Fantasy Baseball 2018: Two-Start Pitchers for Week 21

This article looks at some two-start pitchers for the upcoming week that you should consider for your Fantasy Baseball team. 

Jameson Taillon– Pittsburgh Pirates

Opponents: at Minnesota, vs. Chicago Cubs

Since the end of May, Jameson Taillon has been one of the better pitchers in all of baseball, and has been Fantasy Baseball gold. He posted a 4.83 and a 4.15 ERA in April and May respectively, and then went on to put up a 2.90 ERA in June, 3.22 in July, and 2.00 in August. Furthermore, he hasn’t given up more than three earned runs in a start since May 22, which is a 13-start stretch. Of those 13 starts, nine have been quality starts. He is coming off a complete game victory against the Rockies at Coors Field, one of the toughest places to pitch. Over nine innings, he gave up two earned runs, ten hits, walked one, and struck out three. Here are the highlights:

This week, Taillon draws the Twins and the Cubs. He started against the Twins on Opening Day, and got the win, going 5.1 innings, giving up two earned, and striking out nine. After a Wild Card appearance last year, the Twins have had a pretty disappointing season, and thus traded away a couple big bats at the deadline, including Eduardo Escobar and Brian Dozier. Their offense has suffered in August as a result, so they shouldn’t give Taillon too much trouble. The Cubs will be a bigger challenge, as they obviously have better hitters and are in the midst of a division race. Taillon got the win in his last start against them, going 6.2 innings, giving up three runs and only striking out three. He has a 4.86 career ERA vs the Cubs, so this will be a good test for Taillon as well.

J.A. Happ– New York Yankees

Opponent: vs. Tampa Bay, vs. Toronto

So far, Happ has looked like a solid pickup for Brian Cashman and the Yankees. In his two starts in pinstripes, Happ has gone 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA and 11 strikeouts. Most of those strikeouts came in his latest start against the Rangers, in which he struck out nine hitters. In his two starts with the Yankees, Happ has surrendered a .179 BAbip, and has a 19.7 swinging strike rate. He seems to be steadying himself after putting up a 5.87 ERA in July, and maybe being on a title contender has helped him out.

Happ will face two AL East teams this week in the Rays and the Blue Jays. In two starts vs. the Rays this season, Happ is 0-1 with a 2.53 ERA. While he only struck out seven in those two starts, they hit .143 off him, and have a .148 BAbip. Obviously, Happ hasn’t faced the Blue Jays this season, being that he was traded from them to New York. However, in two career starts vs Toronto, he has a 2.53 ERA. Also, both starts will be at Yankee Stadium, which seems to suit Happ just fine, as both of his Yankee starts have been at home.

Mike Foltynewicz– Atlanta Braves

Opponents: vs. Miami, vs. Colorado

Mike Foltynewicz is having the best season of his career, and it’s not even close. He is the former first round pick of the Houston Astros, and was part of the Evan Gattis trade in 2015. In his first three seasons with the Braves, Folty’s best ERA was 4.31. In year four, he is 9-7 with a 2.98 ERA through 22 starts, and has been one of the best pitchers in one of the best starting rotations in baseball this year. He went through a four-start stretch in July in which he gave up four earned twice and five earned twice. However, in his last two starts, he has only given up three earned runs combined and has struck out 12. He also has posted career highs this season in K/9, ground ball %, FIP, and WAR.

As I’ve said with many starting pitchers, Miami is usually a good matchup, as they struggle to score runs at home and on the road. Foltynewicz had a good start against Miami earlier this season, in which he went five innings and didn’t give up a run. Colorado should also be a decent matchup, mainly because their offense has underperformed this year. As a team, they rank 26th in wRC+, and they also are 10th in strikeout %.

Best of luck this season, and stay tuned to Fantasy CPR for all the latest Fantasy Baseball news and analysis!