It is an actioned pack week for two-start pitchers, with a ton of aces, including last year’s Cy Young and Rookie Of The Year winners. Max Scherzer, Felix Hernandez, Chris Archer, and Gerrit Cole are all on the list. Johnny Cueto is listed as a starter for Tuesday, which would make him pitch Sunday if the rotation holds. He is dealing with a shoulder issue, be sure to keep an eye on him, he is expected to be fine.
| Pitcher | Team | Opponents |
| Ubaldo Jimenez | BAL | @HOU, @CLE |
| Mike Fiers | MIL | @STL, @MIN |
| Alex Wood | ATL | @ARI, vs. PIT |
| Kyle Hendricks | CHC | @MIA, @WAS |
| Alfredo Simon | DET | vs. OAK, @CWS |
| Phil Hughes | MIN | @BOS, vs. MIL |
| Archie Bradley | ARI | vs. ATL, vs. NYM |
| Colby Lewis | TEX | vs. CWS, @KC |
| Alex Colome | TB | @LAA, @SEA |
| Ryan Vogelsong | SF | vs. PIT, @PHI |
| Max Scherzer | WAS | vs. TOR, vs. CHC |
| Felix Hernandez | SEA | vs. NYY, vs. TB |
| Chris Archer | TB | @LAA, @SEA |
| Gerrit Cole | PIT | @SF, @ATL |
| Johnny Cueto | CIN | vs. PHI, @CHC |
| Zack Greinke | LAD | @COL, vs. STL |
| Clayton Kershaw | LAD | @COL, vs. STL |
| Michael Pineda | NYY | @SEA, vs. LAA |
| Jacob deGrom | NYM | @SD, @ARI |
| Jason Hammel | CHC | @MIA, @WAS |
| Lance Lynn | STL | vs. MIL, @LAD |
| Garrett Richards | LAA | vs. TB, @NYY |
| Andrew Cashner | SD | vs. NYM, @CIN |
| Carlos Carrasco | CLE | @KC, vs. BAL |
| Jeff Samardzija | CWS | @TEX, vs. DET |
| Clay Buchholz | BOS | vs. MIN, vs. OAK |
| Jordan Zimmermann | WAS | vs. TOR, vs. CHC |
| Collin McHugh | HOU | vs. BAL, @TOR |
| Mike Wright | BAL | @HOU, @CLE |
| Jaime Garcia | STL | vs. MIL, @LAD |
| Rick Porcello | BOS | vs. MIN, vs. OAK |
| Josh Collmenter | ARI | vs. ATL, vs. NYM |
| R.A. Dickey | TOR | @WAS, vs. HOU |
| Mike Pelfrey | MIN | @BOS, vs. MIL |
| Kendall Graveman | OAK | @DET, @BOS |
| Jose Urena | MIA | vs. CHC, @COL |
| Kyle Kendrick | COL | vs. LAD, vs. MIA |
| Jeremy Guthrie | KC | vs. CLE, vs. TEX |
| Brett Oberholtzer | HOU | vs. BAL, @TOR |
| Sean O’Sullivan | PHI | vs. CIN, vs. SF |
Tier 1
Clayton Kershaw kicks things off this week in Coors FIeld, but no way we sit him against anybody. Of course his ERA is going to jump there, as anybodies would, but he still has a 9.1 K/9 in Coors. His teammate Zack Greinke is in the same boat, but no shot of sitting him, he is tied for the lowest ERA in the majors right now. He has a 3.58 ERA in six starts at Coors. Jacob DeGrom has been excellent, allowing three earned runs in the last three starts. His home/away splits are pretty clear cut, but he heads to Petco Park for his first start, and takes on a middle of the road offense in Arizona. I expect a rougher outing than what he has been doing the last few starts in Arizona, but not one that has me bench him. Cole, Archer, Hernandez, Garrett Richards, and Scherzer have superb opponents this week, so fire them up as you usually would. I mentioned Cueto above, if he has zero problems or setbacks, he has a chance for a monster week. He takes on the Phillies, who are among the worst in the league in team offense, and then he will face the high strikeout Cubs.
Tier 2
Addressing the Red Sox starters this week, Rick Porcello will be bumped out of the two-start week, while Clay Buchholz will keep that title. Monday’s game has been postponed, giving Buchholz the Tuesday start, and Porcello will go Wednesday. Tier 2 has a lot of quality options this week. My favorites are Jason Hammel, Buchholz, Carlos Carrasco, and Andrew Cashner. I have seen Hammel, Buchholz, and Cashner floating around in some leagues out there, so you can definitely pick them up for a solid two-start week. Alex Wood is a tier 2 pitcher who doesn’t make the cut this week. He faces Arizona and Pittsburgh, two quality offenses against left-handed pitching. His strikeout rate and swinging strike rate is down this season, which is why right-handed bats are hitting .300 off him. He is playing damage control, and is a ticking time bomb, unless he figures out how to miss more bats. Mike Fiers is a one and done, but take him in his second start against Minnesota. They are red hot, but do the majority of their damage against left-handed pitching. They have a high strikeout rate and low wRC+ against righties this season. Ubaldo Jimenez, Collin McHugh, and Lance Lynn are all guys with above average stuff, but have a tendency of having poor starts. They take on teams who can make pitchers pay for their mistakes, but I am rolling the dice on all six starts.
Tier 3
This is where it gets ugly. Ryan Vogelsong is worth a look at, he is taking on the Pirates at home, where he has a noticeable split from pitching on the road. I don’t like his chances of getting a win, but I would not be shocked with a quality start. In his second start, he heads to Philly, and while his away struggles are a problem, he faces an offense in the bottom five. Josh Collmenter makes two home starts this week, against Atlanta and the New York Mets. There is not much to like about Collmenter’s numbers this season, his groundball rate is low, along with his strikeout rate. He has thrown eight shutout innings against Colorado, and a complete game shutout against the Giants this season. The Mets are next to last in offense against right-handed pitching, while the Braves are in the bottom half as well. A high risk-high reward option in Collmenter.
