Week 4: Saturday's report

Carlos Gomez found the sweet spot on the barrel with
this hanging breaking ball.

STUDS: Carlos Gomez (Rookies) had 3 hits, including a 2-run homer. Yonder Alonso (Pitch You Blockhead) hit 3 doubles, drove in 2 and scored 2 runs. A.J. Burnett (Going, Going Gonzo) earned a win and struck out 6 while allowing 2 runs in 6 innings.

DUDS: Ryan Braun (Testosteraun Braun) went 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts and was caught stealing. Mike Leake (Testosteraun Braun) allowed 3 earned runs and struck out 1 in a 3-inning loss. Thanks to a Marco Scutaro error, Sergio Romo (Testosteraun Braun — hey, it's a theme!) allowed 1 run and took the loss in 0.1 inning.

NOTE: Testosteraun Braun had 10 players hit the field, and they combined for zero points thanks to a handful of goose eggs and the negative scores listed in the Duds section. That's remarkable.

Head-to-head scores

Silver State Sagebrushers 120, Testosteraun Braun 111
Fresh Fish 127, Rookies 88
Manwaring a Muumuu 154, Going Going Gonzo 150
Arbitration Losers 154, Pitch You Blockhead 124
Misfits 154, Lawyers, Guns & Money 137

Week 4: Friday's report

You can't hit a homer in EVERY game, Justin.

STUDS: Anthony Rizzo (Testosteraun Braun) singled, stole a base and hit a pair of 2-run homers. Jordan Zimmermann (Testosteraun Braun) threw a 1-hit shutout and struck out 4. Lance Lynn (Lawyers, Guns & Money) struck out 9 and allowed 1 run in 7 innings. Carlos Beltran (Misfits) homered twice, but one of them was off Jonathan Sanchez, and that hardly counts.

DUDS: Reds hitters. All of them. Again. Cincinnati players owned in FBLG went a combined 0 for 19. Oh, and most of the swing-and-miss Braves, especially Dan Uggla (Going, Going Gonzo), 0 for 4 with 4 Ks; Freddie Freeman (Misfits), 0 for 4 with 4 Ks and an error; Juan Francisco (Testosteraun Braun, bench), 0 for 3 with 3 Ks; and Justin Upton (Silver State Sagebrushers), 0 for 3 with 1 K and an error. Paul Maholm (Rookies) allowed 8 runs in 3.2 innings.

TRANSACTIONS: The injury carousel continues for Manwaring a Muumuu, which places a conditional DL move on 2B Mark Ellis. Jedd Gyorko would enter the lineup in Ellis' place.

Head-to-head scores

Testosteraun Braun 111, Silver State Sagebrushers 89
Fresh Fish 101, Rookies 73
Manwaring a Muumuu 126,  Going Going Gonzo 116
Arbitration Losers 130, Pitch You Blockhead 87
Lawyers, Guns & Money 124, Misfits 120

Week 4: Thursday's report

Danny Espinosa helped the Nationals break out
of their offensive funk. 

STUDS: Gio Gonzalez (Rookies) allowed 1 hit and struck out 7 in 8 shutout innings. Danny Espinosa (Lawyers, Guns & Money) had an RBI double and a 2-run homer. Denard Span (Manwaring a Muumuu) tripled, singled twice, stole a base and drove in 3 runs.

DUDS: The Cincinnati Reds. All of them. Joey Votto (Manwaring a Muumuu) had the team's only hit, a solo homer, and he committed an error to cut his point total in half. Every other offensive player scored a goose egg in FBLG.

Head-to-head scores

Silver State Sagebrushers 83, Testosteraun Braun 74
Fresh Fish 76, Rookies 69
Manwaring a Muumuu 106, Going Going Gonzo 103
Arbitration Losers 114, Pitch You Blockhead 70
Misfits 98, Lawyers, Guns & Money 93

Week 4: Wednesday's report

Cover your eyes! Anthony Rendon has filled in admirably
for Ryan Zimmerman, making 2 errors in 4 games.

STUDS: Brandon Crawford (Arbitration Losers) had 3 hits, including an RBI double and a solo homer that tied the game in the 9th inning. Starling Marte (Pitch You Blockhead) singled, scored a run, had an RBI triple and stole 2 bases. Roy Halladay (Misfits) allowed 1 hit and 1 run in 6 innings while striking out 8 in a no-decision.

DUDS: Neil Walker (Arbitration Losers) went 0 for 3 and committed an error. Rickie Weeks (Silver State Sagebrushers) singled and stole a base, but he also committed 2 errors; a 3rd potential error was generously ruled a hit. Craig Kimbrel (Lawyers, Guns & Money) allowed 2 runs while blowing a save. Anthony Rendon (Manwaring a Muumuu) singled but committed a throwing error.

