MLB Two Start Pitchers: Week 8

The bottom tier is chock full of dangerous options this week, and the best advice from this quarter is to simply avoid using any of the SPs that dwell in the bottom group in Week Eight. This scoring period does offer several good choices atop the middle tier, although the lower denizens of that set of SPs is more of a matchup-dependent group of pitchers. As ever, the top tier are those who inspire the most confidence and should be used for both their times on the mound.

Please realize that these articles feature most recent rotation information available when the article is written, but that circumstances do change due to weather conditions, injuries and general craziness with managers. If a pitcher listed here as having two starts ends up with one (or perhaps none) in the upcoming week, apologies but this article is meant to provide analysis, it is up to the manager to set the lineups or rotations.

Without further ado, here are this week’s two-start pitchers:

There are only eight SPs going to occupy the hill in Week Eight that inspire extraordinary confidence in both their starts, and those are listed above. No hemming or hawing over any of these pitchers, wind them up, drop them in your rotation and worry about the balance of your fantasy staff. Neither opponent nor venue deters their status as a useful two-start SP.

Eickhoff has a pair of home starts this week, and has been notably better when pitching in the confines of Citizens Bank Park than as the visiting starting pitcher over the past two plus seasons. Certainly his ratio stats will not remain at their stellar levels of 1.50 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, but his 2.15 FIP does not warn of a coming disaster, either. His 31:11 K/BB ratio over his five appearances, together with a total absence of long balls allowed through 30.0 innings pitched (IP) in 2019 make him worthy of the top slot in the middle tier.

Woodruff continues to deal on the mound, and push his inflated ratio stats down to more palatable levels for fantasy purposes. His ERA now sits at 4.25 and his WHIP is at 1.37, but both are a far cry from the 6.00 and 1.67 ERA and WHIP he sported at the beginning of April. He held the Nationals to just one earned run on four hits and no free passes in his most recent trip to the bump, and he again struck out better than a hitter per frame. Although he has two road starts this coming scoring period, pitching away from Miller Park has been favorable for him since he arrived in the majors in 2017.

Fiers tossed his second career no-no against the Reds in Week Seven, the first in MLB this season. He is another SP that has been working on lowering his ratio stats to more useful levels, and with a current 5.48 ERA over his nine starts this season, he is likely available as a free agent in a majority of leagues. He does have a pair of away appearances on tap in Week Eight, but fared well in Toronto and Boston before no-hitting Cincy last Wednesday. The recent success aside, without the no-hitter, he would usually be residing much lower in this tier.

Kikuchi has now allowed just one earned run in each of his last two starts, racking up a pair of consecutive quality starts (QS). This is what fantasy drafters were expecting when they salivated over him in drafts this past March. He now showcases a useful 3.54 ERA to go with his superb 1.06 WHIP, and while his K rate is below average (7.1 K/9 over 48.1 IP), his great control is certainly an asset on the hill (1.9 BB/9 through nine starts). Two home starts in Week Eight is an additional plus on his asset sheet.

Weaver, just like Kikuchi, is working on a two-game QS streak, holding Colorado at Coors and the Braves at his home field to a single earned run each. He also yielded just three hits in each of those contests, while collecting 14 Ks as a bonus for his fantasy owners. All of his peripherals look strong, and he has a pair of home games coming up in his two-start week.

Gibson racked up 11 Ks in his most recent time toeing the rubber, and did that against the Blue Jays, who while not the most patient offensive squad, are not known for their aberrant free-swinging ways. He does get to face the Mariners in his second start this coming week, so more helpful strikeout numbers may be in his future (he has the Angels at home on Tuesday, and they are a patient bunch, though). Despite generating a bunch of grounders from opposing hitters (2.0 GB/FB rate through 38.2 IP), he does give up more than his average share of dingers (1.4 HR/9 in his seven starts), but neither his home park in St. Paul or the Seattle ballfield are extraordinarily dangerous in terms of generating homerun numbers.

Since joining the Royals’ rotation at the end of April, Duffy has been effective, and is working on a two consecutive QS streak heading into Week Eight. Looking at his peripheral stats, though, hints are there that his early success may fade soon. Facing Texas at home is a favorable matchup, while the second start in Anaheim against the Angels may be an occasion to move the Royal southpaw to your bench.

Thornton, the 25-year old rookie righty, is reeling after giving up five earned runs on a pair of homers and seven hits coupled with two walks against the visiting Twins. Prior to that, he had acquitted himself well in a couple of starts where he held the opposition to just three safeties and allowed just a single earned run. His matchups this coming scoring period are favorable, though, even with both being away from his home base in Toronto. Featuring a 93 MPH fastball, he provides useful K numbers (9.4 K/9 over his accumulated 37.1 IP), so there is that, even if he is less than fully dependable as an arm for your rotation.

The Orioles have a pair of decent SPs for fantasy purposes in Cashner and John Means these days (Means had his two-start Week Seven ruined due to a rain-out). Cashner is pitching away from Camden Yards for both his appearances in Week Eight, which is normally a good thing for an Oriole hurler, but Cashner’s tendencies indicate a preference for home cooking since coming to Baltimore. He is a mediocre streaming option, especially against the Indians in his second start.

Peacock has sandwiched a pair of QS around a catastrophic start in Minnesota where he let the Twins roll up seven earned runs in less than four innings of work on the hill. He has been hit or miss all season, but does get to face the Tigers in his first start this coming week, and that lines up as a good time to employ his services. Against Boston to close out the scoring period is much shakier. He is striking out better than a batter per inning just, as witnessed by his 9.1 K/9 rate over the 37.2 innings under his belt to date this season.

Lopez wraps up the middle tier, and while he has contributed four QS out of his last five appearances, his ERA and WHIP are ugly: 6.38 and 1.75 respectively. He does provide Ks with his 10.0 K/9 rate this year on a 94 MPH fastball, but his control is lacking (4.5 BB/9) and his propensity to allow opposing hitters to put up fly balls (0.70 GB/FB rate over 42.1 IP) has led to an unattractive 1.91 HR/9 ratio. It is only the fact he pitches at home for both his games that allows him to occupy the bottom rung of the middle tier ladder. Feel free to pass him by if you are not swayed by his games at Guaranteed Rate Field, not exactly a pitcher’s paradise this season.

If you seek approval to start any of these 14 SPs, you will need to search elsewhere. Here, the suggestion is to simply avoid using any of these arms in either of their starts, and reap the benefits (or more to the point, avoid the damage) that your ratio and counting stats will experience. Some weeks, one or two of the bottom tier starters can offer a glimmer of hope as a streaming option, but that is not the case in Week Eight.

Feel free also to send any starting pitching or other fantasy baseball questions to ia@fantasyalarm.com for a private response to your specific issue. The more detail you can provide about your team and league, including settings (H2H vs roto, points or categories, weekly or daily moves, roster size, league size, etc.) the better the response will be suited to your individual situation. As ever, good luck and Godspeed in all your fantasy endeavors.