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

Jason Bergmann was a nice starter, but unfortunately he recorded two wins in his 3-1/2 months on the Roadrunners. That’s what happens when you play for the Nationals. Plus, he would have cost $10 to protect, and we couldn’t risk actually activating him, so there you have it. It was a nightmarish start for Nationals starter Jason Bergmann Wednesday night against the Mets. Bergmann lasted just three innings and allowed 10 runs — all of them earned — on nine hits. He walked six men and had one strikeout. He needed 89 pitches to go just three full frames. Far and away the worst outing of the season for Bergmann, the man still has an ERA under 5.00 after this fiasco. He’d been pitching pretty well prior to Wednesday and we certainly don’t expect a repeat of this performance next week. That said, he pitches for the Nationals so wins will always be hard to come by. He is a two-start pitcher in Fantasy Week 21 (Aug. 18-24) but that makes him a viable option in only the deepest of mixed Fantasy leagues. His next scheduled start comes Tuesday at the Phillies and he’ll finish the week at the Cubs. (CBS Sports)

John Bowker was sent down to AAA Fresno last week, and we’re not sure he’s coming back. Even though he was second on the team in homers (with 9), he just wasn’t hitting consistently. Bowker has been seeing plenty of time at first base since mid-June, but he hasn’t homered in his last 96 at-bats. He’s also managed just nine hits in his last 78 at-bats, bringing his average down to .247 on the season. (Rotoworld)

Trade:

• Trade OF Steve Pearce ($1, 3 years) to Cover Zero.
• Acquire Nationals’ OF Lastings Milledge ($9, 1 year), added to actives

FAAB Acquisitions:

• OF Chris Dickerson, Reds [$0 bid, add to actives]
• P Noah Lowry, Giants [$0 bid]

Down:

• OF Shane Victorino

Cut:

• P Jason Bergmann
• OF John Bowker

Giants optioned infielder/outfielder John Bowker to Triple-A Fresno. Bowker has been seeing plenty of time at first base since mid-June, but he hasn’t homered in his last 96 at-bats. He’s also managed just nine hits in his last 78 at-bats, bringing his average down to .247 on the season. Bowker hit well initially, but a lack of plate discipline of late has led to a prolonged slump. He has nearly has many strikeouts (69) as hits (74) this season. (Rotoworld, Rotowire)

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that John Bowker “might be playing himself out of the lineup.” Bowker has been starting regularly at first base since mid-June, but hasn’t homered since July 2 and is hitting .179 in 30 games since. The newspaper speculates that Travis Ishikawa could get an opportunity to replace him at first base after hitting .299/.377/.578 with 24 homers and 94 RBI in 112 games between Double-A and Triple-A. (Rotoworld)

John Bowker went 0-for-4 and left six men on base during the Giants’ win Sunday. Over the last month, Bowker has just one multi-hit game, leaving him with an unacceptable sub-.300 on-base percentage. He’ll need to get it going if he doesn’t want to start losing at-bats. (Rotowire)

Giants 1B John Bowker went 2-for-3 Saturday at San Diego. He entered the game batting just .154 (6-for-39) since the All-Star break. Bowker has definitely gotten cold, but he still has decent enough power for NL-only leagues. You probably shouldn’t have reached for him in mixed leagues anyway. (CBS Sports)

FAAB Acquisition:

• 3B Casey Blake, Dodgers [$35 bid, add to actives]

Up:

• P Josh Johnson
• OF Steve Pearce

Down:

• 3B Chipper Jones
• P Joe Blanton
• OF John Bowker

Cut:

• OF Andruw Jones

Notes:

• This is the first week this season that the Atomic Roadrunners infield has been disrupted, here in Week 18. The core of Prince Fielder, Mark Teixeira, Chipper Jones, Jose Reyes, Brandon Phillips, and Ryan Theriot had not been interrupted this season. The catching situation has been remarkably stable as well, as Chris Iannetta replaced Javier Valentin in Week 4, and Chris Coste replaced Carlos Ruiz in Week 8.
• Former 2008 Roadrunner Matt Herges was released by Stanimals when he picked up John Grabow.
• I also bid $3 on Joel Hanrahan, who had been on my scout team since the pre-season, due to his scoreless innings streak in Spring Training. X-Men acquired him for $41 FAAB, as he is now the presumptive closer for the Nationals with the trade of Jon Rauch.

