Atomic RoadRunners | Andrew Flynn’s High-Energy Fantasy Baseball

More from Rotoworld:

Brandon Watson, who went 1-for-3 with a caught stealing before being removed from Saturday night’s game, will sit against left-handers on Sunday and Monday.
Watson isn’t only 3-for-19, but he’s also been caught stealing twice and picked off once. Even if Watson has to be the Nationals’ primary center fielder, he should have been placed into a platoon role right from the start of the year. Marlon Byrd will take over in center field for the next two days. 

Moises Alou hit third in front of Barry Bonds on Saturday and went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a walk. It may have been just a one-day thing for Alou, who has typically hit behind Bonds in the fifth spot. Ray Durham, who has been batting third, was given today off.

Prince Fielder, again hitting seventh versus a right-hander, went 3-for-4 and hit his first homer as the Brewers topped the Diamondbacks 5-4 on Saturday.
This is more like it. Fielder might continue hitting seventh for now, but he will eventually move back up. In the meantime, he’ll still have a lot of chances to drive in runs behind Corey Koskie and Rickie Weeks.

Cliff Floyd was going to get Saturday off against Dontrelle Willis, but after the game was rained out, manager Willie Randolph said he’d probably play tomorrow. Victor Diaz was going to fill in for Floyd, and Chris Woodward and Ramon Castro were due to receive starts at second base and catcher, respectively. It remains to be seen whether any of those reserves will get to play tomorrow instead. Woodward is probably the best bet.

After starting Saturday against Milwaukee, Brandon Webb will get extra time off before his next start.  He’ll then start Friday against Houston, which is Arizona’s home opener.

Courtesy of Rotoworld:

With Ryan Klesko opting for surgery, Adrian Gonzalez is expected to spend the next two to four months as the Padres’ first baseman. Gonzalez could keep the job for the rest of the season if he plays up to his ability. The Padres know he’ll be one of the best defensive first basemen in the league. He figures to hit about .280 with moderate power. Should he last the season, he could be good for about a dozen homers and 80 RBI.          

Taylor Buchholz made his major league debut in relief on Friday night and pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings against the Nationals. Buchholz, the Astros’ fifth starter, will face the Giants on Tuesday.

Like Barry Bonds, Moises Alou was a late scratch from Friday’s lineup due to a wet field. The Giants went from Bonds-Steve Finley-Alou to Winn-Finley-Alou to Mark Sweeney-Finley-Winn during the two-hour delay.

Jason Vargas struggled against the Mets tonight, yielding five runs in as many innings to take the loss. Vargas struggled with his command as he hit a batter, walked three, and threw only 52 of 94 pitches for strikes. He had a strong spring and has the pedigree to be a successful pitcher this year, so Vargas shouldn’t be dropped. He’s still probably worth using against the Padres next time out.

Jose Reyes went 3-for-5 with a homer and a stolen base in a 9-3 win against the Marlins Friday.  He drove in three while scoring twice. The Mets put 18 men on base in the contest, with every regular reaching at least once.

Prince Fielder started and hit seventh against right-hander Russ Ortiz tonight. He singled and walked in three trips to the plate. Fielder was moved down in the order against a left-hander on Wednesday, but that they’re already dropping him against right-handers is a bit premature. Hopefully it’s just a one game decision and not a trend.

Danys Baez picked up his second save of the season by throwing a scoreless ninth inning against the Phillies tonight. As expected, Baez has gotten both save opportunities with Eric Gagne suspended and then on the DL. He’ll be the closer for at least the next two months. If by some chance he’s still available in your league, go and claim him now.

Standings: 2nd Place, 77 Points
           15 points out of first (X-Men, 92 points)

HR:     9       (T-2ND)
AVG:    .2832 (5TH)
RBI:    28      (T-3RD)
RUNS:   25      (7TH)
STEALS: 4 (T-1ST)
WINS:   1       (T-9TH)
ERA:    2.75    (1ST)
WHIP:   1.220   (2ND)
K'S:    28      (6TH)
SAVES:  2       (T-3RD)

                    BOX SCORE FOR 04.07
Atomic Roadrunners            ab  r  h  bi | bb so    avg
---------------------------------------------------------
Johnny Estrada       Ari  C    2  0  0   0 |  1  2   .111
Prince Fielder       Mil 1B    2  0  1   0 |  1  0   .143
Jeff Kent            LAD 2B    4  0  0   0 |  1  0   .385
Ryan Zimmerman       Was 3B    4  0  0   0 |  0  3   .200
Khalil Greene         SD SS    4  0  0   0 |  0  1   .167
Adrian Gonzalez       SD 1B    4  0  0   0 |  0  0   .417
J.J. Hardy           Mil SS    4  0  0   0 |  0  1   .267
Adam Dunn            Cin OF    2  2  1   0 |  2  1   .500
Moises Alou           SF OF    1  1  1   2 |  0  0   .385
Dave Roberts          SD OF    2  1  1   1 |  1  0   .222
Brandon Watson       Was OF    4  0  1   0 |  0  0   .125
Jose Reyes           NYM SS    5  2  3   3 |  0  0   .368
---------------------------------------------------------
Totals                        38  6  8   6 |  6  8   .211
---------------------------------------------------------
RBI: MAlou 2(4), DRoberts 1(1), JReyes 3(5)
2B: JReyes 1(1)
HR: MAlou 1(1), JReyes 1(1)
GIDP: PFielder 1(1)
SB: DRoberts 1(1), JReyes 1(2)
ERRORS: ADunn 1(2)

PITCHING                          ip  h  r er bb ibb so bf    era whip
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jason Vargas      L(0-1)         5.0  8  5  5  3   1  4 27    9.00 2.20
Matt Wise         Ho(2)          1.0  0  0  0  1   0  2  4    0.00 1.00
Danys Baez        S(2)           1.0  1  0  0  0   0  2  4    0.00 1.00
Gary Majewski                    1.0  0  0  0  1   0  1  4    0.00 1.00
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals                           8.0  9  5  5  5   1  9 39   5.62 1.75
----------------------------------------------------------------------

RESERVE HITTING               ab  r  h  bi | bb so    avg
---------------------------------------------------------
Rich Aurilia         Cin 2B    5  0  0   0 |  0  0   .200
Shane Victorino      Phi OF    1  0  0   0 |  0  1   .000
Jeff DaVanon         Ari OF    0  0  0   0 |  1  0   .250
Ben Johnson           SD OF    0  0  0   0 |  0  0   .000
Matt Diaz            Atl OF    1  0  0   0 |  0  0   .222
---------------------------------------------------------
Totals                         7  0  0   0 |  1  1   .000
---------------------------------------------------------

RESERVE PITCHING                  ip  h  r er bb ibb so bf    era whip
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Taylor Buchholz                  2.3  1  0  0  0   0  1  8    0.00 0.43
Matt Herges                      1.0  1  0  0  0   0  0  3    0.00 1.00
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals                           3.3  2  0  0  0   0  1 11   0.00 0.61
----------------------------------------------------------------------