Posts
Good morning, everyone. You know, we are a funny bunch of people and baseball continues to prove it. We all, regardless of rank, think we have this game figured out day after day. Yet, on a daily basis, we are humbled as our pitchers continue to crash. 86% of The Usual Suspects and 82% of the Leaderboard picked up 8 points or less from their staffs yesterday and it seems that on a daily basis we are bitching and moaning about how the top staff always fails. So what do we really know? Not a damn thing. Why? Because the only sure thing in this game is that, as sure as Kerry Wood is a piece of shit, we will convince ourselves once again that we have chosen the right staff, only to see it blow up in our faces again while Livan F'ing Hernandez pitches a 2 hit shutout against the Yanks tonoight. Don't get me wrong though. We will spend endless amounts of time blowing off our wives, kids, and jobs doing quality research, using solid statistical information and watching the wind pattern in Kansas City before we make our choice, only to be proven wrong again. Yeah, we think we know........and will continue to do so. I love this game!
YESTERDAY
Hitters were 1-39 on the season against with runners in scoring position against Rafael Soriano until yesterday. This is another example proving that what I said in the opener is correct. Yes, I had Vazquez and yes, I had a pretty good day even though Soriano screwed me. 24 pitching points on a day like yesterday is a blessing. But of course the game won't let usenjoy that too often, will it? My lame ass bats only gave me 21. In the end, my 45 total points was good enough to bump me up to #27 overall, giving me a 25 point LB cushion. I have been on a roll lately, so take what I say below with a grain of salt. It's only a matter of time until I implode.
TODAY
Have I mentioned that I really hate interleague play? It appears that the pitching is split pretty much 50-50 between Lincecum and Halliday and I hope you all saw that Maine is not going today after being bumped for Livan. I Feel pretty good about my bats for once and don't think weather will be an issue. Here's the final.....
C: Posada
1B: Tex
2B: Hill
3B: ARoid
SS: Zobrist
LF: Ibanez
CF: McLouth
RF: Vlad the Impaler (hope he has something left)
DH: Scott
PS: Lince
TOMORROW
Weather:
Twins/Cubs 60%
Teams facing lefty starters:
Blue Jays, White Sox, Mets, Braves, Red Sox, Tigers, Rangers, Rockies, Mariners, Padres, Giants, A's
Teams facing rookie starters:
Cubs vs. Swarzak (1-2 5.43 in 4 starts)
Blue Jays vs. West (1-1 2.22 in 4 starts)
Cardinals vs. Huff (1-2 8.71 in 5 starts)
Rays vs. Stammen (0-1 6.45 in 4 starts)
Red Sox vs. Bastardo (2-0 2.45 in 2 starts)
Pitchers:
Harden (4-2 4.74, will be on a pitch count of 85 or 5 innings)
Duke (6-3 3.07, hammered in last start, 4-2 2.66 at home)
Wolf (3-2 3.62, smoked in 3 of last 4, at Texas)
Bedard (5-2 2.47, 65 K in 65 IP, 2 R or less in last 6, 3-0 2.72 on road, at Coors)
Marquis (8-4 3.98, Low K's, at Coors)
Peavy (6-6 3.97, 92 k'S IN 81 IP, so-so in 2 of last 3, .179 BAA vs. Angels)
Saunders (6-4 3.94, beat up in 4 of last 5)
Outman (4-1 3.17, 49 K in 59 IP, 2-0 3.55 in June)
RJ (5-5 5.14, 61 K in 63 IP, Dare we give the old man a shot?)
This is murderous. I really like Bedard, but not so much at Coors. RJ would be flat out crazy. This leaves Duke, Peavy, Outman, and Saunders. Damn......I'm going to regret it, but let it be Outman in a pitchers park vs. a team that doesn't hit many long balls. Screw that - change of heart - RJ at home. I really want to take Jake and the majority will. However, Oakland hits .206 vs. lefties and I don't like them with a DH, much less without one. It's a major risk and probably a dumb one, but what the hell.
First:
Prince (vs. crap)
Pujols (vs. rook lefty)
Tex (7-15, HR)
Howard (vs. Dice)
Youk (vs. rook lefty)
Miggy (5-9)
I think I'll stay with Tex, but any of these could go deep twice.
Second:
Uggla (1-1)
Utley (vs. Dice)
Phillips
Chase is on fire and Dice sucks. Easy math, here.
Third:
Wright (8-18, 2HR)
Longoria (vs. rook)
Beltre (4-12, HR)
Another easy one here.
Short:
Jeter (3-5, HR)
Zobrist (vs. rook)
Tejada (10-23, 2HR)
Renteria (2-2)
I want Tejada but he has cooled off a little. Zobrist continues to hit day after day.
Left:
Braun
Bay (vs. rook lefty)
Braun continues to heat up and Contreras is coming off a good start - no way he does it twice.
Center:
Cameron (1-2)
Beltran (14-40, HR)
I don't think much of it, but Beltranis the best option for this crap position today.
Right:
Ethier (hot, vs. texas)
There are many decent options here, but I have to take Ethier.
DH:
Hafner (1-1, HR)
Matsui (3-4, but possible DNP)
Jr. (6-15, but possible DNP)
I will go outside of my usual comfort zone here and give Colby Rasmus a chance. He has been hitting well and I can't bring myself to dip into the old man club for any of the sensible picks.
Catcher:
Posada (2-3, 2HR)
Laird (2-3)
I'll stay with a hot Posada.
FINAL LINEUP
C: Posada
1B: Tex
2B: Utley
3B: Wright
SS: Zobrist
LF: Braun
CF: Beltran
RF: Ethier
DH: Rasmus
PS: (gulp) The Big Unit
STAT CORNER
In 5 starts this year, the Yankees biggest Wang is 0-4 with a 21.60 ERA. This is the worst ERA after 5 starts in the history of baseball.
Which teams have the most quality starts this year? It may surprise you:
Cubs 35
Rockies 35
Braves 34
DBacks 33
Blye Jays 33
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, tell a friend, make a suggestion, and.....
FU Kerry Wood!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Thursday, the 11th
Good morning, and welcome back to Interleague play. I cannot tell you how much I hate this garbage. You have to be very careful with who you choose. AL teams in NL parks will be a bat short and NL teams in AL parks will be a bat heavy. The batter/pitcher matchups are difficult to predict as many have not seen eachother and, if they have, it was a long time ago and doesn't mean as much as it ordinarily would. On top of that, who really cares about the Blue Jays visiting the Marlins or the Angels hosting the Padres. Yuck! Anyway, good luck with it. Personally, I can't wait until its over.
YESTERDAY
I really need to maintain thishot streak for a few more days so that I can build up a little more of a cushion on the Leaderboard. Verlander did exactly what I had been expecting him to do and was "the pick" among pitchers with his 31. My bats were pretty lame, led by Youk and Braun. Kinsler (DNP), Jeter, and Choo did nothing at all for me and, in the end, I picked up another 26 from the bats. Fortunately, bad bats were pretty common and my 57 was good enough to move me up to #33 overall, 17 points ahead of 50th. With a few more days like this, I can get into somewhat of a LB safety zone.
TODAY
The first thing that concerns me today is that the weather seems to be worse in Ney York than it was yesterday. This could be a real problem as I have three bats there. Chicago looks like it could have a good bit of rainas well. Damn. When I look at this lineup this morning, I really don't know what to make of it. I kind of like it, but i can also see it being a total bust as well. Some of these picks will not be among the common choices and that always makes me a little nervous. I will be pretty happy just to hang on today. I am also seriously regretting not taking Greinke. Here's the final again.....
C: Zaun (Just hope he plays)
1B: Dunn (K machine)
2B: Utley (Bum rule after 2 HR last night)
3B: Wright (rain)
SS: Zobrist (This I like)
LF: Lee (Cool)
CF: Upton (Why did I do this?)
RF: Cruz (Solid)
DH: Sheff (Kills Moyer)
PS: Vazquez (Again...why?)
TOMORROW
Weather:
Reds/Royals 50%
Teams facing lefties:
Phillies, Brewers, Royals, Rockies
Teams facing rookie starters:
Giants vs. Mazzaro (2-0, 0.00 in 2 starts)
Royals vs. Maloney (0-0, 3.00 in debut)
Twins vs. Wells (0-2, 1.86 in 6 starts, 31 K in 38 IP)
Orioles vs. Hanson (0-0, 9.00 in debut)
Braves vs. Berken (1-2, 7.04 in 3 starts)
Rays vs. Stammen (0-2, 6.45 in 4 starts)
Pitchers:
Joba (3-1, 3.79 ERA, 55 K in 59 IP, has only gone past 7 IP once)
Porcello (6-4, 3.98 ERA, 6 IP or less in last 6, 3-2 3.72 on road, at Pitt)
Halladay (10-1, 2.52 ERA, 88 K in 100 IP, 7+ Ip in last 10, 2-0 2.00 in June)
Garza (4-4, 3.55 ERA, 3-2 3.88 at home, vs. Wash)
Kuroda (1-1, 1.62 ERA, Hasn't gone more than 6 IP, at Texas)
Washburn (3-4 3.07 ERA, 1 R oe less in last 3, 1-2 3.06 on road, at Coors)
Haren (4-4, 2.33 ERA, 83 K in 85 IP, 3-3 2.05 at home, 2 R or less in last 3, .279 BAA)
Escobar (0-1, 3.60 ERA, only 1 start this year, .120 BAA vs. SD)
Lincecum (5-1 2.96 ERA, 95 K in 79 IP, 1-0 2.63 in June, 2 R or less in last 4, .271 BAA vs. Oak)
Once again, it comes down to Haren, Doc, and Lince. I think the easiest way to go is with CumBoy at home. The Marins scare me a little with an extra bat and Haren is due for an implosion.
First:
Pujols (7-14, HR)
Tex (7-15, HR)
Youk (6-18, HR)
Miggy (2-5, HR)
Konerko (14-34, 2HR but possible DNP with no DH)
I've been passing on Tex all week, not again.
Second:
Hill
Phillips
Hill is starting to heat up again and is a bargain at 4.7 mil.
Third:
Chipper
Inge (1-2)
Rolen (2-3)
I know I'll regret it as he always busts for me,but Chiller vs. the rookie is a good pick, especially at 4.1 mil.
Short:
Jeter (3-5, HR)
Drew (5-14)
Again,the options here are crap again. I think I am going to stick with Zobrist by default.
Left:
Ibanez (3-6)
Braun
Pierre (8-28)
Did I mention that I hate interleague play. Since money isnot an issue due to previous picks, gimme Ibanez against Lester.
Center:
McLouth
Victorino (1-3)
Granderson (1-3)
Grandy is struggling and Victorino does nothave enough power for me. McLouth is the one.
Right:
Werth (2-3)
Drew (4-12)
Mags (2-2)
Bruce
Vlad (6-17, 3HR)
Vlad has been pretty much useless this year, but his is hitting over .300 in June and I really like the numbers he has put up vs. Gaudin
DH:
Hafner (3-7)
Matsui (3-4)
Ortiz (6-20, 2 HR but a likely DNP with no DH)
Thome (13-42, 3HR but again a possible DNP with no DH)
This position is a block party of jackasses today. Let's go with Hafner, only because I feel confident he will play.
Catcher:
McCaan
VMart (4-14)
Posada (2-3, 2HR)
AJ (10-30)
Posada is the only one I can really consider here. McCaan is not a bad option, but I don't want to carry 3 Braves.
I absolutely hate this lineup, but can't really find anything better. Let's just hope that someof these FORMER BBC stars can get it together for one more night. Here's the final.....
ATTENTION: LATE CHANGE!!!
Maine as been pushed back to Saturday and Livan is facingthe Yanks tomorrow per ESPN. Please be aware that the following Yanks hit Livan well: ARoid (10-16, 3HR), Jeter (6-17), Matsui (3-5, HR), Tex (2-3, HR), Melky (2-3). In light of this, I am dumping Chipper for ARoid and, due to salary issues, Hafner for Scott.
YESTERDAY
I really need to maintain thishot streak for a few more days so that I can build up a little more of a cushion on the Leaderboard. Verlander did exactly what I had been expecting him to do and was "the pick" among pitchers with his 31. My bats were pretty lame, led by Youk and Braun. Kinsler (DNP), Jeter, and Choo did nothing at all for me and, in the end, I picked up another 26 from the bats. Fortunately, bad bats were pretty common and my 57 was good enough to move me up to #33 overall, 17 points ahead of 50th. With a few more days like this, I can get into somewhat of a LB safety zone.
TODAY
The first thing that concerns me today is that the weather seems to be worse in Ney York than it was yesterday. This could be a real problem as I have three bats there. Chicago looks like it could have a good bit of rainas well. Damn. When I look at this lineup this morning, I really don't know what to make of it. I kind of like it, but i can also see it being a total bust as well. Some of these picks will not be among the common choices and that always makes me a little nervous. I will be pretty happy just to hang on today. I am also seriously regretting not taking Greinke. Here's the final again.....
C: Zaun (Just hope he plays)
1B: Dunn (K machine)
2B: Utley (Bum rule after 2 HR last night)
3B: Wright (rain)
SS: Zobrist (This I like)
LF: Lee (Cool)
CF: Upton (Why did I do this?)
RF: Cruz (Solid)
DH: Sheff (Kills Moyer)
PS: Vazquez (Again...why?)
TOMORROW
Weather:
Reds/Royals 50%
Teams facing lefties:
Phillies, Brewers, Royals, Rockies
Teams facing rookie starters:
Giants vs. Mazzaro (2-0, 0.00 in 2 starts)
Royals vs. Maloney (0-0, 3.00 in debut)
Twins vs. Wells (0-2, 1.86 in 6 starts, 31 K in 38 IP)
Orioles vs. Hanson (0-0, 9.00 in debut)
Braves vs. Berken (1-2, 7.04 in 3 starts)
Rays vs. Stammen (0-2, 6.45 in 4 starts)
Pitchers:
Joba (3-1, 3.79 ERA, 55 K in 59 IP, has only gone past 7 IP once)
Porcello (6-4, 3.98 ERA, 6 IP or less in last 6, 3-2 3.72 on road, at Pitt)
Halladay (10-1, 2.52 ERA, 88 K in 100 IP, 7+ Ip in last 10, 2-0 2.00 in June)
Garza (4-4, 3.55 ERA, 3-2 3.88 at home, vs. Wash)
Kuroda (1-1, 1.62 ERA, Hasn't gone more than 6 IP, at Texas)
Washburn (3-4 3.07 ERA, 1 R oe less in last 3, 1-2 3.06 on road, at Coors)
Haren (4-4, 2.33 ERA, 83 K in 85 IP, 3-3 2.05 at home, 2 R or less in last 3, .279 BAA)
Escobar (0-1, 3.60 ERA, only 1 start this year, .120 BAA vs. SD)
Lincecum (5-1 2.96 ERA, 95 K in 79 IP, 1-0 2.63 in June, 2 R or less in last 4, .271 BAA vs. Oak)
Once again, it comes down to Haren, Doc, and Lince. I think the easiest way to go is with CumBoy at home. The Marins scare me a little with an extra bat and Haren is due for an implosion.
First:
Pujols (7-14, HR)
Tex (7-15, HR)
Youk (6-18, HR)
Miggy (2-5, HR)
Konerko (14-34, 2HR but possible DNP with no DH)
I've been passing on Tex all week, not again.
Second:
Hill
Phillips
Hill is starting to heat up again and is a bargain at 4.7 mil.
Third:
Chipper
Inge (1-2)
Rolen (2-3)
I know I'll regret it as he always busts for me,but Chiller vs. the rookie is a good pick, especially at 4.1 mil.
Short:
Jeter (3-5, HR)
Drew (5-14)
Again,the options here are crap again. I think I am going to stick with Zobrist by default.
Left:
Ibanez (3-6)
Braun
Pierre (8-28)
Did I mention that I hate interleague play. Since money isnot an issue due to previous picks, gimme Ibanez against Lester.
Center:
McLouth
Victorino (1-3)
Granderson (1-3)
Grandy is struggling and Victorino does nothave enough power for me. McLouth is the one.
Right:
Werth (2-3)
Drew (4-12)
Mags (2-2)
Bruce
Vlad (6-17, 3HR)
Vlad has been pretty much useless this year, but his is hitting over .300 in June and I really like the numbers he has put up vs. Gaudin
DH:
Hafner (3-7)
Matsui (3-4)
Ortiz (6-20, 2 HR but a likely DNP with no DH)
Thome (13-42, 3HR but again a possible DNP with no DH)
This position is a block party of jackasses today. Let's go with Hafner, only because I feel confident he will play.
Catcher:
McCaan
VMart (4-14)
Posada (2-3, 2HR)
AJ (10-30)
Posada is the only one I can really consider here. McCaan is not a bad option, but I don't want to carry 3 Braves.
I absolutely hate this lineup, but can't really find anything better. Let's just hope that someof these FORMER BBC stars can get it together for one more night. Here's the final.....
ATTENTION: LATE CHANGE!!!
Maine as been pushed back to Saturday and Livan is facingthe Yanks tomorrow per ESPN. Please be aware that the following Yanks hit Livan well: ARoid (10-16, 3HR), Jeter (6-17), Matsui (3-5, HR), Tex (2-3, HR), Melky (2-3). In light of this, I am dumping Chipper for ARoid and, due to salary issues, Hafner for Scott.
FINAL LINEUP
C: Posada
1B: Tex
2B: Hill
3B: ARoid
SS: Zobrist
LF: Ibanez
CF: McLouth
RF: Vlad
DH: Scott
PS: Lince
STAT CORNER
Don't fill your team with guys who can't drive in a run when they have the chance. Below are the best hitters (by average) with runners in scoring position (50 AB minimum).
The top:
Bartlett .452
Hawpe .449
Escobar .421
Youk .415
Chipper .412
Overbay .381
Bourn .378
Phillips .375
Beltran .368
Wright .365
The bottom:
Tulowitzki .116
Navarro .118
Soriano .133
M. Young .143
Cameron .146
Wells .159
Bruce .160
Fowler .171
Lewis .175
Berkman .185
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, tell a friend, and.....
FU Kerry Wood
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Wednesday, the 10th
Wakey, wakey, hands of snakey! 'Mornin gents. It feels like a leaderboard kind of day,so lets get right to it.
YESTERDAY
Of the three most popular starters (Bills, Carp and Lee) the average score was 12. That doesn't even account for what Johan did. With this being the case, my 13 from Cain kind of worked out ok. I still can't believe that I was the only one thathad him. Oh well, I'll take it. How about those bats, though? 13 from Ethier and his two dingers. I never saw that coming, nice job Andre! Thwor in another 22 from Wright, Beltran and Escobar, then a few scraps from the rest and I ended up with 55 on the night. So my on again/off again relationship with the Leaderboard continues. This morning I am ranked #41 with a 7 point cushion. This time, I really need to find a way to stay for a while.
TODAY
I fully expect to see what everyone, their mother, and their mother's mother has Verlander today. There were some good choices out there but I really don't see too many passing on him against the Sox. As I look at my lineup, I feel pretty decent about my bats. Not overjoyed, but decent. If everyone indeed has Verlander, I think I will have enough today to stay on the LB. Hopefully it's enough to give me some stability there as well. Here it is again.....
