MLB Starting Nine (Week of June 19th)
We have one team exiting the Starting Nine this week and one team returning to the Top Nine. The halfway point of the season is fast approaching the cream of the crop continues to rise. Here is this week’s Starting Nine:
Starting Nine (Week of June 19th)
Hope to see you back: Kansas City Royals; Welcome Back to the Show: Minnesota Twins
#8. Minnesota Twins 41-32 (+800/1800) - The streaky Twins are back in the Starting Nine as they streak in the right direction once again. More consistency with their pitching staff can keep this team on the rise. Last Week’s Rank: Unranked
#9. Atlanta Braves 40-31 (+400/+800) - Austin Riley’s power seems to be coming back and that is only a good sign for what has been a quiet Braves’ offense. Last Week’s Rank: 9th
#7. Cleveland Guardians 44-26 (+700/+1400) - The Guardians are in the midst of a rare 3-game losing streak but they still have the game’s best bullpen and an opportunistic offense. Last Week’s Rank: 5th
#6. Seattle Mariners 44-31 (+475/+1100) - Bryan Woo’s injury was minor which is huge for a team that relies heavily on its starting pitching. The Mariners will likely need to add a bat at the trade deadline to make a deep playoff push. Last Week’s Rank: 7th
#5. Milwaukee Brewers 43-30 (+1100/+2500) - The Brewers keep on moving up the standings and stay ahead of the rest of a young, hungry pack in the NL Central. They win with timely hitting and a deep pitching staff devoid of stars. Last Week’s Rank: 6th
#4. LA Dodgers 46-29 (+155/+290) - The injury bug bit the Dodgers hard this week. Mookie Betts will likely be out for at least two months with a broken hand and starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto has an arm issue that should send some alarms around DodgerTown. Last Week’s Rank: 4th
#3. Baltimore Orioles 49-25 (+380/+800) - The Orioles lost the opener of their big series in the Bronx on Tuesday night. The O’s handled the beasts of the NL East well last week, winning 4 of 6 from the Phillies and Braves. Last Week’s Rank: 3rd
#2. Philadelphia Phillies 49-24 (+300/+600) - A walk-off win last night their second straight win but the Phils are just 5-5 in their last ten after being the hottest team in baseball for two weeks. Last Week’s Rank: 1st
#1. New York Yankees 51-24 (+220/+500) - The Bombers had a scare last night when Aaron Judge was plunked on the hand. X-rays were negative which is good news for a Yankees team that gets Gerrit Cole back tonight. Last Week’s Rank: 2nd
AL/NL Cy Young Candidates:
Here are this week’s Top Three MVP candidates for each league.
American League
Tarik Skubal, LHP Detroit Tigers (+160) - Skubal is 8-2 and 3rd in the AL in quality starts, second in WAR, and fourth in strikeouts.
Corbin Burnes, RHP Baltimore Orioles (+300) - Burnes is now 8-2 in his first season in Baltimore. He is first in the AL in quality starts, second in ERA, 11th in WHIP, and 10th in WAR. Burnes will be in the spotlight the rest of the way for the playoff-bound O’s.
Luis Gil, RHP New York Yankees (+1600) - Gil has been injured for the better part of the last two seasons but has come back with lights-out stuff thus far this season. He is first in ERA, second in wins, 5th in strikeouts, 4th in K/9, and 8th in WHIP in the American League.
National League
Ranger Suarez, LHP Philadelphia Phillies (+300) - Suarez has been one of the surprise stories in the NL thus far with a dominant season for the dominant Phillies. He is 10-1 on the season, first in WAR, first in WHIP, and first in wins.
Chris Sale, LHP Atlanta Braves (+1200) - It has been a solid comeback season for Sale, who was oft-injured his final five seasons in Boston. He is second in the NL in wins, sixth in K/9, 4th in strikeouts, and 3rd in WHIP.
Tyler Glasnow, RHP Los Angeles Dodgers (+450) - Glasnow will have to carry the load as the ace of the Dodgers staff with Yamamoto out right now. He is first in the NL in strikeouts, first in K/9, second in WHIP and third in innings pitched in the National League.
*All odds courtesy of Draftkings.com
By Mark Ruelle
