This week, there are a whopping 60 two-start pitchers, so I added a fourth tier for the first time. When it comes to the fourth tier, I would only start them in deep leagues, and normally avoid them in standard formats of 10 or 12 teams. As far as my stats last week, it was another mixed bag. Jimmy Nelson was great against the Pirates with seven strikeouts in six shutout innings, but got touched up against the Nationals on Saturday, scattering 10 hits and giving up a 7-spot. Mike Foltynewicz showed his rookie side with a stinker against the Padres, giving up 12 hits in 5 2/3 innings. He can salvage his two-start week with a strong start against the Mets today. Anthony DeSclafani proved to be a smart choice, striking out seven Phillies in a win. He gets the Cubs today in Wrigley, so lets hope the wind isn't blowing out.
My results so far
11-27 (53 starts, 23 quality starts)
5.06 ERA
6.96 K/9
2.33 BB/9
1.34 WHIP
Start!
Matt Harvey: Mon-TOR (Buehrle), Sat-@ATL (Perez)
Jake Arrieta: Mon-CLE (Bauer), Sat-@MIN (May)
Masahiro Tanaka: Mon-@MIA (Koehler), Sat-DET (Sanchez)
Dallas Keuchel: Mon-COL (Bettis), Sat-@SEA (Walker)
Michael Wacha: Mon-MIN (May), Sat-@PHI (Harang)
Tier 1
Francisco Liriano: Mon-CWS (Rodon), Sat-@WSH (Gonzalez)
Carlos Martinez: Tue-MIN (Gibson), Sun-@PHI (Williams)
Tyson Ross: Mon-OAK (Hahn), Sat-@ARI (Ray)
Garrett Richards: Tue-ARI (Hellickson), Sun-@OAK (Kazmir)
Scott Kazmir: Tue-@SD (Cashner), Sun-LAA (Richards)
Tier 2
Jose Quintana: Tue-@PIT (Morton), Sun-TEX (Gonzalez)
Carlos Rodon: Mon-@PIT (Liriano), Sat-TEX (Gallardo)
Brett Anderson: Tue-@TEX (Gonzalez), Sun-SF (Lincecum)
Julio Teheran: Tue-@BOS (Miley), Sun-NYM (Niese)
Trevor Bauer: Mon-@CHC (Arrieta), Sat-TB (Ramirez)
Gio Gonzalez: Mon-@TB (Ramirez), Sat-PIT (Liriano)
Jesse Hahn: Mon-@SD (Ross), Sat-LAA (Weaver)
Taijuan Walker: Mon-@SF (Hudson), Sat-HOU (Keuchel)
Anibal Sanchez: Mon-CIN (Moscot), Sat-@NYY (Tanaka)
Wei-Yin Chen: Mon-PHI (Harang), Sat-@TOR (Buehrle)
Tier 3
Charlie Morton: Tue-CWS (Quintana), Sun-@WSH (Roark)
Aaron Sanchez: Tue-@NYM (Niese), Sun-BAL (Tillman)
Carlos Frias: Mon-@TEX (Gallardo), Sat-SF (Hudson)
Trevor May: Mon-@STL (Wacha), Sat-CHC (Arrieta)
Andrew Cashner: Tue-OAK (Kazmir), Sun-@ARI (Hellickson)
Jered Weaver: Mon-ARI (Ray), Sat-@OAK (Hahn)
Chi Chi Gonzalez: Tue-LAD (Anderson), Sun-@CWS (Quintana)
Nathan Eovaldi: Tue-@MIA (Phelps), Sun-DET (Greene)
Tanner Roark: Tue-@TB (Colome), Sun-PIT (Morton)
Chad Bettis: Mon-@HOU (Keuchel), Sat-MIL (Lohse)
Edinson Volquez: Tue-@MIL (Garza), Sun-BOS (Miley)
Tier 4
Williams Perez: Mon-@BOS (Porcello), Sat-NYM (Harvey)
Matt Garza: Tue-KC (Volquez), Sun-@COL (Rusin)
Vincent Velasquez: Tue-COL (Rusin), Sun-@SEA (Happ)
Aaron Harang: Mon-@BAL (Chen), Sat-STL (Wacha)
Erasmo Ramirez: Mon-WSH (Gonzalez), Sat-@CLE (Bauer)
Tim Lincecum: Tue-SEA (Happ), Sun-@LAD (Anderson)
Shane Greene: Tue-CIN (Lorenzen), Sun-@NYY (Eovaldi)
Tim Hudson: Mon-SEA (Walker), Sat-@LAD (Frias)
Tom Koehler: Mon-NYY (Tanaka), Sat-@CIN (Moscot)
J.A. Happ: Tue-@SF (Lincecum), Sun-HOU (Velasquez)
Tsuyoshi Wada: Tue-CLE (Marcum), Sun-@MIN (Gibson)
Rick Porcello: Mon-ATL (Perez), Sat-@KC (Young)
Chris Young: Mon-@MIL (Lohse), Sat-BOS (Porcello)
Shaun Marcum: Tue-@CHC (Wada), Sun-TB (Colome)
Kyle Lohse: Mon-KC (Young), Sat-@COL (Bettis)
Jonathon Niese: Tue-TOR (Sanchez), Sun-@ATL (Teheran)
