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Nick's fantasy baseball starts/sits, expert advice for all starting pitcher matchups for May 5 - May 11 (2025). Set your winning fantasy baseball lineups.
We're onto May with plenty of lessons learned as we look to build on strong starts with our starting pitcher starts/sits for fantasy baseball Week 6- Monday, May 5 through Sunday, May 11. We trust the first month has been kind to you and your pitching stats! Be sure to bookmark us for every start/sit option and possible two-start decisions for your rosters.
For 13 years running, we have been writing this Starting Pitcher Starts and Sits series weekly here at RotoBaller. I'm Nick Mariano, and I'll take us through the 2025 season. All kinds of firepower go into supplying this piece each week to produce a beloved series for our readers.
New readers should absorb the section below to learn the column's aim and how best to use this tool, while veterans can proceed to the guide. We wish you the best of luck with your fantasy baseball starting pitcher lineup decisions as we all try to calculate the optimal decisions for our squads. As always, be sure you weigh your team's needs above all else!
Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:- Fantasy baseball trade analyzer
- BvP matchups data (Batter vs. Pitcher)
- PvB matchups data (Pitcher vs. Batter)
- Who should I start? Fantasy baseball comparisons
- Daily MLB starting lineups
- Fantasy baseball closer depth charts
- Fantasy Baseball live scoreboard
- Fantasy baseball injury reports
Start/Sit Data Overview
Ahead of each week of the fantasy baseball season, we publish the table below. We have the probable starters for every game of the week and a grade for them on a 0-100 scale. The intent is to give you advice and inspire confidence (or lack thereof) in your decisions to start or sit certain pitchers.
Please note that beyond the usual "Start" and "Sit" labels, we've expanded on the old "context-dependent" section to break it down further with "Lean Sit," "Lean Start," and true 50/50 "Coin Flip" designations. This is because different leagues call for different actions, and those in start-sit purgatory may be worth the gamble to some.
Also, we put the arms best projected to start or get bulk innings or actionable arms who may return from the injured list or be called up. Still, some situations are fluid, and we update ASAP to reflect accurate information. The early season means plenty of jostling around as injuries crop up and managers settle into routines, so check back frequently!
The "starts" category includes pitchers you'd likely start in every league. The "sits" are pitchers you likely sit in every league.
The 40-60 range will mean it is close, and it's up to you to decide based on your league settings or team needs (wins, strikeouts, etc.), how deep your league is, which roto/points categories are scored, and so on.
Here are your starts and sits for what we're calling Week 6 of the fantasy season, which covers May 5 through May 11. Let's dig in!
