Fantasy Baseball Week 13 Two-Start Pitchers & Streaming Starters: Shohei Ohtani With A Pair Of Starts At Home

The top tier is chock full of dual start options this week, so it is hoped you are able to take advantage of one or more of those arms for a pair of trips to toe the rubber this scoring period. The middle group has a smaller collection of hurlers to consider for a couple of starts, but be careful of relying too heavily on those couple of starting pitchers profiled at the bottom end of the tier. Of course, there are plenty of pitchers heading to the middle of the diamond this week that you should not consider for either of their appearances, let alone both. In the second half of this article, a number of streaming options are discussed, and they are there for your consideration if you need the start or innings or some counting stats to prop up your team in Week 13. Once you have had the opportunity to review the starting pitching suggestions, make a trip to the other regions of our Fantasy Alarm site to aid you in your fantasy sports efforts. Adam Ronis recently published his latest Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire article on Saturday and Colby Conway’s MLB Streaks & Trends went live shortly thereafter as he touched on the most notable fantasy baseball risers and fallers. But let’s dig into the top fantasy baseball two-start pitchers and streaming options for week 13.

These 14 pitchers are all worthy of plugging in for both their trips to the top of the hill, and reaping the benefits of having had the foresight to draft them back before the 2023 season began (or picked them up via trade or perhaps off the wire before your league mates realized these were ace quality arms). Giolito was a late addition to the dual start ranks in Week 13, and despite having to face off against the top name in the top tier, he is still a worthy addition to your rotation if you have him on your roster.

Luis Castillo is still carrying some fine ratio stats despite seeing his quality start (QS) streak end with his last two appearances for the Mariners: 2.89 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over his 15 starts in 2023. He has two home starts on the docket this coming week, and he has definitely been much more of a home-park star this season. He is racking up plenty of strikeouts while on the bump, but his control has deserted him of late with 10 BBs over his last 10.2 IP. Look for him to rebound pitching at T-Mobile Park in Week 13.

Reid Detmers, the young southpaw, held the Dodgers scoreless over 7.0 IP in his most recent trip to toe the rubber, allowing just two hits and one walk and whiffing eight opposing hitters. It was his second QS in a row, and it pushed his once ugly ERA downward to just over 4.00 (4.02 actually). He is a great source of Ks with a 10.9 K/9 ratio accumulated over his 69.1 IP to date, although as with Castillo above, his control is questionable, that issue has been plaguing him all season. Two home games this coming scoring period, although the second against the Diamondbacks, who play well on the road, does not profile as a tremendous opportunity necessarily.

Julio Teheran, the Milwaukee veteran righthander, is on the road for both his times atop the hill this week, but he has shown superb skills no matter which venue he has been pitching in so far since his return to action in May. He is flashing some impressive ratio numbers, with a 1.53 ERA and 0.88 WHIP through six starts in this season. His control also abandoned him in his last outing, passing out four free passes to the visiting Diamondbacks, and he has not been a strong K producer as evidenced by his below-average 5.9 K/9 rate. He does have a pair of favorable road matchups on the slate.

Paul Blackburn’s no-decision streak reached five games with his last outing in Cleveland. He does pitch for a team whose offense is mired at the bottom of offensive production in all of baseball. On the positive side, he has developed a heretofore undisclosed ability to miss bats, as demonstrated by his superb 10.5 K/9 rate over the 25.2 IP he has tossed this season. He has two home starts on tap, where he has been effective against a couple of tough opponents, which is a plus for the veteran righty.

Drew Smyly picked up his second consecutive win in his last outing, despite handing out a season-high five walks. He has two home starts on his schedule, but that is not a positive given his home/road splits in 2023. He offers average K potential at best, but has produced good ratio stats for his owners this season: 3.38 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. 

Taj Bradley, the rookie righthander, is coming off an impressive home victory over Baltimore, holding the Oriole offense to a single tally over his 6.0 IP, and collecting a QS, too. He hits the trail for two starts in Week 13, a good portent given his road-warrior status this season. He offers elite strikeout numbers (71 Ks over his limited 49.0 IP, for an eye-popping 13.0 K/9 rate) and his advanced metrics indicate that despite his success while atop the bump, things might get even better as his season progresses. 

Michael Kopech has one redeeming characteristic while toiling on the mound, and that is his impressive strikeout skills (10.3 K/9 over 82.0 IP), since his control and ability to keep the ball in the park are suspect: 4.6 BB/9, 1.8 HR/9. He may have been lucky to put up his less than stellar numbers, too, judging by his 5.34 FIP (his ERA is at a palatable 4.06), and likely unsustainable .250 BABIP and 84.1 % LOB. Still, if you need Ks, the game in Oakland looks promising, although he faces Blackburn who is profiled a bit above.

Andrew Heaney continues to provide strikeout numbers when he takes his place on the hill, collecting more than a K per frame (9.5 K/9 over 72.1 IP). He is handing out free passes to opposing hitters too frequently to be more than a middle of the rotation SP, but he has been effective in ramping down his ratios, with a 3.98 ERA and 1.29 WHIP as of this date. Both his appearances this week are at home, where he has struggled, and thus he sits at the lower end of the middle tier.