Wade Miley: Tue-ATL (Teheran), Sun-@KC (Volquez)
Yovani Gallardo: Mon-LAD (Frias), Sat-@CWS (Rodon)
Jon Moscot: Mon-@DET (Sanchez), Sat-MIA (Koehler)
Robbie Ray: Mon-@LAA (Weaver), Sat-SD (Ross)
Not this week
Mark Buehrle: Mon-@NYM (Harvey), Sat-BAL (Chen)
Alex Colome: Tue-WSH (Roark), Sun-@CLE (Marcum)
Kyle Gibson: Tue-@STL (Martinez), Sun-CHC (Wada)
Jeremy Hellickson: Tue-@LAA (Richards), Sun-SD (Cashner)
Michael Lorenzen: Tue-@DET (Greene), Sun-MIA (Phelps)
David Phelps: Tue-NYY (Eovaldi), Sun-@CIN (Lorenzen)
Chris Rusin: Tue-@HOU (Velasquez), Sun-MIL (Garza)
Chris Tillman: Tue-PHI (Williams), Sun-@TOR (Sanchez)
Jerome Williams: Tue-@BAL (Tillman), Sun-STL (Martinez)
My Week 11 Picks
Jesse Hahn, Athletics (@SD, LAA)
2015: 3-5, 3.84 ERA, 1.19 WHIP
Hahn is someone I liked a lot in the preseason. To start the year, Hahh had trouble going deep into games with an elevated pitch count, but that hasn't been the case over the last month Minus his last start against Texas (3 2/3 innings), Hahn had gone six innings or more in five straight starts, including a complete-game shutout against the Tigers. Hahn doesn't give you a lot of strikeouts (his high this year is six), but we've seen Hahn cut his walk rate down significantly over the past month or so, and he still has a very good groundball rate at 52 percent, while allowing just three home runs in 12 starts. The Padres are one of the easiest clubs to strike out with a 22.1 strikeout rate (tied fourth with the Orioles), and both parks this week are favorable.
Carlos Rodon, White Sox (@PIT, TEX)
2015: 2-0 ,2.66 ERA, 1.55 WHIP
There's a lot of risk here. See: 1.55 WHIP and 13.2 percent walk rate. But there's a lot of upside, too. Rodon has had some clunkers (six walks against Oakland on May 15), and some gems (10 strikeouts against Texas on June 4). In his last start against the Astros, he induced six ground balls to only one flyout. I'd be lying if I was totally confident in Rodon this week, but not many - outside of the obvious aces - can match his upside. The Pirates really struggle against southpaws (their .294 wOBA against left-handed pitching is 25th worst in baseball, while their 23.9 percent strikeout rate is second highest. The Rangers also struggle against LHP with a 22.6 percent strikeout rate, and Rodon had his best start of the year against the Rangers already.
Charlie Morton (CWS, @WSH)
2015: 4-0, 2.05 ERA, 1.06 WHIP
I feel like my first two picks, especially the Rodon pick, are a little risky, so Morton is my "safe" two-start streamer of the week. All Morton has done is post a 2.05 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and fire three out of four quality starts for the Pirates, going seven innings or more three times. I know he's not this good, and the strikeouts are lacking severely, but he gets to face the struggling White Sox on Tuesday so I don't see the good times ending just yet. The groundball rate is elite (69 percent in 2015, 55.5 percent in his career), and his advances metrics aren't bad either - 3.48 FIP, 3.41 xFIP and 3.19 SIERA. Both Washington and Chicago rank in the top five in terms of groundball rate, so continue to use Morton and let him do his usually underwhelming thing. If you need a better upside pick, I would recommend Trevor May from Minnesota.
Stats from FanGraphs.com