FINAL LINEUP
C: McCaan
1B: Youk
2B: Kinsler
3B: ARoid
SS: Jeter
LF: Braun
CF: McLouth
RF: Choo
DH: Ortiz
PS: Verlander
TOMORROW
The pitchers are not as promising as they have been earlier in the week. Unfortunately, the batter matchups don't really thrill me either. This is going tobe the kind of day I really hate, I'm afraid. Oh well, lets get to it and see what shakes out.
Weather:
Tigers/White Sox 60%
Reds/Nats 50%
Royals/Indians 50%
Mariners/Orioles 50%
Yankees/Red Sox 50%
Phillies/Mets 50%
Looks to me like the weathermen have no clue at all. With all these cities at 50%, it looks like they just decided to punt instead of making a call. I'm not going to worry about it.
Teams facing Lefties:
Cards, Braves, DBacks, Reds, Royals, Red Sox, Angels, Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Orioles
Teams facing Rookie Starters:
Mariners vs. Uehara (2-3 4.09 in 9 starts)
Angels vs. Price (See Pitchers)
Blue Jays vs. Holland (6.54 ERA, has never gone more than 5.2 IP)
Pitchers:
Maholm (4-2 3.94, rocked in 3 of last 6, 2-1 5.71 on road, 7 scoreless vs. Atlanta this year)
Vazquez (4-5 3.54, 93 K in 76 IP, 1-4 4.19 at home, .233 BAA vs. Pitt)
Jackson (6-3 2.16, 2 R or less in 5 of last 6, 3-2 1.31 on road)
Gallardo (6-2 2.84, 71 K in 73 IP, 1 R or less in last 3)
Blackburn (5-2 3.30, 2 R or less in 5 of last 6, 3-2 3.48 on road, .267 BAA at Oakland)
Lannan (3-5 3.68, Lok K's, 2-0 1.76 at home)
Greinke (8-2 1.55, 91 K in 81 IP, 2-2 1.93 on road, 11 IP - 2 ER vs. Indians this year, .305 BAA)
Price (1-0 2.45, 20 K in 14 IP, has never gone 6 IP)
CC (5-3 3.56, 3 R or more in last 3, 4-2 3.07 on road, at Yanks)
I really want to trust Greinke, but I can't. I think Vazquez, Jackson and Gallardo ore the best options. I'll take NL pitcher at home over an AL pitcher on the road. Give me Vazquez.
First:
Pujols (2-2)
Lee (16-55, 3HR)
Dunn (3-5, HR)
Tex (0-6)
I want Pujols, although I will keep Dunn in mind in case I get in a salary jam.
Second:
Uggla (2-4, HR)
Polanco (8-24, HR)
Phillips (3-6)
Utley (8-18, 2HR)
Chase usually does me well.
Third:
Hall (5-11)
ARoid (0-2)
Wright (16-38, 3HR)
Wright continues to heat up with the weather and these numbers are too good to pass on.
Short:
Tejada (5-15)
Theriot (4-12)
Drew (6-16)
Jeter (1-3)
You know, the only one I like is Drew and his HR vs. Cain last night has him on my bad side. Gimme Zobrist.
Left:
Braun (1-2)
Lee (7-20, HR)
Crawford (7-18)
Damon (0-2)
Ibanez (1-6)
I think Lee hits two to the Dumpster. Just a hunch.
Center:
Upton (7-12)
Victorino (6-16)
For the first time this season, I am beginning to trust BJ.
Right:
Pence (8-17, 2HR)
Cruz (2-3)
I like Cruz at home in this one.
DH:
Cust (2-5)
Sheff (14-30, 4HR)
Can't pass on Sheff, even if he is slumping.
Catcher:
Mauer (day game)
Benji (2-5 but in day game)
Posada (never faced pitcher)
I'm way the hell over the cap. To make room, I am going to give Dunn a shot at first since Pujols is slumping and put Zaun behind the plate since he has a night game. Here's the final.....
FINAL LINEUP
C: Zaun
1B: Dunn
2B: Utley
3B: Wright
SS: Zobrist
LF: Lee
CF: Upton
RF: Cruz
DH: Sheff
PS: Vazquez
STAT CORNER
Who's hot:
Last 7 days:
A. Lind, TOR12-for-26, 4 HR, 7 RBI
I. Stewart, COL11-for-27, 3 HR, 9 RBI
A. Ethier, LAD9-for-20, 4 HR, 6 RBI
Last 30 days:
R. Halladay, TOR4 W, 0 SV, 48.0 IP, 9 ER
J. Beckett, BOS4 W, 0 SV, 35.2 IP, 3 ER
J. Broxton, LAD3 W, 6 SV, 14.0 IP, 4 ER
Who's not:
Last 7 days:
A. Hernandez, WSH1-for-19, 0 HR, 0 RBI
G. Beckham, CWS1-for-17, 0 HR, 0 RBI
Last 30 days:
S. Kazmir, TB0 W, 0 SV, 7.2 IP, 14 ER
R. Nolasco, FLA0 W, 0 SV, 12.2 IP, 18
Sorry there is not more to see here today, but I'm low on time today as the little one turns 5. Birthday party starts soon.
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, tell a friend, and.....
FU Kerry Wood
YESTERDAY
Of the three most popular starters (Bills, Carp and Lee) the average score was 12. That doesn't even account for what Johan did. With this being the case, my 13 from Cain kind of worked out ok. I still can't believe that I was the only one thathad him. Oh well, I'll take it. How about those bats, though? 13 from Ethier and his two dingers. I never saw that coming, nice job Andre! Thwor in another 22 from Wright, Beltran and Escobar, then a few scraps from the rest and I ended up with 55 on the night. So my on again/off again relationship with the Leaderboard continues. This morning I am ranked #41 with a 7 point cushion. This time, I really need to find a way to stay for a while.
TODAY
I fully expect to see what everyone, their mother, and their mother's mother has Verlander today. There were some good choices out there but I really don't see too many passing on him against the Sox. As I look at my lineup, I feel pretty decent about my bats. Not overjoyed, but decent. If everyone indeed has Verlander, I think I will have enough today to stay on the LB. Hopefully it's enough to give me some stability there as well. Here it is again.....
FINAL LINEUP
C: McCaan
1B: Youk
2B: Kinsler
3B: ARoid
SS: Jeter
LF: Braun
CF: McLouth
RF: Choo
DH: Ortiz
PS: Verlander
TOMORROW
The pitchers are not as promising as they have been earlier in the week. Unfortunately, the batter matchups don't really thrill me either. This is going tobe the kind of day I really hate, I'm afraid. Oh well, lets get to it and see what shakes out.
Weather:
Tigers/White Sox 60%
Reds/Nats 50%
Royals/Indians 50%
Mariners/Orioles 50%
Yankees/Red Sox 50%
Phillies/Mets 50%
Looks to me like the weathermen have no clue at all. With all these cities at 50%, it looks like they just decided to punt instead of making a call. I'm not going to worry about it.
Teams facing Lefties:
Cards, Braves, DBacks, Reds, Royals, Red Sox, Angels, Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Orioles
Teams facing Rookie Starters:
Mariners vs. Uehara (2-3 4.09 in 9 starts)
Angels vs. Price (See Pitchers)
Blue Jays vs. Holland (6.54 ERA, has never gone more than 5.2 IP)
Pitchers:
Maholm (4-2 3.94, rocked in 3 of last 6, 2-1 5.71 on road, 7 scoreless vs. Atlanta this year)
Vazquez (4-5 3.54, 93 K in 76 IP, 1-4 4.19 at home, .233 BAA vs. Pitt)
Jackson (6-3 2.16, 2 R or less in 5 of last 6, 3-2 1.31 on road)
Gallardo (6-2 2.84, 71 K in 73 IP, 1 R or less in last 3)
Blackburn (5-2 3.30, 2 R or less in 5 of last 6, 3-2 3.48 on road, .267 BAA at Oakland)
Lannan (3-5 3.68, Lok K's, 2-0 1.76 at home)
Greinke (8-2 1.55, 91 K in 81 IP, 2-2 1.93 on road, 11 IP - 2 ER vs. Indians this year, .305 BAA)
Price (1-0 2.45, 20 K in 14 IP, has never gone 6 IP)
CC (5-3 3.56, 3 R or more in last 3, 4-2 3.07 on road, at Yanks)
I really want to trust Greinke, but I can't. I think Vazquez, Jackson and Gallardo ore the best options. I'll take NL pitcher at home over an AL pitcher on the road. Give me Vazquez.
First:
Pujols (2-2)
Lee (16-55, 3HR)
Dunn (3-5, HR)
Tex (0-6)
I want Pujols, although I will keep Dunn in mind in case I get in a salary jam.
Second:
Uggla (2-4, HR)
Polanco (8-24, HR)
Phillips (3-6)
Utley (8-18, 2HR)
Chase usually does me well.
Third:
Hall (5-11)
ARoid (0-2)
Wright (16-38, 3HR)
Wright continues to heat up with the weather and these numbers are too good to pass on.
Short:
Tejada (5-15)
Theriot (4-12)
Drew (6-16)
Jeter (1-3)
You know, the only one I like is Drew and his HR vs. Cain last night has him on my bad side. Gimme Zobrist.
Left:
Braun (1-2)
Lee (7-20, HR)
Crawford (7-18)
Damon (0-2)
Ibanez (1-6)
I think Lee hits two to the Dumpster. Just a hunch.
Center:
Upton (7-12)
Victorino (6-16)
For the first time this season, I am beginning to trust BJ.
Right:
Pence (8-17, 2HR)
Cruz (2-3)
I like Cruz at home in this one.
DH:
Cust (2-5)
Sheff (14-30, 4HR)
Can't pass on Sheff, even if he is slumping.
Catcher:
Mauer (day game)
Benji (2-5 but in day game)
Posada (never faced pitcher)
I'm way the hell over the cap. To make room, I am going to give Dunn a shot at first since Pujols is slumping and put Zaun behind the plate since he has a night game. Here's the final.....
FINAL LINEUP
C: Zaun
1B: Dunn
2B: Utley
3B: Wright
SS: Zobrist
LF: Lee
CF: Upton
RF: Cruz
DH: Sheff
PS: Vazquez
STAT CORNER
Who's hot:
Last 7 days:
A. Lind, TOR12-for-26, 4 HR, 7 RBI
I. Stewart, COL11-for-27, 3 HR, 9 RBI
A. Ethier, LAD9-for-20, 4 HR, 6 RBI
Last 30 days:
R. Halladay, TOR4 W, 0 SV, 48.0 IP, 9 ER
J. Beckett, BOS4 W, 0 SV, 35.2 IP, 3 ER
J. Broxton, LAD3 W, 6 SV, 14.0 IP, 4 ER
Who's not:
Last 7 days:
A. Hernandez, WSH1-for-19, 0 HR, 0 RBI
G. Beckham, CWS1-for-17, 0 HR, 0 RBI
Last 30 days:
S. Kazmir, TB0 W, 0 SV, 7.2 IP, 14 ER
R. Nolasco, FLA0 W, 0 SV, 12.2 IP, 18
Sorry there is not more to see here today, but I'm low on time today as the little one turns 5. Birthday party starts soon.
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, tell a friend, and.....
FU Kerry Wood
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Tuesday, the 9th
Happy Tuesday, everyone. I heard from JT yesterday and his first post should be up in the next few days. Please come back to see it as I am sure he will bring some quality stuff that you will find beneficial in your quest for success. Thanks for coming again, as your regular patronage is greatly appreciated.
YESTERDAY
To all of you that had the sack to run with the ChiSox, I tip my cap to you. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Thescary part is that we still have yet to have a total bust from a double dip this season. Keep this in mind when the next one comes along, as we are way overdue. All in all, it was a good day. I ended up with 72 from the bats, led by Dye, Thome, Alezei, and Konerko who all reached double digits. Polanco and Granderson were the onle disappointments with 2 each. Jake the Snake treated me well with 25 in a quality effort. In the end, my 97 points was not enough to get back to the Leaderboard, but it did bump me up to 57th overall, only 6 off the LB pace.
TODAY
I see this morning that the leading staffs, according the the LB and Usual Suspects (thanks Mo), are the Bills, Carp, Lee, and Johan in that order. Some of you must have forgotten about Kerry Wood as he is sure to ruin the Tribe's afternoon once again. I really like Cain's chances against the D'Backs tonight and am really surprised to see that I am seemingly the only one that does. While that makes me a little nervous, it could be a good day for me if the Dodgers go down. Man, when I give the disclaimer every day, you guys must really pay attention. Not even one of you trusted me on that pick. I sure hope you were wrong........
C: McCaan
1b: Prince
2B: Pedroia
3B: Wright
SS: Escobar
LF: Braun
CF: Beltran
RF: Ethier
DH: Scott
PS: Cain
TOMORROW
There are no less than 13 pichers going tomorrow with ERA's under 4. The amazing thing is that I have a hunch that we will all have the same man anyway. There are going to be some hidden gems if you want one, just pick wisely. Lets get to it.
Weather:
Rockies/Brewers 60%
Royals/Indians 60%
Blue Jays/Rangers 50%
Tigers/White Sox 60%
Teams facing Lefty starters:
Mets, Brewers, Rangers, Cubs, Tigers, DBacks, Giants, A's, Twins, Padres
Teams facing rookie starters:
Reds vs. Detwiler (0-2, 5.23 in 4 starts)
Rangers vs. Romero (3-2 4.10 in 6 starts)
Pitchers:
Braden (3-5 3.41, 4-2 3.11 at home, 3 R or less in last 4 starts)
Davis (3-6 3.36, 2 R or less in last 3)
Zito (2-6 3.86, 2-4 4.98 on road)
Jurrjens (5-3 2.84, ( runs allowed total in last 2, 1.35 ERA vs. Pitt in 1 start, 2-2 3.51 at home)
Felix (5-3 3.22, 79 K in 78 IP, 1 R or less in 4 of last 5, 2-1 2.56 on road, .373 BAA at Balt.)
Niemann (5-4 3.77, 6 IP or less in 8 of last 10, 1 R or less in last 3)
Wainwright (5-4 3.35, 2 R or less in 4 of last 5, 3-1 4.22 on road)
Volstad (4-5 3.65, less than 7 IP in 6 of last 7, 2-3 4.00 at home)
Gallardo (6-2 2.84, 71 K in 73 IP, 1 R or less in last 3, 3-1 2.87 at home)
Millwood (5-4 2.96, 3-1 2.59 at home, 5.14 ERA in 1 start vs. Tor)
Z (4-2 3.72, 53 K in 55 IP, Less than 7 IP in last 4, 3-1 2.97 on road, 1.50 ERA in 1 start vs. Hou)
Wandy (5-5 2.97, 69 K in 72 IP, 18 R allowed in last 3 starts, 1.50 ERA vs. CHC in 1 start)
Verlander (6-2 3.26, 97 K in 77 IP, 3-2 5.08 on road)
I think Jurrjens and Gallardo are certainly worth a look, but I am not going to Pass on Verlander again. This surely means that he will be a bust, but I have to take him vs. the weak hitting Sox. I expect to be in the vast majority with this pick.
First:
Youk (8-27)
Howard (5-14, HR)
Overbay (5-13, 2HR)
Millar (16-41, HR)
Lee (12-24, 2HR vs. good starter)
Morneau (1-5 but kills lefties)
I think Howard and Youk have the best matchups, but Wang is on the mound, so Youk it is.
Second:
Peralta (14-38, 2HR)
Phillips (vs. rookie)
Pedroia (5-16)
Cano (12-37, 3HR)
Kinsler (vs. rookie lefty at home)
I like Phillips and Kinsler best, and will pencil in Ian for the time being.
Third:
Chipper (never faced starter)
Zimmerman (1-2)
Longoria (1-2)
ARoid (21-76, 7HR)
Rolen (19-56, 2HR vs. good starter)
Inge (4-10, HR)
ARoid and Chipper are the choices. I think Chipper may be going on a run with help from the addition of McLouth. I also heard him the other day talking about how the ball is beginning to jump out of Turner. Tough call, but Chip is cheap. I may change this later.
Short:
Jeter (31-99, 3HR)
Tejada (7-15, HR vs. good starter)
Theriot (9-18 vs. good pitcher)
Based strickly on the matchups, I have to take the pretty boy.
Left:
Crawford (11-30, HR)
Damon (19-60, 4HR)
Ibanez (2-6)
Braun (5-6, HR
Lee (17-49, 4HR vs. good starter)
I have to roll with Braun, although Damon feels right too.
Center:
McLouth (never faced starter)
Hunter (never faced starter)
Melky (5-11)
Give me McLouth. The Braves bats seem to be waking up.
Right:
Choo (6-11)
Bruce (vs. rookie)
Magglio (10-17, HR)
This position offers very little today. I'm not happy with it, but Choo is the pick.
DH:
Johnson (3-3, HR)
Ortiz (16-36, 2HR)
Kubel (1-1 vs. Lefty)
It's time to give Ortiz another chance vs. a piss poor pitcher.
Catcher:
McCaan (never faced starter)
Mauer (1-3)
I'll stay with McCaan.
The amazing thing now is that I have 1.3 mil left over. I see that as a sign and, because of it, will dump Larry Jones Jr. for ARoid and his 7 long balls vs. Wake. Here is the final.....
FINAL LINEUP
C: McCaan
1B: Youk
2B: Kinsler
3B: ARoid
SS: Jeter
LF: Braun
CF: McLouth
RF: Choo
DH: Ortiz
PS: Verlander
STAT CORNER
Last year, in 81 home games, 160 home runs were hit in the old Yankee Stadium. This year, in 29 games, 105 have beenhit in the new Yankee Stadium.
Have you ever looked at your scoring summary to see who you are usually right/wrong on? I did this last night and here is what I have found:
Top pitching staff successes:
Blue Jays 4/24.8 avg
Braves 3/23.3
Arizona 8/22.3
Giants 6/22.0
Top pitching busts:
Indians 1/-1.0 (Kerry Wood)
Royals 3/7.7
Astros 5/9.0
Cubs 3/9.7
Padres 4/10.5
Top hitting successes by position (5 time minimum):
C: Benji 5/3.2
1B: Pujols 21/5.7
2B: Utley 15/6.3
3B: Wright 11/4.4
SS: Hanley 13/4.5
LF: Ibanez 5/6.6
CF: Jones 5/5.2
RF: Cruz 5/5.0
DH: Sheff 5/5.8
Top hitting busts by position (5 time minimum)
C: Varitek 6/2.0
1B: Cabrera 6/3.7
2B: Roberts 9/3.0
3B: Longoria 10/2.9
SS: Jeter 10/3.2
LF: Quentin 5/1.0
CF: Cameron 5/2.0
RF: Cake 13/4.4
DH: Ortiz 7/2.9
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. I do not tell anyone who to pick for their team. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, make a suggestion, and.....
FU Kerry Wood
YESTERDAY
To all of you that had the sack to run with the ChiSox, I tip my cap to you. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Thescary part is that we still have yet to have a total bust from a double dip this season. Keep this in mind when the next one comes along, as we are way overdue. All in all, it was a good day. I ended up with 72 from the bats, led by Dye, Thome, Alezei, and Konerko who all reached double digits. Polanco and Granderson were the onle disappointments with 2 each. Jake the Snake treated me well with 25 in a quality effort. In the end, my 97 points was not enough to get back to the Leaderboard, but it did bump me up to 57th overall, only 6 off the LB pace.
