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

Chipper Jones (back) missed both games of a doubleheader on Saturday, but hopes to return on Sunday. “[The pain] is right in the middle of my back. I’m still having trouble bending over. I’m taking short breaths,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Jones named his son Shea after Shea Stadium because he hits so well there, and Sunday will be his last game at the park before it’s torn down. We’d think he’d play if possible, as a result. (Rotowire)

FantasyBaseballGeeks.com just ran their NL edition of “What We Learned in 2008” with a team-by-team rundown. I think this was based towards mixed-leagues, as it wasn’t that deep, but here are the takes on the 2008 Roadrunners:

NL East:

• Jose Reyes is the most exciting offensive player in fantasy when he is on and his slumps are becoming fewer as he matures.
• John Maine will be a bargain next year.
• Shane Victorino is a very useful fourth outfielder but shouldn’t be counted on for more.
• Brett Myers continue to baffle, but should be very useful next year.
• Josh Johnson is now the NL version of James Shields.
• Chipper Jones is a warrior but the show is closing.
• Lastings Milledge is still very raw but might turn into a decent fourth outfielder.

NL Central:

• My personal favorite fantasy story this year was “The-Riot” himself Ryan Theriot. Somehow he found a way to put up points with single after single. He will peck your opponents to death.
• Prince Fielder is not going to hit 50 homers every year, more like 35.
• Corey Hart is still underrated and showed off his 20/20 skills again this year with excellent RBI totals to go along with a .280 BA.
• Brandon Phillips is still an elite option to enjoy for years to come.

NL West:

• Brandon Webb is a Cy Young candidate every year but note carefully the innings toll and how he crawled to the finish line.
• Chris Iannetta finally got his average over .100 and showed some potential as a fantasy catcher.
• Chase Headley was still a little undercooked despite every expert demanding his promotion to the big leagues.
• Jody Gerut had a terrific year and showed why he was once a highly regarded young talent.
• Tim Lincecum is the new strikeout king and is the most dazzling young talent on the mound in quite a while. He is still young, but pitches like a veteran. He wants the ball bad and will go 7 innings; a rarity nowadays in this pitch count era.
• Brain Wilson had a great year as a closer and probably even his owners missed it. His ERA wasn’t pretty but he got the job done

Chipper Jones’ back stiffened up before Friday’s rainout and he was scratched from a lineup that was never used. Jones is considered day-to-day. He’s still in a tight race with the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols for the NL batting title. Chipper is hitting .362 to Albert’s .361. (Rotoworld)

Braves 3B Chipper Jones went 3-for-6 Sunday against the Nationals to raise his average two points to .358, one point behind St. Louis’ Albert Pujols, who leads the majors. Jones doubled and had two RBI. Jones’ offensive numbers have taken a dive since June, and he’s playing through an elbow injury, but he’s still too good to sit in most Fantasy formats. Just don’t think of him as a slam-dunk starter anymore. (CBS Sports)

Chipper Jones singled and walked three times Thursday in his return to Atlanta’s lineup. Jones missed two starts with a minor knee injury. Jones said the soreness in his knee was minor, so it looks like he’ll be back in the lineup this weekend. (Rotoworld, Rotowire)

Chipper Jones (knee) could return to the lineup by Friday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. “I don’t see any reason why I couldn’t be back in there tomorrow or the next day, hopefully tomorrow,” Jones said. “I feel like I’ve got a little fluid today in my knee.” Jones has missed the last two games due to the knee injury, but this doesn’t sound too serious. Still, the Braves have little reason to rush him back with little to play for in September. (Rotowire)

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)

Chipper Jones rejoined the starting lineup on Monday and had an RBI single in four at-bats. He also stole his third base of the year. Jones didn’t play Sunday because of congestion caused by allergies. (Rotoworld)

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)

Braves 3B Chipper Jones had two hits, including a double, in five at-bats Saturday at St. Louis and is batting a major league-high .361. He has hit safely in 12 of his past 14 games since returning from the disabled list. Jones had a .369 batting average when he came off the DL, so hitting safely in 12 of 14 games hasn’t done him much good. Maybe Saturday’s two hits will get him going again, though. Even if he isn’t hitting quite as well as he did earlier in the season, he remains a must-start Fantasy 3B. (CBS Sports)

Braves 3B Chipper Jones singled in his last at-bat in the eighth inning Monday against the Giants to extend his hitting streak to nine games. Jones is 10-for-33 (.303) with one homer and six RBI in that span. Jones’ batting average has actually dropped from .371 to .363 during his latest run. It’s not very often when a hitting streak actually hurts your average, but that’s how good Jones has been in 2008. He continues to perform well coming off the DL and remains a must-start Fantasy 3B. (CBS Sports)

Chipper Jones went 1-for-5 with an RBI in Thursday’s loss to the Cubs. He had missed Wednesday night’s game to a virus, but he appears to be over it. He’s batting .333 (6-for-18) with a home run since returning from a hamstring injury. He’s batting .333 (6-for-18) with a home run since returning from a hamstring injury. (Rotoworld)

Chipper Jones is out of Atlanta’s lineup on Wednesday night due to a stomach virus. Perhaps of more concern is that Jones said prior to Wednesday’s game that his legs are still not at full health. “My hamstring’s great. My quad is still pretty sore,” Jones said. Martin Prado replaced him at third base on Wednesday night. (Rotoworld)

Up:

• P John Maine
• P Joe Blanton
• 3B Chipper Jones
• OF Chase Headley

Down:

• OF Gregor Blanco
• OF Steve Pearce
• P Matt Lindstrom
• P Carlos Villanueva

Move:

• 3B Casey Blake to Utility
• U Jody Gerut to OF

Braves 3B Chipper Jones only needed a handful of at-bats to begin looking like the guy who is leading the major leagues in hitting. Jones returned from the disabled list with a pair of hits, including a home run estimated at 434 feet, powering the Braves to an 11-6 victory over the Diamondbacks on Friday night. He finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI. “I was feeling very rusty early if you saw the first couple of swings,” Jones said. “That’s to be expected after going 15 days and not seeing a pitch. But it came back quickly.” Out since July 24 with a strained left hamstring, Jones raised his batting average to .371. More importantly, he didn’t feel any pain in his legs “for the first time in months.” He added: “I don’t know if I’ll be able to put any deodorant on in the morning. I’m pretty sore. But we’ll see how it goes.” Jones is one of the top Fantasy performers when healthy, but there’s the rub on him. Get him back active now, but he might have another muscle pull before season’s end. (CBS Sports)