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Several clubs have multiple off days in the coming week so the number of choices for two-start streamers is limited. Fortunately, there are still a few good options out there even in deeper leagues.
As a reminder, each week this fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups column will identify starting pitchers expected to make two starts in the upcoming fantasy baseball week, ahead of the Sunday night waiver wire runs for leagues with weekly transactions.
This list will be limited to players under 50% rostered in Yahoo leagues and divided into three sections based on recommendation levels: solid starters, risky streamers, and must-avoids.
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Solid Two-Start Pitcher Streamers
George Kirby, Seattle Mariners - 51% rostered
Scheduled starts: vs BAL, vs OAK
Still hovering right around the cutoff for our streamer recommendations, Kirby deserves mention and should really be rostered in all formats. He has allowed a total of seven earned runs over his past five starts covering 29 innings. He's lowered his season ERA to 3.12 with a 1.12 WHIP. It's not as if Kirby is sacrificing your strikeouts either, with nearly a K per inning that ranks in the 57th percentile.
Now that we've established that Kirby is more than just a streamer, here's why he should absolutely be started for both turns this week. The Orioles and A's are 22nd and 29th in runs scored and strikeout at the fifth and eighth-highest rates this season. Oakland has officially settled into being the worst offense in baseball, scoring a total of seven runs over the past week. Kirby is a must-add anywhere he happens to be on the waiver wire.
Keegan Thompson, Chicago Cubs - 38% rostered
Scheduled starts: vs CIN, vs BOS
Which Thompson will we get this week? The one who has gone six innings each of the last two starts with a 16-3 K-BB while yielding a total of one run on six hits? Or the one who assaulted fantasy teams the previous two times out by giving up seven runs in three innings to the Orioles and failing to make it out of the first inning against the Yankees?
It appears he has corrected his mistakes and gotten back to what worked when he was out of the bullpen – relying on his fastball first and foremost. He was trying to incorporate a sinker more but it only led to bad results.
We should see the Thompson that has looked dominant at times, especially when he takes on Cincinnati in his first start of Week 12.
Ross Stripling, Toronto Blue Jays - 31% rostered
Scheduled starts: vs BOS, vs TB
Since officially joining the rotation on June 6, Stripling has posted a 1.21 ERA and allowed 12 hits over 20 2/3 innings. The first two were cakewalks against Detroit and KC, but his last two assignments were the White Sox and Yankees. He should be able to handle the Red Sox well enough, as they haven't been lighting up the scoreboard lately. He catches the Rays at a great time with their numerous injuries forcing as many as four rookies into the starting lineup on Friday and likely at least three most days for the foreseeable future.
Devin Smeltzer, Minnesota Twins - 14% rostered
Scheduled starts: @CLE, vs BAL
Smeltzer is sporting a 1.06 WHIP that ranks top-30 among starters with at least 30 IP and a 3.05 ERA. On the other hand, he is far outperforming his 5.09 SIERA and has an anemic 12.6% K%. This is a play for wins and ratios in favorable matchups but not strikeouts. The schedule works in his favor this week with two lesser offenses in Cleveland and Baltimore.
He's already faced Cleveland twice this year with great success. His first start of 2022 back on May 14 came against the Guardians when he limited them to one run on three hits over five innings. His most recent start was also against Cleveland and he stifled them by again allowing just three hits over six scoreless innings. You may need to make up for the lack of Ks elsewhere but Smeltzer looks like a great bet to deliver two solid outings.
Tyler Wells, Baltimore Orioles - 13% rostered
Scheduled starts: @SEA, @MIN
The discount version of Smeltzer but with a less favorable pair of matchups, Wells has been solid for most of the season. His 3.34 ERA and 1.10 WHIP are more than playable but he sports a K-rate in the ninth percentile. Still, Wells refuses to have a truly bad start, not having allowed more than three ER in an outing since his very first appearance of the year. There is a little risk in the fact that both of Wells' upcoming starts are on the road where his 4.25 ERA is two runs higher than at home. They aren't intimidating matchups, however, so fantasy managers should feel comfortable rolling him out.
