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

The Roadrunners are dealing with quite a few injuries as the season winds down, and these are affecting my stats over the final week:

Catcher: Both Chris Iannetta and Pablo Sandoval are day-to-day after weekend injuries.  Sandoval had a strained quad, while Iannetta was pulled from Sunday’s game with severe leg cramping, which isn’t good for a catcher.  Both are day-to-day over the final week.

Infield: Brandon Phillips is on the 60-Day DL due to a broken finger from two weeks ago.  Ryan Theriot’s Cubs have already clinched, and he and other regulars are being rested over the final week in preparation for the post-season.  Chipper Jones‘ latest injury is shoulder inflammation, which has limited him to pinch-hitting appearances since last Friday.  Depending on the pitching matchup, he may sit occasionally.  Even September call-up Mat Gamel admitted he was injured, and he was shut down with a sore elbow, though this is likely what caused his poor second half.

Outfield: Remember when the Roadrunners had ridiculous depth of somewhat-decent outfielders?  Well, no more.  Corey Hart is slumping badly, though at least the Brewers are striving for the wild card - they’ll trot him out there each day.  Brandon Moss just learned that he has some bad knee cartilage, and he has been shut down, and may require surgery that’ll have him miss part of Spring Training.  Ten days ago Chris Dickerson hurt his foot, and he had been hobbled.  Finally an MRI detected a hairline fracture in his heel, so he’s shut down as well.  Jody Gerut has only one start since August 27th due to a strained finger tendon, making it impossible for him to hold a bat - though he has been a pinch runner.  Gregor Blanco has been sitting of late as the Braves try to figure out which of their young outfielders will be in their plans for next season.  Blanco should be safe, but he’ll be no more than a No. 4 OF.

Pitching: The pitching isn’t in bad shape in this final week.  In addition to the Noah Lowry pickup (he was rehabbing while on the 60-Day DL when picked up), John Maine has basically been shut down for the season. Well, but no one told him that - there’s a chance he’ll be on the playoff roster (if the Mets win the wild card), but he has a bone spur that requires surgery.  Idiotic Giants manager Bruce Bochy has been driving Tim Lincecum into the ground, and yesterday’s start showed that he might not have anything left in the tank.  Lincecum of course leads the majors in pitcher abuse points, and I’d like to personally thank Bochy for ruining Lincecum’s career for a fourth-place 70-87 squad that’s 12 games out of first.

Padres OF Jody Gerut (finger) did not return to the starting lineup Friday at Washington, but he did appear as a pinch hitter, going 0-for-1. He had not played since Sept. 6 and hadn’t taken an at-bat since Aug. 27. Gerut has enjoyed a renaissance, but he is too banged up to start games for the Padres or any Fantasy teams down the stretch. He might have done enough to be a super reserve outfielder in deeper formats in 2009, though. (CBS Sports)

The San Diego Union Tribune reports that Jody Gerut (finger) is “unlikely to bat again this season.” Gerut may be used as a pinch-runner, but he’s still not able to grip a bat after injuring his finger on August 27. If he’s indeed done hitting, Gerut finishes his comeback season at .297/.352/.495 with 14 homers and 43 RBI in 355 plate appearances, which is remarkable for a 30-year-old who hadn’t topped 200 plate appearances in a season since 2004. (Rotoworld)

Manager Bud Black said Sunday that he’s hoping Jody Gerut (finger) “would play again this season.” According to Black, the strained ligament in Gerut’s left middle finger has shown no improvement recently. “This is no longer a day-to-day thing,” Gerut said. “I really want to finish on a high note. I want to add to what I’ve accomplished.” (Rotoworld)

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

Padres OF Jody Gerut (finger) did not return to the starting lineup Thursday against the Giants. He has not played since Sept. 6 and hasn’t taken at-bat since Aug. 27. Gerut is too risky to use outside of the deepest of NL-only Rotisserie leagues at this point. You might only get a week of pinch hitting out of him. (CBS Sports)

Jody Gerut missed his 13th consecutive game on Wednesday and is still have trouble with his sprained left middle finger, the Padres’ official site reports. Gerut hit balls off a tee on Tuesday, but he’s still not able to participate in batting practice. When he returns is still anyone’s guess; manager Bud Black said he hopes it’s during this weekend’s series against the Giants, but admitted even he doesn’t know. In the meantime, Will Venable, who is getting most of Gerut’s playing time, is hitting .342. (Rotowire)

The San Diego Union Tribune reports that Jody Gerut (finger) is not close to rejoining the lineup. According to the newspaper, Gerut’s “left middle finger is still swollen 11 days after he strained a ligament.” With both Gerut and Scott Hairston out, Will Venable has started eight of the past 10 games in center field. (Rotoworld)

Padres OF Jody Gerut (finger) missed his eighth straight start Friday at Milwaukee, but he did appear as a pinch runner. Gerut has decent numbers and shows moderate power, but he only plays against right-handers. Think of him as just an NL-only option when healthy. (CBS Sports)

Jody Gerut, who hasn’t played since suffering a sprained ligament in his finger August 27, could miss another week, the Padres’ official site report. Manager Bud Black isn’t ruling Gerut out of the rest of the weekend series against Milwaukee, but he doesn’t sound very hopeful either. Black hopes Gerut can return for Tuesday’s series opener against the Giants, but it might be wise to keep Gerut reserved in weekly leagues next week. (Rotowire)

Jody Gerut (finger) sat out again Wednesday, the North County Times reports. Manager Bud Black mentioned the possibility that Gerut will miss San Diego’s entire four-game series in Milwaukee. “Obviously, (the injury is) more significant than the medical staff and Jody first thought,” Black said. Gerut hasn’t played since August 27. (Rotowire)

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)

Up:

• OF Lastings Milledge
• 3B/U Casey Blake
• P Matt Lindstrom

Down:

• OF Jody Gerut
• OF Chase Headley
• P Mike Gonzalez

Jody Gerut was out of the starting lineup Monday for the fourth straight game because of a sore middle finger. According to manager Bud Black, Gerut is still at least a few days from returning. With Scott Hairston out for the season, rookie Will Venable has replaced Gerut in center field. (Rotoworld)

Jody Gerut was held out of Saturday’s starting lineup due to a sprained middle finger. Gerut also missed Friday and will likely be out until Monday. He apparently suffered the injury on a stolen base attempt during Wednesday’s game. “Hopefully, each day it gets a little better. We’ll see how he is tomorrow. But I’m not hopeful,” manager Bud Black said. (Rotoworld)