The two start options this week are not particularly strong at the top of the list, nor in the middle tier, either. Plenty of pitchers to avoid in the bottom tier, though. Most of those grouped into the middle tier are worth one start, but only those at the top of the tier are worth trusting with two starts.

Please realize that these articles feature most recent rotation information available when the article is written, but that circumstances do change due to weather conditions, injuries and general craziness with managers. If a pitcher is listed here as having two starts ends up with one (or perhaps none) in the upcoming week, my apologies but this article is meant to provide analysis, it is up to the manager to set the lineups or rotations.

Without further ado, here are this week’s two start pitchers:

 

Start 'em If You Own 'em

 

Starting Pitcher

First Start/Opponent/Date

Second Start/Opponent/Date

Yu Darvish TEX

vs. PHI Jerad Eickhoff

@ DET Matthew Boyd

 

Tue 5/16 8:05 PM ET

Sun 5/21 8:05 PM ET

Carlos Carrasco CLE

vs. TB Chris Archer

@ HOU Joe Musgrove

 

Mon 5/15 6:10 PM ET

Sun 5/21 2:10 PM ET

Stephen Strasburg WAS

@ PIT Chad Kuhl

@ ATL Jaime Garcia

 

Tue 5/16 7:05 PM ET

Sun 5/21 1:35 PM ET

Chris Archer TB

@ CLE Carlos Carrasco

vs. NYY CC Sabathia

 

Mon 5/15 6:10 PM ET

Sun 5/21 1:10 PM ET

Marco Estrada TOR

vs. ATL Jaime Garcia

@ BAL Ubaldo Jimenez

 

Tue 5/16 4:07 PM ET

Sun 5/21 1:35 PM ET

Derek Holland CHW

@ LAA JC Ramirez

@ SEA Chase De Jong

 

Tue 5/16 10:07 PM ET

Sun 5/21 4:10 PM ET

Andrew Triggs  OAK

@ SEA Chase De Jong

vs. BOS TBA

 

Tue 5/16 10:10 PM ET

Sun 5/21 4:05 PM ET

Only seven two-start options grace the top tier, and if Triggs did not get to face Boston at home, he would not have made the cut. Holland and Estrada are likely short term members of the top tier, unless they can continue their recent streak of strong starts. If you own any of these pitchers, go ahead and place them in your lineup and expect good results.

 

Maybe Yes, Maybe No

 

Starting Pitcher

First Start/Opponent/Date

Second Start/Opponent/Date

Chase Anderson MIL

@ SD Luis Perdomo

@ CHC Jake Arrieta

 

Mon 5/15 10:10 PM ET

Sat 5/20 2:20 PM ET

Kyle Freeland COL

@ MIN Phil Hughes

@ CIN Bronson Arroyo

 

Tue 5/16 8:10 PM ET

Sun 5/21 1:10 PM ET

Matthew Boyd DET

vs. BAL Ubaldo Jimenez

vs. TEX Yu Darvish

 

Tue 5/16 7:10 PM ET

Sun 5/21 8:05 PM ET

Zack Wheeler NYM

@ ARI Zack Godley

vs. LAA Jesse Chavez

 

Mon 5/15 9:40 PM ET

Sun 5/21 1:10 PM ET

Zack Godley  ARI

vs. NYM Zack Wheeler

@ SD Clayton Richard

 

Mon 5/15 9:40 PM ET

Sun 5/21 4:40 PM ET

Joe Musgrove HOU

@ MIA Dan Straily

vs. CLE Carlos Carrasco

 

Mon 5/15 7:10 PM ET

Sun 5/21 2:10 PM ET

Jimmy Nelson MIL

@ SD Clayton Richard

@ CHC John Lackey

 

Tue 5/16 10:10 PM ET

Sun 5/21 2:20 PM ET

Luis Perdomo SD

vs. MIL Chase Anderson

vs. ARI Robbie Ray

 

Mon 5/15 10:10 PM ET

Sat 5/20 10:10 PM ET

Jesse Chavez  LAA

vs. CHW Mike Pelfrey

@ NYM Zack Wheeler

 

Mon 5/15 10:07 PM ET

Sun 5/21 1:10 PM ET

Dan Straily MIA

vs. HOU Joe Musgrove

@ LAD TBA

 

Mon 5/15 7:10 PM ET

Sat 5/20 10:10 PM ET

Lance Lynn STL

vs. BOS TBA

vs. SF Matt Cain

 