TODAY
I see this morning that the leading staffs, according the the LB and Usual Suspects (thanks Mo), are the Bills, Carp, Lee, and Johan in that order. Some of you must have forgotten about Kerry Wood as he is sure to ruin the Tribe's afternoon once again. I really like Cain's chances against the D'Backs tonight and am really surprised to see that I am seemingly the only one that does. While that makes me a little nervous, it could be a good day for me if the Dodgers go down. Man, when I give the disclaimer every day, you guys must really pay attention. Not even one of you trusted me on that pick. I sure hope you were wrong........
C: McCaan
1b: Prince
2B: Pedroia
3B: Wright
SS: Escobar
LF: Braun
CF: Beltran
RF: Ethier
DH: Scott
PS: Cain
TOMORROW
There are no less than 13 pichers going tomorrow with ERA's under 4. The amazing thing is that I have a hunch that we will all have the same man anyway. There are going to be some hidden gems if you want one, just pick wisely. Lets get to it.
Weather:
Rockies/Brewers 60%
Royals/Indians 60%
Blue Jays/Rangers 50%
Tigers/White Sox 60%
Teams facing Lefty starters:
Mets, Brewers, Rangers, Cubs, Tigers, DBacks, Giants, A's, Twins, Padres
Teams facing rookie starters:
Reds vs. Detwiler (0-2, 5.23 in 4 starts)
Rangers vs. Romero (3-2 4.10 in 6 starts)
Pitchers:
Braden (3-5 3.41, 4-2 3.11 at home, 3 R or less in last 4 starts)
Davis (3-6 3.36, 2 R or less in last 3)
Zito (2-6 3.86, 2-4 4.98 on road)
Jurrjens (5-3 2.84, ( runs allowed total in last 2, 1.35 ERA vs. Pitt in 1 start, 2-2 3.51 at home)
Felix (5-3 3.22, 79 K in 78 IP, 1 R or less in 4 of last 5, 2-1 2.56 on road, .373 BAA at Balt.)
Niemann (5-4 3.77, 6 IP or less in 8 of last 10, 1 R or less in last 3)
Wainwright (5-4 3.35, 2 R or less in 4 of last 5, 3-1 4.22 on road)
Volstad (4-5 3.65, less than 7 IP in 6 of last 7, 2-3 4.00 at home)
Gallardo (6-2 2.84, 71 K in 73 IP, 1 R or less in last 3, 3-1 2.87 at home)
Millwood (5-4 2.96, 3-1 2.59 at home, 5.14 ERA in 1 start vs. Tor)
Z (4-2 3.72, 53 K in 55 IP, Less than 7 IP in last 4, 3-1 2.97 on road, 1.50 ERA in 1 start vs. Hou)
Wandy (5-5 2.97, 69 K in 72 IP, 18 R allowed in last 3 starts, 1.50 ERA vs. CHC in 1 start)
Verlander (6-2 3.26, 97 K in 77 IP, 3-2 5.08 on road)
I think Jurrjens and Gallardo are certainly worth a look, but I am not going to Pass on Verlander again. This surely means that he will be a bust, but I have to take him vs. the weak hitting Sox. I expect to be in the vast majority with this pick.
First:
Youk (8-27)
Howard (5-14, HR)
Overbay (5-13, 2HR)
Millar (16-41, HR)
Lee (12-24, 2HR vs. good starter)
Morneau (1-5 but kills lefties)
I think Howard and Youk have the best matchups, but Wang is on the mound, so Youk it is.
Second:
Peralta (14-38, 2HR)
Phillips (vs. rookie)
Pedroia (5-16)
Cano (12-37, 3HR)
Kinsler (vs. rookie lefty at home)
I like Phillips and Kinsler best, and will pencil in Ian for the time being.
Third:
Chipper (never faced starter)
Zimmerman (1-2)
Longoria (1-2)
ARoid (21-76, 7HR)
Rolen (19-56, 2HR vs. good starter)
Inge (4-10, HR)
ARoid and Chipper are the choices. I think Chipper may be going on a run with help from the addition of McLouth. I also heard him the other day talking about how the ball is beginning to jump out of Turner. Tough call, but Chip is cheap. I may change this later.
Short:
Jeter (31-99, 3HR)
Tejada (7-15, HR vs. good starter)
Theriot (9-18 vs. good pitcher)
Based strickly on the matchups, I have to take the pretty boy.
Left:
Crawford (11-30, HR)
Damon (19-60, 4HR)
Ibanez (2-6)
Braun (5-6, HR
Lee (17-49, 4HR vs. good starter)
I have to roll with Braun, although Damon feels right too.
Center:
McLouth (never faced starter)
Hunter (never faced starter)
Melky (5-11)
Give me McLouth. The Braves bats seem to be waking up.
Right:
Choo (6-11)
Bruce (vs. rookie)
Magglio (10-17, HR)
This position offers very little today. I'm not happy with it, but Choo is the pick.
DH:
Johnson (3-3, HR)
Ortiz (16-36, 2HR)
Kubel (1-1 vs. Lefty)
It's time to give Ortiz another chance vs. a piss poor pitcher.
Catcher:
McCaan (never faced starter)
Mauer (1-3)
I'll stay with McCaan.
The amazing thing now is that I have 1.3 mil left over. I see that as a sign and, because of it, will dump Larry Jones Jr. for ARoid and his 7 long balls vs. Wake. Here is the final.....
FINAL LINEUP
C: McCaan
1B: Youk
2B: Kinsler
3B: ARoid
SS: Jeter
LF: Braun
CF: McLouth
RF: Choo
DH: Ortiz
PS: Verlander
STAT CORNER
Last year, in 81 home games, 160 home runs were hit in the old Yankee Stadium. This year, in 29 games, 105 have beenhit in the new Yankee Stadium.
Have you ever looked at your scoring summary to see who you are usually right/wrong on? I did this last night and here is what I have found:
Top pitching staff successes:
Blue Jays 4/24.8 avg
Braves 3/23.3
Arizona 8/22.3
Giants 6/22.0
Top pitching busts:
Indians 1/-1.0 (Kerry Wood)
Royals 3/7.7
Astros 5/9.0
Cubs 3/9.7
Padres 4/10.5
Top hitting successes by position (5 time minimum):
C: Benji 5/3.2
1B: Pujols 21/5.7
2B: Utley 15/6.3
3B: Wright 11/4.4
SS: Hanley 13/4.5
LF: Ibanez 5/6.6
CF: Jones 5/5.2
RF: Cruz 5/5.0
DH: Sheff 5/5.8
Top hitting busts by position (5 time minimum)
C: Varitek 6/2.0
1B: Cabrera 6/3.7
2B: Roberts 9/3.0
3B: Longoria 10/2.9
SS: Jeter 10/3.2
LF: Quentin 5/1.0
CF: Cameron 5/2.0
RF: Cake 13/4.4
DH: Ortiz 7/2.9
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. I do not tell anyone who to pick for their team. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, make a suggestion, and.....
FU Kerry Wood
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Monday, the 8th
Lord have mercy, let's get straight to yesterday.........and thanks for coming!
YESTERDAY
Ok, so it seems like the consensus is that the bats were pretty much useless for everyone. At least I wasn't alone. Wright got me 8 the hard way and pretty much everyone else was useless. In the end, I got a measly 22 from the lumber haulers. But what about that pitching? Remember that I flipped a nickel to give me my staff and ended up with Haren of the Desert. I realized how stupid that was when Hallady put up a cool 31 in just over 2 hours. Of course when it was 6-1 going into the 9th, I was feeling a little better. Then Qualls came in. I was all prepared to finally let Kerry Wood off the hook for ever until that bastard came in. At the end of the 9th, it was 6-6 and I had 2 points from the arms. Then, of all damned things, the rest of Snakes staff goes for 9 hitless innings and Reynolds tees off on a shortstop. By the time it was done, I had 40 points from pitching alone. Luck, brother, luck. Kerry Wood, you're not off the hook just yet. I gues the nickel was lucky afterall. If anyone needs it, I can ship it to you for a small fee. Now that it is all said and done, I am ranked #70 and am 15 points off the Leaderboard pace. After that ride I went on yesterday, I'll take it.
TODAY
As you saw from yestrday's post, the Dh was pretty much all I looked at. I have said before that I have no problem taking bats against my staff in a double dip, but after I had picked my bats, I had 4 from each team. This was enough to tell me that taking either staff would be a crapshoot. It may come out well for one of them, but I won't be the one that benefits from it. For the first time this year, I did not take a staff from a DH. I thought long and hard about going with Duke vs. Atlanta, but in the end stayed with Jake the Snake. I know his pen got worn to shreds last night, but I really think this is the safest pick, especially with Upton banged up. Here is the final.....
C: Mauer
1B: Konerko
2B: Polanco
3B: Inge
SS: Alexei
LF: Thames
CF: Grandy
RF: Dye
DH: Thome
PS: Peavy
TOMORROW
Weather:
Royals/Indians 50%
Tigers/White Sox 60%
Phills/Mets 50%
Cards/Marlins 50%
None of this scares me. I will pick freely.
Teams facing Lefties:
Orioles, Royals, Mets, Phillies, Rangers, Astros, White Sox, Tigers, and Twins
Teams facing rookie starters:
Seattle vs. Bergeson (2-2 4.64 ERA in 9 starts)
Pitchers:
Bills (7-3 2.59, 85K in 80 IP, Less than 7 IP in 3 of last 4, .227 BAA)
Buehrle (6-2 2.91, 8 scoreless vs. Tigers on 5/7)
Cain (7-1 2.27, 1 R or less in 5 of last 6, 3-1 1.36 on road)
Lowe (6-3 3.40, 3 R or less in last 5, 2-1 3.16 at home, .178 BAA vs. Pitt)
Vargas (2-0 1.93, 2 R or less in all 5 starts, only gone 7 IP once)
Lee (3-6 2.96, 3 runs or less in last 10, 2.25 vs. KC in 2 starts this year, Kerry Wood)
Cueto (5-3 2.43, 7+ IP in 9 of last 10, 4-1 1.80 on road)
Weaver (5-2 2.26, 1 R or less in 5 of 6, 1-2 3.77 on road, .180 BAA at Tampa)
Niemann (5-4 3.77, 3 R or less in last 5)
Johan (7-3 2.00, 3+ R in 3 of last 4, 4-1 1.37 at home, 89 K in 72 IP, .219 BAA vs. Philly)
Carp (4-1 0.71, 3 ER all year, never faced Marlins)
Johnson (5-1 2.63, 72K in 82 IP, 3 R or less in last 9, 3-1 1.71 at home)
Lilly (6-4 3.28, 5.73 ERA vs. Houston in 2 starts this year, 7 IP and 1 R in each of last two)
The good news it that I can easily narrow it down to Bills, Lowe, Cain, Lee Cueto and Carp. Take out the AL team and the Kerry Wood factor and Lee is gone. I can eliminate Lowe from, this list as well and Cueto doesn't have enough bats behind him. I want Carp, but for some ungodly reason the Marlins bats make me nervous. Bills has been close to average in his last few starts. You know it, I'm taking the unheralded Cain. He has been as solid as anyone and Zona's bats are less than impressive.
First:
Prince (never faced starter)
Lee (6-16, 3HR)
Morneau (never faced starter, kills lefties)
It should be Lee based on the numbers but Prince may beginning a big run.
Second:
Phillips
Pedroia (6-20, 2HR)
Cano (12-36, 2HR)
Hill (4-12, HR)
Polanco (12-32)
Pedroia hits .343 at home and I think ther will be some fireworks in that one.Also, Hill faces a decent starter and Phillips had a poor weekend.
Third:
ARoid (11-34, HR)
Wright (2-5, HR)
Young (2-3 and kills lefties)
ARoid usually chokes on the big stage so I will eliminate him. I wish I knew where Wright's power went. He and Young both kill lefties. Wright for now.
Short:
Jeter (14-41, HR)
Cabrera (9-21)
Escobar hits righties well and is also solid at home. In effort to save a little money, I'll add him to the roster.
Left:
Bay (6-16, HR)
Damon (12-38, 2HR)
Braun (never faced starter)
Soriano (7-20)
Lee (kills lefties)
Bay hits lefties better. Soriano doesn't hit for average on the road. Lee and Braun are both heating up, but Braun has the better matchup.
Center:
Fukudome (4-12)
Melky (kills Beckett)
I don't care for either of these, but with the money I have available I can afford Beltran
Right:
Cruz (0-1 but almost all power vs. righties)
Mags (15-30, 3HR)
Ethier (10-26, 4HR)
For some reason, I tend to shy away from Andre, but today looks like a good time to give hima chance.
DH:
Scott (1-2, HR and .361 vs. lefties)
Hafner (5-12)
Scott looks like the best way to go.
Catcher:
McCaan
Varitek (5-17, HR)
Posada (9-26)
Mauer (never faced starter)
Martin (7-23)
I like Jorge, but am going to take McCaan
FINAL LINEUP
C: McCaan
1B: Prince
2B: Pedroia
3B: Wright
SS: Escobar
LF: Braun
CF: Beltran
RF: Ethier
DH: Scott
PS: Cain
STAT CORNER
Since May 23rd, the Braves bats have had 3 scoreless streaks of 18 innings or more.
Juan Pierre was named after Juan Maricial
The best hitters vs. lefties (min. 50 at bats)
Pierre .455
Jeter .421
C. Lee .409
Rivera .409
Morneau .405
M. Young .397
Rolen .392
Melky .386
The worst hitters vs. lefties (min. 50 at bats)
Giles .120
C. Davis .143
N. Morgan .143
O. Cabrera .164
Rollins .167
Dye .171
Bruce .173
Huff .192
Uggla .196
The best hitters vs. righties (min. 100 at bats)
Ichiro .369
Pence .367
Hawpe .364
Ad. Jones .362
Hanley .361
Zimmerman.358
Beltran .356
Tejada .353
Kubel .353
The worst hitters vs. righties (min. 100 at bats)
Hall .168
Atkins .173
Ortiz .183
Bradley .186
K.Matsui .191
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. I do not tell anyone who to put on their team. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, make a suggestion if you have one, and.....
FU Kerry Wood
YESTERDAY
Ok, so it seems like the consensus is that the bats were pretty much useless for everyone. At least I wasn't alone. Wright got me 8 the hard way and pretty much everyone else was useless. In the end, I got a measly 22 from the lumber haulers. But what about that pitching? Remember that I flipped a nickel to give me my staff and ended up with Haren of the Desert. I realized how stupid that was when Hallady put up a cool 31 in just over 2 hours. Of course when it was 6-1 going into the 9th, I was feeling a little better. Then Qualls came in. I was all prepared to finally let Kerry Wood off the hook for ever until that bastard came in. At the end of the 9th, it was 6-6 and I had 2 points from the arms. Then, of all damned things, the rest of Snakes staff goes for 9 hitless innings and Reynolds tees off on a shortstop. By the time it was done, I had 40 points from pitching alone. Luck, brother, luck. Kerry Wood, you're not off the hook just yet. I gues the nickel was lucky afterall. If anyone needs it, I can ship it to you for a small fee. Now that it is all said and done, I am ranked #70 and am 15 points off the Leaderboard pace. After that ride I went on yesterday, I'll take it.
TODAY
As you saw from yestrday's post, the Dh was pretty much all I looked at. I have said before that I have no problem taking bats against my staff in a double dip, but after I had picked my bats, I had 4 from each team. This was enough to tell me that taking either staff would be a crapshoot. It may come out well for one of them, but I won't be the one that benefits from it. For the first time this year, I did not take a staff from a DH. I thought long and hard about going with Duke vs. Atlanta, but in the end stayed with Jake the Snake. I know his pen got worn to shreds last night, but I really think this is the safest pick, especially with Upton banged up. Here is the final.....
C: Mauer
1B: Konerko
2B: Polanco
3B: Inge
SS: Alexei
LF: Thames
CF: Grandy
RF: Dye
DH: Thome
PS: Peavy
TOMORROW
Weather:
Royals/Indians 50%
Tigers/White Sox 60%
Phills/Mets 50%
Cards/Marlins 50%
None of this scares me. I will pick freely.
Teams facing Lefties:
Orioles, Royals, Mets, Phillies, Rangers, Astros, White Sox, Tigers, and Twins
Teams facing rookie starters:
Seattle vs. Bergeson (2-2 4.64 ERA in 9 starts)
Pitchers:
Bills (7-3 2.59, 85K in 80 IP, Less than 7 IP in 3 of last 4, .227 BAA)
Buehrle (6-2 2.91, 8 scoreless vs. Tigers on 5/7)
Cain (7-1 2.27, 1 R or less in 5 of last 6, 3-1 1.36 on road)
Lowe (6-3 3.40, 3 R or less in last 5, 2-1 3.16 at home, .178 BAA vs. Pitt)
Vargas (2-0 1.93, 2 R or less in all 5 starts, only gone 7 IP once)
Lee (3-6 2.96, 3 runs or less in last 10, 2.25 vs. KC in 2 starts this year, Kerry Wood)
Cueto (5-3 2.43, 7+ IP in 9 of last 10, 4-1 1.80 on road)
Weaver (5-2 2.26, 1 R or less in 5 of 6, 1-2 3.77 on road, .180 BAA at Tampa)
Niemann (5-4 3.77, 3 R or less in last 5)
Johan (7-3 2.00, 3+ R in 3 of last 4, 4-1 1.37 at home, 89 K in 72 IP, .219 BAA vs. Philly)
Carp (4-1 0.71, 3 ER all year, never faced Marlins)
Johnson (5-1 2.63, 72K in 82 IP, 3 R or less in last 9, 3-1 1.71 at home)
Lilly (6-4 3.28, 5.73 ERA vs. Houston in 2 starts this year, 7 IP and 1 R in each of last two)
The good news it that I can easily narrow it down to Bills, Lowe, Cain, Lee Cueto and Carp. Take out the AL team and the Kerry Wood factor and Lee is gone. I can eliminate Lowe from, this list as well and Cueto doesn't have enough bats behind him. I want Carp, but for some ungodly reason the Marlins bats make me nervous. Bills has been close to average in his last few starts. You know it, I'm taking the unheralded Cain. He has been as solid as anyone and Zona's bats are less than impressive.
First:
Prince (never faced starter)
Lee (6-16, 3HR)
Morneau (never faced starter, kills lefties)
It should be Lee based on the numbers but Prince may beginning a big run.
Second:
Phillips
Pedroia (6-20, 2HR)
Cano (12-36, 2HR)
Hill (4-12, HR)
Polanco (12-32)
Pedroia hits .343 at home and I think ther will be some fireworks in that one.Also, Hill faces a decent starter and Phillips had a poor weekend.
Third:
ARoid (11-34, HR)
Wright (2-5, HR)
Young (2-3 and kills lefties)
ARoid usually chokes on the big stage so I will eliminate him. I wish I knew where Wright's power went. He and Young both kill lefties. Wright for now.
Short:
Jeter (14-41, HR)
Cabrera (9-21)
Escobar hits righties well and is also solid at home. In effort to save a little money, I'll add him to the roster.
Left:
Bay (6-16, HR)
Damon (12-38, 2HR)
Braun (never faced starter)
Soriano (7-20)
Lee (kills lefties)
Bay hits lefties better. Soriano doesn't hit for average on the road. Lee and Braun are both heating up, but Braun has the better matchup.