Head-to-head scores

Testosteraun Braun 72, Silver State Sagebrushers 70
Fresh Fish 63, Rookies 50
Manwaring a Muumuu 87, Going Going Gonzo 85
Arbitration Losers 98, Pitch You Blockhead 66
Misfits 80, Lawyers, Guns & Money 57

Week 4: Tuesday's report

Anthony Rizzo has collected negative-1 point for
Testosteraun Braun this week. Meanwhile,
Paul Goldschmidt keeps racking up the points.

STUDS: Mark Ellis (Manwaring a Muumuu) hit a 3-run homer and a solo homer; he also singled twice. Justin Upton (Silver State Sagebrushers) hit a solo homer in the first game of a doubleheader, then hit a solo homer and an RBI double in the second game. Adam Wainwright (Misfits) pitched 8.1 shutout innings and struck out 9 while earning a victory.

DUDS: Anthony Rizzo (Testosteraun Braun) went 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts and was caught stealing. Jimmy Rollins (Manwaring a Muumuu) went 0 for 4 and committed an error. Adam LaRoche (Rookies, bench) went 0 for 4 with 4 strikeouts and left 5 men on base.

Head-to-head scores

Silver State Sagebrushers 61, Testosteraun Braun 38
Fresh Fish 53, Rookies 32
Manwaring a Muumuu 63,  Going Going Gonzo 47
Abritration Losers 76, Pitch You Blockhead 51
Misfits 38, Lawyers, Guns & Money 32

Week 4: Monday's report

Joey Votto, shown being pulled off the bag on an error by
Zack Cozart, also committed an error and went from
Stud to Dud in 24 hours.

STUDS: Jay Bruce (Going Going Gonzo) doubled, homered, drove in 3 and scored 2 runs. Buster Posey (Manwaring a Muumuu) doubled, homered, drove in 3 and scored 1 run. Shelby Miller (Manwaring a Muumuu) struck out 8 and allowed 2 runs in 6.2 innings while earning a victory.

DUDS: It was a bad day to be a Cincinnati infielder, although Brandon Phillips provided positive points with a double and a run in the 13th inning. Joey Votto (Manwaring a Muumuu) went 0 for 5 with 3 strikeouts and an error. Zack Cozart (Rookies, bench) went 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error. Todd Frazier (Fresh Fish) went 0 for 6 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

NOTES: The Marlins-Twins game was snowed out and might be made up as part of a Tuesday doubleheader, but more snow is in the forecast. The Braves-Rockies game also was snowed out and is scheduled to be made up as part of a Tuesday doubleheader.

Head-to-head scores

Testosteraun Braun 22, Silver State Sagebrushers 19
Fresh Fish 16, Rookies 7
Manwaring a Muumuu 32,  Going Going Gonzo 21
Abritration Losers 29, Pitch You Blockhead 25
Misfits 8, Lawyers, Guns & Money 7

Week 4 Transactions and Lineups

Players acquired

Testosteraun Braun sign SP Mike Leake (April move #2).

Arbitration Losers sign SP Tony Cingrani (April move #2).

Lawyers, Guns and Money sign SP Patrick Corbin (April move #4).

Rookies sign SP Bronson Arroyo (April move #4).

Manwaring a Muumuu sign 3B Anthony Rendon (April move #4).

Players released

SP Jose Fernandez

SP Brandon McCarthy

SP Dan Haren

OF Juan Pierre

Lineup changes

Testosteraun Braun: Bench 1B Paul Goldschmidt and 3B Juan Francisco; activate 1B Anthony Rizzo, 3B Chris Nelson and SP Mike Leake.

Arbitration Losers: Bench SP Ricky Nolasco and OF Gerardo Parra; activate SP Tony Cingrani, SP Carlos Villanueva and OF Angel Pagan.

Silver State Sagebrushers: No changes.

Going Going Gonzo: No changes.

Lawyers Guns and Money: Bench SP Tim Hudson and OF Ben Revere; activate SP Wandy Rodriguez, SP Patrick Corbin and OF Carlos Quentin.

Pitch You Blockhead: Bench 2B Matt Carpenter and SP James McDonald; activate 2B Josh Rutledge and SP Tim Lincecum.

Rookies: No changes.

Manwaring a Muumuu: Bench 3B Jedd Gyorko and SP Mat Latos; activate 3B Anthony Rendon and SP Mike Minor.

Misfits: Bench 1B Greg Dobbs and OF Jon Jay; activate 1B Freddie Freeman and OF Carlos Beltran.

Fresh Fish: No changes.

The Check Swing: Week 3

After a low-scoring seven days, this week's theme is team weaknesses:

1. Testosteraun Braun (544 points, 2-1): Madison Bumgarner, Daniel Murphy and Paul Goldschmidt have propelled the Steroid Squad into first place in the points race while Bill waits for Ryan Braun to break out. Weak link: Julio Teheran has been disappointing, raising the question about who will fill the No. 4 rotation spot behind Bumgarner, Jordan Zimmermann and Marco Estrada.

