2014 Positional Leaders

In honor of our recent retiree.

We keep these numbers all year so you don't have to. Position-by-position leaders from the season.

First base

1. Danger Zaun 412 (15.85/week)
2. Arbitration Losers 402 (15.46)
3. Rocky Mountain High 363 (13.96)

Second base

1. Ryan's Rangers 406 (15.62)
2. Tanana in the Tailpipe 356 (13.69)
3. Pitch You Blockhead 354 (13.62)

Shortstop

1. Rocky Mountain High 354 (13.62)
2. Danger Zaun 341 (13.12)
3. E-3 341 (13.12)

Third base

1. Danger Zaun 353 (13.58)
2. Tanana in the Tailpipe 336 (12,92)
3. Arbitration Losers 332 (12.77)

Catcher

1. Pitch You Blockhead 377 (14.50)
2. Fresh Fish 360 (13.85)
3. Arbitration Losers 267 (10.27)

Outfield

1. Fresh Fish 1173 (45.12)
2. Ryan's Rangers 1102 (42.38)
3. Misfits 1079 (41.50)

Starting pitching

1. Fresh Fish 1569 (60.35)
2. Tanana in the Tailpipe 1564 (60.15)
3. Danger Zaun 1506 (57.92)

Relief pitching

1. Danger Zaun 325 (12.50)
2. E-3 279 (10.73)
3. Rocky Mountain High 277 (10.65)

Top-3 finishes

• Danger Zaun 5
• Fresh Fish 3
• Arbitration Losers 3
• Rocky Mountain High 3
• Tanana in the Tailpipe 3
• Ryan's Rangers 2
• Pitch You Blockhead 2
• E-3 2
• Misfits 1

Random tidbits

• Only one team used all its free agent moves this year: the Misfits. Among the important pickups for Reid's squad: Charlie Blackmon, Tanner Roark, Alex Wood, Francisco Rodriguez, Lucas Duda, John Lackey and Jorge Soler.
• The catcher position was as weak as it's ever been. Only four teams averaged even double digits from their catcher and, in total, catchers only outscored closers 2675-2425, or about a point per week per team.
• The 8-point win by Fresh Fish over Danger Zaun was actually the third-closest in FBLG history. In 2011, Ken topped Tim by a mere 6 points and in 2004, in what have been a completely insane finish, Bill topped Tim by 8 points... and Tim was in third! The Klock/Robinson team finished 7 points back.
• Here's how close the Fish-Zaun finish was. Fish had 2696 hitting points and 1815 pitching points. Zaun had 2672 hitting and 1831 pitching.
• The Fresh Fish's last 4 finishes: 10th, 1st, 9th, 1st. Note to NL players: you do NOT want to be drafted by Rick next year.

2014 Season Wrapup

Why this picture? Oh, no reason.

First off, congratulations to Rick's Fresh Fish for their sweep of the head-to-head and overall titles.

FBLG 2014 was among the most competitive ever, with 8 points separating the top two finishers and just 380 points separating 1st place and 8th place. And the winnings were spread around nicely. Great work, everyone.

Rick, Matt, Scott and Adam have already told us they plan to play in 2015. For the rest of you, please let us know your plans when you can. Again, it's not binding, but we'd like to know if we need to try and track down some new owners.

Final standings

1. Fresh Fish 4511
2. Danger Zaun 4503
3. Arbitration Losers 4318
4. Tanana in the Tailpipe 4272
5. Ryan's Rangers 4258
6. Pitch You Blockhead 4233
7. E-3 4192
8. Misfits 4131
9. Rocky Mountain High 3958
10. Rookies 3795

Next year's draft order

1. Henry
2. Jon
3. Reid
4. Adam
5. Scott
6. Bill
7. Matt
8. Tim
9. Rich/Brian
10. Rick

The 2015 MLB season starts a week later than usual, with the first game on Sunday, April 5 and the first full day of games on the 6th. This means, for the first time in a long time, the draft will likely not be at the end of Spring Break. Obviously it's 6 months out, but we'll plan on the draft being Saturday, April 4, in our usual online fashion.

Scoring leaders

Batting

1. Andrew McCutchen (E-3) 424
2. Anthony Rendon (Ryan's Rangers) 424
3. Giancarlo Stanton (Fresh Fish) 417
4. Adrian Gonzalez (Danger Zaun) 415
5. Hunter Pence (Misfits) 404
6. Freddie Freeman (Arbitration Losers) 402
7. Carlos Gomez (Ryan's Rangers) 400
8. Yasiel Puig (Rocky Mountain High) 391
9. Justin Upton (Rookies) 370
10. Christian Yelich (Tanana in the Tailpipe) 363
11. Matt Holliday (Arbitration Losers) 360
12. Ryan Braun (Ryan's Rangers) 355
13. Buster Posey (Fresh Fish) 354

Starting pitching

1. Clayton Kershaw (Fresh Fish) 523
2. Johnny Cueto (E-3) 504
3. Madison Bumgarner (Misfits) 466
4. Zach Greinke (Pitch You Blockhead) 434
5. Adam Wainwright (Tanana in the Tailpipe) 425
6. Stephen Strasburg (Danger Zaun) 425
7. Jordan Zimmermann (Rookies) 401
8. Lance Lynn (Rocky Mountain High) 368
9. Julio Teheran (Ryan's Rangers) 353
10. Jeff Samardzija (Pitch You Blockhead) 352

Relief pitching

1. Kenley Jansen (Rocky Mountain High) 282
2. Craig Kimbrel (E-3) 279
3. Trevor Rosenthal (Pitch You Blockhead) 253
4. Steve Cishek (Fresh Fish) 246
5. Aroldis Chapman (Danger Zaun) 239

Playoffs Week 8: Sunday's Roundup

Another no-hitter on the last day of the season? At least the pitcher was on a FBLG roster this time.

Studs: Jordan Zimmermann (Rookies) struck out 10 Marlins and allowed only a walk in a 104-pitch no-hitter. He also singled twice. Johnny Cueto (E-3) had an RBI single, struck out 7 and allowed 1 run in an 8-inning win. Anthony Rizzo (RMH) stole a base, scored twice, hit a 2-run homer and singled twice. Zack Greinke (PYB) hit his 6th double, struck out 6 and allowed 1 run in a 5-inning win. Adrian Gonzalez (DZ) hit a 3-run homer, doubled and scored twice. Gerrit Cole (AL) struck out 12 and allowed 1 run in 7 innings. Lucas Duda (Misfits) homered, doubled and drove in 4. 

Duds: The Marlins' hitters. Duh.

Consolation final

Pitch You Blockhead 153, Danger Zaun 138

Others

Fresh Fish 150

Arbitration Losers 199

Tanana in the Tailpipe 157

Ryan's Rangers 190

Misfits 131

E-3 198

Rocky Mountain High 137

Rookies 151

Final point totals

1. Fresh Fish 4,511

2. Danger Zaun 4,503

3. Arbitration Losers 4,318

4. Tanana in the Tailpipe 4,272

5. Ryan's Rangers 4,258

6. Pitch You Blockhead 4,233

7. E-3 4,192

8. Misfits 4,131

9. Rocky Mountain High 3,958

10. Rookies 3,795

Manager Jack McKeon, you and the Fresh Fish have won the points title as well as the playoff championship.
What are you going to do now? "I'm going to Panda Express!"

