We are at the halfway point of the season. To celebrate, have an actually pretty good group of two start pitchers!
What follows are our projections at time of writing as to who will be making two-starts this week, but weather, injuries, and secretive team management mean they are just that: projections. To stay as up-to-date as possible, consult Rudy Gamble’s invaluable Streamonator.
Chocolate Chip Cookies (Must Start)
They are kings of the cookie world for a reason. A warm, freshly baked chocolate chip cookie just makes you feel happy. Sort of like getting to set your rosters knowing you get two starts this week from these guys.
| Pitcher | First Start | Second Start |
|---|---|---|
| Garrett Crochet, Bos | CIN | @WSH |
| Yoshinobu Yamamoto, LAD | CHW | HOU |
| Zack Wheeler, Phi | SD | CIN |
| Logan Webb, SF | @ARI | @ATH |
| Max Fried, NYY | @TOR | @NYM |
- Everything I see says it’s Christopher Sanchez getting two starts for Philly this week, not Wheeler. But I can’t figure out why, since Wheeler last pitched on the 25th and Sanchez started on the 26th. So I’m putting Wheeler here out of stubbornness. You’re staring both of them either way.
Sugar Cookies (Should Start)
They’re fine. You could certainly do worse than having these guys in your lineup, but don’t expect it to be remarkable.
| Pitcher | First Start | Second Start |
|---|---|---|
| Carlos Rodon, NYY | @TOR | @NYM |
| Joe Ryan, Min | @MIA | TB |
| Freddy Peralta, Mil | @NYM | @MIA |
| Jacob Lopez, Ath | @TB | SF |
| Chase Burns, Cin | @BOS | @PHI |
| Clay Holmes, NYM | MIL | NYY |
| George Kirby, Sea | KC | PIT |
| Kevin Gausman, Tor | NYY | LAA |
| Drew Rasmussen, TB | ATH | @MIN |
| Matthew Boyd, ChC | CLE | STL |
| Michael Wacha, KC | @SEA | @ARI |
- What a difference three starts can make. A few weeks ago, I had no clue who Jacob Lopez was. It still feels weird to have him ranked this high, and maybe it’s a mistake, but he’s been dealing, and the metrics seem to back it up. Maybe he turns into a pumpkin this week, but I can’t see sitting him if I’ve picked him up.
- This might be a tad aggressive on Burns. Streamonator certainly doesn’t have this level of confidence in a rookie coming off his first career start. But his stuff is nasty, he’s the best pitching prospect in baseball, and he’s lined up to pitch twice. Of course you’re going to use him.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Could Start)
These aren’t for everyone. These are the pitchers that may be a pleasant surprise, or they could ruin your week. Tread lightly.
| Pitcher | First Start | Second Start |
|---|---|---|
| Max Scherzer, Tor | NYY | LAA |
| Ryne Nelson, Ari | SF | KC |
| Edward Cabrera, Mia | MIN | MIL |
| Gavin Williams, Cle | @CHC | DET |
| Emerson Hancock, Sea | KC | PIT |
| Erick Fedde, StL | @PIT | @CHC |
- A case could be made for Nelson to be in the tier above, but none of his last four starts have gone 6 IP, and for the season he’s striking out less than 8 K/9. So you probably want to start him, but it does seem like there’s a ceiling on what you can hope for. So, he’s here.
Fortune Cookies (Do Not Start)
Yeah, they’re technically cookies. Hold on, what does that little slip of paper say? “Bad times are heading your way.” Oh. Okay, then.
| Pitcher | First Start | Second Start |
|---|---|---|
| Zac Gallen, Ari | SF | KC |
| Jack Flaherty, Det | @WSH | @CLE |
| Andrew Heaney, Pit | STL | @SEA |
| Trevor Rogers, Bal | @TEX | @ATL |
| Trevor Williams, Wsh | DET | BOS |
| Michael Lorenzen, KC | @SEA | @ARI |
| Hayden Birdsong, SF | @ARI | @ATH |
| Patrick Corbin, Tex | BAL | @SD |
| Chase Dollander, Col | HOU | CHW |
| Matt Waldron, SD | @PHI | TEX |
| Shane Smith, ChW | @LAD | @COL |
| Colton Gordon, Hou | @COL | @LAD |
| Tyler Anderson, LAA | @ATL | @TOR |
| Didier Fuentes, Ath | LAA | BAL |
- It pains me to have Gallen and Flaherty all the way down in this tier. Perhaps it’s being overly harsh on the Tiger, as he didn’t look too bad last time out. I don’t know how you can confidently start either of them right now, though. Gallen looks broken broken.
- Rogers, on the other hand, makes no sense to me. He was terrible in 2022. He was hurt all of 2023. He was atrocious in 2024. He’s been bad in the minors this year. But two of his three starts for Baltimore have been 6+ innings with 0 ER? Huh? How? I don’t trust it, personally.
- Waldron is not confirmed, but rather speculated. The world is better when there’s a knuckleballer at work, but it almost certainly won’t be better for your fantasy roster, unfortunately.
