Hello there, Barflys, and welcome back to the Two-Start Dive Bar!
I always try, and usually fail, to come up with some witty anecdote or interesting thing to say as an introduction to the tables, the real reason you’re here. But as the dog days of summer drag on, as school gets back into session for little tykes everywhere, and as fantasy baseball leagues and tournaments turn to their playoff structures, I find myself unable this week.
Perhaps it’s the fact that this is the 20th TSDB column of the season, which means depending on how your leagues handle the All-Star Break, it’s the 20th or 21st week of the fantasy season. Fantasy baseball is a marathon. It’s the long haul. It’s the Iron Man in a world of 5Ks.
Anyway, this week’s Point of Reference is Tampa Bay’s Tyler Glasnow, whose one start against the Yankees this week would put him just above Bailey Ober and just outside the bold section of the Top Shelf.
As for the rest of the results, why don’t you and I dive right in?
Pitchers’ projected starts for the next week are sourced from Rudy Gamble’s Streamonator as of the update at 11am Eastern.
The bold pitchers below are the most extreme version of each section. The best of the Top Shelf, the safest of the Well, the worst of the Bar Mat.
The Top Shelf
| Pitcher | First Start | Second Start |
|---|---|---|
| Luis Castillo, SEA | @CHW(MO) | KC(SU) |
| Carlos Rodon, NYY | WSH(TU) | @TB(SU) |
| Zac Gallen, ARI | TEX(TU) | CIN(SU) |
| Blake Snell, SD | MIA(MO) | @MIL(SU) |
| Tyler Glasnow, TB | NYY(SA) | Point of Reference |
| Bailey Ober, MIN | @MIL(TU) | TEX(SU) |
| Jordan Montgomery, TEX | @ARI(MO) | @MIN (SU) |
| Mike Clevinger, CHW | SEA(TU) | OAK(SU) |
| Chris Sale, BOS | @HOU(TU) | LAD(SU) |
Notes
- This is why you need a short memory in this game. I haven’t drafted Luis Castillo since I did very early in drafts leading into the 2021 season… when he would go on to lead the NL in walks and all of baseball in losses with his worst K-rate since his sophomore campaign. But last year and this one he’s been a very effective pitcher, not world-beating, but a K-rate over 10, an ERA under 3.50 and a WHIP under 1.10 is nothing to sniff at. And I missed out both seasons because I swore I would stay away from Castillo.
The Well
| Pitcher | First Start | Second Start |
|---|---|---|
| Yusei Kikuchi, TOR | @BAL(TU) | CLE(SU) |
| Zack Littell, TB | COL(TU) | NYY(SU) |
| Clayton Kershaw, LAD | @CLE(TU) | @BOS(SU) |
| Andrew Abbott, CIN | @LAA(TU) | @ARI(SU) |
| Paul Blackburn, OAK | KC(TU) | @CHW(SU) |
| James Paxton, BOS | @HOU(MO) | LAD(SA) |
| Jose Urquidy, HOU | BOS(MO) | @DET(SU) |
| Alex Faedo, DET | CHC(MO) | HOU(SU) |
| Touki Toussaint, CHW | SEA(MO) | OAK(SA) |
Notes
- Paul Blackburn’s been about the only A’s pitcher worth a damn in fantasy this year, and he pulls a double-dip against two franchises almost as badly in shambles as his own. Couple’a barn-burner series this week… those three teams combined have a .329 winning percentage on the year.
- I feel like I am constantly getting burned by Yusei Kikuchi, but he’s having a helluva year, and over his last 5 games, sports just a 1.19 ERA and 1.02 WHIP.
The Bar Mat
| Pitcher | First Start | Second Start |
|---|---|---|
| Johan Oviedo, PIT | STL(TU) | CHC(SU) |
| Slade Cecconi, ARI | TEX(MO) | CIN(SA) |
| David Peterson, NYM | @ATL(MO) | LAA(SU) |
| Bryce Elder, ATL | NYM(MO) | @SF(SU) |
| Johnny Cueto, MIA | @SD(MO) | WSH(SU) |
| Bailey Falter, PIT | STL(MO) | CHC(SA) |
| Graham Ashcraft, CIN | @LAA(MO) | @ARI(SA) |
| Matthew Liberatore, STL | @PIT(MO) | @PHI (SU) |
| Spenser Watkins, OAK | KC(MO) | @CHW(SA) |
| Noah Syndergaard, CLE | LAD(TU) | @TOR(SU) |
| James McArthur, KC | @OAK(MO) | @SEA(SU) |
| Drew Smyly, CHC | @DET(TU) | @PIT(SU) |
| Javier Assad, CHC | @DET(MO) | @PIT(SA) |
| Ryan Walker, SF | @PHI (MO) | ATL(SU) |
| Ty Blach, COL | @TB(TU) | @BAL(SU) |
Notes
- A Colorado pitcher is at the bottom of the Bar Mat again. I went ahead and looked back… of the 19 editions of this column preceding this one this year, a Colorado pitcher lagged the entire field 11 times, so this week makes 12 of 20!