Playoffs Week 8: Saturday's Roundup

Not even Wily Peralta can believe that Wily Peralta has 17 wins.

Studs: Wily Peralta (RR) allowed 1 run and struck out 13 in a 7-inning win. Justin Upton (Rookies) hit a 2-run homer, doubled and scored twice. Stephen Strasburg (DZ) drove in a run, got the win and fanned 7 in 6 shutout innings. Todd Frazier (DZ) hit a 2-run homer and scored 4 runs thanks to 3 walks.  

Duds: Andrelton Simmons (Rookies) went 0 for 4 with an error. Matt Holliday (AL) went 0 for 2 with an error. Anthony Rendon (RR), Marlon Byrd (FF) and Ryan Zimmerman (FF) each singled and erred.

Consolation final

Pitch You Blockhead 128, Danger Zaun 103

Others

Fresh Fish 121 (lead DZ by 14)

Arbitration Losers 167

Tanana in the Tailpipe 139

Ryan's Rangers 183

Misfits 107

E-3 158

Rocky Mountain High 119

Rookies 115

Playoffs Week 8: Friday's Roundup

Doug Fister is ready for the playoffs.

Studs: Doug Fister (Rookies) doubled, scored, struck out 9 and allowed only 3 hits in a shutout win. Ian Kennedy (PYB) struck out 6 and allowed an unearned run in a 7-inning win. Jayson Werth (DZ) was a homer short of the cycle, scored twice and drove in a run. Chris Coghlan (DZ) homered, doubled and drove in 3. 

Duds: Charlie Blackmon (Misfits) went 2 for 5 but made an error and was caught stealing. Jarred Cosart (FF) managed to score 3 points, but he still walked 8 in 5 innings. That's definitely Dud-worthy.

Consolation final

Pitch You Blockhead 104, Danger Zaun 60

Others

Fresh Fish 111 (lead DZ by 47)

Arbitration Losers 145

Tanana in the Tailpipe 125

Ryan's Rangers 139

Misfits 71

E-3 126

Rocky Mountain High 84

Rookies 96

Playoffs Week 8: Thursday's Roundup

Remember when this guy was a Padre and a Dodger last year?

Studs: Edinson Volquez (E-3) singled, scored, got the win and struck out 10 in 7 shutout innings. Gio Gonzalez (RR) allowed only 1 hit and struck out 12 in a 7-inning victory. 

Duds: None. 

Consolation final

Pitch You Blockhead 66, Danger Zaun 41

Others

Fresh Fish 92 (leads DZ by 47)

Arbitration Losers 135

Tanana in the Tailpipe 92

Ryan's Rangers 110

Misfits 64

E-3 107

Rocky Mountain High 72

Rookies 51

Playoffs Week 8: Wednesday's Roundup

Grainy security camera footage appears to show an employee of the commissioner's office kicking Fresh Fish out of the league.

Studs: Jake Arrieta (AL) had a 2-run triple, fanned 11 and allowed an unearned run in a 7-inning win. Clayton Kershaw (FF) had an RBI triple and struck out 11 while allowing 1 run in an 8-inning win. Julio Teheran (RR) singled twice, drove in 2, struck out 6 and allowed 2 runs in a 5-inning win. Kyle Lohse (Rookies) drove in a run and struck out 6 in a 2-hit shutout. Carl Crawford (RMH) doubled, singled, drove in 2, scored 3 runs and stole a base. 

Duds: Everyone who expected points out of the Mets/Nationals game, which was rained out. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader Thursday.

Consolation final

Pitch You Blockhead 47, Danger Zaun 23

Others

Fresh Fish 73 (lead DZ by 46)

Arbitration Losers 116

Tanana in the Tailpipe 81

Ryan's Rangers 72

Misfits 56

E-3 61

Rocky Mountain High 57

Rookies 42

Email of the Year

No one woke up today expecting a Butch Wynegar reference, did they?

We get a lot of emails in the commish inbox. Some are funny; some are sad; some are whiny; some are almost indecipherable. They're all part of life's rich pageant. And we love them all.

But every once in a while we get one that has to be shared with the group. Today was such a day.


Backstory: Danger Zaun is still in the middle of two battles - with Pitch You Blockhead for the consolation title, and with Fresh Fish for the points title. Since DZ is the commissioners' team, we felt it appropriate to let both of those teams know when we made a small score correction this morning. A play originally called an error was later changed to a triple for DZ catcher Travis d'Arnaud. This meant 2 more points being awarded to d'Arnaud.

Pitch You Blockhead took this news with a stiff upper lip. Fresh Fish, though, brought out the big guns and went for the jugular:

In much the same way as teams play games under protest, the Fresh Fish announced today they are playing the remainder of the FBLG season under protest following the league's Travis d'Arnaud ruling. The Fish contend that the FBLG Commish used his considerable influence as commissioner to strong-arm Major League Baseball into changing the ruling on d'Arnaud's "hit," resulting in the commissioner's team receiving an extra two points. The Fish use as evidence that no catcher in MLB has legitimately tripled since 1977. The Twins' Butch Wynegar was credited with the last triple 37 years ago, although the footage is grainy and most everyone knows that it was what all catcher "triples" are - a single and a two-base error.The Fish wouldn't be taking this dramatic step if not for the fact they are in a battle for $50 with the FBLG Commish, and the Fish already have promised his family that, if they win, they'll go to Panda Express for dinner.

Taking a page from the greatest commissioner in the history of sports - Roger Goodell - we have already denied this protest and subsequently kicked Fresh Fish out of the league. So we guess Danger Zaun wins by default! Sorry, Rick.

Playoffs Week 8: Tuesday's Roundup

Ginger snaps!

Studs: Gerrit Cole (AL) struck out 8 and allowed 2 runs in a 7-inning win. Justin Turner (Tanana) hit 2 solo homers off Madison Bumgarner. Johnny Cueto (E-3) fanned 7 and allowed 1 run in an 8-inning win. Zack Greinke (PYB) struck out 5 and allowed 2 runs in an 8-inning win. 

Duds: Arismendy Alcantara (DZ) went 0 for 5 with 4 Ks and an error. Travis d'Arnaud (DZ) went 1 for 4 with an error. Lucas Duda (Misfits) went 0 for 4 with an error. 

Consolation final

Pitch You Blockhead 42, Danger Zaun 14

Others

Fresh Fish 40 (leads DZ by 22)

Arbitration Losers 78

Tanana in the Tailpipe 68

Ryan's Rangers 44

Misfits 44

E-3 49

Rocky Mountain High 38

Rookies 5

Playoffs Week 8: Monday's Roundup

He didn't get a hit and he made an error, but Dee Gordon made up for it with his cool levitating-ball-and-helmet trick.

Studs: Adam Wainwright (Tanana) got the win and fanned 8 in 7 shutout innings. Francisco Liriano (RR) got the win and struck out 7 in 6 shutout innings. Gregor Blanco (RR) homered, doubled, drove in 2 and scored twice. Santiago Casilla (AL) struck out 1 in a 2-inning win. 

Duds: Matt Kemp (FF), Adrian Gonzalez (DZ) and Dee Gordon (E-3) each went 0 for 5 with an error. At least Gordon had a sac fly. Jorge Soler (Misfits) went 1 for 4 with an error. 

