Double Dipper: Rain, Rain, Go Away

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The Double Dipper endured a terrible outing from top pick Travis Wood against the Pirates but did secure a win with second option Fausto Carmona. Both our deep-league picks also put up quality starts in their first games of the week, though neither landed a win.

Due to weather wrecking havoc on probable starters, finding the right Double Dipper for next week is going to be a little tricky. We’ve tried our best to piecemeal a correct lineup of potential Double Dippers for you below, leaving out a few candidates that are up in the air. For example, with Brett Cecil being demoted we still aren’t sure who will be making Tuesday’s start (and presumably Sunday’s start as well) for the Blue Jays, but honestly, you’re not going to pick them up anyway. Check out our picks below the table.

Must-Starts

Jered Weaver, LAA (vs OAK, @ TB)
Felix Hernandez, SEA (@ DET, @ BOS)
Cliff Lee, PHI (@ ARI, vs NYM)
Gio Gonzalez, OAK (@ LAA, vs TEX)
Matt Cain, SF (@ PIT, @ WAS)
Jamie Garcia, STL (@ HOU, @ ATL)
Derek Lowe, ATL (@ SD, vs STL)

Other Double Dippers

Mixed League Pick
Chris Narveson (MIL)

Narveson started out the season in spectacular fashion, allowing no runs in his first two starts as well as just nine hits and four walks. Throw in 14 Ks and it appeared he was on his way to being the breakout pitcher of the year, my doubts notwithstanding. He’s been much more ordinary in his last two starts, allowing three runs in each with a total of nine strikeouts and seven free passes in 11.2 innings.

Will the Jeckell and Hyde routine continue, or will Narveson pick a path and stick to it? More importantly, will it be the path to fantasy stardom or not? He sported a healthy K-rate last season but ugly ratios, so while his current 2.19 ERA and 1.18 WHIP may be a surprise, the 23 Ks in 24.2 innings are not. He’ll take on a talented Cincinnati team in Milwaukee, where he made both scoreless starts, before heading to Houston and likely closing out the week on a strong note.

Second Option
Bud Norris (HOU)

In Narveson’s second start he’ll lock horns with Bud Norris, who has pitched both better and worse than the Milwaukee lefty, depending on which stats you believe. While the 26-year-old Norris sports an ugly 4.91 ERA and a mediocre 1.38 WHIP to date, he backs it up with strong secondary numbers, striking out 26 batters in 22 innings while walking only seven guys. He had an ugly debut, allowing five runs in four innings, with four of the five runs coming on two first-inning home runs. Since that inning he’s been quite good, allowing eight runs in 21 innings, which translates to a 3.43 ERA. If he can keep the ball in the park at home against the Cardinals and Brewers this week, he should have some nice success.

Deep League Pick
Luke Hochevar (KC)

Hochevar is a former top prospect that could be turning a corner, even with an ERA over 5.00. He’s always dealt with walk issues, but this year he’s brought his walk rate down by over one full point per nine innings thus far. While he needs to bring his strikeout rate up a tad to enjoy true fantasy stardom, he’s more than usable in small doses. He’ll look to get his revenge on the Indians in his first start before his great matchup against the Twins later in the week.

Second Option
Phil Coke (DET)

After starting the season with two relief efforts — after all, Coke spent all of last year in the bullpen — he completed his transition into the rotation flawlessly in his first two starts of the season, allowing just two runs in 13.2 innings. Unfortunately, he was having a bit of a problem with walks, and that escalated to a huge problem in his last start, when he walked four guys in the first innings against the Mariners. While his own error allowed him to escape the inning with no ERA damage, he went on to allow two earned runs while not making it out of the fourth inning. He’ll try to be better against the Mariners this time around before heading to Cleveland.

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