Starting Pitcher Chart – May 4th, 2026

by
May 4, 2026

Welcome to the Daily SP Chart, click here if you’re new to get an idea of what I’m doing with these rankings.

The chart includes their performance for 2026, their opponent’s wOBA versus the pitcher’s handedness, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues – essentially a shallow, medium, deep league setup – and then a note about some, most, or all depending on the day. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s a much riskier stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations for standard 5×5 roto leagues, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. I usually won’t have much to write about aces who are locked into our rotations. If you want to discuss someone further, please feel free to leave a comment. I usually do a few sweeps of the comments before game time in case there are time-sensitive questions.

Went to a game with the family tonight so I’ll drop comments in the morning.

  • As I keep my rankings updated behind the scenes in between updates, Schlittler just keeps rising. Soriano is getting a ton of attention for his sub-1.00 ERA essentially out of nowhere, but Schlittler is every bit as impressive so far this year.
  • Gilbert’s surface woes (at least relative to an ace) surprised me a bit as I don’t have him anywhere this year so I’m not as dialed in on his day-to-day. But once I take a deeper look, I’m not worried. His 19% K-BB is down 7 pts from last year but in line with his 21% career mark. The .349 BABIP stands out and the elevated line drive could be a culprit behind it, but nothing I’m long-term concerned about.
  • Cabrera hasn’t been giving me the warm-n-fuzzies despite the impressive surface numbers. His 6 pt. drop in K% is a little concerning despite his SwStr holding firm at his 12% career mark. A career-best 8% HR/FB is keeping him from fully paying for his lessened skills but the 4.27 SIERA hints at what could happen if the HR/FB trends back toward league average (11%), let alone his career mark (15%).
  • Martin hasn’t added to his SwStr% to back the 6 pt. K% surge but he’s still at the upper reaches of what a 9.6% can yield. He has a nice BB% improvement and of course the 87% LOB is playing a big role in his ERA being under 2.00. He’s not that good but if he can live in a 14-17% K-BB range and he doesn’t get all his LOB and HR/FB regression is one super nasty start, then I think he can maintain a usable mid-3.00s ERA with a sub-1.25 WHIP.
  • I’m starting to take the struggling performances of expected good teams a bit more seriously as we push into May. So teams like the Phillies, Mets, and Red Sox. They all still have threats in the lineup and can go off on a given night, but I’m loosening my streaming restrictions against them. It earned Junk an extra X and got Sugano his lone X.
  • Baz has a 2-step so you might have to eat that Yankees start to get the Athletics one at home this weekend, but is it even worth it? I want him to be as good as his reputation, but he’s just not.

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SP Chart for May 4th, 2026
Rk PITCHER Tm Opp 10 12 15+ IP ERA WHIP K-BB opp wOBA RK
1 Tarik Skubal DET v. BOS x x x 43.1 2.70 0.95 23% 15
2 Cam Schlittler NYY v. BAL x x x 41.2 1.51 0.74 28% 17
3 Yoshinobu Yamamoto LAD at HOU x x x 37.2 2.87 1.01 16% 2
4 José Soriano LAA v. CHW x x x 42.2 0.84 0.94 20% 25
5 Logan Gilbert SEA v. ATL x x x 38 4.03 1.29 19% 1
6 Payton Tolle BOS at DET x x x 10.2 3.38 1.03 24% 14
7 Randy Vásquez SDP at SFG x x x 33.2 2.94 1.16 17% 29
8 Michael Wacha KCR v. CLE x x x 37.1 3.13 1.13 13% 24
9 Edward Cabrera CHC v. CIN x x x 35.1 3.06 1.19 12% 23
10 Tanner Bibee CLE at KCR x x x 35.1 4.08 1.44 12% 20
11 Davis Martin CHW at LAA x x 37 1.95 1.08 17% 16
12 JR Ritchie ATL at SEA x x 12.1 2.92 1.30 10% 13
13 Nick Martinez TBR v. TOR x x 37 1.70 1.00 10% 18
14 Janson Junk MIA v. PHI x x 33 3.00 1.06 10% 22
15 Aaron Nola PHI at MIA x 31.1 6.03 1.56 16% 10
16 Tomoyuki Sugano COL v. NYM x 31.2 2.84 1.17 9% 30
17 Kyle Leahy STL v. MIL x 29.1 5.52 1.67 8% 12
18 Shane Baz BAL at NYY 34 4.50 1.50 12% 4
19 Eric Lauer 라우어 TOR at TBR 27 6.00 1.52 6% 19
20 Chase Petty CIN at CHC 8
21 Ryan Weiss 와이스 HOU v. LAD 21.2 6.65 1.98 8% 3
22 David Peterson NYM at COL 30.1 6.53 1.71 10% 27
23 Chad Patrick MIL at STL 28 2.57 1.25 3% 11
24 Trevor McDonald SFG v. SDP 21
Recommendations for Roto 5×5 Leagues

Intro

The chart includes their performance for 2026, their opponent’s wOBA versus the pitcher’s handedness, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues – essentially a shallow, medium, deep league setup – and then a note about some, most, or all depending on the day. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s a much riskier stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations for standard 5×5 roto leagues, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. I usually won’t have much to write about aces who are locked into our rotations. If you want to discuss someone further, please feel free to leave a comment. I usually do a few sweeps of the comments before game time in case there are time-sensitive questions.





 

Paul is the Editor of Rotographs and Content Director for OOTP Perfect Team. Follow Paul on Twitter @sporer and on Twitch at sporer.

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AnonMember since 2025
10 days ago

Wind at 10+

Coors – in from L at 10, some rain too
DET – in from R at 14
NYY – across from R to L at 12
Wrigley – out to L center at 16, bump to bats, though possible rain too
STL – out to L center at 11
LAA – out to center at 10

We have some potential rain issues too (max in-game %):

Coors – 34% at 1st pitch increasing to 60% by game’s end
DET – 43%
Wrigley – 32% at 1st pitch increasing to 51% by game’s end
KCR – 36% increasing to 60% by game’s end and 73% after the game

10