The Week Ahead
Editor’s Note: Every Saturday, Senior Fantasy Baseball Expert Adam Ronis pinpoints the pitchers slated to start two games the following week. He helps owners determine whether or not those players are worth inserting into your starting lineup or leaving on your bench.
American League
- 5 Games: HOU, OAK
- 6 Games: BOS, CLE, DET, NYY, TB, TEX
- 7 Games: BAL, CHW, KC, LAA, MIN, SEA, TOR
National League
- 5 Games: PIT
- 6 Games: ARI, ATL, CHC, COL, MIA, NYM, SD, SF, STL, WAS
- 7 Games: CIN, LAD, MIL, PHI
TWO-START PITCHERS
ACES
- Trevor Bauer (Indians) @SEA, vs. ATL
- Shane Bieber (Indians) @SEA, vs. ATL
- Luis Castillo (Reds) @LAD, @SD
- Aaron Nola (Phillies) vs. NYM, @COL
- Stephen Strasburg (Nationals) vs. SF, @MIA
- Noah Syndergaard (Mets) @PHI, @STL
GREEN LIGHT
Matt Boyd (Tigers) vs. PIT, vs. CWS
Boyd has been one of the biggest surprises. In three starts, he has a 2.60 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 40.3 percent strikeout rate and 8.3 percent walk rate. He has an excellent slider and has increased the usage. He gets two favorable matchups, so keep using him.
Yu Darvish (Cubs) @MIA, vs. ARI
The bright spot for Darvish in his last start was not issuing a walk over 5.1 innings against the Pirates. He did allow five hits, four earned runs and struck out four. He had 11 walks over his first 6.2 innings. It’s difficult to trust Darvish, but a start at the Marlins should get him going.
Kyle Gibson (Twins) vs. TOR, @BAL
Gibson has been bad in his first two starts and inconsistency has defined his career. He gets two bad offenses, so if you own him it’s difficult to sit him outside of shallow formats.
Tyler Glasnow (Rays) vs. BAL, vs. BOS
Glasnow was a pitcher I wrote about in the preseason as a breakout. So far, the call looks good, but it’s only three starts. The most important thing for Glasnow is limiting the walks and he’s allowed three in in 17 innings. That will be the key for him, especially against the Red Sox. He’s allowed one run and struck out 21. Glasnow has a 13.5 percent swinging strike rate.
Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers) vs. CIN, @MIL
Kershaw will make his first start of the season on Monday against the Reds. He was solid in his rehab starts and the start in Milwaukee will be challenging, but roll with Kershaw.
Yusei Kikuchi (Mariners) vs. CLE, @LAA
Kikuchi has been mediocre in four starts with a 4.15 ERA and 17.1 percent strikeout rate, but he limits the walks (3.4 percent) and has a 1.06 WHIP. The matchups are excellent.
Joey Lucchesi (Padres) vs. COL, vs. CIN
Lucchesi has had some bad luck so far with a .350 BABIP, 63.2 percent strand rate and 33 percent line drive rate. He has a 27.4 percent strikeout rate and 8.1 percent walk rate. He didn’t allow a run in first two starts over 11.1 innings and allowed seven in four innings against the Giants.
Kenta Maeda (Dodgers) vs. CIN, @MIL
Maeda’s numbers aren’t good, but he’s allowing little hard contact at 25 percent. He has a 13.6 percent swinging strike rate.
Tyler Mahle (Reds) @LAD, @SD
Mahle is reserved for deep formats this week. It’s not the easiest matchups, but I am planning to use him in a deep league. He was solid in two starts against the Pirates and Marlins. He’s on the lower tier of this group.
Collin McHugh (Astros) @OAK, @TEX
McHugh has looked really good, relying heavily on a nasty slider. He has a 2.65 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and a 22:5 K:BB ratio in 17 innings.
Jake Odorizzi (Twins) vs. TOR, @BAL
The definition of a roller coaster. Odorizzi struck out 11 and allowed one run over six innings to open the season against the Indians. He followed by only getting two outs against the Phillies, allowing seven hits and four earned runs. Then he didn’t allow a hit in four innings against the Mets before walking four and a hit and left the game. He gets two great matchups this week, so close your eyes and pray in deeper formats.
Jose Quintana (Cubs) @MIA, vs. ARI
Quintana is coming off a dominating outing with 11 strikeouts, one walk and four hits over seven scoreless innings after allowing eight runs in three innings in Milwaukee.
James Paxton (Yankees) vs. BOS, vs. KC
Paxton hasn’t looked good as he continues to allow more fly balls and hard contact. He will get better and the strikeouts are still there.
Freddy Peralta (Brewers) vs. STL, vs. LAD
Peralta is mainly a two-pitch pitcher, throwing the fastball mostly. He has made three starts, dominating in one and getting shelled in the other two. He doesn’t have great matchups, but in deeper formats I will take a shot and hope he can dominate one.
Nick Pivetta (Phillies) vs. NYM, @COL
Pivetta is tricky. It’s difficult to sit him, but he hasn’t looked good and gets two difficult matchups. I can understand sitting him. I have him in one weekly league and it’s 15-teams and I lost Mike Clevinger.
Robbie Ray (Diamondbacks) @ATL, @CHC
Ray is a tease. He can dominate and then lose it all of a sudden. He works deep counts, issues too many walks and hasn’t pitched more than 5.1 innings in his three starts. He has a 33.9 percent strikeout rate, but a 16.9 percent walk rate and 45.2 percent hard hit rate.
Trevor Richards (Marlins) vs. CHC, vs. WAS
Richards has an excellent changeup and has pitched well. The wins won’t be easy pitching for the Marlins, but he has a 2.00 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with an 18:10 K:BB ratio over 18 innings.
Aaron Sanchez (Blue Jays) @MIN, @OAK
The matchups aren’t the best, but Sanchez is healthy and looked solid. He has allowed three earned runs in 16 innings and hasn’t allowed a home run, although two came against the Indians and Tigers. He has struck out 16 in 16 innings.
Matt Shoemaker (Blue Jays) @MIN, @OAK
Shoemaker has a really good splitter and he’s using it more. In 19.2 innings, he has 0.92 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and a 19:5 K:BB ratio.
Brandon Woodruff (Brewers) vs. STL, vs. LAD
While Woodruff has allowed ten runs in 15 innings, he’s been unlucky. He has a 20:4 K:BB ratio in 15 innings, but he has allowed a lot of hard contact. The matchups aren’t easy.
RED LIGHT
- Dylan Bundy (Orioles) @BOS, vs. MIN
- Heath Fillmyer (Royals) @CWS, @NYY
- Matt Harvey (Angels) @TEX, vs. SEA
- Dakota Hudson (Cardinals) @MIL, vs. NYM
- Mike Leake (Mariners) vs. CLE, @LAA
- Jorge Lopez (Royals) @CWS, @NYY
- Reynaldo Lopez (White Sox) vs. KC, @DET
- Mike Minor (Rangers) vs. LAA, vs. HOU
- Felix Pena (Angels) @TEX, vs. SEA
- Dereck Rodriguez (Giants) @WAS, @PIT
- Ervin Santana (White Sox) vs. KC, @DET
- Dan Straily (Orioles) @BOS, vs. MIN
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