Center:
Fukudome (4-12)
Melky (kills Beckett)
I don't care for either of these, but with the money I have available I can afford Beltran
Right:
Cruz (0-1 but almost all power vs. righties)
Mags (15-30, 3HR)
Ethier (10-26, 4HR)
For some reason, I tend to shy away from Andre, but today looks like a good time to give hima chance.
DH:
Scott (1-2, HR and .361 vs. lefties)
Hafner (5-12)
Scott looks like the best way to go.
Catcher:
McCaan
Varitek (5-17, HR)
Posada (9-26)
Mauer (never faced starter)
Martin (7-23)
I like Jorge, but am going to take McCaan
FINAL LINEUP
C: McCaan
1B: Prince
2B: Pedroia
3B: Wright
SS: Escobar
LF: Braun
CF: Beltran
RF: Ethier
DH: Scott
PS: Cain
STAT CORNER
Since May 23rd, the Braves bats have had 3 scoreless streaks of 18 innings or more.
Juan Pierre was named after Juan Maricial
The best hitters vs. lefties (min. 50 at bats)
Pierre .455
Jeter .421
C. Lee .409
Rivera .409
Morneau .405
M. Young .397
Rolen .392
Melky .386
The worst hitters vs. lefties (min. 50 at bats)
Giles .120
C. Davis .143
N. Morgan .143
O. Cabrera .164
Rollins .167
Dye .171
Bruce .173
Huff .192
Uggla .196
The best hitters vs. righties (min. 100 at bats)
Ichiro .369
Pence .367
Hawpe .364
Ad. Jones .362
Hanley .361
Zimmerman.358
Beltran .356
Tejada .353
Kubel .353
The worst hitters vs. righties (min. 100 at bats)
Hall .168
Atkins .173
Ortiz .183
Bradley .186
K.Matsui .191
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. I do not tell anyone who to put on their team. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, make a suggestion if you have one, and.....
FU Kerry Wood
Sunday, the 7th
Good morning. 12 hours and God knows how much beer later, the kids birthday party is over. I have to be honest with you, I didn't see much of anything baseball yesterday. Anyway, thanks for coming today. It'sa doubleheader edition as well as the Tigs and Chisox go twice tomorrow. I will tell you now that when there is a scheduled double dip, I always rely heavily on it. Most of what you see when I pick my lineup shortly will be DH related.
YESTERDAY
As good as I was feeling after CC and his pen got rocked yesterday, i felt the total opposite when I saw that Oz had given up 6 in the first 4 innings to negate any possible gain. I told you yesterday that I didn't feel good at all about that jackass.. What a joke that was. To make things worse, my bats were crap again as well. Hanley managed to get me 7 the hard way but Pujols, Phillips, Larry Jones Jr. (who is banned by the way), and Thome only put up 3 total. In the end, my 23 points dropped me to #79, 20 points off the leaderboard pace. Today better be a good one, or I'm going to lose any chance I have at all.
TODAY
Haren, Halladay, or Lincecum. Which do you have? Today will be a good one if you like good pitching. The way the weekend has gone thus far, I bet all 3 put up good efforts. The way I'm struggling right now, Haren better outpitch the others. I really did flip a coin yesterday. I have saved the nickel I used also so that if it works, I can use it again. Yes, I'm a bit superstitious. Here's the final...
C: Martin
1B: Youkilis
2B: Kinsler
3B: Wright
SS: Tejada
LF: Lee
CF: Granderson
RF: Hawpe
DH: Blalock
PS: Haren of the Desert
Tomorrow
I have one thing in mind for tomorrow - DH. To tell the truth, I really don't care who else is playing. I will say this, though. The pitchers for the double dip are 100% pure shit. Galaraga (crap) and Bonderman (first start of the year) vs. Richard (rookie) and Contreras (crap) do not intrigue me at all. All season long, I have taken DH staffs. This time, though, I think I'm going to pass. Weather should not be a problem anywhere tommorow so I will go with pretty much all DH bats and Jake Peavy as my pitcher. Jake is a home against Arizona, has 84 K in 71 IP, and looks like the only option I can trust. Here's what I am lookong at.
First:
Cabrera is a little banged up, but even so he is a better option than Konerko. I think he will play both, maybe as DH in one.
Second:
I can't see Getz or lillibridge getting to play both. Polanco probably will.
Third:
Josh fields may split time with Betemit. Inge may not play both, but is more likely to so do than any of the Sox.
Short:
Everett and Santiago should platoon this for the Tigs. Alexei is the pick.
Left:
Quentin is out. Thames has been gone since April but is expected to be back today. I doubt he goes two but who knows? It's worth a shot.
Center:
Granderson or Granderson?
Right:
Between Dye and Magglio, baseball dinosaurs, Dye has more power left.
DH:
Thome.
Catcher:
None of them will play two and I have planty of monty left for Mauer.
Pitcher:
I had my mind set on Jake but the closer I look at this, I am really thinking about the Tigers. Man, Chicago absolutely sucks right now and has been shut out more than any team in the game this season. Screw it, Tigs it is. Here's the final...Scratch that, I can't do it. Peavy at home is my pick. Here's the final...
C: Mauer
1B: Konerko
2B: Polanco
3B: Inge
SS: Alexei
LF: Thames
CF: Granderson
RF: Dye
DH: Thome
PS: Peavy
UPDATE!!! Miggy cabrera left the game early today for "precautionary reasons" whatever the Hell that is. Because of this, I can't trust him to play two tomorrow. I have changed to Konerko. Also, I am suddenly getting a feeling on Duke tomorrow vs. the Braves. While the Braves usually blow vs. lefties, they do have a .409 BAA vs. Dukie. We'll see. For now, I will stay with Peavy.
If I come across anything else definitive about who will or will not play two I will update this tonight around 9:00 eastern.
STAT CORNER
Ryan Howard already leads all active players with 13 4 strikeout games. Reggie Jackson is the all time champ at this with 23. Bo Jackson is second with 19.
Do you know who has pitched shutouts for the most different teams? Believe it or not, it's Doyle Alexander. He's also the guy the Tigers wanted so bad that they gave up a young John Smoltz to get him.
In 207 at bats, Jeff rancouer has swung at the first pitch 104 times. In the same number of at bats, JJ Hardy has swung at only 7.
During the Yankees 18 game errorless streak the Marlins committed 23 of them.
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. I do not tell anyone who to put on their teams. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, and....
FU Roy Ozwalt!
YESTERDAY
As good as I was feeling after CC and his pen got rocked yesterday, i felt the total opposite when I saw that Oz had given up 6 in the first 4 innings to negate any possible gain. I told you yesterday that I didn't feel good at all about that jackass.. What a joke that was. To make things worse, my bats were crap again as well. Hanley managed to get me 7 the hard way but Pujols, Phillips, Larry Jones Jr. (who is banned by the way), and Thome only put up 3 total. In the end, my 23 points dropped me to #79, 20 points off the leaderboard pace. Today better be a good one, or I'm going to lose any chance I have at all.
TODAY
Haren, Halladay, or Lincecum. Which do you have? Today will be a good one if you like good pitching. The way the weekend has gone thus far, I bet all 3 put up good efforts. The way I'm struggling right now, Haren better outpitch the others. I really did flip a coin yesterday. I have saved the nickel I used also so that if it works, I can use it again. Yes, I'm a bit superstitious. Here's the final...
C: Martin
1B: Youkilis
2B: Kinsler
3B: Wright
SS: Tejada
LF: Lee
CF: Granderson
RF: Hawpe
DH: Blalock
PS: Haren of the Desert
Tomorrow
I have one thing in mind for tomorrow - DH. To tell the truth, I really don't care who else is playing. I will say this, though. The pitchers for the double dip are 100% pure shit. Galaraga (crap) and Bonderman (first start of the year) vs. Richard (rookie) and Contreras (crap) do not intrigue me at all. All season long, I have taken DH staffs. This time, though, I think I'm going to pass. Weather should not be a problem anywhere tommorow so I will go with pretty much all DH bats and Jake Peavy as my pitcher. Jake is a home against Arizona, has 84 K in 71 IP, and looks like the only option I can trust. Here's what I am lookong at.
First:
Cabrera is a little banged up, but even so he is a better option than Konerko. I think he will play both, maybe as DH in one.
Second:
I can't see Getz or lillibridge getting to play both. Polanco probably will.
Third:
Josh fields may split time with Betemit. Inge may not play both, but is more likely to so do than any of the Sox.
Short:
Everett and Santiago should platoon this for the Tigs. Alexei is the pick.
Left:
Quentin is out. Thames has been gone since April but is expected to be back today. I doubt he goes two but who knows? It's worth a shot.
Center:
Granderson or Granderson?
Right:
Between Dye and Magglio, baseball dinosaurs, Dye has more power left.
DH:
Thome.
Catcher:
None of them will play two and I have planty of monty left for Mauer.
Pitcher:
I had my mind set on Jake but the closer I look at this, I am really thinking about the Tigers. Man, Chicago absolutely sucks right now and has been shut out more than any team in the game this season. Screw it, Tigs it is. Here's the final...Scratch that, I can't do it. Peavy at home is my pick. Here's the final...
C: Mauer
1B: Konerko
2B: Polanco
3B: Inge
SS: Alexei
LF: Thames
CF: Granderson
RF: Dye
DH: Thome
PS: Peavy
UPDATE!!! Miggy cabrera left the game early today for "precautionary reasons" whatever the Hell that is. Because of this, I can't trust him to play two tomorrow. I have changed to Konerko. Also, I am suddenly getting a feeling on Duke tomorrow vs. the Braves. While the Braves usually blow vs. lefties, they do have a .409 BAA vs. Dukie. We'll see. For now, I will stay with Peavy.
If I come across anything else definitive about who will or will not play two I will update this tonight around 9:00 eastern.
STAT CORNER
Ryan Howard already leads all active players with 13 4 strikeout games. Reggie Jackson is the all time champ at this with 23. Bo Jackson is second with 19.
Do you know who has pitched shutouts for the most different teams? Believe it or not, it's Doyle Alexander. He's also the guy the Tigers wanted so bad that they gave up a young John Smoltz to get him.
In 207 at bats, Jeff rancouer has swung at the first pitch 104 times. In the same number of at bats, JJ Hardy has swung at only 7.
During the Yankees 18 game errorless streak the Marlins committed 23 of them.
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. I do not tell anyone who to put on their teams. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, and....
FU Roy Ozwalt!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Saturday, the 6th
Folks, we have officially been up and running for exactle two weeks and, with over 2100 hits, I must say it feels like it has been a success. I see that we added three more followers yesterday as well. Welcome, guys. I say let's keeprolling with it. Thanks so much for coming back day after day and please keep it up. As long as you do, I will continue to work on it. Thanks again, I really mean that.
YESTERDAY
The only good thing about yesterday is that about half of you got as smoked as I did by Greinke. Man, that was bad. I was sitting at a bar and everytime the score came across the ticker for about an hour there was another run on the board. It's going tobe really hard for me to take him over Verlander again, I know that much. My bats were pretty useless as well. Pujols and Utley were the only ones worth a damn and Larry Jr., Tejada (DNP), Jones (DNP), and Upton did almost nothing for me at all. In the end, 17 points knocked me backoff the Leaderboard again to 61st overall, 12 off the LB pace. Oh well, another day another lineup. Let's get 'em, boys.
TODAY
As much as I love my bats today, I hate my pitching. It was really a tough decision, Edwin Jackson vs. Oz. My dumbass went with Oz. I still feel like that will be the pick as the Halos aren't going to be shut down twice in a row and the Rocks aren't capable of putting up 2 good days of offense in a row. Still, I don't feel too good about it. Here it is again...
C: Varitek
1b: Pujols
2B: Phillips
3B: Larry Jones Jr.
SS: Hanley
LF: Ibanez
CF: McLouth
RF: Hawpe
DH: Thome
PS: OZ
TOMORROW
Weather:
Angels/Tigers 60%
I see nothing to be worried about at this time and will pick freely.
Teams facing lefties:
Tigers, Braves, White Sox, A's, Twins, Phillies, Dodgers
Teams facing rookie starters:
Reds vs. Wells (0-2, 1.69 ERA)
Brewers vs. Hanson (MLB debut, minor league K machine)
Mets vs. Stammen (0-1 5.71 in 3 starts)
White Sox vs. Huff (0-2, 9.71 in 4 starts)
Orioles vs. Mazzaro (1-0 0.00 in 1 start)
Dodgers vs. Bastardo (1-0 1.50 in 1 start)
Pitchers (and lots of them):
Slowey (8-1 3.97, 2 R or less in last 5, 6 IP 5 ER vs. Seattle this year, 1-1 2.89 on road)
Saunders (6-4 3.77, low K's, 6 R or more in 2 of last 4, 9.00 ERA vs. Tigers this year)
Porcello (6-4 3.70, 6 IP or less in last 5, 3-2 3.67 at home, never faced Angels)
Joba (3-1 3.71, 0-1 5.82 at home, 51K in 53 IP, vs. Tampa)
Garza (4-4 3.67, .242 BAA vs. Yanks)
Bedard (4-2 2.37, less than 7 IP in last 4, 1-2 1.85 at home, 61 K in 60 IP)
Doc (9-1 2.77, 82 K in 91 IP, 7 IP or more in last 10, .212 BAA)
Wells (0-2 1.69 in 5 starts, 27K in 32 IP, at Cincy)
Colon (3-5 3.75, 5 R or more in 3 0f last 5)
Piniero (5-5 3.86, 3-1 2.05 at home)
Haren (4-4 2.42, 1-1 2.91 on road, 6 IP 3 ER vs. Padres this year)
Lincecum (4-1 3.01, 91K in 71 IP, 2-1 2.95 on road)
Wolf (3-1 3.21, roughed up in 2 of last 3, 6 IP 1 ER vs. Phills this year)
I would like to give Wells a shot but it has to come down the the big 3: Doc, Haren of the Desert, and Doc. This is a tough one. I will rule out Lince, as he faces the best team of the three. Heads = Haren, tails = Doc.........Heads is is. Seriously, I just flipped the coin.
First:
Miggy (3-7 vs. good starter)
Youk (4-10)
Pujols (2-6)
Morneau (9-21, 2HR vs. good starter)
I really am a big fan of The Youker.
Second:
Cano (5-14 vs. good starter)
Scutaro (4-5, 2HR)
Kinsler (vs. Dice)
I don't really feel anything here,but will go with Ian. Dice K anywhere is worse than Kinsler on the road.
Third:
ARoid (2-6, HR vs. good starter)
Young (5-8)
Wright (1-3 vs. rookie)
For the time being,I'll pick Wright. This may change if $ is an issue later on.
Short:
Jeter (5-14 vs. good starter)
Tejada
Give me Miguel again
Left:
Lee (5-15)
Pierre (vs. rookie lefty)
Lee for now. The difference in price betweemn him and Pierre is not very much and Lee has more power.
Center:
Granderson (4-9, HR vs. good starter)
Ankiel (2-4)
Good Lord, I don't like any of them. Granderson.
Right:
Mags (6-15, HR)
Rios (2-3)
Drew (9-17, HR)
Cruz (0-2)
Pence (4-13, HR)
Hawpe (4-5, HR)
Upton (never faced starter)
Tough call again. I think I'll keep Hawpe for now.
DH:
Ortiz (4-12, 2HR)
Blalock (1-3, HR)
Hank the Tank vs. Dice
Catcher:
Posada (2-5)
Varitek (1-4)
Yadi (2-2)
Mauer (4-13)
Martin
Martin has a night game and, becauseofthat, he is the pick for me. If nothing else, he should play. I hate picking catchers on Sunday's
All in all, I feel good about what Ihave put together here. Hopefully the coin toss treats me right. If it doesn't, I hope everyone else has Danny as well. The final.....
C: Martin
1B: Youk
2B: Kinsler
3B: Wright
SS: Tejada
LF: Lee
CF: Granderson
RF: Hawpe
DH: Blalock
PS: Haren of the Desert
STAT CORNER
I am tight on time today - having a birthday party formy boys (turning 5 and 7 this week). Instead of the usual stats I am going to do something a little different today. Below is the number of times I have taken theBig # starters tomorrow as well as the average points they have given me in return. Happy hunting, it really is a crapshoot.
Haren 7/19.7 avg.
Lince 6/22.0
Doc 4/24.8
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. I do not tell anyone who to choose for their team. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, bring a friend, make a suggestion if you have one, and.....
FU Kerry Wood
YESTERDAY
The only good thing about yesterday is that about half of you got as smoked as I did by Greinke. Man, that was bad. I was sitting at a bar and everytime the score came across the ticker for about an hour there was another run on the board. It's going tobe really hard for me to take him over Verlander again, I know that much. My bats were pretty useless as well. Pujols and Utley were the only ones worth a damn and Larry Jr., Tejada (DNP), Jones (DNP), and Upton did almost nothing for me at all. In the end, 17 points knocked me backoff the Leaderboard again to 61st overall, 12 off the LB pace. Oh well, another day another lineup. Let's get 'em, boys.
TODAY
As much as I love my bats today, I hate my pitching. It was really a tough decision, Edwin Jackson vs. Oz. My dumbass went with Oz. I still feel like that will be the pick as the Halos aren't going to be shut down twice in a row and the Rocks aren't capable of putting up 2 good days of offense in a row. Still, I don't feel too good about it. Here it is again...
C: Varitek
1b: Pujols
2B: Phillips
3B: Larry Jones Jr.
SS: Hanley
LF: Ibanez
CF: McLouth
RF: Hawpe
DH: Thome
PS: OZ
TOMORROW
Weather:
Angels/Tigers 60%
I see nothing to be worried about at this time and will pick freely.
Teams facing lefties:
Tigers, Braves, White Sox, A's, Twins, Phillies, Dodgers
Teams facing rookie starters:
Reds vs. Wells (0-2, 1.69 ERA)
Brewers vs. Hanson (MLB debut, minor league K machine)
Mets vs. Stammen (0-1 5.71 in 3 starts)
White Sox vs. Huff (0-2, 9.71 in 4 starts)
Orioles vs. Mazzaro (1-0 0.00 in 1 start)
Dodgers vs. Bastardo (1-0 1.50 in 1 start)
Pitchers (and lots of them):
Slowey (8-1 3.97, 2 R or less in last 5, 6 IP 5 ER vs. Seattle this year, 1-1 2.89 on road)
Saunders (6-4 3.77, low K's, 6 R or more in 2 of last 4, 9.00 ERA vs. Tigers this year)
Porcello (6-4 3.70, 6 IP or less in last 5, 3-2 3.67 at home, never faced Angels)
Joba (3-1 3.71, 0-1 5.82 at home, 51K in 53 IP, vs. Tampa)
Garza (4-4 3.67, .242 BAA vs. Yanks)
Bedard (4-2 2.37, less than 7 IP in last 4, 1-2 1.85 at home, 61 K in 60 IP)
Doc (9-1 2.77, 82 K in 91 IP, 7 IP or more in last 10, .212 BAA)
Wells (0-2 1.69 in 5 starts, 27K in 32 IP, at Cincy)
Colon (3-5 3.75, 5 R or more in 3 0f last 5)
Piniero (5-5 3.86, 3-1 2.05 at home)
Haren (4-4 2.42, 1-1 2.91 on road, 6 IP 3 ER vs. Padres this year)
Lincecum (4-1 3.01, 91K in 71 IP, 2-1 2.95 on road)
Wolf (3-1 3.21, roughed up in 2 of last 3, 6 IP 1 ER vs. Phills this year)
I would like to give Wells a shot but it has to come down the the big 3: Doc, Haren of the Desert, and Doc. This is a tough one. I will rule out Lince, as he faces the best team of the three. Heads = Haren, tails = Doc.........Heads is is. Seriously, I just flipped the coin.
