Two-Start Pitchers Week 23 2014

Not much time left to fine tune you starting pitching as the season winds down. There are, if you like that kind of thing, a number of nice options this week that can provide you with two starts. We also have some new additions to the top tier, based on recent performances and match ups this upcoming scoring period. The top part of the middle tier is not too shabby, either. Also, you will be surprised by the appearance of a couple of pitchers in the bottom tier, and yes, that is a sneaky way to get you to scroll all the way through this post.

Tillman and Weaver have moved up to the upper tier, and both have been pitching well. Weaver is tied for the lead in wins in the AL, and despite the fact that I generally avoid him like the plague, you have to give him credit for doing well this season. Fister has stumbled a bit of late, but I still see him as a top-quality SP who cannot be ignored. Start all these guys in both their starts, no matter who they are facing or where the game is being played. Oh, and feel free to avoid them at your own risk.

The first sub-tier is a populous one, beginning with the resurgent Volquez and running down through Koehler. Volquez has been on fire, tossing five out six QS in his last six appearances, allowing zero, two, one, tow, one and zero earned runs over that streak. He offers decent if not superb strikeout potential, and you have to like the wins he gives you a chance to grab as he is pitching deep into games for the most part. Gonzalez is riding a four game QS streak, his last outing being a nine inning, eight strikeout effort against the Reds. He has been a godsend for the Orioles, who are rolling along as the leaders of the AL East. deGrom has a nice match up in his first appearance, facing the Rockies at home, but his weekend start against Washington could be a bit more dicey. Even so, his last tow QS have seen him yield just one earned run, and 11 Ks, so I am willing to ride him through the end of the season and will be targeting him in my 2015 drafts. Kuroda has been a strength for the Yankees, and has tossed six QS in his last seven appearances. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in his last seven games, and while not dependable in the strikeout area, he can provide help there, as he did against the Red Sox in his last outing, racking up eight Ks. Stroman has righted the ship after a couple of five earned run efforts, throwing back to back one earned run QS with 10 strikeouts. I like both his match ups, even the weekend game against the Rays just because he gets to face bottom tier SP Chris Archer. Miller is coming off three straight QS, although his luck has been a bit shady, as he doesn't have a decision to show for his efforts. You would like more Ks, but his peripherals are good and he should get a bit more fortunate if he can continue to deal on the mound, limiting hits to less than one per inning.His matchups are good this week, too. Salazar has been turning up the volume since mid-August, and his complete game effort against Detroit in his most recent start was, while not a work of art, a demonstration of nice pitching. He managed to rack up nine Ks and continued to show excellent control. It is because of him and Corey Kluber that the Indians were surging to make a play for the AL Central lead. Koehler wraps up this sub-tier, and he is pitching well, if not exactly up to ace quality for Miami. He is coming off a stretch of four consecutive QS where he is racking up better than a K per inning, although the walks are worrisome. The other concern is that both his starts are on the road, where his results have been less than stellar this season.

The next sub-tier has pitchers I would generally want to start, unless the match up is absolutely terrible, and it runs  from Peacock, and ends with Locke.Peacock is owned in less than 5% of leagues, and with his current three game hot streak, where he has allowed only three earned runs over 16.2 innings while striking out 15, he could be a sneaky waiver wire pick up for the balance of the season. Just be careful because his next two starts are not great match ups by any stretch of the imagination. Minor hasn't wowed anyone this season, but he does have a current five game QS streak. He has been providing good strikeout totals ovet that period as well, and I like his chances against Texas at the end of the upcoming week. Santiago has a nice couple of games this week, although it'd be nice if he were pitching deeper into games. Still, decent strikeouts and limited earned runs make him useful at the back of a rotation. Leake has been roughed up in two of his last five starts, but the other three outing have been very good. The strikeout totals are shaky and variable, and having to face both the Cards and Brewers urges caution if you are considering using him this scoring period. Vargas gets to face Detroit and Boston this week, and while that is a concern, he has been tossing good games of late. The strikeouts are average, at best, but he does keep the earned run totals down, and is exhibiting excellent control. Gallarago has been very up and down lately, and if he were getting good K results, that would be acceptable if not wonderful. As it is, he is a spot starter for a fantasy team, and while I might be tempted to use him against the Marlins, I would bench him against the Reds. Neise has a couple of home starts this week, and I do like his chances to prevail over the Rockies, but would avoid him vs the Nationals at the end of the week. His control is spotty, and he gives up a bunch of hits, so you take your chances if you start him. Locke rounds out the middle sub-tier, and I like his match ups this week, facing the Phillies on the road and the Cubs at home. If he cannot harness his control, though, all bets are off.

The final sub-tier starts off OK with Kelly, Wacha and Buchanan but things get shaky after that, down until we reach Danks. Kelly has found his groove in Boston, for the most part, and is coming off a win in Yankee Stadium. He can shine, but also deliver a bomb, and I am concerned with him facing the Orioles and Royals this scoring period. He has upside but you could get burned if you rely on him for two starts. Wacha is coming off an injury, so it is hard to read him yet. He only threw three innings in his first post-DL start, so he is a cipher for now. If you believed in him to start the season, then go ahead and use him. But low inning starters can be extremely frustrating. Buchanan gets a couple of home starts this week where he has not fared as well as when on the road, but I like him against the Marlins even facing Koehler. Nothing exciting in the strikeout department, but his control is usually good, although his last outing wasn't anything to write home about, where he lasted just four innings in Atlanta. Still, he only gave up a single earned run in that effort. Petit earlier this season set a Major League record by retiring 46 consecutive batters, but his last start was a disaster. True, it was at Coors Field, but he gave up six earned runs in four innings and that makes him somewhat suspect in my book. I would certainly avoid using him against the Dodgers and Kershaw next weekend, but might want to take a chance against the Diamondbacks in his first start, especially pitching at home. Guthrie faces the same opponents as his teammate Vargas, but his yo-yo nature over his last several starts make me put him this low on the board. He can be brilliant, or mediocre and you don't need the risk as the season winds down. Kendrick, as with Buchanan, is someone I would consider (but prolly discard as an option) when he faces Miami, but I am going to stay away from his earlier start this week against the Pirates. The fact that he has been handing out earned runs in bunches supports my aversion  Gray, like his team, has been struggling to win of late. I like him long term, but while he has his problems, I am going to avoid him, although the match up against the White Sox is tempting. Danks could have dropped to the bottom tier, but facing the slumping A's and the Twins gives one some hope he could string together a couple of QS. Then again, there are better options this week, you just need to look at the top of this tier for someone with a better shot to give you a win or very good stats at a minimum.

Kinda odd to see Verlander and Archer here, but based on recent performance, they cannot be trusted. Not that I would suggest that you trust any of the pitchers here in the bottom tier. Bauer hasn't been terrible, but his walk rate is scary high, and his problems in the first two innings make him far too risky to start in an important time of the season, like September.Just stay away from these SPs and you will sleep a little sounder.

Should you have questions regarding fantasy baseball, especially starting pitching, you can reach me at ia@fantasyalarm.com to continue the discussion.