MLB Starting Pitchers Today: Top 5 Must-watch MLB Pitching Showdowns ft. Braves' Chris Sale vs Yankees' Carlos Rodon on June 21

With all 30 MLB teams slated to be in action on June 21, some of the league's best pitchers will have their chance to shine. Today, we will be examining the most enthralling pitching matchups scheduled around MLB for Friday.

Top Five MLB Pitching Matchups - June 21

Jordan Montgomery vs Taijuan Walker

Friday will mark the beginning of a three-game rematch of last season's NLCS between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Starting for the D-Backs will be Jordan Montgomery, who was on the Texas team that defeated Arizona to win the World Series last season. Since signing a one-year, $25 million deal in the Desert, Montgomery has struggled. Now 5-4 in eleven starts, the 31 year-old's ERA remains 6.00. Montgomery did, however, pitch five scoreless innings in his last outing against the White Sox.

For the Phillies, it will eb Taijuan Walker taking the ball. The 6-foot-4 right hander's 5.33 constitutes the highest of any Phillies starter. In 11 games this season, Walker is 3-2 with 40 strikeouts across 49 innings of work.

Colin Rea vs Dylan Cease

The Brewers overcame a 4-1 defecit to tie the game on Thursday, only to lose to the San Diego Padres in walk-off fashion. On Friday, Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy will send Colin Rea to the mound. Last season was Rea's first season back in MLB after year-long hiatus in Japan. This season, the 6-foot-5 right hander has lowered his ERA to 3.29, and brings a 6-2 record with him to Petco Park.

"Colin Rea, Filthy 82mph Breaking Ball." - Pitching Ninja

For the Friars, Dylan Cease will seek to make his sixteenth start since he was traded to the team in March. The 28 year-old's 33 mound starts led the league last season. Although Cease has pitched to a 6-6 record alongside a 3.95 ERA, his last outing against the New York Mets was an ugly one, and resulting in the right-hander getting pulled after allowing seven earned runs in 3 innings.

Brady Singer vs Nathan Eovaldi

After losing successive series' to both the Dodgers and Athletics so far on their roadtrip, the Kansas City Royals will be seeking a win in Arlington against the Rangers on Friday.

After putting up a 3.54 ERA through April and May, the KC Royals' combined ERA has dropped to 4.95 since June 1. For Brady Singer, his own personal play has followed that trend. Now 4-4 with a 3.39 ERA, Singer has allowed nine earned runs over his past 11.1 innings. Moreover, the 27 year-old sports a 6.05 lifetime ERA against Texas.

Nathan Eovaldi will be making the start for the Rangers at Globe Life Park. The 34 year-old is back in action after missing most of the month of May with a groin injury. Now 3-3 with a 3.15 ERA, Eovaldi was chased by the Seattle Mariners in his last start after just three innings of work.

Jose Quintana vs Shota Imanaga

Friday afternoon will mark the start of a weekend series between the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

For the Mets, Jose Quintana is expected to start. Although the 35 year-old Colombian is coming off of one of the better seasons of his career, Quintana has struggled this season. Now 3-6 with a 4.98 ERA, one of Quintana's best outings of the season came in his last start, a six-inning showing against the Padres in which he only allowed one run.

Quintana's opponent will be Shota Imanaga. An early candidate for the NL Cy Young Award, Imanaga has been putting on a spectacle since he came over from Japan this season. 7-1 with a 1.89 ERA, the 30 year-old also leads MLB in walks per nine innings, sporting a figure of just 1.3.

"Shota Imanaga is just so good man" - SleeperMLB

Chris Sale vs Carlos Rodon

The most anticipated pitching matchup in MLB this Friday will be the Yankees' Carlos Rodon pitted against Chris Sale of the Braves.

After an injury-riddled season in 2023, Carlos Rodon finished with a 3.-8 record and a 6.85 ERA. This season, the ace is pitching much better for the New York Yankees. In fifteen starts, the leftie is 9-3, and commands a 3.28 ERA. In twelve career innings against the Braves in his MLB career, Rodon owns an impressive 0.75 ERA.

"That's 8 strikeouts for Carlos Rodon!" - Fireside Yankees

Chris Sale will make his fourteenth start of the season for Atlanta on Friday. Now 9-2 on the season, Sale's 2.98 ERA comes as the result of several masterful pitching outings, including his seven inning, two-run appearance against the Tampa Bay Rays on June 14.