Man oh man, is there pitching in spades on Tuesday. Any day that Shohei Ohtani takes the mound is automatically a great day, but there are aces and compelling matchups all around MLB tonight. Kevin Gausman against the red-hot Giants! Clayton Kershaw tries to conquer Coors Field! Joe Ryan tries to conquer the Atlanta Braves! Zac Gallen and Taj Bradley squaring off in the desert! Sandy Alcantara vs. Garrett Whitlock at Fenway! Another look at top prospects Andrew Abbott and Gavin Williams!
You get the point. All those names above — plus a ton more — mean it’s a great day to be in search of pitching for your DFS and fantasy baseball lineups. And our daily starting pitcher rankings are here to help you sort through it all, breaking down the whole day with recommendations on who to start, who to sit and who to stream off the waiver wire.
Starting pitcher rankings for Tuesday, June 27
Pitchers to stream
Bryan Woo, Seattle Mariners — Making the jump straight from Double-A, Woo got blasted in his first career start, allowing six runs in just two innings to the Texas Rangers. But he’s shifted his pitch mix a bit since then, leaning on his explosive four-seam fastball, and the results have been encouraging: four runs allowed on nine hits in 15.2 innings against the Los Angeles Angels, White Sox and Yankees, while striking out 21. The righty will get the Washington Nationals at pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park on Tuesday, and he’s got as much strikeout upside as you’ll find on the waiver wire in that spot.
Gavin Williams, Cleveland Guardians — Williams’ much-anticipated debut last week was a bit up-and-down, coughing up four runs in the third inning but keeping the Oakland Athletics off the scoreboard otherwise. The way he bounced back to close his start was impressive, and this is still an electric arm that scouts regarded as the best remaining pitching prospect in the Minors before he got the call. With a triple-digits fastball and two plus breaking pitches — and the Guardians’ great track record of pitcher development — he could go off against the dismal Kansas City Royals.
Paul Blackburn, Oakland Athletics — Blackburn has been much better than his 4.21 ERA would suggest since returning from injury earlier this month — Statcast has his expected ERA at 3.27, and he’s fanned 30 batters over 25.2 innings of work. His hard-hit rate and chase rate are among the best in baseball, and once he gets a little more batted-ball luck, he could take off. That should start on Tuesday, as Blackburn gets a juicy matchup against the a New York Yankees offense that’s been baseball’s worst since Aaron Judge went down.
And now, without further ado, here are your full starting pitcher rankings for fantasy baseball on Tuesday, June 27.
Starting pitcher rankings 6/27
| Rank | Pitcher | Matchup |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Pitcher | Matchup |
| Must-start | ||
| 1 | Shohei Ohtani | vs. White Sox |
| 2 | Kevin Gausman | vs. Giants |
| 3 | Framber Valdez | @ Cardinals |
| 4 | Zac Gallen | vs. Rays |
| 5 | Joe Ryan | @ Braves |
| 6 | Clayton Kershaw | @ Rockies |
| 7 | Yu Darvish | @ Pirates |
| 8 | Garrett Whitlock | vs. Marlins |
| 9 | Bryce Elder | vs. Twins |
| Strong plays | ||
| 10 | Tyler Wells | vs. Reds |
| 11 | Sandy Alcantara | @ Red Sox |
| 12 | Taj Bradley | @ Diamondbacks |
| 13 | Bryan Woo | vs. Nationals |
| 14 | Ranger Suarez | @ Cubs |
| 15 | Martin Perez | vs. Tigers |
| 16 | Michael Kopech | @ Angels |
| 17 | Paul Blackburn | vs. Yankees |
| 18 | Gavin Williams | @ Royals |
| Questionable | ||
| 19 | Andrew Abbott | @ Orioles |
| 20 | Jhony Brito | @ Athletics |
| 21 | Julio Teheran | @ Mets |
| 22 | Brady Singer | vs. Guardians |
| 23 | Jordan Montgomery | vs. Astros |
| 24 | Jake Irvin | @ Mariners |
| Don’t do it | ||
| 25 | David Peterson | vs. Brewers |
| 26 | Jameson Taillon | vs. Phillies |
| 27 | Rich Hill | vs. Padres |
| 28 | Matt Manning | @ Rangers |
| 29 | Ryan Walker | @ Blue Jays |
| 30 | Connor Seabold | vs. Dodgers |