Interesting Week 11 Two-Start Pitchers

Everyone is happy when one of their pitchers is scheduled for two starts in a week. But that is not always a good thing. Here are five pitchers you may be on the fence about (or should be on the fence) putting into your lineup for Week 11.

Hiroki Kuroda – He has been a reliable pitcher for the Dodgers this season with eight Quality Starts. But on the road Kuroda has allowed 4 HR in 31 IP. This week he has road starts in Cincinnati and Boston. The Reds and Red Sox rank second and third in most HR hit this season. Put Kuroda on the bench this week if you have other options.

Shaun Marcum – Like Kuroda, Marcum has been a very good pitcher this year. But Marcum has struggled in his last two starts, allowing 11 ER in 12.1 IP. Additionally, Marcum has a pronounced home/road split. This year at home, Marcum has a 2.59 ERA but it is nearly two runs higher on the road at 4.42. With West Coast road games in San Diego and San Francisco, sit Marcum this week.

Justin Masterson – All season long Masterson has out-pitched his peripherals. Finally, in his last three starts Masterson is starting to see some positive results. He is 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA and a 1.078 WHIP. Masterson still struggles with his control and versus LHB. But this week he faces the Mets and Pirates, who are both below-average in walks and neither team is dominated with LHB. Masterson is still on the waiver wire in most leagues and is worth an add this week.

Jonathan Sanchez – Despite great numbers, Sanchez has not racked up the wins this season. In his last four games, Sanchez has 20 Ks in 23.1 IP and a 2.31 ERA yet is only 2-2 in that span. A home game against the Orioles offers a nice chance for Sanchez to break into the win column. Ride the hot pitcher and make sure Sanchez is active this week.

C.J. Wilson – The Rangers’ lefty endured a tough stretch where he gave up 17 ER in 16 IP but has been much better in his last two outings, in which he has picked up two Wins with 10 Ks in 12 IP. Wilson does have two road games this week, but they are against the last-place Marlins and the 25-36 Astros. Activated Wilson for his two starts this week.

Other scheduled two-start pitchers in Week 11 are listed below. Please remember that these are projected pitchers and changes can and will happen between now and next week.

J. Santana, Wainwright, J. Johnson, Sabathia, Price, Buchholz, Pavano, Zambrano, Braden, Wolf, Saunders, Harang, Porcello, F. Garcia, Paulino, Cook, Kendrick, Tillman, Duke, Lincoln, Davies, Lannan, Snell.

Check back Sunday night for an update of two-start pitchers.

Now I want to provide some accountability and check in and see how previous recommendations turned out. There needs to be a two-week lag, since last week’s pitchers have not completed their second start yet. So here are Week Nine pitchers and how they fared.

Bonderman – Advised to start. 6.59 ERA, 3 Ks, 1.683 WHIP (2 starts)
Harden – Advised to sit. W, 6.30 ERA, 7 Ks, 1.700 WHIP (2)
Noalsco – Advised to sit. W, 4.38 ERA, 10 Ks, 1.541 WHIP (2)
E. Santana – Advised to start. 2 W, 1.39 ERA, 8 Ks, 1.308 WHIP (2)
Takahashi – Advised to start. 10.61 ERA, 6 Ks, 1.929 WHIP (2)