Week 6 Start/Sit Recommendations (May 5 - May 11)
Updated start/sit recommendations for this week's MLB games. This chart is updated daily as probable starters are constantly changing with postponements, injuries, etc. Scroll down further for a color-coded chart. If you can't see the chart below, click here to see the starts/sits on a separate page:
| Date | Game | Team | Pitcher | Grade | Start/Sit | 2 Starts |
| 5/5 | LAD@MIA | LAD | Ben Casparius | 60 | LEAN START | N |
| 5/5 | LAD@MIA | MIA | Sandy Alcantara | 30 | SIT | Y |
| 5/5 | SD@NYY | SD | Nick Pivetta | 55 | LEAN START | Y |
| 5/5 | SD@NYY | NYY | Carlos Rodon | 70 | START | Y |
| 5/5 | CIN@ATL | CIN | Brady Singer | 50 | COIN FLIP | Y |
| 5/5 | CIN@ATL | ATL | AJ Smith-Shawver | 45 | LEAN SIT | Y |
| 5/5 | SF@CHC | SF | Landen Roupp | 40 | LEAN SIT | Y |
| 5/5 | SF@CHC | CHC | Matthew Boyd | 65 | START | Y |
| 5/5 | CHW@KC | CHW | Shane Smith | 60 | LEAN START | Y |
| 5/5 | CHW@KC | KC | Cole Ragans | 75 | START | Y |
| 5/5 | HOU@MIL | HOU | Ronel Blanco | 45 | LEAN SIT | Y |
| 5/5 | HOU@MIL | MIL | Tobias Myers | 30 | SIT | Y |
| 5/5 | PIT@STL | PIT | Carmen Mlodzinski | 35 | SIT | Y |
| 5/5 | PIT@STL | STL | Miles Mikolas | 35 | SIT | Y |
| 5/5 | NYM@ARI | NYM | Griffin Canning | 45 | LEAN SIT | Y |
| 5/5 | NYM@ARI | ARI | Ryne Nelson | 45 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/5 | SEA@ATH | SEA | Bryce Miller | 60 | LEAN START | Y |
| 5/5 | SEA@ATH | ATH | Luis Severino | 35 | SIT | Y |
| 5/6 | LAD@MIA | LAD | Tony Gonsolin | 70 | START | Y |
| 5/6 | LAD@MIA | MIA | Cal Quantrill | 20 | SIT | N |
| 5/6 | CLE@WAS | CLE | Luis L. Ortiz | 60 | LEAN START | Y |
| 5/6 | CLE@WAS | WAS | Jake Irvin | 50 | COIN FLIP | Y |
| 5/6 | CLE@WAS | CLE | Ben Lively | 45 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/6 | CLE@WAS | WAS | Brad Lord | 35 | SIT | N |
| 5/6 | TEX@BOS | TEX | Nathan Eovaldi | 65 | START | Y |
| 5/6 | TEX@BOS | BOS | Lucas Giolito | 60 | LEAN START | Y |
| 5/6 | PHI@TB | PHI | Zack Wheeler | 85 | START | Y |
| 5/6 | PHI@TB | TB | Drew Rasmussen | 60 | LEAN START | Y |
| 5/6 | SD@NYY | SD | Michael King | 65 | START | N |
| 5/6 | SD@NYY | NYY | Clarke Schmidt | 45 | LEAN SIT | Y |
| 5/6 | CIN@ATL | CIN | Andrew Abbott | 50 | COIN FLIP | N |
| 5/6 | CIN@ATL | ATL | Chris Sale | 70 | START | Y |
| 5/6 | SF@CHC | SF | Justin Verlander | 35 | SIT | N |
| 5/6 | SF@CHC | CHC | Colin Rea | 60 | LEAN START | N |
| 5/6 | BAL@MIN | BAL | Cade Povich | 40 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/6 | BAL@MIN | MIN | Pablo Lopez | 70 | START | Y |
| 5/6 | CHW@KC | CHW | Sean Burke | 30 | SIT | Y |
| 5/6 | CHW@KC | KC | Seth Lugo | 70 | START | Y |
| 5/6 | HOU@MIL | HOU | Hayden Wesneski | 60 | LEAN START | N |
| 5/6 | HOU@MIL | MIL | Chad Patrick | 40 | LEAN SIT | Y |
| 5/6 | PIT@STL | PIT | Paul Skenes | 70 | START | N |
| 5/6 | PIT@STL | STL | Matthew Liberatore | 65 | START | N |
| 5/6 | TOR@LAA | TOR | Jose Urena | 25 | SIT | Y |
| 5/6 | TOR@LAA | LAA | Tyler Anderson | 45 | LEAN SIT | Y |
