Sorry, this is a day late here, folks. I was on vacation this week, enjoying a nice break from work and baseball with my wife.
I came home Friday to catch up on what I missed from this week, and it’s like the MLB schedule makers knew I would be on vacation this week, as they only scheduled three games for this upcoming Monday.
While that’s good for my research purposes on this sunny Saturday, it’s not great for those who rely on streaming two-start pitchers. We only have 19 possible options this week, with no top-tier options.
Remember, you don’t have to stream people just to do it. I adjusted the tiers a bit to move some typical second-tier guys up into the “don’t think twice” tier given the options this week.
Each week, you can find a breakdown of the two-start pitchers for the upcoming week, and who you should start and why.
Like I do every week, I’ll break the pitchers down the two-start pitchers into six categories:
- Don’t Think Twice – These are your aces that you start no matter what.
- Widely-Rostered Options – Players rostered in the majority of leagues who should provide a positive return.
- In the Danger Zone – It’s a dice roll to start them given matchups or other factors.
- Streamers Rostered in Under 50% of Leagues – These guys should live on the waiver wire, but you can start them this week.
- Streamers Rostered in Under 25% of Leagues – Same as above but applied to deeper leagues.
- Not Unless You’re Desperate – I don’t recommend these guys unless you’re swinging for the fences.
Let’s take a look at those pitchers scheduled to make two starts for the upcoming week, as projected on CBS as of Saturday morning.
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Don’t Think Twice
- Sonny Gray (6/8 vs. MIL, 6/13 vs. COL)
- Chris Bassitt (6/8 vs. ARI, 6/13 vs. KC)
- Pablo López (6/8 vs. COL, 6/13 vs. ATL)
- Framber Valdez (6/8 @BOS, 6/13 @MIN)
Widely-Rostered Options
Alex Wood (6/8 @TEX, 6/13 @WAS)
Wood had his first truly bad start of the season this week, as the Angels pummeled him to the tune of seven runs. I like his chances of getting back on track, especially against the Rangers offense.
Adbert Alzolay (6/7 @SD, 6/13 vs. STL)
You all are smart people. Why is Alzolay rostered in just over 55 percent of leagues? It doesn’t make sense to me with the season he’s had. The Padres matchup is tough, but he just held them to one run over five innings while striking out seven in his last time out.
In the Danger Zone
Dylan Cease (6/8 vs. TOR, 6/13 @DET)
Cease is frustrating. Well, maybe he’s just a young pitcher, but it’s frustrating to know when to start him. He’s a dice roll this week, as he gets the Blue Jays loaded offense, but then gets the lowly Tigers offense at Comerica. How lucky are you feeling?
Nick Pivetta (6/8 vs. HOU, 6/13 vs TOR)
Pivetta’s numbers have been good this year, but it’s still tough to fully trust him given his track record. Pair that with the two offenses he has to face and it’s easy to sit him this week.
Robbie Ray (6/8 @CHW, 6/13 @BOS)
Ray has been really, really good this year, but like Pivetta, it’s easy to be skeptical given his past struggles. His control has been really good this year, which is what always held him back. What’s rough for Ray is that he goes against the White Sox Tuesday, who demolish lefties. He’s a dice roll.
Dinelson Lamet (6/7 vs. CHC, 6/13 @NYM)
Lamet is a guy who will live in this tier for a while. He’s still getting stretched out, and he’s a ticking time bomb as far as injury concerns go. If someone is optimistic in your league, sell him immediately.
Streamers Rostered in Under 50% of Leagues
Matthew Boyd (6/8 vs. SEA, 6/13 vs. CHW)
Like we mentioned above, the White Sox tee-off on lefties, but the Mariners matchup is fantastic as Kyle Lewis is injured and Jarred Kelenic is 0 for his past 35 as of this writing.
Kris Bubic (6/8 @LAA, 6/13 @OAK)
While Bubic struggled in his last outing, giving up four runs to the Twins, he’s been solid overall since getting recalled. I don’t mind a Trout-less matchup against the Angels for him in 15-teamers.
Not Unless You’re Desperate
- David Price (6/8 @PIT, 6/13 vs. TEX)
- Drew Smyly (6/8 @PHI, 6/13 @MIA)
- Jon Lester (6/8 @TB, 6/13 vs. SF)
- Antonio Senzatela (6/8 @MIA, 6/13 @CIN)
- Sam Hentges (6/8 @STL, 6/13 vs. SEA)
- Eric Lauer (6/8 @CIN, 6/13 vs. PIT)
- Randy Dobnak (6/8 vs. NYY, 6/13 vs. HOU)
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Michael Waterloo is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Michael, check out his archive and follow him @MichaelWaterloo.