Just about 10% of the regular season schedule has been played to date but we’re still below the statistical threshold to making meaningful evaluations of some of the more surprising performances we’ve seen. There are a handful of aces with two starts this coming week. Most of the rest of the two-start pitchers for April 20-26 are drawn from the middle and back end of the starting pitcher rotations.
We’ll look at strikeout (K%) and walk rates (BB%), as well as weighted on-base average (wOBA) and weighted runs created plus (wRC+) figures from teams against the handedness of the starting pitcher (except where noted) to create rankings for two-start pitchers. The table below shows the league averages for these statistics. We’ll provide notes and make recommendations for starting pitcher strategies.
| Split | BB% | K% | wOBA | wRC+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
VS. LHP |
10% |
22.7% |
.310 |
95 |
VS. RHP |
9.8% |
22.6% |
.321 |
102 |
Combined |
9.9% |
22.6% |
.318 |
100 |
Must-Start Two-Start Pitchers
© Brad Penner-Imagn Images


Elite Arms with Favorable Matchups
Dylan Cease (TOR): @ LAA; vs. CLE — Both the Angels and Guardians have 102 wRC+ against righties.
Nolan McLean (NYM): vs. MIN; vs. COL — McLean continues to shove with a Pitching + of 113. The Twins (25.7%) and Rockies (26.4%) both strike out well above the league average, giving the Mets rookie two terrific matchups.
Jacob Misiorowski (MIL): @ DET; vs. PIT — Efficiency has been an issue but Misiorowski is missing bats at a 16.4% rate and rounding into form. Nothing to fear here.
Shota Imanaga (CHC): vs. PHI; @ LAD — The Phils (59 wRC+) have been one of the worst teams in MLB against southpaws, while the Dodgers (145 wRC+) have been the best. A seat against LA wouldn’t be the worst idea, but you do you.
Aaron Nola (PHI): @ CHC; @ ATL — Nola is looking very much like the same pitcher as last season before the injury bug bit hard in mid-May. Ride him while he stays healthy.
Strong Streaming and Borderline Two-Start Options
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The Best of the Rest Two-Start Options
Second Tier Two-Start Options
Seth Lugo (KCR): vs. BAL; vs. LAA — Both teams are dancing right around the league average wRC+ against righties, and Lugo is doing a solid job of mixing in all of his pitches.
Kyle Bradish (BAL): @ KCR; vs. BOS — The slider has been good, but the four-seamer has been rocked for a .833 SLG. Still the matchups are good. Especially the Red Sox, who are striking out at a 26% rate against righties with an 88 wRC+, and the Royals are at just a 91 wRC+.
Sean Burke (CHW): vs. TBR; @ARI — Burke struggled against the Rays in his last start, giving up a pair of homers and three walks with just two strikeouts. The Snakes strike out nearly 26% of the time against righties. Burke is worth a roll of the dice here.
Mick Abel (MIN): @ NYM; @ TBR — If Abel can cut down the walks a bit there is plenty of good under the hood for him to deliver in these matchups. He needs to work on locating his slider better.
Bryce Elder (ATL): @ WSH; vs. PHI — Elder has done very well over his first four starts and is worth starting against both teams.
Max Meyer (MIA): vs. STL; @ SFG — The Cards (88 wRC+) and Giants (72 wRC+) have both struggled to produce against righties. Meyer has been solid if unspectacular so far.
Sonny Gray (BOS): vs. DET; @ BAL — Since striking out five in his season debut, Gray has just six punchouts in his last 16.1 IP. The whiffs haven’t been there for his sweeper and curve like last year, and the latter is getting rocked for a .580 wOBA. Skies definitely more Gray than Sonny for these starts.
Jesus Luzardo (PHI): @ CHC; @ ATL — Luzardo has allowed 13 ER over his last 10 innings, including 8 ER to the Cubs in his most recent outing. You might consider sitting him if you don’t need the innings.
Connelly Early (BOS): vs. NYY; @ BAL — The Yanks have been surprisingly bad against lefties, with a league-worst 41 wRC+. Meanwhile, the O’s have a 125 wRC+ against southpaws. I’ve been skeptical about Early but he’s looked much better in his last two starts (@STL, @MIN).
Third Tier Two-Start Options
Jack Flaherty (DET): @ BOS; @ CIN — Command has been an issue with a 15.9% walk rate. Still, the Red Sox (88 wRC+) and Reds (70 wRC+) have both had their issues with righties.
Justin Wrobleski (LAD): vs. @ COL; vs. CHC — Perhaps the Rockies (30.7%) and Cubs (26.8%) can help Wrobliski bolster his lagging strikeout rate.
Reynaldo Lopez (ATL): @ WSH; vs. PHI — The five-game suspension won’t affect Lopez from drawing his two starts. Lopez has been a league-average starter thus far, in terms of strikeouts.
Luis Gil (NYY): @ BOS; @ HOU — Gil has coughed up four homers in his first nine innings this season, with a 7:5 K:BB ratio. That makes him a no-go — even against the flailing Red Sox.
Slade Cecconi (CLE): vs. HOU; @ TOR — The stuff has been below average and he’s walking too many batters. His sinker is getting slammed, and the curve hasn’t been as effective as last season. Houston is tough on righties, Toronto less tough. I’m preaching caution here.
Carmen Mlodzinski (PIT): @ TEX; @ MIL — These are tough matchups against a pair of teams that try to force pitchers to throw in the zone and draw lots of walks in the process. It’s a gamble I’m not willing to take.
Risky or Avoid Two-Start Pitchers
Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
Do Not Start Arms
Tyler Mahle (SFG): vs. LAD; vs. MIA — MIami has a .353 wOBA against RHP, and you just don’t want to mess with the Dodgers at all.
Michael McGreevy (STL): @ MIA; vs. SEA — Neither the slider nor the sweeper have been working well. If the Marlins and Mariners simply sit dead red on the fastball this could get ugly quick. Not worth the gamble.
Tomoyuki Sugano (COL): vs. SDP; @ NYM — Neither team is exactly fierce against RHP, but the lack of strikeouts make him non-appealing.
Colin Rea (CHC): vs. PHI; @ LAD — These are dangerous matchups for the soft-tossing Rea.
Jack Kochanowicz (LAA): vs. TOR; @ KCR
Jose Quintana (COL): vs. LAD; @ NYM
J.T. Ginn (ATH): @ SEA; @ TEX
Scheduled Game Counts
Teams with 5 games: SDP
Teams with 6 games: ARI, ATH, BAL, CIN, CLE, CWS, HOU, KCR, LAA, MIA, MIN, NYM, NYY, PIT, SEA, SFG, STL, TBR, TEX, TOR
Teams with 7 games: ATL, BOS, DET, CHC, COL, LAD, PHI, WSH
Fantasy Baseball 2-Start Pitchers Questions, Answered
Who are the best two-start pitchers for April 20-26?
The top options feature aces with plus matchups on both sides of the schedule. Check the full list for exact rankings and start/sit advice.
Which streamers become viable two-start plays the week of April 20-26?
Several mid-rotation arms with favorable home/road splits and weak opposing lineups move into streamer territory.
Are there any high-owned pitchers to avoid as two-starts this week?
Yes. A few popular names draw tough matchups that make them risky even with two starts.
How should advanced managers approach two-start decisions in shallow vs deep leagues?
Shallow leagues should lean conservative on borderline arms; deep leagues can take more calculated risks on streamers with strong underlying metrics.
What factors beyond opponent matter most for two-start pitchers in April 2026?
Recent command, velocity trends, and ballpark factors carry extra weight early in the season when sample sizes remain small.