| 5/6 | NYM@ARI | NYM | David Peterson | 45 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/6 | NYM@ARI | ARI | Zac Gallen | 55 | LEAN START | Y |
| 5/6 | SEA@ATH | SEA | Emerson Hancock | 45 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/6 | SEA@ATH | ATH | Jeffrey Springs | 40 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/7 | CLE@WAS | CLE | Logan Allen | 45 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/7 | CLE@WAS | WAS | Michael Soroka | 40 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/7 | HOU@MIL | HOU | Framber Valdez | 70 | START | N |
| 5/7 | HOU@MIL | MIL | Quinn Priester | 25 | SIT | N |
| 5/7 | PIT@STL | PIT | Mitch Keller | 45 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/7 | PIT@STL | STL | Sonny Gray | 70 | START | N |
| 5/7 | SF@CHC | SF | Robbie Ray | 45 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/7 | SF@CHC | CHC | Ben Brown | 50 | COIN FLIP | N |
| 5/7 | SEA@ATH | SEA | Bryan Woo | 65 | START | N |
| 5/7 | SEA@ATH | ATH | Gunnar Hoglund | 50 | COIN FLIP | N |
| 5/7 | NYM@ARI | NYM | Kodai Senga | 55 | LEAN START | N |
| 5/7 | NYM@ARI | ARI | Merrill Kelly | 45 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/7 | LAD@MIA | LAD | Landon Knack | 40 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/7 | LAD@MIA | MIA | Valente Bellozo | 20 | SIT | N |
| 5/7 | TEX@BOS | TEX | Tyler Mahle | 50 | COIN FLIP | N |
| 5/7 | TEX@BOS | BOS | Tanner Houck | 50 | COIN FLIP | N |
| 5/7 | PHI@TB | PHI | Cristopher Sanchez | 75 | START | N |
| 5/7 | PHI@TB | TB | Shane Baz | 55 | LEAN START | N |
| 5/7 | SD@NYY | SD | Dylan Cease | 55 | LEAN START | N |
| 5/7 | SD@NYY | NYY | Max Fried | 75 | START | N |
| 5/7 | CIN@ATL | CIN | Hunter Greene | 70 | START | N |
| 5/7 | CIN@ATL | ATL | Grant Holmes | 50 | COIN FLIP | N |
| 5/7 | BAL@MIN | BAL | Charlie Morton | 30 | SIT | N |
| 5/7 | BAL@MIN | MIN | Simeon Woods Richardson | 45 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/7 | CHW@KC | CHW | Jonathan Cannon | 30 | SIT | N |
| 5/7 | CHW@KC | KC | Michael Wacha | 65 | START | N |
| 5/7 | DET@COL | DET | Jackson Jobe | 50 | COIN FLIP | N |
| 5/7 | DET@COL | COL | Chase Dollander | 35 | SIT | N |
| 5/7 | TOR@LAA | TOR | Jose Berrios | 55 | LEAN START | N |
| 5/7 | TOR@LAA | LAA | Yusei Kikuchi | 50 | COIN FLIP | N |
| 5/8 | BAL@MIN | BAL | Dean Kremer | 30 | SIT | N |
| 5/8 | BAL@MIN | MIN | Bailey Ober | 65 | START | N |
| 5/8 | TEX@BOS | TEX | Jack Leiter | 55 | LEAN START | N |
| 5/8 | TEX@BOS | BOS | Brayan Bello | 50 | COIN FLIP | N |
| 5/8 | CHW@KC | CHW | Davis Martin | 35 | SIT | N |
| 5/8 | CHW@KC | KC | Kris Bubic | 70 | START | N |
| 5/8 | DET@COL | DET | Casey Mize | 60 | LEAN START | N |
| 5/8 | DET@COL | COL | Kyle Freeland | 25 | SIT | N |
| 5/8 | DET@COL | DET | Keider Montero | 30 | SIT | N |
| 5/8 | DET@COL | COL | Tanner Gordon | 15 | SIT | N |
| 5/8 | PHI@TB | PHI | Jesus Luzardo | 75 | START | N |
| 5/8 | PHI@TB | TB | Ryan Pepiot | 50 | COIN FLIP | N |
| 5/8 | CIN@ATL | CIN | Nick Lodolo | 60 | LEAN START | N |
