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

Phillips is getting the day off on Thursday against the Cubs and Ted Lilly, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Ryan Freel is starting at second base in his place. It may seem odd for Phillips to sit against a lefty, but he has a pretty poor track record against Lilly. “I think he needs a day,” manager Dusty Baker said. “He’s played every day, every inning. I see him swinging at bad pitches and taking good ones. He’s really upset with himself. Plus, he’s 0-for-13 against Lilly. Day game after a night game. When you add all up, this is the day.” (Rotowire)

Chris Iannetta went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and two runs scored Wednesday versus the Padres. Iannetta is 6-for-15 in his four starts this season. With the Rockies really struggling to come up with some offense, maybe he’ll start getting some additional playing time. Yorvit Torrealba is currently hitting .229/.270/.371. Iannetta still isn’t seeing regular starts, but as long as he keeps hitting, manager Clint Hurdle should get him more at-bats. Keep him active in NL-only play. (Rotoworld, CBS Sports)

Carlos Villanueva allowed five earned runs in 4 2/3 innings on Wednesday night to take his second loss. Villanueva allowed two walks and two home runs, and didn’t strike out a single batter. Villanueva’s ERA rose to 6.19 Wednesday and he has now lost his last two starts after winning April 4 against the Giants. The Brewers are bringing Yovani Gallardo off the DL in the coming days and somebody will get bumped from the rotation. Villanueva is a candidate, along with Dave Bush and Manny Parra. Villanueva has experience as a reliever, so he could easily get moved back to the bullpen. For now, he is on track to start in a rematch with the Cardinals Monday, but that could all change in a moment’s notice. Stay tuned. (Rotoworld)

John Maine picked up his first win after pitching 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball Wednesday against the Nationals. Maine remained wild, walking four on the night. He has a 10/12 K/BB ratio to go along with his 3.78 ERA after three starts. Maine had support from a bullpen that spoiled his stellar effort April 10 against the Phillies. After he walked two with two outs in the seventh inning Wednesday, Joe Smith got No. 3 hitter Ryan Zimmerman on a called third strike. In his previous start, Maine (1-1) took a 3-0 lead into the seventh but Aaron Heilman squandered the lead in the eighth. Maine was charged with five hits, two runs and four walks Wednesday. He struck out four and allowed a solo home run to Austin Kearns.There’s little doubt that he’ll improve, but he figured to have better than a 1.80 WHIP at this point. Maine has allowed three earned runs in his last 12 2/3 innings and looks like the dominant pitcher from spring training. Maine still remains a No. 3 Fantasy SP in mixed leagues. His next start is scheduled for Monday against the Cubs, whom Maine was 0-2 with a 10.57 ERA in two starts against last season. He is on track for two starts Fantasy Week 4 (April 21-27) with his second start coming against the Braves. Maine lost to the Braves on April 5 after allowing four runs and eight hits in four innings.(Rotoworld, CBS Sports)

Brandon Webb became the majors’ first four-game winner after allowing one run over eight innings and driving in two against the Giants on Wednesday. The way he was going and getting quick outs, Brandon Webb thought for sure he would finish the game. Webb pitched another gem and, for the first time, has begun a season by winning his first four starts. Brandon Lyon finished the three-hitter. Webb’s two-run single opened the scoring against Barry Zito in the 4-1 victory. It’s one of the very few times the career .106 hitter has helped himself offensively. Fortunately, he’s usually able to hold his own in the mound. (Rotoworld)

“That’s a good start,” Webb said. “It makes you feel confident.” Webb hit an early two-run single and made it stand up. The 2006 NL Cy Young winner gave up three hits over eight innings and won his sixth straight outing since last September. He has a 1.86 ERA this season. The sinkerballer struck out the side in the first inning, throwing 10 of his 11 pitches for strikes. He got through both the fifth and sixth innings on only five pitches each time, and wound up with five strikeouts. “With 62 pitches through six innings, I felt I was going to finish this thing, but I kind of got out of sync,” Webb said. “A couple really quick innings, I was able to make pitches when they were swinging early.” Webb only went 2-1 with a 3.21 ERA last April, so he is off to a much better start in 2008. You don’t need us to tell you that Webb is a must-start Fantasy option. His next scheduled start is for Tuesday in a rematch against the Giants. He is on track for two starts Fantasy Week 4 (April 21-27) with his second coming against San Diego. (CBS Sports)

