*Mike Barner — @rotomikebarner*
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If you are playing in a head-to-head fantasy league, using starting pitchers that have two starts in a week can give you a significant edge over your opponent. Here are some starters who will each start two games in the week ahead that you should either target or avoid for your lineup.
Starters With Favorable Matchups
Luis Severino, New York Yankees: at DET, at NYM
The Yankees potent lineup gets the majority of the headlines, but Severino is just as important as anyone on the team. He put together a breakout campaign in 2017, finishing with a 2.98 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a 10.7 K/9. He’s been even better through his first 12 starts this year with a 2.31 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and a 10.6 K/9. His average fastball velocity is 98.2 mph and he has thrown a first-pitch strike to an impressive 70.1% of the batters that he has faced. The Mets are tied for the fourth-fewest runs scored (230) in baseball and the Tigers lineup has been middle of the pack, leaving Severino with the potential for an extremely valuable week.
Carlos Martinez, St. Louis Cardinals: vs. MIA, at CIN
Martinez has not pitched in almost a month due to a strained lat, but he will be activated from the disabled list Tuesday. He had a sparkling 1.62 ERA before the injury, but his 3.35 FIP and .237 opponents BABIP indicate he has been a bit lucky. The FIP is still good, though, and he’s only allowed one home run in 50 innings. His first start of the week comes against a Marlins team that has scored the fewest runs (196) in baseball. The Reds are certainly better offensively, but Martinez has already faced them twice this year, throwing 13 scoreless innings while recording 18 strikeouts. Get him right back into your lineup.
Kyle Hendricks, Chicago Cubs: vs. PHI, vs. PIT
Hendricks isn’t a big strikeout pitcher with a 7.6 K/9 for his career. He doesn’t walk many hitters and does a good job keeping runners off base in general, which has helped him quietly become a very successful pitcher. He’s off to another good start this year with a 3.19 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. He doesn’t get hit hard often, allowing more than three earned runs in a game only one time this season. The Phillies are in the bottom-third of the league in runs scored and while the Pirates have scored more runs, Hendricks has held them to four runs in 11 innings in their first two meetings this year.
Nick Tropeano, Los Angeles Angels: vs. KC, at MIN
Tropeano missed the entire 2017 season after having Tommy John surgery and hasn’t made more than 13 starts in a season during his career. He’s been able to make eight starts so far this year, posting a 3.80 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. His 4.91 FIP and 1.6 HR/9 are a bit concerning, limiting his upside over the course of the season. This is setting up to be a nice week for him, though, against the Royals and Twins as neither team scores a ton of runs. He has already faced both teams once this season, throwing 6.2 scoreless innings and recording six strikeouts against the Royals while allowing three runs to go along with two strikeouts in six innings against the Twins. Tropeano is still available in 82% of Yahoo! leagues and is a viable streaming option.
Starters to Avoid
Zack Godley, Arizona Diamondbacks: at SF, at COL
Godley isn’t off to a great start with a 4.38 ERA and a 4.44 FIP through 11 outings. His success last year was in large part due to his 1.14 WHIP, which has ballooned to 1.54 this year. His .316 BABIP allowed isn’t much higher than his career mark, which is not good news for his value moving forward. His first matchup this week against the Giants is not bad, but his second outing in Coors Field could be a nightmare. That game alone is a reason to keep him on your bench in Week 11.
Clayton Richard, San Diego Padres: vs. ATL, at MIA
It’s been another underwhelming season for Richard, who has a 4.74 ERA and a 4.14 FIP in 12 starts. His 1.31 WHIP isn’t terrible, but he has very little strikeout upside with a 5.9 K/9 for his career. His second start this week against the Marlins is a great matchup, but don’t get too excited about him as a streaming option. The Braves are not only tied for the fourth-most runs scored (293) in baseball, but they also have the highest OPS against lefties (.806). Since he likely won’t provide a lot of strikeouts even in his start against the Marlins, it might be best to avoid him altogether.
Jason Vargas, New York Mets: vs. BAL, vs. NYY
Vargas won a career-high 18 games for the Royals last year and made the All-Star team for the first time. He moved to the Mets in the offseason but he has been limited to six starts due to injury. He was hammered in his first three outings but hasn’t given up a run in two of his last three starts. One of those came against the Braves, which is particularly impressive considering their success against lefties. Even with his recent success, you still want to stay away from streaming him this week. The Orioles aren’t exactly imposing, but the Yankees have the second-highest OPS against lefties (.799) and can still do a ton of damage even without the luxury of having the DH playing at Citi Field.
