MLB Two Start Pitchers: Week 12

There is a relative dearth of dual-start options this coming week of fantasy (and real MLB, for that matter) baseball. There are just eight starters to grace the top tier in Week Twelve, although there are nearly equal numbers of middle tier and bottom tier pitchers to either consider using or avoiding like the plague. To be fair, not all of the bottom tier SPs should be entirely avoided, based upon their matchups and/or venues.

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 listed here as having two starts ends up with one (or perhaps none) in the upcoming week, 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:

Week 12 arrives with only eight no-doubt two-start options to plug into your lineups without hesitation about opponent or venue. If you want to quibble, then Marquez is probably the least likely to justify top-tier status, especially since his first opponent in the scoring period just roughed him up drastically, to the tune of eight earned runs over 5.1 innings pitched (IP) at Wrigley, the Cubs pushing his season ERA over 4.00 for the first time this season with that drubbing. Sanchez, on the other side of the coin, breaks into the top grouping of SPs, having racked up a 2.36 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over his last six starts, contributing an 11.8 K/9 rate over those 26.2 IP.

Hudson has twirled five consecutive quality starts (QS) heading into this week’s action, despite a low K/9 rate (6.2 over his 65.2 IP in 2019) and a lack of control (4.2 BB/9 through 13 appearances, 12 of those starts). He is on the road for both his times toeing the rubber this scoring period, although the first is at Miami, a pitcher-friendly park.

Canning is likely available if you play in a league on ESPN, less likely on Yahoo and good luck getting him if your league uses CBS (25%/45%/83% respectively). He is fresh off a season-high eight-K effort against the visiting A’s offense, a loss where he yielded four earned runs over 6.0 IP. He sports an admirable 4.20 K/BB ratio on the season (seven starts, 38.1 IP), although his peripheral stats indicate some negative regression lies in his future (4.26 FIP vs 3.52 ERA, .232 BABIP, and 83.3% strand rate). He gets the Dodgers at home, and the Rays on the road, both better matchup potentials given the opponents’ home/road records.

Vargas is fresh off a complete game shutout against the visiting Giants. That victory saw his ERA drop to a quite attractive 3.57, although the WHIP is still an ugly 1.35 over his 45.1 IP in 2019, fueled by his 3.77 BB/9 rate. He offers his owners a sub-par whiff rate of 7.35, and he has to face top-tier resident James Paxton at Yankee Stadium, before coming home to take on the Cardinals and matchup against Mr. Hudson, who is profiled just a couple of paragraphs above. Despite some decent success on the hill recently, he does carry some risk in both his starts in Week Twelve.

Musgrove has been an inconsistent arm to rely on for fantasy production this season so far, putting up good appearances only to follow those gems with clunkers. He is away from PNC Park for both his games in Week Twelve, which has been a better location for him to ply his trade in 2019 to date. He has been remarkably effective at keeping the ball in the park away from Pittsburgh, having given up just a single dinger on the road as opposed to the six round-trippers he has yielded at home. He is a below-average strikeout producer, but does have good control (2.5 BB/9 over his 73.0 IP).

Means has shone for the Orioles in his rookie campaign and is arguably the best arm in the Baltimore rotation despite Dylan Bundy ’s apparent status as the ace of the staff. He currently presents his owners with a superb set of ratio stats: 2.67 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over his 14 appearances (10 starts, 60.2 IP). He has excelled pitching at home, too, and lo and behold, that is where he is scheduled to take the mound for both his Week Twelve starts. Of course, his successful pitching is tempered by his backing offense, pitching for a team that has less than 20 wins going into this weekend’s contests.

Jurado enters this week working on a trio of consecutive QS, although he has had an opposing batter go deep on him once in each of those games. He is traveling for both his Week Twelve mound appearances, although that has been a strength for him so far this season. He has also been improving on his K rate over his past two outings, whiffing a batter per inning.

Turnbull continues to provide the backup to the Tiger one-two punch atop their rotation with Matt Boyd. His ratios are tasty, with a 3.01 ERA and 1.28 WHIP to recommend him for your rotation(s). He also strikes out a good share of hitters, posting an 8.5 K/9 through 13 starts, while his control could use an adjustment (3.4 BB/9 over 71.2 IP). He takes on a pair of division opponents, heading to KC to open the week, then getting the weak-hitting Indians at Comerica to wrap up the week (not that the Royals are a formidable offense).

Covey has seen his counting stats trend upward of late, collecting 15 Ks over his last three outings (17.0 IP). He has also been limiting the issuance of free passes over that period, walking just four opposing hitters after making his life much more difficult by handing out walks at an astonishingly bad rate of 7.1 BB/9 over the prior six appearances to open the season. He does have two home starts coming up, which is an asset given his home/road splits to date.

Anderson has strung together a couple of QS in his past two starts. The rookie is much more interesting as an NL-only arm, with his limited strikeout numbers (5.1 K/9 through 28.0 IP). He is slated for a pair of home starts this week, and getting to face the Brewers away from Miller Park is certainly favorable for the young 24-year old righthander.

Alcantara has been pitching well over his last eight starts, accumulating a pleasantly satisfying 3.19 ERA during that period of activity. This is despite a definite lack of skill at missing bats, as his K/9 on the season sits at just 5.8. He is also walking better than four batters per nine innings pitched. He is a better pitcher while enjoying home cooking, so having the visiting Cards and Pirates on deck this upcoming week is a positive point, on top of the two starts in the scoring period.

Archer is potentially useful if you value Ks in your league, as he is striking out nearly a batter per inning this season, through his 10 starts. He is also walking opposing batters at a good clip, with a 4.7 BB/9 rate over 53.2 IP, resulting in an ugly WHIP of 1.45. He has been awful on the road this season, to boot, but pitching at the end of the week in Miami does hold some promise for those willing to stream him on the lookout for Ks.

Foltynewicz nearly dropped into the bottom tier this week, losing his fifth game as opposed to just one victory this season, despite tossing a QS after holding the Pirates to just three earned runs over 6.0 IP. Allowing two balls to clear the wall in that contest obviously did not help his efforts. He has been terrible at home in limited action this year, so two home starts is not exactly a selling point for the Braves’ righthanded SP. The end week opponent, Philly, is a sub-.500 team away from home, so there is that plus to consider, but a decision to simply sit the 27-year old pitcher would not generate much second-guessing, either.

As noted above, not all of these pitchers should be entirely avoided over the coming week. Leake at Oakland or Perez at home against the Royals has potential to be a useful streaming start. The bulk of the other matchups do not present as favorable stat producing trips to the bump for the denizens residing in the bottom grouping.

Feel free also to send any starting pitching or other fantasy baseball questions to ia@fantasyalarm.com for a private 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 the response will be suited to your individual situation. As ever, good luck and Godspeed in all your fantasy endeavors.