Consolation final

Pitch You Blockhead 17, Danger Zaun -1

Others

Fresh Fish 4 (lead DZ by 1 point overall)

Arbitration Losers 30

Tanana in the Tailpipe 32

Ryan's Rangers 32

Misfits 14

E-3 9

Rocky Mountain High 24

Rookies 1

Week 26 (The Grand Finale) Transactions and Lineups

Players acquired

E-3 sign SS Brandon Crawford (September move #2) and SP Jorge De La Rosa (September move #3).

Fresh Fish sign SP Henderson Alvarez (September move #2).

Ryan's Rangers sign OF Gregor Blanco (September move #3).

Arbitration Losers sign SP Josh Collmenter (September move #2).

Danger Zaun sign OF Chris Coghlan (September move #3).

Players released

SP Charlie Morton

3B Nolan Arenado

SP Hyun-Jin Ryu

SP Wade Miley

SP Yovani Gallardo

OF Grady Sizemore

SP Mike Leake

OF Khris Davis

SP John Lackey

Lineup changes

E-3: Bench SP A.J. Burnett and SS Jimmy Rollins; activate SP Jorge De La Rosa and SS Brandon Crawford.

Fresh Fish: Bench OF Mark Trumbo; activate SP Henderson Alvarez and OF Ryan Zimmerman (from DL).

Rookies: none.

Rocky Mountain High: none.

Pitch You Blockhead: Bench SP Ryan Vogelsong; activate SP Mike Minor.

Tanana in the Tailpipe: Bench SP Tyson Ross; activate SP Jon Niese.

Ryan's Rangers: Bench SP Chase Anderson; activate SP Gio Gonzalez.

Misfits: Bench SP John Lackey; activate 1B Brandon Belt from DL and place on bench; activate SP Aaron Harang.

Arbitration Losers: Bench SS Jean Segura; move Josh Harrison from 2B to SS; activate 2B Jedd Gyorko.

Danger Zaun: Bench SP Alfredo Simon, 2B Kolten Wong and OF Billy Hamilton; activate SP Mike Fiers, 2B Arismendy Alcantara and OF Chris Coghlan.

Playoffs Week 7: The Check Swing

Congratulations to Rick and his Fresh Fish for winning the playoff title over the Misfits. Third place goes to Tanana in the Tailpipe, which took down Ryan's Rangers. But there's much more going on in FBLG than just that. With one week left, there's much intrigue.

1. Danger Zaun (4,365 points, up one spot): By going 4-1 in the consolation round, DZ advanced to the consolation finals to face PYB for the second time in three weeks. But the big news here is that DZ motored past FF into first place in the points race on the strength of 119 points from its starting pitchers — Stephen Strasburg, Andrew Cashner, Alfredo Simon and Zack Wheeler.

Will Rick add Ryan Zimmerman or Mike Morse to his lineup
as he battles Danger Zaun for the points championship?

2. Fresh Fish (4,361 points, down one spot): The Fish won the playoff title, but their work isn't done. We can't remember the last time someone pulled off the double dip — winning the playoff title as well as the overall points title. With Ryan Zimmerman back, will Rick pull off some lineup-shuffling magic to overtake DZ in the final week? 

3. Arbitration Losers (4,119 points, up two spots): A 199-point week, including 101 from starting pitchers, vaulted Tim's team up the rankings. Will AL be able to stay ahead of Tanana and other foes? It'll probably need more than a combined 3 points from Jean Segura and Pablo Sandoval — unless Michael Cuddyer goes off for another 36-point outburst.

4. Tanana in the Tailpipe (4,115 points): Matt's team is in position to take over third place in the points race and might just get double starts out of Cole Hamels and Adam Wainwright. Also, Jonathan Papelbon will be back from his suspension, but will he get his job back from rookie Ken Giles? 

5. Pitch You Blockhead (4,080 points, up one spot): Scott's team has an outside chance of moving into third place in points and can win the consolation title by taking down DZ in the final week. Shame on every other FBLG owner if a team with multiple Padres accomplishes either of those feats (again, sorry Scott). 

6. Ryan's Rangers (4,068 points, down three spots): Weren't these guys running away with the points title at one point in the season? It would be inaccurate to say the Rangers crapped the bed; they've been sleeping on the couch for weeks. In this week's 87-point disaster, only three players reached double digits.

7. Misfits (4,000 points, up one spot): Welcome to the party, Wilin Rosario! The catcher posted 34 points as Reid's bunch cracked the 200-point barrier. It didn't matter much because the Misfits still finished second in the playoff bracket, but it's nice to see things finally coming together for these guys.

8. E-3 (3,994 points, down one spot): Here's another team that's fallen on hard times since the playoffs started. The pitchers are still getting roughed up, the closer never pitches because the Braves stink, and Jimmy Rollins and David Wright are broken. There's always next year!

9. Rocky Mountain High (3,821 points): How would things have been different if Troy Tulowitzki, Carlos Gonzalez, Pedro Alvarez, Mat Latos and Matt Garza been healthy all season? 

10. Rookies (3,644 points): How bad did it get for the Rookies? Ike Davis was the leading scorer, with 14 points. But that barely canceled out the minus-8 posted by Addison Reed. 

Playoffs Week 7: Sunday's Roundup

Jay Bruce hasn't had much to smile about this season.

Studs: Jay Bruce (PYB) had a pair of solo homers and an RBI single. Mark Trumbo (FF) hit a 2-run homer and a solo shot. Matt Kemp (FF) went 4 for 5 with a homer and 4 RBIs. Jacob deGrom (AL) drove in a run and struck out 10 while allowing 1 earned run in a 6-inning win. Stephen Strasburg (DZ) got the win and fanned 5 in 7 shutout innings. 

Duds: Jhonny Peralta (FF) went 0 for 2 with an error. Huston Street (RR) served up a solo homer and took the loss in 0.1 inning. Pablo Sandoval (AL) went 0 for 4 with an error. Wade Miley (AL) allowed 6 runs in a 4.1-inning loss. 

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Misfits 212 (478), Fresh Fish 161 (548) — FF wins playoff title

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 168 (526), Ryan's Rangers 87 (426) — Tanana finishes third

Consolation matchups

Danger Zaun 236, Rocky Mountain High 163

Arbitration Losers 199, E-3 116

Pitch You Blockhead 160, Rookies 74

DZ and PYB will play for the consolation title this week.

Playoffs Week 7: Saturday's Roundup

Sweet curly mullet? Check. Sweet beard? Check. Sweet
throwbacks? Check. Forty-three points this week? Sweet.

Studs: Andrew Cashner (DZ) struck out 7 and allowed 2 runs in an 8-inning win. He also singled, tripled and walked. Adrian Gonzalez (DZ) hit a 3-run homer and a 2-run homer. Corey Dickerson (DZ) had an RBI triple and a solo homer. 

Duds: Jay Bruce (PYB) had a sacrifice fly and an error. Andrew McCutchen (E-3) walked twice, got plunked twice and was caught stealing. 