First:
Miggy (3-7 vs. good starter)
Youk (4-10)
Pujols (2-6)
Morneau (9-21, 2HR vs. good starter)
I really am a big fan of The Youker.
Second:
Cano (5-14 vs. good starter)
Scutaro (4-5, 2HR)
Kinsler (vs. Dice)
I don't really feel anything here,but will go with Ian. Dice K anywhere is worse than Kinsler on the road.
Third:
ARoid (2-6, HR vs. good starter)
Young (5-8)
Wright (1-3 vs. rookie)
For the time being,I'll pick Wright. This may change if $ is an issue later on.
Short:
Jeter (5-14 vs. good starter)
Tejada
Give me Miguel again
Left:
Lee (5-15)
Pierre (vs. rookie lefty)
Lee for now. The difference in price betweemn him and Pierre is not very much and Lee has more power.
Center:
Granderson (4-9, HR vs. good starter)
Ankiel (2-4)
Good Lord, I don't like any of them. Granderson.
Right:
Mags (6-15, HR)
Rios (2-3)
Drew (9-17, HR)
Cruz (0-2)
Pence (4-13, HR)
Hawpe (4-5, HR)
Upton (never faced starter)
Tough call again. I think I'll keep Hawpe for now.
DH:
Ortiz (4-12, 2HR)
Blalock (1-3, HR)
Hank the Tank vs. Dice
Catcher:
Posada (2-5)
Varitek (1-4)
Yadi (2-2)
Mauer (4-13)
Martin
Martin has a night game and, becauseofthat, he is the pick for me. If nothing else, he should play. I hate picking catchers on Sunday's
All in all, I feel good about what Ihave put together here. Hopefully the coin toss treats me right. If it doesn't, I hope everyone else has Danny as well. The final.....
C: Martin
1B: Youk
2B: Kinsler
3B: Wright
SS: Tejada
LF: Lee
CF: Granderson
RF: Hawpe
DH: Blalock
PS: Haren of the Desert
STAT CORNER
I am tight on time today - having a birthday party formy boys (turning 5 and 7 this week). Instead of the usual stats I am going to do something a little different today. Below is the number of times I have taken theBig # starters tomorrow as well as the average points they have given me in return. Happy hunting, it really is a crapshoot.
Haren 7/19.7 avg.
Lince 6/22.0
Doc 4/24.8
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. I do not tell anyone who to choose for their team. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, bring a friend, make a suggestion if you have one, and.....
FU Kerry Wood
Friday, June 5, 2009
Friday, the 5th
CHANGE OF PLANS!!!
The Rays and Yanks have been postponed. I apologize, but I am a little pressed for time right now. Please adjust your plans accordingly for tomorrow. I will update my stats later provided I have the time, and am sober, if you would like to check back. What you will read below was composed prior to this information becoming available.
I'm Back! If only for a day, I am back on the Leaderboard. The double dip was not the bust that I was afraid it would be and all is well. Congrats to Randy Johnson for his 300th win(check the stat corner today for a pretty interesting tidbit on him). He now has the most wins of any rat who has ever taken the hill in a major league game. Something tells me that distinction will never be taken away from him. Man, I feel good today. On a side note, it looks like we will cross the 2000 hit plateau today. This blog has been up for less than 2 weeks, so I would consider it to be a success at this point. If you come regularly, click the "follower link to your left and let me know who you are. If you don't come regularly, start. Please? Again, if there is something else you would like to see on here, let me know.
YESTERDAY
As I stated in the opener, the DH actually worked out pretty well. Judging by the non-DH scores, it was a good day for just about everyone. Well done guys. As luck would have it, Pujols was my best batter, pitching in 10 points. VMart was my only clown and the bats totalled 38 at the end of the night. RJ and the Giants gave me 49 from my staff and in the end I totalled up 92 points on the day, good enough to move me BACK onto the Leaderboard at #45 overall. It may not last for long, though, as I only have a 4 point cushion.
TODAY
The weather continues to look miserable in New York and Boston. Is much as I hated to do it, I stayed completely away from those games. As a result, I have a list of bats tonight that do not thrill me at all and am excessively worried about what the evening will give me. Greinke is my starter and it appears that both the Usual Suspects and the LB were pretty much split down the middle on this one. Here is the final.....
C: AJ
1B: Pujols (bum rule in effect)
2B: Utley
3B: Larry Jones Jr.
SS: Tejada
LF: Braun
CF: Kemp
RF: Upton
DH: Jones
PS: Greinke
TOMORROW
Weather:
Giants/Marlins 60%
Indians/White Sox 50%
I see no reason to be worried about either of these games and, for the first time in what seems like forever, will pick my team freely, with no weather worries.
Teams facing Lefties:
White Sox, Twins, Marlins, Giants, Astros, Mets, Red Sox, Rangers, Reds
Teams facing rookie starters:
Brewers vs. Hanson (Minor League K machine, Braves #1 pitching prospect, MLB debut)
Red Sox vs. Holland (6.33 ERA in 2 starts)
A's vs. Berken (1-1 2.25 in 2 starts)
Orioles vs. Cahill (2-5 4.33 ERA)
Pitchers:
Garza (4-4 3.67, .232 BAA, at Yankees)
Maine (5-3 3.74, banged up, .217 BAA, at Nats)
Joba (3-1 3.71, 0-1 5.82 at home, 51K in 53IP, vs. Rays)
Richmond (4-2 3.50, 2-1 3.42 at home, .200 BAA, vs. Royals, 7IP and 1 ER vs. KC on 4/28)
Blackburn (5-2 3.50, 7+ IP in 4 of 5, 7 scoreless vs. Mariners on 5/10, 2-0 3.06 at home)
Kuroda (1-1 2.53, not vs. Phills)
Escobar (1st start of year at Detroit)
Jackson (5-3 2.30, 7+ in 4 of last 5, 2-1 3.55 at home, .345 BAA, vs. Angels)
Maholm (3-2 3.82, inconsistent)
Oz (banged up, 2-1 3.52 at home, vs. Pitt)
I'll immediately narrow it down to Richmond, Blackburn, Jackson, and OZ. The Angels can hit, the Pirates suck, and Oz is at home. Against my better judgement, lets go 'Stros.
First:
Tex (0-5 vs. good starter)
Pujols (3-6)
Huff (vs. rookie)
Gonzo (never faced pitcher)
Adrian has hit 15 of his 22 long balls on the road and Huff is struggling. I'll play most dependable with Fat Al again.
Second:
Cano (5-14 vs. good starter)
Utley (2-6)
Uggla (never faced pitcher)
Roberts (vs. rookie)
Phillips
I have to go with Phillips vs. the Dumpster although there is nothing her that stands out to me.
Third:
ARoid (2-6)
Chipper (7-10)
Young (5-10)
As much as I hate him, I'll stay with Chip. His only power is when batting left and the choices here are once again poor.
Short:
Jeter (5-14 vs. good starter)
Peralta (6-12, 2HR)
Harris (1-1 and cheap if needed)
Hanley (never faced starter and hitting .500 in last 6 games)
It's time to give Hanley another shot.
Left:
Ibanez (never faced starter)
Bay (vs. Lefty rook)
Since Bay does his best work vs. righties and Raul hits everyone equally, Raul it is.
Center:
Rowand (2-2, HR)
McLouth (6-17, 2HR)
Hunter (3-8, 2HR vs. good starter)
Beltran (4-12)
Ankiel (3-3, HR)
Jones (vs. rook)
I have a good hunch about McLouth this weekend.
Right:
Ethier (4-8, HR)
Magglio (10-24)
Vlad (5-12, HR vs. good starter)
Cruz (on fire)
Bruce (1-1)
Hawpe (2-5, 2HR)
Cake (vs. rook)
Upton (never faced starter)
Cruz does most of his damage vs. RHP and, even though he usually is ppor on the road, Hawpe is on fire and kills righties.
DH:
Thome (4-6, 3HR)
Sheff (2-3, HR)
I can't pass up a chance for Thome to drill Sowers some more.
Catcher:
Posada (2-5)
VMart (4-9)
Mauer (never faced starter)
Martin (2-5)
Yadi (2-6)
Varitek (vs. rookie)
As crazy as it sounds, Tech is hitting the ball well right now.
In the end, I don't feel too good about my pitcher, but I love my bats for tomorrow. Furthermore, I have not yet received my annual prison rape from Oz this year. What better time to do it then when you're on the LB?
FINAL LINEUP
C: Varitek
1B: Pujols
2B: Phillips
3B: Larry Jones Jr.
SS: Hanley
LF: Ibanez
CF: McLouth
RF: Hawpe
DH: Thome
PS: Oz
STAT CORNER
Did you know that Randy Johnson, who just picked up his 300th career win last night, has won 236 games since he turned 30 years old? This means that he obviously only won 64 before turning the corner. Wondering who might be the next to win 300 games? Well, Jason Marquis (86 wins), Kyle Loshe (82) and Joel Pinero (77) are all well ahead of the Big Unit's pace and are all under 30 years old. Take it for what you will.
Last night, Adam Lind had 5 hits while his teammate, Alex Rios struck out 5 times. This is the first time that 2 players on the same team have held this distinction on the same day since 1920.
The top 8 batters with the least number of strikeouts with a minimum of 200 official at bats:
1. Dustin Pedroia 14/206
2. Roninson Cano 15/223
3. Miguel Tejada 15/217
4. Ichiro 16/204
5. Carlos Lee 17/200
6. O. Cabrera 17/213
7. J. Ellsbury 20/224
8. Victorino 20/217
The top 8 batters with the most strikeouts with a minimum of 150 official at bats:
1. Chris Davis 80/177
2. Mark Reynolds 75/193
3. Carlos Pena 70/195
4. Ryan Howard 65/205
5. BJ Upton 62/167
6. Adam Dunn 60/188
7. A. Soriano 56/210
8. Josh Fields 55/176
9. David Wright 54/190
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. I do not tell anyone who to put on their team. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, tell a friend and.....
FU Kerry Wood
The Rays and Yanks have been postponed. I apologize, but I am a little pressed for time right now. Please adjust your plans accordingly for tomorrow. I will update my stats later provided I have the time, and am sober, if you would like to check back. What you will read below was composed prior to this information becoming available.
I'm Back! If only for a day, I am back on the Leaderboard. The double dip was not the bust that I was afraid it would be and all is well. Congrats to Randy Johnson for his 300th win(check the stat corner today for a pretty interesting tidbit on him). He now has the most wins of any rat who has ever taken the hill in a major league game. Something tells me that distinction will never be taken away from him. Man, I feel good today. On a side note, it looks like we will cross the 2000 hit plateau today. This blog has been up for less than 2 weeks, so I would consider it to be a success at this point. If you come regularly, click the "follower link to your left and let me know who you are. If you don't come regularly, start. Please? Again, if there is something else you would like to see on here, let me know.
YESTERDAY
As I stated in the opener, the DH actually worked out pretty well. Judging by the non-DH scores, it was a good day for just about everyone. Well done guys. As luck would have it, Pujols was my best batter, pitching in 10 points. VMart was my only clown and the bats totalled 38 at the end of the night. RJ and the Giants gave me 49 from my staff and in the end I totalled up 92 points on the day, good enough to move me BACK onto the Leaderboard at #45 overall. It may not last for long, though, as I only have a 4 point cushion.
TODAY
The weather continues to look miserable in New York and Boston. Is much as I hated to do it, I stayed completely away from those games. As a result, I have a list of bats tonight that do not thrill me at all and am excessively worried about what the evening will give me. Greinke is my starter and it appears that both the Usual Suspects and the LB were pretty much split down the middle on this one. Here is the final.....
C: AJ
1B: Pujols (bum rule in effect)
2B: Utley
3B: Larry Jones Jr.
SS: Tejada
LF: Braun
CF: Kemp
RF: Upton
DH: Jones
PS: Greinke
TOMORROW
Weather:
Giants/Marlins 60%
Indians/White Sox 50%
I see no reason to be worried about either of these games and, for the first time in what seems like forever, will pick my team freely, with no weather worries.
Teams facing Lefties:
White Sox, Twins, Marlins, Giants, Astros, Mets, Red Sox, Rangers, Reds
Teams facing rookie starters:
Brewers vs. Hanson (Minor League K machine, Braves #1 pitching prospect, MLB debut)
Red Sox vs. Holland (6.33 ERA in 2 starts)
A's vs. Berken (1-1 2.25 in 2 starts)
Orioles vs. Cahill (2-5 4.33 ERA)
Pitchers:
Garza (4-4 3.67, .232 BAA, at Yankees)
Maine (5-3 3.74, banged up, .217 BAA, at Nats)
Joba (3-1 3.71, 0-1 5.82 at home, 51K in 53IP, vs. Rays)
Richmond (4-2 3.50, 2-1 3.42 at home, .200 BAA, vs. Royals, 7IP and 1 ER vs. KC on 4/28)
Blackburn (5-2 3.50, 7+ IP in 4 of 5, 7 scoreless vs. Mariners on 5/10, 2-0 3.06 at home)
Kuroda (1-1 2.53, not vs. Phills)
Escobar (1st start of year at Detroit)
Jackson (5-3 2.30, 7+ in 4 of last 5, 2-1 3.55 at home, .345 BAA, vs. Angels)
Maholm (3-2 3.82, inconsistent)
Oz (banged up, 2-1 3.52 at home, vs. Pitt)
I'll immediately narrow it down to Richmond, Blackburn, Jackson, and OZ. The Angels can hit, the Pirates suck, and Oz is at home. Against my better judgement, lets go 'Stros.
First:
Tex (0-5 vs. good starter)
Pujols (3-6)
Huff (vs. rookie)
Gonzo (never faced pitcher)
Adrian has hit 15 of his 22 long balls on the road and Huff is struggling. I'll play most dependable with Fat Al again.
Second:
Cano (5-14 vs. good starter)
Utley (2-6)
Uggla (never faced pitcher)
Roberts (vs. rookie)
Phillips
I have to go with Phillips vs. the Dumpster although there is nothing her that stands out to me.
Third:
ARoid (2-6)
Chipper (7-10)
Young (5-10)
As much as I hate him, I'll stay with Chip. His only power is when batting left and the choices here are once again poor.
Short:
Jeter (5-14 vs. good starter)
Peralta (6-12, 2HR)
Harris (1-1 and cheap if needed)
Hanley (never faced starter and hitting .500 in last 6 games)
It's time to give Hanley another shot.
Left:
Ibanez (never faced starter)
Bay (vs. Lefty rook)
Since Bay does his best work vs. righties and Raul hits everyone equally, Raul it is.
Center:
Rowand (2-2, HR)
McLouth (6-17, 2HR)
Hunter (3-8, 2HR vs. good starter)
Beltran (4-12)
Ankiel (3-3, HR)
Jones (vs. rook)
I have a good hunch about McLouth this weekend.
Right:
Ethier (4-8, HR)
Magglio (10-24)
Vlad (5-12, HR vs. good starter)
Cruz (on fire)
Bruce (1-1)
Hawpe (2-5, 2HR)
Cake (vs. rook)
Upton (never faced starter)
Cruz does most of his damage vs. RHP and, even though he usually is ppor on the road, Hawpe is on fire and kills righties.
DH:
Thome (4-6, 3HR)
Sheff (2-3, HR)
I can't pass up a chance for Thome to drill Sowers some more.
Catcher:
Posada (2-5)
VMart (4-9)
Mauer (never faced starter)
Martin (2-5)
Yadi (2-6)
Varitek (vs. rookie)
As crazy as it sounds, Tech is hitting the ball well right now.
In the end, I don't feel too good about my pitcher, but I love my bats for tomorrow. Furthermore, I have not yet received my annual prison rape from Oz this year. What better time to do it then when you're on the LB?
FINAL LINEUP
C: Varitek
1B: Pujols
2B: Phillips
3B: Larry Jones Jr.
SS: Hanley
LF: Ibanez
CF: McLouth
RF: Hawpe
DH: Thome
PS: Oz
STAT CORNER
Did you know that Randy Johnson, who just picked up his 300th career win last night, has won 236 games since he turned 30 years old? This means that he obviously only won 64 before turning the corner. Wondering who might be the next to win 300 games? Well, Jason Marquis (86 wins), Kyle Loshe (82) and Joel Pinero (77) are all well ahead of the Big Unit's pace and are all under 30 years old. Take it for what you will.
Last night, Adam Lind had 5 hits while his teammate, Alex Rios struck out 5 times. This is the first time that 2 players on the same team have held this distinction on the same day since 1920.
The top 8 batters with the least number of strikeouts with a minimum of 200 official at bats:
1. Dustin Pedroia 14/206
2. Roninson Cano 15/223
3. Miguel Tejada 15/217
4. Ichiro 16/204
5. Carlos Lee 17/200
6. O. Cabrera 17/213
7. J. Ellsbury 20/224
8. Victorino 20/217
The top 8 batters with the most strikeouts with a minimum of 150 official at bats:
1. Chris Davis 80/177
2. Mark Reynolds 75/193
3. Carlos Pena 70/195
4. Ryan Howard 65/205
5. BJ Upton 62/167
6. Adam Dunn 60/188
7. A. Soriano 56/210
8. Josh Fields 55/176
9. David Wright 54/190
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. I do not tell anyone who to put on their team. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, tell a friend and.....
FU Kerry Wood
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Thursday, the 4th
You know, the biggest problem with BBC is that you have to lock your lineups the night before. Last night, when the DH was announced, I know some of you that live on the east coast, as I do, had already cashed in for the night and got left out. This happens all the time. Youd would think that ESPN could change the lock time to right before the game like every other fantasy game in the world. Oh well, At least they didn't get me on this one. Sorry to the rest of you.
ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
As of yesterday afternoon and some lengthy contract negotiations, the legal department here would like to announce the addition of a new part time contributor. Most of you will know him as JT Shunta or "The Weatherman". I am really excited about this and would like you all to welcome him. JT puts together the best weather analysis around on a daily basis and will certainly have alot to offer us with his experience and expertise. Please look forward to his posts in the very near future.
YESTERDAY
I felt pretty good last night, going to bed with 67 points in the bag. Then I woke up this morning to see that Bills tossed a shutout and my Super Star-Outside the Box-Dream Weaver pick didn't really mean much at all. Nonetheless, I'll take it. Weaver gave me 33 with a stellar outing and my bats muscled up for 35 of their own, led by Phillips (15) and Tha Youka (7). Salty, Jeter, Hunter (DNP) and Byrd were kind enough to add 1 point total. Thanks clowns. So I wake up this morning to see that I am now #67 in rank and only 15 off the Leaderboard pace. At least I'm hanging in there.......
TODAY
As you app probably know by now, the Giants and Nats are going to try to play a double dip. The weather very well could play an issue, but there is no way I was going to pass on this. RJ goes for 300 and still has the ability to toss a gem. Cain has been quietly very impressive all year. 'Nough said, count me in. However, I stated on here last night that we are overdue for a shitty Doubleheader. Please remember that when I am crying about it tomorrow. Something tells me that this will be the one. Here is the Lineup that has me popping pills for breakfast:
C: VMart
1B: Pujols (Dunn has no chance today)
2B: Burriss x2
3B: Zimmerman x2(Can't pass on him)
SS: Renteria x2(Young enough to play both?)
