Yesavage has plenty of upside

There are several top-tier starting pitchers projected to take the mound next week, including Chris Sale and Cam Schlittler. Let’s look past those two and highlight five other two-start pitchers heading into Week 10 while breaking down what their matchups could mean for their fantasy production.

Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers: vs. STL, at HOU
Misiorowski enters Week 10 with four straight scoreless starts. He has not allowed more than three runs in any of his 10 starts, producing a 1.89 ERA backed by a 2.31 xERA. After posting a 31.9% strikeout rate last season, he is missing even more bats this year with a 39.3% strikeout rate. He has also improved his command, lowering his walk rate from 11.4% last season to 8.0% this year.

Whenever Misiorowski has two starts in a week, he has the potential to dominate in fantasy regardless of the matchups. The Cardinals rank 15th in runs scored, while the Astros are missing key hitters in their lineup, including Jose Altuve (oblique). Neither matchup is especially intimidating.

Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians: vs. WAS, vs. BOS
Bibee is coming off his best start of the season, allowing one run over eight innings against the Tigers. He has an 0-6 record, but that’s mostly because his lineup and bullpen have let him down. He has allowed two or fewer earned runs in seven of his 11 starts. Even with his eight-run blowup against the Braves in April factored in, Bibee still owns a 3.75 ERA and a 3.74 xERA.

Bibee’s two matchups next week are about as contrasting as it gets. The Nationals lead baseball in runs scored, while the Red Sox have scored the second-fewest runs. The Nationals are fourth in OPS, while the Red Sox rank 26th in the category. One positive for his matchup against the Nationals is that they have a .721 OPS against right-handed pitchers compared to a .784 OPS against lefties. There’s no reason to bench Bibee in fantasy.

Trey Yesavage, Toronto Blue Jays: vs. MIA, at BAL
Yesavage is quickly emerging as one of the more exciting young pitchers in baseball. He threw six shutout innings against the Yankees in his last start, striking out eight batters along the way. He has a 1.07 WHIP through five starts and has not allowed a home run over 39 1/3 career innings in the majors. After missing plenty of bats in the minors, he has posted a 27.6% strikeout rate in the big leagues.

Neither the Marlins nor the Orioles have great lineups. Both teams are middle-of-the-pack in runs scored and rank in the bottom half of baseball in OPS. A major plus for Yesavage is that the Orioles have the third-most strikeouts in baseball. Start him with confidence next week.

Merrill Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks: at SF, at SEA
Kelly began the season on the injured list with a back injury. When he first returned, he didn’t look right. Over his first four starts, he gave up 21 runs across 19 innings. He posted a 2.32 WHIP during that stretch, which is a stark contrast to his career WHIP of 1.21. He also hasn’t finished a season with a WHIP above 1.19 since 2021.

The good news for the Diamondbacks is that he appears to have shaken off the rust. Over his last three outings, he has allowed five runs with a 0.82 WHIP across 22 innings.

Kelly just faced the Giants in his last start, allowing three runs across six innings. San Francisco has the third-worst OPS in baseball, so he has the potential to produce a similar stat line in their rematch. The Mariners haven’t been much better, ranking inside the bottom 10 in OPS. They also have the fourth-most strikeouts in baseball. Kelly has a favorable opportunity to continue his recent run of success.

Shane Baz, Baltimore Orioles: vs. TB, vs. TOR
Baz allowed just one run over six innings against the Rays in his last outing. While it was his best performance of the season, he again showed control issues. He walked three batters, marking his fourth straight game with at least three walks allowed. His walk rate is up to 10.0% for the season, which has contributed to his bloated 1.45 WHIP.

Although Baz held the Rays in check during his last start, they are not an easy matchup. Tampa Bay ranks inside the top 10 in baseball in both runs scored and OPS. The Blue Jays have been disappointing out of the gate, but they do a good job of making contact, posting the second-fewest strikeouts in the majors.

Considering how many hitters Baz has been allowing to reach base, he’s too risky to deploy in 10- and 12-team leagues.

Mike Barner has been covering fantasy sports since 2007. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, SportsLine and RotoWire. Mike was also a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Follow Mike on Twitter @rotomikebarner.