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Misfits 195 (461), Fresh Fish 131 (518)

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 142 (500), Ryan's Rangers 77 (416)

Consolation matchups

Danger Zaun 194, Rocky Mountain High 130

Arbitration Losers 170, E-3 84

Pitch You Blockhead 116, Rookies 69

Playoffs Week 7: Friday's Roundup

Michael Cuddyer drove in more runs than the Reds have
scored all month.*
* This probably isn't true.

Studs: Clayton Kershaw (FF) just insists on making this list every five days. He won his 20th game, striking out 9 and allowing 3 runs in a 5-inning win. Matt Kemp (FF) hit a 3-run homer, singled and scored twice. Yasiel Puig (RMH) hit a 3-run homer, doubled and scored twice. Zack Wheeler (DZ) got the win and struck out 7 in 6 shutout innings. Michael Cuddyer (AL) hit a grand slam and a pair of doubles. He scored 3 times and drove in 7. John Lackey (Misfits) struck out 5 and allowed 1 run in a 7.2-inning win. 

Duds: Aramis Ramirez (Rookies) and Pablo Sandoval (AL) each went 0 for 4 with an error. Carlos Gomez (RR) was caught stealing. 

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Misfits 180 (446), Fresh Fish 110 (497)

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 131 (489), Ryan's Rangers 68 (407)

Consolation matchups

Danger Zaun 134, Rocky Mountain High 99

Arbitration Losers 159, E-3 61

Pitch You Blockhead 113, Rookies 55

Playoffs Week 7: Thursday's Roundup

The Rockies audition new outfielders. Said Brandon Barnes,
"He's already better than Stubbs."

Studs: Wilin Rosario (Misfits) hit a game-winning, 600-foot, 2-run homer in going 4 for 5 with a double and 3 RBIs. Michael Cuddyer (AL) was a triple short of the cycle and scored 3 runs. Gerrit Cole (AL) struck out 7 and allowed 2 runs in a 7-inning win. 

Duds: Addison Reed (Rookies) posted his second minus-4 in as many days. At least he got two outs before blowing the game this time. Adrian Gonzalez (DZ) went 1 for 5 with an error. 

Transactions: Ryan's Rangers moved OF Angel Pagan to the bench and added Rhymer Liriano. RR also benched 3B Nolan Arenado, moved Anthony Rendon to 3B, moved Javier Baez to 2B and activated SS Adeiny Hechavarria. Also, a day late, Pitch You Blockhead put 3B Martin Prado on the DL and activated Yangervis Solarte.

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Misfits 132 (398), Fresh Fish 81 (468)

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 126 (484), Ryan's Rangers 54 (394)

Consolation matchups

Danger Zaun 104, Rocky Mountain High 74

Arbitration Losers 133, E-3 45

Pitch You Blockhead 88, Rookies 38

Playoffs Week 7: Wednesday's Roundup

Carlos Frias allowed 10 hits and 8 runs in 0.2 inning and took the
loss. That would be worth minus-10 in FBLG. The only outs
Frias got were on a caught stealing and a botched squeeze bunt.

Studs: Jeff Samardzija (PYB) fanned 10 in 8 scoreless innings. Ike Davis (Rookies) homered, doubled, scored twice and drove in 3. Alex Wood (Misfits) dominated the Nationals' JV team, striking out 8 and allowing 1 run in a 6-inning win. Justin Morneau (Tanana) was a triple short of the cycle, drove in 6 and scored twice. Adam Wainwright (Tanana) singled and struck out 7 in a shutout of the Brewers. Cole Hamels (Tanana) struck out 9 and allowed 1 run in a 7-inning win. 

Duds: Russell Martin (RMH) singled and erred. Pablo Sandoval (AL) scored a run and made an error. Addison Reed (Rookies) got one out, gave up 2 runs and took the loss. 

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Misfits 112 (378), Fresh Fish 75 (462)

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 105 (463), Ryan's Rangers 37 (376)

Consolation matchups

Danger Zaun 96, Rocky Mountain High 56

Arbitration Losers 102, E-3 39

Pitch You Blockhead 69, Rookies 28

Playoffs Week 7: Tuesday's Roundup

One of the pitchers in the Reds-Cubs game posted
30 points, and it wasn't Johnny Cueto.

Studs: Bartolo Colon (FF) scattered a dozen doughnuts — er, hits — and miraculously gave up only 1 run while fanning 7 in a 7.2-inning win. Tanner Roark (Misfits) singled and got the win while striking out 4 in 7 shutout innings. Jake Arrieta (AL) threw a 1-hitter and fanned 13. He also doubled and scored. Corey Dickerson (DZ) homered, tripled, drove in 4 and scored twice. Ian Desmond (DZ) hit a 2-run homer, doubled and scored twice. 

Duds: Ryan Howard (E-3) went 0 for 3 with an error. Anthony Rendon (RR) and Billy Hamilton (DZ) were caught stealing. 

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Fresh Fish 64 (451), Misfits 59 (325)

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 37 (395), Ryan's Rangers 19 (358)

Consolation matchups

Danger Zaun 93, Rocky Mountain High 52

Arbitration Losers 86, E-3 30

Pitch You Blockhead 32, Rookies 21

Playoffs Week 7: Monday's Roundup

Hair-band enthusiast Jacob deGrom tied a
major-league record by striking out the first
8 batters of the game. Bonus points if you
knew the record was set by Astros legend
Jim Deshaies. 

Studs: Danger Zaun pitchers Andrew Cashner (21 points), Stephen Strasburg (19) and Alfredo Simon (10) combined for 23 innings, 17 Ks, zero runs allowed and 2 wins — way to not support your pitcher, Reds. Strasburg also had an RBI single. Jacob deGrom (AL) struck out 13 and allowed 3 runs in a 7-run no-decision — as usual, the Mets bullpen totally Metted it up. Wade Miley (AL) singled, scored and fanned 4 while allowing 1 run in a 7-inning win. Mark Trumbo (FF) hit a grand slam and an RBI single. 

Dud: The Associated Press writer who typed this with a straight face: "Despite squandering a two-run lead, deGrom was in line to win before Miami scored three in the eighth against New York's best relievers. Jeurys Familia (2-5) gave up four straight hits, and (Jeff) Mathis delivered a two-out single off closer Jenrry Mejia."

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Fresh Fish 32 (419), Misfits 20 (286)

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 14 (372), Ryan's Rangers 5 (344)

Consolation matchups

Danger Zaun 69, Rocky Mountain High 19

Arbitration Losers 44, E-3 10

Rookies 18, Pitch You Blockhead 13

Week 25 (Playoffs, Week 7) Transactions and Lineups

Players acquired

Fresh Fish sign OF Mark Trumbo (September move #1).

Ryan's Rangers sign 1B Tommy Medica (September move #1).

Misfits sign 3B Juan Uribe (September move #3).

Danger Zaun sign SP Alfredo Simon (September move #2).

Players released

2B Aaron Hill

OF Oscar Taveras

OF Giancarlo Stanton

3B Chris Johnson

SP Tim Hudson

OF Ender Inciarte

3B David Wright

Lineup changes

E-3: Bench SP Yovani Gallardo; activate SP A.J. Burnett.

Fresh Fish: Bench SP Hyun-Jin Ryu; activate SP Bartolo Colon and OF Mark Trumbo.

Rookies: none.

Rocky Mountain High: none.

