Happy Monday, Razzball faithful!

We’re officially into JUNE and, as such, we’re just over a third of the way through the Major League Baseball schedule.

Spring rains are getting their last downpours in, the kids are getting ready for the end of the school year (more on that next week), and Lance McCullers is romancing opponents with a dirty bouquet of offspeed beauties that continue to baffle big league bats.

It was a dismantling of the A’s last week for Lance romance, as he looked very much like the old McCullers from 2021. 6 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, and a dirty dozen strikeouts?! Are you kidding me? Sound the buzzers!

In all seriousness, here’s a snapshot of the pitches from Lance’s dance with the athletes formerly known as the Oakland A’s.

credit: Statcast

It shouldn’t surprise me, especially when we’re talking about a guy who relies so heavily on his offspeed pitches. But the 12 strikeouts are even more impressive when you factor in that he threw just two fastballs. TWO! 

How far up the list does last week’s gem propel McCullers up the list this week?

Well, as always, I need to first remind you to lock in your Razzball Fantasy Baseball Subscription. This should be your go-to reference for the entire season. The Streamonator is also a helpful resource when making lineup decisions. Rudy’s tools are well worth the price of admission. 

AND for those of you who are in the race for the Razzslam title, don’t forget to set your queues for our second and final FAAB run Tuesday, June 3rd at 9:00 PM CST!

