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Quality over quantity. Every fantasy owner knows this. But when looking at the starting pitcher free agent waiver wire for the coming week, ideally you’d like to have a guy that is going to be on the mound more than once.
Most teams are going to have a couple of starters pitching twice in a week. This in turn raises their value as streaming options and weekly sleepers. In this column, I’ll be looking at my top five two-start pitchers that you should consider streaming for your fantasy teams for the approaching Week 14.
These pitchers are projected to pitch twice in the coming week and are owned in less than 50% of Fleaflicker and Yahoo leagues.
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Two-Start Pitchers for Week 14
Brett Anderson, SP, LAD
vs PHI on 7/7, vs MIL on 7/12
Brett Anderson has won three straight starts, had eight quality starts in his last nine quality outings, and has a 69/26 K/BB rate. So why in the heck is he owned in less than a quarter of Yahoo leagues? I understand the injury risk, as the 96 innings he has pitched this year are his most since 2010, but that does not mean the 27 year-old isn’t worth picking up. His 3.00 ERA on the year is more than enough to stream him at least for this week.
Another positive for Anderson this week is his solid matchups, both of which are at home. Facing the Phillies first, they have an 80 wRC+ on the season, the worst in the NL. They have the second worst ISO is the league at .115. So while Anderson has a scary HR/FB rate of 13%, the Phillies should not be able to exploit that, especially with only 50 home runs on the year. For the weekend, Anderson faces the Brewers. Against lefties on the year, they place 28th best in both wRC+ and OPS at 71 and .640, respectively.
Chris Heston, SP, SF
Vs NYM on 7/6, vs PHI on 7/12
I can’t technically say that I called Chris Heston’s no-hitter against the Mets, but in my Week 10 version of this column, I stated the Met’s recent injuries and poor offensive production at home lead to “success streaming pitchers on the road in Queens.” But I digress. Heston has a 3.78 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and a nice 80/26 K/BB rate on the year, with nine quality starts in 16 outings. Despite just being called up at the beginning of the season to replace Matt Cain, there is no talk of Heston being demoted back to the minors or bullpen now that Cain is back.
Now facing the Mets at home, the team’s offense still has not found their groove. They have a 74 wRC+ in the past month - the lowest in the league. This is thanks to their league-lowest slugging percentage of .346, along with their 29th highest BABIP of .260 in the same period. As stated with Brett Anderson, the Phillies are one of the worst offensive teams in the league as well. Heston just fits into this column’s requirements at 49% owned in Yahoo leagues, so add him quickly if you are looking to stream him this week.
Matt Moore, SP, TB
@KC on 7/7, vs HOU on 7/12
Moore struggled in his season debut Thursday against Cleveland, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks in just 4.2 innings, striking out four in the no-decision. This was his first start since April 7th 2014, as he spent over a year on the shelf recovering from Tommy John surgery. The start was not positive for Moore, who was an All-Star in 2013 with a 17-4 record, 3.29 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 143/76 K/BB rate. Still, Moore did post a 2.95 ERA and 24/8 K/BB rate in the minors, so there is reason to believe Moore can bounce back from his first start.
While the Royals are a nice offensive team, they have been less productive against left-handed pitching. Their .380 slugging percentage and .697 OPS against lefties this year are much lower than Kansas City’s .412 and .732 against righties. The Astros, another first place team, has been striking out 25.3% of the time the past month, the highest in the league. Along with their .243 batting average this year, Houston will also be without their biggest bat, George Springer.
Mark Buehrle, SP, TOR
@CHW on 7/6, @KC on 7/11
While Mark Buerhle has been consistently average to below average the past few seasons, he is a reminder that you cannot count out a command-first pitcher. With his fastball dipping to the mid-80s, the 36-year-old is keeping himself relevant, to the tune of a 9-4 record with a 3.64 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and a 52/20 K/BB rate. While his K% of 13.1% is not going to wow anybody, he is managing opponents with a .275 BABIP thanks to a GB% of 48%.
With such a high GB%, Buehrle would benefit from facing a team who also hits a lot of groundballs. And what do you know, the Sox have the highest GB% in the AL this year at 48.8%. Their .286 BABIP is 26th in the league, meaning the White Sox specific type of offensive inefficiency should fit well into Buehrle’s game plan. After the Royals are done with Matt Moore, they are next for Buehrle. Just like with Moore, the Royals could be in for a tough time against the left-handed Buehrle.
Andrew Heaney, SP, LAA
@COL on 7/7, @SEA vs 7/12
I could not have been the only one to realize Andrew Heaney quietly made his season debut late last month until after it happened. Nonetheless, the ninth overall pick in the 2012 draft is now here to stay in the majors, as Jered Weaver will be on the disabled list until past the All-Star break. Facing two dangerous teams in the Astros and Yankees, he is 1-0 while giving up only two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out 12 over 13 innings. His ownership has now risen to 13% in Yahoo leagues, and he is a good streamer for this week to really see if Heaney can produce in the majors.
Starting the week against the Rockies in Colorado might pose a disadvantage for Heaney. However, against left-handed pitching on the season, the Rockies have the highest K% at 25.3%, the worst in baseball. They also have a .651 OPS and 59 wRC, both 27th in the league. The Mariners have been a disappointing team offensively this year at home. While a .500 team on the road, Seattle is 17-23 at Safeco Field. This is because of a 23.4% K% and .294 wOBA at home, both the 27th best in the league.
You can follow me on Twitter @JustBerglund with all questions on who to add and start for the week. I hope everybody had a great Independence Day weekend, and let's get back from celebrating America's birthday to celebrating this nation's greatest pastime!
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