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

GM Pat Gillick, pitching coach Rich Dubee and manager Charlie Manuel have all hinted that Myers might have his spot in the rotation skipped this week, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. And according to the AP, the Phillies are considering moving Myers back to the bullpen. “I want to make sure we do what’s right for our team and Brett,” Manuel said.

With Myers slated to start Thursday night in Atlanta, Manuel said the Phils could move right-handed reliever Chad Durbin to the rotation, although he has been a critical part of their best-in-the-league bullpen. The Phillies could summon a starter from the minors, either Triple-A lefty J.A. Happ or Double-A right-hander Carlos Carrasco, their top pitching prospect. Right-hander Kris Benson continues to progress from March 2007 shoulder surgery, although after allowing four runs in four innings Sunday in his first Triple-A start, it seems Benson needs a few more starts before he is ready to return to the majors. “I’ll think about what I want to do,” Manuel said. “We could do something with Durbin. I think it depends on how far we think Myers can go in our bullpen. If something like that would happen and he could end up helping out in the back end of our bullpen, if we could see that kind of improvement in him, yeah, that might be.” (CBS Sports)

Skipping Myers in the rotation might be what’s best for him to clear his head right now, though a return to the bullpen — and presumably not the closer’s role, given the success of Brad Lidge — would significantly hurt his potential fantasy value. He’s doing fine with 88 strikeouts in 101.2 innings, but everything else is a mess, from the 44 walks to the 24 home runs to the 115 hits. Even if he does start this week, Myers has been hit hard lately and would be slated to face the Braves this week, against whom he allowed six earned runs in 4.1 innings in a start earlier this year, so he should be on your bench this week. The Phils would turn to Chad Durbin or minor leaguer J.A. Happ to take his place. (Rotowire, Rotoworld)

Brandon Phillips collected three hits and scored three times against the Indians on Sunday. He also drove in a run and stole a pair of bases while doubling once and singling twice. Phillips is on pace to more or less match his excellent 2007 campaign, meaning he’s been fine value anywhere from the middle of the second round on. Since he turned 27 yesterday, that makes him one of the best keeper options out there. (Rotoworld)

Chris Iannetta’s platoon mate, Yorvit Torrealba, wants to be traded, he told the Tigers’ radio network before Sunday’s game at Detroit. Torrealba’s desire to be traded isn’t surprising, because he is a veteran locked in a roughly even timeshare with the younger Iannetta. It’s questionable whether another team will want the 1.5 years and $5.25 million remaining on Torrealba’s contract. Obviously, Iannetta’s playing time could be boosted significantly if the Rockies find a taker for Torrealba.

Chipper Jones (quad) says that there is a “distinct” chance he’ll have to go on the disabled list Tuesday. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says that it’s “expected” that he’ll be placed on the DL. He has missed eight starts and hasn’t played since June 25th due to his reinjured right quadriceps. “Bottom line, I’d miss nine or 10 (more) days that, quite frankly, I’m probably going to need” for the injury to heal, Jones said on Sunday. “About two days after I hurt it I had some improvement, but I haven’t gotten any better since.” (Rotoworld, CBS Sports)

Sean Marshall was solid in a loss to the White Sox on Sunday, allowing three runs in seven innings. The runs came on homers from Carlos Quentin and Brian Anderson. Marshall has lost both of his starts since joining the Cubs rotation, but has 13 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings. Marshall was likely making his last start for a while. Carlos Zambrano is set to return Friday, so Marshall should return to Triple-A or possibly the bullpen. Either way, Marshall would remain next in line for a rotation slot should Sean Gallagher or Jason Marquis need to be replaced. (Rotoworld, Rotowire, CBS Sports)

Brandon Lyon blew his third save of the season Sunday, allowing two runs - including a solo home run by Hanley Ramirez - in a third of an inning of work. The home run was followed by a double, a wild pitch, then an RBI single to end the game. Sunday was the first time since April 2 against Cincinnati he failed in a save opportunity. “It’s a tough one, especially going home, it’s a long flight,” Lyon said. “The way we played this series we should have come out with at least two out of three. It’s kind of the way things are going right now, when one thing is not going good things keep slipping.”Even though this was a pretty bad outing, there is not a huge cause for worry, as this was just the second time in his past 10 appearances that he allowed a run, and had three perfect outings before this. (CBS Sports, Rotowire)

Chase Headley went 1-for-4 in Sunday’s loss to the Mariners, the Padres’ official site reports. Headley has moved back to left since Kevin Kouzmanoff’s return and although it’s not his natural position (third base), he’s been handling himself well. “He hasn’t had a ton of chances,” manager Bud Black said. “But his angles and routes to the ball look fine.” At the plate, the switch-hitter is batting .250, but he’s 6-for-13 (.462) from the right side while just 5-for-31 (.161) from the left. (Rotowire)

Gregor Blanco went 2-for-4 in Sunday’s loss to the Blue Jays. The team struggled against the Jays’ A.J. Burnett, so this performance is noteworthy. Toronto catcher Rod Barajas threw out Blanco on an attempted steal of second in the third. It was the first time this season Blanco has been caught stealing. Blanco is 10-for-17 (.588) with three RBI during a four-game hitting streak. Blanco has raised his average from .242 to .270 in that span. Blanco has been a decent stopgap option for the Braves in their injury-depleted outfield, but he still remains more of a NL-only Fantasy option. Blanco will remain in the lineup even with Mark Kotsay returning from the DL Tuesday, as Blanco will slide over to left. (CBS Sports, Rotowire)