The Top 100 Starting Pitchers for 2025

SP RANK	Name	Team	UP / DOWN	Notes
1	Tarik Skubal	DET		7 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 7 Ks and the no-decision. He gave up twice as many hits as Wacha did in this one…does that sound critical enough?
2	Garrett Crochet	BOS		6.2 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 11 Ks, ERA at 2.04. Crochet got hungry and forgot to cook up a baker’s dozen. Shout out to CWS for managing his innings so well last year so that he could be a top-tier ace…for another club. EDIT: It was much of the same yesterday in ATL. 7 innings of one earned run and 12 strikeouts. Oh, baby.
3	Zack Wheeler	PHI		5.1 IP, 6 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 6 Ks. ERA at 2.96. That’s it. Time to drop him for Taijuan Walker.
4	Max Fried	NYY		5.0 IP, 6 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 3 Ks. That drops his record to 7-1! I don’t think it’s time to turn to Marcus Stroman just yet, though.
5	Paul Skenes	PIT		6.2 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 7 Ks, ERA at 2.15 and his FIRST (and only) WIN IN MAY! I think we found the secret to Skenes’ lack of run support. We just need the Pirates to face Zac Gallen every 5 days!
6	Yoshinobu Yamamoto	LAD		Is he really that far behind Zack Wheeler for Cy Young votes? 6 IP, 2 ER, 5 baserunners, 7 Ks, ERA at 1.97. 2nd game was the late one Sunday vs NYY.
7	Jacob deGrom	TEX		6 innings against a solid Cards lineup yesterday. 1 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, ERA at 2.34, WHIP at 0.98. Sure, the four strikeouts aren’t like Crochet’s dozen, but he’s up to 5 wins.
8	Hunter Brown	HOU		6 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 8 Ks, ERA at 2.00. Downtown Hunter Brown just cooking. This one was against the A’s. EDIT: Gentlemen and five ladies? Your first MLB pitcher to 8 wins! Brown threw a 6-inning shutout yesterday vs TB.
9	Joe Ryan	MIN		More below.
10	Bryan Woo	SEA		6.2 IP, 3 ER, (2 HR), 6 H, 1 BB, 3 Ks. I watched this one until I fell asleep. He looked great through 4! The movement on the 2-seamer in on RHH was impressive. He made Byron Buxton look silly in his first at-bat.
11	MacKenzie Gore	WSH		6 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 8 Ks, ERA at 3.16. MacKenzie 3:16 lays down yet another stunner. And that’s the bottom line, son.
12	Framber Valdez	HOU		9.0 IP, ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 9 Ks. Oh man. That’s his 5th quality start in a row and an even more impressive than his 6-inning, 1 ER outing last week. Cutting the walks and boosting the strikeouts is about as perfect a recipe can get for starting pitcher success. We had to boost him after this one.
13	Chris Sale	ATL		6 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 8 Ks, ERA at 3.06. Guess which big former White Sox lefty is back on the Cy Young path? Garrett Crochet, you say? Well, yes. But guess who else. (And, no, it’s not Jose Quintana). A big boost today.
14	Pablo Lopez	MIN		5 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 3 Ks. 2 homers allowed. ERA at 2.75. He got pushed around a bit in Tampa, but that’s just one loss in his last 5 GS.
15	Bailey Ober	MIN		4 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 4 Ks. He faced a returning Bryce Miller Saturday night and needed 96 pitches to get 12 outs (compared to Miller’s 71 pitches). For the record, Ober’s changeup dazzled just as much as Miller’s did in his short outing.
16	Hunter Greene	CIN		He’s 0-1 with two no-decisions in his last three starts. And he pitched 12 innings (total) over those 3 GS. He slips a bit today, but not much, just because of the ace potential.
17	Freddy Peralta	MLW		5 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 6 Ks, ERA at 2.77.
18	Logan Webb	SF		6 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 10 Ks, ERA at 2.82. THIS is the Logan you’re looking for! (Apologies again to the Henderson fan club).
19	Kodai Senga	NYM		6 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 7 Ks. ERA at 1.60, WHIP at 1.18, and his 6th win. Sure, this one was at home vs the Colorado Suckies, but I’d be happy to take Senga off of anyone’s hands if they don’t want him on their roster anymore. He’s been pretty good.
20	Sonny Gray	STL		7 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 10 Ks. Mr. Underrated hammers out a top-tier start in Texas. We’ll have to check with Vin, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this slots into the Top 30 of the season at the very least
