In ranking the two-start pitchers this week, I have a new variable to consider: likelihood of making the second start.


It's that time of year, you see. With rosters expanded, six-man rotations are more the norm than the standard five, and even those aren't orderly and predictable. It's more like, "Oh, you need a rest? Let's give Dumpy McAwful a turn. Nah, we don't need to commit to him every time through. We'll just see how everyone feels."

"Heh heh heh."

I don't know why I made generic September manager guy evil there at the end, but the whole thing feels pretty sinister given the weight of every pitching decision this time of year. It's all the more reason not to sell out for a fringy two-start option when a high-end one-start type is often just a promising.

As a general rule, the pitchers whose second starts are projected for Sunday take a back seat to the ones whose second starts are projected for Saturday. More wiggle room there. Of course, Danny Duffy is so high-end that you'd be starting him regardless of the number of starts he's making, and the same goes for Marcus Stroman, Jose Quintana and Drew Pomeranz. But you shouldn't bank on getting a second start from Ivan Nova (who still ranks pretty high, as you can see), Trevor Bauer, Robbie Ray or CC Sabathia.

I could keep going, but dig any deeper and number of starts isn't your first concern. Kind of a bottom-heavy group this week, which may be the norm with so many six-man rotations.

The clear sleeper for this week is Mike Foltynewicz, who's available in less than half of CBSSports.com leagues and is scheduled to pitch Monday and Saturday, with decent matchups to boot.

Note: *signifies RP eligibility in CBSSports.com leagues.

Two-start pitchers for Week 24
Rank Pitcher Start 1 Start 2
1 Carlos Carrasco, CLE at CHW vs. DET
2 Kyle Hendricks, CHC at STL vs. MIL
3 David Price, BOS vs. BAL vs. NYY
4 Danny Duffy, KC* vs. OAK vs. CHW
5 Marcus Stroman, TOR vs. TB at LAA
6 Jose Quintana, CHW vs. CLE at KC
7 Drew Pomeranz, BOS* vs. BAL vs. NYY
8 Jeff Samardzija, SF vs. SD vs. STL
9 Ervin Santana, MIN at DET at NYM
10 Ivan Nova, PIT at PHI at CIN
11 Trevor Bauer, CLE at CHW vs. DET
12 Mike Foltynewicz, ATL vs. MIA vs. WAS
13 Jeremy Hellickson, PHI vs. PIT vs. MIA
14 Jose De Leon, LAD at NYY at ARI
15 Andrew Cashner, MIA at ATL at PHI
16 Robbie Ray, ARI vs. COL vs. LAD
17 Dan Straily, CIN vs. MIL vs. PIT
18 Jake Odorizzi, TB at TOR at BAL
19 Gerrit Cole, PIT at PHI at CIN
20 CC Sabathia, NYY vs. LAD at BOS
21 R.A. Dickey, TOR vs. TB at LAA
22 Miguel Gonzalez, CHW vs. CLE at KC
23 Wily Peralta, MIL at CIN at CHC
24 Julio Urias, LAD at NYY at ARI
25 Ross Detwiler, OAK* at KC at TEX
26 Daniel Norris, DET vs. MIN at CLE
27 Mike Leake, STL vs. CHC at SF
28 Ricky Nolasco, LAA vs. SEA vs. TOR
29 Dillon Gee, KC* vs. OAK vs. CHW
30 Reynaldo Lopez, WAS vs. NYM at ATL
31 Jaime Garcia, STL vs. CHC at SF
32 Doug Fister, HOU* vs. TEX at SEA
33 Wade Miley, BAL at BOS vs. TB
34 Shelby Miller, ARI vs. COL vs. LAD
35 Ariel Miranda, SEA* at LAA vs. HOU
36 Alex Meyer, LAA* vs. SEA vs. TOR
37 Kyle Gibson, MIN at DET at NYM
38 Albert Suarez, SF* vs. SD vs. STL
39 Alec Asher, PHI vs. PIT vs. MIA
40 Bryan Mitchell, NYY* vs. LAD at BOS
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