HOU
107	Jose De Leon	CIN	vs. PIT, at ARI
108	J.A. Happ	MIN	at DET
109	Trevor Williams	CHC	vs. MIL, at PIT
110	Antonio Senzatela	COL	vs. ARI
111	John Means	BAL	at NYY
112	Matt Moore	PHI	vs. NYM, at ATL
113	Mitch Keller	PIT	vs. CHC
114	Logan Allen	CLE	vs. KC, vs. DET
115	Marco Gonzales	SEA	at MIN
116	Tanner Roark	TOR	at TEX, vs. LAA
117	Julio Teheran	DET	at CLE
118	Justin Dunn	SEA	vs. CWS
119	Luis Garcia	HOU	at LAA
120	Jorge Lopez	BAL	at NYY, vs. BOS
121	Michael Wacha	TB	at BOS, vs. NYY
122	Casey Mize	DET	vs. MIN
123	Wade Miley	CIN	vs. PIT
124	Johnny Cueto	SF	vs. COL
125	Kyle Gibson	TEX	vs. TOR
126	Brett Anderson	MIL	at CHC, at STL
127	Zach Davies	CHC	at PIT
128	Trevor Cahill	PIT	at CIN
129	Martin Perez	BOS	vs. TB
130	Taylor Widener	ARI	vs. CIN
131	Anibal Sanchez	SF	at SD
132	Bruce Zimmermann	BAL	vs. BOS
133	Logan Webb	SF	vs. COL
134	Adbert Alzolay	CHC	vs. MIL
135	Madison Bumgarner	ARI	at COL
136	Jake Arrieta	CHC	at PIT
137	David Peterson	NYM	at PHI
138	Dylan Cease	CWS	vs. KC
139	Joe Ross	WAS	at LAD
140	Chi Chi Gonzalez	COL	at SF
141	Dean Kremer	BAL	at NYY
142	Merrill Kelly	ARI	at COL
143	Alex Cobb	LAA	at TOR
144	Chad Kuhl	PIT	at CIN
145	Jeff Hoffman	CIN	at ARI
146	Wes Benjamin	TEX	vs. SD
147	Chris Flexen	SEA	at MIN
148	Matt Harvey	BAL	vs. BOS

American League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Gerrit Cole	NYY	vs. BAL
2	Shane Bieber	CLE	vs. KC
3	Lucas Giolito	CWS	at SEA
4	Jordan Montgomery	NYY	vs. BAL, at TB	Late spring helium, nice pair to kick off the season
5	Hyun Jin Ryu	TOR	at TEX
6	Kenta Maeda	MIN	at DET
7	Mike Foltynewicz	TEX	vs. TOR, vs. SD
8	Lance Lynn	CWS	vs. KC
9	Lance McCullers	HOU	vs. OAK
10	Zack Greinke	HOU	at LAA
11	Corey Kluber	NYY	at TB
12	Jose Berrios	MIN	vs. SEA
13	Zach Plesac	CLE	vs. DET
14	James Paxton	SEA	vs. CWS
15	Jesus Luzardo	OAK	vs. LAD
16	Dallas Keuchel	CWS	at SEA
17	Matt Shoemaker	MIN	at DET, vs. SEA	Take advantage while he's healthy
18	Aaron Civale	CLE	vs. DET
19	Griffin Canning	LAA	vs. HOU
20	Jameson Taillon	NYY	vs. BAL
21	Sean Manaea	OAK	at HOU
22	Tyler Glasnow	TB	at BOS
23	Frankie Montas	OAK	vs. LAD, at HOU
24	Nathan Eovaldi	BOS	vs. TB
25	Mike Minor	KC	at CWS
26	Jose Urquidy	HOU	vs. OAK
27	Dylan Bundy	LAA	at TOR
28	Shohei Ohtani	LAA	at TOR
29	Kohei Arihara	TEX	vs. SD
30	Carlos Rodon	CWS	at SEA, vs. KC	Looks confident and healthy… for now
31	Rich Hill	TB	vs. NYY
32	Jose Quintana	LAA	vs. HOU
33	Cristian Javier	HOU	vs. OAK
34	Ross Stripling	TOR	vs. LAA
35	Andrew Heaney	LAA	at TOR
36	Nick Pivetta	BOS	vs. TB, at BAL
37	Domingo German	NYY	at TB
38	Taylor Hearn	TEX	vs. TOR
39	Tarik Skubal	DET	at CLE
40	Michael Pineda	MIN	vs. SEA
41	Chris Bassitt	OAK	vs. LAD
42	Brady Singer	KC	at CWS
43	Eduardo Rodriguez	BOS	at BAL
44	Jose Urena	DET	vs. MIN, at CLE
45	Danny Duffy	KC	at CLE, at CWS
46	Matthew Boyd	DET	vs. MIN
47	Garrett Richards	BOS	at BAL
48	Justus Sheffield	SEA	vs. CWS
49	Yusei Kikuchi	SEA	at MIN
50	Brad Keller	KC	at CLE
51	Steven Matz	TOR	at TEX, vs. LAA
52	Ryan Yarbrough	TB	at BOS
53	Chris Archer	TB	vs. NYY
54	Robbie Ray	TOR	vs. LAA
55	Cole Irvin	OAK	at HOU
56	J.A. Happ	MIN	at DET
57	John Means	BAL	at NYY
58	Logan Allen	CLE	vs. KC, vs. DET
59	Marco Gonzales	SEA	at MIN
60	Tanner Roark	TOR	at TEX, vs. LAA
61	Julio Teheran	DET	at CLE
62	Justin Dunn	SEA	vs. CWS
63	Luis Garcia	HOU	at LAA
64	Jorge Lopez	BAL	at NYY, vs. BOS
65	Michael Wacha	TB	at BOS, vs. NYY
66	Casey Mize	DET	vs. MIN
67	AL Reliever
68	Kyle Gibson	TEX	vs. TOR
69	Martin Perez	BOS	vs. TB
70	Bruce Zimmermann	BAL	vs. BOS
71	Dylan Cease	CWS	vs. KC
72	Dean Kremer	BAL	at NYY
73	Alex Cobb	LAA	at TOR
74	Wes Benjamin	TEX	vs. SD
75	Chris Flexen	SEA	at MIN
76	Matt Harvey	BAL	vs. BOS