21	Jesus Luzardo	PHI		Oh, Jesus. 3.1 IP, 12 ER, 12 H, 3 BB, 4 Ks. Whoops. Um…I guess it’s confession time.
22	Nick Pivetta	SD		6 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 8 Ks. Friday was his 11th game, and the west coast Canadian keeps racking up quality starts and wins (7 and 6 respectively).
23	Carlos Rodon	NYY		7 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 10 Ks, ERA at 2.60, and nearly the lede this week. Carlos played the role of Satan against the Angels, but there was no fall from grace last Tuesday night.
24	Robbie Ray	SFG		7 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 9 Ks, and his first loss of the year to…EDWARD CABRERA and the Marlins?! Ha! No, seriously. Stop joking. Ray lost a tight one. There was no room for error…or for his keys in his pants pocket.
25	Spencer Schwellenbach	ATL		More below.
26	Cristopher Sanchez	PHI		5.2 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 5 Ks, ERA at 3.32. Sanchez has been dirty all year.
27	Drew Rasmussen	TB		More below.
28	Corbin Burnes	ARI		7 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks, ERA at 2.72. Corbin burns through another lineup. That’s 6 QS in his last 7 starts. EDIT: He looked good through 4.1 IP yesterday…until he called for the trainer and left with elbow discomfort. Monitor this for now, but I have a feeling…he gone.
29	Dylan Cease	SD		The good news is he won his first game of the year in his second start on April 2nd. The bad news? He’s started 12 games this year and has a 1-4 record. Ouch.
30	Kris Bubic	KC		I would take any of these SPs from #20-30 and be very happy about it. Bubic lost a heartbreaker to DET yesterday. 7 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 9 Ks.
31	Michael King	SD		Word is The King is slated to return this weekend for the Dads series in MLW. He may be two weeks out still, though. Monitor.
32	Shota Imanaga	CHC		Threw a bullpen last Saturday and is waiting to hear if he’ll be sent out on a rehab assignment. Monitor.
33	George Kirby	SEA		5 IP, 6 ER, (2 HR), 7 H, 2 BB, 4 Ks. ERA at 11.42. Apparently, I need to rethink my assessment of last week and how he looked good but was just full of adrenaline. The two walks were just an extra twist of the trident to the ribs. Streamonator loves him this week, though ($35.5 for the two-starts).
34	Luis Castillo	SEA		He ended up with the no-decision yesterday in a pitching duel with Chris Paddack. (Yes, that Chris Paddack).
35	Jack Flaherty	DET		6 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 8 Ks, ERA at 3.94. Ya, it’s been (BNL) three solid starts in a row now and 20 Ks in his last 18.1 innings. Time to buy in and ride the Flaherty wave until it hits the shore.
36	Logan Gilbert	SEA		His rehab start was good (96.8 MPH on the FB and 45 pitches). The activation date is this Sunday, but keep an eye on the second rehab start just in case.
37	Tyler Mahle	TEX		6 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 5 Ks, ERA at 1.64. It’s getting pretty silly. Mahle magic is alive and well.
38	Matthew Liberatore	STL		He was on a streak of 8 GS with 2 ER or fewer before laying an egg last week at TEX. Just a hiccup. He gets KC at home this week. It almost feels silly having him this high. Almost.
39	Ranger Suarez	PHI		6 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 8 Ks, ERA at 2.97. Best Ranger since Aragorn. Or maybe Mark Messier. EDIT: 6IP, 1 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 2 Ks.
40	Brady Singer	CIN		7 IP, 2 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 3 Ks, ERA at 4.60. I left him off the list at the beginning of the year because I overreacted to the launchpad that was his new home park. This is just a reminder that there’s a difference between serviceable and great. Singer falls somewhere in between.
41	Andrew Abbott	CIN		7.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 8 Ks. Friday night’s starters were on fire last week, and Abbott was no exception. This shutout pushed his record to 5-0 and was the 6th consecutive start that he’s allowed one or fewer earned runs. The 1.51 ERA and 1.028 WHIP are giving you one of the bargain buys of the year, whether you rostered him in your draft or picked him up from the wire. He’s proven he’s healthy. Now he gets a big boost today.
42	Nick Lodolo	CIN		Outduelled by Ben Brown. 6 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 Ks.
43	Ryan Pepiot	TB		6.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 Ks. Similar to Ftamber Valdez, this was the young Ray’s 5th consecutive quality start. He’s looking pretty peppy, yo! Time to move up!
