Atomic RoadRunners

Overall Rank:

• First Place, 80 Points.
• Hitting Total: 43 Points
• Pitching Total: 35 Points

Category Breakdown:

Average: Second Place – 9 Points

• Currently at .2792.  Actually it’s .2791508 (1762-for-6312).
• First place (X-Men) has .2793.  Actually, it’s .2792714 (1610-for-5765).
• Difference? .00012066574 – TWO HITS.
• Season High: .2882 (First Place) – June 7th
• Season Low: .2275 (Tenth Place) – April 13th
• Potential Gain: Move into first place, +1 Point
• Potential Loss: Fall into third place, -1 point.  Goodfellas is rising at .2785.  After him, Uncle Lester is in fourth at .2735, which is a very large drop.

Home Runs: Fifth Place – 6 Points

• Currently at 211 home runs
• First place (Cover Zero) is at 222.
• Breakdown is 222 (Cover Zero), 218 (Shoeless Jews), 213 (Misogynistic Padres), 212 (Stanimals), 211 (Atomic Roadrunners).
• Three additional home runs moves me into 3rd Place.
• Season High: Tied for Third, June 28th, then with 117 homers.
• Season Low: 10th Place, as recently as April 23rd, then with 20 homers
• Potential Gain: First is attainable still in best case scenario (only 11 off the lead), however, third place is realistic, +2 points
• Potential Loss: The Pi Train is in sixth place is at 198, 13 behind.  Unlikely to happen, given his injuries.  Seventh place is a tie between X-Men and Goodfellas at 183 – doubtful to fall that far.  -1 point

Runs Batted In: Third Place – 8 Points

• Currently at 835 RBI
• First Place (Cover Zero) has 891.
• Second Place (Goodfellas) has 845, and passed me last week (August 30th)
• Season High: Second Place, as recently as August 29th, then with 807 RBI
• Season Low: Tenth Place, as recently as May 4th, then with 150 RBI
• Potential Gain: Second is attainable, only 10 RBI behind, +1 point
• Potential Loss: Shoeless Jews is in fourth place with 817. X-Men is in fifth place with 787, 30 RBI behind fourth. -1 point

Runs: First Place – 10 Points

• Currently at 913 runs
• Second Place (Goodfellas) has 886
• Season High: First Place – current.  Moved into first June 3rd, and have retained, save for three days (June 15-17) in second or tied for first.
• Season Low: Ninth Place – as recently as April 12th
• Potential Loss: Goodfellas is only 27 runs back, but Shoeless Jews is 75 back.  -1 Point

Stolen Bases: First Place – 10 Points

• Currently at 179 steals
• Second Place (Get Off Kong) is at 161
• Season High: First Place – current.  Moved into first April 11th, took lead for good May 22nd.
• Season Low: Tied for Fourth Place – April 7th.
• Potential Loss: Get Off Kong is 18 back, and Goodfellas is 22 back, which is the positioning over the past two months.  Fourth place (X-Men) is at 107. Unlikely but possible, -2 points.

Earned Run Average: Sixth Place – 5 Points

• Currently at 4.08
• First Place (Uncle Lester) is at 3.34
• Breakdown is 3.34 (Uncle Lester), 3.70 (Shoeless Jews), 3.76 (X-Men), 3.96 (Cover Zero), 4.01 (Stanimals), 4.08 (Atomic Roadrunners)
• Season High: Third Place, June 12th, 4.05 on that date
• Season Low: Ninth Place, April 11th, 4.74 on that date
• Potential Gain: Stanimals passed me in the past week (August 31st).  Best case is +1 point.
• Potential Loss: Seventh Place is at 4.43 (Pi Train), so that large a drop is unlikely.