Tue 5/16 8:15 PM ET

Sun 5/21 2:15 PM ET

Hyun-Jin Ryu LAD

@ SF Ty Blach

vs. MIA Tom Koehler

 

Tue 5/16 10:15 PM ET

Sun 5/21 4:10 PM ET

Sean Manaea OAK

@ SEA Yovani Gallardo

vs. BOS Drew Pomeranz

 

Mon 5/15 10:10 PM ET

Sat 5/20 4:05 PM ET

Chase Anderson leads off the middle tier, and while he has a couple of road starts in Week 7, he has not been much worse away from his home park. He is an average strikeout producer, but keeps the ball in yard, as evidenced by his 0.5 HR/9 rate.

Kyle Freeland also has two road starts coming up, but since his home field is Coors, that is not necessarily a bad thing. He has been much better away from home this season, although he has held his own while hosting other teams with a superb 1.65 ERA over three starts covering 16.1 innings. He is also working on a streak of four quality starts (QS) and faces a couple of beatable teams in the Twins and Reds.

Matthew Boyd has been spinning QS in five of his last six starts and gets two home appearances in Week 7, where he has been much more effective than on the road. His 3.89 ERA and 1.45 WHIP are concerns, as is his control (4.35 BB/9), and he is a poor strikeout option, with a 6.64 K/9 rate over his 39.1 innings this season. Still, QS are nice if your league rewards for them and he tends to keep the ball inside the park.

Zack Wheeler has been inconsistent this season, but does produce decent strikeout numbers (8.07 K/9) and his second start at home against the Angels looks tasty. Heading to Arizona and Chase Field for his first start could be a good reason to only use him for one start this week, although his high groundball rate (2.68 GB/FB over six starts) will help him survive in the desert.

Zack Godley has secured the fifth starters slot in Arizona, now that Shelby Miller is slated for Tommy John surgery, at least for the moment. He has a small sample size with just two starts this season for the Diamondbacks, but looked good in Triple-A prior to joining the big league squad. He is striking out a batter per inning, so there is that going for him. A low BABIP of .243 and an unsustainable 81.8% strand rate do suggest that regression is due to hit at some point but he also has two good matchups against the Mets and Padres this upcoming scoring period.

Joe Musgrove has been up and down this season, tossing a good game, then giving up a bunch of runs in the next game or two. His strikeouts are down this season so far, and he needs to improve his control to be an effective SP, not just a streaming option. He is backed by a good offense, which can bail him out, and that could be helpful when he faces Cleveland at home for his second start.

Jimmy Nelson is on the road for his two starts this week, which is not ideal. He is an average strikeout producer, and suffers from control issues with a 3.29 BB/9 rate over his 38.1 innings. It might behoove his owners to sit him when he goes against the Cubs in his second start, but heading to San Diego looks safe.

Luis Perdomo has yet to get a decision in one of his starts, but is working on a three game QS streak. Although he is facing a couple of tough offenses in Week 7, he does get to pitch at home in both starts. He also keeps the ball in the park (0.3 HR/9) and generates a ton of grounders (5.60 GB/FB ratio through 28.1 innings).

Jesse Chavez gets to face a couple of teams that are not necessarily powerhouse offenses, although the Mets are a decent hitting club at home. He is a better option when the White Sox come to visit in his first start. He is more of a streaming option with the right matchup, and is not someone to just plug in and play every time he gets a start.

Dan Straily has a 1.08 WHIP on the season, which belies his 4.03 ERA. He is striking out nearly a batter per inning, although his control needs work, as it sits at a terrible 4.26 BB/9 over his seven starts. His first start against Houston at home is not a superb matchup, but facing the Dodgers in LA for his second start is a nice spot start option if you have him on your roster.

Lance Lynn has two home starts this week, and he has pitched extremely well in St. Louis this season, with a 1.47 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over 18.1 innings this year. He is a good strikeout producer with a 8.24 K/9 rate over his seven starts in 2017. He has never shown great control, and that continues to plague him this season.

Hyun-Jin Ryu did not look good in his return to action, getting roughed up at Coors by the Rockies to the tune of 10 runs (five earned) on eight hits and six walks. Chalk this up as an aberration, as he had been pitching effectively in the two starts before the hip injury sent him to the DL. A start in San Francisco to open Week 7 should help out, and his second start at home against the Marlins is also a winnable matchup.