44	Ryan Weathers	MIA		5.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 6 Ks, ERA at 1.15. I boosted him 4 spots this week before yesterday’s toughie against the Giants. He gave up 4 ER in 6 IP, but still managed 7 Ks.
45	Michael Wacha	KC		7 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 6 Ks, and the no decision. In Saturday’s instalment of “Anything you can do, I can do better…” Wacha and Skubal were pitching so unbelievably that even the hitters just stood there and watched.
46	Bryce Miller	SEA	NR	He’s back. Top 50 feels right. More below.
47	Matthew Boyd	CHC		6 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 8 Ks, ERA at 3.08. Yeah, Boy-d!
48	Casey Mize	DET		3.1 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 4 Ks. It took him a while to get through 10 outs vs KC but, similar to Jack Leiter, the good news is there was no post-injury setback to report.
49	Spencer Strider	ATL		More below.
50	David Peterson	NYM		5.2 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 5 Ks. Yet another sneaky play who likely started as a streamer or FAAB pickup for you and just stuck in the active rotation.
51	Seth Lugo	KC	NR	3.1 IP, 4 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K. Hey, at least he went back to the mound instead of the IL. This one was a rust shaker. He should be in better shape for this week’s outing at STL.
52	Griffin Canning	NYM		3 IP, 3 ER, but two more unearned, ERA at 3.23. Please tell me this was another start that was shortened due to rain. Or hail. Or a flying dinosaur attack. Because all three of those are more believable than an offensive explosion from the White Sox.
53	Tanner Bibee	CLE		5 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 7 Ks, ERA at 3.86. I’d almost put Bibee in that group of “they can’t all be the aces we want them to be,” but for some reason, I think he’s above the mediocre. Then, in the next breath, I say I’m glad I don’t roster him anywhere.
54	Max Meyer	MIA		3.1 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 0 Ks, and two unearned runs. ERA at 4.53. This is a kid I really don’t want to see struggle. Is it because I expect a breakout? Maybe. Is it because I roster him in multiple leagues? Perhaps.
55	Merrill Kelly	ARI		10 runs allowed in his last 11 innings (2 GS). He heads to ATL this week, and I’d look at giving him a rest if you haven’t already benched him.
56	Brandon Pfaadt	ARI		ERA went from 3.90 to 5.05 on Saturday night. A big drop. More below.
57	Jack Leiter	TEX		5.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks. The dreaded 5.2 IP. Apologies to those with a QS category, but the good news is he hasn’t had any setbacks after the injury return.
58	Dustin May	LAD		5 IP, 3 ER, 6 baserunners, 9 Ks, ERA at 4.20. ERA at what? 69 baserunners/strikeouts. 420 ERA. What is this, a numerology graffiti wall for high schoolers?
59	Tylor Megill	NYM		More below.
60	Clay Holmes	NYM		It was a double-duty period for Clay last week. 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 3 Ks, for the first one. His second vs COL yesterday was much of the same – 7 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 3 Ks. His 85 pitches yesterday were the first time he’s been below 90 in his last 6 games.
61	Kevin Gausman	TOR		8 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 6 Ks, ERA at 3.68. The goose is loose. And this cobra chicken has been hissing pretty loudly through his last two starts. EDIT: 4.2 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 7 Ks in the no-decision vs ATH yesterday.
62	Chris Bassitt	TOR		5 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 6 K. A rough line, but the Jays’ bats are alive right now and helped Bassitt improve to 5-3 on Friday night.
63	Jose Berrios	TOR		6 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 2 BB, 9 Ks, ERA at 3.86. JoJo Berries are blooming in May – 36 IP, 14 ER, 30 H, 13 BB, 37 Ks. 9.25 K/9.
64	Luis Severino	ATH		6 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 Ks, ERA at 3.89, as he continues to be a Road Scholar, with a 0.87 ERA on the road. Streamonator has him going at home next time out, so meh. (And that’s me paraphrasing Grey).
65	Jose Soriano	LAA		6 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 2 Ks. if we added another 4 strikeouts to his line, it would’ve been a stereotypical Soriano outing. The walks have always been a deterrent, but as long as he keeps recording wins and you can get ratio elsewhere, I’d still start him most of the time.