WHIP: Sixth Place – 5 Points

• Currently at 1.35
• First Place (Uncle Lester) is at 1.21
• Breakdown is 1.21 (Uncle Lester), 1.27 (X-Men), 1.31 (Stanimals), 1.32 (Shoeless Jews), 1.33 (Cover Zero), 1.35 (Atomic Roadrunners)
• Season High: Third Place, June 27th, 1.36 on that date
• Season Low: Tenth Place, April 11th, 1.54 on that date
• Potential Gain: Both Cover Zero and Stanimals passed me on August 18th, a day John Maine pitched five shutout innings with 2 hits and 4 walks (1.20 WHIP).  Could potentially gain 3 points
• Potential Loss: Seventh Place is at 1.37(Pi Train), and Eighth is at 1.39 (Goodfellas), so with a disaster I could potentially lose 2 points.

Strikeouts: First Place – 10 Points

• Currently at 1140 strikeouts
• Second Place (X-Men) is at 1112
• Season High: First Place – current.  Moved into first August 21st.
• Season Low: Seventh Place – April 8th.
• Potential Loss: X-Men is 28 back, Shoeless Jews is 63 back, and Stanimals is 113 back.  Unlikely but possible, -2 points.

Wins: Third Place – 8 Points

• Currently at 81 Wins
• First Place (X-Men) is at 95, Second Place (Pi Train) is at 82
• Season High: Second Place.  Pi Train passed me within the past week (August 30 – also with 81 Wins)
• Season Low: Fourth Place, most recently May 13th with 25 wins
• Potential Gain: The Pi Train is only one win away, +1
• Potential Loss: Fourth place (Stanimals) is at 79, fifth place (Uncle Lester) has 70.  -1

Saves: Second Place – 9 Points

• Currently at 73 Saves
• First Place (Uncle Lester) is at 86
• Season High: First Place – April 20th – May 31st.
• Season Low: Tied for Fourth Place, most recently April 13th with 4 saves
• Potential Gain: None – I don’t think I can gain 14 additional over the final 25 days.
• Potential Loss: Third place (Stanimals) is at 65, fourth place (Shoeless Jews) has 55.  -1

Wrapping it Up:

• Overall Potential Gain: +9 Points (89 Points)
• Realistic Potential Gain: +6 Points (86 Points)
• Overall Potential Loss: -12 Points (68 Points)
• Realistic Potential Loss: -4 Points (76 Points)

Prince Fielder is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Mets, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. Milwaukee is facing its fifth left-handed starter in six games, while Fielder has gone just 3-for-25 and has failed to homer in the last 17 games (66 at-bats). Mike Rivera gets the nod in Fielder’s place on Wednesday. (Rotowire)

Tim Lincecum couldn’t outduel Livan Hernandez on Tuesday, giving up five runs in five innings in a no-decision against the Rockies. Lincecum gave up five hits, walked two and struck out six. It should come as no surprise he had a poor outing one start after he was left in to throw an MLB season-high 132 pitches. He still remains in the Cy Young race, however. Brandon Webb’s recent struggles have left the door wide open for Lincecum to establish himself as the Cy Young favorite. However, he may need to get to 18 wins to satisfy some. He’s currently 15-3 with a league-leading 2.60 ERA. Jake Peavy is second at 2.69. (Rotoworld, Rotowire)

Brandon Moss went 3-for-4 with a home run in a win over the Reds on Tuesday night. Moss is hitting .265/.351/.520 since coming over to the Pirates. He’s the only player the Bucs received in the Jason Bay trade who has been productive. He finished the game with three hits, giving him six multi-hit games in the last 11 contests. Moss will see steady playing time the rest of the year, especially with the organization deciding against promoting Andrew McCutchen. (Rotowire, Rotoworld)

Chris Dickerson went 1-for-2 with a home run and two walks on Tuesday. Dickerson has been playing well in his every day role, hitting .329 out of the leadoff position. He is a great candidate for deeper leagues to help down the stretch. (Rotowire)

Matt Lindstrom, coming off wins on Saturday and Monday, took the loss to the Braves on Tuesday after giving up two runs in the ninth. Lindstrom was pitching for the fourth time in five days, so fatigue might have been an issue. Still, it was a poor outing on a day in which Joe Nelson threw two more scoreless innings. Nelson could still be a candidate for saves with Kevin Gregg down. (Rotoworld)

