How Contenders with Undefined Starting Rotations Should Line Up in Playoffs

Some contenders around Major League Baseball aren't going to have to worry about how to line up their starting rotations for the postseason when the time comes.

Take the Cincinnati Reds, for example. The injury bug decided to take a bite out of Joey Votto's knee this season, but it decided to spare the Reds' rotation. The Reds have only used six different starting pitchers all season, and the sixth guy only made one start.

The Reds will probably go into the playoffs with their same rotation intact. Johnny Cueto will start Game 1, Mat Latos will start Game 2 and Bronson Arroyo will start Game 3. Simple as that. No rocket science needed.

Most other contenders wish they were as lucky as the Reds. There are some contenders out there that don't have obvious Game 1 starters, much less Game 2 or Game 3 starters. They're going to have to improvise when it comes time to set their rotations for the postseason.

Or they could just follow my advice. Here's how contenders with undefined starting rotations should arrange things if/when they qualify for October baseball.

Note: All stats come from Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

Atlanta Braves

1. Kris Medlen

2. Paul Maholm

3. Tim Hudson

4. Mike Minor

Remember when Atlanta's rotation was kind of a mess? You know, back when Mike Minor was a wreck and the team was struggling to fill the void left by Brandon Beachy?

Yeah, it was a while ago. Since the All-Star break, Atlanta's rotation has settled down and become one of the team's primary strengths. The Braves don't have a true No. 1 starting pitcher, but they have quality arms that could do some damage in October.

Kris Medlen should start Game 1 for the Braves if they get to the postseason. He's only made seven starts all season, sure, but in those seven starts he has a 0.54 ERA and a .206 opponents' batting average. He's the best pitcher the Braves have right now by a significant margin.

Tim Hudson would be a lock for Game 2 if we were going by seniority here, but I like the idea of inserting Paul Maholm in Game 2 to break up the two righties in Medlen and Hudson. Besides which, Maholm has been a good find for the Braves, posting a 2.45 ERA in his first five starts since coming over from the Cubs.

Hudson will definitely start Game 3 if he doesn't get Game 2 duty. He's been up and down this season, but any team that can trot Tim Hudson out to the mound as a Game 3 starter is doing something right.

After him, it's between Mike Minor and Ben Sheets, and Minor's the no-brainer choice. He has a 2.56 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP since the All-Star break.

Baltimore Orioles

1. Jason Hammel

2. Wei-Yin Chen

3. Joe Saunders

4. Chris Tillman

Baltimore's starting rotation has been a patchwork affair all season long, but it's not as weak now as a lot of people still think it is. Starting pitching isn't a strength for the Orioles, but it's no longer their biggest weakness.

Wei-Yin Chen has been Baltimore's most consistent starter this season by a long shot, but Jason Hammel is their best pitcher. He's logged quality starts in nearly half his starts this season, and he's proven that he's capable of throwing eight or nine shutdown innings on a good night. 

Chen should get the call for Game 2 after Hammel starts Game 1. Chen doesn't dazzle on the mound, but his 3.79 ERA perfectly reflects how consistent he's been this season. His ERA has been between 3.00 and 4.00 for months. He won't dominate, but he's an even bigger quality start machine than Hammel.

After those two, it's a toss-up. Joe Saunders is hit-or-miss, but I like him to start Game 3 because he at least has some postseason experience to rely on. You also never know when he's going to hurl six or seven shutout innings.

Chris Tillman should be slotted behind him because he's been slightly better than Miguel Gonzalez. In addition, Gonzalez showed earlier in the year that he can excel as a long reliever if he's needed in that capacity.

Los Angeles Dodgers

1. Clayton Kershaw

2. Josh Beckett

3. Chris Capuano

4. Aaron Harang

Starting pitching was the Dodgers' primary strength for much of the season, but injuries and various other less-than-awesome circumstances have thrown their starting rotation for a loop in the second half.

One thing we know for sure is that Clayton Kershaw will start Game 1 for the Dodgers if they make it to the postseason. I don't need to say more, but I will point out his 12-8 record and 2.79 ERA just for the heck of it.

He also won the Cy Young award last year, which is nice.

After him, I'm giving the edge to Josh Beckett over Chris Capuano. He's about as unreliable as they come, but I think we're going to see more starts from Beckett like the one he had against the Arizona Diamondbacks his second time out as a Dodger, in which he gave up one run in 6.2 innings of work. Against National League lineups, starts like that should be easy enough for Beckett.

Plus, keep in mind that Beckett is one of the best postseason pitchers in recent memory. He knows how to handle October.

Capuano has struggled to the tune of a 4.91 ERA in the second half, but he's certainly a better option than Aaron Harang. He's been decent this season, but he has a 1.41 WHIP and has been known to pile up walks.

Harang, to his credit, is at least better than Joe Blanton, who should be banished to the bullpen (or the moon) if the Dodgers make it to the playoffs.

Oakland A's

1. Brett Anderson

2. Jarrod Parker

3. Tommy Milone

4. A.J. Griffin

A couple of weeks ago, it was easy to look ahead to October and imagine Bartolo Colon and Brandon McCarthy starting Games 1 and 2 in the postseason for the A's.

