There are a lot of names listed below this week. Unfortunately, a majority of them are either back-end starters, guys who have fallen on hard times recently, guys with ugly matchups, or a combination of the three. Some of the guys in the Oatmeal Cookie tier might have found themselves amongst the Sugar Cookies earlier in the year, but I (mostly) went pretty conservative this week. If you’re really chasing Wins or Ks, you might need to be a bit more aggressive with who you use, but time is growing short to undo the damage of your ratios getting doubly burnt.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Luis Gil, NYY | CLE | COL |
| Michael King, SD | MIN | NYM |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Gausman, Tor | CIN | LAA |
| Bryan Woo, Sea | LAD | SF |
| Brandon Pfaadt, Ari | @MIA | @BOS |
| Seth Lugo, KC | LAA | PHI |
| Taj Bradley, TB | @OAK | @LAD |
- Four of Seth’s last six starts have been rough, and I don’t like the Phillies matchup at all. But you need to start somebody, and the Angels are not a fearsome foe.
- Similarly, after looking like an ace through the majority of June and July, Bradley has burnt his managers his last three outings. He’s still going in this tier, but he’s not without risk.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jose Berrios, Tor | CIN | LAA |
| Ronel Blanco, Hou | BOS | @BAL |
| Kyle Harrison, SF | CHW | @SEA |
| Mitch Keller, Pit | @TEX | CIN |
| Yusei Kikuchi, Hou | BOS | @BAL |
| Tyler Anderson, LAA | @KC | @TEX |
| DJ Herz, Wsh | COL | @ATL |
| Tanner Houck, Bos | @HOU | ARI |
| Erick Fedde, StL | MIL | @MIN |
| Frankie Montas, Mil | @STL | @OAK |
| Shane Baz, TB | @OAK | @LAD |
| Gavin Stone, LAD | SEA | TB |
- Berrios almost found himself in the tier above. However, he’s also maddeningly inconsistent and is only a couple of starts removed from a pretty ugly stretch. That makes him perfect for this tier. From here down to Littel, we see a collection of pitchers who have been stalwarts at times this season. But, in recent form, it’s hard to truly trust them. In some cases the matchups make taking the gamble pretty unappealing. I’m probably starting any of them that I have, but I wouldn’t fault you for choosing not to. Sort of like choosing an oatmeal raisin cookie.
- Here starts the real wildcard section of this tier. Would I be shocked if any of these guys went out and spun a gem, or at least a couple of perfectly cromulent starts? Not at all. Would I be surprised if there were multiple starts that last 3 innings or less? Nope!
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Boyd, Cle | @NYY | TEX |
| Zebby Matthews, Min | @SD | STL |
| Joes Estes, Oak | TB | MIL |
| Javier Assad, ChC | DET | @MIA |
| Carson Spiers, Cin | @TOR | @PIT |
| Dean Kremer, Bal | @NYM | HOU |
| Jonathan Cannon, ChW | @SF | DET |
| David Peterson, NYM | BAL | @SD |
| Jose Quintana, NYM | BAL | @SD |
| Martin Perez, SD | MIN | NYM |
| Joe Boyle, Oak | TB | MIL |
| Luis Ortiz, Pit | @TEX | CIN |
| Adam Mazur, Mia | ARI | CHC |
| Jakob Junis, Cin | @TOR | @PIT |
| Carson Fulmer, LAA | @KC | @TOR |
| Austin Gomber, Col | @WSH | @NYY |
| Trevor Rogers, Bal | @NYM | HOU |
| Jose Urena, Tex | PIT | @CLE |
| Alex Faedo, Det | @CHC | @CHW |
- Faedo has been serving as an opener for Bryan Sammons. So, he’s here on a technicality. Sammons, if you’re curious, would slot in somewhere a little bit higher in this tier. I wish a more interesting pitcher was in line for those matchups.
- There’s a chance this is Edward Cabrera, in which case he is a wild card Oatmeal Cookie. There actually is no announced starter for Miami on Monday at the time of writing, so keep your eyes open.
- Junis is also a guess after the news Saturday evening that Hunter Greene was IL-bound. Talk about a downgrade.
