Archive for Streaming Two-Starters

Halfway through week two, here we are:

4-1
2.67 ERA
9.5 K/9
3.2 K/BB
1.13 WHIP

I think that’s about the best one could expect so far. Regression is coming though, right? I wanted badly to recommend Garrett Richards for this week (@WAS, @NYY), but his ownership rates in CBS leagues (76 percent) are far too high for me to appeal to my unwritten rule that at least two of the three leagues have to be under 50 percent (between Yahoo!/ESPN/CBS Sports).

So here’s who you get this week:

RHP Zach McAllister – 2.6% ESPN/9% Yahoo!/43% CBS – v. KC, @SF Read the rest of this entry »

After last week’s veteran love fest, I’ve chosen to live a bit more on the edge with this go-round. This week’s bunch is a trio of far less proven guys.

Through half of week one, here are the stats:
3-0 record
4.00 ERA
6.5 K/9
1.2 K/BB
1.61 WHIP

So….not great, with the exception of the won-loss column. Good record though so far.

Onto this week’s recommendations:

RHP Jesse Chavez – 0.6% ESPN/7% Yahoo!/31% CBS – @LAA, v. HOU Read the rest of this entry »

Year three of 2xSP rolls on with a pair of lefties and a veteran righty. As a procedural note, the ticker will be back again this year. Any tweaks that you’d like to see? Feel free to share below.

LHP Scott Kazmir – 16.8% ESPN – @MIN, @SEA

Quite frankly it’s completely stunning that Kazmir qualifies for this list at all, but here we are. And the skepticism on Kazmir isn’t totally unfounded; this is a guy who couldn’t find the strike zone with a GPS unit for three full seasons, and before that was still only marginal in that department. But for my fantasy dollars, he is who he was in Cleveland last year until he proves he isn’t. The A’s know pitching, and Kaz was solid the first time out against the Indians. With these two matchups this week, I think it’d be foolish not to take a look at the lefty. Read the rest of this entry »

With another regular season fully in arrears, now is a good time to look back on the season that was for 2xSP.

This was the second season I covered two-start guys for Rotographs, and this year I kept meticulous records on a Google Drive spreadsheet for all to behold. 

I think that was a pretty solid upgrade, but if there are things you think can be done better, I’m all ears. Please leave suggestions below.

Here’s a breakdown of the season:

41-47 record

The record was obviously not idea, as I was hoping for a .500 mark. But even though we as analysts don’t really care much about the win for starting pitchers, it’s still something we have to seek out as fantasy writers.

Ultimately, I’ll look for pitchers that will be put in good situations to win, but I’ll admit it’s not going to be the first qualification I look at. Read the rest of this entry »

Here are this week’s recommendations:

Marco Estrada – 14.8% ESPN – @ATL (.318 team wOBA), @NYM (.298)

Estrada has pitched phenomenally since returning from an especially bad hamstring injury. Since coming back, the right-hander has made seven starts, going 2-0 with a 2.62 ERA, 8.5 K/9, and a .522 OPS against.

It’s not entirely clear if the right-hander will get the full group of Braves, as Atlanta has little else to play for but home field advantage (and to what extent that’ll matter will be determined over the weekend). The Mets are unlikely to provide much resistance, however. Read the rest of this entry »

Here are this week’s recommendations (in an Oakland A’s edition of 2xSP):

Dan Haren – 43.0% ESPN – v. ATL (.319 team wOBA), v. MIA (.279)

Haren’s season figures don’t look great on the surface — 9-13, 5.02 ERA, 1.6 HR/9 — but they’re largely masking what was an absolutely brutal start for the Pepperdine product. On July 1, Haren’s season ERA sat at 6.15 after getting pounded by the Rockies his previous time out.

Since then, Haren’s made 12 starts, going 5-4 with a much more Haren-like 3.67 ERA, 9.2 K/9, and 5.0 K/BB. That’s the kind of guy that the Nationals were expecting, though it’s certainly a bit too little, too late for this season. The Braves matchup sort of stinks, but the Marlins matchup for than makes up for it. Read the rest of this entry »

(Writer’s Note: The Mariners announced Friday that Taijuan Walker would be shut down after his start against the Astros. He’s still a good single play there, but go with Gerrit Cole for a 2xSP.)

Here are this week’s recommendations:

Ubaldo Jimenez – 23.5% ESPN – v. KC (.305 team wOBA), @CWS (.300)

Jimenez is the starter fantasy players just can’t quit, because just once he’s left for dead, he’ll reel off a run of five solid starts and get people back on his side. To-date, Jimenez’ ERA sits at 3.79, which is the lowest it has read all season, with the exception of a six-inning, one-run season opening appearance.

The tumble, in a good way, has looked like this from month to month (May-Sept.): 6.37-4.83-4.67-4.18-3.79. With a pitching slash of 3.79/4.04/4.06, it looks like he isn’t doing it with smoke and mirrors, either. The walks are still scary high, but his home/road splits have leveled off finally (4.33 home/3.29 away), which make him a more palpable play in weeks where he’s not starting both on the road. It also helps to get a couple weak offenses this week, too. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s  a link to the spreadsheet I keep of results so that readers can feel free to peruse it at their leisure.

And here are this weeks (young fireballer) recommendations:

Sonny Gray – 40.6% ESPN – @DET (.343 team wOBA), v. TB (.327)

This one isn’t so much about the matchups — they’re actually among the toughest an AL pitcher can have — but that I think this might be the only shot for someone to nab Gray not only for 2xSP, but just to have. Read the rest of this entry »

Here are this week’s recommendations:

Dillon Gee – 7.5% ESPN – @MIN (.303 team wOBA), v. DET (.343)

Gee gets a rare AL Central double-dip as the Mets return to Minneapolis for a one-game makeup before welcoming the Motor City Kitties to Citi Field. The Twins haven’t hit much all season long, and at last glance were striking out more than anyone this month — thanks in large part to Clete Thomas and Pedro Florimon. Read the rest of this entry »

Here are this week’s recommendations:

Jhoulys Chacin – 29.3% ESPN – v. SD (304 team wOBA), @BAL (.328)

Chacin’s having arguably his finest season as a major leaguer, and what’s odd is that it’s coming on the heels of his worst strikeout rate yet. In fact, he’s experienced a decline in whiff rate for his entire five-year career.

Chacin has supplemented his declining strikeout rate with an insanely good HR/9 rate — 0.3 per 9 which leads the NL — and a still solid groundball rate of 46.7%. All this while essentially becoming a fastball-slider guy by scrapping his curve. Read the rest of this entry »