2. Misfits (541 points, 2-1): Troy Tulowitzki, Chase Utley, Bryce Harper and Adam Wainwright form a dynamic core, and many of the other contributors have had hot streaks, as well. Roy Halladay being back to his old self would be a huge boost. Weak link: Is Freddie Freeman due back soon? Greg Dobbs isn't doing much to help. Also, what's going on with the underperforming Jon Jay?

3. Manwaring a Muumuu (516 points, 2-1): Joey Votto and Buster Posey seem to have awakened, and the pitching staff — with three starters carrying ERAs of less than 1.00 — looks like it could be FBLG's best. Too bad Denard Span and Domonic Brown combined for 10 points this week as the Muumuu crew lost by 1 point. Weak link: Injuries to Aaron Hill and Aramis Ramirez created huge holes in the infield. And is Bud Black determined to let Huston Street pitch only once a week?

Is Brandon Belt hiding in the sagebrush?

4. Silver State Sagebrushers (495 points, 0-3): The Sagebrushers somehow are 0-3 despite being fourth in the FBLG points race. David Wright, Justin Upton and Clayton Kershaw have been outstanding, and Jorge De La Rosa has been a pleasant surprise. Andre Ethier, Starlin Castro and Rickie Weeks need to start pulling their weight to give Brian's crew their first win. Weak link: Who will fill Chad Billingsley's spot in the rotation, and what ever happened to Brandon Belt?

5. Going Going Gonzo (471 points, 1-2): Jeff Samardzija, A.J. Burnett and Adrian Gonzalez have led the way with good starts. B.J. Upton is showing signs of coming around, which will be necessary for this team to make a run. Weak link: Ruben Tejada and Dan Uggla have been awful in the middle infield, combining for fewer points than Jon's closer, Jason Grilli.

6. Arbitration Losers (462 points, 1-2): Tim's three leading scorers are Cliff Lee, Matt Holliday and Brandon Crawford. Didn't expect that, did you? The return of Chase Headley sends Pedro Alvarez and his strikeout-error double threat to the bench. Weak link: With Johnny Cueto on the disabled list, Ricky Nolasco and Brandon McCarthy look wobbly at the back of the rotation.

7t. Lawyers, Guns & Money (456 points, 3-0): It's hard to explain how a team with Ike Davis, Danny Espinosa and Dan Haren is undefeated, but Matt's crew has done nothing but win. Must be something about chemistry. Yadier Molina, Andrew McCutchen and Jayson Werth have been fantastic, and Lance Lynn has shown ace potential. Weak link: Picking on Davis would be too easy, so... Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond throwing the ball all over the park has hurt.

7t. Pitch You Blockhead (456 points, 2-1): Carlos Gonzalez and Shin-soo Choo continued their dominance, and Pablo Sandoval has provided points in bursts. Unfortunately, Matt Carpenter scored only 6 points and Cliff Pennington offered a goose egg this week. Weak link: Which Tim Lincecum and James McDonald will show up from start to start?

9. Fresh Fish (447 points, 1-2): This team's three top scorers are Brandon Phillips, Todd Frazier and Homer Bailey, so there must be plenty of red in Rick's wardrobe. Miguel Montero and Ryan Howard are off to slow starts, but the potential is there for a powerful offense. Jean Segura looks like a hidden gem. Weak link: Giancarlo Stanton has scored 7 points this season.

10. Rookies (417 points, 1-2): Paul Maholm has been brilliant, but the three aces (Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez and Yovani Gallardo) have been inconsistent. Free agent acquisitions John Buck, Rafael Betancourt and Everth Cabrera have been great, and Chris Johnson's versatility has proved useful. Weak link: Adam LaRoche and Alfonso Soriano have struggled, but Jason Heyward has been a major disappointment, scoring 24 points in 3 weeks.



Week 3: Sunday's report

Wrong Placido.

STUDS: Joey Votto (Manwaring a Muumuu) went 3 for 5 with a solo homer and 2 runs. Barry Zito (Fresh Fish) rebounded nicely from a horrible start, striking out 4 in 7 scoreless innings and picking up a victory. Homer Bailey (Fresh Fish) singled, scored a run and struck out 8 in 6 innings, allowing 2 runs and earning the win.

DUDS: Ian Desmond (Lawyers, Guns & Money) went 0 for 4 with a strikeout and committed his 7th error of the season. Justin Ruggiano (Fresh Fish) went 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts and committed an error.

TRANSACTIONS: Lawyers, Guns & Money acquires 3B Placido Polanco and puts him in the lineup in place of Ryan Zimmerman, who moves to the disabled list.

Final head-to-head scores

Rookies 154, Silver State Sagebrushers 129
Fresh Fish 154, Manwaring a Muumuu 153
Pitch You Blockhead 155, Testosteraun Braun 150
Abritration Losers 161, Misfits 134
Lawyers, Guns & Money 133, Going Going Gonzo 115