Sean Manaea is coming off a shoulder injury, and gets to return to the mound in Seattle, a good pitcher’s park, then hosts the Red Sox at home. Both are decent options for him to bounce back to form and push his inflated 5.18 ERA down to a more respectable level, and with a 1.19 WHIP, that seems possible.

 

Not On My Roster

 

Starting Pitcher

First Start/Opponent/Date

Second Start/Opponent/Date

John Lackey CHC

vs. CIN Bronson Arroyo

vs. MIL Jimmy Nelson

 

Tue 5/16 8:05 PM ET

Sun 5/21 2:20 PM ET

Jerad Eickhoff PHI

@ TEX Yu Darvish

@ PIT Chad Kuhl

 

Tue 5/16 8:05 PM ET

Sun 5/21 1:35 PM ET

CC Sabathia NYY

@ KC Jason Hammel

@ TB Chris Archer

 

Tue 5/16 8:15 PM ET

Sun 5/21 1:10 PM ET

Jason Hammel KC

vs. NYY CC Sabathia

@ MIN Phil Hughes

 

Tue 5/16 8:15 PM ET

Sun 5/21 2:10 PM ET

Phil Hughes MIN

vs. COL Kyle Freeland

vs. KC Jason Hammel

 

Tue 5/16 8:10 PM ET

Sun 5/21 2:10 PM ET

Matt Cain SF

vs. LAD TBA

@ STL Lance Lynn

 

Mon 5/15 10:15 PM ET

Sun 5/21 2:15 PM ET

Jaime Garcia ATL

@ TOR Marco Estrada

vs. WAS Stephen Strasburg

 

Tue 5/16 4:07 PM ET

Sun 5/21 1:35 PM ET

Clayton Richard  SD

vs. MIL Jimmy Nelson

vs. ARI Zack Godley

 

Tue 5/16 10:10 PM ET

Sun 5/21 4:40 PM ET

Yovani Gallardo SEA

vs. OAK Sean Manaea 

vs. CHW Mike Pelfrey

 

Mon 5/15 10:10 PM ET

Sat 5/20 10:10 PM ET

Bartolo Colon ATL

@ TOR TBA

vs. WAS Max Scherzer

 

Mon 5/15 7:07 PM ET

Sat 5/20 4:10 PM ET

Chad Kuhl PIT

vs. WAS Stephen Strasburg

vs. PHI Jerad Eickhoff

 

Tue 5/16 7:05 PM ET

Sun 5/21 1:35 PM ET

Tom Koehler MIA

vs. HOU Dallas Keuchel

@ LAD Hyun-Jin Ryu

 

Tue 5/16 7:10 PM ET

Sun 5/21 4:10 PM ET

Ubaldo Jimenez BAL

@ DET Matthew Boyd

vs. TOR Marco Estrada

 

Tue 5/16 7:10 PM ET

Sun 5/21 1:35 PM ET

Mike Pelfrey CHW

@ LAA Jesse Chavez

@ SEA Yovani Gallardo

 

Mon 5/15 10:07 PM ET

Sat 5/20 10:10 PM ET

Chase De Jong SEA

vs. OAK Andrew Triggs

vs. CHW Derek Holland

 

Tue 5/16 10:10 PM ET

Sun 5/21 4:10 PM ET

Bronson Arroyo CIN

@ CHC John Lackey

vs. COL Kyle Freeland

 

Tue 5/16 8:05 PM ET

Sun 5/21 1:10 PM ET

There a quite a lot of bottom tier dwellers this week, many who have had success in the past but are not pitching well enough to trust this season. The first name, John Lackey, could easily rebound but right now, there is no reason to believe he will provide useful stats for your fantasy squad. Of course, if you are pressed to find a starter or two due to your league requirements, you could take a flier on Jerad Eickhoff at Pittsburgh, or perhaps Matt Cain at home against the Dodgers. The others in this tier are best left on the bench or waiver wire.

Please note that the Fantasy Alarm Forums are now open for your use, to ask questions or provide your own commentary and wisdom. I enjoy responding to comments, or if you do not want to put your question out for public consumption, feel free to write me at ia@fantasyalarm.com for a more personal response to your specific issue. The more detail you can provide about your team and league, including settings (H2H vs roto, points or categories, weekly or daily moves, roster size, league size, etc.) the better my response will be suited to your individual situation. I am open to questions about issues apart from starting pitching, too, as I play fantasy sports as well as serve as an analyst. As ever, good luck and Godspeed in all your fantasy endeavors.