For maybe the first time this season, there’s actually a nice selection of quality at the top of the weekly two start pitchers. Aaron Nola is volatile enough that it might not make you feel quite as warm and cozy as you’d like when you set your lineup, but such is life. Anyway, this week’s offering has more individual player blurbs (not Blurbstomps) than any other one so far, so 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Corbin Burnes, Bal | TOR | SEA |
| Yoshinobu Yamamoto, LAD | @SF | CIn |
| Carlos Rodon, NYY | @MIN | CHW |
| George Kirby, Sea | KC | @BAL |
| Shoto Imanaga, CHC | @ATL | PIT |
| Aaron Nola, Phi | @NYM | WSH |
- Last time Rodon appeared in this column, I was concerned his performances would start looking more like his underwhelming metrics. The Savant page still has more blue than you’d like to see, but the velocity has ticked back up and the slider is looking more like the weapon of old.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Ronel Blanco, Hou | OAK | MIL |
| Kutter Crawford, Bos | TB | @STL |
| Zach Eflin, TB | @BOS | @TOR |
| Brady Singer, KC | @SEA | @OAK |
| Christopher Sanchez, Phi | @NYM | WSH |
| Jordan Montgomery, Ari | CIN | DET |
| Hunter Greene, Cin | @ARI | @LAD |
| Mitch Keller, Pit | @MIL | @CHC |
| Reynaldo Lopez, Atl | CHC | SD |
| Jordan Hicks, SF | LAD | COL |
| Jose Berrios, Tor | @BAL | TB |
- This is significantly higher than Streamonator has Crawford this week, for what it’s worth, but I don’t care. He’s been solid this season and that Cardinals matchup looks pretty tasty.
- As of this writing, the Pirates have not announced who will be starting for them on Monday. It’s worth double checking to be sure, but it would be something of a shock if it wasn’t Keller leading off the week.
- Berrios got lit up last time out and the metrics say he’s been overachieving thus far. The Baltimore matchup also isn’t one that inspires a ton of confidence. To be honest, he should probably be in the tier below, but I didn’t feel like rearranging the tables at this point.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tanner Bibee, Cle | @TEX | MIN |
| Gavin Stone, LAD | @SF | CIN |
| Nick Pivetta, Bos | TB | @STL |
| Chris Paddack, Min | NYY | @CLE |
| Jose Butto, NYM | PHI | @MIA |
| Sean Manaea, NYM | PHI | @MIA |
| Aaron Civale, TB | @BOS | @TOR |
| Colin Rea, Mil | PIT | @HOU |
- You drafted Tanner Bibee expecting a whole lot better than the 4.91 ERA and 1.36 WHIP you’ve gotten so far. Will this be the week he turns it around? Maybe! Would I be confident of that being the case? Nope!
- As bad as Bibee has been so far, Civale has been even worse. For as excited as many people were when he got traded to the Rays, he’s mostly been brutal since leaving Cleveland. You should get a decent number of strikeouts if you start him, but your ratios may get burnt to a crisp.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kenta Maeda, Det | MIA | @ARI |
| Graham Ashcraft, Cin | @ARI | @LAD |
| JP Sears, Oak | @HOU | @KC |
| Chris Flexen, CHW | WSH | @NYY |
| Randy Vasquez, SD | COL | @ATL |
| Hayden Wesneski, CHC | @ATL | PIT |
| Jose Soriano, LAA | STL | @TEX |
| Trevor Williams, Wsh | @CHW | @PHI |
| Spencer Arrighetti, Hou | OAK | MIL |
| Sixto Sanchez, Mia | @DET | NYM |
| Martin Perez, Pit | @MIL | @CHC |
| Jack Leiter, Tex | CLE | LAA |
| Peter Lambert, Col |
@SD | @SF |
| Osvaldo Bido, Oak | @HOU | @KC |
- Flexen’s matchup against the Yankees saves me the temptation of suggesting you consider him as an option. His last three starts have been solid, I know. But do you trust him to keep it up? I sure don’t.
- Flexen is down in this tier despite three consecutive solid-to-good starts. All seven of Trevor Williams’ starts have been good! And one of the starts is against the White Sox! I know. But the other start is against the Phillies. And he’s Trevor Williams. Maybe good fortune will come your way, but I do not believe.
- Sixto is who we have projected to take the hill twice this week for Miami, but it has not been officially announced at the time of writing. Should it be Ryan Weathers in that spot instead…you don’t really want to fish in those waters, either.
- The Pirates live to make my life complicated. Perez is targeted here as being their other two start pitcher this week, but that is done under the assumption Quinn Priester remains in a long relief role or gets demoted. Whichever of the two takes these starts, you don’t want to use them.
- It might be Jack Leiter getting two starts. Or, it might be Michael Lorenzen getting two starts. You don’t really want to use either of them. I resent all these teams with bad pitchers making it so hard for me to tell you which specific bad pitchers to not use yourself.