66	Landen Roupp	SFG		4 IP, 1 ER, 7 Ks, ERA at 3.54. 81 pitches to get 12 outs? I guess that sounds worse than it is. I’ll take the minimal runs allowed and a healthy strikeout total.
67	Noah Cameron	KC		6.1 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 Ks, ERA at 1.05. Score one Marmo point for the add last week. I’m sure some would argue that there are a dozen SPs that should be up here in his place, but as long a he’s producing, he sticks around. Hopefully, the Royals feel the same way when both Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo are back.
68	Shane Baz	TB		More below.
69	Taj Bradley	TB		7 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 6 Ks, ERA at 4.38. Two solid starts in a row, and now he’s crewing his way back up the ladder. I’d bet that at least one rung above his head is slathered with grease. He certainly has more good starts than bad ones, the bad ones are pretty damaging to the ratios. That said, I wouldn’t fault you for hopping back in. EDIT: He pitched a great game yesterday and was a tough-luck loser. 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 10 Ks. This is exactly what I meant in the note. If he can show excellent control…look out.
70	Lucas Giolito	BOS		4.2 IP, ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 Ks. Gio is taking the right steps and building back to his old self. Pushing things to 6 or 7 innings should be the next step.
71	Clarke Schmidt	NYY		6 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 4 Ks, (99 pitches). ERA at 3.95. That’s 4 quality starts in his last 5.
72	Cade Horton	CHC		More below.
73	Gavin Williams	CLE		Oh boy. Gavin is still havin’ control issues. 4.2 P, 4 ER, 4 H, 6 BB, 3 Ks, ERA at 4.27. His 2nd start is Sunday vs LAA. EDIT: I was a bit worried that I didn’t drop him enough. Then he went out and cruised vs LAA yesterday for 6.2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks. So much for those control issues.
74	Jameson Taillon	CHC		6.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB, 7 Ks, ERA at 3.86. The Streamonator HATES the Rockies on the road! 2nd v CIN yesterday. EDIT: I can almost hear the snickers for moving him up into the Top 75, but he did it again yesterday. 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 Ks.
75	Jose Quintana	MLW	NR	He’s back! I nearly put Nick Martinez in here instead of Jo-Qu, but the former had a tough start against CHC. Quintana? 4 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 3 Ks. He’s never going to single-handedly win the strikeout category for you, but the ratios are smooth.
76	Hayden Birdsong	SF		4.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks ERA at 2.48. 2nd start yesterday at MIA. EDIT: We were getting to the spot in the list where I can’t justify moving some players up. Birdsong turned in a 5.1 inning, 1 ER gem with 5 H, and 0 BB yesterday, so he gets the modest boost.
77	Lance McCullers	HOU		More above!
78	Zac Gallen	ARI		I had him sliding to SP70 this week, then moved him down again. More below.
79	Chris Paddack	MIN		5.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 5 Ks, ERA at 3.92. Yesterday at SEA for the 2nd. EDIT: He wasn’t breaking the Top 80. Then I looked in on yesterday’s strong showing. 8 IP, 1 ER (solo HR to King Dumper Cal Raleigh), 4 H, 1 BB, 10 Ks. That’s 5 starts in a row with two or fewer ER. This is also a guy who’s officially OFF of my RazzSlam FAAB 2 drop list.
80	Yusei Kikuchi	LAA		It was a tough luck loss for the Kuch last week vs NYY. 5 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 5 BB, 4 Ks. The good news is he’s allowed just four earned runs (total) over his last 4 GS. The bad? He walked 15 over those starts, too. Ugh.
81	Tomoyuki Sugano	BAL		5.1 IP, 3 ER, 8 H, 0 BB, 3 Ks, ERA at 3.23. Rostering him in a league where strikeouts aren’t a category would be ideal. But I’m going to guess that your Roto league isn’t using something like “curveballs below 84 MPH” as a category instead.
82	Zach Eflin	BAL		7.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 6 Ks. Back-to-back rough starts with a total of 7 HR allowed (in 10.1 innings) were nearly enough to push Eflin off the list this week. His performance keeps him here for now (even if it was against CWS).
83	Zack Littell	TB		6.1 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 4 Ks, ERA at 3.97. The K/9 is putrid (3rd worst in the league?). His second start of the week (Saturday)? 9 IP, 3 ER, 10 H, 1 BB, 6 Ks. It looks like SOMEONE was happy to be added to the Top 100 Starting Pitchers list last week.
