MLB Two Start Pitchers: Week 13

Two-Start Pitchers Week 13

Week Thirteen brings the fantasy owner a full four dozen two-start options to select from, and many of those pitchers occupy the top two tiers. Those are the pitchers you want to consider inserting into your lineups, obviously, although do not discount entirely those in the bottom group, as a handful of those SPs could be useful if your league allows for streaming.

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:

These dozen pitchers are those that you want to wind up and let go, not worrying about any aspect of their dual starts in Week Thirteen. That being said, Chirinos’ FIP and BABIP hint at his being unsustainably lucky for the moment, but he also has shown a superior skill set in this brief MLB career to make him worth relying on at present. You have to hope that Clevinger returns from his IL stint anywhere near to what he was dealing when his back sent to the sidelines in April, as do the Indians, and he did look great in his second minor league rehab start: 5.1 innings pitched (IP), three hits and no walks, no runs and five Ks.

Miley also has three recent QS in his dossier, although that was broken up by a five-inning time on the mound in Seattle where he gave up three earned runs and resulted in a no-decision. As with Mr. Kelly profiled just above, he is a below average strikeout producer with a 7.3 K/9 rate over his 80.1 IP in 2019. Unlike the Diamondback hurler, his two starts are on the road, where he has suffered more struggles than at home in Houston, but the first outing against the host Reds looks favorable, and a southpaw in Yankee Stadium is not exactly a terrible option.

Lynn is still posting an ERA in the mid-fours (4.40) but that is a far cry better than the 5.75 he was sporting early in May. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in an outing over his past seven starts, all QS, where he has rewarded the Rangers and his fantasy owners with a 57:8 K/BB ratio through those 45.1 IP. His ERA and WHIP during that stretch are also quite attractive: 3.18 and 1.10 respectively. He has a pair of home games to display his skills in Week Thirteen, although his home/road splits do not necessarily mean that is a secure positive aspect of his immediate future.

Lucchesi continues a theme, having thrown four QS out of this last five games pitched, lowering his ERA to a useful 4.11 and continues to have an attractive WHIP, currently sitting at 1.13. He also offers a nice 9.1 K/9 through his 72.1 IP, exhibiting good control as witnessed by his 2.5 BB/9 over 13 starts on the season. He faces the Brewers at home to open the week and then has a decent road park to display his skills in when the Padres travel to Pittsburgh for his second start, although his road results have been less than stellar this year to date.

Maeda had been working on a four-game win streak, before getting touched for two dingers by the Angels in a short 4.1 inning outing where his offense was unable to bail him out and help him avoid the loss. The great news for Week Thirteen is that both his starts are at home, where he has been superb, putting up a 1.69 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, and 9.8 K/9 through 32.0 IP.

Sampson is another SP that was recently banged around by the opponent’s bats, as he allowed the host Red Sox to tally six earned runs against him on seven hits and a walk. That comes on the heels of a complete game where he held the visiting A’s to just a single run. He has been money at home this season, albeit not as great as Maeda, so if the last game was just a blip on the radar, he should be a fine selection for your fantasy rotation this coming week.

Stroman is a solid, dependable starting pitcher, who is not going to provide great counting stat assistance, but likely won’t hurt your ratios, either. He is carrying a useful 3.18 ERA thus far and keeps the ball in the yard effectively, as shown by his 0.7 HR/9 ratio over 15 starts this year. Consider employing his services in his first start when the Angels come a’visiting, but perhaps employ some discretion and sit him when he takes the hill in Fenway to close out the scoring period.

Fiers, speaking of dependable veterans, pitched four QS out of his last five appearances in the middle of the diamond, and the one non-QS was a five-inning affair where he allowed just one earned run on two hits (and three walks). He is a poor strikeout producer who has a propensity to allow more than the occasional crash-bomb (1.7 HR/9 through 15 2019 starts). He finds himself on the mound at the Oakland Coliseum for both his Week 13 games and the first against the Orioles looks extraordinarily alluring.

Mikolas does suffer the occasional poor start, but in recent history, those have been on the road. This coming week both his starts are at Busch Stadium, the first against the cellar-dwelling Marlins, with the end of the week trip to the mound taking on the mediocre Angels. He relies on his control to offset his lack of missed bats and susceptibility to the long ball off of opponent’s bats (6.5 K/9, 1.6 HR/9 over his 14 starts).

Pineda had been stuck on a three earned run allowed stretch of appearance until holding the Mariners to just one run over 5.2 IP this last Wednesday. He has been slowly pushing his ERA down, which now sits at a still inflated 5.04. His venues play out with good potential this week, with Boston visiting on Tuesday and then the Twins heading to division-rival KC to wind up the week on Sunday.

Anderson’s ERA has dropped below 4.00 again with his last victorious effort against the host Padres, giving him a 2-1 record in an abbreviated 2019 season effort. His first scheduled trip to the hill at Dodger Stadium looks dicey, but the second start in Phoenix against the Diamondbacks is more favorable on paper. Of course, any Giant starter carries risk, and low win probability, so factor that into your decision to use the 24-year old righty.

The Indians are slowly reassembling their starting rotation, with Mike Clevinger coming back this week for a pair of starts (take a gander up above in the top tier to verify that fact), but Plesac has a nice pedigree and has acquitted himself well enough in limited action to warrant consideration as a back-of-the-rotation arm. In four starts comprising 24.1 IP, he has generated a 2.92 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 20 Ks and only five free passes. Taking on the Rangers on the road is not a prime matchup, but then he gets the inconsistent and rebuilding Tigers at home to close out Week Thirteen for your fantasy consideration.

Pena has been employed as a starter and/or primary reliever but is scheduled to actually start two games this coming scoring period, both road games. He has not been intimidated pitching on the road over the past two seasons, though, so that is not any reason to avoid him. He offers great K potential (9.4 K/9 though 55.1 IP) and has decent control (2.6 BB/9 over 13 games), so is not extraordinarily risky as an SP for this week’s action.

Milone had an opener start things off for him in his past two games, although he is listed as the actual starter for both these Week Thirteen appearances. He has seen a significant uptick in the K stats this season, without an accompanying increase in velocity, so that may adjust somewhat over the coming weeks. Both his Week Thirteen games are at home in Seattle this coming scoring period, which is a positive no matter his actual designation as a starter or bulk reliever.

One benefit of pitching for the Marlins is a favorable home park, but Yamamoto’s two starts this week take place on the road. With just one start on the season, the sample size is far too limited to worry about the venue as of yet. His fastball sits in the high 80s to low 90s, so despite racking up the Ks in the lower minors, do not get too excited about his ability to miss bats in the majors. If you need innings this week, he is a better option than those in the tier immediately below (talk about faint praise).  

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.