Not so much now. Colon has been suspended for 50 games (which includes the first 10 games of the postseason) for a positive testosterone test, and McCarthy's season is likely finished after he took a line drive off his head on Wednesday. 

With all that's gone on, Brett Anderson's return has come at a perfect time. And though he's only made three starts, he's done enough in those three starts to prove that he's the best pitcher the A's have right now. He's logged 20 innings and compiled a 0.90 ERA and a .164 opponents' batting average.

The options behind Anderson leave a lot to be desired, but Jarrod Parker should get the nod because he's capable of stringing together seven or eight dominant innings when he's locating his fastball and throwing his changeup down in the zone.

If Parker gets the nod for Game 2, Tommy Milone should get the nod for Game 3. He's got a limited ceiling, but he's perfectly capable of giving the A's six quality innings every time he takes the mound. He's certainly not going to get himself in trouble by issuing too many free passes, as he has a BB/9 of 1.72 this season.

After him, it's a toss-up. I'd go with A.J. Griffin because a 2.26 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP in nine starts are not the kind of numbers that can be ignored. We're talking about too small of a sample size to make him a No. 1 or No. 2 starter, but he'd do fine as a Game 4 starter if need be.

Pittsburgh Pirates

1. A.J. Burnett

2. Wandy Rodriguez

3. Jeff Karstens

4. Kevin Correia

The Pirates were in great shape when A.J. Burnett and James McDonald were both pitching well. At the time, the two of them looked like they would be a dynamic duo in October if the Pirates got that far.

They may not get that far, of course, and McDonald's demise has a lot to do with that. He has a 7.14 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP since the All-Star break. As you can see, he's been bad enough to convince me he shouldn't be trusted to start in the playoffs if the Pirates make it there.

If they do, Burnett should get the call for Game 1 without question. He's had some rough times in the second half, but his 15-5 record and 3.57 ERA make him the de facto ace of the Pirates' rotation. 

Wandy Rodriguez struggled to establish himself when he first joined the Pirates, but he's rebounded to post a 1.37 ERA over his last three starts. This rebound and his years of experience make him a perfect option to start Game 2.

Game 3 is a little trickier. But assuming Jeff Karstens recovers from his hip problem in the next few weeks, he should get the call. He's quietly posted a 3.86 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP in the second half.

Kevin Correia is shaky as a starter, but the Pirates could ask for worse than a pitcher who has a 4.27 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP as a starter.

For example, they could ask for James McDonald.

St. Louis Cardinals

1. Kyle Lohse

2. Adam Wainwright

3. Jaime Garcia

4. Jake Westbrook

The Cardinals may seem like an odd fit for this discussion seeing as how their starting pitching staff has been pretty consistent all year. There have been some rotating bodies, to be sure, but it's not like their rotation has been ripped apart by any sort of crisis.

They're in this discussion anyway because they're not unlike the Braves in that there are a number of different ways Mike Matheny could arrange his rotation for the playoffs.

I'm for starting Kyle Lohse in Game 1 over Adam Wainwright. Lohse has been one of the most dependable starters in the National League this season, going 14-2 with a 2.81 ERA in 28 starts. Since the break, he's 5-0 with a 2.84 ERA. Business as usual.

Wainwright should follow Lohse in Game 2. He's had a couple rough starts in a row, but despite those he has a solid 3.30 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in the second half. It took him a while to shake off the rust after he returned from Tommy John surgery, but he finally looks like his old self again.

Jaime Garcia, meanwhile, has had one truly bad start since he returned from his own injury issues. All told, he's posted a 3.38 ERA in four starts, a number that reflects his ability as a pitcher a little too perfectly. He's a solid Game 3 option.

There's a case to be made for Lance Lynn or Joe Kelly as Matheny's Game 4 starter, but both of them would be tremendous assets coming out of the bullpen in the postseason. Either of them could be inserted at the first sign of trouble with Jake Westbrook on the mound.

Texas Rangers

1. Matt Harrison

2. Yu Darvish

3. Ryan Dempster

4. Derek Holland

The perception among baseball fans is that the Rangers don't have a true No. 1 starting pitcher.

That point is debatable. But if the Rangers don't have a No. 1, they certainly have a few very good No. 2 starting pitchers.

Any one of them could start Game 1, but I'd side with Matt Harrison. Texas' rotation has seen some tough times this year, but he's been a rock all season long. He has a 3.37 ERA in his 27 starts, and you just never know when he's going to turn things up to 11 and pitch eight dominant innings.

Yu Darvish has the stuff to dominate every time he takes the mound, and lately he's actually known where his stuff is going the majority of the time. He's walked only four in his last three starts, striking out 26 in the process. He'd have no problem matching up with the various No. 2 starters the American League has to offer.

Ryan Dempster would work best as Texas' Game 3 starter because his more finesse style of pitching would be a tricky change of pace after Darvish's electric stuff. To boot, he's really settled down in his four most recent starts, compiling a 1.73 ERA with a .191 opponents' batting average.

With those three locked into Games 1, 2 and 3, Derek Holland would be Texas' Game 4 starter by default. He'll be fine in the postseason as long as he can keep his gopheritis under control.

You might want to cross your fingers there, Rangers fans.

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