The week of June 4 to June 10 doesn’t give us much as far as two-start pitchers go. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some quality options, though. You may have to dive deep to find guys outside of the obvious ones. They’re out there, however, and I’ll help you find which ones are worth a shot and which ones to stay away from.
*As always, keep in mind that these are the probable two-start pitchers as of Saturday, June 2 and are subject to change.
Two-Start Pitchers
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.
- Corey Kluber – 6/5 vs. MIL, 6/10 @ DET
- Luis Severino – 6/4 @ DET, 6/10 @ NYM
- James Paxton – 6/5 @ HOU, 6/10 @ TB
- Kyle Hendricks – 6/5 vs. PHI, 6/10 vs. PIT
A week with limited two-start options is not without its no-brainers. Obviously, there’s no second thought needed when running these guys out there. All four of them have favorable matchups as well. So, not only can you rely on these guys for quality outings, you can trust them to put forth great starts.
Safe Bets
There’s no doubt that these guys could go out there and keep opposing hitters at bay. They’re the kind of guys that you can lean on to give you six quality innings. They’re solid, safe bets and should be relied on to put forth respectable outings.
- Dallas Keuchel – 6/5 vs. SEA, 6/10 @ TEX
- It’ll take a lot for me not to trust Keuchel, despite his sub-par season up to this point. It’s easy to exaggerate Keuchel’s struggles because of what we’ve seen him do in the past. In reality, though, he still owns a respectable 3.65 ERA and 1.23 WHIP and has proven he can give his team innings. There shouldn’t be any concerns running him out there this week, especially with a matchup against Texas.
- Dylan Bundy – 6/5 @ NYM, 6/10 @ TOR
- The rainout between the Orioles and Yankees helped give Bundy an extra start in the upcoming week. He also catches a huge break, as he’ll now face the Mets and Blue Jays instead of the Yankees. While he’s had some incredible outings this year, Bundy has had serious trouble with the longball, owning an uninspiring 2.1 HR/9. Not having to face the homer-happy Yankees is enough for me to send him out there for two starts this week.
- Sean Newcomb – 6/5 @ SD, 6/10 @ LAD
- Newcomb’s 9.2 K/9 has been impressive, though his walk issues have kept him from really excelling. Impressively, he’s been able to induce plenty of ground balls that have helped him work through the sixth inning in eight of his 11 starts. The Padres and Dodgers have struggled against lefties this year, batting .228 and .233 against southpaws, respectively.
- Eduardo Rodriguez – 6/5 vs. DET, 6/10 vs. CHW
- The matchups sort of speak for themselves here. The White Sox have been one of the worst teams against lefties this season, batting just .226 and striking out 141 times. Rodriguez’s 10.7 K/9 won’t help the White Sox, either, but should do wonders for his chances of succeeding on the mound.
- Ross Stripling – 6/5 @ PIT, 6/10 vs. ATL
- Stripling has been red-hot, winning his last three straight starts. In those starts, he’s given up just two earned runs with two walks and an incredible 28 strikeouts in 19.2 innings.
- Julio Teheran – 6/4 @ SD, 6/9 @ LAD
- Joe Musgrove – 6/5 vs. LAD, 6/10 @ CHC
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 matchup and really help a fantasy team.
- Fernando Romero – 6/5 vs. CWS, 6/10 vs. LAA
- Jake Odorizzi – 6/5 vs. CWS, 6/10 vs. LAA
- Romero finally had his first blemish after getting rocked for eight runs against the Royals. It was bound to happen eventually, but it isn’t at all a reason to disregard his first five big league starts. He kicks off the week against the White Sox but has the hard-hitting Angels waiting for him in his second start.
- Clayton Richard – 6/4 vs. ATL, 6/10 @ MIA
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, which could allow them to turn in some really solid numbers. There’s always risk with these guys, though, so don’t expect too much.
- Sean Manaea – 6/5 @ TEX, 6/10 vs. KC
- The month of May was far from kind to Manaea. After a stellar April, Manaea’s season did a quick 180. In six May starts, he held a 7.18 ERA and gave up fewer than four runs just once. Fortunately, he’ll have a chance to get off to a hot start in June, as he pulls two favorable matchups against Texas and Kansas City.
- Zack Godley – 6/4 @ SF, 6/10 @ COL
- We’ve been waiting for the Godley from 2017 to return to the mound. So far in 2018, he has left much to be desired, owning a 4.38 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 61.2 innings. His BB/9 has skyrocketed, currently sitting at 4.5. He’s been especially bad away from home, walking 23 batters in 31 innings. Heading to Coors Field certainly won’t help his cause, either.
- Nathan Eovaldi – 6/5 @ WAS, 6/10 vs. SEA
- Eovaldi’s first start since 2016 was flawless, as he didn’t allow a hit in six innings and walked just one. That being said, keep in mind that that was just his first start in more than a year and a half. He’ll get thrown right back into it this week with two tough matchups against Washington and Seattle.
- Kyle Freeland – 6/5 @ CIN, 6/10 vs. ARI
- Danny Duffy – 6/4 @ LAA, 6/9 @ OAK
- Reynaldo Lopez – 6/5 @ MIN, 6/10 @ BOS
- Junior Guerra – 6/5 @ CLE, 6/10 @ PHI
- Jose Urena – 6/5 @ STL, 6/10 vs. SD
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.
- Marco Estrada
- Zach Eflin
- Lucas Giolito
- Mike Fiers
- Derek Holland
- Matt Moore
- Sal Romano
- Bred Keller
- Ryan Carpenter