Morton gets two starts this week

After a long winter, baseball is back in our lives. As we enter the first full week of the season, we’ll get our first set of two-start pitchers. Let’s dig into some of the players who are projected to start twice each, and discuss what their matchups could mean for their fantasy value.

Triston McKenzie, Cleveland Guardians: at SEA, at MIN

Last season was a lost one for McKenzie. He didn’t make his debut until June and then made just two starts before going down with another injury. He returned to make two appearances in late September, leaving him to log a total of 16 innings. His absence was a big one for the Guardians, given that he had logged 191 1/3 innings the season prior.

McKenzie’s 2022 campaign was a special one. Not only was he durable, but he posted a 2.96 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. His FIP was also impressive at 3.59, and he gave up just 0.6 HR/9. While he didn’t miss a ton of bats, his 25.6 percent strikeout rate was not a detriment to fantasy managers. With a healthy offseason under his belt, he’ll come out of the gates with a two-start week. The Mariners don’t exactly have an imposing lineup, while the Twins are relying on a few young players to try and bolster theirs. Look for McKenzie to start things off on a high note.

Charlie Morton, Atlanta Braves: at CHW, vs. ARI

Morton will continue to provide the Braves with a reliable veteran towards the backend of their rotation. He made 30 starts for them last season, finishing with a 3.64 ERA and a 3.87 FIP. His strikeout rate did decline compared to the two seasons prior, but it was still respectable at 25.6 percent.

Morton gets a great matchup in his first start of the season against the White Sox, who scored the second-fewest runs in baseball last season. They didn’t make any significant upgrades to their lineup, so they should continue to struggle to score. The Diamondbacks will be a tough out, though, after lengthening their lineup with the additions of Eugenio Suarez and Joc Pederson. Still, the White Sox start alone makes Morton worth starting in most fantasy leagues.

Tanner Houck, Boston Red Sox: at OAK, at LAA

After serving mostly as a reliever in 2022, Houck started 21 games for the Red Sox last season. The transition did not go well with him posting a 5.01 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. If there was a bright side, it’s that his FIP was significantly better at 4.43.

Despite his struggles last year, Houck will begin this season in the starting rotation. His first matchup couldn’t get much better. The Athletics scored the fewest runs in baseball last season and will have an uninspiring lineup again. His second outing will be against an Angels team that no longer has Shohei Ohtani anchoring their lineup. For those in deep leagues looking to stream already, Houck is a viable option.

Ryan Pepiot, Tampa Bay Rays: vs. TEX, at COL

Talk about injuries. The Rays will begin the season with four starting pitchers on the IL. That’s in addition to them trading away Tyler Glasnow during the offseason. After Zach Eflin and Aaron Civale, their rotation contains plenty of question marks. They have already named Pepiot a member of their starting rotation despite him pitching just 78 1/3 career innings in the majors. He did show promise over his 42 innings last season, recording a 2.14 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP.

There could be weeks down the line in which deploying Pepiot in fantasy makes sense. However, this isn’t one of them. First, he will face a loaded Rangers lineup that sports two of the top rookies in the league in Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter. Then he will face the Rockies in Coors Field. The results of both outings could be ugly.

Nick Martinez, Cincinnati Reds: at PHI, vs. NYM

The Reds are loaded with young, talented hitters, especially within their infield. However, their starting rotation had plenty of holes last season. In an attempt to add a reliable veteran to the mix, they signed Martinez during the winter. He made 63 appearances for the Padres last season, only nine of which were starts. He did have a successful two-year stint with the Padres, posting ERAs of 3.47 and 3.43 in those campaigns.

Given that Martinez has spent most of his time as a reliever the last two seasons, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him handle a limited workload out of the gate. In terms of matchups, he doesn’t have two favorable ones to begin the season. The Phillies finished with the sixth-highest OPS in baseball last season. The Mets also had a lot of power, slugging the 10th-most home runs. Don’t take a chance on rolling with Martinez in fantasy.

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.