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

Angels 1B Mark Teixeira couldn’t manage a hit in two at-bats Monday against the Rays and saw his hitting streak end at nine games. Teixeira, who did walk once Monday, was 17-for-35 (.486) with three homers and nine RBI in that span. Teixeira came to the Angels hitting .283, but he has since raised his average to .296. He has been great in the middle of the Angels lineup and continues to be a must-start Fantasy option. (CBS Sports)

Mark Teixeira, who gave the Angels a 3-1 lead in the third with a two-run homer against Felix Hernandez, hit another leading off the bottom of the ninth against closer J.J. Putz to tie it. It was Teixeira’s 21st multihomer game and third this season. “He’s swinging the bat well, and tonight showed he’s a clutch hitter,” Torii Hunter said. “He came through with two big home runs.” Big Tex is having another strong second half and is a must-start first baseman in all Fantasy leagues. Keep him active through thick and thin. (CBS Sports)

Mark Teixeira, whose grand slam last Sunday at Yankee Stadium was wasted in a 14-9 loss, hit a first-pitch fastball Saturday against Jose Veras way up the batter’s eye in center field. He went 2-for-5 with two strikeouts in the game. Teixeira has lived up to his potential since being traded over from Atlanta and has not dropped off at all. He’s at 22 homers and 86 RBI to go with a .286 batting average. Continue to start him through thick and thin. (CBS Sports)

Los Angeles Angels 1B Mark Teixeira had one of his better games in an Angels uniform Wednesday against the Orioles. Big Tex went 2-for-3 with a double and scored three times in L.A.’s win. He’s batting .284. Teixeira went 4-for-10 in the series against the Orioles, a team who is interested in signing him after the season. The thumping first baseman is an immediate game-changer in AL-only leagues who remains a must-start in Fantasy. (CBS Sports)

Angels 1B Mark Teixeira smacked a grand slam in Sunday’s 14-9 loss to the Yankees for his first homer as a member of his new team. He now has 21 homers on the year. Teixeira’s homer came in the eighth inning off reliever Edwar Ramirez and gave the Angels a 9-8 lead. However, the bullpen and defense imploded in the next inning, allowing the Yankees to take the lead and eventually win the game. Though it didn’t end up mattering today, Teixeira’s blast highlights just how big of an addition he was for the otherwise mediocre Angels’ offense. The thumping first baseman is an immediate game-changer in AL-only leagues who remains a must-start in Fantasy. (Rotoworld, CBS Sports)

Mark Teixeira had two hits and a stolen base in Thursday’s laugher over the Yankees. He scored one run and drove in one. The steal was Teixeira’s first in almost two years. Perhaps the aggressive way the Angels run the bases will rub off a little on Teixeira, but Los Angeles knows why it acquired the slugger - for his bat. (Rotowire)

First baseman Mark Teixeira went 0-for-4 in his debut with Los Angeles Wednesday vs. the Red Sox after being obtained from Atlanta on Tuesday. He walked and struck out twice. Don’t let Wednesday’s performance fool you, Teixeira is an immediate game-changer in AL-only leagues, so don’t hesitate to blow your entire FAAB budget on him. With a .281 batting, 20 home runs and 78 RBI, he remains a must-start in Fantasy. (CBS Sports)

The Angels acquired first baseman Mark Teixeira from the Braves for first baseman Casey Kotchman and RHP Stephen Marek. The Angels are obviously counting on Teixeira having one of his typical big second halves. They’re probably adding about 100 points of OPS to their lineup at the cost of getting a lot more expensive at first base and a quality relief prospect. The Angels will surely make an attempt to re-sign Teixeira over the winter, but it won’t be easy, even for a team with a top-five payroll. Teixeira’s fantasy value is relatively unchanged with the deal. He has plenty of experience playing in the AL West, so that won’t be an issue. Teixeira will bat third for the Angels. He’ll have plenty of RBI chances with Chone Figgins leading off and Howie Kendrick likely hitting second, and will get some of the best protection in the league and some run-scoring help with Vladimir Guerrero behind him.

According to FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, the Braves picked the Angels’ offer for Mark Teixeira over a package of Chad Tracy and Micah Owings from the Diamondbacks. Rosenthal also says the Braves tried to insert Will Ohman into the Angels’ deal with the goal of acquiring additionals youngsters, but that it didn’t work. Ohman remains likely to be moved before the deadline. (Rotoworld)

10:51am Tuesday: FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the Angels and Diamondbacks are vying for Mark Teixeira. The Angels are reportedly interested in making the deal even bigger and acquiring a lefty reliever like Will Ohman or Mike Gonzalez. The Angels deal is thought to center around Casey Kotchman, and the Diamondback’s offer is thought to start with Chad Tracy.

6:36am Tuesday: The Los Angeles Times reports that the Angels are “warming” to the idea of trading for Mark Teixeira. The team still doesn’t seem overly enthused about the idea of trading for a rental, with GM Tony Reagins saying, “That scenario is unlikely, but I would look at it.” The asking price for Teixeira is Casey Kotchman, but the Angels are one of few teams with the flexibility to sign Teixeira to a long-term deal.

5:43am Tuesday: Meanwhile, The East Valley Tribune reports that the Diamondbacks won’t trade for Mark Teixeira or Manny Ramirez. The paper cites a source who calls Ramirez a “non-issue.” The source says the D-Backs and Braves have talked Teixeira for several days, but that there’s not enough common ground to make a deal work. The Red Sox, Rays, Angels and D-Backs were thought to have interest in Teixeira, and there’s been little to suggest any team will meet Atlanta’s asking price.

