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

Charlie Morton allowed just one run in 5 1/3 innings to even his record at 2-2 this season. Morton had allowed 11 runs over eight innings in his previous two starts, so this was en encouraging outing, but in fairness it did come against the Padres. Morton will likely lose his spot in the rotation to Mike Hampton after the break. (Rotoworld)

Prince Fielder went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer as the Brewers lost to the Reds on Saturday. Fielder provided the only damage for the Brewers as they fell to the Reds, hitting just his second homer since June 23. He had seen his average drop almost 30 points since that time, so maybe America’s biggest vegetarian simply needs a nice rest. (Rotoworld)

Brett Myers said that he was ready to return to the big leagues after making his third minor-league on Saturday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Myers lasted eight innings allowing three runs while striking out 10 in Saturday’s loss. He hopes to return to the majors soon. “Sometimes you need to take a step back and a deep breath,” he said. “I was able to do that, so I think I’m ready to get back up there. We’ll just see.” The Phillies are planning on giving him at least one more minor-league start after the All-Star break. (Rotowire)

Shane Victorino finished 3-for-3 with two homers and three RBI Saturday but the Phillies couldn’t handle the Diamondbacks. Well, Victorino showed up. The rest of the Phillies’ starters didn’t do much at all. Eric Bruntlett and Jimmy Rollins were the only players who recorded hits, while the Diamondbacks had no problem racking up 10 runs. Victorino is hitting .279 with five homers and 29 RBI in 315 at-bats this season. (Rotoworld)

Jose Reyes hit a solo homer in the fifth inning Saturday as the Mets topped the Rockies 3-0 to win their eighth straight game. Fernando Tatis got the Mets going with an RBI single in the fourth inning that scored Carlos Beltran. Reyes did his thing in the fifth, then Brian Schneider doubled in a run in the sixth. Three runs got the job done behind some stellar bullpen work. After a poor April. Reyes hit over .300 in May and June and is batting .364 in July. With 10 home runs, 43 RBI and 68 runs, Reyes is on pace to surpass all of the numbers he posted in 2007, save for steals, for which he currently has 32. (Rotoworld, Rowowire)

Mike Gonzalez pitched a perfect ninth on Saturday night against the Padres for his third save of the season. This was the first save opportunity for the Braves since June 25, so don’t be dismayed by Gonzalez getting just three saves since returning from the DL on June 18. He’s pitching lights-out so far, with a 14:0 K:BB and a 1.86 ERA in 9.2 innings. (Rotowire)

Corey Hart (routine day off) will sit out the series finale against the Reds on Sunday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. After being named to the All-Star roster by winning the Final Vote, manager Ned Yost wanted to give Hart some time off before the break. (Rotowire)

Andruw Jones struck out all five times he was at the plate on Saturday night. He hit fifth in the order, whereas Matt Kemp was dropped down below him to seventh. While lineup construction is often less important than it’s made up to be, shouldn’t the Dodgers have him hit lower in the lineup? Since his return from the disabled list July 3rd, Jones is batting 5-for-32 (.156), with 3 BB, 15K’s, and 2 RBI. (Rotowire)

Cardinals SP Todd Wellemeyer, still without a victory since June 5, took another no-decision Saturday at Pittsburgh. He gave up four runs on four hits and a walk in 6 1/3 innings, recording two strikeouts. Wellemeyer missed some time with a strained right elbow and hasn’t pitched the same since returning. In four starts, he has a 5.48 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. Of course, he probably performed a bit over his head before the injury, so his struggles might have nothing to do with it. He remains a decent back-of-the-staff option in mixed leagues. He’ll likely make a start during a shortened Fantasy Week 16 (July 7-13), but check back to make sure.

Overall Standings

Rank Team                Batting Pitching Total Dif  Behind
---- ------------------- ------- -------- ----- ---- ------
 1   Atomic Roadrunners  45.0    39.0     84.0  1.0  0.0
 2   The Pi Train        29.0    32.0     61.0  1.5  23.0
 3   X-Men               21.0    39.0     60.0  -1.0 24.0
 4   Shoeless Jews       24.0    33.5     57.5  0.5  26.5
 5   Goodfellas          34.0    21.5     55.5  2.5  28.5
 6   Uncle Lester        13.0    39.0     52.0  1.5  32.0
 7   Stanimals           31.0    20.5     51.5  -1.5 32.5
 8   Misogynistic Padres 27.0    18.0     45.0  0.0  39.0
 9   Get Off Kong!       26.0    16.5     42.5  -4.5 41.5
 10  Cover Zero          25.0    16.0     41.0  0.0  43.0

Yesterday's Stats

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (7/12/08)
Player                       BA HR R RBI   SB
------------------------ ------ -- - --- ----
Blanco, Gregor M. OF ATL 0.0000  0 0   1    0
Bowker, John OF SF       0.0000  0 0   1    0
Coste, Chris C PHI       0.0000  0 0   0    0
DeWitt, Blake 3B LA      0.5000  0 0   0    0
Fielder, Prince 1B MIL   0.6667  1 1   2    0
Hart, Corey C. RF MIL    0.0000  0 0   0    0
Headley, Chase 3B SD     0.3333  0 0   0    0
Iannetta, Chris C COL    0.0000  0 0   0    0
Jones, Chipper 3B ATL    0.7500  0 1   0    0
Phillips, Brandon 2B CIN 0.0000  0 0   0    0
Reyes, Jose B. SS NYM    0.2500  1 1   1    0
Teixeira, Mark 1B ATL    0.2500  0 1   0    0
Theriot, Ryan SS CHC     0.7500  0 1   0    0
Victorino, Shane CF PHI  1.0000  2 2   3    0

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (7/12/08)
Player                      ERA  K S   W WHIP
------------------------ ------ -- - --- ----
Gonzalez, Mike RP ATL      0.00  1 1   0 0.00
McClung, Seth RP MIL       4.26  7 0   0 0.95
Wellemeyer, Todd SP STL    5.68  2 0   0 0.79
Wilson, Brian RP SF        6.75  0 0   0 3.75