Feels like a 26 weeks and a day since I wrote about two start pitchers. Since we are in the future, do we even still play baseball with bats or do robots run/hit/throw now? So week 1-slash-2 is a weird menagerie of eclectic starters. You have your aces whom everyone and their brother’s brother owns (which technically is still your brother when you get down to it), then you have the stuff that I write about. Guys off the beaten trail, where you go on your first date with that new Missed Connection Craigslist friend. These two start options aren’t for everyone, but for people who like to stream or like to maximize the advantage of H2H and not be forced into limits of innings. I like advantages. It’s like cheating at checkers, though if you really lose at checkers you need to maybe relax on your competitive nature side. Hopefully in week 3 we will get back to some sort of normalcy. So take a look, or even stare aimlessly at the low end (owned in 50% or less) two start pitchers for the first full week of the season. I have to admit some of the guys that are matching up with these cats are total flat out guesses. (Please note that pitchers and matchups change)
One Start Streamers I Like:
Freddy Garcia NYY 4/10 @BAL (Chen)
Danny Duffy KC 4/10 @Oak vs TBD
Philip Humber CHW 4/10 @ Cle (Gomez)
Chris Capuano LAD 4/12 vs Pit (Bedard)
Luke Hochevar KC 4/13 vs Cle (Lowe)
Clayton Richard SD 4/14 vs LAD (Billingsley)
Lance Lynn STL 4/15 @ Cubs (Maholm)
Two Start Options:
Chris Narveson MIL (@Cubs vs Maholm, @Atl vs Beachy) – Officially in the club of guys that I can’t quit on. He is your typical cruising along pitcher than gets AJ Burnett’d and he is out of the game. I don’t know what is better news, that Narvy goes twice in the first week or Omar is playing ODB in a biopic movie. There is no wrong answer here.
Mike Leake CIN (@STL vs Westbrook, @Was vs Jackson) – I own this guy in almost every league, he is my cross to bear this year. Great walk rate with increasingly better peripheral numbers. Can I be so bold and say I think he will be better than Latos? No? Okay, how about Mario Soto then?
Felix Doubront BOS (@Tor vs Alvarez, TB vs Hellickson) – Typically a 2 start Sawx starter would be all the news and would have it’s own special on the world wide leader, but these aren’t your slightly, younger nephew’s Red Sox. Bullpen is a mess, no chicken and no beer. KFC thought they were ahead of the curve and opening up right next to Fenway too.
Jake Westbrook STL (Cin vs Leake, Cubs vs Volstad) – Ground ball pitchers are what get the non-fake baseballer in me going. From my addiction with Mike Leake above I’ll take a win one lose one scenario here. Oh, but I will root for you if you want to go with Westy.
Ross Detwiler WAS (@NYM vs Gee, @Cin vs Bailey) – Somewhere John Lannan is giving this guy the finger. Something that means nothing, as I was writing this blurb the girl I’m seeing saw Detwiler’s name and said he has the first name of the guy from Friends. Add face palm or shake your head emoticons on your own time, I actually have to deal with this stuff.
Hector Noesi SEA (@Tex vs Darvish, Oak vs Milone) – I asked Hector, “Aren’t you afraid of pitching against Yu Darvish?” His response, “No, estoy pilotando un.winnebago adventurer y me encanta bikinis” Well said my friend, well said.
Luis Mendoza KC (@Oak vs Milone, Cle vs Tomlin) – I’m really starting to like this kid. Yeah, I am older than him so I can call people kid now. Damn, I need to get a new hobby instead of watching young men get all sweaty and collecting the benefits of their stats. Reworked his delivery from years gone by, career K/9 of under 5. Walk the Mendoza line until they tell you to say the alphabet backwards.
Chris Volstad CHC (Mil vs Marcum, @STL vs Westbrook) – Why is it that athletes and people in prison are best fit for the description of a “change of scenery will do him good?” Ironically, I’m writing this from prison. And “by girl I’m seeing…” Never mind… We know what Volsatd is and nobody trusts him so moving on.
Henderson Alvarez TOR (Bos vs Doubront, Bal vs Matusz) – The first and prolly only appearance on the posts for him this year. I see big things in my rearview mirror for this guy. Oh, objects are closer than they appear in that thing, damn. K-rate is the only thing from making him a household name.
