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

Overall Standings

Rank Team                Batting Pitching Total Dif  Behind
---- ------------------- ------- -------- ----- ---- ------
 1   Atomic Roadrunners  43.0    39.0     82.0  -0.5 0.0
 2   X-Men               33.0    38.0     71.0  -2.0 11.0
 3   Shoeless Jews       30.0    34.5     64.5  4.0  17.5
 4   Stanimals           24.0    34.0     58.0  1.0  24.0
 5   Goodfellas          36.0    21.0     57.0  0.5  25.0
 6   The Pi Train        25.0    27.0     52.0  -1.0 30.0
 7   Uncle Lester        12.0    38.5     50.5  1.0  31.5
 8   Cover Zero          27.0    16.0     43.0  -1.0 39.0
 9   Get Off Kong!       27.0    12.5     39.5  -0.5 42.5
 10  Misogynistic Padres 18.0    14.5     32.5  -1.5 49.5

Yesterday's Stats

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (8/30/08)
Player                       BA HR R RBI   SB
------------------------ ------ -- - --- ----
Dickerson, Chris OF CIN  0.3333  0 1   0    0
Fielder, Prince 1B MIL   0.0000  0 1   0    0
Gerut, Jody RF SD        0.0000  0 0   0    0
Hart, Corey C. RF MIL    0.6000  1 3   1    0
Headley, Chase 3B SD     0.0000  0 1   0    0
Iannetta, Chris C COL    0.0000  0 1   0    0
Jones, Chipper 3B ATL    0.4000  1 2   2    0
Moss, Brandon OF PIT     0.6667  1 1   2    0
Phillips, Brandon 2B CIN 0.5000  0 1   0    0
Reyes, Jose B. SS NYM    0.2500  0 1   0    1
Sandoval, Pablo C SF     0.5000  0 0   0    0
Teixeira, Mark 1B ANA    0.2500  0 1   0    0
Theriot, Ryan SS CHC     0.4000  0 1   0    1
Victorino, Shane CF PHI  0.0000  0 0   0    0

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (8/30/08)
Player                      ERA  K S   W WHIP
------------------------ ------ -- - --- ----
Lyon, Brandon RP ARI       0.00  1 0   0 1.00
Myers, Brett SP PHI        2.57  8 0   1 1.57

Brett Myers limited the Cubs to two runs over seven innings Saturday in a Phillies victory. Myers allowed 11 hits, but struck out eight and didn’t walk a batter. 80 of his 107 pitches went for strikes. He dropped his ERA to 4.40 while picking up his eighth win of the season and closed out a fantastic August. He’ll challenge the Mets next. (Rotoworld)

Matt Lindstrom was credited with a win after getting the final two outs in the top of the ninth Saturday against the Mets. The Marlins won it in the bottom of the inning. Lindstrom is the current favorite for saves in Florida with Kevin Gregg down. He’s had a couple of shaky appearances recently, but he’s sporting a 1.59 ERA since being recalled from the minors on July 5. (Rotoworld)

Corey Hart had three hits, including his 20th homer, and three runs scored in the Brewers 11-3 defeat of the Pirates on Saturday. Hart’s OPS is down 70 points from last year, but he’s been putting up solid fantasy numbers all year long. He’s batting .286, and tonight’s homer gives him a second straight 20/20 season. With 19 more RBI — and he’s had 20 this month — he’d reach 100 for the first time. (Rotoworld)

Brandon Moss homered, doubled and walked Saturday as the Pirates’ No. 2 hitter. It’s the first time he’s been tried there, but since he did well, it’s likely that he’ll be hitting ahead of Nate McLouth more frequently. He had both of Pittsburgh’s extra-base hits in the loss to Milwaukee. (Rotoworld)

Dodgers manager Joe Torre indicated that Blake DeWitt would get a chance to replace Jeff Kent at second base. DeWitt was moved to third because he couldn’t cut it at second base, and he’d be a poor choice to start there next year. However, he’s the best the team can do for a stopgap right now. It’s possible that he’ll play regularly the rest of the way, as it’s very questionable whether Kent will return. (Rotoworld)