It is possible you will find a need for some innings and perhaps some counting stats to carry you through Week 13’s trials and tribulations, and although none of these bottom tier arms are worthy of being used for two starts, you may find a SP or two, with a decent matchup in a favorable venue, among the bottom tier. Not a preferred approach to setting your rotation, but if desperate, look for those arms that are facing the struggling offenses if you must rely on any of these pitchers.

Potential Streaming Options for Week 13

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:

Bryan Woo, Seattle Mariners vs Washington Nationals

Since being beat up in his first start, the rookie righty has acquitted himself quite nicely while toiling on the bump, posting a 2.30 ERA and 0.83 WHIP over those 15.2 IP, with a nice 21:4 K/BB ratio to bolster that success. Here he gets a home start against a less than overwhelming opponent. 

JP Sears, Oakland Athletics vs Clarke Schmidt, New York Yankees

Both sides of this matchup have points to recommend the scheduled SPs. Sears, the Oakland second-year southpaw, has demonstrated an ability to miss bats (8.6 K/9 over 83.1 IP) as well as effective control while dealing from the hill (1.8 BB/9 in 15 starts). He has also been effective while pitching at home this season. Schmidt, although his W/L record does not reflect it (1-2), has been pitching effectively over his last six outings, racking up an attractive 2.56 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over those 31.2 IP. The Yankee 27-year-old righty is the least attractive of the two pitchers in this contest, but not by much, simple due to his home/road splits so far this season.

Wade Miley, Milwaukee Brewers @ New York Mets

Miley left his most recent start due to cramps, and the team was being cautious as there seems little likelihood he will not that the ball for his next scheduled start in New York. He has proven significantly better when pitching on the road this season, so that is one reason to plug him in for a streaming start. On the negative side, he is not much of a strikeout pitcher (5.9 K/9 through 52.2 IP) and his peripheral metrics indicate he has enjoyed luck that may turn around on him at some time soon: .233 BABIP, 4.31 FIP vs 2.91 ERA, 81.9% LOB. There are pluses and minuses on his ledger; the road dominance suggests giving him a shot here.

Tommy Henry, Arizona Diamondbacks vs Tampa Bay Rays

Not the greatest matchup on the board, but Henry’s team has been a surprise this season with their superior play through the first half of the season. He does get to take on the Rays away from their home park, where they are much more formidable. He is also coming off a pair of consecutive QS, so the hot hand theory applies.

J.P. France, Houston Astros @ St. Louis Cardinals

France has been hot and cold with his K production, and this opponent is not necessarily one that is known for their free-swinging ways, so the more compelling aspect of his game is the potential to add to his three game QS streak here on the road, where he has been extraordinarily effective in 2023. He faces a struggling Cardinal team, so that has appeal in this matchup, too.

Griffin Canning, Los Angeles Angels vs Chicago White Sox

The 27-year-old right-hander resumed his QS production in his last time on the bump, albeit in a no-decision against the host Royals. He is a good source for Ks with his 8.3 K/9 rate over 59.1 IP, and is continuing to push his ERA down to a more palatable level for his fantasy owners, currently at 4.40, with a useful 1.21 WHIP to accompany in the ratio stat area. His opponent struggles mightily on the road and that is where the White Sox find themselves in this contest.

Kyle Hendricks, Chicago Cubs vs Philadelphia Phillies

The Cub veteran righty is not much for whiff production, but he has been successful limiting opposing offenses from tallying scores, yielding just three earned runs over his last three starts, all victories credited to him. His stingy ratios are drawing cards: 2.60 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over his limited half dozen starts this year. The Phillies are struggling to win on the road and Hendricks, while more of a road warrior this season, should benefit from that situation.

Osvaldo Bido, Pittsburgh Pirates vs Milwaukee Brewers

The rookie righty had one poor inning in his last start, a QS at that, where he allowed three runs over 6.0 IP. He did collect seven Ks in that game, and he gets to face a team that is atop the teams that swing and miss frequently this season in this contest. Small sample size to evaluate the youngster, but perhaps he can continue to confound hitters for another start.

Christopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies vs Washington Nationals

Keep an eye on how the third-year SP performs in his next start, as he took a comebacker off his hand in the previous start against the A’s in Oakland. Presuming he gets to the bump for this outing, he has a good matchup, although the Nationals have produced the fewest Ks among MLB teams as of the writing of this article, so temper expectations in that area. Another example of a small sample size to gauge potential production, but his peripheral stats indicate that even better results could be in his future.

Kyle Bradish, Baltimore Orioles vs Minnesota Twins

Bradish looked strong in Tampa Bay, holding the Rays to two earned runs on four hits, while racking up eight Ks in his 5.0 IP. He has a home start at the end of the scoring period, and has been much better at Camden Yards this season than when trapezing out on the road with the Orioles. The Twins are the MLB leader in strikeouts, which plays well to the second-year righthanders 8.3 K/9 rate achieved over his 13 starts comprising 65.0 IP.

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