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It’s a sketchy pitching slate across the Majors on Sunday, with a handful of aces — Sandy Alcantara, Zac Gallen, Joe Ryan — and then a slew of question marks. There’s plenty of potential, from the Millers (Bobby and Bryce) and Taj Bradley going up against three of the game’s best offenses to Triston McKenzie making his season debut, but there’s also a lot of risk and very few known quantities. So who should you start for your fantasy baseball teams? Who might be available to stream off the waiver wire? Our daily starting pitching rankings have the answers.
Starting pitcher rankings for Sunday, June 4
Pitchers to stream
Michael Soroka, Atlanta Braves — Soroka stumbled a bit in his season debut last weekend, but considering how long it had been since he’d toed a Major League mound, we’re willing to spot him a rusty start. (It’s also worth noting that three of his four earned runs came on one bad pitch that wound up over the fence.) His sinker was in vintage form, and it should be good enough to navigate an Arizona Diamondbacks lineup that’s come back to Earth a bit in recent weeks.
Griffin Canning, Los Angeles Angels — Admittedly there’s some risk here, but Canning has had great feel for his complete array of breaking balls in his last two starts, racking up 14 Ks to just three earned runs over 13 innings. The Houston Astros are a tall order, but if he again is commanding his slider and changeup, he could come through.
Paul Blackburn, Oakland Athletics — Blackburn is also coming off his 2023 debut, allowing just one run over four innings while striking out six against the fearsome Braves. The assignment on Saturday is much easier, as the Miami Marlins have struggled against right-handed pitching all year, and Blackburn should produce five or six solid innings now that he’s fully stretched out.
And now, without further ado, here are your full starting pitching rankings for fantasy baseball on Sunday, June 4.
Starting pitcher rankings 6/4
Rank | Pitcher | Matchup |
---|---|---|
Rank | Pitcher | Matchup |
Must-start | ||
1 | Sandy Alcantara | vs. Athletics |
2 | Joe Ryan | vs. Guardians |
3 | Zac Gallen | vs. Braves |
4 | Nathan Eovaldi | vs. Mariners |
5 | Michael Kopech | vs. Tigers |
Strong plays | ||
6 | Miles Mikolas | @ Pirates |
7 | Marcus Stroman | @ Padres |
8 | Bobby Miller | vs. Yankees |
9 | Taj Bradley | @ Red Sox |
10 | Bryce Miller | @ Rangers |
11 | Triston McKenzie | @ Twins |
12 | Tyler Wells | @ Giants |
13 | Anthony DeSclafani | vs. Orioles |
Questionable | ||
14 | Kodai Senga | vs. Blue Jays |
15 | Griffin Canning | @ Astros |
16 | JP France | vs. Angels |
17 | Michael Soroka | @ Diamondbacks |
18 | Paul Blackburn | @ Marlins |
19 | Yusei Kikuchi | @ Mets |
20 | Brady Singer | vs. Rockies |
21 | Ben Lively | vs. Brewers |
Don't do it | ||
22 | Kyle Freeland | @ Royals |
23 | Trevor Williams | vs. Phillies |
24 | Domingo German | @ Dodgers |
25 | Adrian Houser | @ Reds |
26 | Ryan Weathers | vs. Cubs |
27 | Matthew Boyd | @ White Sox |
28 | Tanner Houck | vs. Rays |
29 | Rich Hill | vs. Cardinals |
30 | Ranger Suarez | @ Nationals |