Jody Gerut (finger) did not play Tuesday for the fifth consecutive game, the Padres’ official site reports. Gerut got some work in the batting cage both Monday and Tuesday, but is still feeling pain when he swings. Mananger Bud Black said the injury isn’t healing as quickly as they had hoped, and Gerut could still miss a few more games. Will Venable has started four of the games in Gerut’s absence, while Chip Ambres started against left-handed pitching on Tuesday. (Rotowire)

Mets RP Luis Ayala, acting as closer, allowed one hit and one walk in one inning Tuesday at Milwaukee for his fifth save in six opportunities since coming to the Mets in a trade with Washington. He recorded two strikeouts. Ayala has apparently taken to the closer role considering his numbers looked awful as a middle reliever. He probably doesn’t have a long leash, but he can suffice as a No. 2 closer for now because he pitches for a contender. (CBS Sports)

ESPN’s Eric Karabell offered that though some fantasy owners may avoid Ayala because of his high ERA, he could end up leading the league in saves over the final month:

What gets me is just how averse so many fantasy owners were to picking up Ayala, and how they simply assumed his ERA well in the 5s would prevent him from accruing saves. Silly people, didn’t Joe Borowski teach us anything when he led the AL in saves a season ago, despite an ERA, like Ayala, on the wrong side of 5?

Put simply, I think ERA and WHIP are very deceiving statistics when it comes to closers.

People forget, but Ayala was once one of the top set-up men in the business, a reliable innings eater who averaged eight wins from 2003-05, with a consistently low ERA. He was, basically, the NL version of Juan Rincon. Then injuries and performance caught up to them, unfortunately, and Ayala’s elbow exploded, causing him to miss 2006. He came back in 2007 and looked like himself. He has not, however, looked like himself this season. Neither has Rincon, for that matter.

Maybe it was all a ploy. The Nationals continued to use Ayala in high-leverage situations, despite his losing eight of nine decisions in four months and a 5.78 ERA. They correctly bypassed him for the closer role when Jon Rauch was dealt, choosing Joel Hanrahan, a fireballer who I think has a nice future in the role. Often, failed starting pitchers who throw really hard do thrive in one-inning, pressure-filled situations (see Joe Nathan, Eric Gagne). Do you really think the Mets targeted Ayala, or did the Nats give him away? I think the natural connection Mets GM Omar Minaya has with his old organization made a deal like this a natural. It’s not the first time these teams dealt with each other.

Ayala is not pitching badly for his new team, but even if he does, save totals can mask that. He has allowed three earned runs in nine innings for the Mets, blown one save and permitted a few runs in another. He already has saves Monday and Tuesday this week, and he’s not the type who needs a great deal of rest, so he might just keep saving games every day. The runs he allows mean virtually nothing to me. He’s the closer now, and the only thing that can change this is either repeated poor pitching or the return of Billy Wagner. Certainly either of those is possible, but when you get to September, fantasy owners can’t be choosy. If saves are out there, and you can rise in the standings, you must pounce. The latest update on Wagner is he threw off a mound Monday, and the team was waiting to see how his elbow responds. My response is, I don’t expect to see him on a mound in a real game again in ‘08, so the fact that he’s owned in 94 percent of ESPN standard leagues, and Ayala is in the 30s for ownership, seems odd.

I think Ayala is going to end up with double-digit saves this season, kind of easily, and he might be one of the top-five save guys for all of September. How’s that for a bold statement? While his overall numbers are nothing to look at, if you need saves, you have to look here.

