The Double Dip: Fantasy baseball 2-start pitchers for the week

We’re back again for this week’s fantasy baseball Double Dip — highlighting pitchers making two starts in a week. Some of the plays may be obvious — you don’t need me telling you that when Jacob deGrom is starting twice, a 1,000-word soliloquy highlighting why it’s a good idea to start him. You just do it. 

But volume is key, especially two-start-pitcher volume. This column aims to identify all the two start hurlers, the ones that are no-brainers, the ones that are avoids, and most importantly, focus on the tough-to-call decisions. 

Each week, I’ll do my best to highlight some of those tricky arms, and what could come your way.

All of the two-steppers (36)

1. Riley Smith, AZ (vs SF, vs STL)
2. Charlie Morton, ATL (at BOS, at NYM)
3. John Means, BAL (at MIN, at CWS)
4. Dean Kremer, BAL (at MIN, at CWS)
5. Jake Arrieta, CHC (at PIT, vs CIN)
6. Tyler Mahle, CIN (at WAS, at CHC)
7. Sam Hentges, CLE (at DET, vs TOR)
8. Aaron Civale, CLE (at DET, vs TOR)
9. Austin Gomber, COL (at NYM, at PIT)
10. Kyle Freeland, COL (at NYM, at PIT)
11. Lance Lynn, CHW (vs STL, vs BAL)
12. Lucas Giolito, CHW (vs STL, vs BAL)
13. Spencer Turnbull, DET (vs CLE, vs NYY)
14. Tarik Skubal, DET (vs CLE, vs NYY)
15. Brad Keller, KC (at TB, at MIN)
16. Clayton Kershaw, LAD (at HOU, vs SF)
17. Trevor Rogers, MIA (vs PHI, at BOS)
18. Sandy Alcantara, MIA (vs PHI, at BOS)
19. Brandon Woodruff, MIL (vs SD, at WAS)
20. Corbin Burnes, MIL (vs SD, at WAS)
21. David Peterson, NYM (vs COL, vs ATL)
22. Jacob deGrom, NYM (vs COL, vs ATL)
23. Corey Kluber, NYY (vs TOR, at DET)
24. Frankie Montas, OAK (vs SEA, vs LAA)
25. Cole Irvin, OAK (vs SEA, vs LAA)
26. Zach Eflin, PHI (at MIA, at TB)
27. Trevor Cahill, PIT (vs CHC, vs COL)
28. Blake Snell, SD (at MIL, at HOU)
29. Joe Musgrove, SD (at MIL, at HOU)
30. Justin Dunn, SEA (at OAK, vs TEX)
31. Kevin Gausman, SF (at AZ, at LAD)
32. Kwang Hyun Kim, STL (at CWS, at AZ)
33. Ryan Yarbrough, TB (at TOR, vs PHI)
34. Ross Stripling, TOR (vs TB, at CLE)
35. Steven Matz, TOR (vs TB, at CLE)
36. Max Scherzer, WAS (vs CIN, vs MIL)

The no-brainers (22)

This group should definitely be in your starting lineup — whether it’s due to matchup or just sheer brilliance, don’t overthink this one. This is a larger group than regular, mostly due to excellent matchups — in fact, it may be our biggest group of must starts this season. This is a monster two-step week.

• Charlie Morton, ATL (at BOS, at NYM)
• John Means, BAL (at MIN, at CWS)
• Tyler Mahle, CIN (at WAS, at CHC)
• Aaron Civale, CLE (at DET, vs TOR)
• Lance Lynn, CHW (vs STL, vs BAL)
• Lucas Giolito, CHW (vs STL, vs BAL)
• Clayton Kershaw, LAD (at HOU, vs SF)
• Trevor Rogers, MIA (vs PHI, at BOS)
• Sandy Alcantara, MIA (vs PHI, at BOS)
• Brandon Woodruff, MIL (vs SD, at WAS)
• Corbin Burnes, MIL (vs SD, at WAS)
• Jacob deGrom, NYM (vs COL, vs ATL)
• Corey Kluber, NYY (vs TOR, at DET)
• Frankie Montas, OAK (vs SEA, vs LAA)
• Cole Irvin, OAK (vs SEA, vs LAA)
• Zach Eflin, PHI (at MIA, at TB)
• Blake Snell, SD (at MIL, at HOU)
• Joe Musgrove, SD (at MIL, at HOU)
• Kevin Gausman, SF (at AZ, at LAD)
• Kwang Hyun Kim, STL (at CWS, at AZ)
• Steven Matz, TOR (vs TB, at CLE)
• Max Scherzer, WAS (vs CIN, vs MIL)