Pitch You Blockhead: Bench SP Mike Minor; activate SP Ryan Vogelsong.

Tanana in the Tailpipe: Bench SP Odrisamer Despaigne and Jon Niese; activate SP Tyson Ross and Cole Hamels.

Ryan's Rangers: Bench SP Gio Gonzalez; activate SP Julio Teheran.

Misfits: Bench SP Michael Wacha; activate SP John Lackey and 3B Juan Uribe.

Arbitration Losers: none.

Danger Zaun: Bench SP Mike Fiers; activate SP Alfredo Simon.

Playoffs Week 6: The Check Swing

1. Fresh Fish (4,200 points): Injuries to Hyun-Jin Ryu and Giancarlo Stanton didn't stop Rick's team from putting up an 189-point week. Of course, those 41 points from Clayton Kershaw certainly helped. The Fish have a 121-point lead with one week left in the championship series and a 71-point lead in the overall points race.

2. Danger Zaun (4,129 points): This team's 141-point week impressed no one, but the Zaunies still have a chance to play for the consolation title. The overall points title isn't out of reach, but slumping players such as Corey Dickerson and Kolten Wong will need to hit a little better.  

3. Ryan's Rangers (3,981 points): A big week got Bill's team back within 19 points of the gritty Tailpipers in the battle for third place in the playoffs. They're also competing for third place in the points race; this one could go down to the wire. 

"You lollygag your way down to seventh place!"

4. Tanana in the Tailpipe (3,947 points): Shelby Miller made two starts and scored 35 points. Odrisamer Despaigne made two starts and scored zero. That's the fantasy biz. As previously mentioned, Matt's team is dueling the Rangers in a couple of ways — stay tuned.

5t. Arbitration Losers (3,920 points): Tim's team endured a tough, 3-point loss to a shorthanded Rocky Mountain High squad. We're pointing the finger at Wade Miley (-3) and Santiago Casilla (0) for the Losers coming up short. 

5t. Pitch You Blockhead (3,920 points, up one spot): Scott's team pummeled Danger Zaun to improve to 4-0 in the consolation round and clinch a spot in the consolation finals. Marcell Ozuna led the way with a 26-point performance. 

7. E-3 (3,878 points, down one spot): It wasn't that long ago these guys were in first place in the points race. What the heck happened? We're going to blame David Wright, Miguel Montero, Curtis Granderson, Jason Hammel ... aw, heck. Everyone but Johnny Cueto. 

8. Misfits (3,788 points): There's barely enough room in this blog to note all of Reid's players who failed to reach 10 points this week. But let's try: Michael Wacha (-1), Daniel Murphy (2), Chris Johnson (3), Charlie Blackmon (4), Jorge Soler (5),Wilin Rosario (6), Tanner Roark (8) and Hunter Pence (8). Ugh.

9. Rocky Mountain High (3,658 points): Carl Crawford had a 29-point eruption, and Russell Martin scored 23. That's a pretty good recipe for success, and it helped Jon's team take down the Arbitration Losers. 

10. Rookies (3,570 points): Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister combined for 60 of the Rookies' 127 points this week. Henry's seven Braves combined for 38. 

Playoffs Week 6: Sunday's Roundup

Jonathan Papelbon loves pitching in Philadelphia.

Studs: Clayton Kershaw (FF) singled and improved to 19-3 by striking out 9 and allowing 2 runs in an 8-inning win. Jordan Zimmermann (Rookies) got the win and struck out 5 in 6.2 shutout innings. Matt Garza (RMH) scored a run and fanned 6 while allowing 1 run in a 6-inning run. Neil Walker (PYB) was a triple short of the cycle, drove in 2 and scored twice. 

Duds: Jonathan Papelbon (Tanana) allowed 4 runs, blew the save and took the loss in a brutal inning. Mike Minor (PYB) allowed 5 runs and struck out only 1 in a 4.2-inning loss. Cory Spangenberg (E-3) drove in a run but made an error. 

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Fresh Fish 189 (387), Misfits 114 (266)

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Ryan's Rangers 192 (339), Tanana in the Tailpipe 163 (358)

Consolation matchups

Pitch You Blockhead 187, Danger Zaun 141

E-3 135, Rookies 127

Rocky Mountain High 162, Arbitration Losers 159

Playoffs Week 6: Saturday's Roundup

Zack Greinke did enough with his bat alone to make the Studs.

Studs: Matt Kemp (FF) had 2 doubles, a single, 3 RBIs and 2 runs. Zack Greinke (PYB) homered, doubled, drove in 2 and scored twice. Oh, I almost forgot: In his day job as a pitcher, he got the win and fanned 5 in 6 shutout innings. Hanley Ramirez (PYB) had a double, 3 singles, 2 RBIs and a run. Ian Desmond (DZ) doubled, singled twice, stole 2 bases, drove in 3 and scored twice — and it wouldn't be a Desmond game if he didn't throw in an error for good measure. Shelby Miller (Tanana) had an RBI double, scored, struck out 5 and allowed 1 run in a 6-inning win. 

Duds: Travis d'Arnaud (DZ) went 0-fer and threw a ball into left field. Zack Wheeler (DZ) gave up 6 runs in a 4-inning loss. Justin Upton (Rookies) went 0 for 4 with 2 whiffs and an error. Neil Walker (PYB) scored a run and made an error. 

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Fresh Fish 141 (339), Misfits 112 (264)

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Ryan's Rangers 174 (321), Tanana in the Tailpipe 145 (340)

Consolation matchups

Pitch You Blockhead 154, Danger Zaun 125

Rookies 107, E-3 99

Arbitration Losers 136, Rocky Mountain High 136

Playoffs Week 6: Friday's Roundup

This man posted a minus-5 AND got hurt. Is Rick worried yet?

Studs: Matt Holliday (AL) hit a 3-run homer, stole a base, singled and scored twice. Madison Bumgarner (Misfits) got the win and fanned 9 in 7 shutout innings. Anthony Rendon (RR) was a triple short of the cycle and scored twice. Adam Wainwright (Tanana) struck out 8 and allowed a run in an 8-inning win. A.J. Pollock (Tanana) homered, singled twice and drove in 4.

Duds: Hyun-Jin Ryu (FF) gave up 4 runs, took the loss and lasted only 1 inning. Billy Hamilton (DZ) was caught stealing for the 22nd time. That seems like a lot. Justin Morneau (Tanana) went 0 for 3 with an error. Justin Turner Overdrive (Tanana) was not takin' care of business, going 0 for 3 with an error. 

Transaction: E-3 gives the broken-down David Wright the boot and adds Cory Spangenberg.

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Fresh Fish 122 (320), Misfits 106 (268)

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Ryan's Rangers 146 (293), Tanana in the Tailpipe 107 (302)

Consolation matchups

Pitch You Blockhead 117, Danger Zaun 100

Rookies 92, E-3 80

Arbitration Losers 113, Rocky Mountain High 112

Playoffs Week 6: Thursday's Roundup

Fresh Fish pitcher Bartolo Colon plunked Danger Zaun's Ian
Desmond and Jayson Werth. Then DZ's Mike Fiers hit FF's
Giancarlo Stanton in the face. 

