MLB Two Start Pitchers: Week 6

Fantasy owners will have to deal with a relatively sparse selection of two-start pitcher options in this coming scoring period, as only seven teams have schedules that give them seven games in Week 6. This limits the options in all three tiers below, although that is not such a bad thing as it concerns those denizens of the bottom group. There is a baker’s dozen to consider in the middle tier, although some of those pitchers are better suited for a single start as opposed to just riding with them through both their 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 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:

As is written week in and week out, these are the pitchers you want to own and then insert into your rotation without thinking twice. Sure, Kershaw looks human right now, but are you truly considering not using him for both his trips to the mound? The Oakland southpaw, Manaea, has a couple of potentially difficult matchups this week, but he has proven to be one of the best stories to open the season. deGrom gave his owners a scare, hyperextending his right elbow and leaving his last start against the Braves after just four innings, but an MRI came back clean and he is on track for a pair of trips to toe the rubber in Week 6.

Newcomb was sporadically touted as a “sleeper” going into the 2018 draft season and is doing his best to justify those expectations. He is striking out batters left and right (10.1 K/9 over 34.2 innings pitched) and owns an attractive 3.38 ERA over his six starts. He could show better control than the current 3.89 BB/9 ratio he is posting, but that is just looking for things to quibble over. He has two road starts in Week 6, and he has been a road warrior early this season, and while Tampa Bay has been surprising, winding up the week against the Marlins is an attractive matchup.

Snell is working on a streak of five consecutive quality starts (QS) and in only one of his starts has he allowed more than two earned runs. He is also missing a ton of bats, racking up better than a strikeout per inning (9.57 K/9 over 42.1 innings pitched), as well as showing excellent control (2.55 BB/9). He gets the Braves at home, where he has been nearly untouchable (0.95 ERA and 0.79 WHIP in 19 innings), and then has a nice road matchup against the Orioles.

The soft-tossing Houston southpaw Keuchel (89 MPH fastball) always relied on his command as well as an ability to keep the ball from traveling over the wall, but that latter skill has not been as prevalent for him this season and his performance has suffered. He currently possesses an inflated 3.98 ERA and a 4.92 FIP indicates that is no mirage so far in 2018. He is not generating as many groundballs as expected, but a 2.69 GB/FB ratio is not anything to sneeze at for most pitchers. Heading to Oakland and then getting the Rangers at home could prove to be just the tonic to get him back to ace status, as his owners are likely hoping.

Fulmer has tossed three consecutive quality starts, although he did struggle to open his last appearance against the Rays, resulting in his being lifted after six innings. He now has a 2.80 ERA and 1.27 WHIP through 35.1 innings, and despite a poor K-rate, he still offers a decent K/BB rate of 3.00 in his six starts through Week 5. His first start against the awful Texas team looks like a great opportunity to use him in Week 6. The second start against Seattle at Comerica Park is less enticing given the Mariners’ strong road record (11-6 through May 4^th).

Gray is not pitching like the home-warrior anomaly he was in 2017, so having two games at Coors Field is not as inviting as it was last season (he sports an unsightly 7.31 ERA at home through 16.0 innings). He is still a great K option (9.30 K/9 over his six starts) and has exhibited great control (2.27 BB/9) and is inducing groundballs while coming at batters with a nid-90s fastball, so he is still a good option, despite facing both the Angels and Brewers, a pair of intimidating opponents.

Ross has a lot going for him that makes him as a useful fantasy starting pitcher, including a fine K-rate (10.09 K/9 over his 35.2 IP), extreme groundball inducing tendencies (1.92 GB/FB ratio in six starts) and a first-rate ability to limit homers (0.50 HR/9). Thus, you can overlook his pedestrian control of 3.28 BB/9. His schedule sets him up for two home starts in Petco Park this coming week, another positive aspect in his favor. It is possible he is available in your league as he is owned in only 39% of Yahoo leagues and just 31% of ESPN leagues.

