I’ll start this week by just presenting this week’s Starting Pitcher Rankings, and then I’ll do notes after the charts:

Notes:

                1)  The top four pitchers are the same as they were last week; however, this doesn’t seem like it can last much longer.   A week ago Roy Halladay was 36 points ahead of Jered Weaver.  Now it’s 9 points.

                2)  The top ten pitchers are the same as they were at the start of the season, except that Tim Lincecum has dropped out of the top 10, and CJ Wilson has moved in.

                3)  The numbers given under headings like "Apr 4",  "Apr 9", "Apr 14" etc. represent the pitcher’s game score for the start that he made in the five-day start window beginning on that day.  

                4)  A blue background in those columns indicates that this was the best game in the major leagues in that five-day window.   Jered Weaver’s no-hitter scored at 95—the best game in the five-day window beginning April 29—so far.   Games played today will still be in that five-day window.  

                5)  A white number on a black background indicates the ten pitchers who have moved up the furthest in the "score" since the start of the season.   A white number on a red background indicates those who have fallen the furthest. 

                6)  The one pitcher who has moved up the furthest since the start of the season is now Jake Peavy, who has moved up since the start of the season from 133^rd place to 91^st.   The one who has fallen the furthest is Scott Baker, who is falling because he is inactive.  

                7)  The highest-ranked pitcher who began the season unranked is still Lance Lynn, as it has been the last couple of weeks.   He has pitched well every time out.  Second on that list is Yu (Whirling) Darvish. 

                8)  A week ago with these rankings I posted a note saying that there were 24 pitchers in the major leagues who had made at least 3 starts and had pitched well (game score of 50 or higher) every time.    Now there are exactly half that many (12 pitchers) who have made at least four starts and have posted a game score of 50 or higher every time:  Anthony Bass, Kyle Drabek, Ted Lilly, Colby Lewis, Lance Lynn, Jeff Niemann, Anibal Sanchez, Joe Saunders, Stephen Strasburg, Drew Smyly and C. J. Wilson.    Six of the twelve are rookies or near-rookies, counting Strasburg as a near-rookie.  

                9)  Pitchers who score at 500.00 or higher in these rankings have made 74 starts so far this season and have pitched well (Game Score of 50 or higher) is 57 of them, or 77%.    Pitchers who score at 450 to 500 have pitched well in 70% of their starts; 400 to 450, in 64% of their starts, 350 to 400, in 51% of their starts, and 350 or less, also 51% of their starts. 

                10)  In many seasons there is no game by a starting pitcher that scores at less than zero; I think that is true in MOST seasons, but certainly it is true in many seasons.   It is not uncommon for the worst game of the year to be a "3" or something—but already this year we have had two games with negative scores:  -1, by Rick Porcello on April 21, and -13, by AJ Burnett last night.   We also had a "1" on May 1, by Luke Hochevar.   

                Thanks for reading.   Bill James