84	Tyler Anderson	LAA		6 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 3 Ks, ERA at 3.39. Some names get me excited to write up the Top 100 Starting Pitchers. This…is not one of them. It’s not quite the yo-yo’ing effect that Tanner Bibee had early in the year, but it sure feels like it.
85	Grant Holmes	ATL	NR	More below.
86	Mitch Keller	PIT		Let’s play a game called FRUSTRATION. Mitch Keller has 12 starts. Can you guess how many of them are quality starts and how many wins he has this year? I’ll hint: He pitches for the same team that can’t give Paul Skenes run support.
87	Will Warren	NYY		1.1 IP, 7 ER, 6 H, 4 BB, 2 Ks. He ripped off a pretty sick line in his two-start week two weeks ago (17 Ks in 9.2 IP), so I dared him to prove he’s the real deal by starting him everywhere at LAD Saturday night. Have you ever won a bet and immediately realized you actually lost more than you won? That was this.
88	Zebby Matthews	MIN	NR	7.0 IP, 6 hits, 4 ER, BB, 7 K. “It was a rough first inning for the Zebbster where he gave up four runs, but calmed down after that to lead all Friday pitches in whiffs with 15, which led to 7 Ks.”  That’s me quoting Dan Pants from Saturday. I thought it over, and Matthews deserves a spot over a few others this week. If it comes down to starting a Bottom 10-12 SP with the risk of falling apart, I’d rather roster the guy with significant upside.
89	Bowden Francis	TOR		5 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 6 Ks, ERA at 5.04. I sat him last week, so you’re welcome. Honestly, the easiest way to sum this one up is to see a cookie matchup for him, preferably at home, OR if he’s solved the Gopheritis affliction. Either works for me. For now? Francis can go steal PeeWee’s bike again for all I care. (But he DID have zero homers allowed in this one).
90	Andrew Heaney	PIT		5 IP, 5 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, ERA at 3.41. 2nd start yesterday at SD. Last week I complained that the Pirates finally gave him some run support to get him a win. Does anyone know of a good Chandler…er, handler that the Pirates can call on to deal with this kind of mess? EDIT: The good news is PIT finally gave him some run support. The bad news? The team wasted his strong start when the bullpen coughed up his win. Blame it on the (Tanner) Rainey (4 ER – 0.1 IP).
91	Brayan Bello	BOS		Hey-o! It’s an almost win from Bello! 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 Ks. ERA at 3.83.
92	Nick Martinez	CIN	NR	This was my note after his Monday start: 7 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 2 Ks, ERA at 3.48. 2nd vat CHC. He’s on the radar! Honestly, he could be subbed in for a bottom-20 guy and not look out of place. I’m looking at you, Andrew Heaney! EDIT: I nearly put Jose Quintana in here instead, but Martinez
93	Clayton Kershaw	LAD		5 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 3 Ks, ERA at 4.91. He’s leading the “Big Three” grandpas in recent innings (with Scherzer and Verlander on the IL).
94	Patrick Corbin	TEX		It’s like we’re just waiting for the other show to drop. And it’s hanging from a piece of overcooked spaghetti used as a lace, teetering on the precipice of a high ledge…in a windstorm. 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 Ks.
95	Erick Fedde	STL		5 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 1 BB, 5 Ks, ERA at 3.90. Yesterday at Tex 2nd. Before yesterday’s start he was fed for 7 ER in his last 10 IP. EDIT: 6 IP with 2 ER and 3 BB isn’t a bad start. But this makes 4 straight GS without a win.
96	Shane Smith	CWS		3 IP, 3 ER, ERA at 2.68. He did his best to mirror his opponent (Griffin Canning).He needs to crank it up if he wants to hold off the two dozen SPs making a push to supplant him on the list.
97	Walker Buehler	LAD		5.2 IP, 5 ER, 10 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks. I don’t even think I’d start him in an AL-only league right now until he shows us something a lot better than this.
98	Tony Gonsolin	LAD		I had him as a Dumper this week. Then I changed it. And I shouldn’t have. 13 ER in his last 15 IP. Woof.
99	Michael Lorenzen	KC		5 IP, 6 ER, 11 H, 3 BB, ERA at 4.33. V DET yesterday for 2nd.
100	Jeffrey Springs	ATH		2 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 6 BB, 2 Ks. That 666 would’ve been a lot nicer if it was innings, strikeouts, and beer consumed before the 5th inning. As Dan Pants pointed out on Saturday, Springs’ 4.72 ERA is among the 5 worst in the league (among qualified starters). He’s on thin ice here. Not quite Sandy Alcantara thin ice, but it’s cracking.

