The No. 1 pick in the 2011 MLB draft is fulfilling his immense potential.

Gerrit Cole has been very good over the past two seasons, with a 21-12 record and 3.45 ERA in 41 starts, but this year he appears to be taking the next step. Through six turns he is 4-1 with a 2.27 ERA, positioning himself as an early Cy Young favorite in the National League.

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The biggest change in Cole’s game this year has been a sizable jump forward in ground ball rate. In each of the last two years he was slightly below 50 percent, but his rate now sits at 59.6 percent, which ranks him fifth in baseball behind Dallas Keuchel, Jon Niese, Felix Hernandez and Ubaldo Jimenez.

Getting grounders at nearly a 60 percent clip while averaging 9.8 K/9 and limiting walks is a surefire bet for success. There’s no reason to think Cole will stop dominating this week as he travels to Philadelphia and Chicago.

Read on for more notes on this week’s two-start pitcher stable, as well as streamers, injury updates and more.

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* Nathan Eovaldi has proven to be a quality addition for the Yankees this year, helping them jump out to a surprising early lead in the AL East. He goes twice on the road next week but thus far has a shiny 2.41 ERA away from Yankee Stadium.

* The Boston rotation has generally been a mess, leading to this week’s dismissal of pitching coach Juan Nieves, but Rick Porcello has been in a groove with one run allowed over 14 innings in his past two starts, both victories. He’s looking ahead to road starts against the A’s and Mariners.

* The coming week will present a big test for Giants rookie Chris Heston, who enjoyed a splendid month of April. He’ll travel to Houston to face the first-place Astros, then to Cincy to take on the Reds. I can’t really recommend him considering the match-ups, but if he performs well he’ll be making a big statement.

* A.J. Burnett is currently available in about one-third of Yahoo! leagues despite a fantastic 1.45 ERA. He hasn’t allowed more than one run in a start since his first of the season. He’s lined up for a pair of road outings, but the first is against the hapless Phillies. If he’s out there, grab him.

* Carlos Frias was added to the Dodgers rotation after Brandon McCarthy fell victim to Tommy John surgery, and joins the two-start ranks this week home starts scheduled against Miami and Colorado. He doesn’t offer a ton of upside but is still a nice sleeper choice.

Going Twice…

American League

Strong Plays

Chris Archer: NYY, @MIN

Scott Kazmir: BOS, CWS

Edinson Volquez: @TEX, NYY

Danny Duffy: @TEX, NYY

Alfredo Simon: MIN, @STL

Carlos Carrasco: STL, @TEX

Ubaldo Jimenez: TOR, LAA

Decent Plays

Nick Martinez: KC, CLE

Colby Lewis: KC, CLE

Alex Colome: NYY, @MIN

James Paxton: SD, BOS

Nathan Eovaldi: @TB, @KC

Kyle Gibson: @DET, TB

CC Sabathia: @TB, @KC

Samuel Deduno: SF, TOR

Justin Masterson: @OAK, @SEA

Rick Porcello: @OAK, @SEA

Jeff Samardzija: @MIL, @OAK

At Your Own Risk

Mark Buehrle: @BAL, @HOU

Marco Estrada: @BAL, @HOU

National League

Strong Plays

Lance Lynn: @CLE, DET

Stephen Strasburg: @ARI, @SD

Max Scherzer: @ARI, @SD

Gerrit Cole: @PHI, @CHC

A.J. Burnett: @PHI, @CHC

Jacob DeGrom: @CHC, MIL

Bartolo Colon: @CHC, MIL

Mike Leake: ATL, SF

Jon Lester: NYM, PIT

Jake Arrieta: NYM, PIT

Shelby Miller: @CIN, @MIA

Decent Plays

Chris Heston: @HOU, @CIN

Ian Kennedy: @SEA, WAS

Wily Peralta: CWS, @NYM

Carlos Frias: MIA, COL

Anthony DeSclafani: ATL, SF

Josh Collmenter: WAS, @PHI

At Your Own Risk

Tom Koehler: @LAD, ATL

Tyler Matzek: @LAA, @LAD

Jerome Williams: PIT, ARI

Streamer City

The following pitchers are generally available in over 50 percent of fantasy leagues and have favorable match-ups this week:

American League

Wednesday, May 13: Miguel Gonzalez vs. TOR

The righty is on a three-game winning streak and has been striking out opposing hitters at a pretty steady clip.

Wednesday, May 13: Nate Karns vs. NYY

Karns has fanned 29 hitters in 33 innings and is holding the opposition to a .181 average. If he can keep his control in check he should handle the Yanks.

Friday, May 15: Wandy Rodriguez vs. CLE

After holding a hot Houston team to one run over eight innings his last time out, Rodriguez draws the struggling Indians at home.

National League

Tuesday, May 12: Robbie Ray vs. WAS

Making his 2015 debut on Wednesday, Ray was terrific, allowing one run on five hits over six innings — in Colorado, no less. That earns him a look at home against Washington.

Thursday, May 14: Jon Niese @ CHC

Niese is unowned in more than 80 percent of Yahoo! leagues, even though he has allowed just one earned run in four of his five starts.

Friday, May 15: Michael Lorenzen vs. SF

Coming off a strong second MLB start, the 23-year-old looks like a solid option against a Giants team that ranks second-to-last in the NL in runs.

Total Games

American League

5: LAA

6: BAL, CLE, CWS, DET, HOU, MIN, OAK, SEA

7: BOS, KC, NYY, TB, TEX, TOR

National League

6: ARI, ATL, COL, MIA, MIL, SF, SD, STL

7: CHC, CIN, LAD, NYM, PIT, PHI, WAS

The Infirmary

You can get a full listing of injured players at Rotoworld’s Injury Page but here’s the latest on a few prominent players who have been out of action:

Everth Cabrera: Out until late May (foot)

Chris Denorfia: Out indefinitely (hamstring)

George Springer: Out indefinitely (head)

Hyun-Jin Ryu: Out until late June (shoulder)

Oswaldo Arcia: Out until late May (hip)

Andrew Lambo: Out indefinitely (foot)

Brandon Morrow: Out until late May (shoulder)

Austin Jackson: Out indefinitely (ankle)

Desmond Jennings: Out indefinitely (knee)