Deadspin had a review of the game:

That sonic boom you heard in San Francisco on Wednesday was caused by pitchers Brandon Webb and Barry Zito. The former Cy Young winners are moving so quickly in opposite directions that the rapid heating and expansion of air has created enough pressure to cause explosive sound waves in China Basin. Webb (4-0) allowed one run on three hits through eight innings in the Diamondbacks’ 4-1 win over the Giants. Zito (0-4) lasted six innings, and is now 11-17 since signing for $126 million as a free agent in 2006. That other loud sound you hear is Giants owner Peter Magowan banging his head on his desk, which he will be doing repeatedly until Zito’s contract runs out in 2014.

But back to the Snakes. If there is one team that has the potential to wrap up its division race by June, it’s the Diamondbacks. At 11-4, they’re three up on second-place San Diego, the largest margin in the majors. Webb — the only four-game winner in the majors — was brilliant (I was there; and even though seated pretty far away, that sinker is impressive). Giants’ hitting coach Carney Lansford: “He’s a good pitcher, but if you make him get his sinker up you can hit him. You have to execute your game plan and not chase so many pitches out of the zone. You just can’t do that. You’ve got to be disciplined against a pitcher like that.” And Lansford knows what he’s talking about; he’s one of only 12 players who has played in both the Major League World Series (1988, ‘89, ‘90) and the Little League World Series (1969). Webb had a two-run single for the Diamondbacks, and Eric Byrnes had a run-scoring double. To recap: Webb, 4-0, 1.86 ERA, 22 strikeouts, eight walks, 2008 salary: $5.5 million; Zito, 0-4, 4.50 ERA, eight strikeouts, nine walks. 2008 salary: $14.5 million.

Shane Victorino’s (calf) injury is less severe than both he and the team initially thought as he was able to take batting practice prior to Wednesday’s game, the Philadelphia Daily News reports. The Phillies will send Victorino on a minor league rehab assignment early next week. He’s eligible to come off the disabled list on April 28, which is actually an off day for the Phillies. As it stands now, Victorino will be back in the lineup on April 29 against San Diego. (Rotowire)

At the urging of Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado, Reyes has tossed for good the serious act that he decided to adopt after last season’s collapse and criticism for his outging style. The smiles, the laughs, the handshakes, the dancing, it’s all coming back to Shea, the NY Newsday reports. Beltran approached Reyes early Tuesday afternoon and said he pleaded with him to go back to his old self - the enthusiastic, energetic, always happy Reyes. Reyes said the talk immediately energized him, and it has showed in his play. He went 4-for-5 on Tuesday night and came only a home run short of the cycle. Wednesday, he went 2-for-4 with a homer and it is probably no coincidence the Mets won both contests. For those concerned with Reyes’ slow start, this change back to the old may have been just the tonic to kick start his game. (Rotowire)

The New York Times has the detailed story.

Ryan Spilborghs made his fourth start of the season on Wednesday. He went 1-for-3 with a triple, RBI and run scored. It’s going to be tough for Spilborghs to receive a regular stream of at-bats with the Rockies’ impressive group of outfielders. (Rotowire)

The Cubs decided to call up Eric Patterson over Murton after placing Alfonso Soriano (calf) on the 15-day DL Wednesday. Murton is off to a better start at Triple-A, but the Cubs are going the speed route here. Mark DeRosa started in left field for the Cubs on Wednesday, while Mike Fontenot got the nod at second and was the leadoff man. (Rotowire)

Baseball Prospectus had further snaps for Murton, in Caleb Peiffer’s Prospectus Preview:

Yesterday, Cubs fans got their first glimpse of what the lineup and batting order will look like with left fielder Alfonso Soriano sidelined for “a while.” Second baseman Mark DeRosa began yesterday’ the game in left field, while Mike Fontenot played second. The Soriano injury creates a number of interesting ripple down effects for Chicago. For one, it could increase the pressure to acquire Baltimore second baseman Brian Roberts. It also illuminates just how little the organization thinks of minor league left fielder Matt Murton.

