Welcome to another edition of Two-Start Pitchers. Each Sunday the starters will be broken down into tiers: Must start, Should start, Could start, Don’t start. You also get the Streamer of the Week which has been solid so far this season.
Due to COVID, injuries, and unforeseen circumstances, not every two-start pitcher has made his two starts. For the season, the Streamer of the Week has put up excellent numbers though:
8 Starts
49 Innings Pitched
35 Hits
11 Walks
43 Strikeouts
2.20 ERA
6-0 Record
Streamer of the Week
Luke Weaver, ARZ (LAD, SEA)
Yes, the unsightly 7.44 ERA may scare some away this week. Don’t be fooled. Weaver hasn’t been that bad this season, or at least lately. His first two starts were horrendous. Since then, he has a 5.33 ERA (still not great), but he also has a 28/5 K/BB rate in 25.1 IP and a WHIP of 1.31. Weaver has allowed only one HR in his last four starts as well. Luck also hasn’t been on Weaver’s side this season as he is sporting a .374 BABIP and 62.2 LOB%. As we wind down to the end of the season, it is time to take a chance on a guy who hasn’t been as bad as the numbers would indicate.
His first start this week is against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although he took the loss on Thursday against LA, Weaver pitched fairly well allowing two runs on four hits in 5.1 innings without issuing a walk and striking out six. He has shown he can limit the damage the Dodgers lineup can do.
His second start will be at home vs the Seattle Mariners. They are in the bottom five of just about every offensive category in the American League except stolen bases. In addition to that, Seattle’s pitching has been awful with a 5.25 ERA which is third-worst in the AL. The Arizona Diamondbacks should be able to offer some run support and get Weaver the win.
MUST START
Max Scherzer, WSH (TB, ATL)
Mike Clevinger, SD (COL, SF)
Dinelson Lamet, SD (COL, SF)
Zac Gallen, ARZ (@SF, SEA)
Zack Wheeler, PHI (@NYM, @MIA)
Lance Lynn, TEX (LAA, OAK)
Zach Plesac, CLE (KC, @MIN)
Triston McKenzie, CLE (KC, @MIN)
SHOULD START
Kyle Hendricks, CHI (STL, @MIL)
Sixto Sanchez, MIA (@ATL, PHI)
Dylan Cease, CHW (@PIT, DET)
J.A. Happ, NYY (@TOR, BAL)
Cristian Javier, HOU (@OAK, @LAD)
COULD START
Tyler Mahle, CIN (@CHC, @STL)
Kevin Gausman, SF (ARZ, @SD)
Jordan Montgomery, NYY (@TOR, BAL)
Zach Eflin, PHI (BOS, @MIA)
Trevor Richards, TB (@WAS, BOS)
DON’T START
Alec Mills, CHC (CIN, @MIL)
Martin Perez, BOS (@PHI, @TB)
Spencer Turnbull, DET (MIL, @CHW)
Jon Gray, COL (@SD, LAA)
Jose Urena, MIA (@ATL, PHI)
John Means, BAL (@NYM, @NYY)
Michael Fulmer, DET (@MIN, @CHW)
Michael Wacha, NYM (PHI, @TOR)
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Main Credit Image: Embed from Getty Images
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