This week the options are spread out pretty much evenly through the three tiers of two-start pitchers, with some notable names falling down to bottom shelf where you take a serious risk of damaging your fantasy team's pitching performance. Of course, you may disagree with my assessments, and thus are free to gamble on some bounce back performances from a few big name SPs that have hit upon recent hard times.

Corey Kluber Cleveland IndiansTo 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.

Start 'em If You Own 'em

Starting Pitcher

First Start/Opponent/Date

Second Start/Opponent/Date

Corey Kluber CLE

vs. SEA Taijuan Walker

@ DET Alfredo Simon

 

Tue 6/9 7:10 PM ET

Sun 6/14 1:08 PM ET

Max Scherzer WAS

@ NYY Masahiro Tanaka

@ MIL TBA

 

Tue 6/9 7:05 PM ET

Sun 6/14 2:10 PM ET

Chris Sale CHW

vs. HOU Lance McCullers

@ TB Nate Karns

 

Mon 6/8 8:10 PM ET

Sun 6/14 1:10 PM ET

James Shields SD

@ ATL Michael Foltynewicz

vs. LAD Mike Bolsinger

 

Tue 6/9 7:10 PM ET

Sun 6/14 4:10 PM ET

Cole Hamels PHI

@ CIN Mike Leake

@ PIT A.J. Burnett

 

Mon 6/8 7:10 PM ET

Sun 6/14 1:35 PM ET

Jon Lester CHC

@ DET Anibal Sanchez

vs. CIN Anthony DeSclafani

 

Tue 6/9 7:08 PM ET

Sun 6/14 8:08 PM ET

Sonny Gray OAK

vs. TEX Nick Martinez

@ LAA Hector Santiago

 

Tue 6/9 10:05 PM ET

Sun 6/14 3:35 PM ET

Shelby Miller ATL

vs. SD Ian Kennedy

@ NYM Bartolo Colon

 

Mon 6/8 7:10 PM ET

Sat 6/13 4:10 PM ET

The top tier is not huge, but all these pitchers should be used in both their starts. Do not worry about the opponent or the park, these SPs provide your best bet this week for a couple of good pitching performances. I considered dropping Miller to the middle tier, but his season long performance keeps him up top. No real reason to doubt any of the other seven starters, just wind them up and let them go throw.

Maybe Yes, Maybe No

Starting Pitcher

First Start/Opponent/Date

Second Start/Opponent/Date

John Lackey STL

@ COL Chad Bettis

vs. KC Jason Vargas

 

Mon 6/8 8:40 PM ET

Sun 6/14 2:15 PM ET

Hector Santiago LAA

@ TB Nate Karns

vs. OAK Sonny Gray

 

Tue 6/9 7:10 PM ET

Sun 6/14 3:35 PM ET

Anthony DeSclafani CIN

vs. PHI Aaron Harang

@ CHC Jon Lester

 

Tue 6/9 7:10 PM ET

Sun 6/14 8:08 PM ET

Lance McCullers HOU

@ CHW Chris Sale

vs. SEA Taijuan Walker

 

Mon 6/8 8:10 PM ET

Sun 6/14 2:10 PM ET

Rubby De La Rosa ARI

@ LAD Mike Bolsinger

@ SF Chris Heston

 

Mon 6/8 10:10 PM ET

Sun 6/14 4:05 PM ET

Mike Bolsinger LAD

vs. ARI Rubby De La Rosa

@ SD James Shields

 

Mon 6/8 10:10 PM ET

Sun 6/14 4:10 PM ET

Miguel Gonzalez BAL

vs. BOS Eduardo Rodriguez

vs. NYY CC Sabathia

 

Tue 6/9 7:05 PM ET

Sun 6/14 1:35 PM ET

A.J. Burnett PIT

vs. MIL Jimmy Nelson

vs. PHI Cole Hamels

 

Mon 6/8 7:05 PM ET

Sun 6/14 1:35 PM ET

Nick Martinez TEX

@ OAK Sonny Gray

vs. MIN Phil Hughes

 

Tue 6/9 10:05 PM ET

Sun 6/14 3:05 PM ET

Michael Foltynewicz ATL

vs. SD James Shields

@ NYM Jacob deGrom

 

Tue 6/9 7:10 PM ET

Sun 6/14 1:10 PM ET

Nate Karns TB

vs. LAA Hector Santiago

vs. CHW Chris Sale

 

Tue 6/9 7:10 PM ET

Sun 6/14 1:10 PM ET

Dan Haren MIA

@ TOR Mark Buehrle

vs. COL Jorge De La Rosa

 

Tue 6/9 7:07 PM ET

Sun 6/14 1:10 PM ET

Jorge De La Rosa COL

vs. STL Michael Wacha

@ MIA Dan Haren

 

Tue 6/9 8:40 PM ET

Sun 6/14 1:10 PM ET

Mike Leake CIN

vs. PHI Cole Hamels

@ CHC Kyle Hendricks

 