The Cubs’ souring on Murton has been well-documented, but even given that it is hard to believe they called up Eric Patterson over Murton after Soriano went down. The 26-year-old Murton owns a .296/.365/.455 line in 929 major league plate appearances, and PECOTA projects him to hit almost exactly the same this season, with a .295/.359/.462 forecast. In order words, he would be an average left fielder (so far this season NL left fielders have hit .262/.346/.435 in 960 PA) and a slightly better offensive performer than both DeRosa and Fontenot. Even if the Cubs didn’t want to play him everyday, it doesn’t make sense not to carry him as a platoon player, as Murton is another of the Eduardo Perez All-Stars, with a larger-than-average split between his performance against lefties and righties (909 career OPS vs. southpaws in the majors, 771 vs. righties). Murton is projected by PECOTA to slug .488 with a .380 OBP vs. left-handers this season, and would help a Cubs lineup that has a low 725 OPS against lefties thus far.

Giants rookie John Bowker continued his torrid start since being called up Saturday. After becoming the first player in franchise history to homer in his first two major league games, he tripled Tuesday in his third game and singled Wednesday against Arizona for his first hit off SP Brandon Webb. More importantly, he was bumped up to the No. 5 spot in the order behind Bengie Molina, while the Giants shifted him over to first base as part of a double switch in the top of the ninth inning. If Bowker can pick up the new position quickly, the Giants will be able to deploy him in the middle third of the lineup without sacrificing a place for Fred Lewis, Aaron Rowand or Randy Winn in the outfield. Bowker remains an intriguing player to watch — or even pick up — depending on the size of your league. (Rotowire)

Diamondbacks RP Brandon Lyon needed just 11 pitches to retire three hitters in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s 4-1 win against the Giants. He did not allow a hit, walk or run while netting his third save. He hasn’t allowed a run in his last three outings (three innings) and has two saves in that span.His hold on the job is slowly beginning to tighten up, as he’s now recorded three straight scoreless frames while set-up man Tony Pena has been knocked around a little bit. Still, it’s a good time for Lyon owners to hedge their bets and buy low on Pena to have a safety net in place. (Rotowire, CBS Sports)

Brewers 1B Prince Fielder has had a disappointing start after leading the major leagues with 50 home runs last year. Fielder was batting .222 with no homers and six RBI heading into Wednesday’s game against the Cardinals. “They’re (Fielder and Ryan Braun) going to play through it, you just hope that it doesn’t last too long,” manager Ned Yost said. “When you have years like both of them had last year, your tendency especially when you’re young is to come back the next year and even do better and you force it a little bit instead of letting it happen.”

Yost said both players can stop worrying about matching or exceeding their numbers from last year, and just to focus on taking good at-bats and helping the Brewers win. He was impressed with Fielder’s patience while drawing a career-best four walks on Tuesday. “He could have very easily not taken four walks and taken an 0-for-4,” Yost said. “If you’re not going to throw strikes to the guy, you have to have the discipline to take your walk and then as a team you rely on the guy behind you to make them pay for that.” Fielder still has plenty of time to turn his season around. Don’t forget, he slugged just six homers last April and had only three in July 2007 as well. He still managed to hit 50-plus homers for the season. (CBS Sports)