The Colorado Rockies placed catcher Yorvit Torrealba on the 15-day disabled list because of a torn ligament in his left knee on Saturday night. Chris Iannetta will be the Rockies’ full-time catcher down the stretch and Adam Melhuse will back him up. Iannetta has enjoyed a breakout year and is now a solid option in mixed leagues. Consider picking him up if you need a potentially potent catcher down the stretch. (Rotowire)

Chipper Jones hit his 20th home run of the season in the seventh inning of the Braves’ 9-8, 10-inning loss to the Washington Nationals, and joined Eddie Mathews as the only players to begin their careers with 14 straight seasons of 20 or more homers. “A lot of players aren’t lucky enough to play this long, but I have been that lucky and relatively healthy during that run and able to produce. Any kind of longevity record is a feather in your cap. I’ve had a pretty good career. To be standing besides Eddie Mathews in another category is quite an honor.” Despite an ailing right elbow, Jones entered the game leading the majors with a .358 average. After going 2-for-5, Jones raised his average to .359. St. Louis’ Albert Pujols went 4-for-4 in the Cardinals’ 8-5 loss to Houston and took over the NL batting lead — raising his average from .356 to .362. Chipper could win his first batting title this year and is a must-start in all Fantasy leagues despite his ailments. (CBS Sports) Jones is getting Sunday off because of congestion caused by allergies. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jones is currently nursing several injuries. It has already been reported that Jones is dealing with soreness in his quadriceps and hamstrings, but the newspaper claims Jones is also battling tendinitis in his elbow. “I had some pain in my shoulder and I think to compensate for it have put some stress on my elbow,” he said. “It’s getting more and more difficult to get the ball across the infield. It’s affected a couple of throws here and there.” Chipper’s going to miss some games down the stretch. Omar Infante is playing third in his place. Chipper could be day-to-day for the rest of the year, but he should be fine to keep active this week. (Rotoworld)

Overall Standings

Rank Team                Batting Pitching Total Dif  Behind
---- ------------------- ------- -------- ----- ---- ------
 1   Atomic Roadrunners  44.0    39.0     83.0  0.5  0.0
 2   X-Men               33.0    38.0     71.0  -2.0 12.0
 3   Shoeless Jews       29.0    34.5     63.5  3.0  19.5
 4   Stanimals           23.0    34.0     57.0  0.0  26.0
 5   Goodfellas          35.0    21.0     56.0  -0.5 27.0
 6   The Pi Train        25.0    27.0     52.0  -1.0 31.0
 7   Uncle Lester        12.5    38.5     51.0  1.5  32.0
 8   Cover Zero          27.0    16.0     43.0  -1.0 40.0
 9   Get Off Kong!       27.0    12.5     39.5  -0.5 43.5
 10  Misogynistic Padres 19.5    14.5     34.0  0.0  49.0

Yesterday's Stats

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (8/29/08)
Player                       BA HR R RBI   SB
------------------------ ------ -- - --- ----
Dickerson, Chris OF CIN  0.6000  1 3   4    1
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    0.2500  0 0   0    0
Headley, Chase 3B SD     0.0000  0 0   1    0
Iannetta, Chris C COL    0.0000  0 1   0    0
Jones, Chipper 3B ATL    0.3333  0 0   0    0
Moss, Brandon OF PIT     0.2500  0 0   0    0
Phillips, Brandon 2B CIN 0.3333  0 0   0    0
Reyes, Jose B. SS NYM    0.2500  0 1   0    1
Sandoval, Pablo C SF     0.4000  0 1   0    0
Teixeira, Mark 1B ANA    0.3333  0 1   0    0
Theriot, Ryan SS CHC     0.0000  0 1   0    0
Victorino, Shane CF PHI  0.0000  0 0   0    0

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (8/29/08)
Player                      ERA  K S   W WHIP
------------------------ ------ -- - --- ----
Ayala, Luis RP NYM        18.00  1 1   0 4.00
Blanton, Joe SP PHI        3.18  4 0   0 1.24

Chris Dickerson went 3-for-5 with a homer, a double and four RBI versus the Giants on Friday. Dickerson isn’t going to keep hitting for average like he has thus far, but he does have a fair amount of power and he’s a fine defensive center fielder. If he turns in a respectable September, he’ll be in good position to enter 2009 with a starting job. He’s currently batting .328 with four homers and four steals in 15 games. (Rotoworld)

