Two-Start Pitchers/Streaming Starters: A Webb Of Starts

There are an equal number of arms in the top two groups as there are in the bottom tier. And then there are the streaming options below the dual start options, with Thursday offering up a set of four hurlers to add to your roster, going forward or merely for limited roster residency.

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:

These nine pitchers are the SP’s you want to plug in for both their starts, no matter which team opposes them nor where the games are taking place. Marquez benefits this week from a pair of games away from Coors Field. Ray continues to look reborn in Toronto, and he gets the opportunity to revenge himself against the Red Sox who just handed him a loss. 

Webb has a pair of home starts this week, and given his home/road splits this season, that is a positive for him this coming week. His 9.6 K/9 rate is attractive, although his control needs some work. His advanced metrics all speak to continued success at the major league level.

Keller has a streak of three quality starts on his recent resume, and gets to face division rival Chicago at home, and getting the White Sox on the road is a plus. Neither of his starts are top-notch matchups, so despite his recent success on the mound, it lands him here in the middle tier.

Anderson, despite being a member of a last-place team’s rotation, is having a successful time on the hill of late. He has twirled four QS over his last seven starts. He offers average K potential, with good control, so his ability to continue pitching well has good potential.

Houck has been effective in a small sample size as a major league starter, and is providing excellent strikeout numbers while demonstrating good control (11.5 K/9, 2.0 BB/9). The Ks should rack up in his second start against the Rays, who strike out the most of all MLB offenses, although may suffer in the first home start against the Blue Jays. 

Megill is working on two consecutive scoreless outings, and has only allowed two earned runs over his past four appearances. His two starts this week are at home, where he has been slightly better although he has not stumbled when away from Citi Field so far, either. He is accumulating Ks at a 9.9 K/9 pace, although beware as his advance metrics hint at a coming negative regression adjustment, a frequent occurrence with rookie pitchers.

Wacha is another middle tier SP with a pair of home starts (four of seven) and as he faces a couple of division rivals, that is a positive aspect to his schedule. He is demonstrating good control, too, which helps offset his unwieldly ratio stats: 5.16 ERA and 1.34 WHIP through his 66.1 IP in 2021 (12 starts, 17 appearances). If not for the home starts, he would likely end up a bottom-tier denizen. Not this scoring period, though. Just be careful about using him going forward.

Muller, the rookie southpaw that is now a fixture in the Brave rotation, despite stumbling in his last outing. He allowed just a single earned run, but walked three and pitched deep into a number of counts. He does have a pair of first place teams on the schedule this week, so despite his good ratio stats and Ks (not so much his control as evidenced by his inflated 5.0 BB/9 rate), he is a risky two start option. 

There is a boatload of pitchers to avoid despite the allure of two starts in the current scoring period. The two White Sox hurlers at the top of the tier have decent matchups, but their performances of late are not sufficient to justify trusting them at this point. The Heaney start against the Rockies away from Coors Field carries a bit of attraction, although he has been so unpredictable as to be less than a dependable option any given start. The balance are best left sitting on the wire or as free agents.

Potential Streaming Options for Week 

There is no promise that each game day will provide a streaming option. First of all, the pitcher must be available in at least 50% of leagues to be a viable candidate to snag off the wire. Then, the pitchers discussed above are not included as they have a different sort of value, even though some might be available as free agents in your league. Plus, some days the matchups and/or venues just do not figure as positive enough factors to favor plugging the arm into your rotation, even for one start. That all being said, here are this week’s best streaming candidates:

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Eric Lauer (L) MIL @ PIT Max Kranick (R)

Lauer had dealt three quality starts (QS) out prior to tossing five two run (zero earned) innings against the visiting Royals in his most recent start. He has pushed his ERA to a more fantasy friendly 3.52, down from the inflated 5.21 before his current hot streak. He takes on the last place Pirates albeit on the road which makes him a good option to stream mid-week.

Wily Peralta (R) DET @ MIN J.A. Happ

The converted reliever has had a couple of missteps in his seven starts for the Tigers, including his last effort in KC where he yielded five earned runs, partly as a result of two crash-bombs he allowed to the Royal hitters, but overall he has been a steadying influence on the young Tiger starting staff. Here he heads to Minnesota to take on a division rival that is not exactly a powerhouse and is under .500 at home this season, as well. 

Thursday, July 29, 2021

David Price (L) LAD @ SF Johnny Cueto (R)

Price is getting close to being owned to such a percentage he will no longer qualify as a streamer here, but is still available in better than half of Yahoo and ESPN leagues. He came within one out of lasting long enough to rack up a QS in his last trip to toe the rubber, and is now pitching deep enough in games to pick up decisions. He offers good K potential and is still able to limit the free passes. It seems likely he is locked in to the Dodger rotation for the meantime, and he should be a target if he is on your waiver wire or a free agent to add.

Patrick Sandoval (L) LAA vs OAK Frankie Montas (R)

Sandoval’s streak of performances where he held opponents to three runs or less came to a halt against the visiting Mariners but he has been a steady performer for a couple of months as a member of the Angel rotation. He is a fine source of Ks with his 9.7 K/9 rate. Plus, he gets to pitch at home for this matchup.

Alec Mills (R) CHC vs CIN Luis Castillo (R)

Mills is coming off a loss where the Cards scored five times, but only one of those was an earned run. He is a short-term member of the Cubs rotation, most likely, so use him as a streamer while you can. Getting to hike atop the hill at home is a plus, although the Reds have been a better than .500 team away from Cincy this season to date. His K rate has been improving, with a 20:4 K/BB ratio to his credit over his last three games.

Chad Kuhl (R) PIT vs MIL Freddie Peralta

A home start plays into the 28-year-old’s strengths, and his recent uptick in K rate should be another plus in taking on the free-swinging Brewer lineup. His ratio stats are trending in the proper direction with his recent success on the bump, his ERA now a not so terrible 4.38 although the 1.36 WHIP is still unappealing, and reflects his sporadic control issues.

Saturday, July 31, 2021

Merrill Kelly (R) ARI vs LAD Josiah Gray (R)

Kelly has collected four victories (and two no-decisions) over his last six outings for the Diamondbacks, putting up a very intriguing 2.56 ERA and 0.93 WHIP over those 38.2 IP. He also gets to face the opponent at home in this contest, where he has been much more effective this season. Even though the Dodgers are in the top10 in terms of swings and misses on offense, his 6.3 K/9 rate does not bode well for big counting stat numbers.

Sunday, August 1, 2021

Dane Dunning (R) TEX vs SEA TBD

The Ranger second year SP is not being allowed to pitch deep into games, which limits his utility in terms of providing victories for his fantasy owners. The draw is the better than strikeout per inning stuff (9.4 K9 through 83.2 IP) plus a home start, given his home/road splits that favor him indulging in home cooking on game day. It is not all that often we can look to a streaming option that is not a two-start pitcher on Sundays, so enjoy this opportunity.

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.