Two Start Pitchers for Week 6: Scherzer, Cole & More

Week 6 arrives with some nice options for fantasy owners seeking starting pitching help, especially with pitchers scheduled to take to the mound twice this scoring period. To help you prepare your rotations, I present the Two Start Pitchers as scheduled for the next week in MLB action. One caveat is that these charts assume that your fantasy week begins on Monday. I made that decision because I have no leagues that do not provide for a Monday start, and it seems to be the standard scoring system. Of course, if you have questions about starting pitchers who are going on Sunday and thus will presumably have another start during the week being profiled, do not be hesitant to drop me an e-mail (see my address at the bottom of the article) and I will attempt to get back with you in a timely fashion. Of course, you could also look to my Streaming Pitcher articles for additional SP suggestions.

The pitchers below are tiered, the first being no-brainers (in my opinion), the second tier being those I would consider adding to my roster and the final tier comprised of pitchers I do not trust at all. Of course, opinions differ and you can let us know if you disagree in the comments.

Let us move on to see who can provide those helpful two starts in next week's fantasy contests.

As I frequently write, I would simply insert any of these SPs in my lineup and forget about them. There are not so many this week, but I trust all these pitchers to carry their burden well this upcoming week. Carrasco is the only player who I hesitated to add to the top tier, but you have to love his strikeout potential. Admittedly, his control has been off a titch the past couple of starts, but I do like his matchups this week, getting the Cardinals at home and facing a mediocre Texas team in his second start. For all you Strasburg doubters, these two games on the road should help to determine if he deserves top-tier status, or should be moved to the middle tier. His splits have favored him toeing the rubber at home this season.

The middle tier is comprised of three sub-tiers this week. The first starts with Lynn and runs through Kennedy. Lynn has lost two of his last three starts, allowing 11 earned runs over those 11 innings. The other four starts have been gems, however, where he allowed just one earned run over the four starts. I am banking on the four good starts as more reflective of his skill set, and despite the start on the road and having to face the Tiger offense, he is my top option in the middle tier this week. Leake is coming off a pair of stellar outings, but those were on the road where he has been masterful this season. Two home starts are concerning, but he is lucky right now (.193 BABIP on the season) and could continue the streak. Neither Atlanta nor San Francisco have looked like road warriors this season. Lewis is looking like the pitcher he was a few seasons ago, racking up strikeouts, limiting free passes and keeping the ball in the park. Now might be the time to snag him if he sits on your waiver wire. Frias is 2-0 in his two starts, and while he was touched for three earned runs by the Brewers in his last outing, the 11:3 K/BB ratio hints at good results going forward. It would be nice to see a six inning effort and maybe that can take place this week, as he faces a couple of beatable teams at home in Miami and Colorado. Samardzija has not been the dominant No. 2 the White Sox envisioned when they signed him this off-season, but is coming off a QS against Detroit where he allowed just two earned runs over seven innings. I like his chances to shine against the Brewers in his first start, and pitching in Oakland is not a horrible road venue. Duffy was a guy I liked later in drafts, and he was looking good until his recent one inning start against the Indians where he allowed four earned runs. Still, the overall results have been positive, and I look for a rebound when he gets to take on the Rangers. The second start against the Yankees is not so promising, except that he gets to face off against the struggling Sabathia, so there is that positive point. Paxton is coming off two strong outings where he lasted seven innings in each appearance, allowing a pair of earned runs each time. He has not been good at home, but will look to turn that trend around this week. The strikeouts are there, but a bit more control would be helpful in his efforts. Kennedy appears to be over his hamstring injury, having thrown a couple of strong starts recently following that horrendous eight earned run effort on April 25^th against the Dodgers. I am considering him back to normal, and that means strikeouts and limited run production by the opponent.

The middle tier opens with Heston and ends with Jiminez. Heston is not looking quite as good as he was early on, with two bad outing out of his last three. He is still limiting walks, although his strikeout rate is merely pedestrian. He has not been as good on the road as at home, so this week's two starts are somewhat concerning. He has shown good skills, though, and in a deeper league he is still worth starting. Martinez's ERA took a hit when he allowed three earned runs at Tampa in his last start, but it still sits at a tasty 1.47. He has been a nice surprise for the Rangers, and his ground ball ways will help him in his two home starts this week. Burnett has been terribly unlucky in terms of getting run support from his offense, or he would have a better record on the season than 1-1, as he has allowed just seven earned runs over 38 IP in 2015. You have to ride his streak, although the lack of victories with such good pitching is frustrating. Miller has been pitching like an ace for the Braves, and has yet to allow more than two earned runs in any of his starts. He is coming off a three hit shutout of the Phillies and will look to continue his dominant ways on the road in Cincy and Miami. Volquez suffered a blister on his thumb in his last start, possibly accounting for his six walk effort against the Indians, resulting in his shortest outing of the season (three innings). He is not going to hit the DL, and presumably his thumb will not give him further trouble going forward. He does not have the greatest match ups this week, going to Texas and then facing the streaking Yankees, but his team is not exactly struggling, either. Jiminez gets two home games this week, where he has yet to yield an earned run. True, he does face the Blue Jays who roughed him up in Toronto three starts ago, but he has been dependable for the most part this year, and like I said, he is at home.

The final tier begins with Porcello, who has been striking out more hitters but generating less ground balls this season. The lack of grounders is interfering with his peripherals, as his ERA sits at 4.38 on the season. His two starts this scoring period do occur in parks that favor pitchers, so perhaps the lack of ground outs will not affect his efforts too much. Syndergaard was called up to take the place of Dillon Gee, who hits the DL with a groin issue. Syndergaard has been stellar at Triple-A, posting a 1.82 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in five starts. He is the top pitching prospect in baseball, and it will be interesting to see how he fares against MLB hitters. He is likely not available in your league, but if your fellow owners are asleep at the wheel, I would suggest grabbing him immediately. Collmenter has three victories on the year, and has been a good source of Ks, while limiting the walks. I do not really like his match ups this week, and thus he sits this low in the middle tier. He could surprise, as any pitcher that limits base runners as Collmenter has always has a chance to produce. Peralta is pitching much better of late, allowing just five earned runs over the past three starts comprising 20 innings. His big problem has been a lack of offensive support. His first opponent has been awful on the road, as the White Sox are 2-11 away from their home park. It is not a horrible thing to pitch in Citi Field in his second start, and he gets to face the rookie Snynergaard to wind up the week. Eovaldi, the hard throwing Yankee SP, has been relatively successful on the season, but his 1.56 WHIP concerns me. I think he could suffer a blow up at any point, and do not fully trust him yet. Plus, a mediocre strikeout rate and 1.3 HR/9 ratio are also red flags. DeSclafani struggled in his last two starts, both on the road, allowing a total of seven earned runs over 10 innings. His control deserted him, and while he has been good at home this year, I am hesitating to use his before seeing him limit the walks as he did early on this season. Simon winds up the bottom tier, and when you look at his 4-1 record, you may ask why. His last two starts have not been up the standards he set early on in April, with nine earned runs inflating his ERA to 3.44 and his WHIP to 1.25. While those are still better than his career averages, it does represent regression. I like him for his first game against the Twins, but would hesitate to use him on the road in St. Louis.

I would not use any of these pitchers this week. All are questionable due to recent production, or in certain cases, their career track records. Buehrle, Sabathia and perhaps Koehler may be streaming options if you are desperate, but relying on them for two starts is not wise. At least, in the case of Matzuk, he gets to pitch away from Coors Field, but that is small comfort. Just say no thanks to these SPs.

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