Luis Ayala earned his third save of the season Friday despite allowing two earned runs on four hits to the Marlins. Luckily, Ayala was handed a three-run lead. He gave up three singles and a double in just one inning of work. Still, he remains the Mets’ best bet for saves going forward. (Rotoworld)

Joe Blanton held the Cubs hitless until Aramis Ramirez hit a two-out single in the fourth inning Friday afternoon, but he did not factor in the final decision. Blanton gave up two runs and two hits in 5 2/3 innings and left the game with the score tied 2-2. He allowed five walks and struck out four in the outing. Blanton was coming off a solid outing against the Dodgers in which he had allowed just one run. But He hasn’t made it through six innings now in three of his last four games. He doesn’t strike out a lot of batters and his ERA isn’t too great, so he’s not helping Fantasy owners much if he can’t eat up innings. Blanton pitches for a contender now, but he remains just a low-end mixed-league option. His next start is scheduled for Sept. 3 at Washington against the Cubs. (CBS Sports)

Overall Standings

Rank Team                Batting Pitching Total Dif  Behind
---- ------------------- ------- -------- ----- ---- ------
 1   Atomic Roadrunners  44.0    39.0     83.0  0.5  0.0
 2   X-Men               33.0    37.5     70.5  -2.5 12.5
 3   Shoeless Jews       30.0    35.0     65.0  4.5  18.0
 4   Stanimals           23.0    34.0     57.0  0.0  26.0
 5   Goodfellas          35.0    21.0     56.0  -0.5 27.0
 6   The Pi Train        25.0    27.0     52.0  -1.0 31.0
 7   Uncle Lester        12.0    38.0     50.0  0.5  33.0
 8   Cover Zero          27.0    16.5     43.5  -0.5 39.5
 9   Get Off Kong!       27.0    12.0     39.0  -1.0 44.0
 10  Misogynistic Padres 19.0    15.0     34.0  0.0  49.0

Yesterday's Stats

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (8/28/08)
Player                       BA HR R RBI   SB
------------------------ ------ -- - --- ----
Dickerson, Chris OF CIN  0.2500  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    0.0000  0 0   0    0
Headley, Chase 3B SD     0.0000  0 0   0    0
Iannetta, Chris C COL    0.0000  0 0   0    0
Jones, Chipper 3B ATL    0.6667  0 1   0    0
Moss, Brandon OF PIT     0.0000  0 0   0    0
Phillips, Brandon 2B CIN 0.2500  0 1   0    0
Reyes, Jose B. SS NYM    0.0000  0 0   0    0
Sandoval, Pablo C SF     0.0000  0 0   0    0
Teixeira, Mark 1B ANA    0.3333  1 1   1    0
Theriot, Ryan SS CHC     0.2500  0 1   0    0
Victorino, Shane CF PHI  0.2500  0 0   1    0

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (8/28/08)
Player                      ERA  K S   W WHIP
------------------------ ------ -- - --- ----
Ayala, Luis RP NYM          N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Blanton, Joe SP PHI         N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Johnson, Josh SP FLA        N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Lincecum, Tim SP SF         N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Lyon, Brandon RP ARI        N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Marquis, Jason SP CHC       N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Myers, Brett SP PHI         N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Webb, Brandon SP ARI        N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Wellemeyer, Todd SP STL     N/A  0 0   0  N/A
Wilson, Brian RP SF         N/A  0 0   0  N/A

Braves closer Mike Gonzalez came on in the ninth inning Thursday against the Marlins and struck out the side to pick up his seventh save in seven attempts and 37th consecutive save overall. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that’s the longest current streak in the majors. The save was only Gonzalez’s third in August, and you can’t expect the out-of-contention Braves to provide him with many more down the stretch. Treat him as a No. 3 Fantasy RP. (CBS Sports)

Mark Teixeira had a solo home run in Thursday’s victory over the Rangers. It was his eighth home run since joining the Angels on July 30. Seven have been hit at Angel Stadium. The Angels really made out great in the trade with Atlanta, merely giving up Casey Kotchman and a prospect to get Teixeira, who has been an upgrade at first base. Fantasy owners are also glad since now Teixeira has more lineup protection and is in a pennant race. Continue to start Teixeira in all Fantasy formats — when he’s at home or away. (CBS Sports)