I just spent far too much time ranking a bunch of pitchers who don't matter.
It's that kind of week for two-start options. You may not feel like you have enough, but trust me when I say you shouldn't go hunting for them.
Normally, we have about 20 I can recommend on some level, even if just in points leagues where quantity often trumps quality. But this week? I can't in good conscience suggest more than 13.
And Derek Holland is kind of pushing it.
Beyond the top eight, I have real doubts. Jerad Eickhoff is my favorite of that 8-12 group, but only because I choose to believe his claim that he found a mechanical flow after leaving his third straight disastrous start Tuesday. He's owned in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues (though just barely), which makes him my top sleeper for the week. Meanwhile, Sean Manaea is returning from a three-week absence for a shoulder issue, which is always risky, but with so few alternatives, how can you not start him?
If you're desperate -- and again, I don't know that you should be -- I'm not without some hope for Nos. 14-17 and might even be willing to recommend Brandon McCarthy if he wasn't coming back from a shoulder issue himself. I can't be completely sure he's making two starts, though, since the Dodgers keep manipulating their starting rotation to avoid sending one of their seven to the bullpen or the minors. Rich Hill could theoretically make two starts if they cut their rotation from six to five before the end of the week, but if he develops a blister his first time out Tuesday, as he so often does, the point is moot.
| Two-start pitchers for Week 7 | ||||||||
| Rank | Pitchers | Start 1 | Start 2 | |||||
| 1 | Stephen Strasburg, WAS | at PIT | at ATL | |||||
| 2 | Carlos Carrasco, CLE | vs. TB | at HOU | |||||
| 3 | Yu Darvish, TEX | vs. PHI | at DET | |||||
| 4 | Chris Archer, TB | at CLE | vs. NYY | |||||
| 5 | Marco Estrada, TOR | vs. ATL | at BAL | |||||
| 6 | John Lackey, CHC | vs. CIN | vs. MIL | |||||
| 7 | Eduardo Rodriguez, BOS | at STL | at OAK | |||||
| 8 | Lance Lynn, STL | vs. BOS | vs. SF | |||||
| 9 | Jerad Eickhoff, PHI | at TEX | at PIT | |||||
| 10 | Sean Manaea, OAK | at SEA | vs. BOS | |||||
| 11 | Andrew Triggs, OAK* | at SEA | vs. BOS | |||||
| 12 | Zack Wheeler, NYM | at ARI | vs. LAA | |||||
| 13 | Derek Holland, CHW | at LAA | at SEA | |||||
| 14 | Brandon McCarthy, LAD | at SF | vs. MIA | |||||
| 15 | Kyle Freeland, COL | at MIN | at CIN | |||||
| 16 | Dan Straily, MIA | vs. HOU | at LAD | |||||
| 17 | Joe Musgrove, HOU | at MIA | vs. CLE | |||||
| 18 | Jesse Chavez, LAA* | vs. CHW | at NYM | |||||
| 19 | Yovani Gallardo, SEA | vs. OAK | vs. CHW | |||||
| 20 | Jaime Garcia, ATL | at TOR | vs. WAS | |||||
| 21 | Matthew Boyd, DET | vs. BAL | vs. TEX | |||||
| 22 | Zack Godley, ARI* | vs. NYM | at SD | |||||
| 23 | CC Sabathia, NYY | at KC | at TB | |||||
| 24 | Jason Hammel, KC | vs. NYY | at MIN | |||||
| 25 | Clayton Richard, SD* | vs. MIL | vs. ARI | |||||
| 26 | Jimmy Nelson, MIL | at SD | at CHC | |||||
| 27 | Bartolo Colon, ATL | at TOR | vs. WAS | |||||
| 28 | Chase Anderson, MIL | at SD | at CHC | |||||
| 29 | Luis Perdomo, SD* | vs. MIL | vs. ARI | |||||
| 30 | Bronson Arroyo, CIN | at CHC | vs. COL | |||||
| 31 | Chase De Jong, SEA | vs. OAK | vs. CHW | |||||
| 32 | Wade Miley, BAL | at DET | vs. TOR | |||||
| 33 | Tom Koehler, MIA | vs. HOU | at LAD | |||||
| 34 | Chad Kuhl, PIT | vs. WAS | vs. PHI | |||||
| 35 | Matt Cain, SF | vs. LAD | at STL | |||||
| 36 | Mike Bolsinger, TOR | vs. ATL | at BAL | |||||
| 37 | Phil Hughes, MIN | vs. COL | vs. KC | |||||
| 38 | Mike Pelfrey, CHW | at LAA | at SEA | |||||
*RP-eligible