JUMPERS (These are some of the players who jumped up the rankings this week)

Joe Ryan – 6 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 5 Ks, ERA at 2.57. Jack Ryan’s brother has been dealing all year and has been just as dangerous against opponents as his brother is.

Drew Rasmussen – 6 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 Ks, ERA at 2.33. That’s 0 ER in his last 18 innings (3 GS)! I had the Rasmussen lede all written up for the title of my working document for this week, and I changed it yesterday to McCullers. Don’t worry, DrewRas (totally a nickname). You`re getting that Top 100 spotlight very soon if you keep this up.

Bryce Miller – 4 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 2 Ks. 71 pitches (45 strikes). 

A pretty sick mix of offerings from the Miller.

I watched this one on Saturday night, and Miller looked a lot like his old self. The fastball was up and hitting 97 MPH early in the game. The sinker was sharp as well (95- 96 MPH).  The changeup looked good with a lot of movement. Except for a 2-run homer to Matt Wallner, things were pointing in the right direction in his first game back from the IL. With any SP returning from arm issues, there’s a sizeable grain of salt to be taken here, but it could’ve been a lot worse.

Cade Horton –  6 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 6 Ks, ERA at 3.98. Real question here. What if Imanaga returns (that’s not the question…I hope) AND the Cubs decide to keep Horton in the rotation anyway? Who gets sent down? We know it’s not going to be Taillon. What are the betting odds on Colin “diah” Rea or Ben “flush it” Brown? 50:50? 30:70? Or is this all for naught because of the dreaded “options” available? I need answers, yo! Oh, and while we’re here…Shota threw a 25-pitch bullpen last week and is headed out for rehab starts.

Tylor Megill – 5.2 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 6 Ks on 100 pitches. ERA at 3.52. There are a few pitchers that have a very loyal much of fanatics in their camp. Tylor Megill, Taj Bradley, Will Warren…and don’t even get me started on the Grant Holmes love. Oh boy. I get it with all of these guys. One of the many similarities here is the potential to rip off a double-digit strikeout game and make the opposition look silly. The problem is there’s also the potential “your guy” walks a half dozen guys and give your ratios a shit kicking. Listen. We can’t roster a lineup of Top 15 SPs (unless you’re in a 2-team league), so can we just accept that not every arm we like is a Top 30 player? For the record, I wrote this up BEFORE Will Warren’s Dodgers debacle on Saturday.

Spencer Schwellenbach – 6.1 IP, 0 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 11 Ks. Ok, ok, ok. I’ll admit that I overreacted to his 4 ER hiccup at Fenway two weeks ago. To add insult to second insult, he threw a gem last Monday night just a few hours after the list was published, and I knew the SchwellenStans were coming for me. For those keeping track, this makes it 22 Ks in his last 13.1 innings. Wowzers.

Grant Holmes –  Ok. Here he is, kids. 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 9 K, 4th L. Four strong games in a row, but the Arizona start next week is $-4.1 on Streamonator. I won’t be…Granting him a spot in my active lineup this week. The good news is his last start improved his BB/9 to 3.78 (11th worst in the league). To be honest, though, the peripherals are solid. He just needs to show better command of the slider.

Edward Cabrera – 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 5 Ks and his 2nd win (vs Robbie Ray). The whole time I typed this up, I said to myself, “Why? Why am I doing this when we all know what’s coming at some point soon?” If you’re a gambler, go ahead and add him.

DUMPERS (With apologies to Cal Raleigh, these are some of the big dumpers in the rankings this week)

Spencer Strider – 4.2 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 4 BBs, 7 Ks, ERA at 4.50. Can we play the game where we choose to ignore one part of the line so it looks prettier? See if you can guess which part that is. The Ks? Nope! But you’re close!

Nathan Eovaldi – Here’s what I had written up for his moderate slide down to SP31: “Left the game with triceps fatigue. The good news is that the rest of his body wasn’t tired. Monitor this one for an IL placement, unfortunately, an all too common recommendation for Big Nate.” Well, with yesterday’s news of the triceps injury and subsequent placement on the 15-day IL…he’s now a dumper for this week. 

Shane Baz – 5.2 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 3 Ks, ERA at 4.92. Frequent commenter mudhen said he was ready to drop Zac Gallen last week in his 10 and 12-team leagues. I said I assume Baz is next on the chopping block. This start doesn’t do it, but, like Grey said on Friday morning, I still don’t trust Baz. My bigger problem is I roster him in an AL-only, so it’s ride or die there. He’s going to be on my reserves for so many weeks, he’s likely to get bench sores.

