The trade deadline is firmly in our rearview mirror, setting us up for the home stretch in fantasy baseball. There are a lot of off days built into Week 19, so there aren’t exactly a bevy of two-start pitchers. With that in mind, let’s highlight five pitchers who are scheduled to take the mound twice each, and discuss what to possibly expect based on their respective matchups.

Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks: vs. PIT, at COL

Gallen has rebounded from a disappointing performance last season to post a 3.31 ERA and a 3.68 FIP. After allowing 19 home runs across 121 1/3 innings last season, he’s only allowed 11 through 111 1/3 innings this year. Also, he’s used an improved walk rate to lower his WHIP to 1.04. The only downside is that he’s not missing as many bats as he has historically, recording just a 23.3 percent strikeout rate.

His two matchups for Week 19 are about as contrasting as it gets. The Pirates are an extremely favorable foe, given that they have scored the third-fewest runs in baseball. However, it doesn’t get much worse than having to pitch at Coors Field. On the bright side, he’s pitched their once already this season, and he escaped by allowing three runs over six innings. Despite the risk that comes with a Coors Field outing, Gallen’s overall strong performance and great matchup against the Pirates still makes him worth starting in most formats.

Lance Lynn, Chicago White Sox: at KC, vs. DET

Injuries have limited Lynn to only 10 starts this season. His numbers are ugly, recording a 5.87 ERA and a 4.44 FIP. His last outing was one of his best of the season when he held the Royals to one run across six innings, striking out eight batters along the way. That also marked his fourth straight start with at least six strikeouts.

Lynn will face the same depleted Royals lineup for his first start of Week 19, and then he gets another great matchup against the Tigers. They have struggled mightily, hitting the fewest home runs and scoring the fewest runs in baseball. For those who have hung with Lynn through his struggles, they could be rewarded this week.

Jameson Taillon, New York Yankees: at SEA, at BOS

The Yankees had an odd trade deadline. They are clearly looking to win a championship this season, so it made sense that they dealt prospects to acquire Frankie Montas, Andrew Benintendi and a couple of pitchers for their bullpen. However, they also traded away Jordan Montgomery, who had been a valuable member of their starting rotation. With him gone and Luis Severino (lat) out until the middle of September, they will need Taillon to break out of a funk that has seen him record a 5.73 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP over his last 11 starts.

If Taillon is going to turn things around, he’ll be facing an uphill battle to do so. He also faced the Mariners in his last outing, giving up six runs (five earned) across 4 2/3 innings. When he last took on the Red Sox at Fenway Park, he gave up six runs over five innings. With these two tough matchups, it might be wise to keep Taillon out of your lineup.

Blake Snell, San Diego Padres: vs. SF, at WAS

It’s easy to overlook the improved performance of Snell lately with all of the moves that the Padres made. Over his last six outings, Snell has a 2.56 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 49 strikeouts across 31 2/3 innings. Walks continue to be a problem, but he has 87 strikeouts over 67 innings, overall, for the season.

Snell has the potential to be a difference-maker in fantasy for his two-start week, especially in the strikeout department. There isn’t much to fear about the Nationals’ lineup anymore, with Juan Soto and Josh Bell no longer in town. The Giants have had their own problems making contact, striking out the sixth-most times in baseball. Snell can blow up any given night with his control issues, but his strikeout upside and these two matchups means he should be locked into starting lineups.

Alex Wood, San Francisco Giants: at SD, vs. PIT

Wood took his lumps in his last outing, giving up six runs over 5 1/3 innings to the Dodgers. Prior to that, he had allowed three or fewer runs in six straight starts. That included a stellar performance against the Padres in which he had eight strikeouts over seven scoreless innings. 

He’ll face the Padres again in Week 19, but their lineup is much deeper now with Soto, Bell and Brandon Drury in the fold. Normally, this decision would be an easy sit. However, his second start comes against the aforementioned offensively-challenged Pirates. The problem is, the Padres could do enough damage in Wood’s first start that his ratios won’t be able to recover, even if he performs well against the Pirates. If you’re in a 10 or 12-team league, it might be best to sit Wood. In deeper formats, it makes more sense to take a chance on him.

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.