Last week I commented on how nice the selection of quality options at the top was. This week, however, goes even deeper. Realistically, I’d feel pretty good about using any of these guys down to at least Charlie Morton among the Oatmeal Cookies. Even after him, I’d feel better about using any of that tier […]
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Two Start Starters
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Well, baseball fans. Championship week is here for most of us. It’s been a long season, and the dog days of summer are over but the finish line is in sight. If you made it to the big stage I wish you the best of luck, if you didn’t, well… there’s always next year as they say. So with that said let’s move on to the injuries of the week.
Here’s the injury news of the week. Hyun-Jin Ryu was placed on the 10 day IL with neck stiffness. In Yankee news, Jameson Taillon is set to make a rehab appearance this week. Also, Domingo German will make a rehab appearance this week and should be back in the majors soon. And finally! the long-awaited return of Luis Severino, he will be activated from the IL this week. Also, Framber Valdez will return to the Astros rotation on Monday. Chris Bassitt pitched in a simulated game last week and could be back sooner than expected after his horrific incident with a baseball. And lastly, the reigning AL Cy Young winner Shane Bieber made a rehab start last week and we could see him return to pitch a game before the season ends. That’s the news, now let’s go win some championships.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Welcome back to another week of two-start pitchers sports fans. There were not any No-Hitters in the MLB last week. However, there was one in the Little League World Series from a kid named Eli Jones. Jones also managed to tally the only RBI in his No-Hitter, so that was pretty cool to see. In the MLB Aaron Nola took a perfect game into the 7th until a costly error spiraled the Phillies’ day out of control. I’ve been critical of Nola but he looked unhittable up until his last pitch in that game. Lastly, The Braves, Yankees, and Dodgers are all on fire, much like everyone thought they would be all season long. So, it would seem that the cards are starting to fall in the direction the oddsmakers said they would at season’s start.
Moving onto injury news. There’s not a lot this week but nonetheless, you will know about it. Noah Syndergaard threw two batting practice sessions last week, his timetable is still undetermined. Yu Darvish threw a bullpen session last week and could return to the rotation this week. Sadly, Chris Bassitt will undergo surgery on his face after taking that nasty line drive off his cheek last week. Jose Urquidy will rejoin the Astros rotation on September 1st when rosters expand. Kenta Maeda left his last start with forearm tightness, still awaiting test results. Lastly, Anthony DeSclafani hit the IL with ankle inflammation. That’s the news lets get to the two start pitchers this week.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Greetings sports fans, what a week we just had! This was no ordinary week in the baseball world. We saw the Cubs trade-off their World Series-winning core (somehow Kyle Hendricks stayed put). The Nationals traded Mad Max to the still prospect-rich Dodgers. But wait, that’s not all the Dodgers did bolster their rotation, too. They also traded for Danny Duffy who’s been hurt, but is also enjoying a career year. The Twins traded Jose Berrios to the Blue Jays, making that rotation a top rotation in baseball now. Also, we saw Kyle Gibson get traded too the Phillies for top prospect Spencer Howard. On the lower end of the starting pitcher spectrum, we saw Trevor Williams go to the Mets, J.A. Happ and Jon Lester to the Cardinals and Andrew Heaney went coast to coast landing in the Bronx.
Moving onto the injury news. Big names, big news. Tyler Glasnow will indeed be getting Tommy John Surgery. deGrom is shut down for 2 weeks, something in my gut tells me all these injuries are leading somewhere bad but I shall not jinx it. Chris Sale went 5 innings in a rehab start and is almost ready for his return. Chris Paddack has an oblique strain and has hit the IL. Alex Cobb hit the IL with a wrist injury. Clayton Kershaw threw a simulated game. Rookie, James Kaprielian landed on the IL with a shoulder injury. Lastly, both Jack Flaherty and Brady Singer both began their rehab Assignments. There is a lot of good names this week so without further adieu… let’s get to them!
Please, blog, may I have some more?As the 2021 season continues to roll on, offense has finally started to take off and boy is it refreshing to see. As much as I like a good pitcher’s duel, the summer months just wouldn’t feel the same without seeing the ball leave the yard repetitively. This offensive boom has me questioning, is the No-Hitter craze over? I want nothing else. With that said I’ll continue with my No-Hitter of the week pick for a couple of more weeks, and if one doesn’t happen I’m trashing it. So this week I’m going with Tyler Glasnow. He takes on Seattle, need I say more.
News Time! Starting with one of my favorite pitchers in the league, Zac Gallen threw a 46 pitch simulated game last week. This is a great sign considering he had a UCL injury. Also reported, John Means has no structural damage to his shoulder (you can wipe the sweat off your brow). Also, Chris Sale threw a bullpen session. Adbert Alzolay hit the 10 day IL, as did Sonny Gray. Jacob deGrom was removed from his last start after 6 innings due to a flexor strain but he says he’s “not worried about it”. Also Notable, Luis Severino suffered a groin injury in a rehab start. Lastly, Sixto Sanchez has resumed his throwing program and I for one can not wait for this guy to get back in the bigs. That’s the news, now let’s get to the two start pitchers this week.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Greetings baseball fans, welcome to week 11 of the fantasy baseball season. Most weeks have begun with me talking about the No-Hitter that took place. While that increasingly easy feat did not happen, Freddy Peralta came within 5 outs of yet another one. The list of stud two start pitchers this week is short, so options are limited. With that said, my pick for a No-No this week is Alex Wood.