Brandon Pfaadt – ZERO IP, 8 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, and guess how many Ks. Holy hell. I planned on watching a few innings of this one, but the Nats were up to bat for almost an hour.

Pfffffffft.

Latchkey referred to it as “…more like Brandon Pfaart” and I added my own “…more like Brandon Splaadt.”

Either way. It was ugly. 

AJ Smith Shawver – Welcome to Razzball Jeopardy! And now, for today’s Daily Double…

“Rice Krispies. The bi-annual Iowa eggshell stomping competition. A herd of deer running through a dried-out forest in Maine, littered with a heavy ground cover of crispy twigs. AJ Smith-Shawver’s elbow.”

*buzzes in*

“What are things that go Snap, Crackle, and/or Pop?”

Zac Gallen – 5 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 3 Ks. ERA at 5.54. Did you hear that sonic boom on Wednesday night? That was the sound of managers dropping him all at once in their 12-team leagues.

Jackson Jobe – 4.2 IP, 3 ER, ERA at 4.22. More of the same with Jobe and his lack of quality starts. Grey mentioned his velocity was down, too, so it might be time to at least not consider him an auto-start. Edit: placed on 15-day IL with flexor strain on Friday night.

Logan Henderson – DON’T PANIC! Everyone thought Wolverine was gone forever, and all that Logan needed for his resurrection was Ryan Reynolds and Disney. I’m just asking that someone find the Sasquatch before he gets lost in the Milwaukee woods and bring him back to the Brew Crew. Please. Soon.

STUMPERS (These names might stump you as to why they aren’t on the Top 100…yet. Some of these guys are close).

Emerson Hancock

Jake Irvin – he was thisclose to breaking into the list, but the 6 ER start at ARI keeps him out for now. 

Tobias Myers 

Mike Soroka

Luis L. Ortiz

JP Sears

Ryan Yarbrough

Dean Kremer

Keider Montero

Bubba Chandler

Logan Allen

Slade Cecconi

Sean Burke

Stephen Kolek

Bailey Falter

Edward Cabrera 

Landon Knack (a strong showing vs NYY, but I’m not ready to push anyone out for him just yet)

Ryne Nelson

Kyle Harrison

BUMPERS (Injured starters or minor league guys who could or would bump others off the list if they were active on the big league roster)

Cole Ragans – He was scheduled to start a rehab assignment last Saturday and should come off the IL on this week as long as his groin is happy.

Shane McClanahan

Jared Jones

Brandon Woodruff

Gerrit Cole

Luis Gil

Spencer Arrighetti

Justin Steele

John Means

Shane Bieber – Not Justin’s rehab starts began last week.

Eury Perez – the Eury-head whispers are gaining steam. He’s plowing through the minor league rehab assignment right now.

Blake Snell 

Cody Bradford

Shohei Ohtani (SP)

Richard Fitts

Nestor Cortes

Yu Darvish

Tyler Glasnow

Hayden Wesneski

Reese Olson

Justin Verlander

Max Scherzer

Aaron Nola

Kumar Rocker – 4 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 5 Ks in last week’s rehab start. Averaged 97 MPH on his FB.

WHEE! – These players vaulted onto the Top 100 list this week.

Bryce Miller

Seth Lugo

Jose Quintana

Grant Holmes

Nick Martinez

Zebby Matthews

OOF! – These players fell off the Top 100 list this week.

Jackson Jobe

AJ Smith Shawver

Logan Henderson 

Colin Rea

Ryan Gusto

Sandy Alcantara

 

That’s all for this week! I hope you enjoyed it! If you’re feeling extra fired up about some of the names I do (or don’t) have here, drop some comments in the chat. Have a great week!

Follow me @marmosdad on Twitter/X and Bluesky @marmosdad.bsky.social