Hellickson has only had four starts with the Nationals this season, and last week you were cautioned about drawing conclusions from a small sample size. Still, if you do not look for more than a handful of K’s from your back of the rotation starting pitchers and can deal with a starter who is unlikely to pitch deep into games, then Hellboy can be a useful rotation piece for fantasy purposes. He has shown outstanding control in his limited innings, with a 1.71 BB/9 ratio over 21 innings pitched, and also has been keeping the ball within the confines of the park (0.86 HR/9). Both his Week 6 starts are on the road, however, which diminishes his appeal, although the second start in San Diego looks promising.

Samardzija gets a two-start week, with his next scheduled trip to the bump having been shoved back to Monday, where he will face the Phillies (he gets to toe the rubber in Pittsburgh at the end of the week). He currently sports an inflated 5.27 ERA but that is due to one bad start out of three where he exited with two outs in the fourth against the Nationals after yielding six earned runs. His innings have been limited after coming back from an injury that kept him out of action until late April, and will likely continue to be restricted, so the counting stats will also be curbed in the short term. He is still offering decent strikeout numbers, and while his control has been questionable, there is hope that he will rediscover his command and return to his former standards, and thus become a useful mid-rotation option again.

Godley held the Dodgers to just one earned run in his last start, but still took the loss, snapping a short two game win streak. He offers terrific strikeout potential (8.65 K/9 over 34.1 IP) and limits the longball (0.52 HR/9 over his six starts), although improved control would help his cause (3.67 BB/9). His fastball is not overpowering at 90-91 MPH, so his ability to get hitters to drive the ball into the dirt is essential to his success (3.06 GB/FB ratio in 2018). The opponents are not wonderful, leading off with a trip to Los Angeles to take on the Kershaw-led Dodgers and following that up with the Nats, but at least he faces Washington at home, where he has been fabulous this season.

Mengden has held opponents to just a single earned run in three of his last four appearances, the lone exception being a short 2.1 inning stint against the Astros on the road on April 28^th. The matchups in Week 6 are not ideal, as he gets the Astros at home and then heads to Yankee Stadium at the end of the scoring period. He relies on his superb control (1.19 BB/9 over 37.2 IP) and keeps the ball in the yard (0.72 HR/9 over his seven starts), so despite the less than perfect encounters this week, he is still worth consideration for both starts.

Pomeranz has not been great to open the 2018 season but did record both a QS and a victory in his last outing against the visiting Royals, holding KC to three earned runs and dropping his inflated ERA to a still unsightly 6.14. He is continuing to miss bats, posting a desirable 8.59 K/9 rate over 14.2 IP, although he continues to struggle with his control (3.68 BB/9, building on his 3.58 rate in 2017 and 3.43 BB/9 rate in 2016). He faces the Yankees to start Week 6 and then Toronto to end the week. Both games will be on the road, but he has had success both in Yankee Stadium and against the Bronx Bombers over the past three seasons, so that is not necessarily a reason to avoid him this coming scoring period.

Stroman began throwing his cutter again in his most recent start, an effective losing effort against the Twins where he held the Minnesota team to just two earned runs over seven complete innings. Both he and his catcher, Russell Martin , were impressed with the results with the pitcher, Russell going so far as to call it a “difference maker.” With an 8.88 ERA and 1.82 WHIP heading into that contest, making a difference was important. He now gets a pair of home starts against the Mariners and then the BoSox, so Toronto fans and his fantasy owners have to be hoping he has figured out the key to help him return to his former winning ways. If you want to take a wait & see approach given his struggles so far this season, you would not be blamed for your hesitation to plug him into your lineup in Week 6.

Eflin makes the list based on a strong showing in his first MLB start this season, although if he reverts to his form demonstrated in his 22 prior big league starts, he will drift into the third tier soon. He has two home starts this week, but that has never been a great reason to use him before. He is at the bottom of this tier for a reason.

These are the pitchers that may be available on your league’s waiver wire but are poor options. They may give you a decent start, but it is more likely that their efforts would hurt your ratio stats and not give you much in terms of the counting stats either. Castillo was drafted heavily back in March, and his recent efforts give hope that he is turning things around but he pitches for a terrible team and discretion suggests benching him for the time being. Do not drop him, but another week in reserve is probably safer than trusting him right now. Bundy is probably the best of the Oriole starting pitchers, but that is faint praise indeed. To keep your sanity, simply avoid using a Baltimore pitcher for the present time.        

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