Fantasy Baseball: Two-Start Pitchers for Week 9

There are literally oodles of starting pitchers to choose from in Week 9, as every team has a full slate of seven games on tap. Sadly, last week's selections weren't that great, as neither Scott Kazmir or Jeremy Guthrie remembered how to throw a baseball on Monday. I think I have it nailed in Week 9, however, so if you can make it through the never-ending list of two-start pitchers directly below, I promise to make it worth your while.

Start!

Justin Verlander: Mon-PIT (Liriano), Sat-@BAL (Hammel)
Matt Harvey: Tue-NYY (Kuroda), Sun-@MIA (Slowey)
Yu Darvish: Mon-@ARI (Kennedy), Sat-KC (Shields)
Adam Wainwright: Mon-@KC (Shields), Sat-SF (Bumgarner)
Chris Sale: Tue-CHC (Jackson), Sun-@OAK (Parker)
Cliff Lee: Tue-@BOS (Dempster), Sun-MIL (Peralta)
Madison Bumgarner: Mon-@OAK (Straily), Sat-@STL (Wainwright)
James Shields: Mon-STL (Wainwright), Sat-@TEX (Darvish)
Clay Buchholz: Mon-PHI (Cloyd), Sat-@NYY (Hughes)
Gio Gonzalez: Mon-BAL (Hammel), Sat-@ATL (Hudson)
Jeff Samardzija: Mon-@CWS (Quintana), Sat-ARI (Kennedy)
Mat Latos: Tue-CLE (McAllister), Sun-@PIT (Gomez)
Hiroki Kuroda: Tue-@NYM (Harvey), Sun-BOS (Dempster)
Zack Greinke: Mon-LAA (Wilson), Sat-@COL (Chacin)

Pretty, pretty good

Hyun-Jin Ryu: Tue-LAA (Weaver), Sun-@COL (De La Rosa)
Jose Fernandez: Mon-@TB (Odorizzi), Sat-NYM (Niese)
Trevor Cahill: Mon-TEX (Wolf), Sun-@CHC (Jackson)
Tim Hudson: Mon-@TOR (Buehrle), Sat-WSH (Gonzalez)
C.J. Wilson: Mon-@LAD (Greinke), Sat-HOU (Norris)
Ervin Santana: Tue-STL (Lyons), Sun-@TEX (Wolf)
Jered Weaver: Tue-@LAD (Ryu), Sun-HOU (Lyles)
Zach McAllister: Tue-@CIN (Latos), Sun-TB (Hellickson)
Francisco Liriano: Mon-@DET (Verlander), Sat-CIN (Leake)
Paul Maholm: Tue-@TOR (Morrow), Sun-WSH (Detwiler)
Ryan Dempster: Tue-PHI (Lee), Sun-@NYY (Kuroda)
Brandon Morrow: Tue-ATL (Maholm), Sun-@SD (TBD)
Jorge De La Rosa: Tue-@HOU (Lyles), Sun-LAD (Ryu)
Ian Kennedy: Mon-TEX (Darvish), Sat-@CHC (Samardzija)
Jose Quintana: Mon-CHC (Samardzija), Sat-@OAK (Straily)
Dan Straily: Mon-SF (Bumgarner), Sat-CWS (Quintana)
Kevin Slowey: Tue-@TB (Hellickson), Sun-NYM (Harvey)
Jhoulys Chacin: Mon-@HOU (Norris), Sat-LAD (Greinke)
Jarrod Parker: Tue-SF (TBD), Sun-CWS (Sale)

Play the matchups

Jonathon Niese: Mon-NYY (Hughes), *Sat-@MIA (Fernandez)
Jeremy Hellickson: *Tue-MIA (Slowey), Sun-@CLE (McAllister)
Edwin Jackson: *Tue-@CWS (Sale), Sun-ARI (Cahill)
Ross Detwiler: Tue-BAL (Gausman), *Sun-@ATL (Maholm)
Mark Buehrle: Mon-ATL (Hudson), *Sat-@SD (Volquez)
Kevin Gausman: *Tue-@WSH (Detwiler), Sun-DET (Porcello)
Phil Hughes: *Mon-@NYM (Niese), Sat-BOS (Buchholz)
Jake Odorizzi: *Mon-MIA (Fernandez), Sat-@CLE (Jimenez)
Mike Leake: Mon-CLE (Jimenez), *Sat-@PIT (Liriano)
Edinson Volquez: *Mon-@SEA (Harang), Sat-TOR (Buehrle)