National League

Rank	Pitcher	TM	OPP	Comment
1	Max Scherzer	WAS	vs. ATL, at LAD	Challenging start to the season
2	Jacob deGrom	NYM	at PHI, vs. MIA	Double-dip worth the wait
3	German Marquez	COL	vs. ARI, at SF	Dbacks offense not intimidating
4	Trevor Bauer	LAD	at OAK	Survived Coors
5	Yu Darvish	SD	vs. SF
6	Dustin May	LAD	at OAK, vs. WAS
7	Stephen Strasburg	WAS	vs. ATL
8	Clayton Kershaw	LAD	at OAK
9	Aaron Nola	PHI	vs. NYM
10	Walker Buehler	LAD	vs. WAS
11	Jack Flaherty	STL	at MIA
12	Luis Castillo	CIN	vs. PIT	Not sharp in opener, but also let down by defense
13	Julio Urias	LAD	vs. WAS
14	Brandon Woodruff	MIL	at CHC
15	Corbin Burnes	MIL	at STL
16	Charlie Morton	ATL	vs. PHI
17	Kyle Hendricks	CHC	vs. MIL
18	Blake Snell	SD	vs. SF
19	Ian Anderson	ATL	vs. PHI
20	Patrick Corbin	WAS	at LAD
21	Chris Paddack	SD	at TEX
22	Sandy Alcantara	MIA	vs. STL, at NYM
23	Zack Wheeler	PHI	at ATL
24	Joe Musgrove	SD	at TEX
25	Caleb Smith	ARI	vs. CIN
26	Anthony DeSclafani	SF	at SD, vs. COL
27	Daniel Ponce de Leon	STL	at MIA, vs. MIL	Worth picking up in Mixed Leagues
28	John Gant	STL	at MIA
29	Freddy Peralta	MIL	at CHC
30	Austin Gomber	COL	at SF
31	Jon Gray	COL	vs. ARI
32	Max Fried	ATL	at WAS
33	Elieser Hernandez	MIA	at NYM	Questionable with sore biceps
34	Zach Eflin	PHI	at ATL
35	Trevor Rogers	MIA	vs. STL, at NYM
36	Taijuan Walker	NYM	vs. MIA
37	JT Brubaker	PIT	at CIN, vs. CHC
38	Tyler Mahle	CIN	at ARI
39	Pablo Lopez	MIA	vs. STL
40	Marcus Stroman	NYM	at PHI, vs. MIA
41	Adrian Morejon	SD	vs. SF, at TEX	Good matchup, but isn't likely to pitch five frames
42	Tyler Anderson	PIT	vs. CHC
43	Drew Smyly	ATL	at WAS, vs. PHI
44	Chase Anderson	PHI	vs. NYM
45	Adrian Houser	MIL	at STL
46	Adam Wainwright	STL	vs. MIL
47	Luke Weaver	ARI	at COL, vs. CIN
48	Carlos Martinez	STL	vs. MIL
49	Kevin Gausman	SF	at SD
50	Jose De Leon	CIN	vs. PIT, at ARI
51	Trevor Williams	CHC	vs. MIL, at PIT
52	Antonio Senzatela	COL	vs. ARI
53	Matt Moore	PHI	vs. NYM, at ATL
54	Mitch Keller	PIT	vs. CHC
55	Wade Miley	CIN	vs. PIT
56	NL Reliever
57	Johnny Cueto	SF	vs. COL
58	Brett Anderson	MIL	at CHC, at STL
59	Zach Davies	CHC	at PIT
60	Trevor Cahill	PIT	at CIN
61	Taylor Widener	ARI	vs. CIN
62	Anibal Sanchez	SF	at SD
63	Logan Webb	SF	vs. COL
64	Adbert Alzolay	CHC	vs. MIL
65	Madison Bumgarner	ARI	at COL
66	Jake Arrieta	CHC	at PIT
67	David Peterson	NYM	at PHI
68	Joe Ross	WAS	at LAD
69	Chi Chi Gonzalez	COL	at SF
70	Merrill Kelly	ARI	at COL
71	Chad Kuhl	PIT	at CIN
72	Jeff Hoffman	CIN	at ARI