| 5/8 | CIN@ATL | ATL | Spencer Schwellenbach | 65 | START | N |
| 5/8 | TOR@LAA | TOR | Chris Bassitt | 70 | START | N |
| 5/8 | TOR@LAA | LAA | Jose Soriano | 50 | COIN FLIP | N |
| 5/8 | LAD@ARI | LAD | Yoshinobu Yamamoto | 70 | START | N |
| 5/8 | LAD@ARI | ARI | Brandon Pfaadt | 35 | SIT | N |
| 5/9 | TEX@DET | TEX | Patrick Corbin | 35 | SIT | N |
| 5/9 | TEX@DET | DET | Tarik Skubal | 85 | START | N |
| 5/9 | ATL@PIT | ATL | Bryce Elder | 35 | SIT | N |
| 5/9 | ATL@PIT | PIT | Bailey Falter | 30 | SIT | N |
| 5/9 | STL@WAS | STL | Erick Fedde | 30 | SIT | N |
| 5/9 | STL@WAS | WAS | Mitchell Parker | 35 | SIT | N |
| 5/9 | MIL@TB | MIL | Jose Quintana | 55 | LEAN START | N |
| 5/9 | MIL@TB | TB | Zack Littell | 35 | SIT | N |
| 5/9 | CHC@NYM | CHC | Jameson Taillon | 45 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/9 | CHC@NYM | NYM | Clay Holmes | 45 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/9 | PHI@CLE | PHI | Aaron Nola | 60 | LEAN START | N |
| 5/9 | PHI@CLE | CLE | Gavin Williams | 40 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/9 | BOS@KC | BOS | Hunter Dobbins | 45 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/9 | BOS@KC | KC | Michael Lorenzen | 45 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/9 | MIA@CHW | MIA | Max Meyer | 70 | START | N |
| 5/9 | MIA@CHW | CHW | Bryse Wilson | 20 | SIT | N |
| 5/9 | CIN@HOU | CIN | Nick Martinez | 40 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/9 | CIN@HOU | HOU | Hunter Brown | 75 | START | N |
| 5/9 | SF@MIN | SF | Jordan Hicks | 50 | COIN FLIP | N |
| 5/9 | SF@MIN | MIN | Chris Paddack | 50 | COIN FLIP | N |
| 5/9 | SD@COL | SD | Randy Vasquez | 20 | SIT | N |
| 5/9 | SD@COL | COL | Antonio Senzatela | 15 | SIT | N |
| 5/9 | BAL@LAA | BAL | Tomoyuki Sugano | 55 | LEAN START | N |
| 5/9 | BAL@LAA | LAA | Kyle Hendricks | 30 | SIT | N |
| 5/9 | LAD@ARI | LAD | Roki Sasaki | 50 | COIN FLIP | N |
| 5/9 | LAD@ARI | ARI | Eduardo Rodriguez | 30 | SIT | N |
| 5/9 | TOR@SEA | TOR | Kevin Gausman | 50 | COIN FLIP | N |
| 5/9 | TOR@SEA | SEA | Luis Castillo | 65 | START | N |
| 5/9 | NYY@ATH | NYY | Will Warren | 45 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/9 | NYY@ATH | ATH | Osvaldo Bido | 20 | SIT | N |
| 5/10 | STL@WAS | STL | Andre Pallante | 35 | SIT | N |
| 5/10 | STL@WAS | WAS | Trevor Williams | 30 | SIT | N |
| 5/10 | ATL@PIT | ATL | AJ Smith-Shawver | 55 | LEAN START | Y |
| 5/10 | ATL@PIT | PIT | Andrew Heaney | 55 | LEAN START | N |
| 5/10 | NYY@ATH | NYY | Carlos Rodon | 65 | START | Y |
| 5/10 | NYY@ATH | ATH | JP Sears | 40 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/10 | MIL@TB | MIL | Tobias Myers | 50 | COIN FLIP | Y |
| 5/10 | MIL@TB | TB | Taj Bradley | 50 | COIN FLIP | N |
| 5/10 | TEX@DET | TEX | Jacob deGrom | 65 | START | N |
| 5/10 | TEX@DET | DET | Jack Flaherty | 80 | START | N |
| 5/10 | PHI@CLE | PHI | Ranger Suarez | 55 | LEAN START | N |
| 5/10 | PHI@CLE | CLE | Tanner Bibee | 55 | LEAN START | N |