The run-and-hides (5)

This group should only be started out of pure desperation — the volume is nice, and it definitely could end up working out for you, but starting these hurlers is a real gamble. 

• Riley Smith, AZ (vs SF, vs STL)
• Dean Kremer, BAL (at MIN, at CWS)
• Brad Keller, KC (at TB, at MIN)
• Ryan Yarbrough, TB (at TOR, vs PHI)
• Ross Stripling, TOR (vs TB, at CLE)

The meat and potatoes (9)

This group is one that takes a bit more thinking — the volume is nice, but the matchup could be tricky. Is it worth taking the risk on a questionable start for what could be some juicy fantasy goodness? Let’s dig in and find out.

And since they say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I am going to use a similar rating scale that Clay Link and Todd Zola do over at Rotowire — if I was playing in five fantasy baseball leagues, how many would I feel comfortable starting this hurler? Using that as our barometer, we should be able to appropriately deem the risk and reward that’s available if you so choose to start this arm. Keep in mind — your league and team context are always key. I’m using a 12-team NFBC Online Championship format as my primary backdrop.

• Jake Arrieta, CHC (at PIT, vs. CIN, 26%) — FOUR LEAGUES OUT OF FIVE: The little-owned Arrieta has two solid matchups on tap — the first is a dream, as the Pittsburgh offense can certainly be pitched to. The Cincinnati offense is far more imposing (Jesse Winker SZN), but outside of Cincinnati this becomes a bit more tolerable.
• Sam Hentges, CLE (at DET, vs. TOR, 1%) — THREE: Hentges is an interesting case here. He threw pretty well, throwing 4.2 scoreless IP. Hentges’ major issue is his command — he walked four in that first start, and he had an issue with commanding the strike zone in the minors. He was originally expected to be a two-start starter in Week 8, but he was slid back a day. Detroit leads baseball in strikeout rate.
• Austin Gomber/Kyle Freeland, COL (at NYM, at PIT, 7%) — THREE: The limiting factor in both starters is that they do not generate a ton of swings and misses. Outside of that, these are both excellent matchups. The Mets are banged up, especially with Pete Alonso hitting the IL.
• Spencer Turnbull/Tarik Skubal, DET (vs. CLE, vs. NYY, 19%/6%) — THREE: Both starters appear to be turning a corner, and this is a middling set of matchups with one that’s brilliant (Cleveland) and one that’s far scarier (New York). Turnbull fired a no-hitter in his last outing against the Mariners, and Skubal ended his slow start to the season with a dominant performance.
• David Peterson, NYM (vs. COL, vs. ATL, 38%) — THREE: The Colorado offense, as we all know, is struggling. But, with Trevor Story heating up in recent weeks, this becomes a bit more challenging. What’s truly frightening is the matchup against the NL East rival Braves at the end of the week. While they still swing and miss a lot with a 24.8% strikeout rate, they rock a .201 ISO, and their .325 wOBA is climbing quickly.
• Trevor Cahill, PIT (vs. CHC, vs. COL, 0%) — TWO: Cahill is unowned in leagues as he returns from an injury (left calf discomfort). And the stats are ugly — a 6.81 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and less than a strikeout per inning. But the matchups are very solid — I could make an argument that he’s an avoid here, but if you are desperate for volume like I am in some leagues, take a shot.
• Justin Dunn, SEA (at OAK, vs. TEX, 1%) — THREE: The scary part about the Mariners six-man starting rotation is that it leaves it ripe for a single off day throwing this thing out of whack. See, last week, Dunn was schedule for a gorgeous two step, and it was delayed. Now here we are. The Oakland offense in the Bay will be a better matchup, and the Rangers are ugly. I still like him here.