Hey there, good readers. You may have noticed there was no Cookie Shop last week. I apologize for that, but I was finishing off a long-distance drive returning home at the end of a family vacation, so it simply wasn’t in the cards. But we’re back now and ready for the run-in to finish off the season.
Taking a gander at this week’s two-start options, it isn’t very exciting. There are a handful of top-tier options, but a lot of it is pretty underwhelming. Some of the options have been must-start guys either in past years or earlier this season, but for various reasons are much less appealing now. Others have shown flashes of promise but not really been able to follow through on it. Others are just, well, bad. But we’ll make the best of it and see what we can cook up. Let’s get to it!
What follows are our projections at time of writing as to who will be making two-starts this week, but weather, injuries, and secretive team management mean they are just that: projections. To stay as up-to-date as possible, consult Rudy Gamble’s invaluable Streamonator.
Chocolate Chip Cookies (Must Start)
They are kings of the cookie world for a reason. A warm, freshly baked chocolate chip cookie just makes you feel happy. Sort of like getting to set your rosters knowing you get two starts this week from these guys.
| Pitcher | First Start | Second Start |
|---|---|---|
| Tarik Skubal, Det | SEA | NYY |
| Blake Snell, SF | ATL | @OAK |
| Framber Valdez, Hou | @TB | CHW |
| George Kirby, SEA | @DET | @PIT |
| Chris Sale, Atl | @SF | @LAA |
| Sonny Gray, StL | @CIN | LAD |
| Pablo Lopez, Min | KC | @TEX |
| Luis Gil, NYY | @CHW | @DET |
- As of Saturday night Gil hasn’t been officially confirmed for double duty this week, but if they keep him on regular rest and don’t call someone up to make a spot start, he should be a go.
Sugar Cookies (Should Start)
They’re fine. You could certainly do worse than having these guys in your lineup, but don’t expect it to be remarkable.
| Pitcher | First Start | Second Start |
|---|---|---|
| Freddy Peralta, Mil | LAD | CLE |
| Shota Imanaga, ChC | @CLE | TOR |
| Taj Bradley, TB | HOU | ARI |
| Brandon Pfaadt, Ari | COL | @TB |
| Paul Blackburn, NYM | OAK | MIA |
- I believe this is the smallest this tier has been all season. It’s an interesting mix of guys. Peralta has struggled enough to be downgraded from his usual perch, while Pfaadt and Blackburn have come out of nowhere to force their way up this high.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Could Start)
These aren’t for everyone. These are the pitchers that may be a pleasant surprise, or they could ruin your week. Tread lightly.
| Pitcher | First Start | Second Start |
|---|---|---|
| Brady Singer, KC | @MIN | @CIN |
| Ben Lively, Cle | CHC | @MIL |
| Clayton Kershaw, LAD | @MIL | @STL |
| Charlie Morton, ATL | @SF | @LAA |
- I told you this was an underwhelming week. If you want to say Singer belongs in the tier above, I won’t argue. However, I don’t love the matchups and his last couple of outings have been underwhelming.
- Kershaw has been fine since his return, but he also has yet to finish 5 innings. Does he do so this week? Maybe. But I have enough doubt that he’s here this week. The innings he does provide will probably be fine, but how much are they worth if a win isn’t included?
- Age seems to have caught up with Morton this season. The matchups aren’t bad, but the Braves have been adding an extra starter to give guys additional days of rest all season. So he’s listed here, but you should assume he only makes the first start. In which case, I probably wouldn’t use him.
Fortune Cookies (Do Not Start)
Yeah, they’re technically cookies. Hold on, what does that little slip of paper say? “Bad times are heading your way.” Oh. Okay, then.
| Pitcher | First Start | Second Start |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Musgrove, SD | PIT | @COL |
| Kutter Crawford, Bos | TEX | @BAL |
| Tyler Mahle, Tex | @BOS | MIN |
| Brayan Bello, Bos | TEX | @BAL |
| Frankie Montas, Mil | LAD | CLE |
| Trevor Rogers, Bal | WSH | BOS |
| Gavin Stone, LAD | @MIL | @STL |
| Andrew Abbott, Cin | STL | KC |
| Jake Irvin, Wsh | @BAL | @PHI |
| Taijuan Walker, Phi | MIA | WSH |
| Bowden Francis, Tor | @LAA | @CHC |
| Marco Gonzales, Pit | @SD | SEA |
| Cal Quantrill, Col | @ARI | SD |
| Ky Bush, ChW | NYY | @HOU |
- I really wish Musgrove didn’t make his return in a two-start week, because not only has he been out since late May, but he wasn’t very good before then. Maybe he comes out dealing, but I’m not counting on it.
- Crawford is a decent representative of this tier, at least as it extends down to Jake Irvin. These guys have almost all spent time in the upper tiers this season, or teased the potential to make their way there. Unfortunately, as of late, they’ve come tumbling down. To make matters worse, the Boston duo and Jake Irvin have such bad matchups it’s hard to make the case for taking the gamble. My heart wants to use some of these guys. If it’s a head-to-head league, I could even see doing so in some cases. But the risk to your ratios in a roto league at this time of the year means I can’t in good conscience recommend you do.