LF: Lewis x2
CF: Rowand x2(I've always liked him, not in a gay way or anything, just for BBC)
RF: Winn x2
DH: Johnson x2
PS: Sanny Franny x2
And as I said here before the last DH, don't tell me I'm crazy to pick against my staff in a double dip. If Zimmerman gets me 10 and ARoid gets you 7, I win. Who my pitcher is has nothing to do with it. Man, this lineup is trash.....
TOMORROW
At first glance, I really like a few of the pichers but the bat matchups look like crap. Weather may be an issue in a few places and every bat I feel good about has weather issues. A few words of advice: pick smartly with your staff, double check the weather before finalizing, and don't try to be a hero on a day like this. It just doesn't look like that kind of day to me.
Weather:
Mets/Nats 90%
Rays/Yanks 90%
Rangers/Red Sox 80%
Giants/Marlins 60%
Brewers/Braves 60%
Teams facing lefties:
Yankees, Rays, Royals, Marlins, Astros, Pirates, Indians, Cardinals, Orioles, Padres, Mariners, Dodgers, and Phillies.
Teams facing rookies:
Yankees vs. Price (1-0 3.00 ERA in 2 starts, 17K in 9 IP, weather is an issue)
Mets vs. Martis (5-1 5.62, obviously gets run support, weather is an issue)
Royals vs. Romano (2-2 4.15 ERA, recently came off DL)
Pitchers:
King Felix (5-3 3.41 ERA, 72K in 71 IP, .234 BAA vs. Minn)
Verlander (less than 7 IP in 3 of last 4, 3-0 1.08 at home, 90K in 68 IP, .319 BAA vs. LAA)
CC (weather, 7+ Ip in last 5, 1-1 3.97 at home, .248 BAA vs TB)
Greinke (88K in 82 IP, 2-1 0.39 on road, .250 BAA at Toronto)
Gallardo (2-1 3.48 on road, less than 6 IP in 3 of last 4, at Atlanta)
Vazquez (4-4 3.58, 1-3 4.41 at home, vs. Brewers)
Maholm (3-2 3.82, 2-1 1.83 at home, 7 IP and 1 ER at houston on May 31st)
Wainwright (5-3 3.38, 2-2 2.70 at home)
Milton (2-0 3.14, .319 BAA vs. Phils
This is a tough call. For me it comes down to Greinke on the road or Verlander at home. Since the Jays are struggling, I am going to take Zack for now.
First:
Miggy (4-11, HR)
Youk (6-9, but vs. good starter and weather in play, left early last night)
Tex (weather in play, banged up)
Pujols (2-8)
Giambi (4-9, 2HR)
Fat Al is probably the most sependable player in the game. With these options, I'll stick with him.
Second:
Polanco (6-17)
Phillips (2-12 vs. the Dumpster)
This group just flat out sucks today. I'll pick this position last.
Third:
ARoid (1-2 vs. rookie, weather in play)
Lowell (17-54, 2HR, weather in play)
Young (5-7, weather in play)
Cantu (4-10, HR)
Chipper (2-2, HR, banged up, vs. good starter)
I don't like this group much either but, with the addition on McLouth to the Braves I like Chipper's chances provided he's healthy. I will take the chance even though I truly hate that guy. He's also a bargain at 4.3 mil.
Short:
Jeter (1-2, HR, weather in play)
Hardy (2-4)
Tejada (3-9)
Its a bucketfull of garbage here too, as everyone I want is facing a good pitcher or has weather concerns. I'll come back to it.
Left:
Damon (weather)
Braun (.387 on road)
I'll go with the reliable Braun and hope that Vasquez is beginning to return to his usual self
Center:
Kemp (2-5, HR)
I said before that I really don't like the bats today. Hell, I have to take someone against Moyer.
Right:
Magglio (7-16)
Ross (3-6, HR)
Dye (1-3)
Upton
Ichiro (5-16)
I am tempted with Dye, but will stay with Upton who is emerging into a true superstar.
DH:
Ortiz (8-17, 3HR, vs. good starter and weather in play)
Blalock (3-7, weather)
Thome (7-20, HR)
A Jones (15-45, 6HR)
As amazing as it may be, Thome is the pick, especially against Pavano
Catcher:
Varitek (10-24, weather)
Soto (1-3)
Kendall (10-27, 2HR)
AJ (5-7)
Yadi (3-5)
Suzuki (2-3, HR)
AJ for me
Now, back to 2nd and short, Gimme Phillips and JJ. This is seriously one of the more frustrating days to pick a batter that I have seen all year. I will check the weather tonight to see if anything improves on the east coast in hopes that I can upgrade but, for now, here it is...
(EDIT: I missed mentioning Andruw Jones, who has killed Penny, as well as Tejada, who is not facing Maholm after the rainout last night. I have subbed them in for Thome and Hardy, respectfully)
(EDIT #2: Due to the Braves/Cubs rainout, I have dropped Phillips (who doesn't hit Zambrano well) for Utley
FINAL LINEUP (updated at 3:41 pm eastern)
C: AJ
1B: Pujols
2B: Utley
3B: Larry Jones JR
SS: Tejada
LF: Braun
CF: Kemp
RF: Upton
DH: Jones
PS: Greinke
STAT CORNER
From the standings page:
The Phillies are only 12-14 at home, but are 19-6 on the road.
The Dodgers are 20-6 at home, but only 17-12 on the road.
Who's hot:
Last 7 days:
R. Howard, PHI7-for-24, 4 HR, 11 RBI
B. Phillips, CIN8-for-20, 3 HR, 6 RBI
L. Scott, BAL7-for-20, 4 HR, 10 RBI
Last 30 days:
R. Halladay, TOR4 W, 0 SV, 47.0 IP, 10 ER
J. Verlander, DET4 W, 0 SV, 34.1 IP, 6 ER
T. Hoffman, MIL0 W, 10 SV, 11.0 IP, 0 ER
Who's Not:
Last 7 days:
J. Bruce, CIN1-for-24, 0 HR, 1 RBI
D. Wise, CWS0-for-10, 0 HR, 0 RBI
Last 30 days:
D. Cabrera, ---0 W, 0 SV, 15.2 IP, 14 ER
E. Santana, LAA0 W, 0 SV, 18.0 IP, 19 ER
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. I do not tell anyone who to have on their team. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, tell a friend, pass along any suggestions/comments, and.......
FU Kerry Wood!
ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
As of yesterday afternoon and some lengthy contract negotiations, the legal department here would like to announce the addition of a new part time contributor. Most of you will know him as JT Shunta or "The Weatherman". I am really excited about this and would like you all to welcome him. JT puts together the best weather analysis around on a daily basis and will certainly have alot to offer us with his experience and expertise. Please look forward to his posts in the very near future.
YESTERDAY
I felt pretty good last night, going to bed with 67 points in the bag. Then I woke up this morning to see that Bills tossed a shutout and my Super Star-Outside the Box-Dream Weaver pick didn't really mean much at all. Nonetheless, I'll take it. Weaver gave me 33 with a stellar outing and my bats muscled up for 35 of their own, led by Phillips (15) and Tha Youka (7). Salty, Jeter, Hunter (DNP) and Byrd were kind enough to add 1 point total. Thanks clowns. So I wake up this morning to see that I am now #67 in rank and only 15 off the Leaderboard pace. At least I'm hanging in there.......
TODAY
As you app probably know by now, the Giants and Nats are going to try to play a double dip. The weather very well could play an issue, but there is no way I was going to pass on this. RJ goes for 300 and still has the ability to toss a gem. Cain has been quietly very impressive all year. 'Nough said, count me in. However, I stated on here last night that we are overdue for a shitty Doubleheader. Please remember that when I am crying about it tomorrow. Something tells me that this will be the one. Here is the Lineup that has me popping pills for breakfast:
C: VMart
1B: Pujols (Dunn has no chance today)
2B: Burriss x2
3B: Zimmerman x2(Can't pass on him)
SS: Renteria x2(Young enough to play both?)
LF: Lewis x2
CF: Rowand x2(I've always liked him, not in a gay way or anything, just for BBC)
RF: Winn x2
DH: Johnson x2
PS: Sanny Franny x2
And as I said here before the last DH, don't tell me I'm crazy to pick against my staff in a double dip. If Zimmerman gets me 10 and ARoid gets you 7, I win. Who my pitcher is has nothing to do with it. Man, this lineup is trash.....
TOMORROW
At first glance, I really like a few of the pichers but the bat matchups look like crap. Weather may be an issue in a few places and every bat I feel good about has weather issues. A few words of advice: pick smartly with your staff, double check the weather before finalizing, and don't try to be a hero on a day like this. It just doesn't look like that kind of day to me.
Weather:
Mets/Nats 90%
Rays/Yanks 90%
Rangers/Red Sox 80%
Giants/Marlins 60%
Brewers/Braves 60%
Teams facing lefties:
Yankees, Rays, Royals, Marlins, Astros, Pirates, Indians, Cardinals, Orioles, Padres, Mariners, Dodgers, and Phillies.
Teams facing rookies:
Yankees vs. Price (1-0 3.00 ERA in 2 starts, 17K in 9 IP, weather is an issue)
Mets vs. Martis (5-1 5.62, obviously gets run support, weather is an issue)
Royals vs. Romano (2-2 4.15 ERA, recently came off DL)
Pitchers:
King Felix (5-3 3.41 ERA, 72K in 71 IP, .234 BAA vs. Minn)
Verlander (less than 7 IP in 3 of last 4, 3-0 1.08 at home, 90K in 68 IP, .319 BAA vs. LAA)
CC (weather, 7+ Ip in last 5, 1-1 3.97 at home, .248 BAA vs TB)
Greinke (88K in 82 IP, 2-1 0.39 on road, .250 BAA at Toronto)
Gallardo (2-1 3.48 on road, less than 6 IP in 3 of last 4, at Atlanta)
Vazquez (4-4 3.58, 1-3 4.41 at home, vs. Brewers)
Maholm (3-2 3.82, 2-1 1.83 at home, 7 IP and 1 ER at houston on May 31st)
Wainwright (5-3 3.38, 2-2 2.70 at home)
Milton (2-0 3.14, .319 BAA vs. Phils
This is a tough call. For me it comes down to Greinke on the road or Verlander at home. Since the Jays are struggling, I am going to take Zack for now.
First:
Miggy (4-11, HR)
Youk (6-9, but vs. good starter and weather in play, left early last night)
Tex (weather in play, banged up)
Pujols (2-8)
Giambi (4-9, 2HR)
Fat Al is probably the most sependable player in the game. With these options, I'll stick with him.
Second:
Polanco (6-17)
Phillips (2-12 vs. the Dumpster)
This group just flat out sucks today. I'll pick this position last.
Third:
ARoid (1-2 vs. rookie, weather in play)
Lowell (17-54, 2HR, weather in play)
Young (5-7, weather in play)
Cantu (4-10, HR)
Chipper (2-2, HR, banged up, vs. good starter)
I don't like this group much either but, with the addition on McLouth to the Braves I like Chipper's chances provided he's healthy. I will take the chance even though I truly hate that guy. He's also a bargain at 4.3 mil.
Short:
Jeter (1-2, HR, weather in play)
Hardy (2-4)
Tejada (3-9)
Its a bucketfull of garbage here too, as everyone I want is facing a good pitcher or has weather concerns. I'll come back to it.
Left:
Damon (weather)
Braun (.387 on road)
I'll go with the reliable Braun and hope that Vasquez is beginning to return to his usual self
Center:
Kemp (2-5, HR)
I said before that I really don't like the bats today. Hell, I have to take someone against Moyer.
Right:
Magglio (7-16)
Ross (3-6, HR)
Dye (1-3)
Upton
Ichiro (5-16)
I am tempted with Dye, but will stay with Upton who is emerging into a true superstar.
DH:
Ortiz (8-17, 3HR, vs. good starter and weather in play)
Blalock (3-7, weather)
Thome (7-20, HR)
A Jones (15-45, 6HR)
As amazing as it may be, Thome is the pick, especially against Pavano
Catcher:
Varitek (10-24, weather)
Soto (1-3)
Kendall (10-27, 2HR)
AJ (5-7)
Yadi (3-5)
Suzuki (2-3, HR)
AJ for me
Now, back to 2nd and short, Gimme Phillips and JJ. This is seriously one of the more frustrating days to pick a batter that I have seen all year. I will check the weather tonight to see if anything improves on the east coast in hopes that I can upgrade but, for now, here it is...
(EDIT: I missed mentioning Andruw Jones, who has killed Penny, as well as Tejada, who is not facing Maholm after the rainout last night. I have subbed them in for Thome and Hardy, respectfully)
(EDIT #2: Due to the Braves/Cubs rainout, I have dropped Phillips (who doesn't hit Zambrano well) for Utley
FINAL LINEUP (updated at 3:41 pm eastern)
C: AJ
1B: Pujols
2B: Utley
3B: Larry Jones JR
SS: Tejada
LF: Braun
CF: Kemp
RF: Upton
DH: Jones
PS: Greinke
STAT CORNER
From the standings page:
The Phillies are only 12-14 at home, but are 19-6 on the road.
The Dodgers are 20-6 at home, but only 17-12 on the road.
Who's hot:
Last 7 days:
R. Howard, PHI7-for-24, 4 HR, 11 RBI
B. Phillips, CIN8-for-20, 3 HR, 6 RBI
L. Scott, BAL7-for-20, 4 HR, 10 RBI
Last 30 days:
R. Halladay, TOR4 W, 0 SV, 47.0 IP, 10 ER
J. Verlander, DET4 W, 0 SV, 34.1 IP, 6 ER
T. Hoffman, MIL0 W, 10 SV, 11.0 IP, 0 ER
Who's Not:
Last 7 days:
J. Bruce, CIN1-for-24, 0 HR, 1 RBI
D. Wise, CWS0-for-10, 0 HR, 0 RBI
Last 30 days:
D. Cabrera, ---0 W, 0 SV, 15.2 IP, 14 ER
E. Santana, LAA0 W, 0 SV, 18.0 IP, 19 ER
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. I do not tell anyone who to have on their team. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, tell a friend, pass along any suggestions/comments, and.......
FU Kerry Wood!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Wednesday, the 3rd
DH TOMORROW!!! SAN FRAN AT WASHINGTON!!!
Good morning everyone. Thanks for coming to see us once again. I see this morning that ESPN has again failed to update the scores. Well done ESPN, well done. And yet they wonder why Yahoo fantasy sports are blowing them out of the water. Nonetheless, I'll play again next year, just like the rest of you will. Also, please make sure to read the Stat Corner today. I have some pretty rediculous numbers in there.
YESTERDAY
Just like we always come back to ESPN we continue to take the most logical starters day after day. Johan - crap, Peavy - crap and hurt, Lince - sorry Lince takers. If you had Halladay and went against the grain by taking the AL starter, good for you. My bats came through late last night thanks to Miguel Tejada who continues to quietly put up the best numbers of all shortstops. He gave me 11 last night to lead my team. McCann and Kubel were total busts for me but I ended up with 35 points offensively. Add 9 from Johan's pen and I believe that a total of 44 will probably move me up just a little in the rankings. Then again, maybe not. It looks like I am still #79 and am 23 off the Leaderboard pace. I don't know how, but that is exactly where I was yesterday. Well, it's better then dropping.
TODAY
Well I must admit that I am surprised to see the pitching breakdown this morning. 86% of the Leaderboard seems to have taken Billingslea today as their starter. Honestly, I never gave him too much thought as he has been comparitively mediocre over the last month. I am either a genius or a moron, it appears, as I went with Weaver. Good luck to me! Here's the lineup again:
C: Salty
1B: Youker
2B: Phillips
3B: ARoid
SS: Jeter
LF: Lee
CF: Hunter
RF: Hawpe
DH: Byrd
PS: Dream Weaver
TOMORROW
Weather:
Giants/Nats 100%
Brewers/Marlins 50%
Mets/Pirates 50%
Rangers/Yankees 70%
Teams facing Lefties:
Angels, Red Sox, Rangers, White Sox, A's, Giants, Rockies, Dodgers
Teams facing rookies:
White Sox vs. Anderson (2-5 5.70 in 9 starts, 1-2 6.46 on road)
Giants vs. Detwiler (1-0 4.80 in 4 games)
Pitchers:
Hamels (3-2 5.21, inconsistent, 101 6.89 on road)
Kershaw (1-0 1.13 at home, not vs. Philly)
CC (7+ IP and 3 R or less in last 5 starts, 1-1 3.97 at home, .208 BAA vs. Texas)
Buehrle (6-1 2.71, 7+ IP in last 5 starts, 4-0 1.60 at home, vs. Oakland
Shields (3-1 2.83 at home, inconsistent, .244 BAA, vs. KC)
Z (At Atlanta, 2-1 3.80 on road, 46K in 49 IP, .244 BAA)
Jurrjens (5-2 2.59, finally rocked in last start, has never faced any Cubs)
Cain (6-1 2.31, 8 of 10 starts Quality, 2-0 1.59 on road, 7IP and 4R vs. Wash ytd)
Johnson (4-1 2.66, mediocre in last 4 starts, 1.66 home ERA, .286 BAA)
Wandy (5-4 2.26, 62 K in 67 IP, 7 IP 2 R and 11K vs. Col ytd, 3-1 0.70 at home)
Carp (3-0 0.62, 0.00 home ERA in 12 IP, .192 BAA)
My immediate thoughts are Buehrle, Carp and Wandy. I just can't go AL over NL even that worked out for the Halliday takers yesterday and with Wandy being as good as he has at home, I will take him over Carp. The way I see it, when you are totally torn between two starters ( in this case Wandy and Carp) and they are in the same league, both at home, both vs. bad teams, take the cheapest one. On top of that, Colorado is much worse of a team then Cincy.
First:
Youk (1-2)
Tex (2-8, 2HR)
Swisher (2-5, HR)
Morneau (5-20, HR)
Giambi (9-22, 2HR but vs. good starter)
Pena (8-25, 3HR)
Pujols (14-50, 2HR)
Of these, I like the matchup Tex has the best - as well as the launching pad he plays in.
Second:
Castillo (2-3)
Harris (1-3)
Uggla (5-11, HR)
Shumaker (7-21, HR)
9 of Uggla's 10 home runs have come at home. I'll give him another chance.
Third:
Lowell (1-3)
ARoid (0-3)
Crede (3-9)
Longoria (2-5)
Hall (4-6, 2HR but vs. a good starter)
ALERT! Evan is having an MRI today. Crede is still nursing a knee. I'll stay with ARoid again. Paying only 4.6 mil for him is the best deal in the game.
Short:
Wilson (10-26)
Jeter (1-2)
Cabrera (12-37, HR but vs. good starter)
Hanley (2-6)
Rollins (3-8)
ALERT! Hanley was lifted for a pinch runner last night. I'm going back to Tejada. He has been so, so solid lately and I don't want to overload with Yankees as Mccarthy is not really a bad pitcher.
Left:
Crawford (7-22)
Soriano (.362, 7 HR 16 RBI at Turner Field since 2007)
Ibanez (1-2)
It's getting hot and humid in Atlanta a nd balls are beginning to jump out of there (see what Francouer did last night?). Put that together with Fonzie's numbers in that park and I am going to take him, against my better judgement.