Risky Two-Start Pitcher Streamer Picks
Zach Plesac, Cleveland Guardians - 37% rostered
Scheduled starts: vs MIN, vs NYY
Don't look now but Plesac has quietly been one of the best starting pitchers in June. In fact, if we extend back to May 30, he has posted a 2.40 ERA, .219 BAA, and 22-4 K-BB in his last five starts. His season-long stats aren't impressive but a couple of disastrous starts have skewed those numbers quite a bit.
There is one reason not to fully buy into Plesac this week – those damn Yankees. It's a bad idea to stream any starter against the team that leads the majors in runs and home runs, including a league-high 12 HR this past week. Plesac is a strong one-start streamer this week but don't tempt fate with start number two.
Chad Kuhl, Colorado Rockies - 18% rostered
Scheduled starts: vs LAD, vs ARI
Both of Kuhl's starts this week are in Coors Field and the first comes against the Dodgers. That's enough to back a bit off a starter who has progressed greatly this season since switching uniforms. Kuhl was excellent through his first few starts as a Rockie but has shown inconsistency since then. A 31% line drive rate is concerning as is the fact his strikeout rate is declining as the weeks go on. He may be viable later in the week when facing the Diamondbacks, whom he dominated earlier in the season, but should be avoided if possible against the Dodgers.
Jose Quintana, Pittsburgh Pirates - 11% rostered
Scheduled starts: @WAS, vs MIL
It looked like Quintana might be regressing after a pair of rough starts earlier in June. Then he looked great the other day by tossing six solid innings, albeit against the hapless Cubs. Even then he couldn't earn a victory and has one win in 14 tries this season. Quintana should be a solid play versus the Nats but presents risk against a hot Brewers offense.
Jonathan Heasley - 3% rostered
Scheduled starts: vs TEX, @DET
I was initially tempted to put Heasley in the Solid category upon seeing Texas and Detroit on the slate. He hasn't exactly been easy to trust, though. He enters the week with a 4.14 ERA but owns a 5.21 SIERA and a 12.2% BB%.
Heasley has flashed at times, including a string of three straight quality starts that culminated with seven scoreless frames against Baltimore. He's not avoiding hard contact nearly enough to be a trusted streamer because the longball can always betray him.
Erick Fedde, Washington Nationals - 3% rostered
Scheduled starts: vs PIT, vs MIA
On this week's episode of Beat the Shift podcast with Ariel Cohen and Reuven Guy, I was surprised to hear optimism about Fedde. I get that the schedule doesn't get much better than the Pirates and Marlins on tap but Fedde hasn't done much to inspire confidence. Even if we ignore his season-long 1.47 WHIP and 18.4% K%, his recent "strong stretch" since his last implosion is a collection of three starts in which he owns a 4.15 ERA and a 13-9 K-BB rate. Those in deep leagues looking to take a shot at a win or two can try Fedde but the upside is minimal.
Stay Away from these Two-Start Pitchers
Josh Fleming, Tampa Bay Rays - 0% rostered
Scheduled starts: vs MIL, @TOR
Fleming was sent down to the minors after pitching to a 6.38 ERA and 1.96 WHIP through 18 1/3 IP. He is scheduled to come up and face two hot offenses in Milwaukee and Toronto. Considering this is a pitcher with a career strikeout rate below 16% coming off a similarly disappointing 2021 season, there is little justification needed to leave him alone in fantasy.
Tyler Beede, Pittsburgh Pirates - 0% rostered
Scheduled starts: @WAS, vs MIL
This is a speculative pick as the ESPN pitching forecaster lists Jerad Eickhoff as a two-start pitcher next week. He was designated for assignment yesterday, though (unsurprisingly).
In the most successful season of Eickhoff's MLB career, he held a 3.65 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. He also ranked among the league "leaders" with 14 losses and 30 HR allowed. It's a small sample but Eickhoff got back on track after his first appearance of 2022, having given up two homers and taking the loss to Chicago the other day while giving up 10 runs!
Beede was a former first-round pick and starter in San Francisco but has barely pitched since 2019 since undergoing Tommy John surgery and suffering a back injury. He may serve as an opener and as such should be ignored.
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