Nationals SP Jason Bergmann gave up one run and six hits in seven innings during a no decision Sunday against the Orioles. After Bergmann had shut the Orioles out for the first six innings, Luke Scott drove a ball into the right-center field stands for his 14th home run of the year — his second in two games — to tie the score at 1 in the seventh. Bergmann walked one and struck out three. Bergmann is winless in his last eight starts. He last won on May 15 when he pitched seven shutout innings against the New York Mets, allowing just three hits. Since then, he’s lost four games and pitched to four no-decisions. He has allowed one earned run in three straight starts and is 0-1 in that span. Talk about tough luck. Bergmann might be a decent Fantasy SP had he be pitching for a contender, but starting for the lowly Nationals makes him a low-end option. His next scheduled start is for Friday against the Reds. (CBS Sports)

Cubs SS Ryan Theriot returned to the starting lineup Sunday against the White Sox after missing two games with a bruised hand. He was hitless in three at-bats and walked once. Theriot had a four-game hitting streak come to an end. He was 8-for-17 (.471) in that span. Theriot continues to have a solid season hitting in front of Derrek Lee, but his lack of power hurts him in Fantasy. Theriot is largely an NL-only option in most Fantasy formats, but his on-base percentage makes him a better Rotisserie candidate. It appears safe to keep him active for Fantasy Week 14 (June 30-July 6). (CBS Sports)

John Bowker went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a pair of RBI against the Athletics on Sunday. Bowker doubled once, singled twice, and walked once in the contest. His 10 walks in 197 at-bats is hardly a plus, but he’s done a solid job otherwise with a .274 average and .462 slugging percentage with 35 RBI. (Rotoworld)

Josh Johnson (elbow) threw 5.2 innings in a rehab start for Double-A Carolina on Sunday, giving up five runs on 11 hits and one walk, striking out three. The Marlins will wait to make sure Johnson doesn’t have any adverse reactions overnight, but he remains on schedule to return from the DL on Friday against the Rockies. You might wish to be a little deliberate before activating him - pitchers coming back from Tommy John surgery often struggle with their command, especially when they come back ahead of schedule. (Rotowire)

According to The Sports Xchange notes: LHP Mike Gonzalez is finding that since returning from last year’s “Tommy John” surgery, he needs a day off after a relief appearance. Obviously, he’s hoping to be able to pitch in back-to-back games as he builds strength. Consider Gonzo a sleeper at the closer position and a candidate to pick up a save or two a week right now. The Braves have a great offense that can get him leads as long as they can space out the save chances for the Tommy John survivor. (CBS Sports)

Overall Standings

Rank Team                Batting Pitching Total Dif  Behind
---- ------------------- ------- -------- ----- ---- ------
 1   Atomic Roadrunners  43.0    39.5     82.5  -0.5 0.0
 2   Shoeless Jews       25.0    33.0     58.0  -2.0 24.5
 2   X-Men               19.0    39.0     58.0  1.0  24.5
 4   The Pi Train        30.0    27.5     57.5  -0.5 25.0
 5   Stanimals           36.0    18.5     54.5  0.0  28.0
 6   Goodfellas          32.0    21.5     53.5  -3.0 29.0
 7   Misogynistic Padres 28.0    23.5     51.5  0.5  31.0
 8   Uncle Lester        11.0    38.5     49.5  1.0  33.0
 9   Get Off Kong!       28.0    21.0     49.0  2.5  33.5
 10  Cover Zero          23.0    13.0     36.0  1.0  46.5

Yesterday's Stats

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (6/29/08)
Player                       BA HR R RBI   SB
------------------------ ------ -- - --- ----
Blanco, Gregor M. OF ATL 0.5000  0 0   0    0
Bowker, John OF SF       0.7500  0 3   2    0
Coste, Chris C PHI       0.0000  0 0   0    0
Fielder, Prince 1B MIL   0.0000  0 0   0    0
Gerut, Jody RF SD        0.0000  0 0   0    0
Hart, Corey C. RF MIL    0.3333  0 0   0    0
Headley, Chase 3B SD     0.2500  0 0   0    0
Iannetta, Chris C COL    0.0000  0 0   0    0
Jones, Chipper 3B ATL    0.0000  0 0   0    0
Phillips, Brandon 2B CIN 0.6000  0 3   1    2
Reyes, Jose B. SS NYM    0.5000  0 1   0    0
Teixeira, Mark 1B ATL    0.0000  0 0   0    0
Theriot, Ryan SS CHC     0.0000  0 0   0    0
Victorino, Shane CF PHI  0.0000  0 0   0    0

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (6/29/08)
Player                      ERA  K S   W WHIP
------------------------ ------ -- - --- ----
Lyon, Brandon RP ARI      54.00  1 0   0 9.00
Marshall, Sean SP CHC      3.86  5 0   0 0.86

Tim Lincecum overmatched the A’s on Saturday, striking out 11 in seven scoreless innings in a 1-0 win. Lincecum followed up his worst start of the year with one of his best. The 11 strikeouts tied his season high. He fanned 12 in a game a year ago and still hasn’t gotten back there, but it’s not going to be long before he goes and fans 15 in a contest. (Rotoworld)