Two-Start Pitchers/Pitching Streamers: Week 4

Another week, another set of COVID suspensions/postponements to deal with when attempting to set up a fantasy rotation. This is certainly proving to be a trying season for the fantasy owners out there, but we continue to strive for success in the management of our squads. Fortunately, there are still a number of top tier and more middle tier dual appearance options to consider going into the fourth week of baseball play.     

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 adieu, here are this week’s two start pitchers:

Only seven wind them up and let them go options this upcoming week. It is good to see how Dylan Bundy is doing now that he escaped his prison in Baltimore and that punishing home park…and less than helpful offense backing him. He has been an immediate benefit for the Angels this season, and those who took a chance on him in his new home are reaping huge benefits.

The Milwaukee righthander has been stellar in his two trips to toe the rubber in 2020. Adrian Houser is sporting an appetizing pair of ratio stats: 0.75 ERA and 0.92 WHIP through two starts, covering 12.0 IP. This sort of success is due for some adjustment, so be forewarned, but his tougher start this week gets him at home against the Twins. At the same time heading to Chicago to take on the first place Cubs is no walk in the park, pun intended, sorta. The major concern is his lack of control, as he has a decent but not exciting 9:5 K/BB ratio so far this year, but his control was better than that last season, so could just be small sample size bias.

Ryan Yarbrough had been almost as effective as Houser, but his final frame against the Red Sox ruined that, when he gave up three earned runs, including a two run homer, in the sixth inning where he failed to record an out. He gets a rematch against Boston in Fenway, and then has a second road start to wind up the scoring period against the Blue Jays. The good news is that he has been more of road warrior the past couple of seasons than a pitcher that prefers home cooking.

Randy Dobnak is the opposing hurler to the first SP profiled in this tier, and he too has an admirable set of ratio stats to open this season, with an even more impressive 0.60 ERA and 0.87 WHIP as a result of allowing just one earned run through his three starts (15.0 IP). Neither matchup is daunting in and of itself, but the second start against the Royals looks awfully tasty.

Tyler Mahle rebounded from a mediocre first start but came away without a decision despite holding the Indians scoreless on one hit and a pair of walks over six innings. He recorded six Ks in that outing and has a couple of enticing matchups at home on tap, with the Royals and Pirates on the schedule in Week 4. He is racking up a K per inning with his 94 MPH fastball, so he offers both ratio and counting stat value this coming week.

Dustin May finally was able to pitch deep enough into a contest to come away with a victory, limiting the host Padres to just two earned tallies over six innings, and collecting 8 Ks over that stretch. He now sports a 15:3 K/BB ratio and also features a sub-3 ERA (2.63) and useful 1.17 WHIP. He is showing an uptick in his sinker velocity, which is clocking in at 97.8 MPH in 2020, aided by an off-season bulking up regimen. He has a pair of decent matchups this week to boost his potential value as an addition to a fantasy rotation.

Kyle Gibson has been tagged for three runs in each of his first two times on the bump, although it was only in his most recent start that any of those were earned, which keeps his ERA in a desirable zone (2.45). He has collected 13 strikeouts over his 11.0 IP, making him useful for that facet in your fantasy efforts. Getting to face the Mariners at home is favorable, but the trip to Coors at the end of the week could pose less than ideal results for your pitching stat accumulation.

Blake Snell has been handled with kid gloves so far, but the indications are that he is getting ready to pitch deeper into contests. So far, he has accrued just five innings of work, so keep an eye on how far into Friday’s game he is allowed to proceed on the mound. He does have nine Ks over those five IP, so there is certainly value to using him even if his pitch count is limited.

Dallas Keuchel may have taken the loss in his last outing, but he pitched well, nevertheless. He allowed just a single earned run over seven innings, while striking out 8 Brewers. He lowered his ERA to 2.55 to go with an eye-catching 0.96 WHIP. While he is not a top source for Ks, an 11:2 K/BB ratio demonstrates his skill on the hill. His upcoming matchups are favorable, at least with regard to taking on the Tigers in his first appearance. With the Cards on tap at the end of the week, though, it is difficult to say one way or the other, as they have only played five games to date due to COVID issues.

Josh Lindblom has tallied a dozen Ks over his limited 8.2 IP this season, so there is that aspect to his game to desire for your pitching needs in fantasy. He has been slightly unlucky so far, although small sample size to judge that by, to be fair: his FIP sits at 3.13, better than a run below his ERA of 4.15. He does not have favorable matchups just like his teammate Houser above, facing the Twins at home, then traveling to Wrigley for Sunday’s showdown against Yu Darvish and the Cubbies.

