Each Sunday, I’ll be taking a look at the two-start pitchers you should get into your fantasy baseball lineups and a few to stay away from. The hurlers will be split into four categories: must start, should start, could start, and don’t start. These are just a guideline, but it’s what I will be following as I set my lineups for the upcoming week. Also, I’ll give you my Streamer of the Week.
If you have any more streaming questions, send me a tweet @EuanOrYouOut. Let’s dive into the pitching action!
STREAMER OF THE WEEK
Adam Wainwright, STL(KC, CLE)
(67% CBS, 53% ESPN, 50% Yahoo)
No one looks at Adam Wainwright anymore with the Cy-Young winning upside he had ten years ago, but that doesn’t mean he can’t help fantasy baseball teams this week. During the second half of his career, the 38-year-old has turned into an innings eater, and 2020 is no exception.
He’s only pitched in three starts because of St. Louis’ COVID-19 situation, but he’s gone at least five innings in every outing. The only time he didn’t pitch into the sixth was during a seven-inning doubleheader. Wainwright is less desirable in leagues that have strikeouts per nine innings as a category, but if innings pitched is a category, then the veteran should be picked up for his two starts this week.
His Opponents
Wainwright will take on the Kansas City Royals in the I-70 series to begin his two-start week. The three-time All-Star has nine career starts against his in-state opponent and is 5-2 with a 3.84 ERA and 1.203 WHIP. The Royals are one of the shakiest offenses in the league as the team is 28th in baseball with 3.93 runs scored/game and 26th with 3.60 runs/game on the road. Kansas City is also bottom-10 in OPS and road OPS. Everything lines up for Wainwright to have an efficient first start in week six against a weak-hitting offense. Expect at least six innings and a win to begin week one.
Cleveland may be higher in the American League Central standings than Kansas City, but that is due to their lights out pitching staff. Their offense is not firing on all cylinders at the moment. As a team, they own a .649 OPS and have scored a lowly 3.8 runs/game on the road. They’ve been held to three runs or less in 16 of their 27 games this season and shouldn’t scare any pitcher they face. However, because of Cleveland’s lights out pitching and the fact that St. Louis does not have a high-powered offense either, a win for Wainwright may be tricky in his second start.
MUST START
Shane Bieber, CLE (MIN, @STL)
Trevor Bauer, CIN (@MIL, CHC)
Lucas Giolito, CHW (PIT, KC)
Tyler Glasnow, TB (TOR, @MIA)
Luis Castillo, CIN (@MIL, CHC)
Brandon Woodruff, MIL (CIN, PIT)
Lance Lynn, TEX (OAK, LAD)
Jack Flaherty, STL (KC, CLE)
Aaron Civale, CLE (MIN, @STL)
Jose Berrios, MIN (@CLE, @DET)
Patrick Corbin, WAS (PHI, @BOS)
SHOULD START
German Marquez, COL (@ARI, SD)
Chris Paddack, SD (SEA, @COL)
Julio Urias, LAD (@SF, @TEX)
Rich Hill, MIN (@CLE, @DET)
Jesus Luzardo, OAK (@TEX, @HOU)
Brad Keller, KC (@STL, @CHW)
COULD START
Cristian Javier, HOU (LAA, OAK)
Framber Valdez, HOU (LAA, OAK)
Pablo Lopez, MIA (@WAS, TB)
Merrill Kelly, ARI (COL, SF)
Casey Mize, DET (CHC, MIN)
Alec Mills, CHC (@DET, @CIN)
Trevor Richards, TB (BAL, @MIA)
Adam Wainwright, STL (KC, CLE)
Marco Gonzales, SEA (@SD, @LAA)
DON’T START
Johnny Cueto, SF (LAD, @ARI)
Spencer Turnbull, DET (CHC, MIN)
Tommy Milone, BAL (@TB, @TOR)
Alex Young, ARI (COL, SF)
Kyle Gibson, TEX (OAK, LAD)
Tanner Roark, TOR (@TB, BAL)
Austin Voth, WAS (MIA, @BOS)
Patrick Sandoval, LAA (@HOU, SEA)
Sean Manaea, OAK (@TEX, @HOU)
Touki Toussaint, ATL (NYY, @PHI)
Steven Brault, PIT (@CHW, @MIL)
Ryan Castellani, COL (@ARI, SD)
Brett Anderson, MIL (CIN, PIT)
Jake Arrieta, PHI (@WAS, ATL)
Chase Anderson, TOR (BOS, BAL)
Erick Fedde, WAS (PHI, @BOS)
Kyle Hart, BOS (@TOR, WAS)
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