Mon 6/8 7:10 PM ET

Sat 6/13 7:15 PM ET

The middle tier is not huge this week, and thus I will only break it down into a couple of sub-tiers. The first opens with Lackey and ends with Baltimore's Gonzalez. Lackey has been much better at homeJohn Lackey St. Louis Cardinals than on the road this season, but he has been exhibiting great control and keeping the ball inside the park for the most part, so despite the first start at Coors, he is still the best of the pitchers that occupy the middle tier. Santiago is probably due for a bit of regression at some point, but the two starts this week project well for him, pitching in a good park on the road to open the week in Tampa, then facing the reeling A's to wrap things up on Sunday. DeSclafani is a pitcher you want to use when he takes the mound at home, but fortunately for him, his road start is at Wrigley, a very pitcher favorable park this season. McCullers control has been much more effective as an Astro than he had shown in the minors, so be prepared for the free passes to take a jump. Still, so long as his charmed situation continues and he keeps racking up the Ks, he is worth using, especially against the free swinging Mariners and light hitting White Sox. The Diamonbacks' De La Rosa has been collecting more Ks, which helps offset his tendency to serve up homers. Being on the road should help a bit, although he did allow two round trips in his earlier outing at Dodger Stadium this season, so keep that in mind. Bolsinger gets to face De La Rosa early in the week, and while he has been stumbling a bit recently, any pitcher can struggle at Coors Field. Look for him to bounce back. Gonzalez is also looking to recover after a less than stellar result against Houston with a pair of home games. He has been very good at Camden Yards, so this is a good week to insert him in your rotation.

Jorge De La Rosa Colorado RockiesThe bottom sub-tier begins with a couple of SPs suffering from expected regression, Burnett and Martinez. Both of these pitchers were simply pitching over their heads, and you had to expect some return to reality to take place. I would give the edge to Burnett in terms of opponents, but both have a good chance to provide nice results. Foltynewicz and Karns are good sources of Ks who struggle with control. On venue issues alone, I like Karns two home starts better than Foltynewicz home and away situation, but I also would use either or both if I was looking for strikeouts. Haren came within one out of tossing his fourth consecutive QS, but he has been remarkably effective overall this season. He does have to head to Toronto to face the Jays' powerful offense, but at least he gets the Rockies at his home park in his second outing in Week 10. The second De La Rosa in this tier has not been much of a fantasy option, except with regard to strikeouts. His control has been suspect and his scheduled start of Sunday has been pushed back to Tuesday, making him a two-start option in Week 10. He should be rested when he faces the Cards and he has looked better in his past three outings, although the walks continue to be a concern. Leake wraps the middle tier up, and is a decent option if he faces a weaker offense, such as Philadelphia in his first start in the scoring period. I do like him in his second start, though, as he has been a road warrior this season and Wrigley is playing like a pitchers' park this season so far.

Not On My Roster

Starting Pitcher

First Start/Opponent/Date

Second Start/Opponent/Date

Brad Hand MIA

@ TOR Marco Estrada

vs. COL Chad Bettis

 

Mon 6/8 7:07 PM ET

Sat 6/13 4:10 PM ET

Marco Estrada TOR

vs. MIA Brad Hand

@ BOS Clay Buchholz

 

Mon 6/8 7:07 PM ET

Sun 6/14 1:35 PM ET

Jason Vargas KC

@ MIN Phil Hughes

@ STL John Lackey

 

Mon 6/8 8:10 PM ET

Sun 6/14 2:15 PM ET

Taijuan Walker SEA

@ CLE Corey Kluber

@ HOU Lance McCullers

 

Tue 6/9 7:10 PM ET

Sun 6/14 2:10 PM ET

Chris Heston SF

@ NYM Noah Syndergaard

vs. ARI Rubby De La Rosa

 

Tue 6/9 7:10 PM ET

Sun 6/14 4:05 PM ET

Phil Hughes MIN

vs. KC Jason Vargas

@ TEX Nick Martinez

 

Mon 6/8 8:10 PM ET

Sun 6/14 3:05 PM ET

Jimmy Nelson MIL

@ PIT A.J. Burnett

vs. WAS TBA

 

Mon 6/8 7:05 PM ET

Sat 6/13 4:10 PM ET

Ian Kennedy SD

@ ATL Shelby Miller

vs. LAD Zack Greinke

 

Mon 6/8 7:10 PM ET

Sat 6/13 10:10 PM ET

The bottom tier consists of pitchers I just am not willing to trust for two starts, or for that matter, even one start in certain cases. Hand, Estrada and Vargas all have at least one bad match up on the road inTiajuan Walker Seattle Mariners Week 10, and Vargas fares the worst with his two starts, as he faces teams that put a hurt on a pitcher easily enough. Walker is coming off a pair of good starts, but his season is a representation of inconsistency, so I am not trusting him enough to succeed on the road in two starts. Heston has been generous with the runs lately, and that concerns me enough to avoid him this scoring period. Hughes, Nelson and Kennedy likewise need to show me some reliability to want to run them out there for two starts. Hughes' home run numbers especially have me worried. Of course, two good starts from any of these pitchers will likely move them up a tier the next time they get two starts in a scoring period.

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