4:17pm Monday: ESPN’s Jayson Stark said the Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Rays and Angels are the four teams that have expressed some level of interest in Mark Teixeira. There’s been little to suggest that the Angels are actually in on Teixeira, as they don’t appear interested in flipping Casey Kotchman for him. Likewise, the Red Sox and Rays have to be considered big long shots here.

2:58pm Monday: Yahoo! Sports’ Steve Henson reports that negotiations between the Diamondbacks and Braves are “pretty far along.” Henson believes the Braves are asking for either Conor Jackson or Chad Tracy, plus a prospect. Jackson is likely off the table, but if the Braves are willing to accept Tracy as the centerpiece of a deal, then the Diamondbacks have to seriously consider making the trade. Still, it could come down to the prospect. The Diamondbacks don’t have much to offer besides Max Scherzer and Jarrod Parker after giving up a big portion of their system for Dan Haren, and it’s doubtful that they’d part with either right-hander.

1:18pm Monday: FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal believes that the Braves will ramp up efforts to trade Mark Teixeira after losing their series against the Phillies this weekend. Rosenthal doesn’t cite one of his “sources,” so this seems to be a bit of speculation on his part. He suggests the Red Sox, Angels, Diamondbacks, Rays, Dodgers and Yankees as potential destinations, although he admits none are a perfect fit. ESPN’s Keith Law said there are four suitors, based on talks over the last 48 hours. (Rotoworld)

Mark Teixeira hit a three-run homer Saturday as part of a nine-run fourth inning, but the Braves were outlasted by the Phillies. That was a wild one. Things started out normally, with the Phillies notching a run in the second and another in the third, but around came the middle innings and things got insane. The Braves put up nine runs in the fourth on an Omar Infante double, Teixeira’s dinger, a Mark Kotsay single, and a couple of errors. The Phillies then answered with their own big inning, a seven-run affair in the fifth that afforded them a one-run lead. That lead would remain intact for the rest of the game as the Phillies escaped with the win. Teixeira is hitting .277 with 20 HR and 77 RBI this season. (Rotoworld)

Mark Teixeira hit two home runs against the Nationals on Sunday. Both were solo shots for Teixeira, who also added an RBI single and a walk. The Braves maintain that they’re in the race and won’t be sellers for now, but they’re 6 1/2 games out of an NL East race that has three teams ahead of them. It will likely come down to how they do over the next week, but Teixeira heating up and increasing his trade value could also push them over the edge. (Rotoworld)

Mark Teixeira told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that he believes the Braves won’t deal him. “(Manager) Bobby (Cox) pointed out that there had been rumors about me and (reliever Will Ohman), and he told us not to listen to media reports and to those rumors, because this team is still trying to win the (National League East),” said Teixeira. Cox also had this to say on the matter: “We’re buyers, not sellers. We’re trying anything to improve. We’re not seeking to move anybody. I don’t know where [people] got all of that stuff from. There’s a time to [start trading players], I suppose, but we’re in this thing.” (Rotoworld)

Update: ESPN’s Jayson Stark has additional Teixeira rumors:

In theory, by the end of this weekend — after a week of dueling the Marlins and Phillies — the Braves will know exactly whether they’re in a race or out of one. But it seems as if the Braves have been stuck for weeks in what GM Frank Wren calls “that middle ground” between contention and oblivion.

They’re 19-26 since the end of May. They haven’t even won more than three in a row since Memorial Day. So they look more and more like a team that’s about to shake up Deadline Week by dealing away the best player on the market — Mark Teixeira.

If the Braves decide as soon as this weekend that it’s sell-off time, clubs that have spoken with them got the impression they’ve already done enough groundwork to put together a Teixeira deal quickly. The question is: Who’s buying? Every indication is that the Braves have at least touched base with the Rays, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels and Yankees on Teixeira. But Arizona appears to be the team to watch. The Diamondbacks quietly made a big run at Teixeira last July, and they’re in just as serious need of some major thump now.

An official of one club that spoke with the Diamondbacks describes them as having “definite interest.” But while the Braves would love to wrest away Conor Jackson, it’s tough to imagine Arizona dealing away a player it likes that much for two months of Teixeira.

Theo Epstein denied that the Sox and Braves were discussing a Mark Teixeira for Kevin Youkilis and Craig Hansen trade. Epstein denied the rumor to the Boston Globe, who had earlier reported that the Braves made the aforementioned proposal. Teixeira is a free agent at the end of the season, so the Braves may look to deal him if they fade further from the playoff race before the July 31 trade deadline. They might not be discussing it, but Atlanta probably floated the offer as a possibility should David Ortiz not fully recover.

The Boston Globe confirms ESPN’s Peter Gammons’ report that the Braves have had talks with the Red Sox regarding Mark Teixeira. Gammons reported that the Braves had offered Teixeira for Kevin Youkilis and Craig Hansen. The Globe reports that the team wouldn’t make the deal at this time, but told the Braves to “keep us in mind.” The determining factor to a deal like this is David Ortiz’ health. (Rotoworld)

Braves 1B Mark Teixeira had only one hit in five at-bats Tuesday at the Dodgers, but it went out of the park for his 17th home run. He has now hit .368 (7-for-19) over his last five games. Big Tex is notoriously a better player in the second half. Consider him a must-start in all leagues and a potential second-half MVP if you are looking for someone to buy in on. (CBS Sports)

Mark Teixeira drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the 17th inning with a base knock that found the left-center field wall and the Braves topped the Astros. The Braves rallied with two runs in the eighth inning to tie the game at 6-6. The score would stay the same until Astros’ reliever Tim Byrdak loaded the bases in the 17th, then served up a fat one to Teixeira. Tex is hitting .276 with 66 RBI on the year. (Rotoworld)