Studs: Francisco Liriano (RR) got the win, allowed 3 hits and struck out 12 in 8 shutout innings. Johnny Cueto (E-3) allowed only 3 hits and fanned 7 without allowing a run in an 8-inning win. Mike Fiers (DZ) got the win and struck out 8 in 5 shutout innings. Anthony Rendon (RR) hit a 2-run homer, singled twice and scored twice. Adam LaRoche (PYB) had a 2-run homer and an RBI single and scored twice. 

Dud: Jhonny Peralta (FF) went 0 for 3 with an error. 

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Fresh Fish 119 (317), Misfits 45 (197)

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Ryan's Rangers 117 (264), Tanana in the Tailpipe 74 (269)

Consolation matchups

Danger Zaun 93, Pitch You Blockhead 93

E-3 73, Rookies 71

Rocky Mountain High 111, Arbitration Losers 76

Playoffs Week 6: Wednesday's Roundup

Looks like the Polish sausage is about to make the Duds list.

Studs: Wily Peralta (RR) fanned 5 and allowed 1 run in a 6.2-inning win. He also drove in a run. Dan Haren (RMH) struck out 5 and didn't allow a run in a 7-inning win. 

Duds: Kolten Wong (DZ) made an error and was caught stealing. Asdrubal Cabrera (RMH) singled and committed an error. 

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Fresh Fish 110 (308), Misfits 25 (177)

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Ryan's Rangers 69 (216), Tanana in the Tailpipe 66 (261)

Consolation matchups

Pitch You Blockhead 67, Danger Zaun 64

Rookies 66, E-3 50

Rocky Mountain High 96, Arbitration Losers 70

Playoffs Week 6: Tuesday's Roundup

The Misfits' dugout is not a happy place these days.

Studs: Jacob deGrom (AL) got the win and struck out 9 in 8 shutout innings. Devin Mesoraco (FF) homered, doubled, drove in 3 and scored 3 runs. Mike Leake (FF) had an RBI double and fanned 6 while allowing 3 runs in a 6-inning win. Andrew Cashner (DZ) struck out 2 and allowed 2 runs in a 7-inning win. He also lined a 2-run double and scored. Jordan Zimmermann (Rookies) struck out 7 and allowed 2 earned run in a 6-inning win. Marcell Ozuna (PYB) homered, singled twice, drove in 2 and scored twice. 

Duds: Wade Miley (AL) gave up a zillion baserunners but only 3 runs in a 2-inning loss. Francisco Rodriguez (Misfits) gave up 2 homers and 3 runs in a 1-inning loss. Charlie Blackmon (Misfits) went 1 for 4 with an error. Michael Wacha (Misfits) allowed 5 earned runs in a 4-inning loss. Carlos Ruiz (Tanana) went 0 for 3 with an error. Hanley Ramirez (PYB) made 2 errors, but he did steal a base. 

Transaction: Misfits activate 2B Daniel Murphy from the DL and send Aaron Hill to the bench.

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Fresh Fish 97 (295), Misfits 13 (165)

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 58 (253), Ryan's Rangers 42 (189)

Consolation matchups

Danger Zaun 50, Pitch You Blockhead 37

Rookies 47, E-3 39

Rocky Mountain High 50, Arbitration Losers 49

Playoffs Week 6: Monday's Roundup

Shelby Miller was scary good.

Studs: Shelby Miller (Tanana) struck out 4 and got the win in 7 shutout innings. Clayton Kershaw (FF) did his usual thing, this time striking out 8 and allowed 1 earned run in an 8-inning win. Starling Marte (RMH) drove in 2 and was a triple short of the cycle. Carl Crawford (RMH) went 4 for 5 with 2 ribbies and a run. 

Duds: Odrisamer Despaigne (Tanana) gave up 6 earned runs in a 4.1-inning loss. Yovani Gallardo (E-3) gave up 3 homers and 5 earned runs in a 3.2-inning loss. Aramis Ramirez (Rookies) went 0 for 3 with an error. 

Transaction: Arbitration Losers activate OF Michael Cuddyer and send David Peralta to the bench.

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Fresh Fish 43 (241), Misfits 8 (160)

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 41 (236), Ryan's Rangers 18 (165)

Consolation matchups

Pitch You Blockhead 24, Danger Zaun 13

E-3 24, Rookies 14

Rocky Mountain High 22, Arbitration Losers 10

Week 24 (Playoffs, Week 6) Transactions and Lineups

Players acquired

Tanana in the Tailpipe sign SP Shelby Miller (September move #3).

Arbitration Losers sign RP Santiago Casilla (September move #1).

Players released

SS/2B Chris Owings

SP Henderson Alvarez

SP Alfredo Simon

OF Mark Trumbo

RP Rafael Soriano

C Michael McKenry

OF Jon Jay

EDIT: Late trade

Completed just before games start today, Fresh Fish send OF Jayson Werth to Danger Zaun for C Devin Mesoraco.

Lineup changes

E-3: Bench OF Grady Sizemore; activate OF Curtis Granderson.

Fresh Fish: Bench SP Tom Koehler and 1B Mike Morse; move Buster Posey from C to 1B; activate C Devin Mesoraco, SP Mike Leake and OF Matt Kemp.

Rookies: none.

Rocky Mountain High: none.

Pitch You Blockhead: Bench OF Yangervis Solarte and 2B Joe Panik; activate OF Jay Bruce and 2B Neil Walker.

Tanana in the Tailpipe: Bench OF Mark Trumbo, SP Cole Hamels and SP Tyson Ross; activate OF A.J. Pollock (from DL), SP Odrisamer Despaigne, SP Jon Niese and SP Shelby Miller.

Ryan's Rangers: Bench SP Julio Teheran and OF Oscar Taveras; activate SP Wily Peralta and OF Carlos Gomez.

Misfits: Bench SP John Lackey; activate SP Michael Wacha (from DL) and C Wilin Rosario (from DL)

Arbitration Losers: Bench SP Tim Hudson; activate SP Jacob deGrom and RP Santiago Casilla.

Danger Zaun: Bench OF Ender Inciarte and 2B Arismendy Alcantara; activate C Travis d'Arnaud, OF Jayson Werth and 2B Kolten Wong.

Playoffs Week 5: The Check Swing

1. Fresh Fish (4,011 points): Rick's team took a 46-point lead after the first week of the three-week championship series against the Misfits. With Clayton Kershaw, Buster Posey and Giancarlo Stanton leading the way, the Fish are going to be tough to beat.

2. Danger Zaun (3,988 points): Oh, NOW the Rich/Brian team picks up some wins, improving to 3-0 in the consolation round. Too little, too late, guys. Anyway, forget about Stephen Strasburg; Zack Wheeler is the ace of this team. 

3. Ryan's Rangers (3,789 points): The Steroid Bunch is down 48 points after the first week of the three-week third-place series against the Tailpipers. Can Carlos Gomez and Ryan Braun pull their weight and get this team in gear before it's too late? 

4. Tanana in the Tailpipe (3,784 points): A 195-point week has Matt's team in command of the third-place matchup. Of course, much of that point total can be attributed to double starts for Tyson Ross, Cole Hamels and Adam Wainwright this week. 

Clayton Kershaw and Johnny Cueto are tied for the lead in FBLG
points (441), and Kershaw missed a month because of injury.

