Every few weeks or so, the schedules shape up just right so that a vast majority of the game’s best pitchers are faced with two starts in a week. The week of April 30 to May 6 is one of those weeks. There aren’t too many tough decisions or room for debate with a lot of these guys. Of course, most fantasy teams aren’t lucky enough to have more than one top-tier starter, so you’ll have to look elsewhere for more two-start guys.
*As always, keep in mind that these are the probable two-start pitchers as of Friday, April 27 and are subject to change.
No-Brainers
It’s simple. These are the two-start guys that you should slot into your roster and not worry about them. These are the guys that have a pair of favorable matchups, are hot of late, or are just plain studs.
- Max Scherzer – 5/1 vs. PIT, 5/6 vs. PHI
- Justin Verlander – 5/1 vs. NYY, 5/6 @ARI
- Corey Kluber – 5/2 vs. TEX, 5/6 @ NYY
- Clayton Kershaw – 4/30 @ARI, 5/5 @SD
- Charlie Morton – 4/30 vs. NYY, 5/5 @ARI
- Jake Arrieta – 4/30 @MIA, 5/6 @WAS
- Zack Greinke – 4/30 vs. LAD, 5/5 vs. HOU
- Trevor Bauer – 4/30 vs. TEX, 5/4 @ NYY
- Jameson Taillon – 4/30 @ WAS, 5/4 @ MIL
Happy Aces Week! There’s a ton of easy choices this week, as a lot of the game’s biggest names will take the mound twice. Scherzer, Verlander, Kershaw, and Kluber own nine of the last 14 Cy Young awards and are basically a lock to turn in great starts. As for the rest, don’t think twice about sending them out for two starts this week.
Survive and Thrive
With two starts come two chances to put up big numbers. However, pitchers aren’t always fortunate enough to match up against two weak teams in a week. A lot of times, pitchers will be faced with one easier matchup and one tougher one. If they can so much as survive the tougher one, they have a chance to thrive on the weaker and really help a fantasy team.
Mike Clevinger – 5/1 vs. TEX, 5/5 @ NYY
Clevinger has had a solid April to this point. In his second-to-last outing, he threw a complete game shutout against the Orioles, allowing just two hits and two walks. He gets one of the worst offensive teams in the Rangers but also has to face the red-hot Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
Jake Junis – 5/1 @ BOS, 5/6 vs. DET
After five starts, Junis owns a 3.34 ERA and 0.87 WHIP over 32.1 innings. Junis may benefit from the fact that Boston has cooled off a bit, but they’re still a tough opponent on any given night. If he can survive them, he’ll get to face the Tigers again, whom he shut down for eight innings last week.
Jon Lester – 4/30 vs. COL, 5/6 @ STL
After a couple rough starts, Lester has looked more like the Lester of old. He lasted just 3.1 innings in his first start of the season, which ballooned his ERA, but he’s gotten it down to a tidy 3.29 over five starts. The veteran lefty should benefit from facing two teams have had struggles against southpaws this season. In fact, Colorado has struck out against lefties more than any team in the National League so far, whiffing 27 percent of the time.
Medium Risk, High Reward
It’s never a sure thing what you’re going to get from these guys. Their matchups aren’t overly challenging and could allow them to turn in some really solid numbers. There’s always the risk with these guys, though, so don’t expect too much.
Tanner Roark – 4/30 vs. PIT, 5/5 vs. PHI
Roark catches the Pirates after having cooled down from a hot start. While he hasn’t won a game since his first start of the season back on April 2, Roark has failed two make it through six innings in just one of his five starts. The slumping Pirates and strikeout-prone Phillies should help Roark break back into that win column at least once this week.
Aaron Sanchez – 4/30 @ MIN, 5/5 @ TB
Just one of Sanchez’s five starts did not register as a quality start. He’s worked to a 3.69 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over 31.2 innings as he works to fully regain his form after last season’s disaster. Sanchez’s biggest struggle this season has been against lefties. He simply hasn’t been able to get them out, as they own a .321 BAA and .419 OBPA against him. Fortunately, both Minnesota and Tampa Bay lack big lefty bats, so Sanchez is poised for a couple of good outings this week.
Jordan Zimmerman – 4/30 vs. TB, 5/5 @ KC
Zimmerman is certainly not the pitcher he used to be. That being said, sometimes the schedule lines up just right where pitchers are gifted two matchups that should work in their favor. This is the case with Zimmerman, who is set to face Tampa Bay and Kansas City, two of the worst home-run hitting teams in baseball. Zimmerman’s biggest weakness is the long ball, so these matchups should allow him to succeed.
- Eduardo Rodriguez – 4/30 vs. KC, 5/5 @TEX
- Jordan Montgomery – 5/1 @HOU, 5/6 vs. CLE
- Lance Lynn – 4/30 vs. TOR, 5/5 @CWS
- Kyle Gibson – 5/1 vs. TOR, 5/6 @ CHW
- Matt Boyd – 5/1 vs. TB, 5/6 @ KC
Nothing To See Here
Stay away from these guys. I know the thought of two starts in a week is tempting, but it’s more likely these guys put you in the negative than help you.
Felix Hernandez – 5/1 vs. OAK, 5/6 vs. LAA
The days of The King being unhittable are over. Hernandez has adjusted to relying on his defense more frequently, and it has had disastrous results. His 4.96 ERA is unsightly and shouldn’t get too much better with two of the hottest offenses in baseball on his schedule.
Sonny Gray – 4/30 @ HOU, 5/5 vs. CLE
People forget how good of a pitcher Gray was just a year and a half ago. Ever since coming to New York, Gray has posted some of the worst numbers of his career. He’s going to have a tough time righting the ship with two tough matchups this week.
- Jake Faria – 4/30 @ DET, 5/6 vs. TOR
- Lucas Giolito – 5/1 @ STL, 5/6 vs. MIN
- Alex Cobb – 5/1 @ LAA, 5/6 @ OAK
- Steven Matz – 5/1 vs. ATL, 5/6 vs. COL
- Marco Estrada – 5/1 @ MIN, 5/5 @ TB
- Chad Kuhl – 5/1 @ WAS, 5/5 @ MIL
- Andrew Triggs – 5/1 @ SEA, 5/6 vs. BAL
- Jason Hammel – 4/30 @ BOS, 5/5 vs. DET
- Matt Koch – 5/1 vs. LAD, 5/6 vs. HOU
- Brandon Finnegan – 4/30 vs. MIL, 5/6 vs. MIA
- Matt Wisler – 5/1 @ NYM, 5/6 vs. SF
- Matt Moore – 4/30 @ CLE, 5/6 vs. BOS
- Jhoulys Chacin – 4/30 @ CIN, 5/6 vs. PIT
- Kyle Freeland – 4/30 @ CHC, 5/6 @ NYM
- Dillon Peters – 4/30 vs. PHI, 5/6 @ CIN
Why list Kluber has a double pitcher next week when he is not?