MLB Two Start Pitchers: Week 18

If you do not own the top two-start pitchers already, it is not a guarantee that you can easily acquire one of the pitchers discussed below readily. There are useful arms that have dual-appearance value this coming week, but to employ them, you likely need to have them on your roster already. Waiver wire adds are extremely limited among the two-start performers in Week Eighteen.

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:

Hamels would not have made the top tier, prior to his move to the Cubs, as pitching for Texas was not leading to favorable matchups this season. Taillon has the skills to stick in the upper tier, although his first start in Denver at Coors is not an entirely positive venue to ply his hurling skills. Still, the Pirates are playing well, and Taillon has been effective on the road this season.

Anderson has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his last eight appearances, although he has only pitched deep enough into four of those games to qualify for a quality start (QS). He gets to face the Padres at home in his first start of Week Eighteen, but then heads to Atlanta for a more difficult test. His strikeout to walk ratio is not exactly noteworthy (96:44 K/BB through 120.2 innings) but the ratio stats profile nicely for his owners: 3.65 ERA and 1.19 WHIP through those 120+ innings pitched (IP) over his 22 starts.

Rodriguez has two home starts on tap this coming week, and he has been stellar so far at AT&T Park in 2018: 2.41 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, .208 batting average against (BAA). Granted, he does have to take on a couple of stalwart opponents in Houston and Pittsburgh, so some tempering of expectations should be in store. He features good control (2.45 BB/9 over 12 appearances/10 starts) and keeps the ball in the park for the most part (0.55 HR/9 through 66.0 IP) and generates more than an average share of groundballs as witnessed by his 1.61 GB/FB ratio, making him a good two start option in Week Eighteen despite the matchups.

Freeland takes the hill twice at Coors Field this coming scoring period, but pitching at home has been a plus for him so far in 2018: 2.45 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, .223 BAA with a 6-2 record. As with Rodriguez immediately above, the matchups could be better with Pittsburgh and the Dodgers on tap, but being backed by a top-10 offense should overcome those concerns this week. Just do not expect a ton of strikeouts, with his mediocre 7.16 K/9 rate through 132.0 IP.

Stroman is fresh off yielding seven earned runs while toeing the rubber in Oakland, but he does get two home games in Week Nineteen. Not that he has been lights out at the Rogers Centre and he does have to face the Red Sox in his first start, so there are some negative aspects to his two-start week. He does have the ability to force opposing hitters to drive the ball into the turf consistently (3.34 GB/FB ratio through his 84.2 IP) and he has been effective in keeping the ball within the confines of the stadium this season (0.85 HR/9 over his 15 2018 starts), although his strikeout numbers are poor (7.23 K/9). His second start against the visiting Devil Rays looks like the better of his two trips to the mound in Week Eighteen.

Musgrove has thrown two consecutive QS over his past two appearances, both seven inning stints, which has driven his ERA down to a more palatable 3.63 on the season. Although he can occasionally miss bats, his strikeout rate sits at just 7.25% over his last two appearances. He does have good control (2.55 BB/9 over 11 starts comprising 67.0 IP) which helps his effectiveness on the mound. He is on the road for both his upcoming starts, but his road/home starts in 2018 make that a positive development. The first start is at Coors, however, so the second time on the bump in San Francisco profiles as the better opportunity to employ his services this scoring period.

Gibson is working on a streak of four QS in his last five starts, racking up 36 strikeouts over those 34.1 IP but also allowing 11 walks during that series of appearances. He is on the road for his two upcoming starts, which has been where he has done his best work this season, actually. The first start in Cleveland may be one to let him sit on the bench, but employ him in the second start in Detroit.

Boyd had his scheduled start pushed back from Sunday to Monday, allowing him to garner two-start status in Week Eighteen. He pitches for Detroit, which tends to mean that he has to be lights out to pick up a victory, which he has done the last two times on the hill. He has only allowed three earned runs over his prior three starts, and shut out the Reds through eight innings this past week. He offers good strikeout potential, with an 8.21 K/9 over his 21 starts this season. The second start against Minnesota at home looks like the best opportunity to continue his winning ways, although the game against the Angels in Anaheim is not necessarily off-putting, either.

Lynn steps into the Yankee rotation in place of Sonny Gray , who now heads to the bullpen to work out his mechanics. Lynn has a pair of decent matchups, facing a couple of beatable opponents in the host White Sox and the visiting Rangers this week. He is an excellent source of strikeouts (8.86 K/9 through 106.2 IP) and generates a good number of groundballs (2.05 GB/FB ratio over 21 games, including 20 starts), although his control has been terrible this year (5.23 BB/9), which limits his effectiveness overall.

Sabathia’s innings pitched per start have been declining over his past five appearances, lasting just 3.2 innings against division rival Boston in his last start. As with his rotation-mate Lynn, he has a pair of favorable matchups in line for Week Nineteen, but his recent trend of limited IP in his starts pushes him to the bottom of the middle tier. His ERA has been drifting upward since the beginning of July, so while his ratios still seem palatable, beware of his current inclination.

Avoid these pitchers if you value your fantasy team’s performance as the season heads into the final two months of action. Cobb and Senzatela are the best of the bunch, and a Baltimore arm or a pitcher with two starts in Coors just do not inspire confidence. Let these pitchers sit on the wire or the bench if you happen to own them in Week Nineteen. 

FANation Chat is now live on the site. 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.