John Bowker finished the series against the Nationals 0-for-9 after going hitless on Thursday. Bowker is 11-for-52 with just three RBI this month. He got off to a hot start after his April callup and was maybe the Giants’ best player in June, but his overall numbers aren’t looking very good at the moment. While it’s likely that the Giants will stick with him, he’ll need to show more to guarantee he enters 2009 as a regular. (Rotoworld)

Giants OF John Bowker scored the only runs off Cubs SP Ryan Dempster Wednesday as he slugged a two-run homer off the right-hander. Bowker, who now has nine homers, finished 2-for-4. He is 6-for-12 (.500) with four RBI in his last four games. Bowker continues to be a decent source of power for the Giants since his recall in mid-April. He is still not seeing everyday at-bats, but the Giants are finding ways to get him into the lineup. Bowker still remains just a sleeper for deeper Fantasy leagues. (CBS Sports)

John Bowker went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a pair of RBI against the Athletics on Sunday. Bowker doubled once, singled twice, and walked once in the contest. His 10 walks in 197 at-bats is hardly a plus, but he’s done a solid job otherwise with a .274 average and .462 slugging percentage with 35 RBI. (Rotoworld)

San Francisco Giants outfielder John Bowker went 1-for-4 Wednesday as the Giants defeated the Cleveland Indians in interleague action. Bowker hit his eighth homer in the eighth off Rafael Betancourt to make it 4-1, the game’s final margin. Bowker has now hit safely in five straight and seven of his last eight games. He’s got nine RBI during that span and two homers. Bowker has proven to be a streaky performer in his young career and can’t really be trusted outside of larger NL-only Fantasy leagues at this time. (CBS sports)

Giants OF John Bowker had three hits, including a bases-loaded clearing double, and three RBI in five at-bats Sunday against the Royals. He came into the game with just three hits in his previous 17 plate appearances. Bowker has two three-hit games and two three-RBI games in his last six appearances. Bowker has proven to be a streaky performer in his young career and can’t really be trusted outside of larger NL-only Fantasy leagues at this time. (CBS Sports)

FAAB Acquisitions:

• P Charlie Morton, Braves [$9 bid, add to actives]
• P Seth McClung, Brewers [$6 bid, add to actives]
• P Josh Johnson, Marlins [$0 bid]

Up:

• 3B/OF Chase Headley (to Utility)
• OF John Bowker
• P Jorge Campillo
• P Mike Gonzalez

Down:

• P Jason Marquis
• P Carlos Villanueva
• P Todd Wellemeyer
• P Jason Bergmann
• OF Ryan Spilborghs
• 3B Blake DeWitt

Cut:

• P Manny Acosta
• P Greg Reynolds
• P Doug Brocail

John Bowker went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer as the Giants defeated the Tigers on Monday night. The homer put the Giants ahead late in the game, and Bowker finished with two runs scored. Bowker had a brutal April, picked things up a bit in May, and is now batting .350 with three homers in June, raising his average to .273 on the season. He has 7 homers and 28 RBI in just 161 at-bats so far this year. Bowker has proven to be a streaky performer in his young career and he is clearly ready to pop off right now. Consider him a sleeper in deeper leagues, especially NL-only formats. He has pop in his bat and some versatility with first base and outfield eligibility. (Rotoworld, CBS Sports)

John Bowker went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer as the Giants defeated the Tigers on Monday night. The homer put the Giants ahead late in the game, and Bowker finished with two runs scored. Bowker had a brutal April, picked things up a bit in May, and is now batting .350 with three homers in June, raising his average to .273 on the season. He has 7 homers and 28 RBI in just 161 at-bats so far this year. Bowker has proven to be a streaky performer in his young career and he is clearly ready to pop off right now. Consider him a sleeper in deeper leagues, especially NL-only formats. He has pop in his bat and some versatility with first base and outfield eligibility. (Rotoworld, CBS Sports)