It might be the offensive stars that put the fans in their seats. However, there is no doubt that dominant pitching wins championships. The starting pitchers get the bulk of the attention but a team can’t succeed at the highest level without also having a solid bullpen in place. While historical success absolutely must be taken in to account when evaluating pitching staffs, it’s also important to take this year’s numbers in to account. Here is a look at the five best pitching staffs in baseball right now.
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox entered the 2017 season with the best pitching staff in baseball. Nothing we have seen to this point suggests they should be bounced from the top spot. Chris Sale has lived up to all expectations at 8-2 with a 2.97 ERA and a 12.46 K/9 in his first season in Boston. Reigning Cy Young award winner Rick Porcello has been mediocre but Drew Pomeranz has shown improvement over the last month and David Price has finally returned to the rotation. On the whole, this is a unit that has posted a very respectable WHIP of 1.28. One underrated stat that often goes overlooked is the fact that the Red Sox have given up the fewest walks in the majors and have allowed a sparkling OBP of .310.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox bullpen has been dominant including a return to form for closer Craig Kimbrel, who has delivered a sparkling 0.91 ERA and a 17.29 K/9 while recording 18 saves this season. The potential is still there for Boston to add another arm before the trade deadline. The bigger priority will be staying healthy and hoping that Price and Porcello can return to form in order to solidify the best pitching staff in baseball.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Clayton Kershaw has managed to stay healthy and he has pitched at an elite level once again this season. Kershaw is 9-2 with a 2.23 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP through 14 starts this season. He has set the tone for a Dodgers pitching staff that leads the majors with a combined 3.24 ERA this season. Alex Wood and Brandon McCarthy have both been solid in the LA rotation while Kenta Maeda has the potential to pitch a lot better than he has to this point in the season.
Taking a look at the numbers, the Dodgers are leading the league in opponent batting average at .226. They are also leading the league in ERA at 3.24 as well as opponent on-base percentage at .288.
Meanwhile, Kenley Jansen has converted 12 save attempts while recording 44 strikeouts without issuing a walk in 26.2 innings of work this season. The Dodgers rotation and bullpen are both getting the job done so far this season. It should be no surprise that LA is back on top of the National League West division.
Cleveland Indians
Cleveland’s starting rotation definitely has room for improvement. The fact that the Indians pitching staff has a top-10 ERA despite the struggles of their starters is testament to the strength of their bullpen. Cody Allen and Andrew Miller in particular have been absolutely lights out this season.
Meanwhile, it should only be a matter of time before the rotation sorts things out. Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, Josh Tomlin and Trevor Bauer represent a solid 1-5 group but with the exception of Carrasco, have underachieved this season. Kluber has an ERA of 4.38, Carrasco is at 3.36, Bauer is at 5.85, Tomlin is at 5.73 and Salazar is at 5.40. Kluber, in particular, should be much better as he’s shown this month. So far, he has an ERA of 2.25 in June.
Cleveland’s rotation has a proven track record of success so look for them to settle in and hold their own to help the Indians pitching staff to maintain their spot on this list.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals were expected to have a top-10 pitching staff in 2017. However, few would have expected things to go this good early on. St. Louis has the best starting rotation in baseball in 2015 when that group produced a 2.99 ERA and recorded 106 quality starts. Fast-forward to 2017 and the Cardinals pitching staff ranks fifth in the majors in ERA with a 3.93 mark. Their opponent OPS is at .716, which is also the fifth-best number in Major League Baseball.
Carlos Martinez, Lance Lynn and Mike Leake have all been outstanding at the top of the St. Louis rotation. If Michael Wacha and Adam Wainwright can figure things out then this unit will have the potential to be even better. Meanwhile, Seung Hwan Oh has had his highs and lows this season but remains a capable closer. Trevor Rosenthal has been solid and could fill in to that role if need be. The Cardinals pitching staff has been one of the best in baseball this season and they definitely earned a spot on this list.
Chicago Cubs
The pitching staffs of the San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals deserve honorable mention but both have had disappointing bullpen numbers. Meanwhile, the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks have posted outstanding pitching totals this season but they could have a tough time keeping it up. The Cubs on the other hand are in a unique position despite struggling with consistency so far this season. This last entry to the list is based a little bit more on potential as we are expecting a turnaround of sorts.
Chicago’s pitching staff ranks 13th in the majors with a combined 4.13 ERA but there is definitely plenty of room for improvement. Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks in particular have a lot more to offer and should eventually come around. John Lackey’s 5.26 ERA is terrible and while he might not have much left in the tank he should definitely be able to bring that number down.
Meanwhile, Chicago’s bullpen has been solid with closer Wade Davis in particular thriving in a shutdown role. Based on what we have seen so far this season and the potential room for improvement, the Cubs get the final spot on this list of the best pitching staffs in the majors right now.
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