Center:
McLouth (2-6)
Granderson (4-11, HR)
Melky (3-3, 2HR)
Bourn (3-3)
Granderson in a landslide here.
Right:
Rios (6-18)
Magglio (15-38, 2HR)
Pence (2-3)
I really don't care for any of these guys. However, Mags hits Wake well and at the low, low, "I'm old and can't hit anymore" price of 3.8 mil, I will risk it.
DH:
Matsui (1-2)
Kubel (8-18)
This group is loaded with turd after turd these days. Godzilla is the only one I can possibly stomach.
Catcher:
Mauer (2-9)
VMart (7-25)
Suzuki (5-9, HR)
Pudge (3-7)
I have the money to do it. Give me VMart vs. Baker.
There are a number of cheap options out there for tomorrow at a few posisions. Find one you like and save some dough for another place.
LATE NIGHT DH UPDATE!!!
FINAL LINEUP
C: VMart
1B: Pujols over Dunn (Youk and Tex are banged up)
2B: Burriss x2 over Uggla
3B: Zimmerman x2 over ARoid
SS: Renteria x2 over Tejada
LF: Lewis x2 over Fonzie
CF: Rowand x2 over Grandy
RF: Winn x2 over Mags
DH: Johnson x2 over Byrd
PS: San Fran x2 over Wandy
Guys, we are overdue thisseason for a shitty DH. I'm going to roll with it, but look out and don't say I didn't want you!
STAT CORNER
Fact of the day #1: Dan Uggla hit his 100th home run last night. He has reached the 100 plateau faster than any other 2nd baseman in MLB history.
Fact of the day #2: Coming into this year, Ryan Theriot had hit 7 home runs in 1346 official at bats. This year, he hit 5 home runs in his first 99 at bats.
Fact of the day # 3: Atlanta's outfielders combined to hit a grand total of 2 home runs in the month of May. Jeff Francouer hit on on the 1st and Garrett Anderson hit one on the 31st.
In light of what happened last night, I thought it might be good to know what teams use their bullpens the most (in innings pitched). Here 'tis:
The most:
Marlins 184.0
A's 180.0
Orioles 178.2
Indians 178.0
Dodgers 176.0
The least:
Cubs 132.0
Pirates 132.1
Rangers 135.1
Royals 141.1
Tigers 141.1
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. I do not tell anyone who to put on their teams. If you wish to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, tell a friend, make a suggestion, and as always.....
FU Nats Pen! (didn't expect that one, did you?)
Good morning everyone. Thanks for coming to see us once again. I see this morning that ESPN has again failed to update the scores. Well done ESPN, well done. And yet they wonder why Yahoo fantasy sports are blowing them out of the water. Nonetheless, I'll play again next year, just like the rest of you will. Also, please make sure to read the Stat Corner today. I have some pretty rediculous numbers in there.
YESTERDAY
Just like we always come back to ESPN we continue to take the most logical starters day after day. Johan - crap, Peavy - crap and hurt, Lince - sorry Lince takers. If you had Halladay and went against the grain by taking the AL starter, good for you. My bats came through late last night thanks to Miguel Tejada who continues to quietly put up the best numbers of all shortstops. He gave me 11 last night to lead my team. McCann and Kubel were total busts for me but I ended up with 35 points offensively. Add 9 from Johan's pen and I believe that a total of 44 will probably move me up just a little in the rankings. Then again, maybe not. It looks like I am still #79 and am 23 off the Leaderboard pace. I don't know how, but that is exactly where I was yesterday. Well, it's better then dropping.
TODAY
Well I must admit that I am surprised to see the pitching breakdown this morning. 86% of the Leaderboard seems to have taken Billingslea today as their starter. Honestly, I never gave him too much thought as he has been comparitively mediocre over the last month. I am either a genius or a moron, it appears, as I went with Weaver. Good luck to me! Here's the lineup again:
C: Salty
1B: Youker
2B: Phillips
3B: ARoid
SS: Jeter
LF: Lee
CF: Hunter
RF: Hawpe
DH: Byrd
PS: Dream Weaver
TOMORROW
Weather:
Giants/Nats 100%
Brewers/Marlins 50%
Mets/Pirates 50%
Rangers/Yankees 70%
Teams facing Lefties:
Angels, Red Sox, Rangers, White Sox, A's, Giants, Rockies, Dodgers
Teams facing rookies:
White Sox vs. Anderson (2-5 5.70 in 9 starts, 1-2 6.46 on road)
Giants vs. Detwiler (1-0 4.80 in 4 games)
Pitchers:
Hamels (3-2 5.21, inconsistent, 101 6.89 on road)
Kershaw (1-0 1.13 at home, not vs. Philly)
CC (7+ IP and 3 R or less in last 5 starts, 1-1 3.97 at home, .208 BAA vs. Texas)
Buehrle (6-1 2.71, 7+ IP in last 5 starts, 4-0 1.60 at home, vs. Oakland
Shields (3-1 2.83 at home, inconsistent, .244 BAA, vs. KC)
Z (At Atlanta, 2-1 3.80 on road, 46K in 49 IP, .244 BAA)
Jurrjens (5-2 2.59, finally rocked in last start, has never faced any Cubs)
Cain (6-1 2.31, 8 of 10 starts Quality, 2-0 1.59 on road, 7IP and 4R vs. Wash ytd)
Johnson (4-1 2.66, mediocre in last 4 starts, 1.66 home ERA, .286 BAA)
Wandy (5-4 2.26, 62 K in 67 IP, 7 IP 2 R and 11K vs. Col ytd, 3-1 0.70 at home)
Carp (3-0 0.62, 0.00 home ERA in 12 IP, .192 BAA)
My immediate thoughts are Buehrle, Carp and Wandy. I just can't go AL over NL even that worked out for the Halliday takers yesterday and with Wandy being as good as he has at home, I will take him over Carp. The way I see it, when you are totally torn between two starters ( in this case Wandy and Carp) and they are in the same league, both at home, both vs. bad teams, take the cheapest one. On top of that, Colorado is much worse of a team then Cincy.
First:
Youk (1-2)
Tex (2-8, 2HR)
Swisher (2-5, HR)
Morneau (5-20, HR)
Giambi (9-22, 2HR but vs. good starter)
Pena (8-25, 3HR)
Pujols (14-50, 2HR)
Of these, I like the matchup Tex has the best - as well as the launching pad he plays in.
Second:
Castillo (2-3)
Harris (1-3)
Uggla (5-11, HR)
Shumaker (7-21, HR)
9 of Uggla's 10 home runs have come at home. I'll give him another chance.
Third:
Lowell (1-3)
ARoid (0-3)
Crede (3-9)
Longoria (2-5)
Hall (4-6, 2HR but vs. a good starter)
ALERT! Evan is having an MRI today. Crede is still nursing a knee. I'll stay with ARoid again. Paying only 4.6 mil for him is the best deal in the game.
Short:
Wilson (10-26)
Jeter (1-2)
Cabrera (12-37, HR but vs. good starter)
Hanley (2-6)
Rollins (3-8)
ALERT! Hanley was lifted for a pinch runner last night. I'm going back to Tejada. He has been so, so solid lately and I don't want to overload with Yankees as Mccarthy is not really a bad pitcher.
Left:
Crawford (7-22)
Soriano (.362, 7 HR 16 RBI at Turner Field since 2007)
Ibanez (1-2)
It's getting hot and humid in Atlanta a nd balls are beginning to jump out of there (see what Francouer did last night?). Put that together with Fonzie's numbers in that park and I am going to take him, against my better judgement.
Center:
McLouth (2-6)
Granderson (4-11, HR)
Melky (3-3, 2HR)
Bourn (3-3)
Granderson in a landslide here.
Right:
Rios (6-18)
Magglio (15-38, 2HR)
Pence (2-3)
I really don't care for any of these guys. However, Mags hits Wake well and at the low, low, "I'm old and can't hit anymore" price of 3.8 mil, I will risk it.
DH:
Matsui (1-2)
Kubel (8-18)
This group is loaded with turd after turd these days. Godzilla is the only one I can possibly stomach.
Catcher:
Mauer (2-9)
VMart (7-25)
Suzuki (5-9, HR)
Pudge (3-7)
I have the money to do it. Give me VMart vs. Baker.
There are a number of cheap options out there for tomorrow at a few posisions. Find one you like and save some dough for another place.
LATE NIGHT DH UPDATE!!!
FINAL LINEUP
C: VMart
1B: Pujols over Dunn (Youk and Tex are banged up)
2B: Burriss x2 over Uggla
3B: Zimmerman x2 over ARoid
SS: Renteria x2 over Tejada
LF: Lewis x2 over Fonzie
CF: Rowand x2 over Grandy
RF: Winn x2 over Mags
DH: Johnson x2 over Byrd
PS: San Fran x2 over Wandy
Guys, we are overdue thisseason for a shitty DH. I'm going to roll with it, but look out and don't say I didn't want you!
STAT CORNER
Fact of the day #1: Dan Uggla hit his 100th home run last night. He has reached the 100 plateau faster than any other 2nd baseman in MLB history.
Fact of the day #2: Coming into this year, Ryan Theriot had hit 7 home runs in 1346 official at bats. This year, he hit 5 home runs in his first 99 at bats.
Fact of the day # 3: Atlanta's outfielders combined to hit a grand total of 2 home runs in the month of May. Jeff Francouer hit on on the 1st and Garrett Anderson hit one on the 31st.
In light of what happened last night, I thought it might be good to know what teams use their bullpens the most (in innings pitched). Here 'tis:
The most:
Marlins 184.0
A's 180.0
Orioles 178.2
Indians 178.0
Dodgers 176.0
The least:
Cubs 132.0
Pirates 132.1
Rangers 135.1
Royals 141.1
Tigers 141.1
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. I do not tell anyone who to put on their teams. If you wish to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, tell a friend, make a suggestion, and as always.....
FU Nats Pen! (didn't expect that one, did you?)
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Tuesday, the 2nd
Are you having problems getting into ESPN this morning? Well, that means it must be Tuesday as those clowns are behind once again. Anyway, I am glad to see you here again today and hope you all have taken the apropriate measures to ensure that you will be able to watch the games tonight. With all the great pitchers starting, it is must see TV for sure. Let's move on.
YESTERDAY
You know, it could have been much worse. Unfortunately, of all the popular pitching staffs, mine had the lowest total. That said, anytime I can get 12 points out of Wellemeyer, I will not complain. My bats managed to help out with 32 total led by Jim Thome and Chasr Utley with 9 each. Weiters, Damon (DNP), and Upton busted out on me. All in all, I will take my 44 and run. I will probably lose a few spots to the Leaderboard but, as you well know, ESPN isn't ready to show me that at this time. I'll update this part when the final numbers are updated.
(Edit) - Ok, Thanks to some boys from the Country Club, it appears that I am now ranked #79 and am 27 points off the Leaderboard pace. I can't say I'm happy about it, but a 12 spot drop is not too bad considering the staff I had. I feel a move up today anyway, as the bats listed below are going to blow it up tonight. I can feel it.
TODAY
Like I said before, get ready for some good pitching today as 48 of the 50 Leaders took either Johan of Lincecum. The other two have Doc Halliday. If your pitcher is not on this list you may have your work cut out for you today. Either way, it will be a blast to watch this all unfold. Which one of these three will get raked today? Hopefully not Johan. Here's the final lineup again.....
C: McCann
1B: Pujols
2B: Harris (El Cheapo Especial)
3B: ARoid
SS: Tejada
LF: Crawford
CF: Granderson
RF: Hawpe
DH: Kubel
PS: Johan
I really like this group alot and am expecting some great results. Time will tell.
TOMORROW
Today's choices are very intriguing as well, particularly with the pitchers. It's like a who's who of number 2 starters. Good options are everywhere but none are what I would call automatic. This should lead to a wide variety of common picks which, in turn, will lead to a pretty good moving day.
Weather:
Red Sox/Tigers 50%
Mets/Pirates 60%
Brewers/Marlins 60%
A's/White Sox 50%
Reds/Cards 60%
I see nothing at this time that would cause me to stay away from these games but I will check the weather agin before cashing in for the night.
Teams facing Lefties:
Braves, Rangers, Nationals, White Sox, A's, Padres, Orioles
Teams facing rookies:
San Fran vs. Zimmerman (5 runs or more in 5 of last 6 starts)
KC vs. Niemann (4-4, 4.44 ERA)
Milwaukee vs. West (0-0, 2.25 ERA in 2 starts)
Cleveland vs. Swarzak (1-1, 2.08 ERA in 2 starts)
Seattle vs. Bergeson (2-2, 4,94 ERA)
Pitchers:
Piniero (5-5 3.86 ERA but banged up)
Lilly (6-4 3.50 ERA, rough outing in 3 of last 4, 2-3 6.14 on road, .200 BAA, at Braves)
Lowe (6-3 3.49 ERA, 2-1 3.30 at home, 7+ IP in last 3 starts, 3 R or less in 7 of last 8, vs. Cubs)
Pelphrey (4-1 3.88ERA, low K's, 5 straight quality starts, 2-1 4.74 on road)
Weaver (4-2 2.36 ERA, 53 K in 68IP, 5 straight quality starts, CG with 1 run vs. Toronto on 5-7)
Bannister (4-2 3.64 ERA, .299 BAA, 2-1 2.74 on road, rocked in 2 of last 3)
Marquis (7-3 3.93 ERA, low K's, gave up 9 earned in 3.2 IP vs. rocks on 5-13, .341 BAA)
Lee (2-6 3.16 ERA, so-so in last 3 starts, 1-4 2.14 at home, .244 BAA)
Outman (4-3 2.53 ERA, 2.92 road ERA, never faced any of the batters before)
Cueto (4-3 2.53 ERA, 3-1 1.87 on road, 1-0 1.29 vs. Cards on May 8th, .360 BAA)
Billingslea (6-3 2.80 ERA, 75 K in 74 IP, 3 of last 5 starts were so-so, .269 BAA)
At the moment, I like Weaver, Lilly, Lee and Lowe. Lee has to go becauseI can't trust him against the Twins and the Tribe is miserable. Based on his recent performance, I am going to pull the trigger on Weaver. I know an AL team on the road is not the way to go, but I'm doing it anyway.
First:
Lee (11-28, HR but facing a good starter)
Youk (2-3, 2HR)
Tex (3-10, HR)
Pena (3-8, HR)
Berkman (23-45, HR)
Helton (2-3)
My first thoughts are Youk and Berkman. I have not taken Youk since he got off the DL, but I have been itching to. Today's the day.
Second:
Castillo (2-2 and cheap)
Hill (4-9, HR but facing a good starter)
Phillips (3-9, HR)
Utley (4-12, 2HR)
Hudson (8-23, 2HR and cheap)
Right now, I'm going to take Phillips. He hasbeen the hottest hitting 2nd baseman in the last few weeks yet very few have noticed.
Third:
ARoid (1-5, HR)
Zimmerman (2-3, HR)
Wright (2-2)
Longoria (3-5)
Evan sees a decent pitcher and Wright has struggled. For the money, ARoid is once again thebest option.
Short:
Jeter (2-6, 2HR)
Tejada (4-8)
Eenie, meanie, miney, Jeter
Left:
Braun (vs. rookie)
Lee (13-35, 4HR)
Manny (14-27, 3HR - don't we wish!)
Pierre (3-6)
Braun was pulled yesterday. Foe now, it's Lee but I'mnot set on it.
Center:
McLouth (1-3)
Hunter (1-2)
Victorino (2-6)
Jones
I'll take Hunter in the dome
Right:
Lind (3-9, Hr but vs. good starter)
Pence (8-18 - isn't he on here every day?) Pence is struggling and taking Lind against my PS is not going to happen. Gimme Hawpe again.
DH:
Ortiz (2-3)
Byrd (5-7, HR)
Marlon Byrd - Hot hitter in a hitters park.
C:
Soto (2-5)
Mauer
I really, really hate catchers. In the "no good reason why" pick of the day, I'll take Salty.
There are some good matchups out her if you can find them. My guess is that there will be a lot of deep though and last minute changes to everyone's lineups tonight.
FINAL LINEUP
C: Salty
1B: Youker
2B: Phillips
3B: ARoid
SS: Jeter
LF: Le
CF: Hunter
RF: Hawpe
DH: Byrd is the Wyrd
Good luck folks and go Johan!
STAT CORNER
The top 6 in ERA for the month of May:
Halladay 1.42
Porcello 1.50
Verlander 1.52
Cain 1.57
Greinke 1.57
Weaver 1.70
The top 7 in WHIP for the month of May:
Sabathia 0.90
Verlander 0.90
Greinke 0.91
Weaver 0.92
Cueto 0.95
Halladay 0.97
Peavy 0.99
The top 5 in team ERA in the month of May:
Mets 3.34
Dodgers 3.42
Cards 3.56
Tigers 3.57
Rangers 3.57
Giants 3.75
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. I do not tell anyone who to put on their teams. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, tell a friend and, as always......
FU Kerry Wood
YESTERDAY
You know, it could have been much worse. Unfortunately, of all the popular pitching staffs, mine had the lowest total. That said, anytime I can get 12 points out of Wellemeyer, I will not complain. My bats managed to help out with 32 total led by Jim Thome and Chasr Utley with 9 each. Weiters, Damon (DNP), and Upton busted out on me. All in all, I will take my 44 and run. I will probably lose a few spots to the Leaderboard but, as you well know, ESPN isn't ready to show me that at this time. I'll update this part when the final numbers are updated.
(Edit) - Ok, Thanks to some boys from the Country Club, it appears that I am now ranked #79 and am 27 points off the Leaderboard pace. I can't say I'm happy about it, but a 12 spot drop is not too bad considering the staff I had. I feel a move up today anyway, as the bats listed below are going to blow it up tonight. I can feel it.
TODAY
Like I said before, get ready for some good pitching today as 48 of the 50 Leaders took either Johan of Lincecum. The other two have Doc Halliday. If your pitcher is not on this list you may have your work cut out for you today. Either way, it will be a blast to watch this all unfold. Which one of these three will get raked today? Hopefully not Johan. Here's the final lineup again.....
C: McCann
1B: Pujols
2B: Harris (El Cheapo Especial)
3B: ARoid
SS: Tejada
LF: Crawford
CF: Granderson
RF: Hawpe
DH: Kubel
PS: Johan
I really like this group alot and am expecting some great results. Time will tell.
TOMORROW
Today's choices are very intriguing as well, particularly with the pitchers. It's like a who's who of number 2 starters. Good options are everywhere but none are what I would call automatic. This should lead to a wide variety of common picks which, in turn, will lead to a pretty good moving day.
Weather:
Red Sox/Tigers 50%
Mets/Pirates 60%
Brewers/Marlins 60%
A's/White Sox 50%
Reds/Cards 60%
I see nothing at this time that would cause me to stay away from these games but I will check the weather agin before cashing in for the night.