| 5/10 | CIN@HOU | CIN | Brady Singer | 55 | LEAN START | Y |
| 5/10 | CIN@HOU | HOU | Lance McCullers Jr. | 50 | COIN FLIP | N |
| 5/10 | BOS@KC | BOS | Garrett Crochet | 80 | START | N |
| 5/10 | BOS@KC | KC | Cole Ragans | 65 | START | Y |
| 5/10 | MIA@CHW | MIA | Edward Cabrera | 55 | LEAN START | N |
| 5/10 | MIA@CHW | CHW | Shane Smith | 60 | LEAN START | Y |
| 5/10 | CHC@NYM | CHC | Brad Keller | 35 | SIT | N |
| 5/10 | CHC@NYM | NYM | Tylor Megill | 45 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/10 | SF@MIN | SF | Logan Webb | 75 | START | N |
| 5/10 | SF@MIN | MIN | Joe Ryan | 70 | START | N |
| 5/10 | LAD@ARI | LAD | Dustin May | 45 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/10 | LAD@ARI | ARI | Corbin Burnes | 30 | SIT | N |
| 5/10 | SD@COL | SD | Stephen Kolek | 25 | SIT | N |
| 5/10 | SD@COL | COL | Bradley Blalock | 15 | SIT | N |
| 5/10 | BAL@LAA | BAL | Kyle Gibson | 30 | SIT | N |
| 5/10 | BAL@LAA | LAA | Jack Kochanowicz | 40 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/10 | TOR@SEA | TOR | Bowden Francis | 35 | SIT | N |
| 5/10 | TOR@SEA | SEA | Logan Evans | 40 | LEAN SIT | N |
| 5/11 | CHC@NYM | CHC | Matthew Boyd | 50 | COIN FLIP | Y |
| 5/11 | CHC@NYM | NYM | Griffin Canning | 35 | SIT | Y |
| 5/11 | STL@WAS | STL | Miles Mikolas | 35 | SIT | Y |
| 5/11 | STL@WAS | WAS | MacKenzie Gore | 65 | START | N |
| 5/11 | ATL@PIT | ATL | Chris Sale | 75 | START | Y |
| 5/11 | ATL@PIT | PIT | Carmen Mlodzinski | 30 | SIT | Y |
| 5/11 | TEX@DET | TEX | Nathan Eovaldi | 65 | START | Y |
| 5/11 | TEX@DET | DET | Reese Olson | 70 | START | N |
| 5/11 | MIL@TB | MIL | Chad Patrick | 60 | LEAN START | Y |
| 5/11 | MIL@TB | TB | Drew Rasmussen | 65 | START | Y |
| 5/11 | CIN@HOU | CIN | Chase Petty | 35 | SIT | N |
| 5/11 | CIN@HOU | HOU | Ronel Blanco | 40 | LEAN SIT | Y |
| 5/11 | BOS@KC | BOS | Lucas Giolito | 55 | LEAN START | Y |
| 5/11 | BOS@KC | KC | Seth Lugo | 60 | LEAN START | Y |
| 5/11 | SF@MIN | SF | Landen Roupp | 55 | LEAN START | Y |
| 5/11 | SF@MIN | MIN | Pablo Lopez | 80 | START | Y |
| 5/11 | MIA@CHW | MIA | Sandy Alcantara | 55 | LEAN START | Y |
| 5/11 | MIA@CHW | CHW | Sean Burke | 40 | LEAN SIT | Y |
| 5/11 | SD@COL | SD | Nick Pivetta | 65 | START | Y |
| 5/11 | SD@COL | COL | German Marquez | 15 | SIT | N |
| 5/11 | NYY@ATH | NYY | Clarke Schmidt | 50 | COIN FLIP | Y |
| 5/11 | NYY@ATH | ATH | Luis Severino | 35 | SIT | Y |
| 5/11 | BAL@LAA | BAL | Zach Eflin | 60 | LEAN START | N |
| 5/11 | BAL@LAA | LAA | Tyler Anderson | 45 | LEAN SIT | Y |
| 5/11 | LAD@ARI | LAD | Tony Gonsolin | 55 | LEAN START | Y |
| 5/11 | LAD@ARI | ARI | Zac Gallen | 35 | SIT | Y |
| 5/11 | TOR@SEA | TOR | Jose Urena | 25 | SIT | Y |
| 5/11 | TOR@SEA | SEA | Bryce Miller | 70 | START | Y |
| 5/11 | PHI@CLE | PHI | Zack Wheeler | 75 | START | Y |
| 5/11 | PHI@CLE | CLE | Luis L. Ortiz | 50 | COIN FLIP | Y |
Start/Sit Color-Coded Matchups Chart (May 5 - May 11)
The below grid shows the same data but as a color-coded grid:
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