Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers: Philadelphia Phillies’ Duo Tops the List

There are quite a few matchups I love this week, but the week before the All-Star Game is always an interesting one for figuring out two-start pitchers in fantasy baseball. Pitchers who make the teams will likely have their weekend starts skipped or cut short so they can pitch in the Midsummer Classic. So if you have one of the top starting pitchers on your fantasy baseball team, then you’ll need to check the situation later in the week.

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When breaking down the available pitching options, I rank the remaining eligible pitchers into four categories. The first tier is the “No-Brainers,” with ideal pitchers and matchups that require no thought to start. Then the “Next In Line” tier, which will include other optimal matchups but carries a sense of risk.

The third tier is the “Streamer” tier, as the name suggests: pitchers who can produce decent stats, but the matchups aren’t ideal, so start at your own risk. The last tier is the “Avoid” tier, which includes pitchers with terrible matchups or who have been pitching badly and can be left on the bench or on the waiver wire.

MLB Two-Start Pitchers for June 6 – 12

My Favorite Two-Start Pitchers of the Week

Cristopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies (@ Royals, @ Tigers)

Cristopher Sanchez has been a solid ace for the Philadelphia Phillies for the last two seasons. This season, he has a 10-3 record, a 2.00 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP, and an impressive 136:23 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Two of his offspeed pitches have been nearly unhittable.

Sanchez’s changeup and slider have whiff rates of 45.9% and 44.7%, respectively. He throws these pitches 57.3% of the time, with his sinker the rest of the time. He doesn’t technically throw a fastball, but his sinker averages 95.2 mph.

With two games versus struggling AL offenses, Sanchez draws my top spot among two-start pitchers. He will face the Royals and Tigers, who rank 22nd and 20th in OPS, respectively. Both teams had high hopes this season after successful finishes last year, but neither has lived up to those expectations.

The Tigers do hit lefties well with the second-best batting average, but I’m trusting the hot Sanchez, who has allowed two or fewer runs in nine of his last 11 starts, including six scoreless May outings. The lefty may not even face the Tigers for long on Saturday, July 11, if the Phillies plan to have him pitch in the All-Star Game.

Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies (@ Royals, @ Tigers)

Zack Wheeler has been outstanding for the Phillies with an 8-1 record, 2.36 ERA, an 84:20 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and a 0.94 WHIP. He is a favorite starter for all the same reasons stated above, given the Royals’ and Tigers’ struggles offensively.

The Tigers don’t hit righties as well as they do lefties, ranking in the bottom third of the league in batting average and OPS. Plus, they have the sixth-most strikeouts against right-handed pitchers, feeding right into Wheeler’s strength.

The Midsummer Classic is in Philadelphia, so NL manager Dave Roberts may start either Sanchez or Wheeler. Given his likelihood of throwing in the All-Star Game, Wheeler may not pitch on Sunday or have a shortened outing.

Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers (@ Cardinals, @ Pirates)

There is no question that Jacob Misiorowski is among the best pitchers in MLB, with an unbelievable stat line through 17 starts. His 156 strikeouts lead all of MLB; he has a 1.47 ERA and 0.78 WHIP, while holding batters who are lucky enough to make contact to a .150 batting average. The closest MLB pitcher to Misiorowski in strikeouts is Sanchez’s 136. So the Brewers’ righty is having an unimaginably good season so far.

I don’t need to go into his opponent’s details for why Misiorowski is one of my favorite two-start pitchers; he does the talking himself. He’s allowed only five earned runs over his last 11 starts, with four of those runs coming in the last three games.

He’s the only starting pitcher to throw a pitch at 105 mph in MLB history, and he has 49 of the 50 fastest pitches by a starter in the pitch-tracking era, all of which came this season. Misiorowski is currently listed as unavailable for the All-Star Game, but that could change, so keep an eye on his status for Sunday’s game.

Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers (vs Angels, vs Astros)

Jacob deGrom hasn’t been the dominant self that we’ve been accustomed to over his 13-year career, but he’s still been a solid starter for fantasy managers. A rough May, in which he allowed 18 earned runs over five starts, ballooned his ERA from 2.01 to 3.77. However, in five of his last six starts, deGrom allowed two or fewer runs and has seen his ERA drop to 3.48, which would be his second-highest total over his career.

Where he’s really helping fantasy managers is with his strikeouts and low walk percentages. He ranks in the 93rd percentile or higher in whiff rate (34.4%), strikeout rate (30.3%), and walk rate (5.3%). DeGrom gets two appealing strikeout targets next week, with the Angels and Astros ranking second and 11th in strikeouts against right-handed pitchers. Jacob Latz will be the Rangers’ All-Star representative, which means deGrom will get both starts before the break.

No-Brainers

Cam Schlitter, New York Yankees (@ Rays, @ Nationals)

Shane Drohan, Milwaukee Brewers (@ Cardinals, @ Pirates)

Jose Soriano, Los Angeles Angels (@ Rangers, @ Twins)

Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers (vs Athletics, vs Phillies)

Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates (vs Braves, vs Brewers)

Max Meyer, Miami Marlins (@ Mariners, vs Guardians)

Next In Line

Shane McClanahan, Tampa Bay Rays (vs Yankees, vs Mariners)

Cade Cavalli, Washington Nationals (vs Astros, vs Yankees)

Michael McGreevy, St. Louis Cardinals ( vs Brewers, vs Braves)

Reynaldo Lopez, Atlanta Braves (vs Mets, @ Cardinals)

Kevin Gausman, Toronto Blue Jays (@ Giants, @ Padres)

Joey Cantillo, Cleveland Guardians (@ Twins, @ Marlins)

Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins (vs Guardians, vs Angels)

Will Warren, New York Yankees (@ Rays, @ Nationals)

Streamers

Noah Cameron, Kansas City Royals (vs Phillies, @ Orioles)

Landen Roupp, San Francisco Giants (vs Blue Jays, vs Rockies)

Trevor McDonald, San Francisco Giants (vs Blue Jays, vs Rockies)

Eric Lauer, Los Angeles Dodgers (vs Rockies, vs Diamondbacks)

Freddy Peralta, New York Mets (@ Braves, vs Red Sox)

Matthew Boyd, Chicago Cubs (@ Orioles, @ Reds)

Ian Seymour, Tampa Bay Rays (vs Yankees, @ Red Sox)

Shane Baz, Baltimore Orioles (vs Cubs, vs Royals)

Noah Schultz, Chicago White Sox (vs Red Sox, vs Athletics)

Jeffrey Springs, Athletics (vs Tigers, @ White Sox)

Andrew Abbott, Cincinnati Reds (vs Phillies, vs Cubs)

Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals (vs Phillies, @ Orioles)

Avoid

Kyle Freeland, Colorado Rockies (@ Dodgers,

Mike Burrows, Houston Astros (@ Nationals, @ Rangers)

Brandon Pfaadt, Arizona Diamondbacks (@ Padres, @ Dodgers)

Walker Bueller, San Diego Padres (vs Diamondbacks, vs Blue Jays)

Kodai Senga, New York Mets (@ Braves, vs Red Sox)

Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks (@ Padres, @ Dodgers)

Dustin May, St. Louis Cardinals (vs Brewers, vs Braves)

Randy Vasquez, San Diego Padres (vs Diamondbacks, vs Blue Jays)

Undecided, Boston Red Sox (@ White Sox, vs Athletics) – Connor Early was slated to start but went on the IL with left elbow inflammation.

Undecided, Seattle Mariners (@ Marlins, vs Blue Jays) – No idea what the Mariners will do until they decide which two pitchers will piggyback.