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

FAAB Acquisition:

• C Chris Coste, Phillies [$0 bid]

Up:

• OF John Bowker
• P Nelson Figueroa

Down:

• OF Andruw Jones
• P Duaner Sanchez

Cut:

• Javier Valentin, C, Cincinnati

Notes:

• Was outbid for re-signing Cubs P Jon Lieber. Cover Zero acquired him for $5 - I had bid $0. Lieber was added to the Cubs’ rotation, and promptly gave up 5 HR in his start. Probably for the best.
• Former Roadrunner Zach Duke was acquired by Misogynistic Padres for $4 FAAB.

After getting the season off to a good start, Duke has struggled in his last two outings, his ERA rising to 5.34. He’s not a dominant pitcher, and his lack of strikeouts and general inconsistency limits his Fantasy appeal to NL-only leagues. His next start is scheduled for Wednesday at the Mets. He is by no stretch of the imagination a dominant pitcher, but Duke was passing in NL-only leagues earlier in the season.

FAAB Acquisitions:

• RP, Duaner Sanchez, Mets [$0 bid, active]

Up:

• Shane Victorino
• Andruw Jones

Down:

• Nelson Figueroa
• John Bowker
• Matt Murton

Cut:

• Zach Duke

Notes: I had also bid $0 on the Reds’ Jerry Hairston, Jr., and $0 on Cubs SS Ronny Cedeno.  I was outbid by Tom Ross of Get Off Kong! on both.  He won Hairston with a $4 bid, and Cedeno with a $13 bid.  Yikes.

Pirates SP Zach Duke allowed the visiting Phillies to take a six-run lead against him Friday, ultimately falling for the second time this season. His troubles started when he walked two of the first three batters. “Those two walks in the first inning really set the tone,” Duke said. “I fell apart there. I wasn’t really sharp. That’s the way it goes.” Duke allowed only those six runs in six innings, surrendering nine hits and three walks. He struck out two. After getting the season off to a good start, Duke has struggled in his last two outings, his ERA rising to 5.34. He’s not a dominant pitcher, and his lack of strikeouts and general inconsistency limits his Fantasy appeal to NL-only leagues. Duke started off with three solid outings, but he’s allowed 11 runs in 10 innings his last two times out. As few strikeouts as he gets, his margin for error is just so slim. He has nine K’s through five starts, six of them coming in one game. His next start is scheduled for Wednesday at the Mets. (CBS Sports)

Zach Duke was lit up for eight hits and two walks in four innings Sunday afternoon against the Cubs. He also hit two batters in a 13-6 loss. He was actually fortunate to limit Chicago to five runs, as the Cubs stranded seven runners. Duke was unable to help halt a four-game losing streak and his defense, which has committed at least one error in 16 of 18 contests, played down to its typical level with two miscues. Duke failed to notch a strikeout, but Sunday’s loss was a total team effort. (Rotowire)

FAAB Acquisitions:

• OF John Bowker, Giants ($2 bid) [active]
• P Mike Gonzalez, Braves ($0 bid)

Up:

• P Jon Lieber, Cubs
• P Peter Moylan, Braves
• OF Brian Barton, Cardinals

Down:

• OF Shane Victorino, Phillies (15-Day DL)
• OF Rajai Davis, Giants
• P Chuck James, Atlanta
• P Zach Duke, Pirates

Cut:

• OF Gregor Blanco, Braves
• 3B Greg Dobbs, Phillies

Zach Duke pitched seven innings of one-run ball, but wasn’t involved in the decision against the Cubs on Wednesday night. He scattered eight hits while striking out six and just one walk, but the Pirates couldn’t muster enough offense to get him the win. Four of his Ks came on fastballs, a good sign. Of some concern is that the 24-year-old Duke was left in for 116 pitches for the second game in a row. Apparently whatever new NL Central manager Dusty Baker had is contagious. (Rotoworld)

Duke had just one strikeout in his other outing of the season and he posted just 117 in his only 200-plus inning season. So don’t think you’ll be getting five-plus K’s from him on a regular basis. That doesn’t mean he’s not a good Fantasy pitcher, though, as he did post a 1.81 ERA in 84 2/3 innings as a rookie in 2005. The troubling trend so far with him early on this season is that he’s allowed 18 hits already in 12 2/3 innings. He’s worth owning in most NL-only formats — especially in Week 3, when he’ll be slated for two starts. (CBS Sports)

Update: Catcher Ryan Doumit had nothing but praise for Duke’s outing on Wednesday that included one walk and six Ks in seven innings. “That is the best I’ve seen his stuff since I caught him in 2005,” Doumit told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Anyone who watched Duke struggle the last two seasons should rightly feel wary about picking him up. If nothing else, we’ll continue to track Duke’s progress for you. Batters are still hitting a whopping .340 against the left-hander in 2008 despite a 2.13 ERA in 12.2 innings. (Rotowire)

Pirates SP Zach Duke shut out the Braves for five innings Thursday, but gave up three runs on three hits and a fielding error by Jack Wilson in the sixth. He was on the hook for the 3-2 loss before Pittsburgh rallied in the seventh. Duke allowed 10 hits and three runs (two earned) in 5 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out one. He opens with a 3.18 ERA. Duke looked Thursday more like the kid who posted a 1.81 ERA in 2005, than the guy who struggled with a 5.53 ERA in 2007. That’s a good sign that he might be over the elbow problems that plagued him last season. Duke might be on the right track to reviving his career, but until we a consistent pitcher, he is more of a low-end NL-only Fantasy option. Manager John Russell likely left Duke in the game too long, but showed confidence in him by letting him try to get out of his sixth-inning jam. Duke threw 116 pitches against Atlanta and featured a fastball that regularly hit 90-92 mph, several mph faster than last year. His next scheduled start is for Wednesday against the Cubs. He was 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA in two starts against the Cubbies last season.  (CBS Sports, Rotowire)

FAAB Acquisition:

• Blake DeWitt, 3B, Los Angeles ($0 bid)

Up:

• 3B Blake DeWitt to Utility
• C Javier Valentin
• P Carlos Villanueva
• P Zach Duke
• P Jason Marquis

Down:

• U Scott Hatteberg
• P Peter Moylan
• P Tony Pena
• P Jon Lieber

Cut:

• 2B Emilio Bonifacio

From Baseball Prospectus’s Kevin Goldstein yesterday:

Don’t Believe The Hype: What does Emilio Bonifacio offer other than game-changing speed and good glovework at second? Not a whole heckuva lot. He needs to develop a more patient approach, or he’s going to hit towards the bottom of a lineup.

Emilio, we hardly knew you.

From CBS Sports:

According to MLB.com, the Pirates moved SP Zach Duke from the No. 5 spot to the No. 3 spot in their rotation, flip-flopping him with fellow lefty Paul Maholm, who missed his spring start Friday with lower back stiffness. Duke will now start April 3 at Atlanta. He’s had a good spring, posting an ERA of 3.32 so far. He posted a 1.81 ERA as a rookie, but has struggled since in his major-league career. Until we see that same pitcher, he is more of a low-end NL-only Fantasy option.