Starting Nine (Week of August 14th)
After this weekend, there will be five full weeks left in the regular season. Like a great horse race, teams are now starting to maneuver for the home stretch as they try to secure a playoff spot. Here is this week’s Starting Nine:
Starting Nine (Week of August 14th)
Hope to see you back: Boston Red Sox; Welcome Back to the Show: Houston Astros
#9. San Diego Padres 68-53 (+750/+1600) - The Padres continue to surge with the dominance of Dylan Cease on the mound and timely hitting. Starter Joe Musgrove returned this week and Yu Darvish may not be far behind. When Fernando Tatis Jr returns, the lineup gets even deadlier. Last Week’s Rank: 8th
#8. Houston Astros 64-55 (+550/+1200) - The Astros have been here before and they certainly know how to close. It helps to have veterans like Yordan Alvarez and Alex Bregman that are peaking at the right time. Last Week’s Rank: Unranked
#7. Minnesota Twins 67-52 (+600/1300) - The Twins were dealt a major blow this week with the injury to starter Joe Ryan. They will need Pablo Lopez to become more consistent down the stretch as a prime starter. Last Week’s Rank: 7th
#6. Milwaukee Brewers 67-52 (+700/+1700) - The Brewers bullpen will be their calling card down the stretch with Williams back and healthy. They’ll need it with a starting rotation that is far from dominant. Last Week’s Rank: 6th
#5. Philadelphia Phillies 69-50 (+295/+600) - This is the furthest the Phillies have slipped in the rankings this season. They have looked very vulnerable since the All-Star break and what was once looking to be a dominant starting rotation has looked very average. Last Week’s Rank: 2nd
#4. Baltimore Orioles 70-50 (+360/+750) - The injury to Grayson Rodriguez weakens an already weak starting five. The Orioles’ young bats look tired but they still have a cushion in the AL playoff race. Last Week’s Rank: 3rd
#3. New York Yankees 71-50 (+255/+550) - The Yankees’ brass quietly holds their breath as they wait on the MRI results from Jazz Chisholm’s injured elbow. If he is lost for a long time, this offense gets very ordinary again after Soto and Judge. Last Week’s Rank: 1st
#2. Cleveland Guardians 71-49 (+450/+1100) - The Guardians will likely go as far as their electric bullpen takes them. They have thrived this season on solid but not spectacular hitting and a stellar bullpen. Last Week’s Rank: 3rd
#1. LA Dodgers 71-49 (+170/+350) - Mookie Betts returned with a bang this week and the Dodgers seem to be peaking at the perfect time with baseball’s most dangerous lineup. Last Week’s Rank: 5th
AL/NL Cy Young Candidates:
Here are this week’s Top Three Cy Young candidates for each league.
American League
Tarik Skubal, LHSP Detroit Tigers (-500) - Skubal is starting to build the kind of insurmountable resume that Judge and Ohtani have in the MVP race for each league. He is 1st in wins, 1st in WAR, 1st in ERA and first in strikeouts. He is also second in quality starts, second in WHIP, and fourth in innings pitched.
Corbin Burnes, RHSP Baltimore Orioles (+320) - Burnes has a solid resume but would likely need a fairly substantial collapse from Skubal. He is first in quality starts, second in ERA, third in wins, and third in innings pitched.
Emmanuel Clase, RHRP Cleveland Guardians (+7000) - Clase makes the list for the first time this season, anchoring the Cleveland bullpen as the game’s best closer. He leads the league in saves with 37, has a WHIP of just 0.66 and his ERA is 0.64.
National League
Chris Sale, LHSP Atlanta Braves (-150) - Sale has had an outstanding comeback season in Atlanta and is the frontrunner for the Cy Young. He is first in ERA, first in wins and first in K/9 in the National League and second in WHIP.
Zack Wheeler, RHSP Philadelphia Phillies (+140) - Wheeler is a hot stretch away from taking the top spot in the Cy Young race. He ranks first in quality starts in the NL and second in wins, ERA, and WHIP. He is also fifth in WAR and third in WHIP.
Dylan Cease, RHSP San Diego Padres (+3000) - Cease is a darkhorse to take the award this year and has the look of Blake Snell from last season. Snell hung around for much of the year and then a late hot stretch helped him pass a list of equal contenders. Cease has a no-hitter on his resume this season and is first in strikeouts, 2nd in K/9, 2nd in wins, sixth in quality starts, and 8th in ERA. The time could be right to jump on the Cease bandwagon and watch him finish with a flourish.
*All odds courtesy of Draftkings.com
By Mark Ruelle
