The Hook

Two Start Pitchers - June 18 - June 24

Let's Play Two will be something we'll be doing every Saturday throughout the year which will be highlighting all pitchers projected to make two starts in the upcoming fantasy week, running Monday through Sunday each week. This can be a particularly useful tool for those of you either in leagues that use weekly transactions and for those of you in head to head leagues. To play along, we'll select a starter from each league and keep track of our statistics based on our Start of the Week. All home games are in CAPS.

American League

Steve Trachsel - San Diego, Arizona
Curt Schilling - Atlanta, San Diego
Jose Contreras - FLORIDA, CHICAGO CUBS
Cliff Lee - PHILADELPHIA, Washington
Mike Maroth - Washington, Atlanta
Odalis Perez - St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee
John Lackey - HOUSTON, PITTSBURGH
Carlos Silva - New York Mets, Florida
Mike Mussina - Colorado, San Francisco
Joe Blanton - CINCINNATI, New York Mets
Miguel Batista - PITTSBURGH, CINCINNATI
Edwin Jackson - Arizona, LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Robinson Tejeda - CHICAGO CUBS, HOUSTON
Dustin McGowan - LOS ANGELES DODGERS, COLORADO

Start of the Week

Sometimes you just have to ride the hot hand. Next week, that would be major league wins leader John Lackey. With yet another stellar outing in Cincinnati Wednesday, Lackey won for the sixth time in seven starts while notching his seventh quality start in his last ten appearances. With interleague play filling the entire schedule next week, none of the two start options have much history against next week's opponents. That being said, Lackey will be the beneficiary of an opportunity to face the 23rd (Pittsburgh) and 27th (Houston) ranked offensive teams in terms of runs scored. What's more, he'll face them at home, where his lifetime ERA is over half a point lower than it is in his road starts. We need to bounce back after last time's selection of Roy Halladay, who allowed 8 runs to the Devil Rays in his first start (after allowing just fourteen in six starts combined against Tampa Bay last season).

On the Year: 6-5, 77.2 IP, 80 H, 27 BB, 42 R, 39 ER, 54 K (4.52 ERA, 1.38 WHIP)

National League

Livan Hernandez - TAMPA BAY, BALTIMORE
Chuck James - BOSTON, DETROIT
Sean Marshall - Texas, Chicago White Sox
Kyle Lohse - Oakland, Seattle
Josh Fogg - NEW YORK YANKEES, Toronto
Josh Johnson - Chicago White Sox, MINNESOTA
Chris Sampson - Los Angeles Angels, Texas
Brad Penny - Toronto, Tampa Bay
Yovani Gallardo - SAN FRANCISCO, KANSAS CITY
John Maine - MINNESOTA, OAKLAND
Cole Hamels - Cleveland, St. Louis
Ian Snell - Seattle, Los Angeles Angels
Jake Peavy - BALTIMORE, BOSTON
Noah Lowry - Milwaukee, NEW YORK YANKEES
Adam Wainwright - KANSAS CITY, PHILADELPHIA
Matt Chico - DETROIT, CLEVELAND

Start of the Week

I see a handful of borderline aces and the top starter in all of fantasy-land making two starts next week, but I'm taking a flier. Adam Wainwright has never faced the Phillies as a starter, and has thrown just two innings in his career against them (both in relief last season). Alas, they're the start that would concern me, as he one-hit the Royals for eight innings in one of the better hitter's parks in the league last week. Both starts will come at home in pitcher-friendly Busch Stadium, where Wainwright has allowed just twelve runs (eleven earned) in his past five starts. Expect him to continue to turn his poor start around, and hopefully turn our luck from last time around (Tim Hudson's two worst starts of the year).

On the Year: 7-5, 104.2 IP, 90 H, 40 BB, 50 R, 48 ER, 76 K (4.13 ERA, 1.24 WHIP)

---