The list of available two-start pitchers is especially short this week, as most teams have one of their best hurlers lined up for a pair of outings. All the players listed below carry significant risk, and Leiter is by far the best option in the group. On the hitting side, players on the Rockies, Dodgers and Mets are sensible streamers for fantasy baseball.
Two-Start Pitchers (listed in order of preference)
Jack Leiter, Rangers, 36% (@ KC, vs. CLE): Leiter continues to walk too many batters, but he deserves credit for allowing two or fewer runs in seven of his past eight starts. He has also had several recent games in which he tallied strong strikeout totals. Leiter has favorable matchups this week, as the Royals rank 27th in runs scored and the Guardians place 26th. He needs to go deeper into games to get fantasy managers a win, but he should at least be a source of 10-12 strikeouts.
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Nestor Cortes, Padres, 21% (vs. SF, vs. LAD): Cortes has been decent in two starts since returning from a long injured list stint. On a positive note, he has allowed just three runs. However, he didn’t finish the fifth inning in either game and logged a mediocre 9:4 K:BB ratio. Cortes could benefit from working at his pitcher-friendly home park this week, and the Giants matchup is a favorable one. But the Dodgers matchup is enough to scare me away, especially when I worry that Cortes isn’t in his top form.
Dustin May, Red Sox, 37% (vs. BAL, @ NYY): May is coming off his best start of the season, when he struck out eight Astros across six scoreless innings. The righty has been inconsistent throughout 2025, which makes it unlikely that he will follow up a dominant outing with an effective two-start week. He would need to have favorable matchups to be considered in mixed leagues, and that’s not the case.
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Spencer Arrighetti, Astros, 29% (@ DET, @ BAL): Arrighetti has not looked his best since returning from four months on the IL, allowing seven runs on 12 hits and six walks over 8.2 innings in two starts. His matchups are tough this week, as the Tigers have had a productive offense this season and the Orioles have been one of the highest-scoring groups since the All-Star break. He should stay on waivers in mixed leagues.
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Matthew Liberatore, Cardinals, 22% (@ MIA, @ TB): Liberatore may be wearing down in his first full MLB season. His last quality start came on June 29, and he…