5. Arbitration Losers (3,761 points): Tim's team is one of five teams battling for third place in the points race, but the Losers will need more production from Yadier Molina and Matt Holliday than the 15 points they offered this week. 

6. E-3 (3,743 points): Andrew McCutchen is the top-scoring hitter on Adam's team, which is no surprise. Bet you didn't think Jimmy Rollins would be No. 2, though. They're both well behind Johnny Cueto, who would probably win the Cy Young if not for that Kershaw guy.

7. Pitch You Blockhead (3,733 points): Scott's team is 3-0 in the consolation round, and next week's duel against Danger Zaun should be a good one. This would be a good time for Hanley Ramirez to play like 2013 Hanley Ramirez. 

8. Misfits (3,674 points): Reid's five pitchers supplied only 34 points as the Misfits dug themselves a hole in the championship series. Can Aaron Hill and Chris Johnson chip in, or will Rick's team win this thing in a runaway? 

9. Rocky Mountain High (3,496 points): Anthony Rizzo is out. Troy Tulowitzki is out. Carlos Gonzalez is out. The pitching is wildly inconsistent. It's not going well for Jon's team. 

10. Rookies (3,443 points): Only three players (Ervin Santana, Jason Heyward and Jordan Zimmermann) reached double digits in points for Henry's team in a 72-point disaster. Most of the blame can be directed at Atlanta. 

Playoffs Week 5: Sunday's Roundup

That's not a typical pitcher swing.

Studs: Adrian Gonzalez (DZ) hit a pair of 3-run homers. Gerrit Cole (AL) hit a 2-run homer, struck out 8 and allowed 4 runs (3 earned) in a 6-inning win. Zack Wheeler (DZ) singled and fanned 6 while allowing 1 run in a 6-inning win. Adam LaRoche (PYB) hit a pair of solo homers off Cole Hamels. Jhonny Peralta (FF) hit a 2-run homer, singled twice and scored twice. Adam Wainwright (Tanana) went the distance in a win against the Brewers, striking out 3 and giving up 1 run. 

Duds: Denard Span (AL) went 0 for 2 an error and a caught stealing. Anthony Rendon (RR) went 1 for 3 with an error. Billy Hamilton (DZ) went 1 for 4 with an error. 

Transactions: Effective Saturday, Pitch You Blockhead puts Jay Bruce in for Martin Prado. Tanana in the Tailpipe adds Justin Turner and benches weak-ankled Starlin Castro.

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Fresh Fish 198, Misfits 152

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 195, Ryan's Rangers 147

Consolation matchups

Danger Zaun 178, Rookies 72

Pitch You Blockhead 169, Arbitration Losers 150

E-3 160, Rocky Mountain High 123

Playoffs Week 5: Saturday's Roundup

Javier Baez had a rough couple of games. Things only got
worse when Steve Bartman stole his lunch money.

Studs: Lance Lynn (RMH) gave up 5 hits and walked 4, but only 1 of the 3 runs he allowed was earned. He struck out 6 in 6 innings and got the win. Johnny Cueto (E-3) struck out 8 and allowed 1 run in a 7-inning win. Justin Morneau (Tanana) hit a 2-run homer and singled 3 times. Francisco Liriano (RR) fanned 9 and got the win in 6 shutout innings. 

Duds: Matt Holliday (AL) went 0 for 4 with 2 errors. In two games, Javier Baez (RR) went 1 for 9 with 7 Ks and an error. 

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Fresh Fish 183, Misfits 137

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 149, Ryan's Rangers 118

Consolation matchups

Danger Zaun 139, Rookies 69

Pitch You Blockhead 144, Arbitration Losers 128

E-3 146, Rocky Mountain High 103

Playoffs Week 5: Friday's Roundup

Remember when Marcell Ozuna struggled in spring training?

Studs: Marcell Ozuna (PYB) went 4 for 5 with 2 doubles, 4 RBIs and 2 runs. Dan Haren (RMH) singled and allowed 1 run while striking out 6 in a 6-inning win. Jarred Cosart (FF) singled, scored, allowed 3 runs and fanned 6 in a 7.2-inning victory. David Wright (E-3) went 4 for 5 with a steal, a double, 2 runs and an RBI. 

Duds: Marlon Byrd (FF) went 0 for 5 with 3 Ks and an error. Bryce Harper (Tanana) went 1 for 5 with 2 Ks and an error. Rafael Soriano (AL) blew his 7th save and allowed 3 runs in 0.2 inning. 

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Fresh Fish 151, Misfits 85

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 129, Ryan's Rangers 72

Consolation matchups

Danger Zaun 115, Rookies 52

Arbitration Losers 119, Pitch You Blockhead 117

E-3 102, Rocky Mountain High 77

Playoffs Week 5: Thursday's Roundup

Devin Mesoraco wants you to know that he's 6 for 7 with
3 homers and 18 RBIs with the bases loaded this year.

Stud: Devin Mesoraco (DZ) went 4 for 4 with a homer, a double, 4 RBIs and 2 runs. 

Dud: Yangervis Solarte (PYB) makes back-to-back appearances here thanks to an 0-for-4 performance and an error. 

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Fresh Fish 109, Misfits 66

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 111, Ryan's Rangers 51

Consolation matchups

Danger Zaun 74, Rookies 45

Arbitration Losers 97, Pitch You Blockhead 74

E-3 81, Rocky Mountain High 51

Playoffs Week 5: Wednesday's Roundup

Adam LaRoche came off the bench to provide 10 points of offense.

Studs: Adam LaRoche (PYB) homered, singled, scored twice and drove in 5. Carl Crawford (RMH) was a triple short of the cycle, scored twice and drove in 2. Tom Koehler (FF) singled and fanned 10 while allowing 2 runs in 7 innings. Corey Dickerson (DZ) blasted a pair of solo homers. 

Duds: Yangervis Solarte (PYB) and Jean Segura (AL) singled and erred. Matt Garza (RMH) gave up 6 runs in a 3-inning loss. Kenley Jansen (RMH) blew the save, allowing 3 runs in an inning. 

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Fresh Fish 109, Misfits 61

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 104, Ryan's Rangers 46

Consolation matchups

Danger Zaun 58, Rookies 44

Arbitration Losers 88, Pitch You Blockhead 67

E-3 79, Rocky Mountain High 51

Playoffs Week 5: Tuesday's Roundup

We're going to keep running photos of happy Giants
simply because they annoy Rich.

Studs: Buster Posey (FF) homered, doubled twice, drove in 4 and scored 3 runs. Clayton Kershaw (FF) had another dominant outing, striking out 8 and allowing 1 run in an 8-inning win. He also singled and scored. David Wright (E-3) doubled twice, singled, drove in 3 and scored 2 runs. 

Duds: Mat Latos (RMH) gave up 5 runs on 10 hits in a 5-inning loss. Ian Desmond (DZ) went 0 for 4 with 3 Ks and an error. 

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Fresh Fish 81, Misfits 49

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 89, Ryan's Rangers 35

Consolation matchups

Danger Zaun 40, Rookies 11

Arbitration Losers 73, Pitch You Blockhead 45

E-3 56, Rocky Mountain High 38

Playoffs, Week 5: Monday's Roundup

Old Hoss Radbourn says, "Six whole innings, huh? Meh.
In my day, the manager would have had to drag my lifeless carcass off the mound."