Teams facing Lefties:
Braves, Rangers, Nationals, White Sox, A's, Padres, Orioles
Teams facing rookies:
San Fran vs. Zimmerman (5 runs or more in 5 of last 6 starts)
KC vs. Niemann (4-4, 4.44 ERA)
Milwaukee vs. West (0-0, 2.25 ERA in 2 starts)
Cleveland vs. Swarzak (1-1, 2.08 ERA in 2 starts)
Seattle vs. Bergeson (2-2, 4,94 ERA)
Pitchers:
Piniero (5-5 3.86 ERA but banged up)
Lilly (6-4 3.50 ERA, rough outing in 3 of last 4, 2-3 6.14 on road, .200 BAA, at Braves)
Lowe (6-3 3.49 ERA, 2-1 3.30 at home, 7+ IP in last 3 starts, 3 R or less in 7 of last 8, vs. Cubs)
Pelphrey (4-1 3.88ERA, low K's, 5 straight quality starts, 2-1 4.74 on road)
Weaver (4-2 2.36 ERA, 53 K in 68IP, 5 straight quality starts, CG with 1 run vs. Toronto on 5-7)
Bannister (4-2 3.64 ERA, .299 BAA, 2-1 2.74 on road, rocked in 2 of last 3)
Marquis (7-3 3.93 ERA, low K's, gave up 9 earned in 3.2 IP vs. rocks on 5-13, .341 BAA)
Lee (2-6 3.16 ERA, so-so in last 3 starts, 1-4 2.14 at home, .244 BAA)
Outman (4-3 2.53 ERA, 2.92 road ERA, never faced any of the batters before)
Cueto (4-3 2.53 ERA, 3-1 1.87 on road, 1-0 1.29 vs. Cards on May 8th, .360 BAA)
Billingslea (6-3 2.80 ERA, 75 K in 74 IP, 3 of last 5 starts were so-so, .269 BAA)
At the moment, I like Weaver, Lilly, Lee and Lowe. Lee has to go becauseI can't trust him against the Twins and the Tribe is miserable. Based on his recent performance, I am going to pull the trigger on Weaver. I know an AL team on the road is not the way to go, but I'm doing it anyway.
First:
Lee (11-28, HR but facing a good starter)
Youk (2-3, 2HR)
Tex (3-10, HR)
Pena (3-8, HR)
Berkman (23-45, HR)
Helton (2-3)
My first thoughts are Youk and Berkman. I have not taken Youk since he got off the DL, but I have been itching to. Today's the day.
Second:
Castillo (2-2 and cheap)
Hill (4-9, HR but facing a good starter)
Phillips (3-9, HR)
Utley (4-12, 2HR)
Hudson (8-23, 2HR and cheap)
Right now, I'm going to take Phillips. He hasbeen the hottest hitting 2nd baseman in the last few weeks yet very few have noticed.
Third:
ARoid (1-5, HR)
Zimmerman (2-3, HR)
Wright (2-2)
Longoria (3-5)
Evan sees a decent pitcher and Wright has struggled. For the money, ARoid is once again thebest option.
Short:
Jeter (2-6, 2HR)
Tejada (4-8)
Eenie, meanie, miney, Jeter
Left:
Braun (vs. rookie)
Lee (13-35, 4HR)
Manny (14-27, 3HR - don't we wish!)
Pierre (3-6)
Braun was pulled yesterday. Foe now, it's Lee but I'mnot set on it.
Center:
McLouth (1-3)
Hunter (1-2)
Victorino (2-6)
Jones
I'll take Hunter in the dome
Right:
Lind (3-9, Hr but vs. good starter)
Pence (8-18 - isn't he on here every day?) Pence is struggling and taking Lind against my PS is not going to happen. Gimme Hawpe again.
DH:
Ortiz (2-3)
Byrd (5-7, HR)
Marlon Byrd - Hot hitter in a hitters park.
C:
Soto (2-5)
Mauer
I really, really hate catchers. In the "no good reason why" pick of the day, I'll take Salty.
There are some good matchups out her if you can find them. My guess is that there will be a lot of deep though and last minute changes to everyone's lineups tonight.
FINAL LINEUP
C: Salty
1B: Youker
2B: Phillips
3B: ARoid
SS: Jeter
LF: Le
CF: Hunter
RF: Hawpe
DH: Byrd is the Wyrd
Good luck folks and go Johan!
STAT CORNER
The top 6 in ERA for the month of May:
Halladay 1.42
Porcello 1.50
Verlander 1.52
Cain 1.57
Greinke 1.57
Weaver 1.70
The top 7 in WHIP for the month of May:
Sabathia 0.90
Verlander 0.90
Greinke 0.91
Weaver 0.92
Cueto 0.95
Halladay 0.97
Peavy 0.99
The top 5 in team ERA in the month of May:
Mets 3.34
Dodgers 3.42
Cards 3.56
Tigers 3.57
Rangers 3.57
Giants 3.75
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. I do not tell anyone who to put on their teams. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, tell a friend and, as always......
FU Kerry Wood
Monday, June 1, 2009
Would you like to contribute?
There has been some discussion lately at the Country Club about having some of you write articles for this blog. I have not asked anyone specifically to do so, as I personally don't really leave anyone out. There are some great players out there, ranked pretty low right now, that have been playing for years and surely know as much about BBC as anyone. Maybe bad luck has beat them up this year, or maybe time issues, who knows? In my opinion, any educated views on this game are valuable, regardless of current rank.
Having said that, if you are interested in writing a weekly column, I would like to hear from you. I would like to have 3-4 of you do this, just as Zeus is doing already. You can write pretty much whatever you want, even a sarcastic view of the game would be welcome. I really don't care as long as it's done well and seriously. Let me know if you are interested.
There was also some talk over the weekend of having some folks write a one time article discussing their personal style/strategy when playin the game. I would be happy to entertain that as well if you are interested.
Again, I will not be asking any of you individually if you would like to contribute so, if you want to be a part of this, you will have to let me know. I can be emailed at gomerthegomer@yahoo.com, PM'd from the Country Club, or you can just reply to one of the articles and I will get back to you. This is the last time I will mention guest contributing from here for a while, but I will continue to work on the format as well as the content in effort to always be improving the blog. As usual, all suggestions and opinions, positive and negative, are welcome.
Thanks for reading and......
FU Kerry Wood!
Having said that, if you are interested in writing a weekly column, I would like to hear from you. I would like to have 3-4 of you do this, just as Zeus is doing already. You can write pretty much whatever you want, even a sarcastic view of the game would be welcome. I really don't care as long as it's done well and seriously. Let me know if you are interested.
There was also some talk over the weekend of having some folks write a one time article discussing their personal style/strategy when playin the game. I would be happy to entertain that as well if you are interested.
Again, I will not be asking any of you individually if you would like to contribute so, if you want to be a part of this, you will have to let me know. I can be emailed at gomerthegomer@yahoo.com, PM'd from the Country Club, or you can just reply to one of the articles and I will get back to you. This is the last time I will mention guest contributing from here for a while, but I will continue to work on the format as well as the content in effort to always be improving the blog. As usual, all suggestions and opinions, positive and negative, are welcome.
Thanks for reading and......
FU Kerry Wood!
Monday, the 1st
Welcome to June! You know, I think it is because this game is so humbling that we continue to come back day after day, year after year. Just when you think you've got it licked......BAM! Man, I love it. Let's get right to the juice.....
YESTERDAY
Here is my team for today in a nutshell: bum, DNP, bum, juiced up bum, bum, Raul, DNP, DNP, bum, bum. After moving up every day last week, all the way to #41 on the leaderboard, those clowns agae me 14 lousy points yesterday. It's not so bad that Greinke busted out (since almost everyone suffered on that pick) but the bats just totally let me down. For Pete's sake, guys, make an effort will ya? I dropped back off the LB again, this time to #67, 12 points of the LB pace. All in all, it could have been much worse. Fortunately, you all sucked just about as bad as I did. I thank you for that. Moving on....
TODAY
Today is going to be very interesting. The starting pitchers are a miserable bunch. The leaderboard certainly could not decide who the best pick is as 5 teams were represented with at least 10% of the picks. This will be a moving day for sure. I sure hope I move in the right direction. Here is the lineup:
C: Weiters
1B: Berkman
2B: Utley
3B: ARoid
SS: Tejada
LF: Damon
CF: Victorino
RF: Upton
DH: Thome
PS: Wellemeyer
TOMORROW
As poor as the options are for today, tomorrow is the exact opposite. Good pitching is everywhere and many rookies are also going. Good matchups are bountiful. That said, I would expect this to be a moving day as well. Choose wisely as your status in this game could be very different then it is today come Wednesday morning.
Weather:
Boston/Detroit 50%
Oakland/White Sox 60%
Teams facing lefties:
Nationals, Pirates, Mets, Blue Jays, Marlins, Twins, Padres, Orioles, Diamondbacks
Teams facing rookies:
Atlanta vs. Wells (1.80 ERA in 4 starts, 23K in 25 IP)
Cubs vs. Kawakami (2-3, 3.03 May ERA)
Boston vs. Porcello (5-0, 1.50 May ERA)
San Fran vs. Shemman (0-1, 5.56 ERA in 2 starts)
San Diego vs. Bastardo (the Lefty makes his major league debut)
Colorado vs. Paulino (4 runs or more allowed in last 3 starts, 6.75 ERA)
Minnesota vs. Huff (10.97 ERA in 3 starts)
Seattle vs. Hernandez (1-0, 1.59 ERA is 1st start vs. Detroit)
Pitchers:
Lincecum (84K in 65 IP, 2-0 2.91 in May, .222 BAA, at Washington)
Johan (7-2 1.77 ERA, 4-1 2.43 in May, 86K in 66 IP, .174 BAA, at Pitt)
Duke (2-3 2.98 in May, low K's, .272 BAA, vs. minor league Mets)
Saunders (3-2 3.12 in May, 3.38 road ERA)
Halladay (4-0 1.76 in May, 68K in 82 IP, .216 BAA, backed up by BJ Ryan)
Peavy (84K in 72 IP, 3-2 2.13 in May, 3-3 2.98 at home, .213 BAA, vs. Philly)
Bedard (3-2 2.48 ERA done very quietly, 54K in 54 IP, 0-2 2.00 at home, .237 BAA)
Haren (2-1 3.50 in May, 71K in 71 IP, lost with a 3.00 ERA to Dodgers on April 12, .326 BAA)
Wolf (3-1 2.84, 2-0 2.35 in May, Low K's, .245 BAA)
There are way too many good choices here but, in the end, I have to go with Johan over Lince.
First:
Tex (2-7, 2HR)
Millar (6-12, 2HR vs. good starter)
Pena (2-2)
Prince (1-4, HR)
Helton (1-2, HR)
Morneau (vs. rookie)
Pujols (13-42, 3HR)
For now, I am going to take Fat Al. If cap room becomes an issue down the road, I may change.
Second:
Cano (3-8, HR)
Hill (4-11 vs. good starter)
Uggla (2-4)
Hill has tapered off lately and Uggla just can't seem to get any consistency going. Pencil in Cano, but again, I don't really like him at that price and may downgrade if needed.
Third:
ARoid
Wright (5-15, HR vs. good starter)
Encarnacion (5-14, HR)
I am saving money on ARoid after the price increase. I don't see anything available that would cause me to give that up.
Short:
Jeter
Hanley (3-5)
Tejada (2-7)
Hanley is just coming back and I don't want to overload with Yanks. I'll keep Tejada for now.
Left:
Braun
Melky (1-2)
Crawford (1-3)
Damon (3-11)
I really don't like anything here. I'll take Crawford for now but this is another possible downgrade position.
Center:
Granderson (4-9, HR)
Hamilton (4-9, HR vs. good starter)
Cameron (2-4)
Ankiel (5-11, 3HR)
Simple - Dice K sucks and I can't be 100% sure Ankiel will play.
Right:
Pence (3-8)
Hawpe (2-2 but weak on road)
Cuddyer (vs. rookie)
I know Hawpe struggles on the road, but Cuddyer is banged up and Pence hasn't done much of late.
DH:
Matsui (1-1)
Kubel (vs. rookie)
I have to take at least one Twin in this one. Down goes the rookie!
Catcher:
Posada
Pudge (2-5)
Mauer (vs. rookie)
VMart (4-6 but banged up)
McCann
I can't afford Mauer who, is the only dependable choice. I have a good feeling about McCann. He has almost always performed for me.
Due to financial restraints I am going to have to drop Cano from my lineup. In an unexpected move, I am going to replace him with my first El Cheapo Especial of the week, Brendan Harris who will be starting daily while Punto is out.
FINAL LINEUP
C: McCann
1B: Pujols
2B: Harris
3B: ARoid
SS: Tejada
LF: Crawford
CF: Granderson
RF: Hawpe
DH: Kubel
STAT CORNER
The San Francisco Giants as a team have only 6 more home runs this season than Adrian Gonzales has all by his lonesome.
500 players have stolen over 150 bases in Major League history. However, there are only 41 active players that have stolen even 100.
Leaders in batting average for the month of May:
Mauer .406
Tejada .394
Kennedy .390
Pence .385
Ichiro .384
Leaders in RBI for the month of May:
Tex 34
Fielder 31
Mauer 31
Bay 29
Phillips 27
Leaders in total bases for the month of May:
Tex 86
Mauer 77
Upton 77
Morneau 72
Ibanez 71
Tomorrow we will look at the best pitching stats from May.
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. I do not tell anyone who to put on their teams. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, tell a friend and, oh yeah.........
FU Kerry Wood
YESTERDAY
Here is my team for today in a nutshell: bum, DNP, bum, juiced up bum, bum, Raul, DNP, DNP, bum, bum. After moving up every day last week, all the way to #41 on the leaderboard, those clowns agae me 14 lousy points yesterday. It's not so bad that Greinke busted out (since almost everyone suffered on that pick) but the bats just totally let me down. For Pete's sake, guys, make an effort will ya? I dropped back off the LB again, this time to #67, 12 points of the LB pace. All in all, it could have been much worse. Fortunately, you all sucked just about as bad as I did. I thank you for that. Moving on....
TODAY
Today is going to be very interesting. The starting pitchers are a miserable bunch. The leaderboard certainly could not decide who the best pick is as 5 teams were represented with at least 10% of the picks. This will be a moving day for sure. I sure hope I move in the right direction. Here is the lineup:
C: Weiters
1B: Berkman
2B: Utley
3B: ARoid
SS: Tejada
LF: Damon
CF: Victorino
RF: Upton
DH: Thome
PS: Wellemeyer
TOMORROW
As poor as the options are for today, tomorrow is the exact opposite. Good pitching is everywhere and many rookies are also going. Good matchups are bountiful. That said, I would expect this to be a moving day as well. Choose wisely as your status in this game could be very different then it is today come Wednesday morning.
Weather:
Boston/Detroit 50%
Oakland/White Sox 60%
Teams facing lefties:
Nationals, Pirates, Mets, Blue Jays, Marlins, Twins, Padres, Orioles, Diamondbacks
Teams facing rookies:
Atlanta vs. Wells (1.80 ERA in 4 starts, 23K in 25 IP)
Cubs vs. Kawakami (2-3, 3.03 May ERA)
Boston vs. Porcello (5-0, 1.50 May ERA)
San Fran vs. Shemman (0-1, 5.56 ERA in 2 starts)
San Diego vs. Bastardo (the Lefty makes his major league debut)
Colorado vs. Paulino (4 runs or more allowed in last 3 starts, 6.75 ERA)
Minnesota vs. Huff (10.97 ERA in 3 starts)
Seattle vs. Hernandez (1-0, 1.59 ERA is 1st start vs. Detroit)
Pitchers:
Lincecum (84K in 65 IP, 2-0 2.91 in May, .222 BAA, at Washington)
Johan (7-2 1.77 ERA, 4-1 2.43 in May, 86K in 66 IP, .174 BAA, at Pitt)
Duke (2-3 2.98 in May, low K's, .272 BAA, vs. minor league Mets)
Saunders (3-2 3.12 in May, 3.38 road ERA)
Halladay (4-0 1.76 in May, 68K in 82 IP, .216 BAA, backed up by BJ Ryan)
Peavy (84K in 72 IP, 3-2 2.13 in May, 3-3 2.98 at home, .213 BAA, vs. Philly)
Bedard (3-2 2.48 ERA done very quietly, 54K in 54 IP, 0-2 2.00 at home, .237 BAA)
Haren (2-1 3.50 in May, 71K in 71 IP, lost with a 3.00 ERA to Dodgers on April 12, .326 BAA)
Wolf (3-1 2.84, 2-0 2.35 in May, Low K's, .245 BAA)
There are way too many good choices here but, in the end, I have to go with Johan over Lince.
First:
Tex (2-7, 2HR)
Millar (6-12, 2HR vs. good starter)
Pena (2-2)
Prince (1-4, HR)
Helton (1-2, HR)
Morneau (vs. rookie)
Pujols (13-42, 3HR)
For now, I am going to take Fat Al. If cap room becomes an issue down the road, I may change.
Second:
Cano (3-8, HR)
Hill (4-11 vs. good starter)
Uggla (2-4)
Hill has tapered off lately and Uggla just can't seem to get any consistency going. Pencil in Cano, but again, I don't really like him at that price and may downgrade if needed.
Third:
ARoid
Wright (5-15, HR vs. good starter)
Encarnacion (5-14, HR)
I am saving money on ARoid after the price increase. I don't see anything available that would cause me to give that up.
Short:
Jeter
Hanley (3-5)
Tejada (2-7)
Hanley is just coming back and I don't want to overload with Yanks. I'll keep Tejada for now.
Left:
Braun
Melky (1-2)
Crawford (1-3)
Damon (3-11)
I really don't like anything here. I'll take Crawford for now but this is another possible downgrade position.
Center:
Granderson (4-9, HR)
Hamilton (4-9, HR vs. good starter)
Cameron (2-4)
Ankiel (5-11, 3HR)
Simple - Dice K sucks and I can't be 100% sure Ankiel will play.
Right:
Pence (3-8)
Hawpe (2-2 but weak on road)
Cuddyer (vs. rookie)
I know Hawpe struggles on the road, but Cuddyer is banged up and Pence hasn't done much of late.
DH:
Matsui (1-1)
Kubel (vs. rookie)
I have to take at least one Twin in this one. Down goes the rookie!
Catcher:
Posada
Pudge (2-5)
Mauer (vs. rookie)
VMart (4-6 but banged up)
McCann
I can't afford Mauer who, is the only dependable choice. I have a good feeling about McCann. He has almost always performed for me.
Due to financial restraints I am going to have to drop Cano from my lineup. In an unexpected move, I am going to replace him with my first El Cheapo Especial of the week, Brendan Harris who will be starting daily while Punto is out.
FINAL LINEUP
C: McCann
1B: Pujols
2B: Harris
3B: ARoid
SS: Tejada
LF: Crawford
CF: Granderson
RF: Hawpe
DH: Kubel
STAT CORNER
The San Francisco Giants as a team have only 6 more home runs this season than Adrian Gonzales has all by his lonesome.
500 players have stolen over 150 bases in Major League history. However, there are only 41 active players that have stolen even 100.
Leaders in batting average for the month of May:
Mauer .406
Tejada .394
Kennedy .390
Pence .385
Ichiro .384
Leaders in RBI for the month of May:
Tex 34
Fielder 31
Mauer 31
Bay 29
Phillips 27
Leaders in total bases for the month of May:
Tex 86
Mauer 77
Upton 77
Morneau 72
Ibanez 71
Tomorrow we will look at the best pitching stats from May.
DISCLAIMER
My picks are my picks. I do not tell anyone who to put on their teams. If you choose to follow my lead, do so at your own risk. Thanks for reading, please come again, tell a friend and, oh yeah.........
FU Kerry Wood
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)