Ranking potential postseason rotations

Houston has had trouble at the end of its rotation this season but now has three legitimate Cy Young candidates in Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole and newly added Zack Greinke. No. 4 starter Wade Miley has also been extremely effective with a 3.13 ERA in 27 starts and gained valuable playoff experience with Milwaukee last year.

The Dodgers' starting rotation ERA easily leads MLB, and it is so deep that the No. 4 starter going into the playoffs is very much up for debate behind Hyun-Jin Ryu, Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler. The candidates include Kenta Maeda, Dustin May and possibly Julio Urias and Rich Hill. The top three are legitimate aces, with Ryu likely to win the ERA title, Kershaw sporting a sub-3.00 ERA for the 11th straight season and Buehler posting a 3.03 ERA and 6.61 K/BB ratio.

Max Scherzer recently returned from a long absence due to a back injury, but he's still working his way back into top form. Behind him, Stephen Strasburg has been outstanding (3.63 ERA, 10.6 K/9), and Patrick Corbin is proving last year's breakout wasn't a fluke. The No. 4 job would be up for grabs between Anibal Sanchez (3.81 ERA) and the now healthy Joe Ross if Washington gets far enough in the playoffs to use that depth.

New York has some work to do to make the playoffs, but the rotation certainly looks great on paper. Jacob deGrom continues to pitch like a potential Cy Young winner, leading the NL in strikeouts. Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler have both been disappointments this season, but the components show they've pitched much better than their results. Steven Matz is sporting a respectable 4.06 ERA, while trade deadline acquisition Marcus Stroman has a 3.29 ERA despite struggling since joining his new team.

The Rays are hanging on to their playoff hopes despite losing Blake Snell and Yonny Chirinos, but they hope to have both back in September. Charlie Morton continues to age like a fine wine with another career year, and Ryan Yarbrough has come on lately as a starter with a 3.36 ERA overall. The Rays can't take the rehabs of Snell and Chirinos for granted, which is why they rank only fifth despite the third-best rotation ERA in MLB.

Atlanta's rotation got a midseason boost with the signing of Dallas Keuchel, who has a 3.78 ERA in 13 starts. Mike Soroka continues to be a legitimate ace and Cy Young candidate, and Julio Teheran is also having one of his best years. The fourth spot could be a toss-up between Max Fried and Mike Foltynewicz. Both youngsters have great arms but have shown inconsistency this season.

Chicago's rotation has been there and done that with an experienced starting five. Kyle Hendricks and Cole Hamels have been the team's most consistent starters, but veterans Jon Lester, Yu Darvish and Jose Quintana have also shown flashes despite their ERAs above 4.00. The high-priced Darvish is the wild card of the group, digging out from a terrible start to the season to post a 2.93 ERA and 72/3 K/BB in 55.1 innings since the break.

The second half has been more frustrating for the Twins rotation after a quick start, as Jose Berrios, Kyle Gibson and Jake Odorizzi have each regressed lately. Minnesota is getting better work from Michael Pineda, at least when he's been healthy, as he has a 3.27 ERA in seven starts since the break. The hope is that his success will rub off on the rest of the staff in September.

It's been an interesting year for the Cleveland pitching staff, to say the least. Entering the season, the top three were Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer. Now Bauer is in Cincinnati, Carrasco is rehabbing as a reliever and Kluber had a setback in his rehab assignment. The team remains in good hands with breakout pitcher Shane Bieber (3.23 ERA) and Mike Clevinger (3.00 ERA) atop the rotation, and Zach Plesac also makes a formidable No. 3 with a 3.40 ERA despite shaky peripherals. Surprise rookie Aaron Civale would be an X-factor as a No. 4, with a 1.96 ERA through his first six MLB starts.

The starting rotation has been an issue for St. Louis during much of the year, but the youth movement with Jack Flaherty and Dakota Hudson is starting to change things. Flaherty has an amazing 0.73 ERA since the break, while Hudson hasn't been too shabby with a 3.47 ERA for the season. Miles Mikolas is still trying to find last year's magic with a 4.32 ERA overall, and Adam Wainwright has the experience, if not the stuff, rounding out the top four with a 4.52 ERA this season.

As usual, the A's don't look great on paper but continue to be effective. Ace Frankie Montas was suspended 80 games for PEDs and will be ineligible for the playoffs, but Mike Fiers, Chris Bassitt and Tanner Roark have sub-4.00 ERAs with the team. Brett Anderson also has a 4.08 ERA, as he pitches to contact, and he would likely garner the fourth spot ahead of Homer Bailey. The biggest concern for Oakland is the lack of power pitching, with none of the likely starters equaling one strikeout per inning.

If the Yankees fail to win a World Series this season, it will more than likely be due to their starting pitching. The rotation has a 4.76 ERA this season, with supposed ace Luis Severino yet to throw a pitch. Young Domingo German has been their best starter (4.03 ERA), but James Paxton has pitched better than his 4.39 ERA, with a dominant 11.2 K/9 this season. The final two spots in the playoff rotation are likely going to veterans Masahiro Tanaka (4.47 ERA) and the soon-to-be retiring CC Sabathia (4.99 ERA), who have both been plagued by the long ball.

Piecing together the starting rotation for the Brew Crew has been rough this season in light of Brandon Woodruff's oblique injury. He has a 3.75 ERA in 20 starts and could still return in September. Zach Davies has a 3.90 ERA, but it's been over 6.00 since the break. Chase Anderson and Gio Gonzalez have been inconsistent and are far from innings eaters. Deadline acquisition Jordan Lyles has turned his season around since joining Milwaukee with a 2.51 ERA in six outings and could even be a Game 1 starter if Milwaukee can somehow pull out a playoff berth.

Boston's rotation is an absolute mess, with the team's playoff hopes hanging by a thread. The defending champs have only one starter with a sub-4.00 ERA (Eduardo Rodriguez), and Chris Sale is out for the year with elbow inflammation. David Price has also battled injuries lately, and Rick Porcello's season can't end soon enough with a 5.42 ERA. Nathan Eovaldi has rejoined the rotation out of necessity after a long stint on the IL, but his recent starts haven't gone well.

Philadelphia is to the point that its rotation is Aaron Nola...then pray for rain. Nola has a 3.53 ERA and 10.0 K/9, but high-priced Jake Arrieta is now out for the year after elbow surgery. Jason Vargas has been strong since being acquired from the Mets, but he profiles as a five-inning pitcher at this point in his career. Zach Eflin, Vince Velasquez and Drew Smyly have been extremely inconsistent all year, and fallback options Nick Pivetta and Jerad Eickhoff have ERAs above 5.00.