Studs: It was Shocking Performances by Leadoff Hitters day in FBLG. Ben Revere (PYB) blew everyone's mind by driving in 5 runs - on a 3-run triple and a 2-run single - to power the Phillies offense. Denard Span (AL) awed everyone by hitting a pair of homers to double his season total to 4. Also, Hunter Pence (Misfits) continued to be spastically awesome, homering in both the suspended game being completed and also the day's regularly scheduled game. Buster Posey (FF) had 4 hits between the two games. But the day belonged to Tanana's pitchers, with Cole Hamels striking out 7 in the first 6 innings of a combined no-hitter and adding a double and run scored, and Tyson Ross striking out 8 and allowing 1 run in a 6-inning win.

Duds: Andrelton Simmons was hitless (obviously) and made an error. Matt Adams was 0 for 4 with an error.

Championship series (top 3-week total wins)

Fresh Fish 33, Misfits 31

Third-place series (top 3-week total wins)

Tanana in the Tailpipe 52, Ryan's Rangers 29

Consolation matchups

Danger Zaun 21, Rookies 2
Arbitration Losers 44, Pitch You Blockhead 22
E-3 22, Rocky Mountain High 18

Week 23 (Playoffs, Week 5) Transactions and Lineups

Players acquired

Tanana in the Tailpipe sign SP Henderson Alvarez (September move #1).

Misfits sign OF Jorge Soler (September move #1) and 2B Aaron Hill (September move #2).

Danger Zaun sign OF Ender Inciarte (September move #1).

Players released

SP Trevor Cahill

SP Kevin Correia

C Yasmani Grandal

Score correction

Your commissioners neglected to give Jake Peavy (Arbitration Losers) 6 points for his start on Monday, 8/25. The score has been updated to reflect that start and floggings have been administered to those responsible.

Lineup changes

E-3: Bench OF Curtis Granderson, OF Allen Craig and SP A.J. Burnett; activate OF Drew Stubbs, OF Grady Sizemore and SP Joe Kelly.

Fresh Fish: Bench SP Mike Leake and SP Bartolo Colon; activate SP Tom Koehler and SP Hyun-Jin Ryu (from DL).

Rookies: none.

Rocky Mountain High: Bench SP Tim Lincecum; activate SP Matt Garza (from DL).

Pitch You Blockhead: Bench OF Jay Bruce; activate OF Yangervis Solarte.

Tanana in the Tailpipe: Bench SP Jon Niese; activate SP Henderson Alvarez.

Ryan's Rangers: Bench SP Wily Peralta and SS Adeiny Hechavarria; activate SP Gio Gonzalez and SS Javier Baez.

Misfits: Bench OF Jon Jay; place 2B Daniel Murphy on DL; activate OF Jorge Soler and 2B Aaron Hill.

Arbitration Losers: Bench 2B Jedd Gyorko, SP Jake Peavy and SP Jacob deGrom; move Josh Harrison from SS to 2B; activate SS Jean Segura, SP Wade Miley and SP Tim Hudson.

Danger Zaun: Bench 2B Kolten Wong, C Travis d'Arnaud and OF Khris Davis; activate 2B Arismendy Alcantara, C Devin Mesoraco and OF Ender Inciarte.

Playoffs Week 4: The Check Swing

The 2014 FBLG championship series is set. And it's between teams that went 9-9 and 8-10 during the regular season. So there's that. Congrats to Rick's Fresh Fish and Reid's Misfits for advancing to the three-week championship series. Ryan's Rangers and Tanana in the Tailpipe will do battle for three weeks to determine third place. And the rest of us will continue the consolation slap-fight.

1. Fresh Fish (3,813 points): With the favorites for the NL Cy Young (Kershaw) and MVP (Stanton), Rick's going to be tough to beat. Jarred Cosart put up two good starts last week, because of course he did. And Buster Posey remembered that he used to be a power hitter and decided to try that again. The Fish just keep putting up points, and now Hyun-Jin Ryu is off the DL and pitching well again. Uh-oh.

2. Danger Zaun (3,810 points): A solid week from most of the offense and a big start from Stephen Strasburg was enough to help the Zaunies improve to 2-0 in the consolation round and keep pace with the Fresh Fish. Just as the disabled list shrunk to just four starting pitchers, Kolten Wong went down with a possible concussion. Danger Zaun has already fired its training staff and hired a holistic healer.

3. Ryan's Rangers (3,642 points): Bill's guys fought valiantly but were swept away by the Fish, landing in the third-place matchup. Chase Anderson and Francisco Liriano did their thing on the mound, but team ace Wily Peralta was shelled. And the non-Rendon part of the infield combined for just 17 points. Now the Rangers will have to pick themselves up and get ready for the angry Tailpipers.

4. Arbitration Losers (3,605 points): Tim's guys were the big movers this week, vaulting two spots into fourth place. Matt Holliday woke up Saturday convinced he was back in Coors Field and that it was 2007, and then went out and hit like it. Pablo Sandoval and Josh Harrison had monster weeks too, and Peavy led the Jake-heavy rotation (Arrieta, deGrom) with a near-no-hitter.

This guy is ashamed of the performance of his namesake last week.

5. Tanana in the Tailpipe (3,589 points): Reid's guys were nice enough to let Tanana hang around until the last day of the semifinals, then threw four starts at them to pummel them into submission. Other than Tyson Ross and Bryce Harper, though, Tanana mostly didn't show up this week.

6. E-3 (3,583 points): Adam's old Phillies - Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins and A.J. Burnett - combined for 69 points. And it wasn't enough for a win. That about sums up the second half of E-3's season, actually. Johnny Cueto keeps rolling along, at least. But Dee Gordon and Curtis Granderson have slowed down, Miguel Montero is in a slump, David Wright is hurt, and no one knows where Allen Craig went. Maybe he fell down the Springfield Mystery Spot?

7. Pitch You Blockhead (3,564 points): Scott's blockheads pitched great and dragged his offense to a win. It helped that RMH only put up 83 points against him. In fact, if PYB had started no players on offense, they still would have won easily. Jeff Samardzija remembered that he's supposed to be an ace, and new addition Mike Minor continued his late-season reawakening. Unfortunately, Scott's leading hitter this week was Neil Walker. And he was on the bench.

8. Misfits (3,522 points): What a weird, weird week. Only one of Reid's hitters - Hunter Pence - showed up. The other seven hitters combined for 31 points, with half of those coming for Charlie Blackmon. Daniel Murphy got hurt midweek and couldn't be replaced. And yet... when you throw eight starts out there from your solid rotation, you end up getting over 100 points from them (even with Tanner Roark throwing two duds) and somehow the team nearly 300 points out of the lead is in the championship series.

9. Rocky Mountain High (3,373 points): Oof. The less said about this stinkbomb the better. Mat Latos pitched great in a win. He put up 18. The next-highest scorer this week was three guys tied with eight points apiece. Five of the seven days this week, Jon put up 6, 4, 4, 6 and 5.

10. Rookies (3,371 points): A decent week for Henry's guys, but no chance against Tim's squad this week. Justin Upton continues to be a fringe MVP candidate and Jordan Zimmermann pitched like an ace. But too many of the other Braves hitters are struggling and Doug Fister put up a rare stinker of a start.