Braves closer Mike Gonzalez picked up his third save since Aug. 23 on Tuesday at Florida. He pitched a perfect ninth inning, recording his eighth save on the season. Three saves since Aug. 23 is great for Gonzalez, but not so great for most closers. Think of him as just a low-end Fantasy option since he pitches for the out-of-contention Braves. (CBS Sports)

Giants closer Brian Wilson allowed the game-winning run to score without recording an out Tuesday at Colorado, but he didn’t suffer the loss. He entered with two runners on base and allowed a single to the first batter he saw. Wilson hasn’t had a save since Aug. 27, so you have to figure he’ll get one in the next day or two. He has 36 on the season, after all, in only 39 opportunities. Continue to think of him as a No. 1 Fantasy option. (CBS Sports)

Brewers OF Corey Hart went 1-for-5 with an RBI in Tuesday’s loss to the Mets. Hart now has an eight-game hit streak. Hart is a streaky slugging outfielder worth starting in all leagues on a regular basis. (CBS Sports)

Dodgers 2B Blake DeWitt hit his sixth homer of the season in Tuesday’s win over the Padres. DeWitt has pop in his bat and can help deeper NL-only leagues down the stretch. (CBS sports)

Chipper Jones was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup with a right knee injury. Jones tweaked his knee in batting practice and had to be scratched for Tuesday evening’s game against the Marlins. Omar Infante is filling in at third base. Jones is day-to-day with the injury, and manager Bobby Cox said he wouldn’t play Wednesday. Jones might be available off the bench. (Rotoworld)

According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Jaime Garcia “is weighing ligament replacement surgery on his left elbow.” Garcia is said to be seeking a second opinion after one doctor advised surgery, which helps explain his allowing seven runs in nine innings with the Cardinals last month. He had elbow problems last season as well, but opted for rehab over surgery. Going under the knife now would likely knock him out for all of next season. (Rotoworld)

Overall Standings

Rank Team                Batting Pitching Total Dif  Behind
---- ------------------- ------- -------- ----- ---- ------
 1   Atomic Roadrunners  43.0    37.0     80.0  -0.5 0.0
 2   X-Men               32.5    38.0     70.5  -0.5 9.5
 3   Shoeless Jews       32.0    33.0     65.0  1.0  15.0
 4   Goodfellas          37.5    20.5     58.0  0.0  22.0
 5   Stanimals           21.0    36.0     57.0  -1.0 23.0
 6   The Pi Train        25.0    28.5     53.5  1.0  26.5
 7   Uncle Lester        11.0    38.0     49.0  -1.0 31.0
 8   Cover Zero          27.0    16.0     43.0  0.0  37.0
 9   Get Off Kong!       27.0    13.0     40.0  1.0  40.0
 10  Misogynistic Padres 19.0    15.0     34.0  0.0  46.0

Yesterday's Stats

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (9/2/08) F
Player                        BA HR R RBI   SB
------------------------- ------ -- - --- ----
Blake, Casey 3B LA        0.0000  0 0   0    0
Dickerson, Chris OF CIN   0.5000  1 1   1    0
Fielder, Prince 1B MIL    0.0000  0 0   0    0
Hart, Corey C. RF MIL     0.2000  0 0   1    0
Iannetta, Chris C COL     0.6667  0 1   1    0
Jones, Chipper 3B ATL     0.0000  0 0   0    0
Milledge, Lastings LF WAS 0.2500  0 0   0    0
Moss, Brandon OF PIT      0.7500  1 1   1    0
Phillips, Brandon 2B CIN  0.2500  0 0   0    0
Reyes, Jose B. SS NYM     0.0000  0 0   0    0
Sandoval, Pablo C SF      0.0000  0 2   0    0
Teixeira, Mark 1B ANA     0.0000  0 1   1    0
Theriot, Ryan SS CHC      0.5000  0 1   2    0
Victorino, Shane CF PHI   0.0000  0 0   0    0

Atomic Roadrunners Players Yesterday (9/2/08) F
Player                       ERA  K S   W WHIP
------------------------- ------ -- - --- ----
Ayala, Luis RP NYM          0.00  2 1   0 2.00
Lincecum, Tim SP SF         9.00  6 0   0 1.40
Lindstrom, Matt RP FLA     18.00  1 0   0 4.00