Martín Pérez has pitched five innings or more in each of his starts this season and has been finding more success on the hill each time out. He has dropped his ERA from a season high of 7.20 to a more palatable 3.45 after collecting his second win on the road in Tampa and holding the host Rays scoreless. He did allow three free passes to go with the four safeties he allowed, so it is not as though he was lights out on the mound, which leads to him being the bottom offering in this tier. He gets to face the Rays again, so there is hope he can continue his winning ways, but the second start of the week in New York against the Yankees might be a time to seriously consider bypassing his second start.

As is the case, week in and week out, these are the arms it is suggested that you avoid plugging into your rotation(s), despite the allure of taking the ball to start the game twice in the scoring period. It bears repeating: getting hurt in the ratio stats in a short season can be the kind of disaster that will be impossible to overcome, no matter how savvy you are picking up other pitchers from the waiver wire. Just say no to the potential disasters, and do not rue the occasional good effort that one or more of these guys may produce. Instead, peruse the streaming options set out below if you need to fill an open slot in your fantasy rotation.

Potential Streaming Options for Week 4

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:

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Touki Toussaint ATL @ NYY J.A. Happ

Toussaint is coming off a season-high nine K effort against the visiting Blue Jays and sports an awesome 13.5 K/9 rate over his three starts in 2020, comprising 13.1 IP. He is working on pushing down his ERA, too, which is still an unattractive 6.08, but that first less than three inning outing at Tampa hurt him badly when he allowed half a dozen earned tallies. Facing the Yankees on their turf is a bit worrisome, to be honest, but there is the K factor to mitigate the concern to an extent. Plus, he is the best low-ownership option out there on Tuesday.

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Antonio Senzatela COL vs ARI Luke Weaver

The Rockie youngster is looking to collect his fourth victory on the early season when he faces the Diamondbacks at home midweek. He does offer nice ratio stats so far, with a 2.65 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over his accumulated 17.0 IP in 2020. The opponent has not been lighting it up offensively, so despite the venue, he is a decent option if you need another arm to employ this scoring period.

Thursday, August 13, 2020

Austin Voth WAS vs NYM David Peterson

David Peterson NYM @ WAS Austin Voth

The two back of the rotation hurlers get to face off on Thursday, when the options are limited due to reduced action in the MLB schedule. Voth is coming off a loss where he pitched well, just not well enough to avoid the L. He only allowed four hits and no walks in his five-inning debut as a starter, and though he only accumulated two Ks, that is likely an anomaly given the skills he has shown previously at generating swings and misses from opposing hitters. The rookie Peterson has two starts under his belt and a balance 1-1 record in 2020, with a nice 11:3 K/BB ratio so far. The 1.29 WHIP is a bit concerning, but his advanced metrics (realize, small sample size) suggest a bit of unluckiness: 2.99 FIP vs 3.86 ERA, .344 BABIP. You could go both sides of this matchup and avoid having to choose, as both pitchers offer potential value. And the slate is limited.

Friday, August 14, 2020

Anthony DeSclafani CIN vs PIT Joe Musgrove

The veteran Red righty came off the IL to pitch effectively in shutting down the host Tigers, scattering three hits over five innings with nary a walk to sully his line. He was not efficient at missing many bats, though that should return to his toolbox as he gets up to speed, recovering from his right teres major strain that sidelined him to open this shortened season. The opponent on Friday should pump up his K numbers, so there is that aspect to recommend his use, too.

Tanner Roark TOR vs TB Charlie Morton

Roark’s mound opponent has not been exactly his former self to open the season, and that is one plus on his ledger sheet. Of course, the Toronto veteran did not exactly light up the skies in his last outing, either, allowing four earned tallies and dishing out five free passes in Beantown to the Red Sox, taking his first loss of the season in an abbreviated three inning/68 pitch effort. He will look to rebound at “home”, such as that is for the Blue Jays this odd season and begin providing some more Ks for his owners.

Pablo López MIA vs ATL Kyle Wright

Lopez looked extremely sharp in shutting out the Orioles in his last trip to toe the rubber, and that is not exactly a given early this season, as the Orioles are hovering around .500 so far. His opponent on Friday is a bit more off-putting in terms of offensive production, but he does get them at home in a pitcher’s venue, and he has shown himself to be more comfortable and effective pitching at home than on the road in his short MLB career. He also gets to face the freest swinging squad so far in 2020, so the strikeout numbers should be useful for fantasy purposes.

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.