Not this week

Hiram Burgos: Mon-MIN (Pelfrey), Sat-@PHI (Cloyd)
Tyler Cloyd: Mon-@BOS (Buchholz), Sat-MIL (Burgos)
Scott Diamond: Tue-@MIL (Peralta), Sun-SEA (Maurer)
Jeanmar Gomez: Tue-@DET (Porcello), Sun-CIN (Latos)
Jason Hammel: Mon-@WSH (Gonzalez), Sat-DET (Verlander)
Aaron Harang: Mon-SD (Volquez), Sat-@MIN (Pelfrey)
Ubaldo Jimenez: Mon-@CIN (Leake), Sat-TB (Odorizzi)
Jordan Lyles: Tue-COL (De La Rosa), Sun-@LAA (Weaver)
Tyler Lyons: Tue-@KC (Santana), Sun-SF (TBD)
Brandon Maurer: Tue-SD (TBD), Sun-@MIN (Diamond)
Bud Norris: Mon-COL (Chacin), Sat-@LAA (Wilson)
Mike Pelfrey: Mon-@MIL (Burgos), Sat-SEA (Harang)
Wily Peralta: Tue-MIN (Diamond), Sun-@PHI (Lee)
Rick Porcello: Tue-PIT (Gomez), Sun-@BAL (Gausman)
Ross Wolf: Mon-@ARI, Gm. 2 (Cahill), Sun-KC (Santana)

My picks

Jorge De La Rosa (19.7% ESPN; 26% Yahoo!)
2013: 6-3, 5.50 K/9, 3.23 BB/9, 3.40 ERA, 1.31 WHIP

If you're looking for a pitcher who isn't going to completely kill your peripherals, De La Rosa might be your guy. He's not sexy, he strikes out fewer than six batters per nine and he doesn't play in a traditional pitcher's park, but he's kind of got a Bartolo Colon thing going on minus all of the fat. With six quality starts in 10 chances and a near no-no against the Cardinals, the southpaw should be considered somewhat of a safe option-as long as he's healthy, which isn't a given with De La Rosa's medical history-based on his ERA over his last three, somewhat healthy years: 4.22 (2010), 3.51 (2011), 3.40 (current). Considering De La Rosa calls Coors Field his home, those are some pretty respectable ERA's. The lefty matches up against the Astros (away) and Dodgers (home) this week, and he's carries a four-game win streak into Houston on Tuesday. Roll with DLR in Week 9.

Jose Quintana (8% ESPN; 15% Yahoo!)
2013: 3-1, 6.79 K/9, 2.61 BB/9, 3.48 ERA, 1.18 WHIP

Lost in the White Sox rotation is Quintana, who doesn't get much love from fantasy owners despite some fine work from both this season and last. Quintana has seen his K/9 and BB/9 both improve from last year's 5.35 and 2.77, respectively, and he's coming off of a gem against the Red Sox on Monday in which he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. He ended up going 6 1/3 innings in that one with no runs allowed, five punch outs and two walks. Quintana matches up against Samardzija and the Cubs in a crosstown rivalry on Monday, followed by a cushy start in the comfortable confines of O.co Coliseum in Oakland on Saturday. He's gone six-plus innings in each of his last three starts, and the offenses of the Cubs and Athletics shouldn't pose a huge threat to Quintana's quest (sounds like a Zelda title) for wins four and five.

Dan Straily (1.1% ESPN; 9% Yahoo!)
2013: 2-2, 8.73 K/9, 3.27 BB/9, 5.73 ERA, 1.21 WHIP

Racing to the waiver wire to pick up Dan Straily hasn't exactly worked out for fantasy owners, as the 24-year old righty has posted a 5.73 ERA in six starts. After failing to make it out of the sixth inning in his first five starts, Straily went seven scoreless against the Yu Darvish-led Rangers with five Ks and no walks on Tuesday. He's still showing strong strikeout potential, and he's also cut down on the walks and home runs that haunted him last season. Straily gets two winnable starts in Week 9, starting with the Giants on Monday followed by the White Sox on Saturday. Both starts are at home where Straily has actually struggled in his brief taste of the bigs (7.22 ERA in 28 2/3 innings), but chalk that up to small sample size. With Brett Anderson out, Straily has a chance to grab a stranglehold on one of the A's rotation spots, and I think that begins this week.

Kevin Slowey (5.9% ESPN; 18% Yahoo!)
2013: 1-5, 6.75 K/9, 1.88 BB/9, 3.30 ERA, 1.22 WHIP

Slowey (lat) played long toss on Friday and is on track to start Tuesday at Tampa, so I'll trust his murky medical condition for now. The Marlins starter hasn't been a recommended two-starter from me yet, but he's starting to gain my trust as a spot starter. This week, he opposes two offenses in the Rays and Mets that don't exactly put the fear into any starting pitcher, and outside of a two-game snag in mid-May, the right-hander has been up to the task regardless of the competition. Everything has improved for Slowey this season, as he's striking out more, walking less and, as always, inducing a lot of fly balls. He has given up eight long balls already in 57 1/3 innings, but Tampa and Miami aren't home run friendly ballparks. I think you'll get two solid starts from Slowey in Week 9.