We’ve also got news folks, but first I’d like to voice my sympathy to Tyler Glasnow owners for losing out on the 2 start week. It’s such a shame that the Rays are… well the Rays. Ok, to the news. John Means was removed from his start early in the game Saturday due to Shoulder Fatigue. This is concerning considering he’s enjoying a breakout year. Sixto Sanchez suffered a setback last week. This is not the news we want to hear after the Marlins have slowly and cautiously been bringing him along. This is something to monitor closely, hopefully it’s nothing to worry about. If you’ve been stashing him I’d advise to keep holding tight because he can be a league winner for you once he enters your lineup. Michael Pineda will miss his Sunday start due to forearm fatigue, something to monitor in the coming days. John Gray was removed from his start with elbow soreness. Lastly, Spencer Turnbull, Kwang Hyun Kim, Cody Poteet, Madison Bumgarner, Stephen Strasburg and Logan Webb are all headed to the 10 day IL. It’s a bit of a short week for two start pitchers and the names are less than great so let’s get to them.
Another week and yet again, another No-Hitter. This time courtesy of the veteran Corey Kluber. No-Hitters have somewhat lost their novelty this season for me because of the vast amount of them in such a short period of time. Also, a fun stat, if you face either the Mariners, the Indians, or the Rangers you have just under a 5% chance of throwing a No-Hitter. We’ve never seen anything like this, so all we can do is embrace it and that is the plan. The last few weeks I have picked a stud pitcher to throw one and seeing how that’s not really the trend, we’re going to switch it up and the pick this week is…Yusei Kikuchi. We’ll get to him later on.
Other Noteworthy news, Jacob DeGrom is set to return Tuesday lining him up for a 2 start week. Kenta Maeda was placed on the IL with an Abductor Strain. Chris Sale has started a throwing program and is pitching off a mound which is good news to hear. Noah Syndergaard’s Rehab Assignment in AAA is beginning this week, so if he’s still on the waiver wire he’s somebody to monitor closely. And lastly, Scott Kazmir pitched last week for the Giants for the first time in over 5 years! What an unlikely thing to say, but who doesn’t love a good comeback story. That’s the news, and there’s a bevy of must-start pitchers this week so let’s begin!
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I had Dane Dunning listed as a two-start pitcher last week, but I guess that didn’t happen for whatever reason. However, he was the headlining player of that article, and he’s back again for this week! Way back then I wrote: “I’ll give him this — the career 0.5 HR/9 over 449 professional innings will serve him well this week. Also working in his favor is he’s facing the 7th and 9th worst teams in K/rate to right-handed pitchers.” Well, he did allow a HR to the Twins last week, but still only held them to that 1 ER over 7 innings while tying his season-high with 7 K’s. JUST LIKE I TOLD YOU. So what about these Indians? They’re only hitting .230 against righties with a .373 slugging percentage. The ingredients are there for another delicious recipe for success from Dunning. I’m a little less optimistic about his start against the Cubs, although they have been middle of the road against righties with their third-highest K/rate against them. Take the risk if you can afford it.
Please, blog, may I have some more?I was a big Spencer Turnbull believer at the beginning of the season — but now I’m not too sure. And unfortunately, he has no one to blame but himself. He’s got the highest BB/9 in the league with a 5.97 mark. Yee-ikes! How bad is that number? Well since 2000 the worst BB/9 was Matt Clement’s 5.49 in 2000. He ended the season with a 5.14 ERA. In fact, you have to go all the way back to 1994 to find someone with a worse BB/9 than Turnbull right now. A young man by the name of Todd Van Poppel of the Oakland Athletics had a 6.87 BB/9. His ERA at the end of that year was 6.09. The Brewers shouldn’t be a tough team — they have the 3rd worst OPS vs righties in the league. However, he faced them his last start and — you guessed it — walked way too many guys (5 in 5 IP) and allowed 5 ERs. He’s never had the best control — but almost 6 per game is unprecedented. In the minors, he hovered around a 3.5 BB/9 mark. Right now he’s at the bottom of his tier and looking down because if you look through some of his previous starts this season when he keeps the walks below 4 he can have some success — but unfortunately, that often isn’t the case.
Please, blog, may I have some more?
- Last week of the regular season. Playoff teams may decide to adjust or sit their starters as they lock up their position and start getting ready for the playoffs. Did my best to recognize the 2 starters as best I could here.
- There’s still some questions about who will start, but the situations I couldn’t nail down were:
- Baltimore: Dylan Bundy is in line to start, but there’s a chance that Chandler Sheperd gets a chance in that spot instead.
- Mariners have Marco Gonzales down to pitch both Sunday and Tuesday. It could be Tommy Milone or Justin Dunn if Marco goes Sunday.
- The Reds could throw Kevin Gausman as an opener or could let Sonny Gray take the spot on Tuesday.
- Oakland and San Diego are likely running a 6 man rotation.
- Cincinnati may run a 6 man rotation, but have to monitor that situation.
Two Start Pitchers, Week 23: September Slide
September 1, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Two Start Starters | 4 Commentsby: B_Don
Trying to track rotations in September is similar to watching the Cha-Cha Slide at a wedding. Pitchers slide to the right…slide to the left…criss cross…CHARLIE BROWN. September brings so much rotational uncertainty with call-ups, 4 man, 6 man and even 7 man rotations utilized with spot starts out of the blue.
Here are my best guesses and some 2 start notes to help you find 2 start options this week.
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No Doubt
| Name | Team | 1st Opp. | 2nd Opp. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shane Bieber | CLE | @NYM | KC |
| Clayton Kershaw | LAD | TOR | NYY |
For the second straight year, the Topps card company struggled to remember which Bieber plays baseball and which one is a pop star. At least Shane seems to take it all in stride, just look at his uniform from last year.
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