Nomar Garciaparra was activated from the 15-day disabled list Wednesday by the Los Angeles Dodger. Garciaparra, who went 3-for-10 with Las Vegas during his three-game minor league rehab stint, returned to Los Angeles Tuesday to confer with the training staff and manager Joe Torre. Garciaparra hit seventh against Pittsburgh lefty Paul Maholm Wednesday, bumping rookie Blake DeWitt from the lineup. DeWitt started the first 14 games, committing only one error while showing good range and a strong arm. He was batting .261 with five RBI and eight walks, reaching base in all but one game. When he singled against Barry Zito in the season opener, DeWitt became the first Dodgers player to get a hit in his first big league at-bat on opening day since 1969, when Bill Russell doubled against Cincinnati’s Jim Merritt. Garciaparra and backup third baseman Andy LaRoche were injured in the same exhibition game March 8 at Vero Beach, Fla. Both opened on the DL, along with Tony Abreu, giving DeWitt a chance to be the Dodgers’ fifth opening day third baseman in five years instead of beginning the season with Double-A Jacksonville. “The best thing that’s come out of the whole bad luck part of (the rash of injuries to the third base position) was Blake DeWitt,” Torre said. “We certainly got a peek at a guy who didn’t come to spring training with it, and found himself playing on opening day. So whatever happens for him from here on out has certainly been a positive for him and us both.” DeWitt will likely remain with the team for now, but could eventually be headed back to the minors. He remains a low-end NL-only Fantasy option. (CBS Sports)

NL batting leader Chipper Jones singled in the third to extend his hitting streak to 12 games Wednesday at Florida. The Sports XChange notes that Chipper Jones has the best batting average (among those with at least 700 at-bats) in the majors since 2006 — .336! Keep the rejuvenated veteran active in all formats, as he continues to terrorize opponents. (CBS Sports)

Overall Standings

Rank Team                Batting Pitching Total Dif  Behind
---- ------------------- ------- -------- ----- ---- ------
 1   Goodfellas          37.5    46.0     83.5  12.0 0.0
 2   Shoeless Jews       39.5    30.5     70.0  4.5  13.5
 3   The Pi Train        28.5    35.0     63.5  -2.5 20.0
 4   X-Men               23.5    29.5     53.0  -7.0 30.5
 5   Atomic Roadrunners  17.0    34.0     51.0  2.5  32.5
 6   Misogynistic Padres 37.5    12.5     50.0  -3.0 33.5
 7   Uncle Lester        12.0    36.5     48.5  -2.5 35.0
 8   Stanimals           34.0    14.0     48.0  1.5  35.5
 9   Get Off Kong!       22.0    24.0     46.0  2.0  37.5
 10  Cover Zero          23.5    13.0     36.5  -7.5 47.0  

Yesterday's Stats

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (4/16/08)
Player                        BA HR R RBI   SB
------------------------- ------ -- - --- ----
Barton, Brian OF STL      0.0000  0 0   0    0
Bowker, John OF SF        0.3333  0 0   0    0
Dewitt, Blake 3B LA       0.0000  0 1   0    0
Fielder, Prince 1B MIL    0.2500  0 0   1    0
Hart, Corey C. RF MIL     0.2500  0 1   0    0
Jones, Andruw CF LA       0.2500  0 0   0    0
Jones, Chipper 3B ATL     0.2500  0 0   0    0
Phillips, Brandon 2B CIN  0.0000  0 0   0    0
Reyes, Jose B. SS NYM     0.5000  1 1   1    0
Ruiz, Carlos C PHI        0.0000  0 0   0    0
Spilborghs, Ryan CF COL   0.3333  0 1   1    0
Teixeira, Mark 1B ATL     0.3333  0 1   0    0
Theriot, Ryan SS CHC      0.4000  0 1   0    0
Valentin, Javier C CIN    0.2500  0 0   0    0

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (4/16/08)
Player                       ERA  K S   W WHIP
------------------------- ------ -- - --- ----
Lyon, Brandon RP ARI        0.00  0 1   0 0.00
Maine, John SP NYM          2.70  4 0   1 1.35
Villanueva, Carlos SP MIL   9.64  0 0   0 2.14
Webb, Brandon SP ARI        1.12  5 0   1 0.62